Diamonds are forever...or so they say..

Last night, me and a buddy went to catch the late nite show of Blood Diamond. Though i had already seen it once, it was a testament to how much i liked the flick, that i decided to watch the late nite show, despite it being a dreary weekday, and an episode with the ever endearing auto drivers of Pune on the cards..

The movie has already entered my pantheon of great movies i have watched. i guess i should have paid more heed to the directing credits. One of Edward Zwicks previous flicks, 'Courage Under Fire' , starring my personal fave, Denzel Washington, also happens to be one of my fave movies. But this one was definitely more powerful. The beauty of the Sierra Leone landscape has been interspersed seamlessly with the gore that has become commonplace in that country, and probably in that continent. Like they say..TIA..'This is Africa'.. The opening sequence of the RUF rebels coming and laying waste the village to which Soloman Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) belongs, sets the tone for the rest of the movie, which manages to spread the message of the illegal diamond trading that cost locals their lives, while at the same time, keeping you at the edge of your seats as a slick action thriller.

Leonardo DiCaprio..for the first time (yes, not even in the Departed), looks like a tough guy. though i never had any doubts about his acting chops, his baby face made me skeptical about him in these kind of roles. But, boy did he carry it off well. I still feel like sayin to everyone. 'Ma man'..in the Rhodesian accent he portrays in the movie. This movie should finally, atleast for me, lay to rest his Titanic image. Before i saw the movie, i was wondering if they gave him the Oscar nomination for the wrong movie(i was expecting him to get it for the Departed)..but this is definitely a more worthy performance.

The other stars in the cast also give stellar performances. Djimon Hounsou is perfectly believable as the tough yet simple village fisherman, who just wants his family back. Jennifer Connelly, apart from looking ravishing, seems to be perfectly cast..

The movie has a number of poignant sequences..when Leonardo's Danny Archer finally breaks down and says 'Sometimes i wonder if God would ever forgive us for what we've done.. But then i realise, God left this place a long time ago..'
Or the scene when Archer is leaving and Connelly gives him, just a glance..but a glance which conveyed a lifetime of longing..Archer's response? 'some other life, maybe'..

Even the bad guy had some great lines..'You may think I'm a devil..but only because i have lived in hell'..

This is one for my all time faves..Whenz the DVD comin?

Nostalgia..

Ah...Nostalgia.. A wonderful feelin at times. Today, as another one of my close pals in my project area leaves for pastures new and greener, i am left wondering.. What of it all? Life... We come in touch with so many people. A few leave their indelible imprints within us. A few leave scars. But at the end of the day, they all contribute to a maelstrom of emotions that run within our minds. How many of our lasting memories involve people we may not even be in touch with anymore? If you can say none or very few, well, u'v done a better job of keepin up with your pals than me, i guess. Although, it is not for want of effort. Recently i have managed to trace out some friends of mine, with whom i lost touch around 12 years ago. Now that is a lot of time... Of course, not that we've once again become the best of buddies, but i had to satisfy that thirst in me, to find out just where these people who meant a lot to me at one point, ended up..

But, then again..is that one of the bittersweet aspects of being nostalgic? Does the fact that we dont even really know what the people we are thinkin og are upto, add to the romance of nostalgia? Sometimes, i do think so. I believe, its the romantics who can actually get nostalgic..more than the others.. (And no, i am not some hopeless romantic, about to whine away my frustrations here)..

At the end of the day, everytime a person who has left a mark on me leaves, i feel a pang somewhere.. It hurts a bit. Sometimes i wonder.. what if... i dont see this person again? For me, its a mind boggling thought.. the prospect of not seeing a person you knew till yesterday, ever again.. It happened when i left college. When i was sayin goodbye to certain people..i just knew.. i wont be seein them again..

Then again..every experience is to be cherished. Like one of my best pals, and a person i like a lot, says.. 'No experience is not worth having. Cherish evertything that went by you and everything that is to come'... That according to me, sums up life very well...

After all, you aint gonna be around forever. So u might as well make the most of what you have...