My Movies seen-list of 2024

 Started the year with the usual attitude. By second half of the year I was leaving movies & shows halfway if they did not have anything to offer. No guilt. Hardly anything watched on OTT in the second half.

TAMIL

Love Today (2022) - insane laughter riot even the situations cause the film characters misery & crisis. Movie premise is the misery phones cause. Rampant use & disabuse of every SM app and its impact on personal life. And then the age-old matter of perspective and misunderstandings that things can cause. Well made movie.

TELUGU (in Kannada Audio)

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram - some raw but stylised action sequences.

Lucky Bhaskar - again very stylised naration and Dulquer's charm.

HINDI

Stree 2 - in theatres. Paisa vasool entertainer as promised and same old comfort.

I saw Archies & KGHK on the same day. Couldn't be more antithesis that anything. They were about teen & young working adult drama. But time being separated from 1964 & 2022, they were world apart in all ways. But music for both movie was outstanding. Their jukebox were playing on repeat for few days.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023) - 

By the end it would seem like a moralizing story on effects of smartphone & SM and all the lifestyle impacts it has brought. Albeit with a happy ending. A lot of situations, dialogues and punchlines had the heard/read feel. Its simplistic that way. Even with that, the movie was needed. Every gen needs its story documented and said.

In those terms it was an entertaining movie. Main 3 and all actors did a good job. Makers did the heavy duty part. The innumerable number of images and collages, scene snippets, means they arrange and shot so many. That's a lot of work.

KGHK Music is expectional & uncoventional. Some of the songs are running in loop on my devices.
"Hone Do Jo Hota Hai" earworm music by OAFF–Savera, sung by cant make sense-voice of Savera, Lothika Jha and lyrics by I-cant-believe-its Javed Akhtar.
"I Wanna See You Dance" - perfect dance number by Ankur Tewari, the reliable Sachin–Jigar and tricky voiced Saba Azad.
"Kho Gaye Hum Kahan" lyrics by Javed Akhtar & the exceptional Achint.

The title also brought back the Jasleen Royal's song "Kho Gaye Hum Kahan" from Baar Baar Dekho.

Archies - Set in 1964 and among Anglo-Indian community in a hill-station, is perfect setting to transport the American 1960s Archies. No cussing, no modern lingo, no phones & gadgets except Radio. I saw it twice just to live in the phone-free 60s Mumbai.

All youngster actors were good. Aditi Dot gave great music and sang well for the music, and shone in her speaking parts & scene. Vedang Raina has great presence - for his rough exterior he spoke in a very soft voice reminding of Ranveer Singh. Mihir & Vedang were right for their roles. Moose (Rudra) and Midge (Samantha Roach) were adorable and eye-catching even with limited speaking time. And it was so nice to see Tara Sharma, Koel Purie, Dilnaz and Kamal Siddhu (familiar but took time to remember cause her curly mane was locked in hats).

Music was all peppy, catchy and visually engrossing. Archies Jukebox is lengthy & great to play on repeat. Major reason are the peppy guitar riffs on foot-tapping music. And they danced well on skates.

This elaborate review says all what I would say.

This Zoya A interview on Deadline captures all I needed to know.

 She says the appeal of the comics is that they were a portal into the West at a time when India was still not totally liberalized and there was no cable and satellite TV to provide a window into the wider world. “It showed us everything about Western culture – how people dressed, what they were listening to, what food they were eating, so we all wanted burgers and milkshakes. But it was also wholesome and family-oriented, so nobody had a problem with children in India reading it.”

“I figured I wanted to take it back to that original naivety and innocence, so it had to be period, but it also had to resonate with a younger audience,” Akhtar says.

Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya - good watch in theatre. Catchy songs.

Dry Day - anything with the reliable Jeetu Bhaiya . And Shriya P is the reliable but not hyped actor with a huge kitty of work.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai - reason to see - Bajpayee and his courtroom scenes.

Crew - I wanted to see in theatre but ended up seeing on TV. It was definitely fun gals movie.

Sam Bahadur

Dono - refreshing take on rom-com.Fitted in the GenZ topics with GenZ actors.

Mast Mein Rehne Ka

Lapata Ladies 

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke - good one. Almost like a series for Luka Chuppi/ Always good to see Vicky & Sara.

Mr. & Mrs. Mahi

Ulajh - for Jhanvi & Roshan

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba - just cause its sequel and did not disappoint.

Khel Khel Mein - good one centered around group conversations in a closed room. And for Akshay.

CTRL - for Ananya. But did not like the dis ending.

Trial Period - for the best small budget and absolutely unrealistic escapism with endearing people and situations.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba - for that rare pulpy film.

Berlin - for Ishwak Singh & Aparshakthi

Khel Khel Mein - good drama of a group of people ina room discussing and story is revealed in layers.

Jaane Jaan 

Merry Christmas - for Katrina & Vijay Setupati

Sarfira - need reminders like these.

Jigra - The jail-breakout sequence was great.

ENGLISH

Trap - in theatre. 

A Haunting in Venice (2023) & Death on the Nile (2022)

Started the year with a back to back watching of newer Hercule Poirot movies, starring Kenneth Branagh. Worthy addition to the Agatha Christie & HP collection. Feeds the need.

Yesterday - I didn't have Beatles experience but now I am going to check all songs out now. Movie was very interestingly made with a sci-fi premise but no CGI at all, just storytelling and acting. Lot of suspense.

My Yearly Movies List here.

Waterfalls & Trails of Gerogia (2024)

I managed to fill in the gap of Race running life with Trail Hiking.

I joined a lovely hiking group Warrior Hikes. They organized all the events so well and the group made up of amazing ladies. Thanks to this group I got to see diff parts of Georgia. And a lovely pattern, that was we started this year in January with a Sunrise hike to top of Stone Mountain and ended with a Sunset hike at the same place in December.

Then I had individual hikes/walks with girlfriends at many nearby trails and greenways. What a mood-booster, those outings were.

Charleston Park Trail

Nov 23 (Sat) | Charleston Park Trail on AllTrails | 5850 Charleston Park Road Cumming, GA 30041

Hike Highlights: • Moderate hike through the woods by the lake • 5.3 miles

The route has direction arrows. They are in particular direction for walkers and bikers; and again on different days of the week. We were having too much fun and went round & round and did an extra mile unintentionally.

Cauley Creek Park 

Has a wonderful 5k path. Its made from the recycled tire chips. So the entire distance of 5k is soft & spongy. There is a bridge on the way with some lovely riiver view.

Gatlinburg in September

Lot of walking in the city. And went to a few waterfalls. Parking in their trailhead , during peak tourist season weekends, is a challenge and the only thing limiting the trail walks. Klingmans Dome was closed because of rains.

Sweetwater Creek Red and White Trail Loop Trailhead

10th August(Saturday) |  Address: 1750 Mt Vernon Rd, Lithia Springs, GA 30122 | All Trails

Hike Highlights: Moderate hike, 5.1 mile loop around meadows, vistas of rapids and waterfalls. There could be slippery and wet rocks. Need appropriate shoes. 

Parking Fee: $5 T

rail Length: 5.1 miles (Loop) Difficulty: Moderate Hike

Preachers Rock Trail

14 April 2024 | Trailhead Address: Preachers Rock Trailhead, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Cleveland, GA 30528 

Trail Length: 2 miles (Out & Back) | Difficulty: Moderate Hike | All Trails 

Hike Highlights: A moderate hike with a steep climb towards the tail end. You will be greeted by stunning views of the appalachian at the top. 

A mile walk takes you to the view of mountains & valleys. Path has lot of roots & rocks and not hard, rewarding with beauty at the top.

 

New Orleans

Woldenberg Riverfront

Metairie Bucktown

Mt.Yonah Trail

24 March 2024 | Trailhead Address: Mount Yonah Trailhead, GA-75, Cleveland, GA 30528 

Hike Highlights: A challenging hike but the view on top makes it worth the climb. 

Trail Length: 4.1 miles (Out & Back) | Difficulty: Hard | All Trails

Island Ford Trail

24 Feb 2024 | Trailhead Address: Hewlett Lodge Visitor Center, 1978 Island Ford Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30350 

Trail Length: 5.8 miles loop trail | Difficulty: Moderate | All Trails

Stone Mountain

Sunrise Time: 28-Jan 7:36 AM  & Sunset Time: 7-Dec 5:36 pm

Trailhead Address: Confederate Hall Parking Lot, Robert E Lee Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA 30083 

All Trails | Trail Length: 2.1 miles (uphill walk) 

Difficult with a steep section towards the mountain top. It was around 50°F in the morning. Previous week it had rained everyday but none this morning. 

2024 TV & OTT Shows

When main characters drama takes over the season & relegates individual episode mystery, that where I draw the line & give up a show. But this year did rolled out good worthwhile TV shows & Web-series for watching.

Shekar Home - Hindi series of 6 episodes set in Bengali milieu, characters from Sherlock Holmes and then 2 of them twisted to something new. Something good like this, after a long time.

Gyaarah Gyaarh - good watch because the 3 main characters and dialogs of everyone else. Dark music and settings and pace like a Korean crime show (this also being a remake of such). Set in beautiful & intriguing Uttarakhand.

Life Hill Gayi - Again set in a beautiful version of Uttarakhand, comedy and interesting series.

Mamla Legal Hai - Don't go by first impression or trailer. The crude language only for masala, else the show is sophisticated. Its not the sarcasm-comedy like Office Office; which I found negative. This is still hopeful and fixes things in the show. Multitude of characters and each one of them unique. 

Railway Men (Netflix) - Not an easy watch because of the topic but they filmed it well. No melodrama but the real life tragedy is enough to choke us. They did not use any routine manipulative tools to play with audience emotions. Main characters all acted well. Every role was well etched. Last episode should real pictures for the scenes enacted. 

Kaalkoot - After Dahaad, there was craving for more Vijay Verma show. So this show would do; more for his acting cause here he is the police and not the criminal. Since this was on Jio, it must have had limited audience. Starts slow, first 2 episodes were spent in establishing some angst that I did not get nor want to see more of. Thankfully by Episode 3 that part was given up for the more mainstream crime & police procedural. Among the unique aspects, Tigmanshu Dulia reciting Hindi poetry at different points.

Panchayat S4 - such craze. Good o see the S4 and then contious watch of clippings in all video SMs.

Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam - and continued the craze with its Tamil version

High Potential S1
Matlock S1
Elsbeth S1 & S2
For that dose of episodic mystery solving by quirky detective/main-char.

Reacher S2 (Prime) Loved the S1, was happy with the S2 and waiting for S3. For an action show it has a serene, very calming effect, that's the way it’s laid out . Good set of actors and characters. Slowburn without anyway pshyco thriller.

Young Sheldon - wrapped up. Very emotional few weeks. I did skip the last 2 episodes once I came to know what happens there. 

Lethal Weapons - TV series from 2016-19; a takeoff from the movies. Good for daily 1 episode watch  Absolutely unbelievable event that can occur in USA  that’s why it’s good for ppl missing 90s entertainments 

3 Body Problem - Alien & Space Sci-fi. First 4 episodes had VR game with a level of voilence but otherwise very very impressive. Ep 5 was booring for the 3/4 part with all Lord business & I was wondering why I was watching. Then came the cruel massacre in the most non-atmosphere setting. It lasted like 10 minutes, I covered my eyes for most part and still spent all night in nightmares. Last 3 episodes were a windup, establishing that every character, even he slacker, had a role to play in the eventual.

Murder at the End of the World (Hulu) - Slow burn. No pshy thriller. Tundra landscape & locked indoors atmosphere . Add contemporary technology elements. Emma Cotton acting & diction are A1.

Murdoch Mysteries S17 & S18 for the usual comfort watch.

Crown (Netflix)- finally wrapped up the final season. I would watch one episode per month almost. The production quality needs every scene to be soaked in. The story and characters need scenes to be paused and verified on wiki. Crown is an experience.

I have never been a fan of D even in the 90s but couldn’t figure why. In the 2020s I can say that even with the privileges she had she didn’t behave like she should have. Definitely C behaved bad with her; no doubt. But she didn’t do anything for herself. Ofcourse I say this all the time current worlds knowledge, guts, & 45+ age wisdom. Things she in 80s didn’t have. Things almost all 70s-80s wives were trapped in. But I am sure ladies of 80s did something for themselves. D did do a lot of charity and was busy with it. Media just portrayed the dissatisfaction part a lot.

But I am happy with the way they wrapped up the show for Queen. It was appropriate and good quality cinema & writing.

This Fool (Hulu) S1 was hilarious. S2 switched the situation for both and I lost my interest.

Bear (Hulu) Watched S1 and tapered off with S2. This show is for leisure playtime and cool work in background. But I lost my setup for it.

Quantum Leap (Peacock) My s ci-fi dose to watch with kids. They did this well. Its a weekly one episode kind of show.

Ghosts (US) Its on S4 and no flaw yet.

Silos (Apple+)

Bollywood Wives vs Fabulous Wives - Just to see ladies gang in action.

Call Me Bae - for Anaya. But I couldn't figure what the tone of the show was it was very uneven across different episodes. Like writer department was a mix of RajKHirani & KanikaD

Books 2024

This is it I think. I picked up numerous, numerous books from the library this year and returned most unread or after the first few pages. No guilt as well. So I am in Stage 6 of this graph by cartoonist Grant Snider. Again actually.

Most were fiction of different genres like YA, romcom. I just couldn't plod through them. Story line wise I could predict them, or couldn't bear to feel those mundane ones ; the been-there-done-that ones. But its also about some of the authors. They have nothing new to offer - either in terms of story, or sub-plots or presentation or even language. Like they say in vernacular - everyone is getting published now.

Stages of the Reader (by Grant Snider)

With that, I might have to shift to non-fiction big time. And also reshuffle my time to be able to focus on those book; given that NF needs more focus than interesting Fic. I have a handy list of authors I want to read further; I just need to create a schedule for order & read.

100 Things We've Lost to the Internet - by Pamela Paul 

When I picked up the book, I assumed it would be a text version of that meme picture - shows camera, calendar, alarm clock, boombox etc on a table, all objects which got replaced by Smartphone.

But this book was much more than that. It has 2-3 page essays on numerous social and individual behaviors and traits that have changed with the spread of smartphone and apps.

I ended up buying a copy of this book.

For the First Time, Again (2023) - by Sylvain Neuvel

Last in the Trilogy and a neat finish to it. In appendix, he added the much needed list of all 200+ Kibsu, coz I was mulling over them. They were short but captivating portion of the novels. And a bonus chapter which ties this trilogy to the other one. 

Basically I have read all 6 of his books in 2 years.

Did I say, SN is my fav recent sci-fi writer.

God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee – by Michaele Weissman 

That was interesting non-fiction, all about coffee giving a tour from the specialty coffee shops in US to their sourcing from South America and Africa. Characters were the author and the coffee owners & distributors she travelled with to the different continents for auctions.

Older Reading lists:  Entire Book list  

Dubai in December

Spent a few days around the New Years in Dubai. This was our first visit. We were dazzled by the newer and shiny buildings everywhere.

Before Day 1, I was apprehensive of dress code - both weather wise & culturally. Turns out I was mistaken. Dubai turned out to be mid-way between India & US - midway in every way. In December, the temps were 18C to 22C; very pleasant, never cold or hot. And the general crowd was touristy, well-groomed, dressed in the fashionable western styles.

December turned out to the be most pleasant & costliest time to visit Dubai.

Gevora Hotel

We stayed on Al Zayed stretch in Genova Hotel.

Heavy traffic but always flowing. Taxies and app based cars abound. Food, restaurants, pharmacy everywhere. Dotted lines on road. become wavier near the stop. First I thought melted tar because of heat. Turned out that,s the pattern everywhere.

Metro line right outside the hotel. Wonderful view of Dubai. Got to see the Bean-shaped The Museum of The Future in Dubai at Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai Frame through all our drives around the city.

Vape & Shikha & smoke everywhere. Smell overload with cigarettes, perfumes, room freshener & car smoke etc. Remember to bring your inhaler if you need it.

Gold Souk in Old Dubai

Sight to behold - with gold on display everywhere. Shops in 2-3 streets.

We did the showy Turkish ice-cream experience here. The adjoining streets are all kinds of souk - Mattress souk, etc. Reminded of Cottonpet-Chickpet area near State Bank & Majestic of Bangalore.

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is easy to get lost in. No markers or maps. Go at your own risk or if you just want to get lost & spend relaxing time. 

For New Years viewing, we walked from the Hotel to the mall. Traffic had been stopped and taxis stopped ferrying by noon itself.

Large crowds this time as Sharjah fireworks were cancelled. Spent the entire half of the day waiting for midnight. It was fun with the crowds.

And we were rewarded with an heartwarming fireworks & laser display on Bruj Khalifa.

Burj Khalifa

Tour to the observatory for a birds eye view of Dubai.

Dubai Marina

Visited the marina for a booked yacht tour. 

The tour took us our of the area and around Palm Jumeriah and lobal village.

It became dark & night while returning. So got the night view of the places as well.

Very enjoyable tour.

Abu Dhabi

We took a day trip to Abu Dhabi city and visited the sights.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque - largest mosque in the region and beautifully made.

Royal Palace.

Beautiful memories

Waterfalls & Trails of Gerogia (2023)

I managed to visited numerous Waterfalls & Trails of Georgia in 2023. For comparison, all State Parks have an entrance fee, something that's not up North. But in the South, we can visit all year round without freezing off, atleast when not slippery. Here are my notes on 7 of these places.

(1) Amicalola Falls & Trails

There are 3 major overlook points for Amicalola. If with family, its faster to drive up to each of those points.

Trails between these points are completely uphill with safe steps built in. I am yet to explore the trails. Someday.

Beautiful view from the Lodge, of Fall sunset.

(2) Anna Ruby Falls & Unchoi State Park

Anna Ruby falls is somewhere near Helen. It has ample parking area with all facilities. Then a walk up to the falls. Though they have a closing time of 5pm - something that brings out a shrug & surprise.

Next, drive down to Unchoi State Park beach. Great place on a hot day.

(3) Tallulah Gorge State Park

Now this was a unique experience. Rec center is at the top of the mountain. There are numerous overlooks giving gorgeous views of the Gorge from different angles. 

Then its the thousand steps taking down to the bridge and further down the Gorge. 

We went here during the Thanksgiving week. There are campgrounds here too, I want to explore camping here someday.

(4) Sweet Creek Trails

What a fun day it was ! Went there impromptu with a friend. Turns out a lot of Hunger Games & other  movie shooting happened in this park.

We picked the White Trail 5M loop, as that was the only open one that day. Most beautiful woods.

At exactly the mid-point, there is water; stream with lot of stones. Perfect for pictures.. 

We stopped every few meters for pictures. That's why it took nearly 2 & half hour to complete the 5 miles.

(5) Cauley Creek

Address: 7255 Bell Road

It was a bit hard to find. GPS doesn't take us to the entrance of the park, to its parking lot, let alone to the walking trail. But when I eventually found it, oh what a perfect trail it was.

The route was exactly 5K loop. The trail was made of soft rubber material; extremely gentle on treads & knees. Took through lovely varying views, including a bridge with enchanting river view.

(6) Jones Bridge Trail - part of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Address: Jones Bridge Unit Access Rd, Jones Creek, GA 30022

Went in Nov 2022 and again in February 2023. In the Fall, the drive through the Reserve was gorgeous fall colors. And in Spring, the driving route to the Reserve was lovely, with multiple trees with white Dogwood flowers.

One of the first trails I went to. It has a $5 entrance fee. The very beginning has a lovely step down to the river. It was briming that day, after a week of rain.

The path then takes through heavy overgrowth and almost slippery clay path. Then at a mile point, goes through woods, a sort uphill, to cross-over to the other side of woods. 

Fun path.

(7) Indian Seats, Suwanee Mountain

Address: 2500 Bettis Tribble Gap Rd, Cumming, GA 30040. 

Went in Oct 2022 and then again in February 2023 on a warm afternoon and was greeted with a magnificent view at the top of the mountain.

It has the perfect parking lot.

This trail is marked strongly by incline. The path winds up the mountain, but gradually so. Its completely clay path. This trail is the one that convinced me to buy dedicated hiking shoes - the ones with spikes on sole for grip.

This is the trail that got me into Hiking Georgia; so I love it so.