"Slumdog" Steals The Show At The Oscars

It was a "Slumdog Millionaire's" night at the Oscars. The movie swept 8 awards out of the 10 nominations. The awards include

1. The Best Picture

2. The Best Director (Danny Boyle)

3. The Best Original Score ( A.R.Rahman)

4. The Best Original Song - Jai Ho (A.R.Rahman)

5. The Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle)

6. The Best Sound Mixing (Resul Pookutty)

7. The Best Adapted Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy)

8. The Best Film Editing

The Best Actor award went to Sean Penn for his role in Milk. The Best Actress award was bagged by Kate Winslet for her role in The Reader. The Supporting Actor Award was awarded to Heath Ledger posthumously for his role as Joker in The Dark Knight. It was only the second such instance of an Oscar being awarded posthumously. The Supporting Actress Award went to Penelope Cruz for her role in Vicky Christina Barcelona. The Brad Pitt starrer The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button which was nominated in 13 categories bagged 3 awards, for visual effects, art direction and make up.

The Oscar Fever Heats Up

Its that time of the year when the entire film world and the fans turn their attention to the Kodak theater where the Oscar awards will be presented. The 81st academy awards ceremony will be held on February 22nd 2009. The nominations for this year are

In The Best Picture Category:

1. Slumdog Millionaire

2. The Reader

3. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

4. Milk

5. Frost / Nixon

In The Best Actor Category:

1. Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)

2. Sean Penn (Milk)

3. Mickey Rourke (Wrestler)

4. Frank Langella (Frost / Nixon)

5. Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)

In The Best Actress category:

1. Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)

2. Kate Winslet (The Reader)

3. Angelina Jolie (Changeling)

4. Melissa Leo (Frozen River)

5. Meryl Streep (Doubt)

Angels and Demons - A Riveting Read

Angels and Demons is a book written by Dan Brown. It is set before Da Vinci Code. The book begins with the murder of physicist Leonardo Vetra with the word "Illuminati" branded on his chest. The chief of CERN, Maxmillian Kohler, rings up Robert Langdon, a Harvard university symbiologist, and enlists his help in solving the murder mystery.

Upon reaching CERN, Robert Langdon, Vittoria Vetra (daughter of Leonardo Vetra) and Maxmillian Kohler discover that one of the canisters containing anti-matter specimen is missing. At the same time, a security camera inside the Vatican City shows the missing canister with a digital clock counting down. But the Swiss guards are unable to identify the exact location of the canister. Upon hearing this, Vittoria Vetra and Robert Langdon rush to the Vatican city.

Upon reaching there they find that the conclave for selecting the next pope is scheduled to be held that very day and the four preferiti (the favorites for the papacy), are missing. The duo then meets up Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca (the late pope's closest aide) in the pope's office where they receive a call from an unidentified person who calls himself as "Hassasin" and proceeds to tell them that the four cardinals would be sacrificed on the four altars of science. ( Each altar is a tribute for the fundamental elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water known in the ancient times.) In order to have any chance of rescuing the cardinals and find the whereabouts of the canister, Robert Langdon has to uncover the four altars within a specified time period.

Will the cardinals be saved? Will the Vatican City be prevented from destruction? The story moves at a breakneck pace and is full of twists, thrills and suspense. Dan Brown captures the imagination of the reader and manages to sustain it throughout. The time frame in which the story unfolds is just a single day.

This best selling book is currently being made into a movie with Tom Hanks donning the role of Robert Langdon and Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra. It is set to be released on May 2009. The trailer can be viewed here.

Rock On!! - Really Rockz

Rock On!! is an Hindi movie released in 2008. The story revolves around four boys who form a rock band called Magik in their early twenties, and hope to make a mark in music. However after winning a music competition difference of opinion crops up and they split up.

The scene then shifts to ten years later when all the four of them are engrossed in their respective occupation and lose contact with each other. The singer of the band Aditya, becomes an investment banker and immerses himself totally into his work without finding any time for himself or his family. The drummer KD, looks after his father's business. The lead guitarist Joe is relatively poor(monetarily) and earns his living by performing at weddings. The keyboard player make his living by composing music for ads.

When they are made to meet up by Sakshee, the wife of the singer, they agree to team up again. While leading up to an musical event, they learn that their keyboard player Rob is suffering from brain tumour and is dying. Initially Joe does not turn up for the contest as his wife urges him to go elsewhere to a job which pays well. But after hearing his friends perform the song he composed on the radio, he returns to the band. They perform another song, which turns out to be their last performance together as Rob dies a couple of months later.

This movie makes people to remember their young carefree days and urges them to follow their dreams. The music composed by the famous trio of Shankar-Eshaan-Loy is really excellent and is topping the charts. The film is realy a must watch as it is well constructed and presented. In short, Rock On really Rockzzzz.

21!!!!

I've heard that this is one of the best movies released this year, and therefore i watched this movie a short while ago. True enough, this movie held me spell bound for 2 hours. And at the end of the movie i was as astonished as the Harvard med scholarship administrator. However here goes the crux of the movie.

Ben Campbell is a brilliant student who studies at MIT. His long cherished dream is to study at Harvard Medical School, but unfortunately could not afford to pay the high fees. Therefore he applies for Robinson Scholarship. But the scholarship administrator says that the scholarship will be awarded to only one person who "dazzles" ie the one who"jumps out"of the page. He then asks Ben to tell some true life experience. Ben then tells the administrator his story.


Ben is a intellectual fellow who works hard in MIT and is regarded highly by his professors. After he successfully solves an intellectual math problem, his professor invites him to join a gang which makes money by counting cards in Las Vegas casinos. Although initially Ben is reluctant, he soon masters the system and then goes to casinos to earn sufficient money to pay for his Harvard Med Expenses. After enjoying the high life which comes with money Ben finds it hard to stop playing even after he earned the money required for his tution fees. He then falls out with his professor who then leaves the gang. Meanwhile the Casino's security guard suspects Ben and then allows Ben after stern warning. When Ben returns to his dorm he finds that his earnings has been taken away from him and he cannot complete his MIT degree on time.

Devasted, he asks Rosa, his professor, to accompany him to casino for one last time. Rosa agrees and the team play under a disguise. After raking in money, the security guard spots them and they begin to flee in different directions. Ben hands over the bag containing the chips to Rosa who then quitely exits the casino and gets into a car. When he opens the bag, it is revealed that the bag which was supposed to contain chips contains chocolate coins.Ben switches the bag before handing it over to Rosa as a part of agreement which he has with the casino security guard. When Ben eventually exits the casino with the chips, he is intercepted by the guard who then demands that he give up the chips and return home empty handed. Ben has no option but to oblidge.

He recounts this fascinating story to the scholarship administrator and then asks him "Did i dazzle you professor??" "Did i jump out??" The professor stares at him in shock and awe.