Mitt Romney through the eyes of his b-school friends
I did not pay much attention to Romney in the last presidential cycle. I had watched his promo video about his family holidays somewhere in the Northeast and he came across is deeply inauthentic. This article, for which the NY Times interview many former HBS classmates and professor, gave me a much deeper understanding of Romney, who in all likelihood will be running against Barak Obama. It sure will be an interesting showdown next November.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
When I read that Brad Bird (who made the wonderful Pixar films The Incredibles and Ratatouille) was recruited to direct Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and that he gave it a special touch, I could not resist to watch this improbably action adventure. Bird did not write the script and hence was rather confined what he could do with film. The entire series could be called “Mission Improbable”. But if you are willing to suspend your critical faculties and just enjoy the fast paced, often surprising action sequences and amazing technological feats, this cloak and dagger secret service film will not disappoint you. If, however, you have not seen The Incredibles or Ratatouille, make sure that watch them first because they are even better.
How to fight being tired in the afternoon: nap and coffee
I have never tried having a cup of coffee before taking a power nap. But I will test this in the weeks to come. Here is the background in the NY Times.
THE FACTS
Late November is the start of the busiest travel season of the year, when millions of drivers hit the road for long-distance treks. Many will be sleep-deprived and looking to pull over for a nap or a dose of caffeine.
But the best idea may be to combine the two, and not in the order one might think.
Continue ReadingCrazy, Stupid, Love
The first three quarters of the film are stupid. No, boring is a better word. Everything feels staged. You feel that you are watching a comedy without soul and intelligence. But then suddenly it all changes, you are in for a big surprise and the film comes to life. I wonder if it would be been possible to create this dramatic turn of events without boring me out of my mind for most of the film.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Robin Williams is one of the most talented comedians alive. The range of voice impersonation he can do is amazing. Some of his talent is on display in Mrs. Doubtfire. The film was made in 1993 and feels a bit outdated. There are funny moments but the most enjoyable part of the film is to watch Robin Williams impersonate an old English house sitter.
Our Idiot Brother
If you think you have an idiot brother, watch this film and you will realize that you brother is actually pretty smart. Ned (Paul Rudd) is the brother of three intelligent, good looking and charming sisters and a pretty dumb mother. Paul is not intelligent my any definition of the world, apparently inheriting most genes from his mother. There is something painful to watch someone who is stupid but not overtly handicapped as Forrest Gump. The pain becomes less throughout the film as Ned’s take on life—to trust everyone and to love unconditionally—proves to be winning strategy for happiness. If you are into romantic comedy but want to see something different and have 90 minutes to kill, this film will amuse you mildly. Most importantly you will think that your brother not stupid.
An insider’s confession of tabloid journalism in the UK
This must be one of the most intriguing session in the history of the British parliament
British Inquiry Is Told Hacking Is Worthy Tool
By SARAH LYALL (NY Times)
LONDON—He admitted that he and his colleagues hacked into people’s phones and paid police officers for tips. He confessed to lurking in unmarked vans outside people’s houses, stealing confidential documents, rifling through celebrity garbage cans and pretending that he was not a journalist pursuing a story but “Brad the teenage rent boy,” propositioning a priest.
After Paul McMullan, a former deputy features editor at Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World tabloid, had finished his jaw-droppingly brazen remarks at a judicial inquiry on Tuesday, it was hard to think of any dubious news-gathering technique he had not confessed to, short of pistol-whipping sources for information.
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Midnight in Paris
The criticism that I and others have leveled against Woody Allen’s recent work seems to have stung. When Allen moved his camera to London a few years ago, got the same stories transplanted from New York to London. The difference in language seems to have freed Allen. Midnight in Paris only feels a bit repetitive of his previous work. Mostly it is a very clever and cute adaptation of the idea of time travelling. Allen’s alter ego, a writer (Luke Wilson) who feels more comfortable in the past than present suddenly finds himself in the 1920s meeting the great artists of the time. Luke Wilson gives spectacular performance. Taken this 2-hour trip to Paris is worth the price of the movie ticket.
Apparently there is a good new documentary on Woody Allen’s work showing this weekend on PBS.
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