500 Songs

The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
Posted Dec 09, 2004 12:00 AM
1. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
2. Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
3. Imagine, John Lennon
4. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
5. Respect, Aretha Franklin
6. Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
7. Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
8. Hey Jude, The Beatles
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
10. What'd I Say, Ray Charles
11. My Generation, The Who
12. A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
13. Yesterday, The Beatles
14. Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan
15. London Calling, The Clash
16. I Want to Hold Your Hand, The Beatles
17. Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
18. Maybellene, Chuck Berry
19. Hound Dog, Elvis Presley
20. Let It Be, The Beatles
21. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
22. Be My Baby, The Ronettes
23. In My Life, The Beatles
24. People Get Ready, The Impressions
25. God Only Knows, The Beach Boys
26. A Day in the Life, The Beatles
27. Layla, Derek and the Dominos
28. (Sittin on) the Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
29. Help!, The Beatles
30. I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
31. Stairway To Heaven, Led Zeppelin
32. Sympathy for the Devil, The Rolling Stones
33. River Deep - Mountain High, Ike and Tina Turner
34. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', The Righteous Brothers
35. Light My Fire, The Doors
36. One, U2
37. No Woman, No Cry, Bob Marley and the Wailers
38. Gimme Shelter, The Rolling Stones
39. That'll Be the Day, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
40. Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas
41. The Weight, The Band
42. Waterloo Sunset, The Kinks
43. Tutti-Frutti, Little Richard
44. Georgia on My Mind, Ray Charles
45. Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis Presley
46. Heroes, David Bowie
47. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
48. All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
49. Hotel California, The Eagles
50. The Tracks of My Tears, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
51. The Message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
52. When Doves Cry, Prince
53. Anarchy in the U.K., The Sex Pistols
54. When a Man Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge
55. Louie Louie, The Kingsmen
56. Long Tall Sally, Little Richard
57. Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harum
58. Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
59. The Times They Are A-Changin', Bob Dylan
60. Let's Stay Together, Al Green
61. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On, Jerry Lee Lewis
62. Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley
63. For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield
64. She Loves You, The Beatles
65. Sunshine of Your Love, Cream
66. Redemption Song, Bob Marley and the Wailers
67. Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley
68. Tangled Up in Blue, Bob Dylan
69. Crying, Roy Orbison
70. Walk On By, Dionne Warwick
71. California Girls, The Beach Boys
72. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, James Brown
73. Summertime Blues, Eddie Cochran
74. Superstition, Stevie Wonder
75. Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin
76. Strawberry Fields Forever,The Beatles
77. Mystery Train, Elvis Presley
78. I Got You (I Feel Good), James Brown
79. Mr. Tambourine Man, The Byrds
80. I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Marvin Gaye
81. Blueberry Hill, Fats Domino
82. You Really Got Me, The Kinks
83. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), The Beatles
84. Every Breath You Take, The Police
85. Crazy, Patsy Cline
86. Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen
87. Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
88. My Girl, The Temptations
89. California Dreamin', The Mamas and The Papas
90. In the Still of the Nite, The Five Satins
91. Suspicious Minds, Elvis Presley
92. Blitzkrieg Bop, Ramones
93. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2
94. Good Golly, Miss Molly, Little Richard
95. Blue Suede Shoes, Carl Perkins
96. Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis
97. Roll Over Beethoven, Chuck Berry
98. Love and Happiness, Al Green
99. Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival
100. You Can't Always Get What You Want, The Rolling Stones
101. Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Jimi Hendrix
102. Be-Bop-A-Lula, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
103. Hot Stuff, Donna Summer
104. Living for the City, Stevie Wonder
105. The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkel
106. Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan
107. Not Fade Away, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
108. Little Red Corvette, Prince
109. Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
110. I've Been Loving You Too Long (to Stop Now), Otis Redding
111. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Hank Williams
112. That's All Right, Elvis Presley
113. Up on the Roof, The Drifters
114. Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home), The Crystals
115. You Send Me, Sam Cooke
116. Honky Tonk Women, The Rolling Stones
117. Take Me to the River , Al Green
118. Shout (Parts 1 and 2)], The Isley Brothers
119. Go Your Own Way, Fleetwood Mac
120. I Want You Back, The Jackson 5
121. Stand By Me, Ben E. King
122. House of the Rising Sun, The Animals
123. It's a Man's Man's Man's World, James Brown
124. Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones
125. Will You Love Me Tomorrow, The Shirelles
126. Shake, Rattle & Roll, Big Joe Turner
127. Changes, David Bowie
128. Rock & Roll Music, Chuck Berry
129. Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf
130. Maggie May, Rod Stewart
131. With or Without You, U2
132. Who Do You Love, Bo Diddley
133. Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who
134. In the Midnight Hour, Wilson Pickett
135. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, The Beatles
136. Your Song, Elton John
137. Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles
138. Family Affair, Sly and the Family Stone
139. I Saw Her Standing There, The Beatles
140. Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
141. All I Have to Do Is Dream, The Everly Brothers
142. Please, Please, Please, James Brown
143. Purple Rain, Prince
144. I Wanna Be Sedated, The Ramones
145. Everyday People, Sly and the Family Stone
146. Rock Lobster, The B-52's
147. Lust for Life, Iggy Pop
148. Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
149. Cathy's Clown, The Everly Brothers
150. Eight Miles High, The Byrds
151. Earth Angel, The Penguins
152. Foxey Lady, Jimi Hendrix
153. A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
154. Rave On, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
155. Proud Mary, Creedence Clearwater Revival
156. The Sounds of Silence, Simon and Garfunkel
157. I Only Have Eyes for You, The Flamingos
158. (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley and His Comets
159. I'm Waiting for the Man, The Velvet Underground
160. Bring the Noise, Public Enemy
161. I Can't Stop Loving You, Ray Charles
162. Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor
163. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
164. Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
165. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
166. Lose Yourself , Eminem
167. Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye
168. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, The Temptations
169. Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
170. Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell
171. Dancing Queen, Abba
172. Dream On, Aerosmith
173. God Save the Queen, The Sex Pistols
174. Paint It, Black, The Rolling Stones
175. I Fought the Law, The Bobby Fuller Four
176. Don't Worry Baby, The Beach Boys
177. Free Fallin', Tom Petty
178. September Gurls, Big Star
179. Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division
180. Hey Ya!, Outkast
181. Green Onions, Booker T. and the MG's
182. Save the Last Dance for Me, The Drifters
183. The Thrill Is Gone, B.B. King
184. Please Please Me, The Beatles
185. Desolation Row, Bob Dylan
186. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Aretha Franklin
187. Back in Black, AC/DC
188. Who'll Stop the Rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival
189. Stayin' Alive, The Bee Gees
190. Knocking on Heaven's Door, Bob Dylan
191. Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd
192. Wichita Lineman, Glen Campbell
193. There Goes My Baby, The Drifters
194. Peggy Sue, Buddy Holly
195. Maybe, The Chantels
196. Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns N' Roses
197. Don't Be Cruel, Elvis Presley
198. Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix
199. Flash Light, Parliament
200. Loser, Beck
201. Bizarre Love Triangle, New Order
202. Come Together, The Beatles
203. Positively 4th Street, Bob Dylan
204. Try a Little Tenderness, Otis Redding
205. Lean On Me, Bill Withers
206. Reach Out, I'll Be There, The Four Tops
207. Bye Bye Love, The Everly Brothers
208. Gloria, Them
209. In My Room, The Beach Boys
210. 96 Tears, ? and the Mysterians
211. Caroline, No, The Beach Boys
212. 1999, Prince
213. Your Cheatin' Heart, Hank Williams
214. Rockin' in the Free World, Neil Young
215. Sh-Boom, The Chords
216. Do You Believe in Magic, The Lovin' Spoonful
217. Jolene, Dolly Parton
218. Boom Boom, John Lee Hooker
219. Spoonful, Howlin' Wolf
220. Walk Away Renee, he Left Banke
221. Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed
222. Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
223. Dance to the Music, Sly and the Family Stone
224. Good Times, Chic
225. Hoochie Coochie Man, Muddy Waters
226. Moondance, Van Morrison
227. Fire and Rain, James Taylor
228. Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash
229. Mannish Boy, Muddy Waters
230. Just Like a Woman, Bob Dylan
231. Sexual Healing, Marvin Gaye
232. Only the Lonely, Roy Orbison
233. We Gotta Get Out of This Place, The Animals
234. I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, The Byrds
235. I Got a Woman, Ray Charles
236. Everyday, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
237. Planet Rock, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force
238. I Fall to Pieces, Patsy Cline
239. The Wanderer, Dion
240. Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield
241. Stand!, Sly and the Family Stone
242. Rocket Man, Elton John
243. Love Shack, The B-52's
244. Gimme Some Lovin', The Spencer Davis Group
245. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Band
246. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Jackie Wilson
247. Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly and the Family Stone
248. Rappers Delight, The Sugarhill Gang
249. Chain of Fools, Aretha Franklin
250. Paranoid, Black Sabbath
251. Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin
252. Money Honey, The Drifters
253. All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople
254. Highway to Hell, AC/DC
255. Heart of Glass, Blondie
256. Paranoid Android, Radiohead
257. Wild Thing, The Troggs
258. I Can See for Miles, The Who
259. Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley
260. Oh, What a Night, The Dells
261. Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder
262. Ooo Baby Baby, Smokey Robinson
263. He's a Rebel, The Crystals
264. Sail Away, Randy Newman
265. Tighten Up, Archie Bell and the Drells
266. Walking in the Rain, The Ronettes
267. Personality Crisis, New York Dolls
268. Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2
269. Roadrunner, The Modern Lovers
270. He Stopped Loving Her Today, George Jones
271. Sloop John B, The Beach Boys
272. Sweet Little Sixteen, Chuck Berry
273. Something, The Beatles
274. Somebody to Love, Jefferson Airplane
275. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
276. I'll Take You There, The Staple Singers
277. Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie
278. Pictures of You, The Cure
279. Chapel of Love, The Dixie Cups
280. Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers
281. You Are the Sunshine of My Life, Stevie Wonder
282. Help Me, Joni Mitchell
283. Call Me, Blondie
284. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding?, Elvis Costello and the Attractions
285. Smoke Stack Lightning, Howlin' Wolf
286. Summer Babe, Pavement
287. Walk This Way, Run-DMC
288. Money (That's What I Want), Barrett Strong
289. Can't Buy Me Love, The Beatles
290. Stan, Eminem featuring Dido
291. She's Not There, The Zombies
292. Train in Vain, The Clash
293. Tired of Being Alone, Al Green
294. Black Dog, Led Zeppelin
295. Street Fighting Man, The Rolling Stones
296. Get Up, Stand Up, Bob Marley and the Wailers
297. Heart of Gold, Neil Young
298. One Way or Another, Blondie
299. Sign 'O' the Times, Prince
300. Like a Prayer, Madonna
301. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Rod Stewart
302. Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain, Willie Nelson
303. Ruby Tuesday, The Rolling Stones
304. With a Little Help From My Friends, The Beatles
305. Say It Loud -- I'm Black and Proud, James Brown
306. That's Entertainment, The Jam
307. Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
308. Lonely Teardrops, Jackie Wilson
309. What's Love Got To Do With It, Tina Turner
310. Iron Man, Black Sabbath
311. Wake Up Little Susie, The Everly Brothers
312. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
313. I Put a Spell on You, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
314. Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd
315. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, The Animals
316. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
317. Many Rivers to Cross, Jimmy Cliff
318. Alison, Elvis Costello
319. School's Out, Alice Cooper
320. Heartbreaker, Led Zeppelin
321. Cortez the Killer, Neil Young
322. Fight the Power, Public Enemy
323. Dancing Barefoot, Patti Smith Group
324. Baby Love, The Supremes
325. Good Lovin', The Young Rascals
326. Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, James Brown
327. For Your Precious Love, Jerry Butler and the Impressions
328. The End, The Doors
329. That's the Way of the World, Earth, Wind and Fire
330. We Will Rock You, Queen
331. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt
332. Subterranean Homesick Blues, Bob Dylan
333. Spirit in the Sky, Norman Greenbaum
334. Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones
335. Sweet Jane, The Velvet Underground
336. Walk This Way, Aerosmith
337. Beat It, Michael Jackson
338. Maybe I'm Amazed, Paul McCartney
339. You Keep Me Hanging On, The Supremes
340. Baba O'Riley, The Who
341. The Harder They Come, Jimmy Cliff
342. Runaround Sue, Dion
343. Jim Dandy, Lavern Baker
344. Piece of My Heart, Big Brother and the Holding Company
345. La Bamba, Ritchie Valens
346. California Love, Dr. Dre and 2Pac
347. Candle in the Wind, Elton John
348. That Lady (Part 1 and 2), The Isley Brothers
349. Spanish Harlem, Ben E. King
350. The Locomotion, Little Eva
351. The Great Pretender, The Platters
352. All Shook Up, Elvis Presley
353. Tears in Heaven, Eric Clapton
354. Watching the Detectives, Elvis Costello
355. Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival
356. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Eurythmics
357. Little Wing, Jimi Hendrix
358. Nowhere to Run, Martha and the Vandellas
359. Got My Mojo Working, Muddy Waters
360. Killing Me Softly With His Song, Roberta Flack
361. Complete Control, The Clash
362. All You Need Is Love, The Beatles
363. The Letter, The Box Tops
364. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
365. Unchained Melody, The Righteous Brothers
366. How Deep Is Your Love, The Bee Gees
367. White Room, Cream
368. Personal Jesus, Depeche Mode
369. I'm A Man, Bo Diddley
370. The Wind Cries Mary, Jimio Hendriz
371. I Can't Explain, The Who
372. Marquee Moon, Television
373. Wonderful World, Sam Cooke
374. Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Chuck Berry
375. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, Pink Floyd
376. Fake Plastic Trees,Radiohead
377. Hit the Road Jack, Ray Charles
378. Pride (In The Name of Love), U2
379. Radio Free Europe, R.E.M.
380. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
381. Tell It Like It Is, Aaron Neville
382. Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Verve
383. Whipping Post, The Allman Brothers Band
384. Ticket to Ride, The Beatles
385. Ohio, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
386. I Know You Got Soul, Eric B and Rakim
387. Tiny Dancer, Elton John
388. Roxanne, The Police
389. Just My Imagination, The Temptations
390. Baby I Need Your Loving, The Four Tops
391. Band of Gold, Freda Payne
392. O-o-h Child, The Five Stairsteps
393. Summer in the City, The Lovin' Spoonful
394. Can't Help Falling in Love, Elvis Presley
395. Remember (Walkin' in the Sand), The Shangri-Las
396. Thirteen, Big Star
397. (Don't Fear) the Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult
398. Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd
399. Enter Sandman, Metallica
400. Kicks, Paul Revere and the Raiders
401. Tonight's the Night, The Shirelles
402. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), Sly & the Family Stone
403. C'mon Everybody, Eddie Cochran
404. Visions of Johanna, Bob Dylan
405. We've Only Just Begun, The Carpenters
406. I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly
407. In Bloom, Nirvana
408. Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith
409. Crossroads, Cream
410. Monkey Gone to Heaven, Pixies
411. I Feel Love, Donna Summer
412. Ode to Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry
413. The Girl Can't Help It, Little Richard
414. Young Blood, The Coasters
415. I Can't Help Myself, The Four Tops
416. The Boys of Summer, Don Henley
417. Fuck tha Police, N.W.A.
418. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Crosby, Stills and Nash
419. Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang, Dr. Dre
420. It's Your Thing, The Isley Brothers
421. Piano Man, Billy Joel
422. Lola, The Kinks
423. Blue Suede Shoes, Elvis Presley
424. Tumbling Dice, The Rolling Stones
425. William, It Was Really Nothing, The Smiths
426. Smoke on the Water, Deep Purple
427. New Year's Day, U2
428. Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
429. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Solomon Burke
430. White Man in Hammersmith Palais, The Clash
431. Ain't It a Shame, Fats Domino
432. Midnight Train to Georgia, Gladys Knight and the Pips
433. Ramble On, Led Zeppelin
434. Mustang Sally, Wilson Pickett
435. Beast of Burden, The Rolling Stones
436. Alone Again Or, Love
437. Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley
438. I Wanna Be Your Dog, The Stooges
439. Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp
440. Push It, Salt-n-Pepa
441. Come Go With Me, The Del-Vikings
442. Keep a Knockin', Little Richard
443. I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley and the Whailers
444. I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher
445. Come As You Are, Nirvana
446. Pressure Drop, Toot and the Maytals
447. Leader of the Pack, The Shangri-Las
448. Heroin, The Velvet Underground
449. Penny Lane, The Beatles
450. By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Glem Campbell
451. The Twist, Chubby Checker
452. Cupid, Sam Cooke
453. Paradise City, Guns n' Roses
454. My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
455. All Apologies, Nirvana
456. Stagger Lee, Lloyd Price
457. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker, Ramones
458. Soul Man, Sam and Dave
459. Rollin' Stone, Muddy Waters
460. One Fine Day, The Chiffons
461. Kiss, Prince
462. Respect Yourself, The Staple Singers
463. Rain, The Beatles
464. Standing in the Shadows of Love, The Four Tops
465. Surrender, Cheap Trick
466. Runaway, Del Shannon
467. Welcome to the Jungle, Guns n' Roses
468. Search and Destroy, The Stooges
469. It's Too Late, Carole King
470. Free Man in Paris, Joni Mitchell
471. On the Road Again, Willie Nelson
472. Where Did Our Love Go, The Supremes
473. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man, Aretha Franklin
474. One Nation Under a Groove, Funkadelic
475. Sabotage, Beastie Boys
476. I Want to Know What Love Is,Foreigner
477. Super Freak, Rick James
478. White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane
479. Lady Marmalade, Labelle
480. Into the Mystic, Van Morrison
481. Young Americans, David Bowie
482. I'm Eighteen, Alice Cooper
483. Just Like Heaven, The Cure
484. I Love Rock 'N Roll, Joan Jett
485. Graceland, Paul Simon
486. How Soon Is Now?, The Smiths
487. Under the Boardwalk, The Drifters
488. Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win), Fleetwood Mac
489. I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
490. Brown Sugar, The Rolling Stones
491. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Dusty Springfield
492. Running on Empty, Jackson Browne
493. Then He Kissed Me, The Crystals
494. Desperado, The Eagles
495. Shop Around, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
496. Miss You, The Rolling Stones
497. Buddy Holly, Weezer
498. Rainy Night in Georgia, Brook Benton
499. The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy
500. More Than a Feeling, Boston

A Tale of Passion

Unfaithful



Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Diane Lane (Connie Sumner), Erik Per Sullivan (Charlie Sumner), Richard Gere (Ed Sumner), Olivier Martinez (Paul Martel)
Probably you'd appreciate the film more if you see its Hindi rip-off 'Murder' first. Starring sex-siren Mallika Sherawat, - with all her oomph affect, she is not a patch on Diane Lane, as the film is not one per cent authentic to the original
Authentic is probably the right word. Agreed, the way the wife meets her lover and the way she gets embroiled, it sounds a bit contrived - but the emotion the characters portray are real, even the passion-filled love-making scenes, they do not aim at sleaze, but is filled with emotions, the need and the forces of desire.
They are happily-married couple - but without much love happening between them. Soon the wife meets a Casanova and is swayed by the forces of torrid love.
After a while when she realises what she has done, things are already beyond her control. He husband returns back to her, and se wants to return too, but the lover is not yet done with her.
A classic situation.
What would you do in real life if such things happened. You'd file for a divorce, of course. but not here. Here the good old husband sticks his neck for his unfaithful wife.
The love scenes may be a big crowd-puller, but watch the film for Lane's Oscar-nominated performance of a woman torn between passion and duty...

Modern Allegory

The X-Men series (2000-2006)



Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman (Logan / Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (Eric Lensherr / Mag-neto), Famke Janssen (Jean Grey), James Marsden (Scott Sum-mers / Cyclops), Halle Berry (Ororo Munroe / Storm), Anna Paquin (Rogue / Marie D'Ancanto)

They are superheroes. But you love them not because of their power, but because of their status. They are mutants, a minority among the normal folks of the world. Nowhere probably a direc-tor's sexual orientation so flawlessly merged with the tone of the film he's directing. The mutant and their fight for acceptance can be read as an allegory for the rights of the queer people.
Director Bryan Singer and the aggressive anti-hero of the piece Magneto, essayed by Ian McKellen are both avowed homosexual, and that give's the series its credibility.
The series, adopted from the famous Marvel comics, is an ac-tion-adventure saga of a group of people with advanced genes and with queer unique powers. And all of them are fighting for their rights, though through different means, magneto violently and Dr Xaviers with compassion and patience. And after all the action and adventure, what really matters is whether you have accepted yourself even if the world around you would never do the same.
This is the central message of the series of the three film X-Men, X-Men United and The Last Stand -- that friendship endures, and if you together and if take a stand, even the minority has the chance to see another day of freedom and choice.

Another trip to Middle-earth

The Children of Hurin

The Children of Hurin
Writen by JRR Tolkien
Edited by Christopher Tolkien
HarperCollins, 2007
The book is for the new fans of JRR Tolkien who can't get enough of the master, and the fans of Peter Jackson film who would like to know more about Middle-earth. The credit goes to Christopher Tolkien for arranging another trip to Middle-earth, especially so many years after the master's death.
For a Tolkien fan, the legend of Turin is not new. It appears, al-beit in a smaller version, in The Silmarilion. Yet the complete narrative, within the covers of a single book is quintessential Tolkien. You have the signs of the master all over -- the mighty enemy Morgoth, the original master of the Dark Lord Sauron, the vast landscape of the Elven realms, staggering battles and a hero who is doomed forever.
After the battle of Unnumbered Tears, all Morgoth's enemies are defeated. Hurin, Lord of Dor-lomien is captured alive and is presented before the Dark Lord. But Hurin refuses to Morgoth's bidding, to tell him the secret passways of Gondolin, the Elvish kingdom.
Thereupon, Morgoth puts a curse upon Hurin and his family, to be chased by the dark shadows of the dark lord himself.
What follows is the unfortunate tale of Turin, Hurin's son, his mother Morwen and sister Nienor.
Though the narrative has the epic sweep, it is not as detailed as 'The Lord of the Ring' or 'The Hobbit'; Tolkien wrote the book as the synopsis of a far grander tale, and it shows. Yet, the book is filled with heroism and pathos, and people distinctly from the first age of Middle-earth, some three thousand years before the battle of the ring, told in 'The Lord of the Ring'.
So, we meet Turin Turambar, the unfortunate, the accursed, who travel from his own kingdom to Doriath, the Elvish realm, the joins a band of outlaws, later joined by his friend Beleg, trav-els to another Elvish kingdom to see it fall, goes back to Dor-lomien to find his mother and his sister, who he has never seen, returns to the woods of Beleriath, and there by the crooked plans of the Dragon, Morgoth's servant, meets his sister without realis-ing who she was, marries her and kills the dragon, before realis-ing what he had done. Nienor flings herself into the river and Tu-rin kills himself.
The story has the fodder of a Shakespearean tragedy and Tolkien tells the story with such warmth that you live the story all along with the unfortunate Turin and his many misdaven-tures.
A must for all Tolkien fans and a must for those who dig fantasy literature.

The Creator

Monkey Business

University Hostel

Hostel Number 2, University of Pune, Ganeshkhind, Pune 007
The place where I spend the year 1998-99.

Chatustrungi Temple

Illuminating Glory, The Chatusrungi Temple, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune

Ellora Caves

The beautiful Ellora caves of Aurangabad, in Maharashtra...

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License to Wed
Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Starring: Robin Williams (Reverend Frank), Mandy Moore (Sadie Jones), John Krasinski (Ben Murphy)
It was supposed to be Robin Williams' comeback film. Well, it turned out another B-grade rom-com, where Williams' character reverend Frank dishes out the recipe of true love, albeit in his own disastrous fashion. Unfortunately, however, Williams is not funny, and at times he acts and behaves rather obnoxious, as he spies upon the private life of a couple.
The couple in question, Mandy Moore with a frowning face and her beau John Krasinski, the only person who is actually living upto the expectations, wants to get married. But before that they must take the pre-marriage course, which proves disastrous from the world go.
No prize for guessing the end...

Reality bytes

Enemy of the State


Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Will Smith (Robert Clayton Dean), Gene Hackman (Brill), Jon Voight (Reynolds), Lisa Bonet (Rachel Banks), Regina King (Carla Dean)
Sometimes Hollywood displays this uncanny knack for predicting the future - how the state of politics and world would turn up in the future. In danzel Washington starrer The Siege, it was about the Islamic terrorists in New York city much before the actual events of 9/11 happened. And uncannily, it happened pretty much the same way!
In this film, the issue is the government's right to intrude into a citizen's privacy. Post 9/11, the issue has taken the shape of a enormous proportion with everyone having an opinion about it. Though Tonny Scott's film is a thriller, it pretty much brings forth the issue in question: how power corrupts, and you can win over your adversary only when you play according to their terms.
One senator is in favour of the privacy bill (Jon Voight), other isn't (Jason Robards). So the pro kills the other. The actions get recorded into a video-tape and after some chasing through the streets of Washington DC, the tape falls into a Robert Dean's (Will Smith) bag, without the lawyer knowing it at all.
As the bad guys chase Dean thoughout, follow him everywhere, and makes his life hell, he does not have any idea what's going on and why. When he does, things have already gone too far. Now, he must fight back, and he does, with a mysterious Bryle (Gene Hackman).
The best part of the film is that its goes in a fast and furious pace, without a second of dull moment and things really gets better when Bryle appears in the second half of the movie. Hackman literally steals the scenes under Smith's nose. He's brilliant and he's one of the reasons why you should see the film.

At the Heart of Darkness

Blood Diamond



Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (Danny Archer), Djimon Hounsou (Solomon Vandy), Jennifer Connelly (Maddy Bowen), Kagiso Kuypers (Dia Vandy), Arnold Vosloo (Colonel Coetzee)

There are times , though rare, when Hollywood opens its purse to a project
which otherwise would not have gained prominence. The story of the conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone is one such project. Agreed. The film is high on production value. It stars Leonardo Di Caprio, the reason why it run in the theatres, gernered award nomination for Di Caprio, and so on. Yet, you don't suspect the heart and efforts that went on making the film, and that the film after all makes a point and explain a completed piece of modern commercial and political history.
The balance between an issue-based project and its commercial viability is a tricky thing to achieve. The film succeeds in doing precisely that. Within the genre of a Hollywood pot-boiler, the film addresses two sensitive issues, conflict diamonds - how the rebel groups of the East African countries using slaves to mine diamonds, and sell them illegally to generate money to purchase weapons. The another issue is of child soldiers, children kidnapped to work as soldiers for the militia.
The film tells the story of Solomon (Djimon Hounsou, in a well-etched role for a supporting cast). The small world of his fishing village come crashing when rebel armies attack the village, Solomon is taken to the mines as a slave, as his family lands up in a refugee camp and his son is taken away as child soldier.
In the mine, Samuel finds a large diamond which he hides. The mine is attacked by another militia group and Samuel is sent to the prison in the capital. Here is meets a diamond smuggler, who comes to know about Samuel's rock, and strikes a deal with him. They are soon joined by an American journalist who is doing a research on the conflict diamonds.
Together they embark upon a journey through the war-ravaged country, with enemies at every corner.
The end is little melodramatic. But the actions have enough potency to make you sit glued before the screen.
At the end, Blood Diamond is a story well told, blood and violence included!!!

Stars all the way

Stardust



Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Charlie Cox, Ian McKellen, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro

Stardust. Not the gossip magazine about the Hindi film industry. It's a fairy tale of 2007. This is strange actually; the film does not offer anything new in terms of content, it's the typical grandmother's tale, there's no post-modern sensibilities to a fairy tale, something that Shrek so brilliantly utilised.
The film begins as a conventional fairy tale and ends as one, as happily ever after. Yet, the film is fantastic. You want to see it all over again.
Like all fantasy stories about a real protagonist, this tale also takes place in a parallel universe.
Tristarn has a connection with the 'other world' that exists on the other side of the wall in his village. But that he does not know yet. He loves Victoria and would do anything to prove his love. So, he embarks upon a journey to find a fallen star to bring it back to his lady love. Here begins his adventure, and yours.
An evil old witch and her two sisters are also after the star, which would restore their beauty and eternal youth. So are two princes, though solely for different reasons.
And the star is not a lump of celestial rock, but a beautiful woman. Now, that complicates matters, fuels a love story and leads to a happily ever after ending (actually spoken by the story’s narrator Ian McKellen!!)
English countryside always looked good on screen, it’s true here as well (it’s actually Scotland!). The special effects are top-class, though the film never tries to over-do it. Just what is needed.
And most importantly, being a fairy story, the film refuses to brood and dwell over any serious issues, it’s neither Lord of the Rings, nor Harry Potter, remember...
And what’s more, the film is tinged with heart-warming humour, and it is maintained throughout.
The star of the starry affair is certainly Michelle Pfeiffer as the witch Lamia, with the perfect make-up of an old hag.
But it’s Robert De Niro who charms us as ‘queen’ Captain Shakespeare, a perfectly camp role done to perfection that can give Captain Jack Sparrow a run for his money.
A beautiful film every which way. Perhaps not for the children... But these days children know more than they are supposed to, don’t they?
Recommended for those young at heart.
Go watch it!!!

Filmy Fun

Every city has its own stereotypes. So has our own Pune: it's a city of the old and young, the retired and the students. But why do we have to be assaulted by the stereotypes on every possible occasion? Even after the city has seen so much boom elsewhere, IT or what nots?
Take the example of the just-concluded Asian Film Festival. Who are the patrons? You guessed it right, the old and the young. No one in between, if you would believe us.
The students are here for fun: "When are they playing 'Chak De? We can't miss that...", or something like that...
And the retired are here to pass their time, especially for the women, it's party time, running from one screen to another, from one venue to another, never mind what films are playing: "... but I'll need the car at six, anyhow, we have to catch a film you see..."
But which one? "Goalpost and Lipstick sounds good." Why? Oh, there are lipsticks!!" "But Heartbreak too sounds good." "Yeah, I like love stories..."
If you thought film festivals are about movies and art and so on, think again.
It's all about having a good time!

Gathering the Past, Real or Not...

The Gathering
By Anne Enright

Every year after the Booker Award is declared, one thing that the critics ask is whether the book was worth the award. At most times, the answer is no, or perhaps not. You know, we love finding faults. Our generation has no Shakespeare.
The same thing happened after a writer called Anne Enright won this year's Booker. Anne who? And she won the coveted prize bypassing the likes of Ian McEwan, whose 'On Chesil Beach' was a better novel!
And 'The Gathering' is bleak, a despairing account of a crum-bling family drama, there is nothing profound happening.
This is a valid argument. 'The Gathering' has nothing profound about it. It's the story of Veronica and her account of her life and the life of her family spanning three generation, a life full of hopelessness and void, without any possible hope. It's a family drama like all family dramas, which Leo Tolstoy summed up bril-liantly in the opening sentence of 'Anna Karenina': "Happy fami-lies are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
The Gathering is the story of an unhappy family, unhappy in their own share of secret and guilt. And, it starts with that (imaginary) crime: "I would like to write down what happened in my grandmother's house the summer I was eight or nine, but I am not sure if it really did happen. I need to bear witness to an un-certain event. I feel it roaring inside me - this thing that may not have taken place. I don't even know what name to put on it. I think you might call it a crime of the flesh, but the flesh is long fallen away and I am not sure what hurt may linger in the bones."
Then why are we talking about the book? Because the novel succeeds as a work of art even if Veronica's story is bleak and without hope. The book begins to make sense once you have fin-ished reading it, and as the Booker jury claimed, it has the bril-liant last sentence almost never seen in a novel.
Yeah, that the catch. It's the language that counts, not the story. And Enright writes brilliantly. You have to give it to her. And she's not telling you a story, but a host of them, real or imaginary which she gathers around her as she mourns for her alcoholic brother Liam who had committed suicide by drowning at the sea, in a romantic, Virginia wolf way.
The title 'gathering' refers to the wake of Liam's death, and as 39-year-old Veronica returns to her family nine surviving He-garty siblings and their mothers, Veronica is haunted by this need to understand what went wrong with Liam and in doing so understand her own life, and as she puts it, finds out if there are any hurt lingering in the bones. So, she goes back to her grand-mother Ada and her love story, and begins to gather around her, her own life and those of her family.
It's not really important what she finds, but the journey, how dispassionately Enright delineates the events, past and present where the reality of the bleak sense of life shines like a polished gem.
The argument will continue whether the book is worth the award.
But none can deny that its a first-rate work of art. And we agree, our generation has no Shakespeare.

Strangely Disconnected

Perfect Stranger




Directed by: James Foley
Starring: Halle Berry (Rowena Price), Bruce Willis (Harrison Hill), Giovanni Ribisi (Miles Haley), Richard Portnow (Narron)

As the film ends and the credits start rolling in an aesthetically done background, you feel cheated - actually worse - what the hell? Why did they just murder such a good story. It was a good story for a thriller, a whodunit. The screenwriter and the director probably did not know how to do it. So they turned it into, be-lieve it or not, into a triangular love story. The result is bizarre and not at all satisfying.
Halle Berry is gorgeous, sexy but when it comes to acting, she not the best, despite the Oscar statuette under her belt - and when she gets hyper, she looks and acts pathetic.
And Willis? Here's greatest example of a good actor choosing the worse role of his career. He does not get the chance to do anything, not even a proper romance with Berry babe, though the film spends an inordinate amount of time pitching one against the other. - but there's no chemistry, no spark, because the story does not just go anywhere, as the characters spend their time scheming and chatting and looking good.
And when the truth is revealed, you are sufficiently bored to really care.
She's a journalist, very pissed with her life and currently in-vestigating the murder of her best friend. The suspect is one Harrison Hill, a hot-shot ad man. She flings herself to him... and Mr Charming goes to jail.
But the true is elsewhere, and as one character puts it, it's almost poetic, only that it's a very badly made film.

Perfect Tribute

Grindhouse



Directed by: Robert Rodriguez & Eli Roth

No one doubts Quentin Tarantino's talents. But you doubt whether he's using his talents in the right direction. After the two-volume feature of Kill Bill, here's two features within the garb of a single film, complete with seedy trailers and what not, reminiscent of what they used to show at the B-grade theatres of the US in the 70s.
The double-feature, Planet Terror and Death Proof, is Tarantino's tribute to the movie-going experience at the Grindhouse, as the theatres were called, complete with the features and several trailers, of faux films with fantastic title as The Warewolf Women of the SS, Don't and so on.
And you get to see the total of the 70s, with the aged look of the reels, muffled sound, some reels missing in between and highly dramatic plotline.
Yet the film is quintessential Tarantino, what with the strong female characters, and 'girl-power' oriented plot, and an unmistakable obsession for the bizarre - a stripper with a machine gun for a leg, a woman recreating the actions from the cult film 'Vanishing Point' and the irreverent humour.
The best part of the entire endeavour is, however, the trailers, they are just outrageously funny.
Don't make a mistake. This is not a spoof, but Tarantino's tribute to genre films, which turns out to be a genre itself.

Horror tale from inside

Blade trilogy
Directed by: Stephen Norrington/ Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Wesley Snipes (Blade / Eric Brooks / 'The Day-walker'), Stephen Dorff (Deacon Frost), Kris Kristofferson (Abraham Whistler)

Vampire was Count Dracula. It could not get better or worse than that. Until Blade came along. Wesley Snipes changed the en-tire dynamics of how we look at vampires, projecting a black anti-hero persona fighting a whole lot of white blood-sucking vampires - with a host of fantastic weapons and his mighty sword.
There is something operatic about the entire get-up of Snipes' character that makes the series of three films more endearing.
What's different between Blade and other films of the genre is that, Blade tells the story from inside. There are no human vic-tims fighting the supernatural forces. It supernatural versus su-pernatural, never mind if the background happens to be today's Los Angeles. And fighting is the integral part of the whole film, yet it does not shy away from showing emotions, especially Blade's angst over who he really is, a reality that he can't escape.
When pregnant, Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire. She dies but the offspring survives. carrying within him the vampire genes.
And now, he has all the strengths of the vampires and none of their weaknesses, except for the thirst (for blood). Unlike other vampires, he can easily endure the sun, hence he's called Day-walker, and together with his mentor Whistler, he has just one mission in life, to destroy vampires and find the one who killed his mother.
Mighty scope for blood-cuddling action-adventure, the all the three films deliver, to the last drop of blood.