A Good day to Die hard

Started watching the movie under the knowledge of that this was named one of the worst movies of 2013. Why even watch, you might ask. Sometimes a dia hard fan of John McClane gotta watch the crappiest movie of the installment, just because he is a die hard fan. I'd still watch a Jurassic Park which will be made by a Michael Bay, just because it is Jurassic Park. Don't judge me, I'm watching A good day to die hard with the same kind of conviction.

It's obvious from the start that this is gonna crush the hopes and dreams of the fans. The 4th one sort of did that already. It proved that the future of John McClane in the big screen is going to be bleak and sad. But it still had a good conspiracy story which was in line with the previous material. Although filled with absurd plot holes and ridiculous, kollywood like action. But this one, the 5th one doesn't seem to have a good conspiracy either.

Man, I love high speed chases. I'm cuckoo for them. The one in this movie, I gotta admit was quite exhilarating. The sheer magnitude of destruction is awesome. Absurd, I know, as the previous one. But it's good entertainment. Can't complain about that. But I think what lacks, as in the first 3 Die hard movies was a sense of sophistication and cleverness. The first one was impressive in John McClane use of the air duct system and cleverness in kicking ass.  In this it's just do the most impressive destructive thing there is to stop the bad guys. The snide signature remarks are still there. There is some consistency I that. And also actions that defies reason. Why the hell, would John McClane go to all that trouble to stop that armored truck, when he just wants to meet his son.

That's not all that defies reason. One trend in recent action movies I've noticed is that , with the story the writers come up with all kinds of absurd crap just to insert a twist. My particular concern is that when the hostage kills the bad guy inside the vault, they wanna give the idea that the daughter was working with the father all along. That's the twist, I get it. But why did the daughter ever betray the father in the first place. They could've taken the key, and went to the vault without the help of the bad guys as they want. Twists in this sense are overrated. If it's even a mediocre plot, if everything adds up, that's just fine. Why they gotta ruin everything just by adding an absurd plot twist.

The bottomline is that, if this was a standalone movie with no history, I think it would've been received more well. But it's the 5th installment in a legendary movie franchise, which makes it a challenge to keep that hype going. The first Die hard movies has set the bar so high for the oncoming movies that hollywood is struggling to reach. They are doing all the wrong things, with the abilities and technology instead of trying to stay true to the original concepts. They are trying to squeeze money out of everything without thinking about the quality. What they mustvr thought is "let's put John Mcclanes son in Russia and send John to visit him where all he'll breaks lose in Russia. I see no fabricated plot here, like in the previous ones. Even the 4th one tried a bit with a mass scale conspiracy. But this one doesn't even try. The story is so mundane and unfit for a Dua Hard movie. In trying to make it more appealing to the masses, it has lost its taste and grandeur. This happens with a lot of things I guess. To reach the popularity, the unique and special identities get lost or sacrificed. And doing so it might become popular, but it loses the value.

Until Bruce Willis lives there will be more Die Hard movies.But I see no improvement in future movies. One can only hope.

Seven Psychopaths

"Life affirming, Schmife affirming. It's about seven fucking psychopaths"

Seven Psychopaths tells the story of how this author Marty (Collin Ferrel) wants to write a book about seven psychopaths and is helped by his dog kidnapper friend Billy(Sam Rockwell), who runs his business with an older friend Hans(Walken). Shit hits the fan when the kidnappers take the pet dog of a mob boss, Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Saying anything more will seriously turn down the excitement of the movie, because surprise is a big and very important element here.

Wow, what a cast, Walken, Harellson. Did not imagine Colin Ferell in that kind of a role. I really thought that he would be one of the psychopaths for sure. And Sam Rockwell. It's a surprise why this dude doesn't get more movies. I really adored him in Moon(2009). In this one my favor for him like doubled! Such a good actor.   

The introduction of the psychopaths is pretty poetic. The second one is my favorite. Man that was a chilling introduction to that character. The twists are too mindblowing. In my opinion one of the overrated movies that everyone seems to love is Zodiac(1997). From that I learned about the Zodiac Killer. The way they sneaked in the Zodiac is pretty nice too. The his execution, so horrifying and frankly beautiful.

Sometimes its gut wrenching to see that people that you'd never hope getting killed horribly. In that sense it is very very unpredictable. But what makes this a damn good dark comedy is, sometimes the deaths just jumps out of nowhere. It's so shocking, so much so that it's DAMN FUNNY. Like "WTF, that just did not happen" funny. 

It takes a different path altogether from the way I imagined it would be. I thought that it was gonna be more like a heist movie or something. But I can't really seem to find an adequate label at all for this. It stands out from the rest. I wouldn't be lying if this is the best movie I've watched so far this year. 

The Master

Joaquin Phoenix is an amazing actor. I really witnessed that so clearly through the movie The Master. That's one of the main things to talk about this movie. The acting and the difference in the nature of the movie. You know with Joaquin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams in the main cast, it's gonna be a great one. You wouldn't expect an intellectually numbing movie through this. At first before I started watching, I somehow had the idea that this is a biography movie. It almost is, but not quite. 

The movie is based on the 1950 post WWII USA. A veteran soldier having mental 'issues' was driven into a movement called The Cause. The Master, portrayed by Philip, is a kind of a highly charismatic religious leader. He is a favorite, and his followers love him to death. The progress of the veteran, who is driven to the point of insanity by lost love, or unclaimed love as I see it, is shown step by step and the relationships that he makes with the movement and its leaders family, and its consequences, is what the movie is basically about. It narrows on to the weird side with the different processes that the master uses on the veteran to attempt to make him alright. They are interesting, leads to insights that is not encountered anywhere before. That interview session, processing, that's one of the most powerful sequences of cinema I've seen. Joaquin does it so well. Also when Joaquins character with his fucked up state of mind imagines every girl around him naked, there's also Amy Adams there. That scene was just,.. I don't know, arousing and weird. 

But like all religious movements, this also seems like a bullshit attempt to drain the gullible of their money. The charismatic truly can make sense of any crap to sell it to the idiotic masses. If I haven't said it before, I say that now, that I frikking hate hippies. And this seems like a precursor to hippies. So I naturally hated the fact that this happened. And the facts that they seems to introduce seems natural to most of us who have been led by faith to believe all of that as fundamentals, about resurrection, rebirth and causality of everything. The Master reminds me of such personalities as the person who claimed that he is Maithree Buddha in down south Sri Lanka. Many gullible idiots followed him, and donated money for his cause. When you realize the falseness of it all, it is too late. 

The acting is mesmerizing. Fills me with awe. Joaquin and Phillip are just masters of the trade, hands down. There isn't any suspense or curiosity as to drive the viewer to keep watching it. For me the only drive was the powerful nature of the scenes themselves. What grand feat of acting will they pull of next? That was the curiosity that kept me going. The dedication Joaquin puts into it is amazing. This made me wonder that Leonardo DiCaprio will never amount to be a great actor as Joaquin Phoenix because he is too pretty, and because he talks too perfectly. Just a side thought.

Not a favorite for many I believe. But very critically acclaimed. That must go for it. Otherwise, frankly it is just a boring movie.

 

"leave your worries for a while. They'll be still there when u get back. And your memories aren't invited."

Let it all go...

True grit was a great movie. And this one track from its soundtrack became a favorite recently. Every time I listen to it, it feels like very warm and fuzzy inside. A list was published recently by Buzzfeed, which almost always posts great stuff. It has almost the same title,  32 things which will make you all warm a fuzzy inside. I find that the combination of these can make you forget almost everything, and just bask in a temporary bliss. So here you go, try it out.

32 Things That Will Make You Feel All Warm And Fuzzy Inside

Enjoy!

And here's something extra ^_^. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvt_K4LW29c

Final Fantasy - Advent Children

Final Fantasy is a world renowned gaming franchise developed by SquareEnix. It had been going on for a while now, and the latest installment is Final Fantasy Vs 13. It's an Japanese RPG game series which has won the hearts of so many with its amazing story lines and unique gameplay elements. Japanese RPGs are quite different from other genres. It has a kind of monotonous gameplay when it comes to battles, but still every game can take you buy surprise with its beautifully developed characters, with unique traits, and character relationships and how the story unfolds around them. Like many RPGs it is not only about battles, the way you make decisions, affects the story in unprecedented ways. JRPGs kind of has a linear story, which is always so vivid and beautifully woven, that it proves you can trust only Japanese to come up with a wonderful story which is always unique and awesome.

One other notable feature is its music. They come up with the best music, and still the 80ies or 90ies JRPG sound tracks are still considered to be the best video game music of all time. In 2008, even though there are lot of new games to play, we played the 90ies JRPGs through a SNES simulator and its safe to say that we enjoyed them as much as any new game, maybe even more! One such game is Chrono Sphere, and its music is still very memorable to me. Seems like the internet agrees with me, that it got one of the best soundtracks.

Also played Final fantasy VI through the SNES simulator. I think I was able to finish it. One of the most memorable songs from it is the Opera Scene. I was so impressed by it, that through Midi sound technology they are able to make something so extravagant.

Isn't that just goddamn lovely!

Now to Final Fantasy VII. This is arguably the most favorite of the series for many. It's the first 3D game of the series, and must be one of the first 3D games ever. I was fortunate enough to play it at my age. But sadly could not complete it. It has left so much marks on the path of video game history. I will not be able to go into the whole story here. As a precursor to the movie, Cloud and Aries love is the most notable things which is referred repeatedly in the Movie. By Screwattack.com the death of Aries is rated as one of the most saddest moments in video game history. I couldn't meet that moment in my play. But it claims that that moment has bought many to tears...

I've watched both versions of the movie, the Japanese audio version with English subs, and the English dubbed version. My most recent watch was the 1080p extended English dubbed version, which I specially downloaded, to watch in all its full HD splendor. The Rips don't do much justice though. Get the original BR if you are really interested. In any version though, the dialogues and the story doesn't make much sense. You have to have a firm handle on the whole backdrop of the situation and the extended version did help a little. There's the geostigma, and whatever the heck causes it, Mother, soldiers and whatnot. But it all makes sense at the end. What the viewers really care about is I think to see the characters they loved while playing the game doing all the fantastic things and kicking ass in the big screen. And from that end it delivered more than enough.

Tifa never fails to steal my heart though. I think she is one of the most beautiful, cute, sexy virtual girls there is. And got the moves too. Her battle in the church is one of the most awesome in the movie. There are a few glances of Aries in the movie and she is like an angel too. You only see her well in the extended version.

The battles, oh the battles, how marvellous they are! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I still believe that this got the greatest virtually created battles in movie making history. Every battle is absurdly astounding and carefully choreographed, you might actually want to slow down to get it all in. There's something about highway chases that makes the adrenaline rush, and Advent children nails it!

Must not let Sephiroth go unmentioned in a post about Final Fantasy. He is THE ULTIMATE BADASS. The elegant clothing, hair suitable for a L'Oréal advertisement, and of course the malevolent eyes, vibrant with pure EVIL. The Sephiroth song is fun too. Just the perfectly molded villain, Glad he was materialized in this movie.

I'm huge fan of this genre, but there aren't many movie in it. Please suggest in the comments if you know of anymore.

Catch 22

If anyone asks me what is the most different, unorthodox and most enjoyable book I've read, from today onwards I'll answer with Catch 22. It's a classic masterpiece by all means and deserves the reputation it has and much more. I've seen references to Catch 22 in couple of places, be it a movie or tv show, which convinced me that maybe I should give it a shot too. But I'd never thought that I'd love this book this much. I bet it's not every ones' cup of tea. It's unconventional, radical and quite frankly weird. But that right there is what appeals to me the most. How different it is from the rest. You can't get the experience that Catch 22 gives from any other work of fiction. For that it's one of the best I've read and I will ever read.

Basically many I believe, categorize catch 22 as a comedic book, more specifically dark comedy. True, it does have many laugh out loud moments. I think I haven't laughed reading any other book as much as I've laughed reading this. The author slips in most of the incidents or remarks almost to take the reader with surprise laughter. The conversations are in a league of their own. One who has watched Monty Python will get the drift of what I'm talking about. Those are weird conversations, admittedly unreal in nature, but placed beautifully to emphasize the out of the box thinking of the author. It's truly unpredictable, and mindblowing at times. I must say the style of conversation has affected my personal style as well to a miniscule degree. But I think it is very cool. I want more conversations like this happening for real in my life. Very unlikely, but it should happen.

But if one thinks that this can be taken as a comedy only, that one couldn't be more wrong. This has so much elements in it, I mean it's practically applicable to almost every aspect in life. This has so much more to give than some good laughs. It's all written around this military division of pilots in the era of world war II. So in one review I've read that it strives to emphasize the empty nature of war... and thats it. I wonder if the reviewer has ever read the book even. Sure, it is one aspect, but for me not that obvious. I believe that the authors main idea wasn't even that at all. Through the different characters, the story does delve in to the inexplicable nature of war it self, how devastating it is, how pointless and how it is only driven by few people with no apparent justification or viable reason for it. It shows the how futile the soldiers lives spent of war is, and how it is all decided by few bureaucratic heads with their own agendas with applied senses of greater purposes which appeals to the masses. It's not only about war, how the whole human race is driven like that in various aspects of political agendas, that's what really being addressed here. That last conversation with Major Danby and Yossarian is a true eye opener regarding this. It's like the legendary speech given by Charlie Chaplin in the Great Dictator. Yes, it's that good.

That is one thing. But through different chapters and different characters, the subjects brought to light are immense. Through the character of the chaplain, and in other instances, spirituality, religion, theology is questioned fantastically. I'm surprised as to a book of that era ventures this bravely to question religion and God this much. That must've hit hard on it's popularity. That is why I think the book is so much ahead of its time. One such conversation that immediately impressed me, I took it down in the blog then and there. This shows how progressive of a book catch 22 really is. Its so true, its funny! This is a conversation between should we really celebrate thanksgiving and be thankful for anything.

“I’ll bet I can name two things to be miserable about for every one you can name to be thankful for”

“Be thankful you’ve got me”

"I am honey, But I’m also goddam good and miserable tha I can’t ave Dori Duz again too. Or the hundreds of other girls and women I’ll see and want in my short lifetime and won’t be able to go to bed with even once"

"Be thankful that you’re healthy"

"Be bitter you’re not going to stay that way"

"Be glad you’re even alive"

"Be furious you’re going to die"

"Things could be much worse"

"They could be one hell of a lot better"

"You're naming only one thing, You said you could name two"

 

"And don’t tell me that god works in mysterious ways. There’s nothing so mysterious about it. He’s not working at all. He’s playing. Or else He’s forgotten all about us. That’s the kind of God you people talk about—a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth, hayseed. Good god, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of creation? What in the world was running through that warped evil scatological mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did he ever create pain?" 

"Pain? , Pain is a useful symptom. Pain is a warning to us of bodily dangers." 

"And who created the dangers? (ROFL) Oh, he was really being charitable to us when he gave us pain! Why couldn’t he have used a doorbell instead to notify us, or one of His celestial choirs? Or a s system of blue-and-red neon tubes right in the middle of each person’s forehead. Any jukebox manufacturer worth his salt could have done that. Why couldn’t he?"

"People would certainly look silly walking around with red and neon tubes in the middle of the their foreheads."

"They certainly look beautiful now writhing in agony or stupefied with morphine, don’t they? What a colossal , immortal blunderer! When you consider the opportunity and power he had to really do a job, and then look at the stupid, ugly little mess He made of it instead, His sheer incompetence is almost staggering. It’s obvious He never met a payroll. Why, no self- respecting businessman would hire bungler like Him as even shipping clerk!"

 Also through Milo you get to know all about the intricate and confounding details of international trade. It's all so delicately explained with so much detail. Didn't pay much attention to that my self. But it's vile. So vile and disgusting at times. Of course it seems far fetched but the basic idea of how a monopoly of one man can control basically everything in the world, without anyone noticing it, and giving every one the false notion that they are part of that what controls it, is portrayed. Also the sexual encounters. Being the soldiers of the US army, the platoon would go off to Rome in search of broads or prostitutes to fulfill their desires. And oh man they are quite the sexual adventures. Not quite as detailed as what you would expect from an erotic novel or something I guess, but very well written I must say, with it's humor, seduction, romance, enticements, passion and vulgarity.

Thats the most basic gist of the book I can give. But I cannot emphasize more on how little that explains.  All of this is brought forward by introduction of characters with amazingly very specific character traits. The attention to detail to the buildup of every character is quite unique. It's such a diverse set of characters. Which can give the conclusion that instead of just introducing a realistic platoon of soldiers and authority figures, the author wanted to portray a wide range of characters that honestly I can clearly identify and match up with people we personally know. We meet characters like this in our everyday lives, and in our selves too. The paranoid delusions of the chaplain, the reasonable cowardice of Yosarrian, the unreasonable hate of Chief White Halcoat, the social awkwardness of Major Major Major (Yes Major Major is his name) and the list goes on. All of these characters mix and match to give incidents and stories which leads to insights on how the character traits really affect.

It is very  unordered. Kind of a mess really like the new Arrested Development season. The incident matching and the flow is quite entangled and complex at times. The focus of the book is not that of conventional novel, to narrate a story with a carefully planned plot and well placed incidents, but to deliver ideas and notions in ways I can't really explain. The driving in of the unhindered truths that was not so obvious to me before is admirable. I can only imagine the excitement the author must've felt when writing such dialogues.

Irrespective of its real life alegories or applications where we can really apply the book, it's just enjoyable. That's the greatest thing about it. The radical ideas, the humor the conversations always kept me interested. For instance the explanations of déjà vu which I always found fascinating. In the book It is described as "just a momentary infinitesimal lag in the operation of two coactive sensory nerve centers that commonly functioned simultaneously." How about that, I didn't have an idea about THAT before!

The End really takes the cake though. The depressing climax of the book starts with the plight of Doc Daneeka. That was a truly depressing story. Also the chapter The Eternal City is a very powerful and VERY depressing set of events too. The focus on the humor is almost non existent in the latter part of the book. Instead it perseveres to introduce change, revelations and mindblowing and ultimate facts. It all kept me glued to the book at the end. And clearly established in my mind that deserves no less than a 5/5 rating. 


I've thought about a movie or a stage drama made out of this, but it will never really amount to the detail and vividness of the book itself. This IS indeed a life changing powerful book, that I believe that every book addict should read without question.

"Man was matter. That was Snowdens secret. Drop him out of a window and he'll fall. Set fire to him and he'll burn. Bury him and he'll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit is gone, man is garbage. Ripeness was all." 

A Game of Thrones

My reading was abated considerably after the university workload. The completion of which convinced me to get back on to it. Still owning a device which allowed to read ebooks would help speed up the process, I thought. It did, but not that much. You still need inspiration, kind of a muse to get you going, and that's what actually accelerated the process.

When I first started on the tv show, I had no idea of the books. I was always a fan of the fantasy novel, and the whole genre, so naturally it was appealing to me. That's an understatement actually. I began to love the show. All those show offs, who claimed that they've read the books have said that the book is better. I mean, who will admit otherwise right? But the red wedding was really a great surprise. That actually made me consider reading the books. Knowing how the story unfolds definitely throws down the excitement and thrill of reading it afresh. But the characters can be imagined on their countenance.

I'm glad to rediscover the story how it first came in to being. The different elements are always more emphasized.The desperation of the Starks is all so made astoundingly cruel and so evident The hope they have of the future is described beautifully, so a fresh reader will fill their hearts with hope too. But since I've seen the show and know the fate of Starks, it seems so damn cruel to me. But the beauty of it is, all of these seems to be thought out from the beginning.That's vile! How Eddard thinks that the daughters are safely on their way Winterfell, and when Cat decides to go with the frontlines of the army instead of going to see Bran, knowing that they will never ever meet again, just breaks my heart.


It's strange how George R.R. Martin thinks differently than the other authors that I have encountered. Men of honor will be rewarded somehow. That will be the bottomline of any other works of fiction. But truly, that there is a fairy tale in itself. Honor rarely gets you anywhere, power and wealth is what's really turns the tables. But the sad reality if it all. In fiction we seek justice, at least honor being rewarded in some form of imagination, which in turn gives hope in some degree. We like to escape that cold harsh truth, and seek a compensation in these works of fiction. Portraying the reality of it all kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it. Even after all that's happened everyone just blatantly assumes that Joffrey will die a horrible death. Because otherwise they see no point. Always assuming that good guys win in fiction. But really it's the power of the author to do as he pleases. To build hope and slit its throat just when we least expect it. G.R. R. Martin seems to be experimenting on how far can he push that false hope. Still I think all the readers are thinking of a good ending. Because thats how we are led ourselves to believe through all other works of fiction.


The most noteworthy happenstances of the book is of course the death of Ned Stark and the Birth of the dragons.Throughout reading the book the death of Ned Stark is what you look forward to and dread at the same time. One speciality is that it happens in an Arya episode. One let down it that because Arya is made to look away, the actual moment is not described in the book. This it it self seems like, the author wants to convince the reader, that this occurance is insignificant, Ned stark is not a key figure and That we should just let him go. Still the effects of it are so powerful, that I almost forgot that I know whats gonna happen. Fresh white hot hatred towards Joffrey is what resulted at the end.

The other very important occarance, and what I believe is what the tv show watchers will miss the most, is the beatiful intricate details of the birth of the dragons with Daenerys. The slow stride of Daenerys towards the flames of Khal Drogo and Mirra Maz Dur, how the flames engulf her bodice, while the Eggs crack open. And finally, the thing which is so beautiful and majestic the 3 dragons nurturing off their mother, which brought everyone down their knees, and the detail of which brought me close to tears. I wish I had amnesia which made me forget what really is gonna happen. I would've been like blown out of my mind in wonder. I have new found respect for Daenerys  now. And she will be the mother of dragons and ruler of the world. But who knows what will happen, It's Song of Ice and Fire, where no one's life is certain.

When even watching the tv show, I get the feeling that one character that everyone naturally starts to hate is Sansa. Not for me though. Even when watching the show I sort of liked her. I knew that she is suffering a lot and she tries to cope with all that, by keeping a straight face and being corteous as needed. And also biding her time. And reading the about her in the book proved that to me even more. How she doesn't take impulsive harsh decisions, how she keeps a brave face and acts to contradict everyones opinion of her, is really impressive. I think she will be a big surprise.

Will move on to the next books, although they say its a drag. Will have to see for my self. 

Wintersun - Time I

I have been a fan of Wintersun since my brother has introduced me to them way back. I was straightaway a Wintersun devotee. I've never heard such awesome, touching composure of metal music before. Tracks like Sadness and Hate and Death and the healing, was spiritually entrancing and so beautiful. There isn't one track in that album that I don't like. The talent they exposed is nothing like I've ever seen before. Truly godlike.

Many people have eagerly anticipated the release of their 2nd studio album last year, including me and my brothers. It was this one definitive album that we would listen to as soon as it is released. Thanks to the internet, I got my hands on it almost as soon as it was released(or before?). My brother on the other hand pre-ordered the Album and he got the full package, which I'm glad he did. But until now, I did not get a good chance to like really listen to it. I borrowed the CD from brother and decided to spend some quality time with it. :)

It's one of those albums that you immediately fall in love with when you first listen to it. Even when you listen to it half-heartedly, You feel that there is so much elements in it, for all of it to sink in, for you to fully take all the things that Wintersun has offered in Time I, you have to dedicate your time to it.

Today I was feeling a bit down, mentally and physically, and as always I sought bliss through a distraction, and as that distraction I chose Time. This would be a good time to bask in the glory of what Time I really has to offer, I thought. And It did me good. Actually I'm so glad that I'm accessible to these means of distractions, to take me away from reality, to let my mind rest from all the guesses and over analyzing craziness that bothers me so much lately.

I was actually surprised when the album came out, with the number of songs it had. It's only 5 songs and 2 of them are instrumental. So actually 3 songs. I was let down. After this huge wait they only came up with 3 songs? But when you listen to it, you get it, you understand the reason why it takes so long. Because they are not you ordinary songs. They are a whole other thing, an entity almost, which is designed so well. I'll get more into each song later. But overall, this is like no other album. The whole album is almost an entity, a tale, a one Song that radiates brilliance and beauty, with a poetic flow that astounded me. How it transitions in to each part, each melody and each song is quite brilliant, never before seen I believe. Now other albums seems mediocre without the complexity of this masterpiece.

The intro (When Time fades away) is just so beautiful, you just feel that this will be the start of something awesome and powerful. Then It's Sons of Winter and Stars. Actually this one 13.31 long song is composed of 4 songs. I Rain Of Stars, II Surrounded By Darknes], III Journey Inside A Dream, IV Sons Of Winter And Stars. Rain of Stars  is the grand entrance. Awakens the spirit with its chants of "Sons of winter and stars, Rise!". Surrounded by darkness is just filled with power, that's just non stop headbanging right there. The pace of it and beckoning tunes is enough to convince me that this is just right. I didn't focus much on the lyrics, because this song and its power is what its all about. Journey inside a dream, is kind of a ballad, a narrative which doesn't seem much impressive, but still has a deep meaning. But that narrative is almost necessary when we transition into Sons of Winter and Stars. That song in its power convinces that We are part of something great and we should be standing proud to be part of this fandom, to be a son of winter and stars. It radiates through you the pride and the power and makes you scream out that what Wintersun is so awesomely makes you a part of. The whole song is just a frenzy, which makes you feel so energized and rejuvenated. The lyrics doesn't matter much. Who ever thinks that lyrics have to mean something, (which It does, I'm trying to make a point here) just doesn't understand what good music is all about. It's not a story or a book. If the song with it's music is able to make you feel what the words are trying to tell, then that is perfection, perfection that is seen in Wintersun's music. Sons of Winter and stars overall tell of a great arrival, a fresh arrival, The hatred, how the emotions diminishes with the arrival of the sons of winter and stars and lets all be a part of that.
 

Sigh. I've always been a sucker for sad songs. Be it Metal or any other genre. So Land of Snow and Sorrow is like a drug to me. A sweet compensating drug that fills my soul. The music is so sweet and tender and soothing which makes you wanna just die listening to it. If a song can make a person tear up, that is a very strong statement for that song, and this did that to me. There are very few songs which are actually able to do that, and Land of Snow and Sorrow is the first metal Song which was able to do that to me, or the second one after Sadness and Hate. I love it for that. The lyrics go so well with the music. It speaks of perishing, and hope of a better tomorrow.

Far away there ́s a land of snow and sorrow

Time has made the frozen tears fall like rain from the starlit sky
And I feel so cold, I can ́t make it tomorrow
Oh, but the night will see where this path will lead my life
Endless field of snow at the edge of the world and the wailing
Winds so cold scar my face, I ́m going insane
I am lost from the light - And the memories follow me in the night
I ́m left in the arms of winter and I am carried far away - Far away
Night is falling over my home
The land of snow and sorrow, oh carry me away from the cold
And I fall asleep, I will dream the last dream
All I was, is gone now and sorrow is all I feel
And the white snow is falling from the starlit sky
And the stars are shining like your eyes
You are so beautiful
And I will follow them in this cold winter night
So I ́d find my way to you this time
Drifting away from the warmth of the darkness
Caressed by the light of a million stars
The darkness will always be a part of my heart
Until I ́m carried away by the winter ́s arms
Night is falling over my home
The land of snow and sorrow, oh carry me away from the cold
And I fall asleep and I will not be afraid
All I was, is gone now and sorrow is all I feel

This is the death and the healing or Sadness and hate of Time I for me. No matter when I'll always get goosebumps to this song and sigh with it. This is what I needed from a Wintersun album. Other things are extra luxuries, but not second to this.

Time, the last song in the album, is the one with the most beautiful lyrics. It really gives you a perspective of Time and how it waits for no one, how it is taken away from all of us when we need it the most. A constantly fading entity that we need the most, and is never available as much as we like it to be. 

Darkness and frost are starting to reach
The heart of this land with a cold disease
Sleep now for a while before the storm awakes
And one day it will reward you for the burden of wait
The roots go deep into the frozen dead ground
Listen to the land of snow, it makes no sound
For ages searching the warmth of the sun
If it never finds me, I can die as one
Time will go on and we are drifting away in the night
I ́ve been searching so long, but I will find you even if it takes my whole life
But tonight I feel so alone and I know that you are forever gone
Oh time, don ́t fade away when I need you here, oh please don ́t leave me now
TIME!
Time! Fades away!
When time fades away!
And I ́ll never be the same
Time! Time! Time! Time!
You want so much from me - I feel nothing but grief and despair
How can I make you feel again - All my dreams are just visions I can ́t bear
You want something that I can ́t give - I cannot keep living in this bitter dream
And I don ́t care anymore
It feels like my life is ending
Oh, another year gone by
But nothing has changed in my life
And time goes on forever and ever
And it waits for no one
Time fades away
And I fade away
And I ́ll never be the same
TIME! Fades away!
When time fades away!
And I ́ll never feel the same
And I fade away!
When time fades away!
And I ́ll never feel the same

Such a genius of a song.

One thing I notices that the mp3 format cannot do justice to this album. My Corsair Vengeance 1500 does justice to the MP3s I guess. But the DVD will really test it capabilities. As a matter of fact, when I bought these Headphones, one of the first things I thought is how would Time I sound in these. And It really does justice to the album, the best form I've listened to it so far. But I wanna try it more. I know it can get better. I want the best out of it.

Thanks my brother Suran Jayathilaka for introducing me to these musical gods. Eagerly waiting for the second installment for the album Time II, which they say is coming in 2014.

Seeking a friend for the end of the world

Steve Carell has always been a favorite of mine. Although he is well known for the goofy comedic characters like Michael Scott(The Office US) and Brick Tamland(Anchorman), there are those really serious, moody ones like Dan(Dan in real life) and Frank (Little miss sunshine) that he plays so well. I can't really decide which type I like best. But I really do love every movie in which he takes part in.

Seeking a friend for the end of the world describes a world which faces imminent apocalypse, and how Dodge, an Insurance salesman tries to copes with that. His wife leaves him at the start, which throws him into this depressed state. Then he stumbles upon his neighbor, played by Keira Knightley, whom he never has met before. And things begin to take a different turn for dodge. They go on a road trip to meet their loved ones, to say their goodbyes, but they seek in each other the friend and ultimately the person they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Steve Carell does so well, as expected. The depressed countenance and the hopeless void that one feels in such a time is portrayed well by him. But I couldn't get myself to like the character played by Keira Knightly. Whyy did they have to pick her. They could've picked Emily Blunt maybe(because she has to be British). No, No Keira Knightley in any movie please. She overacts soo much and very good at being overly dramatic. She can't basically cry in a convincing manner even. The chemistry between her and Carell is so off, which really tones down the quality of the movie. I really think if anyone else had played her, I would've loved this movie. Yes, that's right. I did not like this movie. Sorry Steve Carell that has to be said.

I have special love for apocalyptic movies with drama. Another earth, Melancholia, Take shelter, Perfect Sense are all movies of a kind of a similar theme and I love every one of them. Those movies make me think of how I would feel when it all ends and you know that you gotta make the best of the time that is left to you. What would you do in a similar situation. Spend the rest of the days working? Watching movies? Playing? Partying? None of that matters at the end does it? No point in keeping secrets, is there? I'll certainly stop being so closed anymore, and stop thinking about all those what ifs. Cease the moment is what I'll do. I would want to be with the people that really matters. Because that would be the only thing that matters then. That would be the time for us to let the heart speak out loud, before the brain interferes. To be the impulsive fool without thinking of the consequences.  

But the end is not here! We have to keep our lives 'Normal' and spend the routine life that everyone expects of us.  Because you cannot escape the consequences of being open and declaring yourself. Priorities are not the same then. You have to be cautious, and careful, which I'm damn tired of right now. What if things don’t turn out the way as you hope it would? What if the feelings are not mutual, then how would we cope? Double thinking every action, subsiding impulses, all because we have to face what comes after, because no, the end is not here.