Comments for Critical Twenties

Comment on In Defence of Tim Burton by Lekha

Lekha — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:52:32 +0000

Actually, Tarantino is also very guilty of his trademarks. His foot fetish is a common thread across his movies and I guess repeated use of Tim Roth and Uma Thurman. I suppose, Spielberg is the most versatile of the biggest directors, but he hasn’t directed anything noteworthy in ages.

Comment on In Defence of Tim Burton by Pranav

Pranav — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:39:56 +0000

As a Tim Burton fan I concur with pretty much everything you’ve written. I had similar thoughts after reading a bad review of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. Good directors seem to use the same actors for a reason…in fact I can’t think of too many of the so called ‘greats’ who don’t use the same actors. Tarantino perhaps…off the top of my head…but even he has cast Michael Madsen in almost every one of his films.

Comment on The Avengers (2012) by Lekha

Lekha — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:22:06 +0000

Now that you mention it, the similarity is striking, but only if you imagine accordion music in the Loki scenes.

Comment on The Avengers (2012) by aandthirtyeights

aandthirtyeights — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:41:40 +0000

Didn’t you look at Loki and think of F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Comment on The Social Experience of Going to the Movies by Harsh

Harsh — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:22:22 +0000

Ibid I forgot to put in my name actually

Comment on The Social Experience of Going to the Movies by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:19:29 +0000

Very well written Mukul! I have had occasions when I went for the movie alone for the uninterrupted experience of just watching the movie and then same day had to go with family who were not aware of my prior plans! lunch/dinner post a movie s a lot more fun than before the movie, thats purposeful socializing and then there can always be something to talk about

Comment on Anil Kapoor and the Changing Face of India by Umesh

Umesh — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:08:37 +0000

>> But its one redeeming feature though was that it was comfortable with its own identity, not chasing false hopes and basking in global encomiums that are clever disguises to tap into India’s ever bulging middle class wallets.

I’m sorry, Arghya – I’m not sure how old you were in the 80s and whether you lived in India then, but your view of India in the 80s is, in spite of your disclaimer, overly romanticized. India in the 80s, the land that my parents were wise to flee, was a rotten shit hole, filled with red tape and corruption and where the most basic of material comforts were denied to the masses due to a misguided attachment to the socialist cause and a belief that desiring or making money was a criminal act.
Need a telephone so that you could hear your loved ones’ voices? Wait 5 years or bribe your nearest MP for a connection. Want a television so that you could experience the magic of Doordarshan – buy the 60s era local brand or scrape a few dollars up and ask the local smuggler. Want a scooter to get around the pot holed? Pay a deposit and wait a few years to get one. Want a computer? Just kidding… no one here knows what that is.

My fondest memory of India in the 80s was of this time when my parents and I landed at the stinking, crumbling Bombay Sahar airport with a TV set for my aging grandmother (a 14″ Toshiba that we probably paid <$50 for and which a 9 year old me spent much of the previous summer playing video games on). The customs officer was flabbergasted that we would dare to bring such luxuries back to the motherland and after a few hours of attempting to coax us out of the set, finally agreed to bribe of $25 so that my grandmother could watch 'Chitrahaar' on Sunday nights in full color. As we paid the bribe and proceeded through the 'green channel', the officer noticed a gold chain on my neck (which all Indian children from good families are required to wear) and threatened to further delay our departure for attempting to import gold from abroad. My dad somehow managed to dodge that bullet and we walked out of the airport relieved that the entire experience was behind us.

I often hear stories about life in the Eastern Bloc from colleagues and friends who grew up in the Soviet Union or Poland or Czechoslovakia in the 70s and 80s and wonder if, besides the rudimentary political freedoms that we had, life in India in the 80s wasn't all that much better than theirs.

Comment on Reminiscing about Pep — A retrospective on Guardiola and his team, 60 years from today by M

Wed, 02 May 2012 05:32:14 +0000

I am one of those illiterate crickets fans and know next to nothing about football but still strangely enough I found myself moved by your article and style of writing. Great idea and brilliant execution. This is exceptional writing, Suhrith.

Comment on Reminiscing about Pep — A retrospective on Guardiola and his team, 60 years from today by arzvi

arzvi — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:23:45 +0000

Great article man. Although I am not a Barca fanatic I love their matches, it was really a different football. That Pedro goal will never be forgotten. And 2010-11 Champions League vs Real Madrid – how they won the 2nd leg.
Football will miss Pep. I hope he returns in bigger format like coaching SPAIN for world cup.
Only negative is I felt he should’ve changed the attack when they were donw against Chelsea – played more attacking – trying out shots at goal rather than so many one-touch passes for one try, but its just me. I am sure Xavi, Iniesta, Messi triumvirate will miss him

Comment on Top 10 All Time Favourite ‘Feel Good’ Movies by michel r.

michel r. — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:27:08 +0000

your list sucks big time .