The Critique

Christmas is a time of fun and cheer. We retrieve our neatly-tucked-away decorations and put them on display in and around our houses. We work together as families and communities to beautify our surroundings and to prepare sweets. In doing these things we spend time with one another and hopefully grow in our relationships, thereby developing new bonds and strengthening old ones. The activities of Christmastide like parties, visits and hopefully even the Sacraments, fill us with joy and contribute to making this season joyful and exciting. Christmas is a time of joy and generosity, but could it be that we are joyful and generous only to our friends and family? Beginning with myself first and then observing others, I found that there exists a certain amount of selfishness during Christmas. Do we not, most of the time, restrict our sharing and joy to our friends, family and those who are good to us? If this is so then we need to heed Jesus’ reproach, “If you love those who love you...

Dir: Brett Ratner Starring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, Matthew Broderick Dur: 1 hr 40 mins Genre: Comedy-Drama Rating: 2.5/5 PG: Lots of expletives. Losing everything or to put it another way, having nothing sometimes leads people to do crazy things. The Tower is one of the most prestigious places to live in. Josh (Ben Stiller) is the manager at ‘the Tower’ and everything from the high security to the team meetings and pep talks points to a big heist that is imminent at the Tower. What can possibly be so valuable in a place that houses more rich hags than anyone else is baffling but of no great concern as long as something interesting is pulled off. The ball is set in motion when one of the most illustrious and wealthy residents is accused of fraud and is remanded to federal custody. This affects everyone at ‘the Tower’ as he was in possession of all of their savings. Josh tries to remedy the situation that he was partially responsibl...

Dir: Adam Mckay Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg Dur: 1 hr 50 mins Genre: Action-Comedy Rating: 1/5 PG: Lots of foul language, few sexual innuendoes This is essentially a story of the underdogs, the nobodys, who long to be somebodys some day. This dynamic is pretty common in everyday life but rarely finds its way onto the big screen. One very good reason why it doesn’t is because, as I see it, nobody cares. We all know how such a story ends up. As much as we would like it to be a happy ending, we know its not that simple. The Other Guys depicts the story of two average desk-cops who long to be in the forefront of action and the cameras but find themselves to be ill-handed to get the job done. Besides the expected comedy, we are dished out a whole lot of unwanted dialogue and action which is supposed to enhance the humour but only ends up reducing it to nonsense. The Other Guys is a parody of the police department. While the job they do is given a good show...

Dir: Thomas Carter Starring: Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern, Alexander Ludwig, Gavin Casalegno, Michael Chiklis, Dur: 1 hr 48 mins Genre: Inspirational Rating: 4.5/5 PG: Quite a bit of slang but otherwise clean dialogues. The De La Salle Spartans had the longest win streak in American football history. The streak lasted a few years and extended over 151 matches. Their domination at the top saw them amass all the top honours. Coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) is acknowledged as the man behind the streak but more importantly, as the man behind the team. Unexpectedly, the streak was broken in a most dramatic way and the rise back to the top marks the last part of this truly amazing story. The film, based on a true story, shows us how the De La Salle team was built. The coaching philosophy of Bob and the strong influence he asserted on the team and on the lives of his players his a real spectacle. The best part is you don’t have to wish it were real because it is. The fil...

Dir: Scott Smith Starring: Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe, Geoff Gustafson Dur: 1 hr 20 mins Genre: Romance Rating: 2.5/5 PG: A few kisses. In the digital age, means of communication like the post are on the decline. Nevertheless, they do enjoy a certain amount value. There are still many things that are communicated best through post. One of the most popular among them is the card. Cards are, to this date, posted in their thousands. Cards for every occasion are dispatched and await in hope to reach their destination. Well, this film is of the sentimental kind. It takes us back to the original use of the post, namely to transport letters. The film circles around a particular department in a post office in America . The ‘Dead Letters’ department (something I’ve never heard off before) are involved in the delicate and somewhat drab task of trying to ensure that discarded letters reach their intended destinations. While the three employees approach the work...

Dir: Mohit Suri Starring: Siddharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Action-Thriller Rating: 3.5/5 PG: Violence, foul language and a bit of romance. Life is a stage and every one of us is an actor. In each of our stories, we are mostly at the centre. We are the hero/heroine and the drama circulates around us. Usually we come out on top, maybe not in real life but at least in our fantasy. A similar tale is told in this story. (Siddharth Malhotra) is a reformed gangster. His encounter and subsequent relationship with (Shraddha Kapoor) effected his transformation. Just when life began to shine light in the pre-existing darkness of his life, the source of his light is violently cut away. Shr, his wife is killed by a serial killer. He sets out to avenge her death and thereby heal the wound her loss has caused. He is a villain turned hero. (Riteish Deshmukh) is a failure. His job, marriage, in fact everything around him is crumbling. He ve...

Raymond E. Brown, A Coming Christ in Advent , Minnesota : The Liturgical Press, 1988, ISBN 0-8146-1587-2, pp. 71, $3.95. Advent is a season of preparation for the coming of Christ. In this book the author takes a look at the first chapters of Matthew and Luke and draws reflections that enable the reader to enter deeper into the text and consequently deeper into the mystery of Christ. These initial chapters contain the long historical preparation for the coming of Christ in the history of Israel . Both Matthew and Luke allude to the historical developments leading up to Christ’s birth. Their views of history find expression through their narratives and are doctored to suit their readers, keeping in mind their context and background. Therefore, the first chapter of Matthew and Luke don’t only tell us about the events around Jesus’ birth but also unearth the story of Israel which lies beneath. The first chapter delineates the origin and purpose of the infancy narratives and thu...

Dir: Raykesh Omprakash Mehta Starring: Aamir Khan, Soha Khan, Siddharth Narayan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Alice Patten     Dur: 2 hrs 35 mins Genre: Drama Rating: 4/5 PG: Bloodshed and a few swear words. Youth are the strength of the nation. This is no mere platitude aimed at making the youth feel proud of their identity and status; it is a fact, although it often goes unnoticed or untapped. Rang De Basanti aims at waking the youth to their responsibility as citizens of the nation. Politics is given a bad name by the numerous scams and overall corruption associated with it but politics, in itself isn’t a bad thing. It’s a good thing used for a bad purpose. This film tries to rescue politics from its degraded status and present it in better light. I had imagined the film being based on the freedom struggle but I was surprised when the film opened with a young British journalist making a choice to come to India to popular...

Surendra Nihal Singh, The Modi Myth , Authors UpFront Paranjoy, 2015, ISBN 978-9-38443-954-5, pp. 107, Rs. 345.  The Modi Myth situates the Prime Minister against the wider canvas of contemporary Indian politics. The author is a retired journalist and a much accredited editor of well-known newspapers. He endeavours to present a background to the swashbuckling personality who occupies a pivotal position in the grand Indian political scenario. The author begins by pointing out to Modi’s transition from a humble background to the RSS and the world of politics, culminating finally in his present position and status as the nation’s Prime Minister, a transition he will refer to many times in the book. Interestingly, the point of departure of the book is Modi’s governance in Gujrat and in particular, his handling of the awkward questions that arose with regard to the 2002 Gujrat riots. The author indulges in a constant back and forth, illustrating events that help create ...

Dir: Dustin Marcellino Starring: Blake Rayne, Erin Cottrell, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd Dur: 1 hr 36 mins Genre: Drama Rating: 4.5/5 PG: Family film. As I watched this film I couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the great ‘King of Pop’, Elvis Presley. Nothing was mentioned and so I conclude that the idea at most, is inspired by him. America in the early 1900’s was a difficult place to live in, much less to start a family. Born into this situation were boy twins. Their parents barely had enough to sustain themselves and were desperate for help from any quarter. One night, William, the father of the twins, listens to a preacher sharing about the inability of him and his wife to bear children. He convinces his wife and they decide to give one of the boys up for adoption. The preacher, Reece Wade, and his wife, Louise, are at first against the idea but on further insistence by the Hemsley’s, acquiesce. Thus, begins the lives of the two brothers who only hea...

Dir: David Ayer Starring: Brad Pitt, Shia Labeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal Dur: 2 hrs 5 mins Genre: Action Rating: 2/5 PG: Gory violence. Expletives galore. The horrors of the Nazi regime doesn’t seem to leave people’s minds. Every now and then a film will be produced depicting the inhumanity of the Nazis. Fury is another such attempt. The setting however, is very different. One I have seen for the first time. It shows us the horrors of war. The merciless killing of soldiers and the numerous corpses and injured men that lay strewn all over the land. The film is highly graphic and yet poignant. Don (Brad Pitt) is head of the tank from which the film takes its name. The whole movie is basically about this band of 5 guys who make the tank their home and set out on the ‘divine’ mission of ridding the world from Nazi clutches. The reality of war is pretty well displayed and begs the viewer’s sympathies. Crude living and crude killing can define the lif...

Dir: Sashanka Ghosh Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Afzal Khan Dur: 2 hrs 5 mins Genre: Rom-Com Rating: 3/5 PG: A few lip-locks. This film is made in collaboration with Disney and so that already raises in one certain expectations and also if I may add, a hint of the outcome. This is a very modern fairytale, told in the language of the time, using the means available at the present moment, involving characters who are modern in every sense of the word but an ending like all the fairytales of old – Happy Ever After. Mili or rather, Dr Mili Chakravarty (Sonam Kapoor), is a well-known physiotherapist. She is called upon to treat a ‘king’ in Rajasthan. Life in the royal household is nothing like she is used to. Born and brought up in the Punjabi culture, where expression is given importance, Mili finds the formalities of royalty suffocating. Her extraversion and enthusiasm embarrass and knock over nearly everything considered dignified. She doesn’t seem to fit in but is t...

Dear Sir/Madam, I have been living in Nashik for some time now and am still amazed at the near-total disregard for traffic rules especially by the drivers of autorickshaws. Absence of a policeman seems to convey an absence of law and order. Jumping the gun at signals and driving that makes ‘rash’ seem like a tame word to use, are the order of the day. What’s more confounding is the nonchalance with which such actions are taken. Everyone seems to be okay with this for no one says anything about it. Every time I raise an objection, I am met with disgusted looks from my fellow passengers and a curt remark from the auto driver. It’s no secret that our country is known for it’s acute shortage of road sense but things cannot go on like this.

Dear Sir/Madam The abandonment of 18 patients and their subsequent deaths, in the ICU of MIOT hospital in Chennai is deplorable. The hospital authorities displayed extremely poor judgment and failed to live up to their roles as preserves of life. This is a crime against humanity and the action of the hospital staff must be considered inhuman. Tamil Nadu chief secretary, K Gnanadesikan, has assured that the law will be exercised, but that remains only at the legal level. The human level of the problem is not being addressed. The commitment to life is something that doctors vow when they make the Hippocratic oath. A similar promise is made by all other hospital staff, including the management. The behaviour of the staff of MIOT cannot and must not ever find an encore.   

Dir: Gary Fleder Starring: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder Dur: 1 hr 36 mins Genre: Action Rating: 2/5 PG: Plenty of foul language, violence and a brief scene where a man has mounted a woman. The film is based on the novel by Chuck Logan. Sylvester Stallone has a hand in the making of the film but his contribution isn’t very conspicuous. As in most Jason Statham films, the movie is too heavily balanced on his character. Here, he plays an unassuming father who has had a rough past in the police service. He is trying to give his daughter a good platform for life but his past creeps back to destroy the bubble he has tried to blow around himself and his daughter. James Franco masterfully portrays a small town gangster who tries to kick up a storm with Phil (Jason Statham) for some flimsy reason. The story builds up rather clumsily and seems a bit incoherent. The dialogues are loaded with expletives and fail to pack any punch. Izabela Vidovic, who plays Statha...

Dir: Jason Reitman Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick Dur: 1 hr 44 mins Genre: Drama Rating: 2.5/5 PG: Foul language used occasionaly. A few romantic scenes. A partially nude scene. The concept of the film is a bit abstract and strange. It takes quite a bit of time to make some sense of what exactly is going on. One thing is clear: this is a story about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) whose job is to travel all over America and off-load staff from firms and companies on behalf of the management. His job forces him to constantly remain on the move. Since his destinations are far from one another, he uses the air to travel and hence the name of the film Up in the Air . Ryan‘s job makes it difficult for him to settle down and have a family. Besides, he has grown so accustomed to his lifestyle that when a change is suggested by an enterprising young recruit, Natalie (Anna Kendrick) and is taken up by the company, he rebels. His boss thinks it best for t...

Dir: Jonathan Liebesman Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett Dur: 1 hr 37 mins Genre: Action/Animated Rating: 2/5 PG: Sexual innuendoes are used. This is a film that will mostly appeal to teenage and pre-teen boys. The turtles are animated but in a sophisticated way. They are up-to-date with the latest gizmos and lingo although they still use their traditional weapons and battle their traditional enemy. There isn’t much to get out of the film except for a couple of humorous dialogues. The plot seems ridiculous – an old hag in a Gucci dress. Since there is little reality, Megan and Will are forced to carry the show, which they do admirably. Megan is the one to look out for although she’s not nearly at her best. Her role in Transformers seems to be a distant perfection lost over the years. She tries hard but just cannot pull the film through herself. There are plenty of laughs and dizzying action – wait, did I mention that it seems ridiculous? The naiveté portraye...

Dir: Gareth Edwards Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Sci-fi Rating: 2/5 PG: Occasional foul language. I had watched the older make of this movie and though I was young at the time, I remember that the film had intrigued me. This time around the only thing that got my attention was the technical terminology. The human race stumbles upon a discovery that changes the face of the world – actually only America was defaced. The bogeys – there are three of them are all animated. They look intimidating and adequately repulsive. Actually only Godzilla or Gojira looks decent the other two look more like giant automated mosquitoes. The destruction they cause, needless to say, is seismic. Fear descends upon the American continent and they inadvertently occupy front row seats. The key characters in this drama are Joe, his son and his wife and child. Lots of lives are snuffed out and heavy losses are incurred but t...

Dir: Nikhil Advani Starring: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty Dur: 2 hrs 10 mins Genre: Action-Romance Rating: 1/5 PG: Violence Bollywood doesn’t seem to have made great progress in the ‘Hero’ genre of action films. The hero is and he was from bygone ages, a superhuman, unbeatable, overcoming-all-odds character who sustains multiple injuries, far more than the villain or villains but still manages to walk away from the carnage in slo-mo. Hero is another run-of-the-mill film, serving to us our favoured choice of genre. The story is a slight adaptation of the age-old ‘love and war’ duet. The new faces don’t help the stale plot and in fact, unnecessarily get themselves dirty in the bargain. Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi) and Radha (Athiya Shetty) fall in love despite their fathers being arch rivals of each other as a consequence of being on either side of the law. Sooraj tries hard to get Radha‘s father to accept him, but his family history creates a boulder. Just when he see...

Sumrit Shahi, Just Friends... , New Delhi : Mahaveer Publishers, 2010, ISBN 9788183520119, Rs. 125, pp. 248. This is the author’s debut novel and I was surprised to read that he was all of only 17 years when the novel was published. The reason for my surprise is not that youngsters cannot write good prose but that he, being young and an Indian moreover, displays a fantastic grasp of the English language. If anything I must say that I am really proud. The story of the novel is in fact, a combination of two stories of two young persons who accidentally meet each other at an airport. Both share their life stories with one another and realize with a sense of déjà vu that their stories are more or less alike. Aaryan is a 17 year old who has come to Singapore in search of the love of his life (or so he thinks) whom he had befriended at an international convention. Tanie, a teen herself, is returning from the same annual international convention albeit a year later. The two are b...

Bernard H ä ring, The Virtues of an Authentic Life , Mumbai: St Pauls, 1998, ISBN 81-7109-347-7, Rs. 55, pp. 163. The author has written over 80 books and 1000 articles. He taught theology in Rome for 25 years. He has also lectured at other prestigious universities. His best known works are Priesthood Imperilled , Evangelization Today and Free and Faithful in Christ.   The book is a collection of articles written for a magazine. The author has given shape to his articles and has made them available through this book. The forty four chapters of the book are divided into four parts. The reason for doing so is not clear and neither is it mentioned. Each chapter deals with a specific virtue and is kept to about 3-5 pages. The first part lays the foundation for the book by clarifying the meaning and characteristics of virtue. Virtue, the author states, is a sort of competence that adds meaning and value to life. Living a life of virtue requires a commitment that needs to be...

This is a review of a series of homilies by Fr James Dabhi, published in Third Millennium , XVIII 2015 3, July-September. Fr James Dabhi published a series of reflections which he preached during the novena leading up to the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The first five reflections were published in this particular edition of Third Millennium . The reflections offer interesting food for thought. I was however tickled by the very first reflection which was entitled ‘Mother, our Intercessor’. In this reflection, he tries to present Mary as an ideal intercessor basing himself heavily on the incident at the wedding feast at Cana . With the idea of Mary as intercessor I have no contention but I do disagree with some of the matter he used to build up this theme. He states that Jesus introduced Mary at the most critical moment of His life-his crucifixion. My first difficulty is with the word ‘introduced’. I do not think that Jesus ‘introduced’ Mary as much as he ‘affirmed’ her a...

W.L.A. Don Peter, 50 Questions about Catholicism , Mumbai: St Pauls, 1998, ISBN 81-7109-351-5, Rs. 50, pp. 139. The book is a collection of fifty articles written by the author and published in Sri Lanka ’s National Catholic English weekly, Messenger. The purpose of the articles written under the general caption ‘Why’, in the words of the author, was to give answers to queries regarding the Catholic faith and the practice of it. Fr Peter addresses pertinent questions like ‘why are Catholics called Roman Catholics?’, ‘Why do Catholics say the Pope is infallible?’, ‘Why is the Catholic priest called ‘Father’?’, Why does the Church have catechisms?’, ‘Why does the Church annul marriages?’ and 45 others. He uses simple language and at times takes relevant quotes from Church documents or some other books. What is nice about his style is that he gives a kind of historical perspective of the question at hand and then goes on to answer it. This helps the reader to understand the...

John Mason, Imitation is Limitation , New Delhi : Orient Paperbacks, 2009, ISBN 978-81-222-0481-0, pp. 206, Rs. 120. The author is acclaimed as a million dollar best seller. His books and talks have supposedly changed the lives of thousands. I don’t doubt any of that, although I think the praise is a bit exaggerated. He has a way of convincing people. I could sense this through the book. I can only imagine how much more convincing he would be in person. As I read through the book I found myself getting inspired. Sometimes I would stop and ask myself a question or two. The book is an amalgamation of various thoughts aimed at helping people mature into the people they are meant to be. The content is broken up into small parts which help in self-appropriation. The author seems to have a lot to share but a critical look will reveal that he isn’t sharing much of his own stuff at all. In fact, one of the questions that was repeatedly coming to me was ‘What part of this chapter ha...

Dir: Stephen Campanelli Starring: Olga Kurylenko Dur: 1 hr 36 mins Genre: Action Rating: 1.5/5 PG: Explicit violence and nearly every sentence is ‘embellished’ with an expletive. The title signifies a build up that transforms from little to large, but no such thing happened. Alexis (Olga Kurylenko), is an ex-CIA agent who has been ousted and labelled as a terrorist. Her skills are unique and are tapped by her ex-boyfriend. who shared a relationship with her. The film opens with a group of thieves who steal diamonds from a bank. The opening itself, though intriguing, with suits that would add glam to a dance routine, and voice disguise units, gives away a bad image. The camera work is a bit shoddy. The excess of foul language jars against the ears. The heist is successful except for one snag, one of the group members decides he is done taking orders and jostles with the leader, in the bargain he is killed and the leader is exposed. Alexis witnesses the murder of her ...

This is a review of an article that appeared in Vaiharai , 20 /1, Jan-Jun 2015. The article was entitled ‘Biblical Understanding of the Evangelical Counsels’ by Dr Denis Kulandaisamy, OSM. Through the article, the author aims at establishing a biblical basis for religious life. Religious life has played an important role in almost every traditional religion, he begins. He does not go on to back up this statement nor does he venture to provide any further information. He just leaves it in the air, supposing the readers will understand. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, different forms of religious life have arisen. The most common division made in consecrated life is between the contemplative and active ways of living. Both of these are founded on the evangelical counsels, which are not inventions of the founders but are rooted in the Gospels themselves. The article is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the basic concepts of consecrated life and the evan...

Here is a letter I had sent to a couple of editors of newspapers. It wasn’t published. Nevertheless, it reflects what I feel about Diwali celebrations. Dear Sir/Madam, We have recently concluded the festivities of Diwali. Diwali has been touted as the brightest and in some cases, the biggest festival of the Hindus. Diwali is the celebration of the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil and of truth over falsity. The spirit of Diwali is wonderful but the manner of celebration is questionable. What has the wanton bursting of fireworks got to do with the celebration? I understand that they signify light bursting out through the darkness of night but their triumph is only temporary and besides, they are harmful to our Mother earth and to all of us, her children. On a day when we are celebrating the victory of good over evil, how can we contribute to the evil of pollution and public menace? I feel that in celebrating Diwali in the way we are prone to doing, betrays the ...

Natasha Lorraine Menezes, 7 Messages from the Yogi for Success , ISBN 978-93-83809-51-6, 2014, pp. 101, Rs 120. The book aims at helping people find success at work through yoga. The author proclaims herself a yogi and is eager to share the benefits of yoga with all interested. Sorry to say, the only success I experienced was going through every page of the book. The book doesn’t give a publisher, so I’m guessing it’s self-published. That explains the poor layout of the book. The matter, it seems has been stretched to reach page 101. The entire book contains matter of only about 50 pages. Talk about waste of paper: some pages have material printed on only one fourth of the page, others half, others three quarters and very few have fully printed pages. I wonder why the Yogi has nothing to say about that? The page numbering took me a while to figure out. As I reached the end of the first page I was shocked to find that I was reading the eleventh page of the book. I counted ba...

Dir: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Taron Egerton Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Spy/thriller Rating: 3.5/5 PG: Plenty of foul language and quite some graphic material. The film is based on the comic book ‘The Secret Service’ by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. This is no run-of-the-mill spy film. In fact they go out of their way to get that message across. There is no super-spy, who completes a near-impossible mission and walks away with so much as a crease on his immaculate blazer. In fact, the heroes, for it is team-effort, are pretty ordinary spies. There is not a hint of James Bond or such like characters… maybe, there was a slight resemblance. The Kingsman are a secret service based in London who are so adept that no one even knows they exist. Gary’s (a.k.a.Eggsy) (Taron Egerton) dad was a Kingsman but he died saving the lives of his companions. Years later, Eggsy is given the opportunity by Harry (Colin Firth) to fill up a vacancy in the Kingsman...

Dir: Glen Ficcara and John Requa Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie Dur: 1 hr 40 mins Genre: Thriller Rating: 4/5 PG: Lots of foul language. A few romantic scenes and a bit of brutality. It’s all about deception. You are conscious of only so much. Your mind is usuallly focussed on only a few things. The rest remain just outside of consious awareness. That’s the catch. Where are you looking? Probably exactly where I want you to and at what I want you to. Are you aware of what you just read? If you are you would realize that there were 3 mistakes in the above lines. Focus depicts the exploitation of peoples’ low awareness for personal profit. Nicky (Will Smith) is an expert con man with a penchant for deception and gambling. He accidentally meets Jess (Margot Robbie) who is herself a budding thief. She tries to rob him but fails as he doesn’t fall for her tricks. She is enamoured by him and subsequently begs him to coach her. She becomes a part of his team and al...