6 Black and White movies I would say yes to in a heart-beat.

   I know that a lot of people have an unreal bias against old movies with reasons ranging from black and white is dull to they don't have giant robots banging their heads against each other. Well, some reasons which I can lend some neurons to are the apparent temporal shift in the folkways and morays of their cultural and social setting of the content which does not connect with the audience of our present epoch or 'no S**T is F***ING going on in the movie'.   
   Here are six movies which I have chosen to get you acquainted with the golden age of hollywood. The only thing which I had in mind while compiling this list is a) the easiness with which the viewer could connect with the story and it's characters b) entertainment value as dictated in our present form of mainstream movies (which ironically are the rules handed over by the very movies i am evaluating) c) timeless factor of the movie. The movies are chronologically arranged and is not representative of their relative merit.

1. City Lights (1931)
    Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia cherrill ; Directed by: Charlie Chaplin ; Genre: Comedy, Romance

    Charlie Chaplin, the genius, the true artist, the laughter pill and I could go on and on. The story is simple, the tramp(immortalized by Chaplin) falls in love with a blind girl who sells flowers and helps her with her troubles. This is a silent movie with music, so sit back back and feast your eyes on the tramp. The ending scene where the tramp and the blind girl meet is one of the best scenes of all time.

    You can continue watching the tramp in Modern Times, The Kid, The Gold Rush and chaplin as dictator in The Great Dictator.

2. Rebecca (1940)
    Starring: Laurence Oliver, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders; Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock; Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance

   It is ironic that I should select Rebecca which is not a good representation to Hitchcock's body of work. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Daphne Du Maurier, this movie is one of my favourite psychological thriller. Anyone who has any misapprehensions over character depth driven by psychology in old movies will have mouth shut by this movie. For me, the twist - good, ending - even better.

   Following the footsteps of Rebecca are big foots such as Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Notorious, Strangers On A Train, Dial M For Murder etc. 

3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
   Starring: HUMPHREY BOGART, Mary Astor; Directed by: John Huston; Mystery, Crime, Hard Boiled, Noir

   Humphrey Bogart, the guy who represents all the machoness in the world, the hardboiled cynic who doesn't fall for femme fatale, the guy who everyone who looks up to for finding their manliness. This movie also marks the directorial debut of John Huston who will go on to make some of the best movies cinema has known. Add to this potent combination, the novel written by Dashiell Hammett upon which the movie is made. This film serves as the best example of film noir genre and one of the greatest movies ever.

   Other film noir include The Big Sleep, Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Ace In The Hole, The Third Man and more.
 

4. Casablanca (1942)
    Starring: HUMPHREY BOGART, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid; Directed By: Michael Curtiz; Genre: Romance, Drama

   Casablanca is the name of place in unoccupied Africa during the early days of Second World War which acts as a gateway for immigrants from Europe to the gates of America. In this setting is our hero Rick Blaine who owns a club and is one day visited by his former lover with an another man and requiring help which can only be provided by the hero. 

   You will also love The Apartment, The Philadelphia Story, Notorious, A Streetcar Named Desire etc.

5. Stalag 17 (1953) 
    Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor; Directed By: BILLY WILDER; Genre: Comedy, Drama, War

   From one of my favourite directors, Billy Wilder presents Stalag 17 which is about a group of American airmen held in a Nazi prison camp who suspect one of their own(i.e the hero) to be an informer. William Holden plays a cynic who cares only for his own skin and the unknown traitor in the background who keeps us guessing until the end. Becoming a fan of Billy Wilder is a natural thing after watching this movie and William Holden got an Oscar for this film(which was already due in Sunset Boulevard).

   Other movies include Some Like It Hot, Its a Wonderful Life, All About Eve etc
 

6. 12 Angry Men (1957)
    Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb; Directed By: SIDNEY LUMET; Genre: Courtroom drama, suspense

    Passing my respects to Sidney Lumet who passed away earlier this year, 12 Angry Men was his first work for the film audience and who goes on to make Network, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon among others(watch them). This is only black and white movie in the top 10 of imdb's top 250 list. The entire movie takes place in single room with 12 guys just saying words. This is the best courtroom drama ever made and will stay there.

   Other movies include Paths Of Glory, Witness For The Prosecution, Anatomy Of A Murder, To Kill A Mockingbird.

Quick Book Reviews 2

1. Percy Jackson & The Sea Of Monsters - Rick Riordian (2005-09) ; Fantasy adventure, mythology

                                The Titans Curse

                                The Battle Of The Labyrinth

                                The Last Olympian  

   A series of five books with Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief leading the list is told by the protagonist Percy Jackson who is a demi-god meaning that he's the son of Greek god Posiedon and a mortal woman who is his mother. The book's main theme is reinventing greek mythology in the present modern setting of US. The books are laden with american teenage humour and appreciable action pieces. The books are a quick read which could work as a nice substitution for a no-good bollywood movie. Those people who are thorough in their mythology fundas or have passed the stage where going near the young adult section in a bookstore is beneath them will not regret in missing this book.

2. The Immortals Of Meluha (Book 1) - Amish Tripathi ; Historical fiction, action-adventure

   The book starts with our hero Shiva deciding to start a new life in a new place known as meluha for his group. There he drinks a potion called somras which makes his neck shine blue; therefore according to a prophecy he is proclaimed as the saviour of meluha and the destroyer of evil who have come to help help them, and the rest of the book deals with whether shiva accepts this responsibility and if so he is confronted with the nature of evil, and other such questions? A very interesting book from an indian author who succeeds in combining mythology and history to give a very enjoyable read. With action- good, language- simple & understandable for masses, dialogues - at times taking a philosophical tone in matters of good and evil. This book is wholesome fun and a great way to start historical fiction genre.

3. The Secret Of The Nagas  (Book 2) - Amish Tripathi

    Picking up right where book 1 ended, The Secret Of The Nagas exceeds all expectations laid out by Immortals of Meluha. The book is high on somras and the twists will catch you off-guard if you aren't careful enough. The book ends with a i-knew-he-would-be-alive cliffhanger while leaving you gasping for more. Secret of the Nagas is faster, cleverer and much better than its predecessor with the signs pointing to a very satisfying finale for the fans.
It would not be prudent on my part to suggest buying this book without reading Immortals of Meluha first.

Quick Book Reviews

FICTION

1. Only Time Will Tell (2011) - Jeffrey Archer:
  
   For anyone who has read at least one book by Jeffrey Archer - it's not too late, order this instant from flipkart, it's only Rs 200. This is the first of the five books known as clifton chronicles which as the name suggests follows the life of Harry Clifton from 1920 to science-knows-where. This particular book starts from 1920 in Britain after the First World War and ends in America during the start the Second World War with a not-so impressive cliff hanger.
   The best part for me in this book is the narrative style which is simply awesome. Jeffrey Archer serves you with a grand buffet of friendship, love, betrayal, sentiment, corny dialogues, gut wrenching scenes in a style which rightfully makes him the most favourite author in India.
 
2. 1984 (1949)- George Orwell
   
    If the whole universe cease to exist, I think truth and George Orwell's 1984 are the two things which will be left. I feel inadequate with my current vocabulary to write about this seminal work which is about a totalitarian and dystopian future. It's hard to think myself in the shoes of Winston Smith who is devoid of privacy, language, thought and free will. This is a book that should be read by everyone and is a timeless classic.
     
3. Animal Farm (1945) - George Orwell
   
   A novella of 112 pages, this a political satire on the events leading to the rise of Stalin. The story is set in an animal farm where the animals revolt against a brutal farmer only to face an even more tyrannical rule by a pig called Napolean. If you want to know how dictator get to do things and get away with them, this is the stuff. The book offers some valuable lessons in liberty and basic rights which denied leads only to one road.

FIFA 12 DEMO REVIEW

   Starting with minor details: The demo version size is 1.5GB and quick to install, but the catch is that you have to remove the previous version(i.e FIFA 11) before you install{ or go to this link http://forum.ea.com/uk/posts/list/987075.page }. A 512MB graphic card should be sufficient. You can choose from amateur to legendary which is a relief. To change the key functions to your own taste, start an exhibition match; pause; go to settings; controller; press ctrl whose default key is LT and you are there.

   The preview window for game configuration is the same as FIFA 11 and initially needs a changing in aspect resolution. After you start the game, you get the customary sequence of language and EA sports. And the first awesome change is the start page where Rooney comes to kick the ball and stops, waiting for you to hit spacebar. When you tap it both the ball and logo fly towards you which would have been supercool in 3d.

   You come across a tutorial which tell how they have changed the defense and blah..blah.. which I gave a miss, but on hindsight I think it was pretty much a warning. You have only 6 teams to choose from i.e Barca, Mancity, BVB, OM, Arsenal and Milan. And Messi's rating is f***ing 95!!!(By this pattern it will be 100 next year).

   The biggest changes which immediately registers in your brain are defense and ball possession. The ball possession in this new version is simply awesome. You feel like you are controlling an actual player, who doesn't easily give the ball to your opponent and shows improved body technique in handling the ball while facing an opponent.

   The second change, defense. What EA did was that they ripped the defense mechanism in 11 and put a brand new one. The defending, which was one of the sweetest thing in 11, where you keep holding s during the whole game and let the guys do the work for you doesn't fly anymore. In this game you have to know when, where, how to press your defense button. Fast fingers and timing: that's the mantra. The ball dynamics has clearly changed and reflects more real world play.

   In the graphics department, they have a new game engine and the graphics are very good looking.The dynamic tele mode is much more smooth and subtle in moving. The audience response is much more in tune with the game and the commentary is good as usual.

   Can't wait for the full version and pity there will be no LAN play(damn you EA). AND ENJOY!

Book Review: The Emperor Of All Maladies

NON-FICTION
1. The Emperor Of All Maladies: A Biography Of Cancer (2011) - Siddhartha Mukherjee

    
The caption of this book, "A Biography Of Cancer" is single dimensional to what the author presents to the reader in this book. In this magnificent study of a multifaceted disease known as cancer, the author takes us on a journey starting from 1600 B.C, where the earliest description of cancer is recorded on a papyrus to the present hospitals where the battle rages on day and night, harder than ever. This book is much and more about the people affected by the various aspects of this disease and their relationship to it.The author presents the story not as a professional trying to decode the problem but as a compassionate biographer trying to untangle the many faces of this disease and present it to us.

This book is fairly large with pages touching 600. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone and will make a valuable addition to your bookshelf. This is not a quick read and I would suggest to take in all the information the author offers at a pace suitable to you, and be armed with knowledge to take us one step closer in understanding cancer.