Babel is a movie with intersting sub-plots that are full of emotion and the actors have given full support to the script. That they have given their best is evident as this movie is definitely oscar material. Brad Pitt is a different person in this film and a welcome change from the usual slam bang stuff he is known for. The story revolves around a american couple who are traveling in Morocco when the american woman is shot accidentally by 2 Moroccan sheperd boys. The movie traces the lives of 4 different people, that of the american couple, the nanny who looks after their kids, the moroccon boys family and surprisingly a japanese connection in the form of a hunter who happens to gift his rifle to the boys who end up shooting the american tourist. The last connection is so far-fetched that it could have been left out or atleast treated with a bit more sensitivenes. What does the japanese gifting the rifle to a Moroccan have anything to do with the problems faced by his deaf daughter.
Especially considering that most of the nidity in the film is centered around this Japanese girl.
The editing does lend to keeping the interest in the story alive but only ends up confusing the viewer about whats happening. A case in point is the telephone conversation that Brad has with the mexican nanny. Does he have it before or after the ordeal his kids go through. Could have been avoided. The director makes sure that the viewer is not bored with some clever screenplay and delivered a good movie containing elements of human interest. rating: 3 stars over 5

It's been a while since my last blog mainly because of some stuff I got involved in. Our company is getting into other businesses away from developing the XML editor product. That has been put on the back burner temporarily to see if could strengthen our bottomline before contiuning development on that front.
Come May-June and the summer is at its peak here in Chennai. The showers expected from the depression that formed off the coast disappointed last week. The power situation isn't all that good either. Its important to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration from the heat. It was another hot and humid afternnon this saturday when I went to the juice shop for a cool drink. I had a slight pain in my right ear for which I was taking medication and which hurt if I had anything cold. So I ordered a fresh juice with no ice and waited. There was this man by himself, 40-45ish and dressed in a pant and shirt. But it was only after watching him for a while that it dawned on me that he had quite a big sweet tooth. He sat there by himself surrounded by plates filled with fruits. He ate them after sprinking sugar on them. He then went on to order an icecream which he ate after adding sugar. Icecream with sugar, imagine. All this time I was enjoying my drink with an occassional look at him. I was getting ready to leave when I heard him asking the waiter for a banana milkshake with dry fruits. I couldn't help but think that the poor man must have been finding it difficult to get his family to serve him enough sweet stuff to satisfy his craving.