The Critique

Dir: Will Gluck Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Quvenzhane Wallis Dur: 1 hr 56 mins Genre: Musical-Drama Rating: 4/5 Annie is a wonderful story told through song and dialogue. The story’s key concept is sharing and how it can make us more human. It’s set in the skyscraping city of New York and dramatizes the life of a poor orphan. Annie (Quvenzhane Wallis) and a few other girls, all orphans, live in the care of a snobbish lady, Colleen (Cameron Diaz). The hopeful candidate for Mayor, William Stacks (Jamie Foxx), on the advice of his publicity manager, first spends time and later semi-adopts Annie, to boost his chances of becoming Mayor. Here’s where the fun starts. Annie is a misfit in the luxurious world of Will. One who is used to cramped surroundings, scoldings and the streets will definitely find it hard to live in plush and spacious spaces. But it never takes very long to adjust and so very soon we hear Annie crooning “I think I’m gonna like it ...

Dir: Bennett Miller Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill Dur: 2 hrs 12 mins   Genre: Sports, Drama, Biography Rating: 4/5 PG: Expletives, a good deal of them. Biopics don’t bore me and Moneyball is one. Many people, especially younger ones are less likely to appreciate such films for a variety of reasons. For many others, including the people I watched Moneyball with, it was a total waste of time; there was no excitement, drama, romance or action. It was about baseball, something not many are familiar with in India. Then, we spend a lot of time staring at silent, pensive faces. This can be quite unnerving. The silence is palpable, it has a unique pull that kind of urges you to get into the mind of the character, feel what he feels, see what he sees and think what he is thinking (that doesn’t sound so attractive at least not when your used to having someone else do all that for you). Thirdly, the dialogues are relatively few (but they contribute to the overall narration ...

Dear Sir/Madam I recently came across a tip proffered to Indian men by an American woman, with regard to social media behaviour. She attacked the narrow minded bias that Indian men seem to suffer from namely that Western, white girls are cheap and ‘loose’. She records a few of the embarrassing and personal questions that Indian men usually ask white women. I was appalled at what she reported. And what was worse was that this behaviour is common across age, education and jobs. This is alarming and yet it reflects the Indian male mindset. Little wonder why women are quite unsafe! Nevertheless (and thankfully so) this is not universally the case. The writer too makes mention of men who have treated her with chivalry. This is not the first time the Indian mindset has been questioned and I don’t suppose it will be the last.     

An Appraisal of the homily delivered by His Grace Bishop Lourdes Daniel, Archbishop of the Diocese of Nashik, on the Feast of St. John Bosco (January 31 st ) at the church of St. John Bosco, Nashik. The readings of the day (Isaiah – Sheep and shepherd, Philippians – Christian life and Matthew – the greatest must be like a child) are like a letter to each one of us. Why there are so he did not say explicitly. He nevertheless, made reference to the paternal concern that the readings alluded to. Another reason for calling the readings a letter could be the kind of language and tone used in the readings. As said earlier, they had an instructional character and exuded concern. He went on to say that “we seek God not to possess Him but to be like Him.” I’m not in complete agreement with that statement. God is not an object to be possessed and I’m not implying that He is one but I think that the spiritual quest involves a kind of possession of God. Since our relationship with God is...

Mercy is raining It’s washing over me, All I need is to let it flow. It falls from above Washing me through Cleansing me and setting me aglow. Mercy was born But few did care A silent message was borne. The rain of mercy Fell on hard hearts Leaving the temple curtain torn. The earth opened Her thirsty mouth Drinking deeply from Mercy’s bounty. How it longed For Mercy’s touch As It lay hanging upon a tree. Mercy gave, A total offering For the world it loved so dear. Till date It cries Its silent message Will anybody hear?

Sumrit Shahi, Never Kiss Your Best Friend , New Delhi : Rupa Publications, 2015, ISBN 978-81-291-3485-1, Rs. 195, pp. 206. In a wish-fulfilling, near dramatic way, I chanced upon this novel. I had earlier expressed my desire to read more books from the pen of the author who had fascinated me with his debut novel, Just Friends... and as if by destiny I chanced upon this book. I was excited and put all my other work aside to pore over this book. The novel is a sequel to Just Friends... (I had reviewed that too). The protagonist, Tanie, is the narrator and she begins with a letter to life in which she rants about a whole lot of things that ought to have caused irritation but didn’t and then she comes to the one thing that shouldn’t have caused irritation but did. That one thing is the return of Sumer to her life. (Flashback) Sumer and Tanie were best buddies. Then for some reason which isn’t clear, they parted ways, until this moment when they are re-united, awkwardly at fi...

Di r: Aleksander Bach Starring: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto Dur: 1 hr 37 mins Genre: Action Rating: 4/5 PG: Graphic violence and few expletives. If action is what you’re looking for, Hitman Agent 47 is where you can take a halt. The story is fast-paced, action-packed and thrilling. More than once it had me altering my position as the suspense built up and later relax with a smile when the climax was reached and the film accelerated into the next suspense-climax cycle. 47 (Rupert Friend) is on a mission (like he is most of the time). But who is he and how did he end up with a name like 47?! First of all, 47 is a ‘product’ of a program that produces genetically modified humans for the express purpose of making them specialists in assassination. To bolster productivity and efficacy, they are made immune to emotions like fear, pain, love and even death, which could interfere with their mission and obedience. Since each person is a product, they are burne...

Derek Prince, Transformed for Life , USA: Chosen Books, 2005, ISBN 0-8007-9307-2, price not mentioned, pp. 223. The author is a well-educated academician and an ex-military man. While still in service he began to read and study the Bible and experienced a conversion. Since then he devoted himself to studying and teaching the Bible. He is the author of over 50 books and about 600 audio and video teaching cassettes, many of which have been translated and published in more than sixty languages. He also hosted a daily radio program Keys to Successful Living which was translated into a dozen languages. All this qualifies him as an authority figure and a significant voice in matters concerning the Bible. The author in the preface mentions that “The messages compiled in this volume are some of the most life-changing and practical that God has given me. Together they represent a powerful look at the transforming power of God as Father, Deliverer and Healer.” The aim of the book is ...

Dear Sir/Madam Apropos the recent racism-related incidents in Bengaluru and Hyderabad . The incidents are detestable and are a blot on the Indian fabric of society. For centuries we have been plagued by the caste system which has segmented people into rigid and binding categories. Such a system was and is especially hard on the people on the lower or more properly, on the lowest rung of the caste ladder. The caste problem has still not been resolved and we have stepped into another quicksand problem, racism. I was naively under the impression that racism is a problem of the West but I was rudely corrected. India is known the world over for being a land of diversity and people naturally conclude that with the existence of so much diversity there must also exist, tolerance. How disillusioned they must be when they hear the truth about India . India’s image has been tarred by a few misguided persons but what is the greater cause of worry is the fact that our respected ‘netas’ don’...

An appraisal of the homily delivered by Fr Tony D’souza sdb on Ash Wednesday (2016), at Don Bosco Parish Church , Nashik.   The readings for Ash Wednesday are always the same across all cycles and every year we hear them being read out to us. The first reading from the prophet Joel is an ardent call to return back to God. Lent is a reminder about our reality as ashes/dust to which we will return to one day. The imposition of the ashes is in fact a visible admission of our readiness to repent. The second reading from the letter of St Paul speaks about being ambassadors for Christ. Fr Tony raised a crucial question here. He asked “are we really?” He went on to share an anecdote. A passion play was being staged in a particular place. The cast were well trained and well-practiced. Everyone was doing well. It was the scene of the carrying of the cross. Jesus walks on stage bearing the cross. He is followed by a band of soldiers and a few onlookers. He staggers, stumbl...

Sahayadas Fernando, “ Religion in the Salesian Preventive System: Challenges for the Education of the Young Today” in Divyadaan Journal of Philosophy and Education, 26 /3, 2015, 367-394. The article attempts to analyze the concept of religion as a pillar of the Preventive System and its relevance for education in today’s context. The Preventive System stands on the three pillars of Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness. Don Bosco’s vision for education was that it be holistic, i.e. take into account all the dimensions of the young person. The author begins with a bold statement: ‘Religion makes education complete’. Every person nurtures the desire to know what is beyond them. This ‘beyond’ refers to spiritual realities. Leaving aside care for the spiritual aspirations of the young betrays a shortcoming in the educational process. The key questions the author addresses are: ‘How can the Salesian Preventive System be faithfully lived in society characterized by radical re...

An Appraisal of the homily delivered by Fr Dion Lobo on the Feast of Infant Jesus at the Infant Jesus Shrine ground, Nashik on 13 th February, 2016. The theme chosen for the Feast was the family. Fr Dion preached a wonderful homily on the family drawing inspiration from the Holy Family. He listed out three qualities evident in the Holy Family. I will list them below: 1.       They were people of Prayer – He stressed the importance of prayer in the family with particular emphasis on the parents as being people of prayer. He cited the example of General McArthur, Commander of the Allied Forces in WWII. In his autobiography he wrote that he wanted his children to see him as a man of prayer and not merely as a military general who went to battle for the country. Whenever he went home he would make sure he spent time in prayer alone and with his children. I was touched by the example. How few parents strive to be people of prayer. Parents would rather l...

Dir: Rohit Shetty Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon Dur: 2 hrs 35 mins Genre: Romance Rating: 3.5/5 The film had created a huge hype prior to its release and from the looks of the poster, I judged it to be a gang-style action hit. Instead, what the film really depicted was romance embellished with a little action just to make it a bit swanky, break up the monotony and spice up the romance. The story is pretty run-of-the-mill, at least in character, but the sceneries are picturesque and the cars, exotic. Raj a.k.a Kali (SRK) and Meera (Kajol) are children of rival Indian  gangsters situated in far away Bulgaria . Why Bulgaria ? Because it has a well-planned and developed city, it is clean and eye-catching and had the ambient suited for a typical Hollywood style car-chase. While the Bulgarians are left out of their beautiful land, the exotic cars engaged in high-speed chases, drifts, flights and collisions, are the focus. Raj and Meer...

Many may have thus sighed while others may not have enunciated it but felt it within themselves. ‘Lent has come again?’ The season of Lent is looked on and entered into with ambivalent feelings. The fact that it comes every year around the same time (February-March-April) doesn’t help to reduce the ambivalence; rather it seemingly reserves it for this period. The obvious question is: Why does Lent provoke ambivalent feelings within us? One, and perhaps the most primary reason is the association of Lent to self-abnegation, fasting, abstinence and penance. These, because of their definition and practice, are looked upon as negative actions. But are they really so? Understanding the mind of the Church and the Catholic tradition in this regard is vital for clarifying and consequently developing a meaningful and coherent view. The Church doesn’t prescribe self-abnegation, fasting, abstinence, almsgiving and penance to burden us and neither because it has traditionally been done. A pe...

It could be called the pride of Nashik as it is the city’s only water park. For a place that struggles with water issues in the summer, Shubham promises and delivers a fantastic, drenching and memorable experience, besides the possibility of putting aside all your water worries. The park is situated a bit off the road and the road connecting it to the highway is short of both a mud road and a jagged pass. The park timings are 10 am to 5 pm and the entry fee of Rs. 600 is inclusive of food and an unlimited supply of popcorn and candy floss. An additional 50 bucks is charged for a special nylon costume, which isn’t always in the best condition. The park is pleasant and well maintained. In fact, it gives the impression that there are more employees than there is work, so you often see them sitting around idly chatting and whiling away time looking at visitors having a ball. There is entertaining music playing all day save for the half hour lunch break. The slides are pretty enjoyabl...

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery of Easter , edited by Manfred Weber, New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997, ISBN 0-8245-1722-9, $14.95, pp. 47. A similar book with layout and everything except that the theme here is Easter. I was not so inspired by this book and rarely found myself taking my pen in hand to note down Bonhoeffer’s words. That does say something about the book but it says very little. The reason for it is that I found most of the material already known to me except that this time they were in Bonhoeffer’s words. So, in terms of new ideas, the book had little. However, this book in comparison to the other one has greater scope for reflection. The images are not as powerful as the images of the nativity but I suppose it comes down to personal taste and artistic intuition. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Mystery of Holy Night , edited by Manfred Weber, translated by Peter Heinegg, New York : The Crossroad Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8245-1591-9, $14.95, pp. 47. This is a short book containing the thoughts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the well-known German theologian? and pastor. The book also has a number of images connected with Christmas but which have no connection either with Bonhoeffer or his writings. They merely act as stimuli for further reflection on Christmas. Such stimuli can only be helpful to people who have an eye for art and are aware of the didactic personality of art. For the rest of us, a commentary would help. Bonhoeffer’s thoughts are wonderful and I really felt inspired by reading his words. The editor has not arranged the material and hence the result is just an amalgam of words interspersed with pictures. The positive thing is that he has provided a detailed bibliography of sources at the end. Honestly, the book doesn’t really have t...

Tilly Bagshawe, Sidney Sheldon’s After the Darkness , London : HarperCollins Publishers, 2010, ISBN 978-0-00-739517-0, Rs. 250, ₤ 7.99, pp. 391. I never understood the reason for the inclusion of Sidney Sheldon’s name in the title of the book. My first reaction was that it was an unfinished novel but nothing to that effect was mentioned. But really, it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s a good read and worth the while, right? Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but feel that only part of the mystery was solved at the end of the last page. The story revolves around Grace Brookstein, trophy wife of an American billionaire, Lenny Brookstein, who personifies and preaches the American Dream. Things were going well for the madly-in-love couple. They had everything they needed except ... They were the envy of many including or more appropriately, especially of those they considered close to them. In fact, friendship was the surface of a magma-sea of jealousy, resentment and downright ...

Dir: Zoya Akhtar Starring: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Rahul Bose Dur: 2 hr 40 mins Genre: Comedy-Drama Rating: 3.5/5 PG: Quite a number of kisses. Our Indian families are relatively closer together than the Western families, or so I thought, but experiences I’ve had over the past few years plus this film have led me revise that view. Family ties are loosening and members are growing more distant from each other despite living in close proximity of one another. Dil Dhadakne Do is a well-set family drama that effectively brings out the themes of relationships, principally those within the family and also those between friends and acquaintances. It’s a different matter that the story is about a family that is stinking rich and is sailing the oceans on a cruise liner that is too big for people with small imaginations and bank accounts, along with their stinking rich friends all, or rather, most of whom stink of wealth, ...

Dir: Paul Hyett Starring: Ed Speleers, Shauna Macdonald Dur: 1 hr 29 mins Genre: Thriller Rating: 3/5 PG: Lots of blood, few expletives. It’s been awhile since I’ve watched a British movie and I wasn’t really enthused with the name of the film but Howl broke my prejudices and surprised me with its story. The British are known for gruesome tales; think of Jack the Ripper and the villainous plots of Edgar Allan Poe. This is a gruesome tale of the ordeal of a handful of passengers left to fend for themselves in the middle of a dense jungle, on a full moon night. Their tormentors: werewolves or more properly wolfmen. The script has little to offer in terms of dialogue but dialogue isn’t very important in a thriller, although it could have a positive effect on the film’s ratings, but it does demand a lot from the actors and they step up to the challenge. The animations are pretty good and the action is pretty gory although it lacks gripping suspense and startling moments...

Dir: Gil Junger Starring: Francia Raisa, Mike Mizanin Dur: 1 hr 30 mins Genre: Action-Comedy Rating: 2.5/5 PG: A few kisses and sexual innuendoes. Christmas is a time of fun, frolic and gifts. Well, it’s also a time for thieves to make quick money. This is no run-of-the-mill cops and robbers story. It’s a story about bounty hunters. I don’t think they exist but they sure make interesting characters. If I may say at the outset, the story is a bit weird. The story, however, although a bit forced has a finger of comedy. The Bells are a bounty hunting family. They are a trio of father, mother and daughter. They are assisted by two men who have become adopted family. Tory (Francia Raisa), has left home quite awhile ago in order to pursue a dream she though would bring her happiness, and allow her to get away from her past. Her boyfriend’s marriage proposal brings her back home to the life she abandoned but never forgot. Soon after returning back, she is allured back to ...

Hannah Dawson, Life Lessons from Hobbes , London : Pan Macmillan, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4472-4562-9, £6.99, CND$11.99, Rs. 350, pp. 118. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, born in Wiltshire in 1588. He is best known for his political philosophy encased in his tour-de-force, Leviathan . The author has extracted life lessons from this book and presented them under eight topics. Since Hobbes is a political thinker, the lessons have strong political leanings and aim at helping us grow into good citizens and also at a more primary level, as persons. The first chapter, ‘On Living in Fear’, presents Hobbes’ view that fear is characteristic in the state of nature. It so preoccupies us that we have neither the time nor peace of mind to realize our full potential. In order to overcome this debilitating emotion, we ought to first recognize it and then work to overcome it. Chapter two, ‘On Living without Fear’ deals with Hobbes’ ironical solution to counter the perennial fear we are s...

Dir: Jon Amiel Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, Tchéky Karyo ,   DJ Qualls ,  Bruce Greenwood  and  Alfred Woodard . Dur: 2 hrs 15 mins Genre: Sci-fi thriller Rating: 3.5/5 PG: A few kisses and expletives. End-of-the-world, earth-challenging scenarios interest me because they are characterized by a sense of urgency and promise to thrill. It is said and rightly so that, “You never fully appreciate the value of something until you lose it.” The Core is founded on this adage. The earth’s core, for some mysterious reason stops turning and human civilization faces imminent extinction. A group of scientists and two aerospace engineers form a team and try to save the world. Being a sci-fi flick, there is plenty of animation, which is really well done. Everything seems so credible, except perhaps for the fact that only America undertook responsibility for saving the world (nothing out-of-the-way) while other countri...