Childhood Eats and Treats

 Last day of vacation, school reopens tomorrow! I made caramel custard today. Preparing caramel custard brought back so many childhood memories!

I remember my amma making Rex or Weikfield caramel custard for us. We enjoyed it thoroughly. Sometimes she also made jelly for us. On special occasions she prepared Rasna. I still remember the carton that had a powder mix and some liquid in a little bottle that was mixed together in water to prepare the concentrate. We all sat around and watched her make it. We loved Rasna! Drinks like coke, Limca, Thumbs up and Goldspot were rarely bought.

In those days there was no concept of going out to restaurants to eat, everything was prepared at home. Special days called for special delicacies made with love at home. In the evening after playtime, amma prepared yummilicious snacks for us. We all enjoyed sitting cross-legged on the floor in a half circle and eating them with relish as we chatted and argued with our siblings. Amma served us all equally and she didn't have to coax us to eat it. When my Anna (father) and brother were back from work, we had dinner together. We were not fussy eaters, we ate whatever was served. We relished what we ate. I miss my amma's cooking as do my sisters. Childhood memories last forever.

What is the dish that brings back childhood memories for you???

Move to Heaven

 Web Series- Move to Heaven

Move to Heaven is an emotionally charged Kdrama series. The series follows Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, and Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), his guardian who work as trauma cleaners and uncover untold stories.

Just watch the first episode and I am sure you will be hooked to this emotional roller coaster of a series. I was completely in tears by the end of the first episode as it touches you deeply.

Recently I watched a Netflix documentary on Japan's Hikikomori, also known as acute social withdrawal. It is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement. Hikikomori refers to both the phenomenon in general and the recluses themselves. Hikikomori have been described as loners or "modern-day hermits".(Information from Wikipedia) The documentary was a painful watch and Hikikomori is not something happening only in Japan.

This series has a beautiful message and the performances and story line are truly exceptional! The series is an emotional journey about people who are on the threshold of death. It is a respectful and powerful way to understand the emotions people go through during their last moments.

The music score is extraordinarily good and the characters are on point. Each one comes out tops in what they have to convey or portray. As in every drama, you cannot help but fall in love with the lead characters. They have got a magnetic charm. I have always been a huge fan of Kdramas and this one is one such exemplary one that just cannot be missed. It is amazing how these dramas bring out so much emotion! Do watch this extraordinary KDrama series streaming on Netflix. It is heartfelt and it has a beautiful message for everyone.

The Family Man 2

 AMAZON ORIGINAL SERIES- THE FAMILY MAN 2

Betaa sweater pehno,nahii to lagegi sardi.........

Don't be a minimum guy!

Gripping and intense all the way!

Family Man 2 is an engaging series that is really impressive.

Performances are outstanding and Manoj Vajpayee and Samantha Akkikeni are a class apart. Some really tense moments in every episode that keep us hooked to the series. Outstanding music score and the locations are just apt. The language moves seamlessly from Hindi to Tamil as and when the scenes demand. You keep wondering what happened next and that is a sign of a good thriller. I am sure many would prefer to binge watch the series at one go like I did.

I must add this about one episode that was not as great. My friend and my daughter brought it to my notice. There are many memes about some of the scenes in this series. Most of them are about Chellum Sir and they are fine. Many memes were posted about the corporate office scene where Shrikant Tiwari loses his temper and gives an earful to his boss. Another scene is the one at the counsellor's where Shrikant and Suchi go for counseling. The counsellor's scene is a downright insult to counselling professionals. They have made caricature characters of psychological counsellors and corporate office bosses. That was not required in the script which was moving just fine. As my friend rightly pointed out, Episode 3 was somewhat of a letdown because all the other episodes are so thrilling.

An intelligent, crisp and entertaining storyline that keeps us engaged. A brilliant watch. This is a well made series streaming on Amazon Prime. Don't miss it!

Call Me by Your Name

 

Call me by Your Name is an exceptionally well made movie about love. It is erotic and sensuous. This is a sweet, sensous and dramatic movie about finding love. This is a story about Elio discovering himself and his sexuality. Great performances and raw emotions on display here. It's a slow moving but a revealing movie about love and longing.

The film has received rave reviews from critics and the public because of the beautiful performances of its lead actors, Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, and Luca Guadagnino’s inspired direction. The story is thought-provoking and sensous. The film stunningly explores desire and intimacy that is rooted in friendship. There are some really raw sexual scenes that portray passion and at times it is only the way they call each other that is enough to show the depth of their passion for each other. The location is breath taking beautiful. It makes me want to visit the place and explore all its cafes and corners. Music is also exceptionally good.

It is a story with heart. The last scene of Elio at the fireplace is emotional and speaks volumes. I loved this movie as it tells us of love and desire. This is an adaptation of a book by the same name.

It is streaming on Netflix.

The Last Days

 The Last Days is an award winning documentary about five Hungarian Jews who survived the holocaust. The movie is a narration of the experiences of the holocaust survivors at the Nazi Concentration camps. This documentary has won an Oscar for the best documentary feature.

The film is a painful and distressing watch as it acquaints us with one of the worst chapters in history that tells us about the inhuman treatment meted out to the Jews at the concentration camps. Though I have read about it and watched a few movies about this, it is difficult to believe that humans can actually be so inhuman to do such atrocities on fellow humans!

It is impossible to watch the holocaust survivors narrate their experiences without having a lump in your throats and tears in your eyes. It is so painful to listen to them, imagine how it was for them to relive those painful memories. Our heart weeps for them and their loved ones whom they lost to war.

It's a shame that even after so many chapters in history like these, that tell us about the futility of hatred, war and terror, we still have not learnt our lessons. There is still so much hate all around the world for power and supremacy.

This is a heart breaking movie that needs to be watched. These stories make us more humane and we learn about what the holocaust survivors have gone through. It is not a closed chapter for them as they have the memories of those dark chapters of their lives. I really wish and pray for peace in this world.

Dear Comrade

 This is a blockbuster of a movie that reminds me so much of the movie Arjun Reddy. I have not watched many of Rashmika Mandanna's movies and she is exceptionally good in this one. She looks pretty and has performed well. Lots of scope for her and Vijay Devarekonda in this movie and they did justice to their roles. A good message at the ends that tells us about having a special comrade in your life who will inspire you and help you realise your goals in life. They comrade can be your parents, friends or anyone special who believes in your potential and stands by your side in any and every circumstance.

The story line is full of drama, violence and romance. The first half is mostly all about the violence. Slowly we see the romance blooming between Vijay and Rashmika.The songs are beautiful and the background score is excellent. There are some amazing locations shown. I was happy to see Ladakh as it reminded me of my visit to that amazingly beautiful place.

Though this is a commercially successful film there are some incidents that have not been adequately portrayed. It is hurried in some parts and unnecessarily stretched in some. For me, there was too much violence in it. Drinking, smoking, riding bikes and two-wheelers without wearing helmets and getting off moving bikes is depicted.The movie could do without these too. All said and done, the lead pair are a delight to watch. I was happy to see Aparna Devi (Rashmika Mandanna) in the role of a state level cricket player. She is truly very expressive and performs with ease. Vijay Devarekonda was the right choice for this role. He easily moves from the angry young man to the romantic lover effortlessly. I am not a huge fan of Vijay Devarekonda but he does have an amazing screen presence. A good entertaining watch without doubt so don't miss this one.

'Dear Comrade' is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Nayattu

 Nayattu is a Malayalam political thriller film directed and co-produced by Martin Prakkat and written by Shahi Kabir. It stars Kunchako Boban, Joju George and Nimisha Sajayan in the lead roles.The movie is fast paced and thrilling. It makes us see the men in police uniform in a new light. They too have problems that are not really visible to the civilian eyes.

The story follows the events that takes place after a squabble at the police station that takes an ugly turn. There is an unfortunate accident due to which a youth dies and then the political drama begins. To ensure the votes by a majority at the elections and to garner the support of the dalits, the three police officers are made scapegoats though they try their best to prove their innocence.

It is a cat and mouse chase that ends with a climax that is unexpected. The story line is excellent and keeps us engaged. The performances are above par and the location, camera work and music are exemplary. The movie shows how politics plays a major role in crime detection and how many times what we see or hear is not the truth but fabricated to suit somebody,s interests. We cannot help feeling sorry for the three policemen who have to be on the run for no fault of theirs. Do watch this crime thriller streaming on Amazon Prime.

Ratsasan

Ratsasan is a suspenseful thriller that sends chills down our spine. This is a fast paced Tamil thriller streaming on Disney Hotstar but it does not have sub titles so I watched the Hindi dubbed version on YouTube. I find it better to watch regional films in the original language with subtitles, but this time I had no option.

The movie has some gut-wrenching scenes and horrific situations. It is a crime thriller about a serial killer who targets young school girls. It is full of intense drama but the background score is too screechy and disturbing.The performances are good and the movie climax played out well.

This psychological crime thriller is directed by Ram Kumar. The film features Vishnu Vishal and Amala Paul. The film tells the story of an aspiring film director who becomes a police officer after his father's death and tries to track down a serial killer. How he tracks down the perpetrator forms the crux of the story. The climax was really scary and unpredictable. All in all, it is a good crime thriller to watch.