The Dark Knight Review

Let me begin by clearing a few misconceptions about ‘The Dark Knight’: It is not a superhero movie and it is not just a Batman movie. You could transfer the setting, and the theme of the characters to a real-life situation, and they would behave just the same way.

All right then, down to the details. First of all, this is definitely, easily, and comprehensively, the best superhero movie ever. Period. Second, Ledger is the Joker. He is the brightest star in an especially bright galaxy. Nicholson, Romero, Hamill can all fill out their retirement forms. They will never be looked upon as Joker anymore. The manic intensity, the crude yet subtle humour, the unpredictability he possesses, takes Ledger to a level higher than any villain in comic book adaptations.

TDK picks up from where Batman Begins left: Batman has established himself in the criminal circles, and is now inspiring a few of Gotham’s citizens to take up the fight for justice themselves. But rather than doing what he thinks they would have done, i.e., taking the legal route, raising their voice, standing up to the mob; a few take up the vigilante’s mantle, trying to be Batman themselves.

Enter Harvey Dent, the D.A. of Gotham, and the man who is what Batman has been waiting for so long to take over the cleaning operation of the city. Dent is the face to take Gotham out of their misery: their White Knight in shining armour. And this Knight takes the damsel with him as well: Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s long-time love and childhood friend. The emotional turmoil this puts Bruce Wayne through is immense, considering that Dent is the man he was waiting for to come in, so that he could hang up his shoes and retire to normal life with Dawes.

But this soon becomes the least of his worries, as the Joker, a criminal who is trying to establish himself in Gotham’s underworld, takes centre stage. As he himself says, he is “an agent of Chaos.” The lack of a background story only adds to the aura and mystery of the Joker. He blows up hospitals, kills people for the fun of it, and plays with Batman’s psyche: “You complete me”, he snarls.

We also play witness to the inner turmoil of Batman. Wayne even ponders whether he is really a hero, or just a fed-up guy who wants to teach the goons a lesson by using force. During critical moments in the film, he thinks of quitting his night job as the situation seems impossible. During these times, his anchors: his butler Alfred, and Lucius Fox, his technical mentor, are the men who keep him on the course, who make him endure for the greater good.

Moving to the acting department, Christian Bale as Batman puts in a great performance. He is able to transfer the turmoil of Bruce Wayne and Batman effectively onto the screen. He seems to have settled into the mould of both characters like second skin. An Oscar nomination doesn’t look too far away.

Aaron Eckhart does justice to both his roles: Harvey Dent, and Two-Face, though he doesn’t get enough time to develop the two-face character. Maggie Gyllenhaal does a better job than Katie Holmes at playing the headstrong Rachel Dawes. Though the character is not as well sketched out as the others, but it does not act as a roadblock in the story. Batman’s allies: Jim Gordon, Alfred and Lucius Fox, are extremely well played by the veteran thespians Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

But this movie belongs to Ledger alone in the acting department. He gives the Joker a twist that will live on forever, despite Ledger’s unfortunate death. He might well become the first posthumous winner of the Best Actor Oscar. Yup, Best Actor, for this movie is his swan song; a final bow before he walked into the sunset.

The vision of Christopher Nolan about human psyche is terrifying and extremely thought provoking at the same time. He forces you to think in between the movie as to what you would do if faced with the situation as the characters in the film. Nolan has taken his vision of a superhero movie from Batman Begins and worked on it to give us a gem on the screen on a much bigger scale. He has able help from his brother and co-writer Jonathan Nolan; the music team Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard; and Wally Pfister, the cinematographer.

Chilling to the core, it leaves you wanting more. It is one of those rare movies where you think that 2 and half hours are less. The experience is emotionally overwhelming, visually grandiose, and overall, something not to be missed.

Life @ WIMWI

I've made another blog: about my life at WIMWI.
Check it out:
http://swagat-in-iima.blogspot.com/

En Route

Sitting in a cyber cafe in Udaipur...lovely weather..wish it could be like this all year long.
Tomorrow I shall reach Ahemdabad...Janmbhoomi and Karmbhoomi awaits..more from there!!

Adieu to Jammu!

till we meet again..
in the sun or the rain...
be it in joy or be it in pain....
it will surely not be in vain..

I leave today..bidding adieu to Jammu..maybe forever.. moving towards greener pastures, it seems..
I leave with happy memories from this place.. a special place in my heart...my first interview!! :D
my first poster!! :P
Life carries on..to move full circle..so I say bye..till we meet again!

No longer in the race!!

Is it just me, or is the world really a boring place nowadays? Everyday I wake up to find the same old murders, the same old rising prices, the politicians arguing our fates everyday; me looking at life and its characters morosely everyday, going through the motions of their subliminal existence called life.

But am I any different from this horde which could have been walking a plank on a boat or enjoying their wildest fantasies with the same enthusiasm? Is there anything that differentiates me from them, something that gives me an edge over them?... Oh, there I go, looking for edges over 'competition'!! Already moving fast in the rat race, are we? Why is it necessary to get into an IIM? Why should I get placed on day 'zero'? Speaking of day zero, earlier we used to fight over first place. Now we seem to have taken it a notch higher!!

I've decided. I'm gonna sit on my butt, not hurry into placements, tests or anything for that matter. I intend to carry on exactly the way I have been so far. I'll be more than happy to get placed on Day 3 or 4, if it gets me a decent package. I won't eat my food hurriedly, I'll chew and enjoy every morsel's taste. I'll try and be the anti-thesis of what we've become now. Let's see if it works or not.

My BPL Team of the season: Performers only

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting (drumroll) the Team of the Season:

Super Wealthy, Ambitious, Greedy, All-star, Triumphant Football Club. In short, S.W.A.G.A.T. F.C. (Ta-Da!!)


All right, enough fooling around. Down to business:

Formation:
My formation is an extremely flexible 4-3-3, or a 4-1-4-1. Call it whatever you like. I prefer to call it 4-1-4-1.


Now, the players:


Goalkeeper:

1. Tim Howard (Everton F.C.)

Reason: This proved a tough choice for me personally, between 2 men who did their job well this season. David James and Tim Howard. But I'm plumping for Howard because of James's erratic nature.


Right Back:

2. Bacary Sagna (Arsenal F.C.)

Reason: Two men came to my mind: Bacary Sagna, and Micah Richards. I chose Sagna as I felt he was more consistent. Plus, he's more attacking than Richards as well. Something that I required.


Left Back:

3. Gael Clichy (Arsenal F.C.)

Reason: Again, it was a fight between two men. Patrice Evra, and Gael Clichy. Both had excellent seasons. Both played as aggresive left-backs who were often seen overlapping their midfielders. But Clichy had to contend with the second-string of attack more often, as Rosicky played only 18 matches. Hence Clichy starts, and Evra goes to the bench.


Centre- Backs:

5. Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United F.C.)
6. Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea F.C.)

Reason: It would be foolish to not pick Nemanja Vidic here. He'll provide me with solidity at the back. His aerial performance will be an added benefit in set-pieces: both attacking and defensive. As his partner, I'm picking Ricardo Carvalho. He's given an assured performance at the back throughout the season, when JT has not been at his regular best.


Holding Midfielder:

4. Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal F.C.) (Captain)

Reason: I needed some one who'll sit in front of the defence and keep doing dirty work. Also, should be capable enough to feed the balls to the attackers.Mathieu Flamini, Owen Hargreaves, Mascherano sprang to my mind. Flamini's work was most impressive to my mind this season, and hence he makes the cut.


Centre Midfielders:

7. Michael Essien (Chelsea F.C.)
8. Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal F.C.)

Reason: These men will be the centre of my team. Able to attack any time, and fall back to defend whenever needed. I was keenly looking at Essien as one of them. For the other place, Fabregas was an automatic pick. Both of them have had excellent seasons. Cesc was the heart of Arsenal, while Essien excelled wherever he played: be it his regular position in mid-field, or Grant's suggested Right Back.


Attacking Midfielders/ Wingers:

10. Ashley Young (Aston Villa F.C.)
11. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United F.C.)

Reason: Speed, crossing, passing accuracy, and good shooting skills are pre-requisites for these positions. The two men I picked (or should I say boys), their records speak for themselves: Ashley Young and Cristiano Ronaldo.


Striker:

9. Fernando Torres (Liverpool F.C.)

Reason: Power, accuracy, ability to hold his own in the box as he'll be the only striker. Fernando Torres came into the league with a large price-tag and hopes of a club attached. And boy, did he perform!! 'El Nino' gets the number 9 jersey.



The bench:

12. David James (Portsmouth F.C.)

Reason: It is only his erratic nature, that stopped him from getting into the playing XI. But, his place on the bench is not at all in question. He's had an excellent season by anyone's standards.


13. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa F.C.)

Reason: He's had an excellent season. And he's multi-talented as well. He can play in defence, defensive midfield, as well as attacking midfield roles with ease. So, he can substitute for a variety of players in my team.


14. Joleon Lescott (Everton F.C.)

Reason: He beat out Martin Laursen from the bench for one reason alone: Versatility. I wanted players who could perform in varied number of positions. He's equally adept at Left Back and Centre back. He's also been scoring goals from set-pieces. Good pick.


15. Joe Cole (Chelsea F.C.)

Reason: Player of the season for Chelsea, and a bright playmaker. He can play in any position in midfield. But his prime role on my bench is as the substitute for the wingers. He can fit in with 1 striker upfront as well as 2.


16. Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers F.C.)

Reason: He came into the Premiership with lots of raised eyebrows. But an excellent season at Rovers has propelled the Chewing-Gum shooter into the big league. He's got an excellent head as well. He fits well into the 1 striker system. Also, he's equally adept at playing as an attacking midfielder. Hence, he narrowly beats Emmanuel Adebayor onto my bench.



Team Dynamics:

In my team, the wing-backs attack while Flamini sits back to aid the centre-backs. Fabregas and Essien are free to move around. If need be, Essien can drop back to aid Flamini in situations when the team is under pretty heavy attack. Young and Ronaldo have the creative freedom to shatter defences with their pace. Torres sits in the middle to cash in on the work and convert it into goals. So, the formation remains 4-1-4-1 normally; while when defending, it turns to a 4-2-3-1.

If Torres as a lone striker is not being able to function properly, Santa Cruz will come into the equation. The formation then changes to 4-1-3-2. So, it's an extremely flexible formation, which can wreak havoc on the opponents, both in defence and in attack.

EPL Season Review: Part 4

Final part of the stat attack series: The Mid-Table Tacklers under the scanner.

1. Boro:
Why they weren't in the relegation dog-fight: They were the best performers against the big 4 in their group, and performed decently against the relegation teams.

Why they weren't in the Pretenders: Their performance against fellow Tacklers left a lot to be desired.

2. Newcastle:
Why they weren't in the relegation dog-fight: They handled their fellow tacklers pretty well.

Why they weren't in the Pretenders: Simply because they couldn't handle the Pretenders and the Big 4, failing miserably against them.

3. Sunderland:
Why they weren't in the relegation dog-fight: Best home record, and good performance against their fellow Tacklers.

Why they weren't in the Pretenders: Dismal away record, worst in their group. They couldn't handle the Pretenders or the Big 4 either.

4. Tottenham:
Why they weren't in the relegation dog-fight: They excelled against the Pretenders (honestly, the place where they should have been.Jol should have gone much earlier.)

Why they weren't in the Pretenders: Their performances against their fellow Tacklers weren't good. Infact, they were the worst in their group.

5. Wigan:
Why they weren't in the relegation dog-fight: Actually, they were for quite some time. They got out because of decent performances across the boards.

Why they weren't in the Pretenders: Their performances were only decent, and till they can step up a gear, they will continue to remain in the current group.

That's the end of the stat-attack folks. It was fun. Surprisingly, some insights can actually be deciphered from the match results.