tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121440682024-03-19T00:05:57.659-04:00Princess Chimera's RealmIn the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?
—Rainer Maria RilkeSwathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-1830756605864237302018-07-25T09:27:00.001-04:002018-07-25T09:29:20.345-04:00"Why do women have to pretend to be something that they're not? Why do we have to pretend to be stupid when we're not stupid?" - Midge Maisel
The thing about "The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel" is that I identify with it. A lot!
I know. How can an Indian girl in tech identify with a 1950's Jewish woman who is well on her way to becoming the most successful stand-up comedian of her time?
Allow me to elaborate.
Midge Maisel is feisty, wears bright colors, loves her makeup, tries to be a dutiful daughter, the perfect wife, the amazing mother, Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-41725211627942527152017-10-05T09:17:00.003-04:002017-10-05T09:17:50.101-04:00" Adapt or Die " - Billy in Moneyball
Moneyball is really not my kind of movie.
I am not into baseball and I do not enjoy an "all-guys" movie.
But, I made an exception and decided to give it a shot. And I am glad I did.
My weird reason being, in one of the podcasts I listened to, Malcolm Gladwell mentioned that the author he admired the most is Michael Lewis, the writer of Moneyball.
Moneyball is actually not about baseball. It Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-49687343303409633172017-08-30T11:29:00.002-04:002017-08-30T11:29:58.531-04:00Power is neither male nor female.
Although "Pulp Fiction" is touted as the best Quentin Tarantino movie, I disagree.
"Jackie Brown" according to me is his best. Not to mention the best movie ever with a strong female lead character. (Not it is not Erin Brockovich!).
The villainy laced with humor, the edge of the seat thriller with a touch of romance and the memorable one-liners. Yes! this is my favorite Tarantino movie.
Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-9001262428267726992015-05-05T17:43:00.002-04:002015-05-05T22:02:46.845-04:00"But Marx wasn't a German, Marx was a Jew." - Professor Charles Rankin in "The Stranger"
Orson Welles' "The Stranger" reminded me of Hitchcock's "Shadow of a doubt". But do not mistake them for being alike. They use very different formats to enthrall the audience. While "Shadow of a doubt" revels in oscillating between the truth and doubt, The Stranger focuses on nothing but the truth. There in lies the beauty of this film.
How can a movie still hold any intrigue Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-42314277129849409762015-01-29T22:14:00.002-05:002015-01-29T22:14:32.491-05:00"I still have a mind of my own. Elsewhere being gracious is acceptable. "- Leslie Benedict in Giant
I would count "Giant" in the same category of David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia". It is a saga but the big difference is that Texas forms the background of Giant instead of Arabia and the story is a family epic.
There is a scene in "Giant" where Leslie Benedict (an excellent Elizabeth Taylor) walks into a group of men and wants to participate in a political discussion. Her Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-5436695273399103022015-01-25T23:33:00.001-05:002015-01-25T23:33:13.023-05:00“What happens when a man stands up and says, ‘enough is enough?'" - Martin Luther King, Jr. in 'Selma'
What is the difference between a person who manipulates people for the good or for the bad ? The former is called a salesperson and if it is for the good, he is called a "Leader". Martin Luther King is one of those leaders , who through sheer force of words led the movement of the African-American suffrage in early sixties in America. "Selma" showcases King's( David Oyelowo) Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-6358767094548872592015-01-24T22:13:00.002-05:002015-01-24T22:14:57.632-05:00"People, they love blood. They love action. Not this talky, depressing, philosophical bullshit." - Riggan in "Birdman"
I remember reading Raymond Carver’s
“Cathedral” and moved by his simple yet powerful writing. In “Birdman”, Riggan
Thomson (Michael Keaton)
directs and acts in a Raymond Carver play "What We Talk
About When We Talk About Love" to revive his long-forgotten acting
career. Who is Riggan? He, like Keaton in real life, was once famous for his
super-hero movies and this play is his only chance for Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-11231630784598173682015-01-23T23:49:00.001-05:002015-01-23T23:49:37.517-05:00"When two people love each other and they can't make that work, that's the real tragedy." - Amy Dunne in "Gone Girl"
A marriage is a byproduct of the co-existence of two personalities. Sometimes you spend your entire life with the person yet you might not know them completely. "Gone Girl" is a dark tale of a marriage gone so awry that it is impossible to set it right again.
Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne(Rosamund Pike) are celebrating their fifth anniversary. Instead of a date night, Nick finds himself inSwathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-55136350794350135422015-01-22T22:20:00.000-05:002015-01-22T22:20:25.532-05:00"Everyone wants Atticus Finch until there's a dead hooker in a bathtub." - Hank Palmer in "The Judge"
Most children would wonder at some point in their lives why dads are so obstinate. Robert Duval as the father in "The Judge" is the epitome of this. His son, Hank Palmer, is a Chicago lawyer, infamous for defending rich and guilty clients. On the death of his mother, Hank visits his sleepy small hometown in Indiana. This is the beginning of a thrilling courthouse drama filled with dynamic Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-67915149448994230262015-01-21T23:10:00.002-05:002015-01-21T23:10:21.670-05:00"You know how everyone's always saying seize the moment? I don't know, I'm kind of thinking it's the other way around, you know, like the moment seizes us." - Nicole in Boyhood
For those who are familiar with creative writing, the story arch is the most important element of a story. How you hook the reader from introducing your characters to a cresendo and then back down. This is the most important aspect that 'Boyhood' lacks.
"Boyhood" is the chronicle of a boy,Mason, from ages eight to eighteen going through the motions of a normal life. It is no 'To Kill aSwathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-87295259889324183862015-01-20T22:55:00.000-05:002015-01-20T22:55:07.667-05:00"What is a lobby boy? A lobby boy is completely invisible, yet always in sight." - M. Gustave in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'.
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Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-36276584783849322302015-01-19T15:43:00.000-05:002015-01-19T15:43:15.952-05:00"Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine." - Joan in The Imitation Game
As a technologist, I often wonder about the value
of something I work on. How can I measure it? Alan Turing had no such questions
- he saved 14 million lives and ended a war two years sooner than it would
otherwise have, with a brilliant mathematical invention, which we know today as
‘computers’.
'The Imitation Game' might be the story of World
War II but it is no 'Schindler's List'. War Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-59565367590221853362014-09-11T06:49:00.000-04:002014-09-11T06:49:13.601-04:00'When it comes to marriage, one man is as good as the next. And even the least accommodating is less trouble than a mother.'-from Dangerous Liaisons
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mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-25810566530638628292014-07-23T22:12:00.000-04:002014-07-23T22:12:27.961-04:00" The only person standing in your way is you." from the movie 'Black Swan'
I watched Black Swan, when it was first released in the theater. I liked the passion, the psychological twists and the dark story. But, it took a re-watching to love this movie.
The title of this post is the crux of the movie. No one stands in the way of achieving your dreams except you. Yet, most of us are inhibited by our own psychological barriers - in this case - a controlling mother,Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-2108324506872220812014-03-28T11:59:00.001-04:002014-03-28T12:27:34.068-04:00The Lunchbox , a movie review
'The Lunchbox' is an Indian film of great poignancy narrating the story of friendship between a housewife, Ila and a soon-to-retire accountant, Fernandez.
The backdrop of the dabbawallas(lunchbox delivery men) of Mumbai, who were studied by Harvard for their six sigma delivery standards, showcases hard work and struggles of everyman. From the moment they pick the lunch boxes, they travel by Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-78937827978521039742014-02-03T21:43:00.000-05:002014-02-03T21:46:13.149-05:00 And there wasn't anything I could have done to save them. - Philip Seymour Hoffman in the movie 'Capote'
I did not watch 'Capote' for the longest time thinking it was one of those boring biographical movies. However recently I read a blurb on Netflix that it portrays the period in Capote's life when he was researching the book 'In cold blood'. My curiosity was piqued.
I remember reading 'In cold blood' one summer afternoon. Before this book, I only knew about Breakfast at Tiffany's. I still Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-40378792475695907092014-01-05T09:39:00.000-05:002014-01-05T09:39:54.522-05:00'Her' movie review
There is a dilemma that every writer faces - how to create something new and refreshing out of the same subject that has been written about at-least a hundred times before? Writer-director Spike Jonze
does this amazingly well with near-futuristic buildings without looking too 'sci-fi' and a story that seems plausible in this digital age.
'Her' is the story of Theodore (Joaquin Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-31221641799158253872013-12-30T17:44:00.001-05:002016-09-29T14:52:16.507-04:00American Hustle - A Movie Review
'American Hustle' is a comedy-drama that is light-hearted while dealing with a heavy subject of an FBI investigation. Unlike Argo, this movie does not adopt the seriousness of the actual event - Abscam, the investigation that shook the US Congress in late '70s. The movie pivots on Irving and Sidney (amazingly played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams) who are con artists with a zest for life.But Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-36063961180421913402013-12-28T23:58:00.000-05:002013-12-29T00:18:15.792-05:00The way you fear a cow sitting down in the middle of the street during rush hour,that's how I fear Canadians - Bernedette in Where'd You Go,Bernadette
'Where'd You Go,Bernadette' smells like fresh flowers in spring. This delightful novel is gleefully funny with sprinkles of warmth and intelligence thrown in good measure.
Bernadette Fox, the protagonist, seems to be anti-social - she hates Seattle, does not want to socialize with neighbors or other mothers at the PTA and says 'I don't know if community is something you do or don't Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-91993886948956018282013-12-27T10:38:00.000-05:002013-12-27T10:45:33.612-05:00Blue Jasmine - A movie review
For those of you who came in late, Blue Jasmine is a contemporary 'A Streetcar Named Desire'!
Like Blanche DuBois, Jasmine is a fading, but still-attractive woman who has lost everything in life and seeks solace in her sister's home in San Francisco. Like Blanche, she is an alcoholic and a nervous-wreck and like Blanche, Jasmine is delusional and refuses to accept the reality of Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-25295024888070834502013-01-03T11:25:00.004-05:002013-01-16T14:20:12.262-05:00Review of 'Life of Pi'
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<![endif]-->A book or a movie takes you on new and exciting adventures.
But, sometimes they also lead you through familiar labyrinths. For me, ‘Life of
Pi' offered both.
I have a mental picture of Pondicherry, where I grew up in
the ‘80s - wide open buildings in the Indo-French quarters, the view of the
beach from the ashram, yellow limestone walls and the shady Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-52332968586802405312012-10-03T11:38:00.000-04:002012-10-03T11:38:02.749-04:00Review of the movie 'The Master'
What is it that Lincoln said ? '“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”
Paul .T. Anderson's The Master seems to fit this bill. Movies that meander aimlessly never fail to amaze me. Even if the maker of the movie believed in it (P.T.Anderson), what the hell were the Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-78914348987053571462012-08-01T21:27:00.000-04:002012-08-01T21:28:38.859-04:00Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild
There is a scene in 'Beasts of the SouthernWild' in which six-year-old Hush Puppy says ‘When you’re small, you gotta
fix what you can.' and that pretty much summarizes what this movie is
about.'Interesting' is the adjective you would use to describe the adventures
of six-year-old Hush Puppy who lives in 'The Bathtub' along with her
father. You would also wonder if Hush Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-44606321479119058372012-07-24T16:07:00.001-04:002012-07-24T16:07:50.727-04:00I'm much too busy seeing that you don't lose any of the money I married you for. - The Thin Man
Can you imagine any movie in the last five years that would be appreciated after nearly eighty years. I cannot think of one!
The Thin Man, made in 1934, is timeless and does not make you feel antiquated. The credit for it must go to the fun and witty dialogue of the husband-wife duo, Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) along with their chuckle-inducing dog, Asta. Nick Charles , aSwathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12144068.post-53132922958421618942012-07-23T08:48:00.002-04:002012-07-23T13:25:24.273-04:00Review of the movie To Rome with Love
How do you write a non-tribute to your favorite director? By being candid, I guess.
Woody Allen , one of my favorite directors, has disappointed me with a tedious, errant and contrived movie called 'To Rome with Love'.
The scenes where Woody Allen, playing Jerry, a retired music director, seem to have the best laughs. But sadly Woody Allen doesn't stick to those scenes. There are four Swathi Sambhani aka Chimerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01847827658841829629noreply@blogger.com0