Poutine

The Back Story
Well, it's not a word in the dictionary, but when all else fails there is always Wikipedia ;). This word isn't one I've found by myself. I can't take credit for that. That'd be the odd looking feller in the office who sent me a link after noticing my lunch for the past few months (One of my many stalkers).

What I can take credit for is perhaps the meaning. That's right, I was the first person in the history of mankind to put these two magical things -- cheese & chips -- together. I'm only kidding. Actually, I'd be rather proud of that. Never mind.

What I can say is that if I asked 100 people that knew me well to list 5 things that they could relate to me. I would say "Cheese & Chips" would be pretty high on that resultant list, quite likely in the Top 5.

The poutine is from it's description, something I've been trying to imitate for years, ()the curd rather than cheese is imperative, though the gravy is not). I should probably look into this gravy thing next too, I don't believe I've ever had any of that stuff, Anyway, back to poutine, it would seem. In Canadia (aka Canada), it's quite a common fast food meal sold by many of the commercial fast food moguls, not here though, that or maybe I've not been paying attention -- I'll keep my open now though, for sure ... and on that note I think I'll cue the music.

Be Kind Rewind'

Plot Outline:
Jerry (Jack Black) is a junkyard worker who attempts to sabotage a power plant that he believes is melting his brain. But, when his plan goes awry, the magnetic field that he creates accidentally erases all of the videotapes in a local video store where his best friend Mike (Mos Def) works.

Fearing that the mishap will cost Mike his job, the two friends team up to keep the store's only loyal customer--a little old lady with a tenuous grasp on reality--from realizing what has happened by recreating and re-filming every movie that she decides to rent. From "Back to the Future," to "Robocop," to "Rush Hour," to "The Lion King," Jerry and Mike become the biggest stars in their neighborhood by starring in the biggest movies ever made.

Rambo'

Plot Outline:
Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) has survived many harrowing ordeals in his lifetime and has since withdrawn into a simple and secluded existence in Thailand, where he spends his time capturing snakes for local entertainers, and chauffeuring locals in his old PT boat. Even though he is looking to avoid trouble, trouble has a way of finding him: a group of Christian human rights missionaries, approach Rambo with the desire to rent his boat to travel up the river to Burma.

For over fifty years, Burma has been a war zone. The people of the region, consisting of peasants and farmers, have endured brutally oppressive rule from the murderous Burmese military and have been struggling for survival every single day. After some inner contemplation, Rambo accepts the offer and reluctantly takes the missionaries up the river.

When the missionaries finally arrive at the Karen village, they find themselves part of a raid by the sadistic Major Pa Tee Tint and a slew of Burmese army men. A portion of the villagers and missionaries are tortured and viciously murdered, while Tint and his men hold the remainder captive. Concerned by their disappearance, the minister in charge of the mission gathers a group of mercenaries and pleas Rambo to transport them with his boat, since he knows their last exact location. But Rambo can't stay behind: he joins the team where he belongs, to liberate the survivors from the clutches of Major Tint in what may be one of his deadliest missions ever.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'

Plot Outline:
Mandy Lane (Amber Heard). Beautiful. Untouched. High school royalty waiting to be crowned. Since the dawn of Junior year, men have tried to possess her. Some have even died in reckless pursuit of this 16 year-old Texas angel.

A couple invite Mandy out to the family ranch for the weekend. Mandy sees it as an excellent opportunity to cement her new friendships. The boys see it as an opportunity to finally get with Mandy Lane. Driving across the Texas landscape, the kids begin to gently chip away at the wall that surrounds her. Joints are smoked. A keg is stolen off a beer truck. Pills are crushed to fine powder and inhaled. Mandy observes it all with the gentle interest of a foreign tourist. And they love her for it.

At the ranch, all the boys start to make their move -- each one hoping to be the first to attain the unattainable Mandy Lane. However, as night falls and the booze, drugs, and hormones take over, things are said and advances made which can never be reversed. Suddenly, sweet Mandy finds herself pit in a brutal struggle for survival against someone whose interest she has rejected. Forget reading, writing and arithmetic. In high school, learning to be yourself and not succumbing to peer pressure is the ultimate test. And this is one exam that Mandy is determined not to fail.

Grimace

The Back Story
Well, not so big, but following on from the Batman theme,as you all probably know the Dark Knight has the poster tagline: "Why So Serious?", which hasn't become the milkshake level of quotes but give it time, I'm sure it'll spread. Anyway watching the trailer again, I heard the words "Let's put a smile on that face" and in my head I pictures a clown that was sulking. At the time this word "sulk" didn't quite register, nor did "frown", the only think of were "An Anti-smile" or "Grimace", but I felt neither was appropriate.

Later when I came across the word Grimace twice in my reading, I thought maybe it is the same as to sulk, the characters I was reading about weren't happy. To be honest after looking it up I'm still not certain I can use the word as a replacement to frown, but I'm swaying towards not. I think it's more specific. The sort of awkward, uncontrollable "ew" factor.

Let me know if you think you know better, but only with evidence might I accept.

Peace
_r.j'

Bucket List, The'

Plot Outline:
Blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate / corporate billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with cancer. They become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. Carter is a brilliant historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor, but in his youth had been "broke, black, and with a baby on the way" and thus never rose above his job at the McCreath (named after a health care consultant and friend of the writer) body shop. Cole is an eccentric loner, four times divorced, who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Matthew, whom he calls Thomas (Sean Hayes).

Both are diagnosed with a year or less to live. Carter begins writing a "bucket list," or things to do before "he kicks the bucket." While not a serious list of intentions, he is goaded into going through with it when Cole discovers the list. Cole pushes Carter, and promises to pay for everything. Despite the protests of his wife, Carter agrees.

Screenplay available for Download Here!

Jodhaa Akbar'

Plot Outline:
Based on historical events of India, Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal (Muslim) emperor (Hrithik Roshan) -- Akbar and a Hindu Rajput princess -- Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai). Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar. After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River.

Through a shrewd blend of tolerance, generosity, and force, Akbar won the allegiance of many. His challenge were the Rajputs, the most belligerent Hindus, so as a gesture of good-will to the people he accepts a proposal from the Rajput King to marry his daughter. Little did Akbar know that when he married the fiery Rajput princess Jodhaa, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey entirely as an emperor.

The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbars biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa of his own wife. A love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. Jodhaa-Akbar is no merely their untold love story, but also the story of how she made him a better Emperor.

Jumper'

Plot Outline:
Based on a novel by Steven Gould it is the story of David Rice (Hayden Christensen) who lives alone with his father, but the truth is, it isn't much of a home. When things get so bad that David decides to run away, his big question is, Where? And how will he live? The answer to his surprise is anywhere is possible. David discovers he has the power to jump (read teleport) from one place to another. Not just a few feet, but hundreds, even thousands of miles!

As he explores his new power he learns that the world is literally his for the taking, but with time he learns that there are consequences too. He learns that he isn't the only one, and also finds himself thrust within a war that has existed through history against an organisation called the Paladins led by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) whose one cause is to hunt and kill all Jumpers.

Time once again for the Filmfare Awards, the equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars which each year parades a Who's Who of top Bollywood films and their legendary stars along with new and aspiring actors, actresses, and film directors.

I've bolded the ones I think most deserve it from the choices given.. I think there are definitely deserving entries missing here that I'll discuss further when the results are out on the night of February 24, 2008.

BEST FILM
Chak De! India
Guru
Jab We Met
Om Shanti Om
Taare Zameen Par

BEST DIRECTOR
Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par)
Anurag Basu (Life... In A Metro)
Farah Khan (Om Shanti Om)
Imtiaz Ali (Jab We Met)
Mani Ratnam (Guru)
Shimit Amin (Chak De! India)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (MALE)
Abhishek Bachchan (Guru)
Akshay Kumar (Namastey London)
Darsheel Safary (Taare Zameen Par)
Shahrukh Khan (Chak De! India)
Shahrukh Khan (Om Shanti Om)
Shahid Kapoor (Jab We Met)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (FEMALE)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Guru)
Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om)
Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met)
Madhuri Dixit (Aaja Nachle)
Rani Mukerji (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag)
Vidya Balan (Bhool Bhulaiyaa)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE)
Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par)
Anil Kapoor (Welcome)
Irrfan Khan (Life in a... Metro)
Mithun Chakraborty (Guru)
Shreyas Talpade (Om Shanti Om)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE)
Konkona Sen Sharma (Life in a... Metro)
Konkona Sen Sharma (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag)
Rani Mukerji (Saawariya)
Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India)
Tisca Chopra (Taare Zameen Par)

BEST MUSIC
A R Rahman (Guru)
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)
Pritam (Jab We Met)
Pritam (Life in a... Metro)
Vishal-Shekhar (Om Shanti Om)

BEST LYRICS
Gulzar...Tere Bina (Guru)
Javed Akhtar...Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Prasoon Joshi...Maa (Taare Zameen Par)
Sameer...Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Vishal Dadlani...Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (MALE)
A R Rahman ...Tere Bina (Guru)
K K...Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
Shaan...Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Sonu Nigam...Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Sukhwinder Singh...Chak De (Chak De! India)

BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (FEMALE)
Alisha Chinai...It's Rocking (Kya Love Story Hai)
Shreya Ghoshal ...Barso Re (Guru)
Shreya Ghoshal ...Yeh Ishq Hai (Jab We Met)
Sunidhi Chauhan ...Sajanaji Vari Vari (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd.)
Sunidhi Chauhan ...Aaja Nachle (Aaja Nachle)

Hysterical

The Back Story
Well, I felt hysterical when one of the applications on facebook decided to "tell me off". Cyberdyne, Skynet, Judgement day .. it all begins here. The story goes as such, when I finally finished reading "Who Moved My Blackberry?", I updated the status on my Books application on FaceBook. In a nutshell, this allows people to see what I've read & what I'm currently reading. So a week passes and I get an email from this application..

Subject: You've been reading 'THE INTERPRETATION OF MURDER' for more than a week. Still true?

I'm thinking to myself, are you serious? A piece of code is now telling me how to lead my life? The thought of it somehow reminded me of the quote from Road to Perdition "It's all so f*cking hysterical" from Daniel Craig (Pre-007). Funnily enough, the book itself is also about doctors who are psychoanalysts. They study and 'cure' hysteria. Seems like I have a thing or two to learn from them. ;)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets'

Plot Outline:
When a missing page from the Diary Of John Wiles Booth surfaces, Ben's great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln's death. Determined to prove his ancestor's innocence, Ben (Nicolas Cage) follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America where he must find the Book of Secrets.

He has help from his old friends and family along the way ofcourse. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations - but to the trail of the world's most treasured secrets.

Overall Impressions:
Well, it's great to see Nicolas Cage back on form. (His hair is back to normal). I did watch the first National Treasure film & I did enjoy it. This one too has kept me entertained through its duration, which is great, but it's pretty forgettable after the show. I'm sure a lot of it is wasted on me because I'm ignorant. Even more so when it comes to the American history part.

One thing that did stick out to me after the film is that though they had a handful of puzzles to solve, they never really had too much trouble with it. They were always right. If I recall, the first film had them making a few mistakes, which led to tangents. These tangents made the on-going turns in the tale a little more believable. Here it seemed just a tad too convenient. All the above said, at the time I didn't care & I did enjoy it. The characters are all likable & the dynamic interactions between them are what form the strength of the film.

An entertaining popcorn flick for the entire family. I can see it being one you enjoy on TV some Saturday evening in the winter with the family. A guilty pleasure? I'm not sure yet.. *shrugs* .. I'll mull it over as I watch the new Indy 4 trailer on loop.

There Will Be Blood'

Plot Outline:
A sprawling epic of family, faith, power and oil. Set around California's turn-of-the-century petroleum boom, the story chronicles the life and times of one Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon.

When Plainview gets a mysterious tip-off that there's a little town out West where an ocean of oil is oozing out of the ground, he heads with his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier), to take their chances in dust-worn Little Boston. In this hardscrabble town, where the main excitement centers around the holy roller church of charismatic preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), Plainview and H.W. make their lucky strike.

But even as the well raises all their fortunes, nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value - love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son - is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of oil.

Screenplay available for Download Here!

Hi!

Let me introduce myself. I'm Martin Lukes, Special Projects Director at a-b global (UK). Basically, I'm touching base with a highly unique book. As you'll see, it covers the most extraordinary year of personal progress, corporate scandal, and marital drama. This is not only a tale of my own promotion to one of the foremost executives in the country, but also a profound journey of personal learning, aided and abetted by my life coach, Pandora. I am often asked why I should want to share my deeply private philosophies and life secrets with such a wide audience. I always say it is because I am passionate about learning. I learn and grow from my own mistakes, both in the professional space and the personal one. Who Moved My Blackberry is a creovative (tm) work - to use one of my phrases that has now entered the business lingo - and the must-read of 2005.

All my very bestest
Martin Lukes

Author Lucy Kellaway has taken the character she first introduced in the pages of the Financial Times and created a story that will have you in fits of laughter and nodding your head in recognition. -- says the blurb!

From Pandora@CoachworX
To: Martin Lukes

Hi Martin,
Thank you for sharing your dream with me. It is always fascinating watching coachees' dreams take shape, and yours is a uniquely special one. Your road symbolises your journey. the castle is your home life - those walls are very thick and solid, which is a great sign! However, this may also be a reflection of you as a reflective adult, with a vulnerable child within. The tree shows your personal growth - that strong root structure you've drawn is going to be absolutely key when you start to live your dream.
       The white circle in the corner is your true North. This is your guiding star. It shows that whatever you do, you want it to be for a bigger purpose. Yes you want success - but you want it because it helps you achieve immortality.
       Now Martin, I want you to break your dream down into achievable targets. Tell me your specific dreams. And I will help you make them come true.
        Give yourself five minutes and write down as much as you can. Think: what do I really want?

Strive and thrive!
Pandora

Explicable

The Back Story
Well, I'm not sure this actually deserves to be a new learnt word, because I sort of knew it - mweh .. why not. Myself and a surgeon were at the infamous Aldo's Italian Diner the other day. We have a lot of uncommon ground me & this guy, but he's a friendly enough chap & as is totally forbidden in being civil, we always end up talking about either politics or religion. This time it was religion.

I tend to be on the fence on this one as I think it's a personal thing, but being on the fence allows me the leisure to argue either side. I won't go into the actual debate except to the point, it came up as "How do atheists explain the unnatural things that can't be explained mathematically or scientifically?".

I was using the word illogical and inexplainable, the doctor was using "inexplicable". Annoyingly he kept using it as though correcting me, so at one point I side-tracked and just asked if these things mean the same thing, he said 'not exactly' .. & so I thought I'd look it up, I was right, he was wrong! .. but he's an old man, set in his ways, so I won't bother breaking his ego & correcting him when I see him next .. then again, I'm not sure of that -- I might ;)

As for the answer to the question, the answer was "ignorance" as I'd anticipated.

Juno'

Plot Outline:
Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is the type of girl that beats to her own drummer, and doesn't really care what others may think of her. She learns that she's pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Juno and Paulie like each other, but don't consider themselves to be in a full-on relationship, let alone be ready to be a family complete with child.

Initially she decides that she will have an abortion, but that's something that she ultimately cannot go through with. So she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Bearing in mind the symptoms of pregnancy, she understands she can't really keep this a secret and that she has to tell her parents. The next step is to find prospective parents for the yet unborn child.

In the Pennysaver ad section of a local paper lies the solution, Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner) are a yuppie couple living in the suburbs wanting to form a 'complete' family. Juno enters into a closed rather than open adoption contract with them, meaning she will have no contact with the baby after she gives it up, but will she be able to go through with it?.

Screenplay available for Download Here!

Leben der Anderen, Das
(Lives of Others, The)

Plot Outline:
It follows the successful dramatist Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck), a popular actress, who are big intellectual stars in the socialist state, who secretly don't think 101% loyal to the party line. One day, the Minister becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service are instructed to observe and sound out the couple.

Captain Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is the wiretapping expert with the Stasi (East German Secret Police) assigned for this task. During the mission he becomes disillusioned with his career and life in general as he listens in on the couple. He starts to challenge his beliefs through his overheard conversations.

Dreyman is a supporter of the regime, but dislikes the way dissidents are treated. He publicly stands up for his friends if he feels that they have been unfairly treated. One friend, Jerska, is a director who has lost his reason to live due to being blacklisted. At Dreyman's 40th birthday party, Jerska gives Dreyman a gift of sheet music entitled "Sonata for A Good Man". Shortly afterward, Jerska commits suicide; this finally spurs Dreyman into speaking out against the regime.

Wiesler over-hearing this all finds himself admiring the courage, relating to them, even becoming loyal to them to an extent. He sees they aren't doing any morally wrong, so he lets the small breaking of rules pass.

Cloverfield'

Plot Outline:
The movie opens with a "Property of the U.S. Government" watermarked screen declaring that the viewers are watching a "Digital SD Memory Card" of video pertaining to U.S. Case Designate "Cloverfield", found in an area "formerly known as Central Park". The found footage that follows makes up the rest of the movie, all shot from the point of view of a hand-held camera.

On April 27 at 6:41am, Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) awakes after spending the night with Beth (Odette Yustman),they soon plan to visit Coney Island for the day. The tape abruptly switches to May 22, as Rob's brother Jason (Mike Vogel) and his girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) prepare a Manhattan apartment for Rob's farewell party, as he has accepted a job in Japan.

Jason gives Rob's best friend "Hud" (T. J. Miller) the task of recording final goodbyes from family and friends at the party; Hud instead spends much of his time attempting to woo Marlena (Lizzy Caplan). The film is exactly the length of a DV Tape and a sub-plot is established by showing bits and pieces of video previously recorded on the tape that is being recorded over.

Oh I almost forgot, about 20 minutes in, the party is interrupted when a monster of unknown origin destroys a building. As the youngsters go out to investigate, parts of the building and the head of the Statue of Liberty come raining down towards them. As always when a monster attacks there is a hero who would devise a way to kill it. This isn't their story. This is the story of the youngsters trying to escape it. Period.