Cars 2 - Simply Brilliant!

I saw Cars 2 today and must say I was highly impressed  by the animated 3D action flick from Pixar. The attention to detail was simply unbelievable from the makers.

The movie had everything - Beautifully-directed chase sequences that would not look out of place in a James Bond movie, the lovable - if slightly dumb - friend getting to be the hero, sensational technology usage combined with some witty references to real and Pixar animated worlds..

One of my favorite was the reference to Gusteau´s (Ratatouille) as Gastow´s - a 5-star restaurant but with lights off.. Then there was the hairpin turn to describe the Imola racing track for Italy.. And there was Sumo wrestling done by cars wearing Mawashis..- While these are only 1 second long images - they showcase the brilliance of the movie.. And not too forget the wonderful portrayals of the Car-like British queen, her grandson saying ¨let´s go Grandma¨ and the knighthood ceremony.. And that of the Pope..

The movie is technically as good as it can be - Highlighted by the wonderful 3D portrayal of the TV coverage of a Grand Prix - the channel logo on top layer, the track behind it and the region´s natural beauty further behind a layer... Maybe it has a little to do with it being helmed by an Indian as the Technical Director - Apurva Shah :)
Needless to say, the movie is a must watch for all animation aficionados and for all those who want to see a great movie :) 
 

Of An Old Man at the Metro Station

I had a lot of fun yesterday - meeting some of my favorite ex-colleagues and visiting Ugrasen Ki Baoli and Jantar Mantar with them :) But this post is not about that.. After I bid goodbye to my office friends I was supposed to meet some of the people who are heading to USC with me. The CCD at the Rajiv Chowk Metro Station was our point of gathering, while I standing there with a couple of more ppl, waiting for the rest, ek uncleji - jhhola latkaye hue, wahaan aaye... He asked ¨Beta, Ramlila Grounds ke liye kahaan se jaana hoga?¨ ... The guy standing next to me answered his question and uncle ji moved on...

Now, he seemed about 75, with a jhola dangling from his right shoulder and he seemed to limping rather than walking as he moved away..  He was probably headed to Baba Ramdev´s fast at Ramlila Grounds... That was at about 6pm.. I came home late and was really tired to see the news - so one of the first things I did when I woke up was reach for the newspaper.. What I read was a bit of a surprise to say the least :p Apparently, Baba Ramdev had given an undertaking to the govt that the latter had accepted most of his demands and would take concrete steps to bring back black money to India. However, Baba hadn´t made this public and went ahead with his fast. Fair to say govt didnt like it :p

Let me clarify something at this stage, I have always felt that this fasting business to force into existence the Lokpal Bill is off the mark simply because it ain't democratic.. There is no man/woman of good enough integrity to write/implement a law like the Lokpal Bill, which would be above our constitution...

Back to the old man and the news - This was a man who could barely walk and was making his way to support the Baba, but the Baba was busy getting involved in a war of words with Hon´ble Union Minister Mr. Sibal for going back on his word, and letter...

I guess this is what we have come to in our beloved India - a lot of people have their hearts in the right place but our supposed 'guiding lights' have lost their fuses and just wont help us progress...