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Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
In Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) the King Arthur of Britain, shown as incompetent and resourceless goes in search of the Holy Grail in 932AD. The story in Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) happens millennia earlier in Jerusalem, narrating the story of a “Brian” who is born next door to Jesus Christ. From the three wise men, many confuse Brian as the son of God. And this confusion is used to deliver a satirical comedy. If you can enjoy this type of comedy without being offended, check out this film. It gets a Mangoidiots rating of ‘Ripe’ and available on Netflix. Jesus Christ doesn’t have any direct…
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The Death of Stalin (2017)
I like Political satires. A few years ago, I watched one on behind the scenes in the power corridors of London just before the vote on sending troops to Iraq, it was called “In the Loop (2009)” it was by Director Armando Iannucci. The Death of Stalin (2017) is by the same director and he has excelled himself on this one, the content is ludicrous and that makes it enjoyable. Joseph Stalin‘s illness and death. Each one is suspicious of the other, waiting for the opportunity to eliminate the other, and that is brought out well in the film. The film starts with Stalin calling Radio Moscow, which is broadcasting live…
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Animal Farm play
George Orwell‘s Animal Farm book published in 17 August 1945 (minus 2 years and plus 2 days from Indian Independence) is a classic. I read the book for the first time only two years back, initially the Tamil translation. The story is about how a set of animals living in a farm in rural England takeover the place from their human master. Initially the revolution is lead together by a group of pigs for common good and sharing. Slowly one of them (named Napoleon) starts to sideline the other leader pigs towards consolidating his power. At the end of the story, Napoleon pig becomes a brutal dictator with the animals wondering is there any difference between their…
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1984
Last month the news was all about US Government PRISM program watching over all of users communications online or Indian Government’s CMS program to do something similar. This has resulted in multifold sales of George Orwell’s Political satire book “1984” written in 1949. Last year I had read George Orwells’ other classic “Animal Farm” (in Tamil) and enjoyed it thoroughly. In that book he talks off a revolt by Animals living in a farm who take over it from the owner, the book takes subtle diggs at Stalin’s Russia of that era (1940s). The book reminds us readers that almost all revolutions around the world start with good intentions but…
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Animal Farm by George Orwell
ஜார்ஜ் ஆர்வெல் 17 ஆகஸ்ட் 1945ல் வெளியிட்ட நூல் அனிமல் ஃபார்ம் (Animal Farm) (Animal Farm). 66 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பிறகு தமிழில் பி.வி.ராமஸ்வாமி மொழி பெயர்த்திருக்கிறார், கிழக்கு பதிப்பகத்தின் 2012ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளியீடு. நண்பர் பத்ரியின் வலையில் படித்துவிட்டு நேற்று தான் வாங்கினேன், கையில் எடுத்ததிலிருந்து படித்து முடிக்காமல் கீழே வைக்க முடியவில்லை, அவ்வளவு சுவையாக இருந்தது. சில புத்தங்களை ஏன் தான் மொழிப் பெயர்ப்பை படித்தோம் என்று எண்ண வைக்கும், வெகு சில தான் (நம் நல்ல காலம்) தாய் மொழி தமிழில் படித்தோம் என்று தோன்றும். அப்படி எனக்குப்பட்டதில் இது இரண்டாவது புத்தகம் (முதலாவது: சீனா-விலகும் திரை). விலங்குப் பண்ணை புத்தகத்தைப் படிக்கும் போது நமக்கு சிரிப்பு, சிந்தனை என இரண்டு உணர்ச்சிகளும் இணைந்தே வருகிறது. வேறும் 140 பக்கங்களில் (ஆங்கிலப் பதிப்புக்கூட இதே அளவு தான்) ஒரு முழு கதையை நகைச்சுவையாகவும், அதே சமயம் ரஷ்ய ஸ்டாலினிஸத்தை நையாண்டி செய்துக் கொண்டே, ஆழமான கருத்தையும் சேர்த்து சொல்வது என்றால், அது…
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Come fly with me (TV Series)
I just finished watching the British TV Series – Come fly with me. I like few of the British Comedy for they are good in bringing out a realistic portrayal of the society, especially they are very good in spoof & satires. As a frequent traveller, I was looking forward to the series after watching the Pilot which described the story to be about what’s happening in a British airport. Overall I enjoyed the Series but it didn’t cut out to be my favourite. All episodes seem to be from the same cookie cutter, characters were getting stereotyped. No new fresh storyline in any of the episode, though there was…
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Yes, Prime Minister
Yes, Prime Minister is a British TV Serial by BBC which ran in late 80’s and was a sequel to Yes Minister. This was shown in Doordarshan during my school days and I have heard great comments about them. Though I watched few of the episodes I couldn’t appreciate it then. A few weeks back, while shopping in Landmark I saw the VCD version of Yes, Prime Minister Series 1 and 2 at Rs.350 per series. Over this weekend I watched the 8 episodes of Series 1. I had 4 hours of non-stop laughter and I had to marvel at the brilliance of the writers who have portrayed what life…
