Where have all the All-rounders gone?

It has literally been years since I wrote a blog entry. I guess that’s because I  have been very busy with life and also it does seem like a dying medium. Nevertheless, I had a thought and I wanted to share it so here goes nothing.

I love Test Cricket and have been enthralled with the West Indies tour of England. I didn’t think I would miss cricket that much when the pandemic hit but boy was I wrong. The series is shaping up nicely thanks to the exploits of Ben Stokes in the second Test. I think Ben Stokes is a wonderful cricketer and has developed into a genuine allrounder. Gone are the days that we though f him as a good bowler who could come in late in the innings and give the ball a good slog.

Arise Sir. Ben Stokes!

It’s obvious that he is the number one test all-rounder today. But does that mean as much as we think? If we look at the list of the best test all-rounders today we find a very interesting picture.

The chart above gives us the top 10 all-rounders today. Besides the top 3, it’s hard to recognize the others at true all-rounder. Even number Jadeja at number 3 prefers to be seen as a batsman above all else. The problem becomes even worse once we get past the top 10. The West Indian fast bowler Kemar Roach is apparently the 13th best all-rounder in the world even though he is only the 16th best fast bowler in the world, keep in mind his highest score is 41.

So where have all the all-rounders gone? When I was growing up they were everywhere. South Africa had three of them in Kallis, Pollock and Klausner. Austalia had Steve Waugh who started his career as an all-rounder and later Andrew Symonds. England had Flintoff who was the successor to Ian Botham and the predecessor to stokes. Even India a land not known for producing world-class all-rounders (except for Kapil Dev) had unearthed a young Irfan Pathan.

Kallis was the greatest all-rounder I have ever seen!

If we take the clock back to before my time the list becomes even more illustrious. Take for example Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Kith Miller and Gary Sobers. It looks like in the past we had a plethora of wonderful all-rounders and today the cupboard is comparatively bare.

So what has happened? Could it be that we have encouraged cricketers to specialize as either a bowler or batsman that we have robbed the world of its all-rounders? Or is this just a moment in time that we lack quality all-rounders?

What do you think?

18 Till I Die!

Life’s good, but what’s the deal with growing old, I mean at sometime in your life you reach a peak and then it’s all pretty much downhill from there. For me, I can’t shake the feeling that 18 was my peak. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a life out there to live and the future has some really cool possibilities, build myself a career, get married, have kids, win a Nobel Prize, retire, start losing my memory, die. That all sounds great but I might just give that all up to be 18 again.

When you’re young you just can’t wait until you turn 18, it has some magical meaning that you just can’t shake. Growing up in Botswana that was the age you started driving, having a few drinks going clubbing and just being out there. The sad part is it only lasts a year, after that you are officially being called uncle by little kids, oh the humanity! Then by the time your 20’s roll in girls no longer seem to want casual relations it’s all about long-term relationships, now for some people that’s cool, I on the other feel I’ve got plenty of time for that later, all I want is fast and furious.

Now, I’m 23 years old and you might think I’m feeling sad about getting further away from the magical 18, but no, I’ve found a solution. Just pretend I’m 18 and keep the party going. It’s been 23 years getting here and I’ve really enjoyed the ride and someday I’ll be 18 going on 55 and look back and smile. Just in case you wanted to have a bit of a smile I’ve posted some chronological photos of myself below. Have a blast and stay 18 till you die! 😀

I’ve had my share of being caught with my pants down in compromising situations lol

There was the occasional accident getting here, but nobody’s perfect 😉

Why do parents always dress us up with matching everything, we are not circus folk.

Thirteen and the seeds of awesomeness have been planted, what up?

Eighteen, red highlights and a tad too much make up, but still awesome!

A new look some say a better one well the Twenties are here.

So far so good…..Now let’s see what comes next!

Add your thoughts here… (optional)

Amanthi’s Story

Let me introduce you to a fourteen year old girl I met in Sri Lanka this summer. Her name is Amanthi, and we met not in a coffee shop or shopping mall but in a courtroom. She was there for her hearing, and I was there for a lack of a better idea. Although I didn’t have a camera with me I can tell you every physical detail about this girl, such was the impact she had on me. She stood at the front of the court, her eye’s fixated on the floor never looking up, not even to answer any of the questions asked to her by the magistrate. She was so thin, that you would think she had recently recovered from a great illness, her skin was as pale as snow. Her hair was long and straight yet wild and uncontrollable, which she used to hide her face so people would not be able to see her. She wore a red top and an old skirt made of denim, her arms were joined at her back as if she were restrained, but there were no cuffs. She stood there, barefoot and alone, in front of the crowd of onlookers.

What was she doing there, what was her crime? As the hearing unfolded I discovered her reason for being there, she had escaped a children’s correctional facility. The judge asked her why she had been sent to the facility in the first place. She was silent, the question was asked again but she remained silent, her eyes still fixated on the floor. After a few moments she spoke, in a sad tone of voice, she said she couldn’t answer that question in front of the entire court room. The judge, who by the way is my aunt, called her into chambers to speak to her privately, and asked me to join them as well.

We were now alone just the three of us. Amanthi looked at me, and for the first time I saw her eyes. They were red from the tears she had been fighting back. Her eyes looked at me as if to ask why was I there, and if I could help her. My aunt looked at her and told her who I was, and that she could talk freely in front of me. It was then that I heard the saddest and most shocking story of my life.

Amanthi told us of how she had been raped by her grandfather when she was thirteen, and how her parents had disowned her because of it and abandoned her at a police station. While at the police station an officer who did not know what to do with the girl, had her sent to the local magistrate, to decide what should become of her. That magistrate decided, as a temporary measure, to have her sent to the correctional facility until something more permanent could be done for her. A year passed, and she remained in the correctional facility, her plight was ignored by everyone who could have helped her. She spoke to us at length regarding the conditions in the facility, and how poorly treated she was by the staff and of the beatings she had endured from the other girls in the facility. As she told her story my eyes widened and I looked at my aunt with sheer confusion printed all over my face. I thought to myself how could this happen, this girl has been treated as though she was a criminal when in fact she was the victim of a heinous crime that stole her innocence.

After half an hour Amanthi had finished her story, and now she began to beg to my Aunt not to send her back. Then she turned to me, and stared at me sobbing uncontrollably. I realized she wanted me to say something, to try to help her, but what could I say, I was not a lawyer or a social worker, but in my heart I realized I had to say something. So I told my aunt the only thing I could say, “You can’t send her back.” Yet, she had no choice, she couldn’t just remove her from the facility without finding a place to send her. As I discovered an orphanage was out of the question, because they were full up with legitimate orphans. So, there was no choice but to send her back for now.

A court officer was called into the room to escort her back to the courtroom where the hearing would continue. But, Amanthi wouldn’t leave, she refused to move and had to be dragged out of the chamber by the officer. She didn’t fight for a moment, she just cried and fell to the floor. As her body was dragged passed me I remember thinking to myself, “Grab her, don’t let this madness continue, get her out of there.”  Then my brain kicked in and asked me what would you do once you got her out of there, who would look after her, where would she go? These were questions to which I had no answers so I watched as this poor girl was pulled out of the chamber, and I didn’t even move a muscle.

After she was dragged out of the chambers I sat down and told my aunt that I just had to do something for her. My conscience wouldn’t let me just walk away from what I had just seen and heard. We talked for a while and eventually came up with an idea, to help her overcome the trauma of her experience I would pay for her to undergo counselling sessions. I would do this by funneling money through my Aunt who would make sure she received the service. As such to this day I have been sending $125 a month to try to help Amanthi overcome the demons that have taken over her life. However, last night I  received the most disturbing of news. Amanthi has again escaped the facility and has yet to be found. She escaped four days ago and according to what I have been told there is little chance of finding her now. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad that she has escaped that god awful place. I hope that she finds a better life but I also fear for her survival out there in the world, on her own.

I do know how I feel about her story though. I feel ashamed of the society that did this to her. How could we as a people abandon a young girl the way we did, didn’t she deserve more? I feel ashamed of myself for not doing more, in hindsight I see I just did the bare minimum, so I could feel better about myself. I should have done a lot more and I will live with that for the rest of my life. I feel sorry for the many children who have similar stories to Amanthi’s. On average 25% of cases before Sri Lankan courts deal with abuse of children, yet very few of them end with a succesful prosecution, this number could be even greater when we take into account those that do not even go to court out of fear. Today in Sri Lanka four girls under the age of sixteen are raped everyday. That number is also increasing constantly as more children are raped each successive year. Just for a moment click this link and see how bad it truly is.

Yet, how can we stop this, how should we take Amanthi’s story to heart, we being those fortunate enough to have a better life, to attend university, to have personal security. I believe it is our responsibility to create a new world society where injustices like this are not overlooked and their victims are not forgotten. By sharing this message with you I hope to take a step to doing just that, and by being informed about it you take a step as well in the right direction.  I think the following words by Robert Kennedy show just what we can learn from Amanthi’s story.

“For the fortunate among us, there is the temptation to follow the easy and familiar paths of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who enjoy the privilege of education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us. All of us will ultimately be judged, and as the years pass we will surely judge ourselves on the effort we have contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which our ideals and goals have shaped that event.”

Sam’s Story

Last week I had the good fortune of attending the South Asian Film Festival (SAAF) here in Vancouver, Canada. The festival showcased artistic films from numerous south asian countries such as India, Bhutan, Nepal and even Sri Lanka. I’ve always enjoyed watching films from different parts of the world and evaluating them using my very modest and highly limited skill set. However, I had never seen a full length Sri Lankan film before and was very excited by the prospect of breaking this boundary.

The film was titled “Sam’s Story” and this was its world premiere, not only that but it was also the director’s first full length film, a man by the name of Priyankara Vittanachichi. I considered the moment highly auspicious because I would be among the first members of the public anywhere in the world to watch the film. As I sat there waiting for the film to begin a horrible truth dawned on me. I was the only one in the cinema! I looked around at the empty seats and I had a real mix of emotions. Firstly, it felt nice to be the only one in the cinema, I could scream or laugh as loudly as I wanted and didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone. Yet the second and more powerful emotion I felt was sadness, here was a film somebody had spent so much time working on and nobody except me had show up to watch it. You would expect that with such few opportunities to watch Sri Lankan movies on the big screen here in Canada that at least a few Sri Lankans would have shown up. It really was a shame because as I soon discovered they missed out on a wonderful film. The clip below is meant to be a trailer.

The story is about the life of Siriratne or Sam as he was named by a western couple that had employed him as a domestic. What makes Sam special is that he is handicapped and the story explores how Sri Lankan society treats him. Throughout his life he encounters many people, some who take advantage of him in the worst possible ways and others who show him kindness.

In understanding this film it is important to recognise two different kinds of films, the artistic and the popular variety. Artistic films are those that are shown at film festivals and are centred around neo-realism, in which they try to showcase the human condition as real as possible. Example’s of these are Deepa Mehta’s trilogy of Fire, Earth and Water. They are never seen by mainstream audiences while popular films are those that you see at theaters and compromise 95% or more of total film production. They are filled with song and dance and over the top action as well as over dramatized situations. I’m sure you can come up with a plethora of movies that fit these characteristics.

Sam’s story is an artistic one in every sense of the word. It explores the social treatment of handicapped people in Sri Lanka through the interaction Sam has with other characters. Also it explores the political frustrations of people living in a country divided by war and the tensions between the Tamil and Sinhalese ethnicities. It also explores the structure of the family and their devotion to each other. These all serve to imprint upon us the lives of average Sri Lankans, their hopes, dreams, desires and fears.

I wouldn’t want to go into too much detail about the movie but there was one realization that came out of it that really hit home. I don’t consider myself truly Sinhalese because I’ve been raised abroad so the difference between Sinhalese and Tamil is really not something that influences me as much as it would others, in fact I’m barely Sri Lankan. So the movie really spoke to me because it showed how the violence in Sri Lanka had affected both ethnicities and was not concentrated against either of them. During the film we learn that everyone both Tamil and Sinhalese have lost loved one’s due to the conflict and that the people the conflict affects the most are the poor who have everything to lose and barely anything to gain from it.

Sam’s Story is a wonderful tale of human life and the struggle of every day life. I doubt many of you will be able to see it but if you ever get the chance to then go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Angelo Mathews Sri Lanka’s Only Choice

Sri Lanka’s appointment of Angelo Mathews as their new T20 captain has confirmed that the time for the changing of the guard is upon us. A new generation of Sri Lankan cricketers has emerged and they will slowly take the reins in all formats of the game starting with the T20. The question is can this new generation of cricketers hope to match the quality of their predecessors? Well no matter what the pundits say or whatever anyones predictions are, the truth is only time will tell. Angelo Mathews has become the poster boy for this new generation and in him we see both the strengths and weaknesses of this new team.

Angelo Mathews has undeniable talent

The honest truth is Mathews was the only choice for captaincy given the resources the team have at their disposal, yet it might have very well been the case that in a stronger Sri Lankan team such as the 2007 one, he might not have even made the team sheet. This is not because of the lack of his talent, there is no doubting his first class record or his technique, what is in doubt is his consistency. He really could be the best player in the world as evidenced by his immense temperament and superhuman will to win when he rescued Sri Lanka from an impossible situation versus Australia in Melbourne back in 2010. However, at the same time when called upon to give even a modest showing to win the T20 World Cup versus the West Indies he faltered in a far less than superhuman manner. In these two performances we see the two sides of this immensely talented but highly fragile player.

Angelo Mathews is a new breed of Sri Lankan cricketer, one who did not grow up ever thinking that his side were minnows. In fact he would only have been nine years old when Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup and began their ascent to being one of the best teams in the game. It is this fact more than any other that both strengthens and weakens Mathews cricketing pedigree. Having grown up with a highly regarded team of world beaters as his idols he probably feels no inferiority complex when playing the game against the other big guns. This is shown by his extensive range of flamboyant shots and his willingness to take on bowlers with towering reputations. Much like Jayawardene and Sangakkara, he plays with a little bit of a swagger and a great deal of self-confidence.

However, he wasn’t there for, and did not play with any of Sri Lanka’s pioneers of the game. The 1996 team might not have had the supreme talents or flamboyance of the current team, but they did have a great deal more mental strength. Players like De Silva and Ranatunga had long been treated as inferiors by the rest of the cricketing world and so it took a lot from them to finally break this way of thinking and make Sri Lanka into a team of world beaters. The immediate beneficiaries of this were the next generation, players like Jayawardene learned his trade in a team filled with these personalities making him an all round cricketer one with both immense talent but a great deal of mental strength. Yet, the current crop, including Mathews did not have this opportunity and in some cases have been found wanting when the going has gotten tough. Sri Lankan culture makes it difficult to promote this steel needed to win the important games. Unlike Australia and South Africa who put their youth through a Spartan method of playing sports,  Sri Lankans are a far more gentle people.

Mathews will have the safety net of the big three to fall back on for the next two years at least but he has to start planning for a team without them. So the time for turning his talent into application has arrived, the idea that he is a still in development and is too young for this kind of pressure can no longer be used. He has had three years at the highest level of the game and is now a recognised member of the squad.

He will not be solely responsible for the teams fortunes on the field because no matter how important the captain is, cricket is a team game. The team he inherits is full of holes, winning a test match may be very unlikely because he doesn’t posses the bowlers to bowl a team out twice and his younger batsman have still to prove themselves in the longer format of the game, Mathews himself only has one century from forty-one test innings. In the shorter formats of the game he has a little to smile about in the undeniable talents of Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal and he would hope that the eventual retirement of the big three would give them the opportunity to shine.

The Changing of the Guard

The Sri Lankan team is now in a stage of change and rebuilding. As a new team and leader start to walk in the shoes of their illustrious predecessors it will take them some time to get the balance right. In this time it won’t be unusual for them to lose some games and maybe have a slight to moderate bad patch. What matters is how they come up from that, whether they fix their problems in a way that leads to a long-term period of success or if they plaster over them hoping for short-term fixes while sacrificing their long-term ambitions. One thing is for sure, whether we like it or not Mathews is our only choice in getting the team to where we want it to be.

My Favourite Bizzare Cricket Moments

I don’t think too many people will argue with me when I say cricket is a complicated game. Cricket’s rules are ancient and unyielding just like the law in the real world and at time’s you find that things get really complicated out there on the field. Some of the things I’m going to discuss with you are part of cricket folk-lore and will probably never be seen on the field of cricket ever again. Thanks to YouTube we can all witness these moments again and again and so I’ve attached videos for your viewing pleasure as well.

1) The new super bat!

Dennis Lillee will always be remembered as one of the world’s most feared fast bowlers, so it is surprising that he was the one who decided to try to reinvent the age-old wooden bat. His new super bat of the future which he claimed would hit the ball further was made of aluminum. The only problem with his idea was that he didn’t invent a new ball, because the aluminum bat served to damage the traditional leather ball thus making the game unplayable.

2) But my arm’s straight ump!

A basic rule of cricket is that a bowler deliver the ball with a straight-arm action, otherwise we might as well be playing base-ball. Now, Lasith Malinga put a new twist on this by keeping his arm straight but horizontal, you might think he’s amazing for doing this but here’s someone who is more amazing, Trevor Chappell. Trevor you could say was the victim of peer pressure when he was asked by his two older brothers Ian and Greig to bowl an underarm delivery so New Zealand couldn’t score the six they needed of the last ball and win the game. Now, the odds of a New Zealander hitting a six in regular conditions is bad enough so in my opinion the New Zealand team should take it as a compliment that the Australians would stoop so low.

Although this incident was disgraceful it’s always good to see how this stuff is actually remembered after a great deal of time has past. More recently, Glenn McGrath thought it would be funny to do it again and Billy Bowden thought being a ballerina for a day would be his ticket out of the umpiring business.

3) Wait Sri Lankan’s can’t fly!

Whether Angelo Mathew’s ends his career as the greatest cricketer ever or as a guy who flopped worse than Courtney Walsh’s batting record at least he will always have his moment in the spotlight. I don’t know how many status updates Facebook had when he decided to do this but I remembered mine went something like, “is it a bird, is it a plane, No it’s Angey.” The way I see it he’s not just acrobatic in the way he pulls this off, but he’s intelligent too, because he probably only had a split second to come up with this plan as the ball was hurtling towards him. Then again he also has to be comfortable enough with looking like a fool in case he messes up!

4) Who’s out anyway?

The third umpire has a tough job, he has the ultimate ruling over whether a batsemen is out in the event that the naked eye fails to produce a decision. In this scenario you would think he had it relatively easy since it’s obvious that the guy is out because both batsmen are at one end, but who is the guy?

5) Let’s call in the lawyers!

Cricket needs its own lawyers, this incident with Mark Waugh proves it. It would probably go to far to ask them to stop the game and start a court case to see if Waugh is guilty but it shows that intentions and premeditation does matter in cricket. In this video Mark knocks of the bails of his wickets while facing pollock, out right! Don’t be so sure?

6) Match cancelled due to bees!

Speaks for itself….

Only in Sri Lanka….

Let’s Talk Cocktails

I love cocktails, I think they’re so enjoyable on so many levels. They’re creative and anyone can invent their own perfectly original cocktail, they’re pleasing on the eye and can be colourful and have many different kinds of garnishes. No matter what kind of mood you’re in or what the occasion or company you find yourself in, there is a cocktail with your name on it.

In this post I would like to teach you the basic science behind making a great cocktail and introduce you to a few of my favourite go to cocktails. Firstly let’s talk about what characteristics a basic cocktail should have:

– It should be made from good-quality, high-proof liquors.

– It should whet rather than dull the appetite. Thus, it should never be sweet or syrupy, or contain too much fruit juice, egg or cream.

– It should be dry, with sufficient alcoholic flavor, yet smooth and pleasing to the palate.

– It should be pleasing to the eye.

– It should be well-iced.

Probably the most important point is the first one, remember that a cocktail is only as good as the quality of its worst ingredient. Moving on, there are three basic components of a cocktail, and they are the base, the modifying agent and any special flavouring and colouring agents.

The base is the principal ingredient of the cocktail. It is typically a single spirituous liquor, such as rum, gin or whiskey, and typically makes up 75 percent or more of the total volume of the cocktail before icing.

The modifying agent is the ingredient that gives the cocktail its character. Its function is to soften the raw alcohol taste of the base, while at the same time to enhance its natural flavor. Typical modifying agents are aromatic wines (such as vermouth) and spirits (such as Fernet Branca or Amer Picon), bitters, fruit juices and “smoothing agents” such as sugar, eggs, and cream.

Special flavoring and colouring agents include liqueurs (such as Grand Marnier or Chartreuse), Cordials, and non-alcoholic flavored syrups (such as Grenadine or Orgeat syrup). These are typically used in place of simple syrup, and are to be used sparingly.

Any cocktail is made in a manner that uses these three components. The final two aspects of a good cocktail which I will touch on briefly are the garnish and the glassware. They are both very subjective and are more to suit the mood of the cocktail, tropical drinks such as the Pina Colada invariably are garnished with a umbrella and served in a tall glass. Most man drinks are served in short glasses and sparingly garnished with a lime wedge or a cherry such as in the case of an Old Fashioned.

The following are five of my favourite go to cocktails (click on their names for mixing instructions):

#1 Martini

This is the classic that epitomizes the standard for a good cocktail. It’s perfect for any time of the day and any occasion and if you like olives then you’re in for double the fun. I drink it all the time.

#2 Old Fashioned

They call it this probably because people have been drinking its main ingrediant whiskey for a long, long time. The cherry in it makes it more of an evening drink and one I usually order when surrounded by friends. It’s very smooth and the cherry at the end provides for a sweet finish.

#3 French 75

A champagne cocktail at long last. This is a perfect drink for when you’re on a date with that special someone. It’s very luxurious and the cherry in the glass makes sure your date knows where you hope the night will lead.

#4 Mojito

A very green cocktail which always makes me think I’m in Cuba because it was my Cuban spanish teacher who introduced it to me. It’s a great party drink and good for lounging on a hot day by the beach.

#5 Screwdriver

A citrus blast. A perfect wake up in the morning cocktail for all us alcoholics. No matter what people say, I’m not an alcoholic but I guess denial is the first symptom.

A final piece of wisdom before I end this post. REAL MEN DON’T DRINK PINK DRINKS!

Me & Bollywood (A story of 2nd Chances)

Growing up I can’t remember exactly when I first heard the term “Bollywood”, all I know is that I found it funny because it seemed to sound like a cheap rip off of Hollywood. So in my mind it was natural to assume their movies were similarly sub-par, after all how could a developing country with its lack of cinematic history compete against the mature American film industry. I considered this assumption justified when I watched my first few Bollywood films, they were so bad that I can’t even bother to remember their names. The stories were always invariably tragic, the plot straight as an arrow with few twists if any, the director must have been a monkey because all he ever did was use a sudden burst of background thunder before zooming in on an actor’s face and finally they all seemed to be musicals. Now, I have nothing against musicals some of my favourite films are musicals such as “The Sound of Music” or “My Fair Lady” but for every film produced to be a musical, that’s just boring, sometimes you need a good action film or psychological thriller like”Charade”. So needless to say I decided never to watch a Bollywood film again.

Some years went by and I was fortunate enough to stumble onto an interview on CNN with an Indian actress, Preity Zinta. I had no idea who she was but just as I was about to change the channel the interviewer asked a question that I found myself very interested in, “So what’s with all the Musicals in Bollywood?” I decided to let her reply before changing the channel, and what she said made me give Bollywood a second chance. She spoke about how many indians actually live a hard life, filled with poverty and disillusionment and that’s why Indian films are filled with so much song, dance and colour, to provide them with a momentary escape from their tough existence.

Preity Zinta claims the colour, song and dance is meant to provide a momentary relief from a tough existence

This took me completely by surprise because I found myself having committed a great mistake when watching those indian films many years a ago. I had tried to evaluate them from a western standpoint, when in fact these films were not meant to be evaluated in such a fashion. The issues they centred upon which I found mundane and overused were actually things that they in india were grappling with but the western world had moved on from. Issues like arranged marriages, poverty and patriotism. So I decided to give Bollywood one last try.

I scurried to my local video store and began to browse the Bollywood section. I knew that this might well be my last chance to try and appreciate Indian film so it was important that I picked a good movie, because if I didn’t then all was lost. As I spent several minutes looking through the videos one suddenly caught my eye. It was titled,”LAGAAN” and though I had little idea what that meant by reading the back of the case I discovered it centred around a game of cricket. I reasoned that since I loved cricket this would probably be my best bet and so scampered home to watch it. (See Trailer Below)

In a nutshell, I loved it. The story was wonderful and epitomized India’s desire to be seen as equals with its colonial master. The use of cricket which has come to illustrate India’s global emergence really tied into the story, in fact I could hear in the background of the movie one of the British officers saying, “this country has a great future in this game.” The director’s use of camera angles and choice of shots were more than a match for his Hollywood counterparts. I was also largely pleased with the use of musical numbers. They were used to highlight key moments in the film and they added to the films charm and made the audience feel part of the adventure and did not take away from the plot at all. The actors were also very good, the lead, Aamir Khan reminded me a little of Leonardo Di Caprio. In hindsight now, having watched some of his other works, “Three Idiots”and “Fanaa” for instance, I would say he definitely has the versatility and energy that Di Caprio has.

After my experience with “Lagaan” I have since watched a few other Bollywood films, some good, some bad and some ugly but I have come to the opinion that poor films regularly occur in Hollywood as well so I’m not holding it against them. It goes without saying that the future of Indian cinema is very bright, they not only have a strong home audience which is blessed with a rising standard of living but the export of Indian culture through global migration has made Indian films more appealing to western movie goers. This has even led to hybrid East/West films such as “Bend it Like Beckham”, “On the other end of the line” and “Bride and Prejudice” becoming increasingly popular.

Indian film has grown up very quickly and their directors are fast learners, they don’t have the long history that Hollywood has as a result of great directors like Sir David Lean or Alfred Hitchcock which means they are still building their legacy and what it means to produce a truly Indian film. The old Bollywood films that I first watched and despised are from a bygone era and boy am I glad they are.

Prometheus (2012)

Sometimes you go to the movies when you’re bored or if you really have no other creative first date ideas, but other times you go because you really want to watch the movie. Before Prometheus the last time I went just to watch the movie was in 2009 for the revamped Star Trek, being a life long Trekkie I just had to see what J. J. Abrams the producer of Lost could bring to the legendary franchise. This time around I went because I wanted to see Sir Ridley Scott go back to his roots.

Many of you know Ridley Scott as the director of Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven but before he made movies about legendary Roman figures or the crusades he made a little film in 1979 called Alien. This was and remains to this day one of the greatest Sci Fi Horror films of all time and set him on the way to making some really great films. Yet after Alien he never touched the Sci Fi Horror genre again, till now. Prometheus is a chance for a new generation to witness one of the great film makers of our time show us just why he deserved a knighthood.

Prometheus is the real deal, not something like Avatar which anyone could tell was just a Pocahontas meets the Smurfs rip off.  With a cast that includes the talents of Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender and a really good story line it really is a Ridley Scott film. One of the really cool things about the movie is its name.

Prometheus was one of the ancient greek titans it was believed that he created man out of clay and that he stole fire from the gods and gifted it to man. The gods were very displeased with him for this and chained him to the side of a cliff where a huge vulture would eat his liver out by day and it would grow back at night for the next days feast. The crew on board the Prometheus are searching for the creators of man who they believe to be aliens yet what they find is not what they were expecting.

The story line can at times be confusing because you are essentially taken on the journey with the crew and learning things as you go along. So most of the time when they’re confused so are you but at the same time when they have an epiphany it feels like you did as well. Is the movie scary ? Not really, its a bit gross at times but no one said aliens are supposed to be clean.

The ending of the movie is very special and I don’t mean that it has anything to really do with the events of the film but it is more like a gift from Sir Ridley Scott to his long time followers. While most people at the end of the movie would be saying to themselves what was that last tiny bit and what does it have to do with the movie? A true follower of his films will have a small smile on their face and say, “nice one!”

Overall it’s not as good as Alien which will always be looked upon as the benchmark but it is a wonderful piece of work. So I give it 8 out of 10 stars. If you’re looking for a much more spoiler like review with more explanations of the alien universe click here for one of my fellow bloggers review of the film.