Cloudy with a chance of meatballs - movie review

Flash reaction: Sooo cute! I loved it :D

Starting from this post, each movie review will have a flash reaction (FR). I think after watching any movie, there is always a flash reaction, a residue of the feelings that you were experiencing while watching the movie. After analysis and dissection, our opinions or views may differ but I think the flash reaction best sums up the review in a line. Alright then, moving on to the detailed review...

The title is a mouthful and when I heard it first, I didn’t really feel like watching it. When I saw the poster and found out the concept, I got interested. The movie is about Flint Lockwood, a nerd who wants to invent something spectacular and out of this world. While his Dad feels that Flint will get himself and all of Shallow Falls into trouble with his crazy inventions, his Mom believes that Flint will someday be a great scientist. Disregarding his Dad’s “fishing metaphors”, Flint starts his pursuit of science. From thought translators that freak out a monkey, to flying rat birds, to flying cars that end up in the water, to hair growing potion that grows hair from his Dad’s entire face, Flint does not get discouraged by his many failures.

He finally hits upon the idea of making a machine that transforms water into food by modifying its molecular structure. As he starts the machine, as has to be with all of Flint’s inventions, it starts flying all about the town, knocking down people and disrupting a Sardine festival going on in the town. Finally it ends up in the sky where it starts drawing water from the clouds and throwing food down. Thus the title “cloudy with a chance of meatballs”. Enter Sam Sparks, a pretty reporter who is sent to Shallow Falls to cover the weather. She gets her big break when it starts raining food in Shallow Falls. Shallow Falls’ food problems seem to come to an end as it starts raining burgers, pancakes and anything made to order. However, soon the food starts mutating to become bigger. So big, that it could break down entire buildings. With the help of her weather reader, Sam soon predicts that the food rain might hit the entire earth. Will Flint Lockwood be able to use his ingenuity to save the earth?

What I really liked about this movie are the characters. Steve the monkey, who is perpetually stuck with the thoughts translator provides much entertainment and the chemistry between Flint and Sam is sweet. Baby brent, the star of Shallow Falls who is famous for his role in a sardine ad when he was a baby and is now riding on false fame also makes for a fun character. Flint’s relationship with his father is also endearing as he tries so hard to make his father proud with his inventions but his father is always wary of them. My point being, even though this is a crazy animated movie, there is much to take away and think about after you’ve wiped out the tears of laughter.

Dubai.. city of lights

Sincere apologies to all readers who wait with baited breaths for my posts. Ok, so this apology doesn't really go out to anyone then... Nevertheless, blogging is going to be extremely erratic as I have dial up at home and I am this close to tearing out my hair in frustration. Besides not being able to open more than 1 website at a time, at times the chat also refuses to show up the characters I am typing as a revolt against multitasking.. Ah the perils of dial up..Do not expect any pics or formatting in the next few posts.. Its a task to even try to facebook.

I am in Dubai! The city of lots of lights and tall buildings with lots of lights to avoid planes crashing into them. On my second day here I went to the base of Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the whole world. And I was literally standing with my mouth wide open. I mean, that is the only way to see that building in its entirety. Neck rolled all the way up and mouth wide open. I was fortunate enough to catch the water fountain show as well. There is a shallow swimming pool with fountain kinda things in it. Every half an hour, they start the water fountain and make it dance in sync with awesome arabic music. There are lights flashing and its simply a beautiful spectacle to behold. Awesome! Again, mouth wide open!

Catching up with my best friend of 10 years was another treat. I sometimes wonder how she knows so much about me coz every time I remember she is yapping away to glory and I can't get a word in edgewise. I guess that's the best part about best friends. They know everything about you without you telling them anything. Since facebooking is virtually impossible I don't know how I am going to get in touch with my school friends but it will be fun to meet up with them for sure. So basically no house chores, mom ke haath ka khaana and loadsa shopping in store! If you can see this post, please say a prayer for my dial up connection that it doesn't keep getting disconnected on it's own whim.. Toodle do!

The sunscreen song

I just love this song. Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5NAPZp2w-o

Lyrics:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97

Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t

congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through

Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.

Everybody's free.)

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through

Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there

I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there

for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.

Everybody's free.)

Pulsing night

Having missed Persistent's annual cultural fest since the last 2 years, I was grateful that this time the date of the fest did not coincide with my visit to Dubai. Although quitting your job and pursuing your dream seem like very inspiring and fun things to do, needless to say there are times when I sit at home and wonder, am I totally useless? This is of course in the breaks between doing absolutely nothing. So needless to say, this event was a welcome break from all the worrying and idle musings ;)

The event was held in Yashwantrao Chavan. Memories from Expressions came rushing back and I was rueing the fact that this time I was on the other side of the curtain. My friends were also teasing me about my lack of participation backstage but I guess it was just not meant to be. Hopping from seat to seat in the darkness, me and my friend managed to get as close to the stage as possible. A lovely fusion of Bharatnatyam and Kathak kicked off the event. Interspersed with award declarations for the various sub-activities of Pulse like Sports, Social activities etc.were fun dance and music programmes.

The music team at Persistent is awesome and they put up quite a show with famous Marathi songs. The best part was when they presented jingles of old advertisements that used to be aired on Doordarshan. Starting with Mahabharat, everybody joined in for Humara Bajaj, Malgudi days, Chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai, Ek chidiya... I think almost everyone choked up with childhood memories revisited. The finale of that section was Mile sur mera tumhara, presented in its entirety. Truly, amazing :) I later checked out the Ek Chidiyaan video on youtube. The simplicity of the animation boggled my mind. There was no flashy stuff, just a desire to educate. Doordarshan rocked in those days.. Nowadays, well who watches it? Sad but true.

After a few more awards were given away it was time for the fashion show. Persistent's first ever, mind you. Moreover, few of my close friends were participating and I was eager to see them walk the ramp. I wasn't disappointed as Persistent's hunks made an appearance first in traditional Indian clothing. Alternating between the ladies and the men, quite a few styles of clothing were showcased. The choreography and the way the models were walking seemed so professional! The best part was our senior employees dressed up in traditional Indian wear walking the ramp. We're talking about account managers and BU heads here. So cute! I was suffering from a sore throat, but I still screamed my lungs out when my friends came on stage. Where's my chocolate, guys?

All in all, great music, awesome dances, yummy food and a memorable fashion show. Truly a night to remember! Now, back to feeling useless :P

Me...

Hehehehe

Show up, yuckers!

Alright, I know I am not supposed to get so touchy about the yucks but somehow, this time around I'd like to confirm what the 2 yucks were for? In the post below, I have received 2 yucks. So, was the content grammatically bad or did my opinions not match up to those yuck-clicking-readers? YCR, please make your presence felt :D You can post comments here or mail me at the feedback address akankshablogfeedback@gmail.com

I'd really like to know what was the reason you chose to Yuck my article. Let the battle begin ;)

Move on

The latest fast track ads seemed to have scandalized even the most un-orthodox amongst us.

Read Ketki's views on this issue, I think she has raised some very valid points:

http://ayana-ketki.blogspot.com/2010/01/do-you-really-want-to-move-on_03.html

Apart from the fact that those ads are promoting promiscuity and have no cool quotient whatsoever, they are also leaving a very bad taste in my mouth. A very good example of vulgarity without flesh display! I'm wondering how come no one has filed a law suit yet considering Indians take offense at the drop of a hat. This time around, I am hoping someone will raise objections.

Not so long ago, the Ax ad with chocolate man was almost banned as it seemed vulgar. I agree, the now censored part did elicit a blush from me, but it was more like an "Oh! Hehehehe" kind of blush. Besides, it was in good humour and only extremely touchy people found it really offensive. Mercifully, when that particular portion was deleted, the ad was allowed to air again and I believe though creativity took a backseat here, it was still a victory that the rest of the ad was allowed to be broadcast.

In the case of fast track ads, there is no humour or creativity. I wonder what those idiots were thinking. Did they want to catch the attention of the uber-cool Gen Y? They'd be fools to think that dating without responsibility is Gen-Y. I think the younger generation is way more mature and will not get swayed by this nonsense. Even then, to allow such rubbish to be aired on national television is a disgrace. This ad is not even worthy of a ban or a law suit. It should simply be dropped as a C-grade attempt at advertisment.

Happy Birthday, Manna

Fighting with Dad to have you on my lap,

Reassuring him that my 5 year old body can take your weight,

Grunting about what a heavy baby you were,

But still trying to understand, what's a little brother,

Hitting you with tennis balls while playing,

Being (maybe) partially resposible for your huge specs number,

Bullying you, getting teased by you,

Pakistan pinches India, and India hits back!

Pakistan goes crying to US(Mom) for help,

And India gets a stern warning,

But behind US's back,

India Pakistan conspire happily again,

Watching you gain medals in Karate,

Seeing your strength increase day-by-day,

Taking inspiration for studies from you,

My blue-eyed bro was good at all,

Birthday after birthday,

I wished I did something special for you,

But each birthday just goes by,

And all I can do is wish you,

I wish you the best of health,

I wish you all success,

I wish you a responsible & happy life,

Dear Bro, I wish you many happy returns of the day!

Happy New Year :D

Wishing all my readers a Happy New Year. Most people wonder, what's the big deal? Just another year gone by, what's with all the excessive spending and binge drinking? Ever since I've come to Pune, I have bullied, begged and practically kidnapped my friends to come over to my place for a gathering. The basics are always there with few decorations, lots of food and awesome music. They always agreed at the end of it that they had a great time, but I guess they never really understood why it was such a big deal for me. The secret shall finally be revealed today. Well, not so much of a secret as nostalgia..

When I was staying in Dubai, our nuclear family (me, mom, dad & bro) were friends with around 8 other nuclear Maharastran families. Everyone's parents used to be "Kaka" , "Maushi" and I think the kids were the closest we had to partial siblings (something like cousins...) New Year's used to be a big deal in those days. The party preparations would start a week in advance. The venue would rotate from one family to another in round-robin fashion. (Bloody engineering will be stuck with me forever). Food used to be either one-dish prepared by each Maushi & Mom or ordered from outside. I will not go into drinks as we were kids then and had no idea whatsoever of the same :P

The best part used to be that every family had to come up with minumum 1 game. Any party game that could be played by a huge group of people. Also, they had to get gifts for the winner. 2 weeks before New Year's our family would be planning which game we would host this time. What gift should we give? Nothing too cheap and nothing too expensive. :D Photo frames, fancy clocks, stationary items were the most common gifts. The most famous games were moonwalk (empty bottles kept in a line and the blindfolded player has to walk around them without dropping any), 3 legged race, balloon bursting competitions.. The best part was that these weren't meant only for children. To tell you the truth, our parents always had a go before kids were allowed to start participating! Of course they would claim that they were just checking the difficulty level suitable for kids but I'm sure that's not the entire truth :D

So on the fateful day, the party would begin. We would all gather at a family friend's place. Great music would be on, coke and chips in hand, we kids would start playing our chingu-pingu games like hide n seek or medicine-poison. Finally, it would be game time! The excitement, the cheering, the urge to win, it was all too much! After all the games were played, we would dance a bit and head towards dinner. Those were the days.. I really miss those New Year Parties.. Anyway, things change, so here's hoping for new parties with new friends! Happy New Year People :D