26/11: My Take on The Mumbai Attacks

I really wanted to write a post on the Mumbai Attacks much earlier, but due to my exams, I couldn't. Well today marks one week after the attacks started off in the financial capital of India and much has been said about the incidents, a lot of introspection done by everyone who could have helped curb the tragedy, the plot uncovered and what not. So, I don't want to go into the details of the exact incidents but wish to speak my mind as to what I think of the whole situation.

Slap on the Face for The Indian Intelligence

As soon as the terrorists held two of the biggest hotels of the nation captive, the first thing that probably went though everyone's mind was- How could a strike of such large magnitude have been missed by the Indian Intelligence? Just how could a dozen terrorists swim across oceans and rivers in steamboats and hold a whole city under siege?

Well, actually, it turns out that Indian Intelligence did not miss any of the information. That is what is even more astounding! India had almost every last detail of how the attack was going to be held and there were even warnings on the day before the attacks took place. But the bureaucrats of this nation love sleeping, and sleep they did! My say is that these irresponsible officials should be sent packing this very moment! We need to look after the security of a billion, for Heaven's Sake and if these are people who are assigned this task, we might as well take a knife and stab ourselves. But not all is the Intelligence's fault. Yes, they did not act timely and appropriately to the threat, but when they did forward their concerns, there was zero co-operation from the Maharashtra State Government! What sort of leaders are they! The Navy Chief in a press-conference yesterday said that the information received from the IB was not something they could act upon and that they should have sent better information! Crap! How's that for partnership!

We Need Answers!

As citizens of India, I guess we all have the basic right to safety. If such a major incident could happen under the noses of the Ruling Party (don't want to get into politics here), then what hope is left with the common Indian? And we might have given ourselves false hopes had this been a first attack of its kind. But no!! 6 major cities attacked in 6 months! Jaipur, Delhi, Assam, Kashmir, Mumbai... the list never ends! Its scary to think of the depths of the oceans we're swimming in. What we first need is a Government which can answer to the public. We don't want diplomats repeating in nasal voices the same old lines about "bringing the guilty to justice" and "condemning the dastardly acts on innocent lives"! When I heard that the Prime Minister was going to address the public on national TV during the attacks, I really did not have many hopes from him. But the monotonous nature of his speech let me down, nonetheless.
What good is a Home Minister who does parrot-talk every time innocent people are massacred in the nation. The sense of deja-vu never ends with these rusted 'leaders'.

Take Out Those Camps Across The Border

Now this is one part that I'm sure every Indian has a voice on. More than a 1000 people killed this year in terrorist activities in India and we still find it a doubt whether or not to remove those militant camps in PoK. Our neighbours want a never ending list of 'evidence of their involvement'. Kargil '99, Red Fort and Parliament '01, Delhi '05, Mumbai '06 and now in '08. We have shown the world everything there possibly can be to prove that its 'Pakistan' that reflects in everything related to terrorism in India. The ISI funds, the 'banned' organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar and others train and the Pak Govt supports!
Any self-respecting nation's leaders wouldn't have had second thoughts of taking over ever single piece of weed that flourishes under such animals after so many provocations! But here we are in India, still taking permissions from the super-powers and try to convince Pak that it was they who killed, when they know that fact best! Who the heck is anyone else to tell us what to do in such situations!!?? We take out any and every threat to the peace of this nation and I don't think we are answerable to ANYONE in the world!
But let me make it clear! We do not want a war against Pakistan, we want a war against the terrorism of Pakistan! And May The Lord Be With Us In This Fight!

Wake Up From Thy Slumber, India!

We obviously cannot forget what has happened, but we sure can learn from it and make sure this doesn't repeat itself. And this time the reaction from the masses is different. The youth are taking up the cause to the streets in candlelight protests across the nation and Indians worldwide are feeling an anger and frustration they haven't felt in recent times. The Media has played a responsible role so far, too! Usually, terrorist attacks make 2-day news in India. But The Mumbai Attacks are still fresh in the minds and hearts of everyone. The internet is buzzing with voices! Major changes are being made in the political arena, sending us rays of hopes that times are changing for the better. Though it is sad that it takes 350 lives and 700 casualties for our nation's eyes to open, it is better late than never.
The Security Forces, on whom only a fraction of the required amount is invested for training, need to be bettered. The nation owes an eternal debt to all those ATS, NSG and Police Officials who laid down their lives for the nation.
One also feels disgust towards figures like Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, who conveniently invited son Ritesh and director Ram Gopal Verma to tour the Taj, as if some party would be organized there. Also, Mr RR Patil, who had the guts to say that 'such small incidents keep occuring in big cities'. The Kerala CM, Mr VS Achutanandan, had the mettle to say that had it not been Maj Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have turned up at the residence of the slain hero's parents. Meanwhile, Raj Thackrey kept up his good work by promptly asking his wife to send an SMS to all her friends stating that all the victims and rescuers were Marathi. Talk about Patriotism!
Keeping the negatives aside for a moment, this one attack has united Indians more than ever, I feel! This is the momentum we need to carry for this fight against terror go ahead. Many have set the ball rolling and it is now upto us, in whatever small way, to never let this flame die off!
Proud To Be An Indian.
May All Those Who Died Rest In Peace.

Review: Quantum of Solace

Name: Quantum of Solace
Directed by: Marc Forster
Produced by: Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
Starring: Daniel Craig , Olga Kurylenko , Judi Dench and Giancarlo Giannini
Release Date: 31st October, 2008 (UK);14th November, 2008 (USA); 7th November, 2008 (India)

Ok, so here goes. The 22nd Bond Movie of the James Bond Franchisee released in India a week before the USA release. At first look, it might sound really striking and even I wondered how this could be possible. The reason is simple. The film was slated for a November 7 Worldwide Release. But in August, it was announced that Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (considered a rival release for QoS), which was set for a November 21 Worldwide Release, was postponed to a July 17, 2009 release. Thus, QoS releases were spread over over 2 weeks. The British date was made a week earlier, on 31st October and the US Release was delayed by a week on 14th November. This allowed the distributors to market the film over the Fall blockbuster Thanksgiving holiday weekend. In countries where film revenues would not be affected much due to lower audiences (i.e. India), the release was unaffected.

Back to movie now! This movie is a full-on action packed flick. But that's where it loses its track, too much emphasis on the roofop chases and car crashes than the actual Bond Matter itself. Daniel Craig makes a marvellous performance as James Bond and the overall acting is good.

In the previous movie, Casino Royale (2006), the central theme was terrorism. This one focuses on environmentalism. The movie starts off from where it left in Casino Royale and depicts James Bonds' new avatar as an emotionless killer who is hell-bent on avenging his lover, Vesper Lynd's death. Bond also has to stop the merciless Dominic Greene's plans to take over the water resources of Bolivia. Bond literally transforms into a killing-machine, oft against the wishes of MI6 itself.

There are a lot of changes from the previous Bond movies as well. Olga Kurylenko, the Bond Girl, has too-little screen time in the movie, though her appearances are not wasted. The martini's neither shaken nor stirred and the most amazing absence is of the ever-green dialogue: The Name's Bond, James Bond. Also, the issue of overtaking Bolivia's Water Resources is not given its due importance.

But overall, though different from its predecessors, the movie is a good one. One can watch it for the high-adrenaline stunts or the great acting. Its just the script that dissapoints.

My Rating: 7/10. Certified Good.

Happy Diwali!!

Here's wishing every reader of this blog a very happy Diwali!! Have a blast today! Burst a lot of crackers, but play safe with them. May you have a great year ahead!
Cheers!

Review: Google Chrome Web Browser

The big launch!! Google's very own web browser to compete with the likes of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox! Released yesterday, I downloaded my copy this morning and have just one word for the Beta Version- Wow!
You'll love it from the moment it starts. For beginners, it copies all your major settings from Mozilla Firefox / Internet Explorer, like your bookmarks, your password settings among others, so you don't need to waste an hour or so configuring it to your needs. At first look, it looks a bit blank and simple, just like the Google Website. But don't get fooled by the looks. The speed is 3X compared to what Firefox gave me and 5X to IE! Once you start using it often, it shows the web pages most often visited by you on the right side as soon as you open Chrome! The bookmarks are there as well, making navigation difficulties a thing of the past!



Adding and editing bookmarks is similar to the function in Firefox. Its the best Browser for Gmail (and other Google services) users! No crashes in Gmail! The Gmail and Orkut pages would hang or at least slow down my old computer ever so often, but Chrome's got no such issues! And there always is a guarantee that this is a product from one of the best software industries in the world.
This one is going to be a giant killer in the web browsing market! Google took 1 year of research work to finally come up with this BETA Release. Microsoft and Mozilla beware! This thing is going to be the next big thing! Already creating ripples in the virtual world, Chrome was a silent release (unlike the hyped Firefox 3.0 release, which I didn't find much different from Firefox 2.0), but I guess its not got even one rotten review so far! Go for it, you wont regret it! That Firefox update can wait guys!

Download Google Chrome: http://www.google.com/chrome

Got the Sony Bravia LCD TV!

This was due for a long time and finally, last week, we got it! The 32" Sony Bravia LCD TV! The model name is KLV-32S400A from the Bravia 'S' Series. The sleek look and the features made me fall for it and i knew at that very instant, if we were to buy one, it would be this one!

The features now. It boasts of the HD Tech and the Bravia Engine 2, which incorporates full digital signal processing technology in all high-quality image processes, maximizing the features of display devices and producing life-like images. The fully digital video-processing circuit can reproduce optimal, high-resolution images from SD signals and HD signals. The Dynamic Contrast Ratio is 15000:1 and the panel contrast is 1800:1. The display resolution is a healthy 1366 x 768. Among other Audio capabilities, its got good surround sound tech and looks good on a wall-hanging!

Love this thing and the first major experience is watching footballing action on it! What a difference from the previous 20" TV!! Feels like those giant screen telecasts compared to them..! Whoa! A very good buy indeed!

In short, The Bravia Series sure lives up to the expectations..!! Cheers!

Review: Wanted

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman,Angelina Jolie.
Release Date: 27 June, 2008 (USA)

This movie could either make you gasp loudly in admiration every 2 minutes or it'll give you a new headache every 2 minutes. Me? I had the head-aches more often.
This movie has been dubbed 'The best action movie this summer', and i guess they should just remove the 'best' out of it. For the whole movie has just one-thing in it, slow-motion action scenes featuring bullets ripping brains and hearts to shreds. And the slow-motions makes you feel the movie would have been half in length had it not been for them.

The plot is based on Wesley (James McEnvoy) who plays the protagonist. A man, who enters Bullet-Motion Mode (straight out of Max Payne, i guess) each time he's in trouble or needs time to adjust to his target. He's taken into 'The Fraternity', who assasinate world leaders and corrupt people to 'maintain the balance of power in the world'. Wesley's partner in action is The Fox (Jolie) and they bodyguard their leader, Prof Seltzer (Morgan Freeman).

The movie shows violence in excess, but the plot is interesting. The only thing that failed (and failed miserable at it), is the presentation. The first half-an-hour makes you feel the movie is trying to prove Einstein's Theory of Relativity of Time. But the casting is good, which saves the movie from being disgraced. We all know about Angelina Jolie, though you may have not seen James McEnvoy many times. This guy from the award-winning movie 'The Last King of Scotland' does as good as he could and Morgan Freeman, as always, creates his elegant charm on the screen, speaking few but wise words.

But then again, this movie might blow your mind too, if action is your idea of a perfect movie. But i just didn't like the repeated bullets whizzing around, the blood splattering in slow-motion the same way a thousand times and the wastage of a potentially good movie.

I would give it 6/10.

Review of Batman: The Dark Knight

A movie I had been waiting for sooo eagerly!! For 2 weeks, I counted down to the 18th of July i.e. the date of realease. And what I saw today justified the wait!!

Over-anxious for this movie, I watched the first Batman movie, Batman Begins twice in a week. The build up for the movie was huge, obviouly Warner Bros had done their bit in Marketing the movie!

Now, it's been a trend of late to promote all the super-hero/fantasy movies as 'a darker and deadlier version'. That was how Spidy 3 was, all the Harry Potters are and well, yes, that's how Batman was being promoted! But comparing Batman:The Dark Knight to the other movies is laughable. This heart stopping action-thriller keeps you stuck to the screen the moment Joker enters and continues till the very end.

And yeah, I almost forgot! The Joker! He was the reason probably why my adrenaline was pumping at the thought of the movie, even before it released! The ghastly yet somewhat elegant looking 'freak' was probably the highlight of the whole movie! And what a great performance by the late Heath Ledger! His last completed role is surely one for the Oscars! His slightly tilted head, that wide, wide smile with the scars and that gory lipsmacking make him stand out as the performance of the whole movie!

Well, enough said about the movie's pre-release build up. Let's talk about the movie in general. The movie begins with the entry of The Joker, living up to the brutal image created of him in the Comic Book Series of Batman. As the movie moves on, The Joker exerts himself as the Classiest Criminal in the whole of Gotham, who does what he does, not for money, but 'to watch the world burn'. Batman aka Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), finds himself in two-minds as to his role as the hero beneath a mask and starts believing that Gotham needs a hero with a face, which it finds in the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Katie Holmes is replaced in this movie by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who according to me, fails to conjure the charisma of Rachel Dawes.

With perfect portrayals of The Batman, The Joker, Harvey 'Two-Face' Dent and Jim Gordon, this is one of the best movies of the year. With more adrenaline, meaner Bat Toys, deeper emotions and a clinical script, hats off to Christopher Nolan! A must must watch for all Batman fans and non-fans alike! A guarantee, you'll love the movie every bit!

I would give it 9/10.
Consider the next best movie this year rated somewhere between 7 and 8.5. So now you know how big 9 is on my rating meter!

A Brief History of The Joker

We all know about this clown from the Batman Series. But a look into his creation and evolution over the long decades is another interesting story in itself.

The Creators:
One very interesting thing about The Joker's origin is that the character was inspired by actor Conrad Viedt's appearance in the silent film, The Man Who Laughs (1928).


Conrad Veidt (The Man Who Laughs) on the left. Heath Ledger (Batman: The Dark Knight) on the right

Bill Finger, the ghost writer co-creator of Batman, brought credited Batman creator Bob Kane a photograph of actor Conrad Veidt wearing make-up for the silent film The Man Who Laughs, and from this photograph the Joker was modeled. This influence was referenced in the graphic novel Batman: The Man Who Laughs, a retelling of the first Joker story from 1940.

The credit for creation of the Joker is disputed. Kane responded in a 1994 interview to claims that Jerry Robinson created the concept of the character:

Bill Finger and I created the Joker. Bill was the writer. Jerry Robinson came to me with a playing card of the Joker. That's the way I sum it up. [The Joker] looks like Conrad Veidt — you know, the actor in The Man Who Laughs, [the 1928 movie based on the novel] by Victor Hugo. [...] Bill Finger had a book with a photograph of Conrad Veidt and showed it to me and said, 'Here's the Joker'. Jerry Robinson had absolutely nothing to do with it, but he'll always say he created it till he dies. He brought in a playing card, which we used for a couple of issues for him [the Joker] to use as his playing card.

Origin:



Though many have been related, a definitive backstory has never been established for the Joker in the comics, and his real name has never been confirmed. He has been portrayed as lying so often about his former life that he himself is confused as to what actually happened. As he says in The Killing Joke: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" In Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth written by Grant Morrison, it is said that the Joker may not be insane, but has some sort of "super-sanity" in which he creates himself each day to cope with the chaotic flow of modern urban life.

The first origin account, Detective Comics #168 (February 1951), revealed that the Joker had once been a criminal known as the Red Hood. In the story, he was a scientist looking to steal from the company that employs him and adopts the persona of Red Hood. After committing the theft, which Batman thwarts, Red Hood falls into a vat of chemical waste. He emerges with bleached white skin, red lips, green hair, and a permanent grin.

The most widely cited backstory can be seen in The Killing Joke. It depicts him as originally being an engineer at a chemical plant who quits his job to become a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to support his pregnant wife, Jeannie, the man agrees to help two criminals break into the plant where he was formerly employed. In this version of the story, the Red Hood persona is given to the inside man of every job (thus it is never the same man twice); this makes the man appear to be the ringleader, allowing the two criminals to escape. During the planning, police contact him and inform him that his wife and unborn child have died in a household accident.

Stricken with grief, he attempts to back out of the plan, but the criminals strong-arm him into keeping his promise. As soon as they enter the plant, however, they are immediately caught by security and a shoot-out ensues, in which the two criminals are killed. As the engineer tries to escape, he is confronted by Batman, who is investigating the disturbance. Terrified, the engineer leaps over a rail and plummets into a vat of chemicals. When he surfaces in the nearby reservoir, he removes the hood and sees his reflection: bleached chalk-white skin, ruby-red lips, and green hair. These events, coupled with his other misfortunes that day, drive the engineer completely insane, resulting in the birth of the Joker.

Criminal career:

From the Joker's first appearance in Batman #1, he has committed crimes both whimsical and inhumanly brutal, all with a logic and reasoning that, in Batman's words, "make sense to him alone." The character is the archenemy of Batman, and has been responsible for numerous tragedies in the Caped Crusader's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murder of Jason Todd (the second Robin).

Portrayals:

The character has appeared in numerous Batman related media; portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman television series; Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman (Nicholson's version of the Joker ranks #45 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 film villains); voice actor Mark Hamill in 1990's Batman: The Animated Series television series; and Heath Ledger in the 2008 Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight.

Batman: The Dark Knight (2008)



In this movie, releasing on 18 July, 2008 worldwide, Heath Ledger plays the Joker. The film is also been seen as a fitting tribute for the actor, who died in January 2008 after a drug overdose. He had completed the filming for his appearances in the movie by then.

Heath Ledger described the Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy". Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, but had been unable to do so. When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he realized a way to make the character work consistent with that film's tone, and Nolan agreed with his anarchic interpretation. To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice and psychology, and kept a diary, in which he recorded the Joker's thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance. While he initially found it difficult, Ledger was eventually able to generate a voice that did not sound like Jack Nicholson's take on the character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film. He was also given Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth to read, which he "really tried to read [...] and put it down". Ledger also cited inspirations such as A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious, which were "a very early starting point for Christian [Bale] and I. But we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly and into another world altogether." "There’s a bit of everything in him. There’s nothing that consistent," Ledger said, adding that "There are a few more surprises to him."

Review: Kung Fu Panda

The Indian release took place on the 11th of July, even though it had released a month ago in The States. But that doesn't take any 'awesomeness' away from the movie!
A perfectly presented movie about Po, A Big Fat Panda, even though he considers himself THE Big Fat Panda. Stuck at his father's noodle shop, he dreams and worships just one thing- Kung-Fu.
He crashlands at a ceremony where the wise Master Oogway chooses the Dragon Warrior to fight the ultimate evil in the snow leopard fighter Tai Lung, and gets selected as the Dragon Warrior. With just a fat belly and kung-fu dreams, how does he make his way to the top under the guidance of Master Shifu? And the Furious Five-Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane, students of Master Shifu, feel cheated at not being chosen as the Dragon Warrior. How does The Panda gain respect and most important of all, face Tai Lung in the inevitable showdown?
This movie has it all. The perfect recipe for a rib-tickling journey through the eyes of Po. With voices by Jack Black, Jackie Chan and Angelina Jolie, you should not miss this one if you're a Movie Buff. 'Coz as the movie says: There's No Price for Awesomeness and Attractiveness!!
A juicy 8/10 for Po and Co.

Review: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na?

The highly anticipated debut for Imran Khan released last Friday and I got to catch it with my friends on my B'day (9th). The movie had gone down well with the critics and I was hoping it lived up to the hype. It sure did.
The story of the extremely non-violent Jai (Imran) and his cool gang, consisting of his college friends including Aditi (Genelia) may not pop your eyes out with the storyline, but sure will make you laugh a thousand times till your jaws hurt. The story begins each of the friends getting introduced and moves on as Aditi and Jai are 'good friends'. There's a portrait of the late Amar Rathore (Naseeruddin Shah), who was Jai's father and a true Rajput and a great warrior, who speaks through the portrait and express his disgust at his son's Gandhi-ist values. Soon, Aditi finds Jai a girlfriend and when they start bonding, she gets jealous. That's when she knows its love. But what about Jai?
With huge amounts of comedy, great songs (Mr. Rehman knows his work, as usual) and portrayal of the college youth in a prefect manner, this movie wins your heart over. The movie just looks so fresh that you get stuck to it from the first second onwards. And the climax, a perfect Bolly-style ending at an Airport.
Well, that's all for the spoils at the moment, incase you haven't seen it yet. But it would rate as one of the few good hindi movies this year so far.
I'll give it a healthy 7/10. A must watch.

The Everlasting Saga of Zidane and France

He moves with the grace and elegance of a hero. His face betrays no expression while in his mind race a thousand thoughts. The sleek touches of the ball and nimble movements of the feet revived a whole nation's image like anything. A Human could never be capable of this,they said, and I agreed. This is no Human, this is Zinedine Zidane.
The world has seen France go from strength to strength over the last 15 years and the
man at the center of the honours and success has been Zinedine Zidane.



France Before Zidane, With Zidane, After Zidane
French Football had died after Michel Platini won them the European Championship in 1984. Platini retired in 1987 and so did French Football. Zidane made an entry to the side only in 1994. The 7 years in between were a nightmare for French Football. France failed to qualify for the 1988 European Championships and the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. The managed to make their way into the 1992 European Championship but were ousted in the First Round itself.
And then came Zidane. He made his mark immediately, scoring 2 goals against the Czech Republic to draw the match at 2-2, after playing just the last 27 minutes of the match as a substitute. France qualified for the Euro 1996 held in England and lost out to the Czechs on penalties in the semi-finals. But the Big Year was 1998. Zidane was the backbone, if not more, of the French squad that demolished Brazil 3-0 in the Final at Paris in the World Cup Final to win their first World Cup. Zidane was named the FIFA Player of the Year. The Year 2000 saw France become European Champions, with Zidane once again in the center of it all. Zidane guided France through the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers and saw France cement its place there but could not play due to injury. He just featured in the last Group Stage match, unfit.
Without Zidane, France looked so off-colour that they did not manage to score a single goal. Ousted in the First Round, France left Korea-Japan shamefacedly. Once again came the Euro, this time in Portugal 2004. Zidane opened France's Title defense with two goals against David Beckham's England in stoppage time. One, a magnificent free-kick while the other, a rock solid penalty kick. France stumbled out of the Euro in the quarter-finals against the eventual winners Greece.
Zidane announced his retirement, and France found themselves groping in the dark, unable to get desired results in the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers. Zidane came back from retirement and took France to the Final of the World Cup. where they lost agonizingly in the penalties, after Zidane had head-butted Materazzi to get himself a red-card in extra-time. Zizou left football after that World Cup.
Now, as the Euro 2008 has begun, France take to the field in a major Tournament Without the services of Zinedine Zidane in the team for the first time in 12 years. And just like what happened to France during those shirt terms without Zizou earlier, their opener against Romania was disappointing to say the least. A dull stalemate saw zero team chemistry, almost no chances created and pathetic football.
Will this be how France will perform without Zidane? Has France succumbed again till they find their new-hero? We will have to wait and see. I just hope that France do something in the tournament and avenge that painful loss in the World Cup Final.

The Parade of 'Next Zidanes'
France have searched their depths in the search of a desperately needed saviour. The country has gone to such a big extent, that every second-talent in the nation has been termed the 'Next Zidane'. From Ribery to Benzema, Nasri to Gomis and even Jeremy Toulalan have been compared to the Great! Was Zidane such a common phenomenon, that can occur every other year! World Football will not witness another Zidane for years.
It is true that France without Zidane is almost nothing. Whenever Zidane has been off the field, their play has taken a change, for the worse. What France need at the moment is an inspirational captain in Viera and the experienced players in the World Cup and Euro winners Thuram, Henry, Makelele among others. I Just hope that France make this a year to remember and make it big at the Euro. The start to the campaign may have been disappointing, but so was the case in the World Cup 2006. But then again, that year there was Zizou.....

The Big Euro 2008!!

So after a big wait of 4 years, the Euro is back! Something that always lives up to the hype it gets, it's also one of the tournaments where amazing football is on display, probably because of the fact that one bad game could mean another 4 year wait!
In summer 2004, Portugal caught the attention of the whole sporting world. The 16 teams battled it out for the one trophy, but it was the team no one had even thought of entering round 2, that ended up Champions! Yes, it was Greece! I remember properly, on June 12th was the opening encounter, Portugal vs Greece. Despite a Ronaldo header, Greece won the match 2-1. It didn't move me much because I was more or less a neutral then.
But it was the rematch of the two, the grand finale, where the Luis Figo lead side took once again on the Greeks! That match, I was heavily rooting for the hosts. They had played wonderful football to reach the Final, and i wanted the great Luis Figo to have a perfect sending-off from International Football, as he had earlier said that he would retire following the Euro 2004, a decision which he later took back to play in the World Cup in Germany. The 0-1 defeat was agonizing. Portugal had controlled the whole of the match. Deco, Ronaldo, Figo among others had done all that could be done. But as fate would have it, a header near the hour mark had sealed the Trophy in Greece's name. Figo was 'charged' upon by a distressed Portugal and Barcelona fan invader, who ran towards him with the Barca flag, probably upset over his move to rivals Madrid. Figo didn't move an inch, with an expressionless face and the fan threw the flag on his face before being tackled by the stewards. Figo later tore off the ribbon of the silver medal and threw the medal away.
Yeah, but all that is history now. Now comes the Football Treat again. 16 Teams, 31 matches, 23 days! A perfect making for something really special.
Here is a brief look-in into the various groups and teams.

Group A

1) Switzerland: The hosts have been one of the most improved teams in Europe of late. The proceeded from their group stage in the World Cup as leaders and made it till the quarter finals. A solid defence is their strength. Without any Big names, this squad could be the surprise package but I don't expect to see them in the last stages.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 2/5

2) Czech Republic: A wonderful football team. Coach Karel Bruckner will play with an experienced squad. From the towering Jan Koller up-front, to the stable Jankulovski in defence, this squad is almost perfect. A very good keeper in Petr Czech is also there to boost morales. Watch out for this team.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 4/5.

3) Portugal: One of the teams that almost all soccer fans are looking forward to. Real title-favourites. They were voted by fans as the best football displaying team in the World Cup 2006. Ronaldo will have all eyes on him and deservedly so. This team can no more be referred to as dark-horses, and they may very well be out their to avenge last time's pain.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 5/5.

4) Turkey: Half of their country is in Asia, but don't expect them to shy out of the Euro! Not a really favourite team, but they have surprised people in recent times. They did wonders in the World Cup 2002 by clinching 3rd place and did well in 2006 too. But I they have to do really well to proceed in this difficult group.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 2/5.

This group is one of the most balanced ones. From crowd support for Switzerland to heavy names in Czech Republic and Portugal, this group will witness interesting battles. But seeing Switzerland and Turkey proceed at the cost of Portugal and the Czechs is a bit unlikely, one might say!!

Group B

1) Austria: The co-hosts aren't the best side in the world, but don't even imagine that they'll bow out without a fight. Yes, the odds are against them to proceed, but one never knows what all can happen with crowd support!
Chances of Winning- 1/5.

2) Croatia: The side that ousted England in the qualifiers, this side is one of the dark-horses. Striker Eduardo may be out with an 'injury', but Coach Slaven Bilic has many more trusted names at his disposal. Niko Kovac and Niko Kranjcar are the midfield-holders, who might just turn around the fortunes for this team. Never strike this team out, which is proven by their sudden upsurge in World Rankings. From FIFA Rank 125th in 1994 to Rank 3 in 1998, it has been a roller-coaster ride for them.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 3/5.

3) Germany: Probably one of the best squads for this year's Euro! This team played mesmerizing football under Klinnsman in the World Cup 2006 and has never looked back since. With big names in the form of Ballack, Klose, Schweinstiger etc, this team is a genuine favourite to win the title. With huge builds and towering heights, a physically dominant team too.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 5/5.

4) Poland: They have had a good run in major tournaments recently, qualifying for the last two World Cups and this Euro. They missed out on Euro 04, but now are the co-hosts of Euro 2012 with Ukraine. Expect a few moments of magic from them too.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 1/5.

This group is comparatively the easier group of Euro 08. Germany will play Poland as they did in the World Cup 06. That means Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will once again play against their nation of birth! I expect to see Germany and Croatia proceed to Round 2.

Group C

1) Netherlands: A team that has expectations on its shoulders. Marco van Basten, who struck that amazing volley to win Euro 1988 for the Dutch, will be their coach this time round. A truly magnificent team, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, van der Sar, van Persie, Sneijder, Robben among other names, this team might just do it this time round.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 4/5.

2) Italy: The World Cup winners, Italy would try doing what France did, consecutive World Cup and Euro Titles. A defence-oriented team, it has stike force too in the names of Luca Toni and Cassano. Buffon provides safety between the sticks. Cannavaro's injury and ouster from the Euro will definitely have an impact, though I imagine that they will cope with it.
Chances of winning the Trpohy: 5/5.

3) Romania: They have been caught in the wrong group, one might say. But this team has the power to cause upsets and the other 3 teams would be vary of them. Hopes rest on Adrian Mutu and we all know he has what it takes to score and win a game.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 2/5.

4) France: The World Cup Runner-Ups, who lost cruelly in the penalties of the Final, will definitely try to reassert themselves as a great team by winning this Euro. Notable changes have occurred from the squad that took on Italy on July 9, 2006. No Zidane, Barthez, Thuram and even Trezeguet! But Trezeguet was dropped. This team too has all the makings of the Winners.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 5/5.

This group needs no introduction. This is it! The Group of Death. No one can predict which teams will go through, but my guess would be France as the leaders and Italy or Holland on goal difference!!

Group D

1) Greece: The Title Defenders!! They have more or less the same squad as that of Euro 04. One can never say that the team won't proceed after what we saw in 2004. But yes, it would be long shot to say that they will successfully defend their title.
Chances of Winning the Trophy- 3/5.

2) Sweden: Another well balanced side that hasn't tasted success in recent times. This team relies on pace. A great striker in Zlatan Ibrahimovic should treat fans to an amazing display of football.
Chances of Winning the Trophy- 3/5.

3) Spain: One of the best teams that has won just 1 major Trophy, The Euro in 1964. Now, 44 years later, this team once again takes the field to prove that it is a force to reckon with at all stages. The surprise in the squad, though, is that Raul is missing.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 3/5.

4) Russia: Proceeded to the Euro at the expense of England. This team may not have what it takes to win, but certainly expect them to challenge the others in the group.
Chances of winning the Trophy- 1/5.

This Group may not be referred to as the Group of Death, but in its own way, it is! You can't pick two teams out of Spain, Sweden and Greece. But I expect Greece to stay behind this time round.


With this now, I hope for a Wonderful Euro ahead of us. May the Best Team Win or probably May The Team You Support Win!! Enjoy this Football Fest, Friends. After, it comes once in 4 years!!!
Enjoy!!!!

This Article can also be read on: http://www.sportzforumz.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12250

Blogging again...!!

Spent the whole day today customizing this blog. It really is a tiresome job for a beginner like me. I first made a blog in May last year but ad to give it up. Why? 'Coz i forgot to make a backup of the original template and pasted the script of some flashy looking template i found on the net instead. Result: My blog was blank except for a few pictures featured on the template. I didn't know how to come back from it and scrapped the idea of blogging.
Then the idea of blogging struck me again and i made a new blog and posted some stuff on it. But with the exam season beginning, i left that to stagnate too.
But now that the exams are over, ive decided to revive that same blog. Spent a lot of time customizing it and yeah, took basic precautions like making back-ups of the templates :P . Added a few widgets and played around with the text colours. Hope this look is good for this blog. I really hope i have stuff to keep posting on this.
Any suggestions to improve this would be appreciated very much :) . So, have a happy time reading my blog!!!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Review

With the exams over, i was really looking forward to watching some movies with my friends... and so got the chance to catch Johnny Depp's latest flick- Sweeney Todd which has been sub-titled as Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
The film appealed to me right from the first frame. Based on Stephen Sondheim's book by the same name, the film depicts London in its charm of the 19th century. The dark cinematography and musical was awesome, to start with. Depp (Benjamin Barker) plays a barber who has returned from serving a 15 year term after a lawyer caught him in a false case, so that he could take make Depp's wife his'. The movie begins with Depp arriving back to London with a young man. He returns with nothing but thoughts of vengeance and revenge in his hate-filled mind. The dialogs are mostly sung in a poetic rhythm in which adds to the chill of the movie.
In London he meets Mrs. Lovett, who knew his wife and tells him that she poisoned herself to death. In a fit of rage and wanting revenge against the cruel world, he starts a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's dead Pie Shop, changes his name to Sweeney Todd and kills people who come for a shave. He sends their bodies down to Mrs. Lovett's pie-shop, where their bodies and minced and the meat is used to make meat pies which are a rage among an unsuspecting London crowd.
The musical of the movie is simply awesome and Depp's performance has just one word- Perfect! With his cold looks and baritone , he is the backbone of the movie. His performance is well supported by Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett). The movie is monstrously funny at times and a perfect ballod at others.
In all, this is probably one of the best movies of the year so far. Tim Burton (Director) has really done a great job and the portrayal of blood is done brilliantly. A must watch for people who like not-so-good-endings.
I would give it 7/10.

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal-Review

Well this was a movie i was really lookin forward to...nd finally got da chance to go see it wid a few of ma frends. There was already a lot of hype created about this movie in the soccer community of the nation, so there was no second thought about watching this movie.

The movie is based about an All-Asian Football Club (South Hall FC), based in London, which aspires to beat the English at their own game. The only problem-they're bankrupt, they have no coach, no sponsors, no fans, no owner and players who can hardly support their families. With their only possession, a stadium, being threatened to being taken-over by the city council, they need to win the Combined Counties Football League that season or its good-bye South Hall FC.

The movie is a must-watch for all the soccer fans in India. It is a promising one with many great skills being shown off by the desi footballers. Also, the tour of the Old Trafford is well portrayed and the Man Utd dressing rooms, tunnel, ground and musuem is depicted in the movie.

John Abraham (Sunny) is an Indian-born who plays for the club Aston FC, but despite his superb perfomances at the training grnd, he isnt selected for the first team due to racist reasons. Arshad (Shaan) and John have had quite a few scuffles due to the latter's queer habit of breaking Arshad's restaurant's window panes and there are ego clashes when John moves to South Hall FC. Also, the team hires disgraced ex-South Hall player Tony Singh (Boman Irani) as their coach. Together, Shaan and Tony work to help this team to recover. But as things start going right, a shrewd businessman, also an ill-wisher of the club, lures John into leaving the club without his team's knowledge!!!

But there were quite a few glitches in the movie as well. The most major fault- there wasnt any paperwork reqd for John's transfer from club to club!!! He moves from Aston FC to South Hall, a club which John despises and makes fun of, only because Boman wins a one-on-one soccer challenge against John, and as part of the bet he's got to move to SHall FC!!! He also moves frm SHall to Millwall in the middle of the season, that too with SHall players and staff knowing of it only thru da papers. How cud he move without SHall officially releasing him and obtaining a transfer fee!!!??

Later, he jus picks up his jersey and joins South Hall in the middle of the final game of the season (out of patriotism, if thats da correct word), which is also the one which wud decide da winner of da league when he's actually contracted with Milwall FC!!!!

With many predictable twists, this movie can be labelled as the 'typical-bollywood' movie, but that doesnt take the spice out of it. Unlike the English movie-Goal, this isnt a movie about a player in particular, but a whole team.

With good amounts of action, humour, romance, tragedy and of course soccer, i'll give this movie 4.5/10.

Cheers!!

Sachin falls on 99....yet again!!

The day before Diwali was expected to be a great one. But it wasnt one....wakin up early morning, 56 FC daparted for a match against South City. The mood was so light that we never even considered the fact that we might end up losing. And yeah, u guessed it right....a pathetic 3-0 defeat. They did not win the match for themselves, but we lost it for them...!! It was really frustrating.
Returning from the match, a few friends and I were discussing the Indo-Pak match that afternoon. Once again, we never thought that this Indian side could lose to such a hapless-looking Pakistan side. And once again, India lost the match rather than Pakistan winning it!!
When the match started, i soaked up all the energy of the match and was watching Sachin (The God of Cricket) play the way only he can. I felt a sort of completeness that i had never felt, for it had been a long time seeing him play those sort of shots. It was a great feeling. Toying with the Pakistani bowlers and making fun of them. And before i know it, he's on 99...!! Great..!! The whole crowd stands up ready to applaud, the Indian dressing room also eagerly waiting, cameras ready in the hands of some staff members there. And then lightining strikes- Sachin caught behind on 99!!!!!
I could not believe it, nor could anybody else (including the Pak players)!! I jus stood gazing at the TV for a minute or two before i came back to my senses. Anyways, the match continued and i watched hopelessly as India went from 186-1 to 260-7!!
And then the third dissapointment of the day...Pakistan winning the match with one ball remaining!!! Wow!! A great warm-up to Diwali!!!
But anyways, Diwali was better than expected with friends and families gettin together to burst those crackers and make a lot of noise. Eating and driking continued side-by-side all the time.
An awesome day that was....
Anyways, i just understood the same thing 3 times that day- never underestimate ur opponents or else ur in for some serious heart-breaking moments :P !!