I guess someone came up with some really nice songs. And then choreographed a bunch of fight scenes well. Uh...little problem, they forgot a couple of small details - something called a script and screenplay. Well, why fear when the formula is here?
- Remorseless hero who is a mass murderer by profession? Check
- Aging don with a heart of gold? Check
- Heartwarming scenes with aging don's mother-figure-wife? Check
- Corpulent dancers hurting your eyes in so called item numbers? Check
- Crazy annoying heroine who has no qualms about "loving" mass-murderer-hero and performing endearing child-woman acts like popping bubbles in the side of a busy street? Check
- Ashish Vidhyarthi as a cop? Check
- A stuttering Raghuvaran doing his routine for the billionth time? Check
- An audience that will spend hundreds of hard earned bucks to watch the same old mindless crap stuffed back down their throats without even a little attempt at logic or coherence? Check
- "Unique twist" to con audiences into thinking this is a "different" movie? - hmmm....oh yes! Make remorseless-hero have a weird man-crush on aging-don (so what if there are snickers from the not-so-innocent audience?)
Thats Bheema for you. If you are a student of cinematography or a fashion hound and want to see some really pretty clothes, watch this movie. Otherwise, just rent Thalapathi's dvd.
If you are Vikram's die-hard fan, please buy the ticket, but try and close your eyes through the entire movie. Or better still, spare yourself from the heartbreak of watching him waste the best years of his life on utterly pointless drivel like this.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Matrix explained
This is a pretty lengthy article. I simply HAD to write it, because last weekend, after watching the Matrix Revolutions, I finally saw the light (pun intended). I've understood about 95% of the Trilogy, with a little help from some amazing fan sites. The remaining 5%? Yea, I'm still not clear about the significance of Sati, the role she will play in the future, the sunrise she created etc etc etc.
SPOILER ALERT*****
The entire Matrix storyline is detailed here. So, if you have not watched the Trilogy, please do not read this. The Matrix trilogy is brilliant because it is the very definition of intelligent cinema. The Wachovsky brothers make you think a lot - only some aspects of the storyline are even revealed fully in the movie. You have to try and fill the remaining holes in with your own interpretation.
The Matrix can be interpreted in many ways - you can look at it as a simple action flick. Or, you can discover many principles of Advaitha embedded along the entire storyline (subtly in the beginning, and then a complete out-in-the-open bow when the character Ramachandra speaks about Karma). There are many references to Greek mythology and finally, Neo becomes a Jesus-like savior. Whichever way you look at it - The Matrix Trilogy is arguably the greatest trio of movies ever made.
And so....here is the entire story (or atleast, the way I see it)
1) There is a war between humans and intelligent machines (for supremacy, what else?)
2) The humans blacken the skies to cut off energy sources for the machines (which presumably used sunlight as a renewable energy source)
3) The machines need energy, so they set up huge "farms" where humans are cultivated in pods
so that the machines can harvest the bio-energy generated by the human bodies
4) The only way they could successfully keep humans alive but imprisoned in the pods was by creating a virtual reality to keep their minds occupied. This virtual reality is called the matrix. So, the imprisoned humans are not aware of their actual physical state, because, in their minds, they live in (what they think is) "the real world" which is in reality, just computer code (the matrix)
5) There exists the city of Zion where truly free humans still live. They think that they are rebels, fighting the machines. They hack into the matrix to free humans - more specifically, the humans who are ready to free their minds (that are imprisoned in the matrix). The free and freed humans live in Zion.
6) The free humans living in Zion also deploy fighter ships which roam around in the real world (mostly a wasteland due to the sunlight being cut off), fending off attacks from sentinels (squiggly mechanical things that aim to destroy the ships), to try and free more humans from the farms.
7) A notable captain of such a ship is Morpheus, with a notable crew member - Trinity. They free Neo (Keanu Reeves) from the matrix and enlighten him with the truth about the real world (see points 1 to 4 above). They believe that Neo is the One who can win the war with the machines, because of a prophecy from the Oracle. The Oracle is a mysterious lady who appears to foretell the future and lives in the matrix.
8) The free humans often delve into the matrix for various reasons. Their physical bodies are still in their ships. Their minds are in the matrix. As long as they understand that what they see in the matrix is unreal, they can easily defeat all the villainous agents that the machines deploy to destroy the free humans, and can even fly and do superhuman things. But, they can also be defeated and killed when inside the matrix, if their minds succumbs to feelings of fear and believes the matrix world as really real.
9) Prompted by the Oracle, Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity go in search of the Architect (the computer program that built the matrix program). After a great deal of drama, Neo meets the Architect (who appears as an elderly man. Note that in the matrix, many computer programs have human forms)
10) Neo learns a shocking truth about Zion from the Architect - While being the home for free humans, Zion was not entirely a human creation. It was created/or allowed to exist by the machines themselves for a specific reason (see below)
a) The Architect's first version of the Matrix was a complete failure. It/He had created a perfect virtual world with no conflict/hunger etc. The humans (in the pod farms) immediately rejected it and died, as humans inherently need conflict and struggle as they identify the real world with it
b) The next version (where the Architect built tragedy, war, etc. into the Matrix was also a failure)
c) The Architect finally figured that to solve the above glitch in the matrix, the key is to give the human mind a choice, and make the humans think that they are living their lives according to their own choice (however flawed and meaningless the choice may be)
d) The choice given to the humans, on a subconscious level was this - stay in the matrix and enjoy its comforts, or jump into the real non matrix world. 99% choose the matrix and remain imprisoned in the pod farms, 1% choose freedom and Zion.
e) Hence, Zion is essential for the survival of the machines. They need Zion, but, at the same time, Zion cannot grow too powerful, so they also need to periodically destroy most of Zion and then start over by reloading a new version of the matrix.
f) The machines also wish to maintain the illusion of purpose that the residents of Zion have. If things were too easy (with the machines leaving Zion alone), then the residents of Zion will figure out the fact that the machines need Zion for their own survival and will find a way to defeat the machines. So, the machines engage the residents of Zion in a long war, with the Oracle manipulating them towards the quest of the One - the savior who they think will win the "war". The machines, with the help of the Oracle then engineer events so that "the One" will finally meet the Architect, and aid in the destruction and recreation of Zion
g) The Oracle is also a computer program - very critical in the creation of the Matrix, with a great understanding of human emotion. She manipulates the free humans by predicting the future, and encouraging them in their quest for "The One". She also gently manipulates Neo's emotions who has already been chosen by the machines as the One (reason for this in the next bullet point). When he is not ready to become the One, she lets him think that he is not the One. But by "predicting" the actions of Morpheus and by making self-fulfilling prophecies to Trinity, she makes sure Neo grows into the role of the One. She pushes Neo to go and find the Architect
h) When the Architect meets Neo, he communicates all the above info to Neo and gives him a choice - he can either survive and allow 23 members of Zion to survive, thereby ensuring the survival of "free" humanity. Or, he can choose to fight the machines, with the machines surely destroying Zion fully, thereby destroying humanity completely. There have already been a few Neos before this, and when all of them were presented with the same choice, they chose the former (saving 23 people and rebuilding Zion). Hence, this is actually the sixth version of the matrix, simply a part of the endless cycle where it is reloaded repeatedly, and Zion is destroyed and created repeatedly.
i) In this version of the Matrix, the Oracle has changed her(it's) mind. She/It does not want the endless cycle of the matrix reloading and Zion created/destroyed/recreated. So, she plays a game - she manipulates Neo into choosing the second option (where there is a full blown war and there are is no option of 23 survivors in the event of a defeat). She does this by making Neo and Trinity fall in love with each other. She gambles that Neo will not choose the 23 person option as he cannot accept the inherent caveat with this option - Trinity's death. His love for Trinity is far greater than anything else. He chooses to save Trinity and Zion prepares for an all out war with the machines.
j) There is a third factor in the middle of all this - agent Smith. Smith was originally simply an agent of the matrix. An agent is a computer program designed to eliminate the free humans trying to hack into the matrix to save the trapped humans. He ends up mutating into a wild version of himself, where his only purpose is the destruction of Neo. Like a virus, he begins infecting and corrupting the entire matrix itself
k) The Oracle is aware of the presence of Smith and that is an incentive for her gamble as she believes that the outcome of the war between the machines and Zion may be different when they face a common enemy
11) Neo gets to meet the Oracle for one last time. She cryptically tells him that "everything that has a beginning must have an end"
12) The war between the machines and Zion begins with thousands of sentinels breaking into the city.
13) In the meantime, it dawns on Neo that he must go to the machine city to meet the Source (the master computer) based on cryptic messages (certainly intentional) from the Oracle. Neo and Trinity travel to the machine city. Trinity dies in the process. Also, in the matrix world, Smith ends up corrupting more and more portions of the matrix. He meets the Oracle and ends up "taking over" her.
14) Neo talks to the Source. He convinces the Source by promising to destroy Smith in exchange for peace (for Zion). The machine agrees to a truce, stops the attack on Zion and plugs Neo into the matrix
15) Neo and Smith have a big fight in the matrix. Neo keeps fighting back. Then Smith echoes statements that the Oracle said ("everything that has a beginning has an end). Smith talks like the Oracle, as he has taken over the Oracle itself. Neo finally understands what to do. He figures out that the only purpose for Smith's existence is to destroy him. So, he lets Smith destroy him (by letting Smith take over Neo's mind/body). As Neo was plugged into the matrix, Smith is also now plugged into the matrix because of this and the Machine immediately deletes Smith as he is now simply a program without a purpose (as his purpose - the destruction of Neo has been achieved)
16) Neo becomes one with the Source. He is physically dead, but it can be said that his brain/thoughts/soul etc has been assimilated into the source where he will live forever
17) The Matrix reloads itself. All the programs that Smith corrupted - The Oracle, Sati, etc become themselves again. Zion is truly free now and does not need to fear the machines. The Architect agrees to free the humans in the pod if they choose to be freed
18) The movie ends with a chant from the Upanishads(?) - Asatoma sathgamaya... (from darkness lead us to light, from ignorance lead us to knowledge and from death lead us to immortality) - the significance of this verse being that the humans in the farms have the opportunity to free themselves from their darkness and ignorance, and their delusional world of the Matrix - which is essentially all Maya, and live free in Zion if they seek it and choose it.
Stuff that i do not get - The whole Sati storyline. Can anybody help me?
SPOILER ALERT*****
The entire Matrix storyline is detailed here. So, if you have not watched the Trilogy, please do not read this. The Matrix trilogy is brilliant because it is the very definition of intelligent cinema. The Wachovsky brothers make you think a lot - only some aspects of the storyline are even revealed fully in the movie. You have to try and fill the remaining holes in with your own interpretation.
The Matrix can be interpreted in many ways - you can look at it as a simple action flick. Or, you can discover many principles of Advaitha embedded along the entire storyline (subtly in the beginning, and then a complete out-in-the-open bow when the character Ramachandra speaks about Karma). There are many references to Greek mythology and finally, Neo becomes a Jesus-like savior. Whichever way you look at it - The Matrix Trilogy is arguably the greatest trio of movies ever made.
And so....here is the entire story (or atleast, the way I see it)
1) There is a war between humans and intelligent machines (for supremacy, what else?)
2) The humans blacken the skies to cut off energy sources for the machines (which presumably used sunlight as a renewable energy source)
3) The machines need energy, so they set up huge "farms" where humans are cultivated in pods
so that the machines can harvest the bio-energy generated by the human bodies
4) The only way they could successfully keep humans alive but imprisoned in the pods was by creating a virtual reality to keep their minds occupied. This virtual reality is called the matrix. So, the imprisoned humans are not aware of their actual physical state, because, in their minds, they live in (what they think is) "the real world" which is in reality, just computer code (the matrix)
5) There exists the city of Zion where truly free humans still live. They think that they are rebels, fighting the machines. They hack into the matrix to free humans - more specifically, the humans who are ready to free their minds (that are imprisoned in the matrix). The free and freed humans live in Zion.
6) The free humans living in Zion also deploy fighter ships which roam around in the real world (mostly a wasteland due to the sunlight being cut off), fending off attacks from sentinels (squiggly mechanical things that aim to destroy the ships), to try and free more humans from the farms.
7) A notable captain of such a ship is Morpheus, with a notable crew member - Trinity. They free Neo (Keanu Reeves) from the matrix and enlighten him with the truth about the real world (see points 1 to 4 above). They believe that Neo is the One who can win the war with the machines, because of a prophecy from the Oracle. The Oracle is a mysterious lady who appears to foretell the future and lives in the matrix.
8) The free humans often delve into the matrix for various reasons. Their physical bodies are still in their ships. Their minds are in the matrix. As long as they understand that what they see in the matrix is unreal, they can easily defeat all the villainous agents that the machines deploy to destroy the free humans, and can even fly and do superhuman things. But, they can also be defeated and killed when inside the matrix, if their minds succumbs to feelings of fear and believes the matrix world as really real.
9) Prompted by the Oracle, Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity go in search of the Architect (the computer program that built the matrix program). After a great deal of drama, Neo meets the Architect (who appears as an elderly man. Note that in the matrix, many computer programs have human forms)
10) Neo learns a shocking truth about Zion from the Architect - While being the home for free humans, Zion was not entirely a human creation. It was created/or allowed to exist by the machines themselves for a specific reason (see below)
a) The Architect's first version of the Matrix was a complete failure. It/He had created a perfect virtual world with no conflict/hunger etc. The humans (in the pod farms) immediately rejected it and died, as humans inherently need conflict and struggle as they identify the real world with it
b) The next version (where the Architect built tragedy, war, etc. into the Matrix was also a failure)
c) The Architect finally figured that to solve the above glitch in the matrix, the key is to give the human mind a choice, and make the humans think that they are living their lives according to their own choice (however flawed and meaningless the choice may be)
d) The choice given to the humans, on a subconscious level was this - stay in the matrix and enjoy its comforts, or jump into the real non matrix world. 99% choose the matrix and remain imprisoned in the pod farms, 1% choose freedom and Zion.
e) Hence, Zion is essential for the survival of the machines. They need Zion, but, at the same time, Zion cannot grow too powerful, so they also need to periodically destroy most of Zion and then start over by reloading a new version of the matrix.
f) The machines also wish to maintain the illusion of purpose that the residents of Zion have. If things were too easy (with the machines leaving Zion alone), then the residents of Zion will figure out the fact that the machines need Zion for their own survival and will find a way to defeat the machines. So, the machines engage the residents of Zion in a long war, with the Oracle manipulating them towards the quest of the One - the savior who they think will win the "war". The machines, with the help of the Oracle then engineer events so that "the One" will finally meet the Architect, and aid in the destruction and recreation of Zion
g) The Oracle is also a computer program - very critical in the creation of the Matrix, with a great understanding of human emotion. She manipulates the free humans by predicting the future, and encouraging them in their quest for "The One". She also gently manipulates Neo's emotions who has already been chosen by the machines as the One (reason for this in the next bullet point). When he is not ready to become the One, she lets him think that he is not the One. But by "predicting" the actions of Morpheus and by making self-fulfilling prophecies to Trinity, she makes sure Neo grows into the role of the One. She pushes Neo to go and find the Architect
h) When the Architect meets Neo, he communicates all the above info to Neo and gives him a choice - he can either survive and allow 23 members of Zion to survive, thereby ensuring the survival of "free" humanity. Or, he can choose to fight the machines, with the machines surely destroying Zion fully, thereby destroying humanity completely. There have already been a few Neos before this, and when all of them were presented with the same choice, they chose the former (saving 23 people and rebuilding Zion). Hence, this is actually the sixth version of the matrix, simply a part of the endless cycle where it is reloaded repeatedly, and Zion is destroyed and created repeatedly.
i) In this version of the Matrix, the Oracle has changed her(it's) mind. She/It does not want the endless cycle of the matrix reloading and Zion created/destroyed/recreated. So, she plays a game - she manipulates Neo into choosing the second option (where there is a full blown war and there are is no option of 23 survivors in the event of a defeat). She does this by making Neo and Trinity fall in love with each other. She gambles that Neo will not choose the 23 person option as he cannot accept the inherent caveat with this option - Trinity's death. His love for Trinity is far greater than anything else. He chooses to save Trinity and Zion prepares for an all out war with the machines.
j) There is a third factor in the middle of all this - agent Smith. Smith was originally simply an agent of the matrix. An agent is a computer program designed to eliminate the free humans trying to hack into the matrix to save the trapped humans. He ends up mutating into a wild version of himself, where his only purpose is the destruction of Neo. Like a virus, he begins infecting and corrupting the entire matrix itself
k) The Oracle is aware of the presence of Smith and that is an incentive for her gamble as she believes that the outcome of the war between the machines and Zion may be different when they face a common enemy
11) Neo gets to meet the Oracle for one last time. She cryptically tells him that "everything that has a beginning must have an end"
12) The war between the machines and Zion begins with thousands of sentinels breaking into the city.
13) In the meantime, it dawns on Neo that he must go to the machine city to meet the Source (the master computer) based on cryptic messages (certainly intentional) from the Oracle. Neo and Trinity travel to the machine city. Trinity dies in the process. Also, in the matrix world, Smith ends up corrupting more and more portions of the matrix. He meets the Oracle and ends up "taking over" her.
14) Neo talks to the Source. He convinces the Source by promising to destroy Smith in exchange for peace (for Zion). The machine agrees to a truce, stops the attack on Zion and plugs Neo into the matrix
15) Neo and Smith have a big fight in the matrix. Neo keeps fighting back. Then Smith echoes statements that the Oracle said ("everything that has a beginning has an end). Smith talks like the Oracle, as he has taken over the Oracle itself. Neo finally understands what to do. He figures out that the only purpose for Smith's existence is to destroy him. So, he lets Smith destroy him (by letting Smith take over Neo's mind/body). As Neo was plugged into the matrix, Smith is also now plugged into the matrix because of this and the Machine immediately deletes Smith as he is now simply a program without a purpose (as his purpose - the destruction of Neo has been achieved)
16) Neo becomes one with the Source. He is physically dead, but it can be said that his brain/thoughts/soul etc has been assimilated into the source where he will live forever
17) The Matrix reloads itself. All the programs that Smith corrupted - The Oracle, Sati, etc become themselves again. Zion is truly free now and does not need to fear the machines. The Architect agrees to free the humans in the pod if they choose to be freed
18) The movie ends with a chant from the Upanishads(?) - Asatoma sathgamaya... (from darkness lead us to light, from ignorance lead us to knowledge and from death lead us to immortality) - the significance of this verse being that the humans in the farms have the opportunity to free themselves from their darkness and ignorance, and their delusional world of the Matrix - which is essentially all Maya, and live free in Zion if they seek it and choose it.
Stuff that i do not get - The whole Sati storyline. Can anybody help me?
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Lean Veggie - Vegetable Pulao
Making the perfect pulao is a challenge for any cook. The important thing is the technique. The key is to perfectly cook every grain of rice - it should be soft, but also maintain it's perfect shape and not get all mushy.This recipe has few ingredients. No masala powders are used. A few whole spices are added to the oil, and this gentle flavor permeates through the whole dish. You can add a variety of chopped vegetables if you like (potatoes, cauliflower, beans). I prefer using peas and maybe a few teaspoons of chopped bell pepper for color, and save the veggies for a curry that I serve with the pulao.
For cooking the rice, all you need is a heavy flat bottom non stick pan. This dish takes barely 20 minutes to prepare. But the key is to NOT serve it immediately. Letting the rice sit for sometime, helps it absorb the moisture, and firm up. Served up with my favorite coconut milk kootu, this combination is flavorful vegetarian food at its best!
Ingredients -
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Frozen peas, chopped carrots and/or chopped peppers - 1 cup total
Green chilli - 1 long or 2 small
Cashewnuts - 1/4 cup (optional)
Finely chopped mint leaves - 2 tablespoons (optional)
Finely chopped cilantro - 2 tablespoons
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Bayleaf - 1
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Method -
1) Take the rice in a bowl, pour enough water to cover. Then swish the rice around in the water and drain the water. Repeat this twice. Pour half cup water into the rice, and set the rice aside (the water will soak the rice and quicken the cooking process later, however, don't let the rice soak for more than 10 minutes)
2) Chop the green chillies finely.
3) Heat the oil, keep medium heat. Add all the spices except the cumin. Let the spices fry till fragrant (about 20 seconds or so)
4) Add the green chillies, cumin seeds and immediately add the rice
5) Maintaining medium heat, stir fry the rice gently. Make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan or turn brown.
6) Add the green peas, cashewnuts (if using) and continue to stir the rice. The rice will turn a shade of bright white. All the moisture will evaporate and the grains will become very dry. The total time for steps 5 and 6 is about 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat.
7) Add 2 and a half cups of water, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, the mint leaves and stir
8) Close the pan with a well fitting lid. Cook the rice on medium heat. The temperature at which the rice cooks is important. You should not let the water boil too much. At medium heat, you will see a few bubbles and the rice will absorb the water
9) Stir occasionally, but very carefully so that the rice does not break. Within 10 to 15 minutes, all the water will be visibly absorbed. Turn off the heat (with the lid closed)
10) After 10 minutes, open the lid. With a fork, gently fluff the rice out and sprinkle the cilantro leaves. Replace the lid (propped a little open on one side so that the steam escapes). Serve after 15 minutes
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