CherryPal - Cheap Cloud Computing

http://gizmodo.com/5027136/cherrypal-pc-offers-subscription+free-cloud-computing-that-runs-off-two-watts-of-power

Now that's what I'm talking about. Is this the future of computing? I wouldn't be surprised if Sun raises it's hands and says, Hey! We figured this out years and years ago, when we said, famously, The Network Is The Computer.

In fact it is awe inspiring how ahead of time Sun's vision was! Too bad they're not good at capitalizing on their ideas.

Bizarre statement by VMWare exec - end of Windows!

http://blogs.computerworld.com/vmware_exec_says_windows_days_are_numbered

Does anyone buy this? I know Google sells 'Search Appliances'. But what would VMWare build as an appliance?

iPhone 3G - costlier than your kidney in India

Just read this (http://www.lbhat.com/?p=432). This is a nice blog BTW even if you're not an Apply Fan(atic). This guy is head of an ad agency where a friend of mine works. So loads of cool ads from all around the world, in pictures and videos. If you are wondering how to look busy this afternoon while actually doing absolutely nothing to enhance your company's bottomline, go and check the site out.

Anyways, the meat of the matter is, that the iPhone will be helluva lot more expensive than people think and so besides sons of babus, CM's and other bade-baap-ke-bigde-aulaad, movie stars and glitterazzi, there will be barely any normal people using this device in India.

Hope all these rich people know it's a touchscreen device and don't send their PA's to return the phone for not having any buttons. Sad state of affairs awaiting us this Diwali :(

Sarkar Raj

After that Mahabharat of a post on Dark Knight, I doubt if anyone will dare come here again. But I shall babel on.

I saw Sarkar Raj (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490210/) this afternoon.

Couldn't resist commenting on it, now that I have a barrel to stand on and sermonize.

Well, I have to say, barring very few movies, I thought Sarkar was one of the best movies ever to come out of Bollywood. It was almost perfect. So this sequel was always going to be tough to pull off.

But why fear when Big B is here! That's probably what Ramu thought. And he thought right! There are (if I remember correctly) two monologues where Amitabh Bachchan takes over three minutes with face occupying the entire screen. With any other actor, these would be agonizing minutes that they would want to get through quickly. With any other director, these minutes would have been edited out of the movie. Not so here.

Amitabh Bachchan occupies those minutes and savours them. This is some pattern I'm beginning to pick, of great actors taking time.

So anyway, film's greatest let down was its villains. No Vishram Sawant, Raashid, no Selvar Mani, and no Babaji. Hussain Qazi is not menacing enough. Kanga is downright buffoonish. Vora is merely amusing. Rao Sa'ab is OK. With not so great villains, there's not much to do for our achha log. The plot is sub-prime.

And really, the third part has a very real chance of trumping Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag as the Mariana's Trench of Ramu's film career :) I mean Aish as the Sarkar-ki-Beti or Lady Sarkar? Come on! If Ramu can pull this off, it will mean this will trump Sarkar as his best film.

I would actually bet the third part will be a prequel. How hard is it to make Big B look 50 and show how Subhash Nagre became Sarkar?

Dark Knight Review @ Wired

The fine folks @ Wired have written up a review of Dark Knight.
I was glad to see that they too thought the movie dragged on for 15 minutes too many!

See here: http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/07/joker-jousts-mi.html

Dark Knight, and also my first post

I was planning to start a blog (after all everyone and their uncle already has!) but didn't know how to start. Why start with a lame topic that no one will read? In any case, I doubt anyone will read this, but hey! this is at least interesting to me.

So, what do I think of Dark Knight (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/)?

[WARNING: Spoliers Ahead!]

Let me let you on a secret here. I am a HUGE Batman fan. Have been ever since school. I religiously watched every episode of the animated series that used to come up on DD every Sunday evening. And I have always loved the darkness of the series.

Therefore, it is not surprising that I never saw a Batman film because they each treated the material like a comic book. Which of course I hated. The movies were full of droll humor and unnecessary characters (the gay Robin comes to mind).

Christopher Nolan (The Prestige, Memento, Batman Begins) brought a whiff of seriousness to the series with Batman Begins. With solid actors such as Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy and of course Gary Oldman and rock solid direction, Batman was serious movie material.

That whiff of seriousness now continues without going stale. Batman is back and he is kicking ass.

In the new version, Batman has to contend with wannabe vigilantes (40 something men, with paunches. I admit, I would be one of them if I could), The Joker (brilliantly played by Heath Ledger) and a new arch enemy, Two Face (Aaron Eckhart, who was quite charming in Thank You For Smoking).

Amazing chases, hi-tech gadgetry, Bruce Wayne schmoozing around with arm candy, a sinister villain. All this and more in the movie.

But what do I say? We have all seen Bourne Ultimatum. We have all seen The Matrix. We have seen Casino Royale. And some of us have seen Banlieue 13 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414852/).

Is the action remarkable? I have to point out two instances where it is. The kidnap of Lau in Hong Kong (wonderful!), and the scene where Batman 'trips' a 100 foot long trailer are good, but not great.

Is the acting remarkable? Heath Ledger is disturbing in the first half. Especially in his entry to the den of crime bosses. But he does loose some sting in the second half. Michael Cane has nothing to do at all. I hated Maggie Whatever-Her-Name is. Bring back Katie Holmes!

Morgan Freeman also doesn't have too much to do. Although his 1 minute talk with the guy who is planning to blow the whistle on Bruce Wayne's alter ego almost had me standing up and clapping.

Christian Bale continues to be good. Intense as Batman and bored and arrogant as Bruce Wayne.

So much for the acting :)

Now for the gadgetry. Batman trumps Iron Man. I mean come on. It's like comparing a Lexus to a Ferrari. Iron Man might have an aluminum suit, but does he have the Batpod? Boo to Iron Man.

So in the business where standards for an action movie are Bourne Ultimatum and standards for a gadgety super hero movie are Casino Royale or The Matrix what do you turn to, to make a film remarkable?

May I suggest that, that something is a plot and some good acting and dialogues. We've seen too many movies laden with effects, packed with gadgets that don't work.

But Dark Knight does. There's something going on, beyond Batman just showing off his goods. (Eh, maybe I should reword that, ye reader with a dirty mind?) Editing is wonderful. Batman steps out of shadows, and the scene with the kids playing in the car when the Batpod rips through a car was an example of this in my opinion.

I thought that this movie was 15 minutes too long in the end. With the Joker dangling from a sky scraper, it was time to down the shutters. Instead we are burdened with another scene where Two Face shows off what he can do. Mostly to setup the third installment of this series.

Overall, here's my summary:

Great

Editing, and Heath Ledger's first half performance as The Joker. But say what you want, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal and Xavier Bardem's Suga' are far far more sinister.

The Sky Hook gadget stunt!

The kids in the car playing when Batpod rips through edit.

Morgan Freeman dialogue with whistle blower accountant prick.

Two Face's makeup. Kamal Hassan, please send your MaidaWaala makeup artist to see this. This is the standard of makeup audiences are getting.

Good

Stunts. The trailer trip. Acting - Christian Bale again shows off why he's the best Batman ever!
Dialogue in patches.

Bad

Maggie-Whatshername. Thank god she died! The psenti scene with the two steamers. Very bollywoodish. Shame on you Christopher Nolan. The ending scene with Gordon's family. Come on, finish the movie please!

Horrible

Nothing really. This is quite a good movie. Go see it now, if you haven't!