Monday, May 29, 2006

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is finally here. After getting a green signal post a special screening from the I&B ministry, it was finally released last week in India with a disclaimer and an Adults only tag.

I saw the movie on Saturday nite, thanks to a friend who booked the tickets in advanced. The pre-release hype and the contraversy surrounding the movie ensured lots of eager audeience and a full house. Those who had read the book wanted to see if the director Ron Howard has done justice or not. Those who had not read the book were simply waiting to discover what the hype was all about. I started the book last week but was unable to finish it before I actually saw the movie. However, by then I had a fair idea of what the story was all about.

I liked the movie. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Except for sometime in between, where it appears slow, the pace is good and keeps you captivated. I liked the cast, all of them did a good job. Not very impressed with Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, as we are all used to seeing him in complex character roles. Hence this one really did not bring out the best in him. I especially like the characters of Sophie Neveu(Audrey Tautou) , Silas(Paul Bettany) and Leigh Tibing(Ian McKellen).

After reading the description of the Louvre museum in the book, I found the actual museum a bit too modern to my taste in the movie. However, the shots of the museum, Saint Sulpice church, Eiffel tower and the rest of Paris was a delight to watch. Also, the paintings and the hidden meanings were explained well.

I am still reading the book. Would want to see the movie again once I finish it. Maybe I would feel differently about the movie then :)).

Would like to know views on the movie from people who have read the book. Any comments ??

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Life line......

Ayn Rand says....

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Life cannot be simpilfied better.....

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Dhoni and the soap ad

You just cannot miss the Mysore Sandal Soap hoardings all over Bangalore featuring the newest cricket star M S Dhoni. Agreed that Dhoni is any eye-catcher...but puhleeez...how can he be signed for a soap ad? His skin is definitely not one of his best assets. His wavy streaked tresses are what he is known for, and talked about, especially in feminine circles. To make things worse, the photographer who shot the ad seems to have forgotten that the shoot was for a soap ad and not for a shampoo ad. His liking for Dhoni's hair, more than his skin..is clearly visible in the ad.

Seems one of the reasons for choosing Dhoni as the brand ambassador for this product was that his initials M S match the soap initals. I personally feel Yuvraj Singh would have been a better choice :))

Here is a sincere request to all the ad makers of the world. Next time, please put some thought before signing up your models. Else your ad is nothing but a mockery of your product as well as the model!!!