The Lock Artist

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, is an incredibly beautiful story of a vocally challenged lock artist and his unusual dilemma. The writing by Steve Hamilton is very touching. 18 year old Mike is a mute due to a terrible tragedy that happened 10 years ago. But he is also an expert safe cracker. And that is a talent that many people want, you know, especially of the wrong kind. So he has no choice but to lend his services to the wrong people, he falls in love at one such house. The story is narrated by him so that makes it very surreal, a not speaking person narrating his story. He is also a good at drawing so he sort of explains himself through his drawings. Goodreads 5/5 

The Winter Ghosts

The Winter Ghosts is a novel written by English writer Kate Mosse. Its not a creepy ghost story but more like a historically leaking ghost, I guess all ghosts are leaking in some way or other but this book is interesting. Freddie Watson who is very attached to his brother George and who has not been very well treated by his parents is distraught at the death of his brother. There are constant references to what would George think about, in the book. Freddie is institutionalised also for a few years. The book is set in post World War I scenario. In order to recover from his illness he sets off on a road trip to France, drives through in snow and low visibility and crashes his car into the rocks. When he recovers he stumbles into a village which is seen as celebrating its annual village festival. There he meets Fabrissa and they talk and talk and there is some fighting taking place from where they escape. The next morning he gets up, Fabrissa is gone. Freddie learns of her story of persecution of the Cathers community by the Catholic church. But that happened 700 years ago. Goodreads review 3/5 

Indecent Proposal

Indecent Proposal is a 1993 movie featuring Demi Moore, Robert Redford and Woody Harrelson.  Before writing this blog I checked online, as that feature is easily available these days and found out that Woody Harrelson had been given the Worst Actor Award in the Razzies and the movie itself was nominated for Worst Movie Award. Well, it is not such a bad movie at all. Demi Moore especially sizzles in the movie. She looks beautiful those youthful days. Woody Harrelson in fact has done a fine role. I am sure those who gave him the Razzies would like to change their opinion. Its an uncomplicated story of a millionaire wanting to sleep with a woman for 1 million dollars, which those guys need desperately to fund their dream housing project. He has got money to spare and she has got the assets but what is not reckoned with is the emotional content. I am sure there must have been a shameless copy in Bollywood by somebody with all the songs and dance in it and too much of emotional drama baazi with moms and in laws and bua's and what ever fucking not characters. 

The Exorcist - cult classic

Revisited the 1973 cult classic "The Exorcist" yesterday. It was and still is the greatest horror movie ever made. Don't remember what were my emotions when I saw it first time in 1979 or around but this movie still gives the creeps. Those days Hollywood movies were released in India 5 to 6 years after their first release abroad so that is why we got to see the movie in 1979 or thereabouts, when I was in college. Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil is simply the most powerful devil incarnate ever. None of the latter horror movies ever comes close to this ultimate cult classic. The devil penetration into Regan happens ever so slowly and that is most beautifully done. The first instance we see is when she undergoes a medical examination with Dr.Klein. Then when she suddenly blows out it is most terrifying. She is all raw power when she says "stick your cock up her ass, you motherfucking worthless cocksucker" 

This piece of dialogue when Father Lancester Merrin tries to drive the evil away is epic. 

Father Merrin: I cast you out! Unclean spirit!

Demon: Shove it up your ass, you faggot!

Father Merrin: In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is he who commands you! It is he who flung you from the gates of Heaven to the depths of Hell!

Demon: Fuck him!

Father Merrin: Be gone...

Demon: Fuck him, Karras! Fuck him!

Father Merrin: ...from this creature of God! Be gone! In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Of the cast, Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras is outstanding. When he enters her room and finds his mother sitting there and then he realises what is to be done, he comes down and sits on the bench. That is the most poignant scene ever in the movie.

These were great cult movies, The Exorcist, The Omen, Jaws, Alien - all absolutely great movies. 

The Freebooters

The Freebooters written by Elleston Trevor is an unlikely story of a British army unit embattled in an imaginary country in a violent zone inside Africa with orders not to fight but only to retaliate. The force gets impatient, with one soldier letting loose his machine gun killing 15 of the locals. The locals meanwhile continue to harass the soldiers and in fact they get annoyed when the force constructs a barbed wire outside their perimeter in order to keep the locals away. The locals do manage to kill a few British soldiers and that too in a most brutal way. A few of them mutiny, walk across 250 miles of enemy territory with a truck and machine guns and all, but the truck breaks down and, so they are forced to leg it out to the missionary. Along the route they encounter the tribes and kill many of them. Once they arrive at the missionary it is still not over, and they have to fight hard to stave off the locals. Again when they arrive at the missionary, its head, a lady says, she does not approve of any killings, its bad. So they have a predicament, but they are lives to be saved as well. Its a brave story with varied characters and the writer has kept the interest intact. Goodreads review 5/5 

Black Wind

Black Wind is a thriller from Clive Cussler alongwith his son Dirk Cussler. During the world war II, a Japanese submarine carrying some deadly biological warfare was sunk by US boats. 40 years later, a North Korean businessman masquerading as a South Korean tries to get hold of those biological canisters in order to wreak havoc on the US. His logic - US forces are occupying the DMZ between North and South Korea and therefore preventing a re-unification between the two Koreas on North Korean terms. Enter Dirk Pitt Jr. and his sister Summer, both agents with NUMA, (National Underwater & Marine Agency), they stumble upon this rapacious plot of the North Korean to let loose biological warfare over the American air and soil during the G-20 summit. One thing leads to another, there is a lot of chase all over the place from Phillipines to Japan to South Korea and back to San Deigo. Dirk and Summer's father Dirk Pitt Sr. is also involved in the plot. Nice racy thriller a bit technical with all the nautical adventures but Clive Cussler has managed to keep the narrative flowing smoothly. Rating 4/5 

11.24 kms Aarey

11.24 kms in Aarey Forest, Mumbai. Took the regular unit no. 16 and the Aarey Guest House and also added the Diary road today. Weather in Aarey was absolutely humid with not a hint of breeze whatsoever. Aarey Forest is such a beautiful place, an oasis in the bustling city of Mumbai, a paradise of sorts. Don't understand government apathy in destroying such a beautiful natural eco system which is virtually the lungs of Mumbai. Especially when there are alternative sites for construction of the metro car shed government insistence on destroying aarey forest is nothing short of arrogance and cruelty. Cruelty it is to the thousands of birds, insects etc. residing in this beautiful forest. Every time you go to Aarey Forest you feel so refreshed, it is the pure oxygen which is the hallmark of this place. I suspect there is corruption and greed in commercially exploiting this pristine piece of nature.