Sleep No More, New York City (7/10)

I watched Sleep No More. It was good but not what I expected. I expected it to be a performance of Macbeth going on in that setup. Story of Macbeth going on in the building, with different scenes in different rooms and you follow people & the story. Something like Shakespeare in the Park but more interactive, more real, more fun. This was not that. This definitely did not seem like Macbeth or even Shakespeare. There were no dialogues for gods sake. Just some grunting & sounds. Thats not Shakespeare as I know it. What happened to that poetic language & weird-ish accent etc etc. Although somethings were good... The setup of the so called McKittrick Hotel was nice. Being able to get in & run around & explore & touch things etc etc was really nice & fun. Also, the choreography of the different dance sequences was nice. I am not going to strongly recommend everyone to go watch this. But it was a very different & cool experience!!

So if you still wanna go, some tips & pointers:

• Its not scary. It could be spooky, but def not scary!!
• Knowing or not knowing Macbeth doesn't matters, cuz it doesn't seems like Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth.
• Its not period show, not 1800s costumes etc etc. Supposedly, its modern interpretation/adaptation of story of Macbeth.
• Its warm inside, so don't need warm clothes/coats unless you need them outside. You'll just have to pay $3 for coat check.
• There's a bar inside right before entry with live music. You can use credit card.
• Bathrooms are on many floor I think & definitely near the bar.
• You can follow the characters/actors if you want to see people & some dancing etc etc. They are really fast, so you have to be fast runner.
• Otherwise just explore. Touch things & do w/e u want. EXPLORE!!
• Try to get personal experience by getting locked in room with some character. Its more on upper floors with nurse/maid & some people.
• The grand-finale is in ballroom, so be in ballroom by end of the show.

Kya Swaad Hai Zindagi Mein

Its been a usual week so far, nothing special.. Watched Braveheart (7/10) which was good, what happened to Mel Gibson? Watched Griff the Invisible (6/10), which was okay.. Been running too, outside running in my new New Balance 993, pretty awesome.. It kinda rained on Mon & Tuesday, so then I couldn't.. Going to watch Sleep No More tomorrow.. About the title, it means "Life has what a taste." Just was thinking about that Cadbury Dairy Milk ad from early 90s, which had this tagline. Here it goes..

Mother's Day.. & New Balance 993

As I have said in the past, why do we need a special day for celebrating love or fatherhood or motherhood. Should be able to celebrate any & every day. Just seems like scam for giftcard companies to make money. Still, will take this opportunity to congratulate all the mothers.. Thank you maa, for being best mom in the world!!

Weather is getting really warm, inda hot. I've been running outside with my new shoes. I feel a "New Balance" while running with these shoes (yes, they are New Balance 993.. they are really awesome but why $145?). Rest all is well!!

Aladeen movie.. The Dictator (6/10)

It's kinda silly/stupid but FUNNY. Sacha Baron Cohen is weird & crazy, but he does what he does & does it very well. Admiral General Aladeen of Republic of Wadiya is a stupid/crazy dictator, who just does not wants his country to be a democracy. Americans and other free country may not understand how dictatosrship allows 99% wealth to be in 1% pupulation's hand, rich to get richer, so called free media but controlled by few people etc etc. So I am not sure that if I aladeened the movie or aladeened it, but its definitely an aladeen movie and you'll aladeen it!!

Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

After watching two invasion movies (one by Aliens and one by North Koreans, same thing huh? We don't know much of what they are and what they are upto) Battleship & Red Dawn, I went for a preview invite of Dark Shadows but the seating was full and couldn't watch it. So ended up watching The Avengers (9/10) instead. Is it awesome or what? Its again one of the best superhero movies I have seen, on the lines of The Dark Knight (which is really dark & cool) or Ironman (more like it). It's a great combination of action, comedy, fun, thrill & everything with a good storyline & great performances by the actors. Lot of credit goes to Joss Whedon who's both the screenwriter & director of this movie. Mark Ruffalo is very good as Dr Bruce Banner/HULK, although I am not sure if I liked "the other guy" bit, but great performance by Mark. Better than both Edward Norton & Eric Bana. Funny, nerdy & totally cool (& its awesoem how he hulk totally beats up Loki). Robert Downy Jr is a great actor as I have said in the past & he's very much the Tony Stark & Ironman we know him for, proud, snobby, intelligent, funny and somewhat of a team player this time (his speech/conversation with Loki is just awesome). Chris Evans is good as Captain America, the conflicted guy trying to fit in and the soldier trying to keep his army together. Thor was just fighting almost everyone in the movie but was fine. Everyone else is just fine and they all have decent part in the movie. Even Black Widow, Hawkeye or Nick Fury. Watch the movie till post credit cuz its COOL;)

I was in DC and the weather has been rainy, coldish, warmish etc. I've been okay too. Nothing to tell.. Did watch When Harry Tries to Marry (6/10), good plot/story line but bad casting/acting. Tani really enjoyed it though.. and she almost knew about the movie already i.e. predicted lot of stuff including dialogues correctly.. Almost SCHMOOL!!

Battleship & Red Dawn : 2012 INVASIONs

I watched preview of Battleship (5/10) last week and it was an okay movie. Has lot of action & fighting & some humor and some patriotism for earth & all that. Just another Alien invasion movie which is not bad atall but not great either. Taylor Kitsch was really good in Bang Bang Club and he has 2 big projects already this year with John Carter (supposedly, one of the biggest flop ever) & this one.

Red Dawn (7/10) is really good movie. A group of teenagers from Seattle, called Wolverines, headed by a marine fight against a Korean invasion. When you watch such movies, makes you think of what US has done in Iraq or Afghanistan. I mean, maybe they feel the same way when they are fighting against our forces. Don't know.. But anyways, movie portrays the fight, teh struggle nicely and performances are not bad & Chris Hemsworth is good. A good movie which has been struggling to release fro 2 yrs..

Happy Marriage Anniversary MnD!!

A very-very Happy Marriage Anniversary to my dearest MnD. I remember the first time we celebrated there anniversary (I do not remember the year exactly, but I remember the event). Me and my sister who had just started getting a lil monthly allowance, were saving that money and we bought them a Jug & 4 glass set (really HUGE glasses). And we have been doing something or else since then. Anyways.. I wish a many-many happy returns of the day, heartily congratulations, and god bless you both and all your good wishes and nice dreams & desires may come true. Thanks for being such wonderful parents, such wonderful people and a wonderful couple.. koti-koti pranaam with koti-koti love!!

Busy week-end.. with lotta work, outings/events & Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Departed, Closer & Reservoir Dogs

Ok, so it was a really busy week & weekend. Lots of work from Mon-Sat (yes, monday-to saturday, saturday as well) and I lemurly got 3-4 hrs sleep over weekdays. So busy at work and then I had something or else to attend over every weeknight, for work/business/leisure/fun.. went to Sky Lounge near Times Square one night (which is not sky high whatsoever, but 33rd floor view is ok); went to Bronx one night (not as scary or unsafe or weird as you may expect/think); went to preview of this most wonderful movie I have seen recently called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (9/10). Maybe I am overrating it, but I decide to do that. Such a wonderful movie. Emotions, comedy, drama, fun, nice performances and its based in India (I am not Biased at all). With a great cast like that, wont be surprised by what you see on screen, everyone but Dev Patel (weirdo from Avatar Airbender & yes, Slumdog Millionaire) is very good, just great. It does stereotypes a little (over crowded bus, elephant on road etc etc) but none if it is completely false. The movie does becomes lil slow & kinda dull in middle but beginning & end are just awesome.

Also watched The Departed (8/10), another Scorcese crime drama based in Boston this time, which got him his Oscar. Everything form cinematography, to acting to storyline to everything else is very Scorcese and very good. Also watched Closer (8/10), a really weird romantic drama with interesting plot and great performances. Kinda watched Reservoir Dogs (no rating, would need to watch again), Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, which was inspiration for Kaante (7/10) (or as you may call rip-off, but supposedly Quentin's favorite rip-off of his movie). Weather's been kinda cold but been getting better. Hope it gets much better & more FUN!!

Cold/Rainy Weekend

Well, the first complain is that its been rainy & cold again.. why?? Still managed to go out on Saturday to Sourland Mountain (not a mountain, lemurly 500 feet high.. but very rocky); India Fair 2012 (they had Arti Chhabria as special celebrity guest, really??) in Edison, NJ; and then Jersey Gardens Mall looking for New Balance 990 running shoes (so damn expensive, "made in USA"). Also watched Mozart's Sister (6/10) & American Psycho (8/10, great fun crazy horror comedy psychological thriller kinda movie)..

VEEP & Titanic 3D

Watched VEEP (6/10) preview of first 2 episodes in a special screening yesterday. Its HBO comedy show about a female US Vice President played by Julia Dreyfus,  and her day to day life. How she's dealing with Plastic & Oil lobby and put a person on Clean Earth Committee. Attend stuff for president, her weirdo staff, finding a dog, dealing with her teenage daughter & all that. It was funny, let's see how they continue on that..

Also watched Titanic 3D (10/10) in RPX. (FYI: Titanic is not in Imax 3D, it's been upgraded only to 3d & Imax (non-3D) individually). Undoubtedly a great movie and watching it on big screen in 3D was awesome. I spoke to James Cameron in an interview last week and he was talking about how 3d affects your visual cortex and how it appears more real to your brain bcoz its not flat, so u feel the emotions & everything more (so is should not be just for special effects or throwing stuff on your face) kinda makes sense. Great movie and watch it definitely if you can!!

In iPhone We Trust

That is definitely not me, I am not one of those mad iFans. This morning while walking towards work, I heard this woman walking with another woman saying that.. "In iPhone We Trust", thought just share with you.. any comments??

Anyways, it was a nice weekend. On Friday cooked really very nice aloo/mix-veg subzi/curry, it was awesome. Saturday went to Liberty Park for some running and to city in the evening just for FUN. Sunday was all spent at home, just resting. Also watched few movies, ofcourse: Casino (8/10); There will be blood (7/10); Waitress (6/10); Valkyrie (7/10: very good movie with nice performance from Tom Cruise and god story telling, great visuals etc); Sleeping Beauty (6/10).

Kick the Star out of Stardom.. SRK

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/12648019.cms

WTF!! So, it happened again to SRK. He got detained at White Plains Airport in New York for 2 hrs. Do you f*ing know, who he is?.. And regardless of who he is, why is he getting detained every so often?.. Is it completely "random" (like it happened to me), nothing to do with his color, appearence or last name.. don't these guys have electronic records on a person where they can put some info to not repeat there f*ing mistake again & again. Why?? They should be punished, punished by making them watch My name is Khan, in one sitting (if you didn't get it, the joke is they'll be bored outta death)... Anyways.. Congratulations Shahrukh, on Chubb Fellowship from Yale.

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Parks & Movies

So I went to 2 parks in VirginiA, 4-mile run park near Arlington & other was Pohick Bay Regional Park. The weather was warm & nice in VA & had nice walk/hiking/trekking in the jungle. It was nice!! Also watched couple of movies (seems my blog is becoming a movie review blog, huh!!)

• Man from Earth (9/10): This is really an awesome movie. Simple story where a departing university professor tells his colleagues that he is a 14000 years old caveman. And the story unfolds on some good acting & great dialogues.. must watch it!!
• Lincoln Lawyer (6/10): It was nice, good acting by Matthew (almost no shirt-off this time) & Ryan (where's this guy been, haven't seen since Bang-Bang Club) and interesting enough plot.
• Midnight in Paris (8/10): Although it's no Annie Hall, it' still a great nice fun magical fantasy kinda movie which touches some interesting topics of nostalgia & modernism etc. Owen is trying/being so Woody which works well for the movie but still.. just watch it!!
• The Bridges of Madison County (7/10): An interesting old people romance triangle. It's a good movie with great performance from Meryl.

April Fool, again!!

Well, it gets kinda boring at some point.. no? I mean, its every year. How much & what can I write.. I had a good weekend enjoying Chicago, Zeppelin Biergarten near Grove Street in Jersey City (really-really huge place & nice too).. & watching Atlas Shrugged: Part I (5/10 - its ok but somehow the actors are not that good & direction is weak & scenes don't standout & no grandeur as u may expect) and Housefull (4/10 - really cheap slapstick comedy but not well done atall, some cheap laughs but mostly vague).

Chicago, Broadway Musical

After my first broadway musical - HTSIBWRT, I watched Chicago, the Broadway Musical (7/10) today, the 2.30 pm matinee show. Bought the tickets at TKTS, South Street Seaport (there is no sea or seaport there) for just around $70 each with no crowd or lines like at the one at Times Sq. I thought its like a crime drama but it was quite funny/comedy-ish & fun. Most of the female cast seemed lil older, especially Velma Kelly. And beginning was lil boring & end was not as exciting. But rest was really FUN, good music, nice choreography, decent laughs & FUN. (My rating would be 7/10)

Avengers & Am. Spiderman Hindi Trailers

I watched Hangover-2 (5/10) today. It's pretty much the same movie as last one, but set in Bangkok/Thailand this time, where Stu has to get married and his to-be brother-in-law is missing. Only innovative & extra/special thing is a drug-dealing monkey. They are releasing a third one, next year memorial day weekend... This week has been col, 30-50 F. So enjoy these HOT Hollywood movies trailers in hindi. The Avengers Trailer is kinda funny-ish, with the use of words sainik-bal & khudgarz/sanki & praani etc. Captain America sounds like Amir Khan though. Amazing Spiderman sounds & seems much better in Hindi, but surprised that they didn't show Irrfan Khan..

Jai Mata Di.. Agent Vinod & Hunger Games & Puss in Boots & Muppets

First, "Jai Mata Di" on the occasion of Vasanta Navaratri!! & yes, I watched all these movies over the weekend. Here's what I think:

• Agent Vinod (6/10): Decent plot &nice performances with funny elements & lot of action &great background score. Action seems little outdated/old, too many villains & they die so easy.
• Hunger Games (7/10): Hmm, its quite good but too long. It takes forever for the game to begin when you already know she is ging to win. But HOW? Also, not enough background story to understand. the WHY??
• Puss in Boots (8/10): Just FUN-FUN-FUN, !!
• Muppets (6/10): If you are not a muppets fan, its still kinda FUN!!

300

This is my 300th post here. Some of my most popular posts as per Google's stats:

• General Motors Diet Plan - so people really care about health &dieting etc, hmm!!
• FUNNY QUOTES - humor always sells, so did this blog I guess..
• Fight Against Max Hospital... just another chain-m... - this was me writing & fighting for a cause & it gained its popularity in the process. Not sure what eventually happened though
• Trip to Vaishno Devi & Delhi to Jammu to Vaishno Devi to Jammu to Delhi - people love travelling &googling about travel, so there's that. Plus Mata Raani ofcourse.. Jai Mata Di!!
• Happy Navratri-1 2011... Fasting is Good!! - now not sure if this is Mata Raani or fasting/health agenda but it has worked too.

& here are my personal favorites:

• First Time!!!
• Second Time...
• Do Indians need VISA to travel in India... & be tr...
• My village trip adventure...
• HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!!!
• When I lost my 5 rupees coin....
• Please VOTE... but I won't!!
• Old TV Days... DD Days
• India vs USA... Women's Junior Hockey World Cup 20...
• Obama got Nobel Prize.... Really?? Seriously??
• I got fooled... by myself!!!
• Boston to DC.... my first Amtrak Tour!!
• Racial Profiling/Discrimination in US, Again!!
• That's New York I guess...
• life sucks..... but so what?? suck it up, it might...
• Alcatraz and Drive on CA-1 to 17 mile Drive & Big ...
• Comedy Central Roast of Donald TRUMP... by Rahul~R...
• India won against Pakistan in ICC Cricket World Cu...
• If you are Smart & Persistent Customer, Good Custo...
• Obama: Osama Bin Laden's DEAD
• Burlington Coat Factory SUCKS... more than The Las...
• Fish bone stuck in throat/ almost choked2death/ Bu...
• Tony Awards.. I can't believe I haven't seen Broad...
• I am a New Yorker... 1 year in NYC!!
• Earthquake in New York.... Hurricane Irene coming!...
• 4Peaks @ Adirondacks-dacks-dacks
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'...
• RIP Steve.. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died :-(
• My First American Wedding Experience
• MnD are 'here' in USA
• The year that was.. 2011
• Oscars, Academy Awards 2012
• and all others...

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

Watched the New York City St Patties Day parade. It starts from 50th & 5th av near St Patricks Cathedral &goes till 80th street near MET. It starts at 11 am & was supposed to end by 4-4.30 pm. I went at around 3 cuz I woke up late & felt lazy. I was late so I went straight to 80th street to watch it. Not very crowded & Igot a good spot. People marching, bagpipes playing, some dancing kinda & walking & all that. But would you believe, that the parade lasted past 6 pm? Yeah, really-really long. Anyways, I left around 6, took a walk through Central Park to Times Square. Met Cyrus, the goat guy there with his goat Cocoa. Yeah, a Goat @ Times Square. Went to a St Patties party at a club at night & then almost sleeping all day Sunday. That's it, that was my weekend!!