Leap Year
Well - it is leap year and it would be a shame not to post today. I was looking at any myths and traditions attached to a leap year and the only one I could find was that
women can propose marriage to a guy in a leap year. Another interesting article to read is
here.
Another piece of random info I found is that the band
CSS is playing a couple of gigs in Auckland in March. I might go to it - time and money permitting.
Also a big shout out to Ilke Gers - who designed the poster and the DVD slick for FIVE. She launched
her website and you can check out more of her work there.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Music, Random
Wohoo
Well the only piece of info that I have to share is that I won $25 store credit at the video shop I get my movie rentals from. I was tied for 2nd place with 2 other people for the oscar prediction contest, so the prize money was split between the 3 of us. A small amount but that's money I won't have to spend. :-D
Thats me for now.
Amit
Labels: Random
Cashback
I saw 2 movies today '
Cashback' and '
Waitress'.
Cashback was an OK movie - too long for it's own good even though it is visually very stylistic without sacrificing emotions.
Waitress was awesome movie - very funny, touching and devastating at the same time. The performances are fantastic from everyone, especially Keri Russell. It is a simple story very well told. It is really sad that Adrienne Shelley's {the director of the movie} life was cut short in a suspected murder before she could see the release of her movie.
I also finished watching Season-4 of
Entourage and it was bloody fantastic as usual. The only episode I didn't really like was Episode 1 - which felt like a filler episode. Damn it -thats the problem watching good shows - you want more and then have to wait ages before you get the next fix. Now that the writer's strike is over I hope that BSG's last season is aired in full - start to end instead of breaking it up into 2 parts.
Thats me for now.
Amit
Labels: Movies, TV Series
FIVE - Trailer
So I finally got around to editing a trailer for FIVE. I was never planning on editing a trailer for the movie but I was kicked into action as one of the prerequisites for signing a VOD deal with Jaman was that I needed to provide a trailer along with the movie. I spent the better part of Saturday editing the trailer and it was made challenging by the fact that there was no scored music tailor made for the trailer, so I spent a good chunk of time trying to mix and match and combine the original score from the movie, since the rhythm of the trailer is dictated by the score more than anything else. So here it is without much further ado, I hope you enjoy it.
To watch a bigger version {screen size - not the length} of the trailer you can watch it
HERE.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Five
Entourage
Auckland in Twilight
On film making front - I was in final negotiations with an international sales distribution company for them to pick up FIVE to sell it to international territories excluding NZ/Australia but that has fallen through for various reasons. I still have another sales representation offer from a French company but that is on the backburner for the next 6 months when both the parties will look at the offer again.
Thats me for now.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Books, Script, TV Series
The Saudis
I finally finished reading 'The Saudis' and it was exhaustive but interesting at the same time. It was similar to 'Ghost Wars' in terms of the details and you can visualize the place in detail. I love journalistic books that are written well. I checked out the
wiki page on Saudia Arabia and it looks like the second oil boom is on, now all one can pray for is that they use the money in a better way than how they used it last time around.
The plan to try out some geared investments ran aground as I enquired at a couple of banks and finance companies about taking a personal loan for investment purposes. The finance companies flatly refused while the banks have such prohibitive interest rates that it doesn't make any sense borrowing on that high of an interest rate as the investment goes from moderate risk to super high risk and the people who are earning off you taking the risk is the banks.
I am 3/4th of my way through the third season of
Entourage and it is bloody fantastic. It is smart, funny and unexpected. The thing which makes it work is the chemistry between the lead characters and also the acting - which is top notch.
I also just came back from seeing '
There will be blood' and it was a great epic. Daniel Day Lewis is God. He is brilliant and he just sets the scene on fire. I think he will definitely take the best actor at the oscars - if not then there is no justice in this world. Go watch it.
Amit
Labels: Books, Movies, Random, TV Series
Tick Tick
'Tick...Tick...Tick' - that's the one sound I can hear loud and clear right now - besides the cicadas chirping away (they have quietened as it falls dark). That's the sound from the new wrist watch that dad sent over from India and I love it. I had stopped wearing watches for I can't remember how long and I decided to start wearing one again after seeing the simplicity and elegance of the watch. I am happy.
I just finished reading '
Get Rich Slow' by Mary Holm and it was a fascinating read and very practical. It definitely clears up a lot of uncovered ground as far as investing for a first time investor goes. I am now seriously considering doing some geared investments.
I also finished off '
Persepolis' and it was a good read. The characters I most liked in the book were Marjane's mom and dad. They are so endearing and bring a sense of respect and love into the story. Overall it is definitely a must read and I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out in the cinemas here.
Thats me for now.
Amit
Labels: Books, Movies, Random
Books Galore
I had to return 'Tree of Smoke' before finishing it as someone had it on hold and I didn't want to pay a fine. Add to the scenario out of the 9 books I wanted to read - 8 of them came through at the same time. So I returned that book and got a whole bunch of books filling up my desk, my bed and my floor. I am currently reading 'Persepolis' by Marjan Satrapi. The book has also been converted into an animated movie which is running for 'Best Animated Feature' at the Oscars. It is a great read and changes your perspective about how western media has painted Iran without taking into consideration the lives of ordinary people living there.
A month or so back I had my Indian passport canceled and applied for Overseas Citizenship of India and I was surprised when I got back my NZ passport with the OCI in the mail today. This has got to be my least painful exposure to Indian bureaucracy.
I watched '
Seraphim Falls' yesterday and it was an OK movie. It starts off great but it soon looses momentum and the stakes are lowered as the movie progresses. The cinematography though is absolutely beautiful.
I have just come out of my 10 day work stretch and have the next couple of days off, which I am looking forward to. Hopefully I will be able to catch 'There will be Blood' this weekend.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: Books, Movies, New Zealand, Random
Driftwood
Each one of us is a piece of wood floating in the ocean. Some of us find the shore and some of us never do.
Labels: Random
Friendship
I am currently reading
'The Saudis' by Sandra Mackey (a brilliant book) and there was a chapter that covered aspects of personal relationships in the desert kingdom and how friendships take a back seat to the family - it got me thinking on what I feel about it. I did a google search and not surprisingly Wikipedia has
a page for 'friendship' and it was an insightful read.
When I was a kid I believed that friends are forever but that view has changed over the years. Time does change people. Sometimes you loose track of people and sometimes it is the other way round but the common thing is that people drift apart - you loose touch of things you had in common. Frienship is a two way street and both parties have to work at it to keep the relationship running (as with everything else). The most distinctive change I have noticed between India and New Zealand is that the intensity of friendships is much more higher in India than here. I probably only share the same kind of intensity here with a couple of people. It is almost like people here are afraid of that intensity. I value my friends highly and I sincerely believe that friendship is right up there in terms of importance after close family relationships. Maybe that's why it takes me ages to form close friends but when I do I make sure that I am giving it my everything. It is better to have a few really close friends than a bucket load of acquaintances.
I watched
Apocalypse Now ( the Redux version) for the first time and it is a marvel. The story and the visuals and the acting are mind blowing. Add to it the brilliant sound design and it is a real feast to the senses.
Here is an article about the mixing process for the director's cut of the movie. I now want to watch 'Hearts of Darkness' - the documentary on making of the movie. I also watched another movie '
Once' - an indie movie which gained a lot of traction last year. It was a sweet movie but I was a bit underwhelmed - maybe because of all the hype surrounding it. The music is great and the performances are very natural but there is something that is still missing for me.
Thats me for now.
Amit
Labels: Movies, Random
The Time traveller's Wife
I finished reading '
The Time Traveler's Wife' and it was an amazing read. It is more of a love story than a science fiction. The story is beautiful and moving and it keeps you hooked into the story all the time - that if there is time. The story jumps all over the place because of time travel but once you get a hang of the style - it is so easy to follow. The other thing I love is how the book doesn't adhere to more general rules of time travel as described in science fiction books. It is being made into a movie for release in November 2008. I wonder how the audience will react to the adult themes within the story and also the un-conventional love story. Or if the movie will even retain any of them.
Next on my read list is Tree of Smoke
Amit
Labels: Books
No Budget Film School
Well here is a great series of articles related to 'no budget' film making straight from Microcinema Scene. I love it and it is definitely a must read for anyone wanting to make their own movies.
Check it out in all it's resourcefulness.
I went and saw '
No Country for Old Men' yesterday evening and it was a good movie spoilt only by the last 5 minutes - maybe because it is a faithful adaptation of the book. It was rivetting nonetheless. Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin are beyond fantastic in this movie. I even had a nightmare about Anton Chigurh last night - the character is that frightening.
Here is an exchange in the movie that just about hints at the menace that Anton Chigurh is.
It is definitely a movie worth watching.
Amit
Labels: Filming, Movies, Post Production, Pre-production
Music Vids
Here are some music vids that I am listening to and love
Till later
Amit
Labels: Music
Weekend in Pics
Inventive Fishing
Surreal Night filling Auckland skyline
Sleepy Head
The empty streets
At Gareth's birthday party
Auckland Skyline
Finger dance {kind of discovered by me :-) }
Funky lights at a pub
Sarah and Claire having a game of Wii after acting practiseYeah - it has been a busy week and I can't actually be bothered with writing an update right now.
Till later,
Amit
Labels: New Zealand, Party
