tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50533948413741810162024-03-12T12:13:53.741+05:30Life Of Navin - Random Musings, Random Bullshit.navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.comBlogger274125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-20414979481219743752024-01-01T17:30:00.057+05:302024-01-02T13:07:32.812+05:30Movies of 2023<p>2023 was a plentiful year when it came to entertainment. Whether it was huge movie releases in theaters, sleeper hits across OTT platforms, or story-driven TV series, there truly was way more to consume than anyone could handle. Even though I try my best to keep track of what's new in the world of pop-culture, 2023 was a year when there was so much that I wanted to watch but a lot just slipped into a backlog that I need to get to someday in the future (<i>and let's be honest, most of it is going be in the ever-growing backlog void</i>). Either way, here's a pick of the best movies I watched through this year:</p><p><b>13. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18257464/" target="_blank">Polite Society</a></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.indianexpress.com/2023/04/polite-society_1200.jpg?w=640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://images.indianexpress.com/2023/04/polite-society_1200.jpg?w=640" width="431" /></a></div><p>Movies about the immigrant experience, especially based on immigrants from the sub-continent are always fun, but Polite Society added a new layer of zaniness, paired with arguably the best rendition of "<i>Maar Dala</i>" since <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238936/" target="_blank"><b>Devdas</b></a> itself. This story of a girl in the UK, balancing between the demands of tradition and her dreams of being a stuntwoman was completely hilarious, and will absolutely bring up memories of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/" target="_blank"><b>Bend It Like Beckham</b></a>.</p><p>Another fun, whacky movie this year about the immigrant<b> </b>experience, centered around a group of Indian-origin friends in the US, was <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15327014/" target="_blank"><b>Four Samosas</b></a>.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>12. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10365998/" target="_blank">Infinity Pool</a></b></p><p>I'm not sure how I'd even explain to someone what Infinity Pool is about.<b> </b>It's a mix between horror, sci-fi, and dark comedy, while also being a commentary on the excesses of the modern bourgeoisie. Starring <b>Alexander Skarsgard</b> and <b>Mia Goth</b>, both of whom have a penchant for picking scripts that most other mainstream actors would consider "<i>crazy</i>", Infinity Pool keeps you guessing throughout it's the entire runtime. <b>David Cronenberg</b> is definitely someone to watch out for!</p><p>Another movie in a similar vein that I enjoyed this year were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15679400/" target="_blank"><b>Knock At The Cabin</b></a>. Again, a movie that'll have you second guessing yourself right uptil the final reveal.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>11. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15354916/" target="_blank">Jawan</a></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2023/09/15/1600x900/jawan_box_office_collection_1694753211852_1694753212126.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="307" src="https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2023/09/15/1600x900/jawan_box_office_collection_1694753211852_1694753212126.jpeg" width="546" /></a></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"> OK, I'll be honest. Jawan is probably not the best action movie this year. But yeah, it's my list so I'm going to have it on the list because, well, we're all <b>SRK</b>-simps. I know there's folks who watched the movie and then went about criticizing it as being too over-the-top, but c'mon, admit it! You felt some deeply primal part of you cheering out loud when you saw a 58 year old with a cigar in his mouth, and a belt in his hand, whooping the shit out of nameless goondas. That's it. That's all. <b>Atlee </b>really is in the rarefied space of directors who know how to build <i>stand-up-and-clap</i> moments for our audiences.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Some other standout action flicks from this year<b> </b>were<b> </b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9603212/" target="_blank"><b>Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning</b></a>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10366206/" target="_blank">John Wick Chapter 4</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15799866/" target="_blank">Silent Night</a></b>, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14846026/" target="_blank"><b>Sisu</b></a>.
Funnily, despite being from different parts of the world, nearly every
one of these stars an actor in his 50s as the lead. Looks like global
action cinema really has a type.<br /></p><p><b>10. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24516518/" target="_blank">Vaalvi</a></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.leisurebyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Vaalvi-3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="285" src="https://www.leisurebyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Vaalvi-3.jpeg" width="507" /></a></b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>If #11 was about mindless action, #10 goes the other way. On paper,<b> Vaalvi </b>is a simple story about a man who conspires with his mistress to kill his wife. Well, except, absolutely everything that can go wrong, goes wrong in the most hilarious manner. <b>Swapnil Joshi</b> and <b>Anita Date-Kelkar </b>as the husband and
wife put forth really fun performances, and the final scene is total
genius in the way it ties everything together.</p></div><p style="text-align: left;">Marathi cinema pops up with absolute gems like this movie every once in a while, and I hope that movies that Vaalvi get more visibility and appreciation outside the state as well.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>9. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23849204/" target="_blank">12th Fail</a></b></p><p><b>Vikrant Massey </b>stars in this biopic of <b>Manoj Kumar Sharma</b>, who made the journey from failing in the 12th standard (<i>hence the title</i>) to becoming a decorated IPS Officer, despite all the obstacles in his path. Everyone puts up an earnest performance in the movie, and reinforces how anyone's success is always a combination of hard work, perseverance, and the ecosystem built around you. </p><p>I think the only reason it doesn't rank higher in the list is because the TV series,<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14392248/" target="_blank">TVF Aspirants</a></b>,<b> </b>had already raised the bar so high for movies/series around this theme, especially with it's incredible first season (<i>:sobs: </i><i>Sandeep Bhaiyya </i><i>:sobs:</i>). Some other true-story biopics I enjoyed this year were <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5648882/" target="_blank">The Burial</a></b>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21867434/" target="_blank"><b>Blackberry</b></a>, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12758060/" target="_blank">Tetris</a></b>.</p><p><b>8. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10638522/" target="_blank">Talk To Me</a> <br /></b></p><p>Well executed horror movies are so few and far in between, and when I came across <b>Talk To Me</b>, I was quite certain it'd be a one-time watch at best. But boy, was I wrong. The movie follows a bunch of kids who are able to talk to the dead by holding an embalmed hand and repeating the titular phrase. And in pure teenager style, everything is all fun and games, until it isn't. If you are a fan of the worlds of <b>Jordan Peele</b>, you'll feel right at home with Talk To Me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media-prod.fangoria.com/images/talktome-header-2.width-800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="253" src="https://media-prod.fangoria.com/images/talktome-header-2.width-800.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><p>It goes without saying that <b>A24</b> continues to sharpen it's axe in this genre, and I can't wait to see what they have in store next. Two other horror movies fromn this year that you should check out were <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16300962/" target="_blank">When Evil Lurks</a></b>, a Spanish movie about demonic possession, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760708/" target="_blank"><b>M3GAN</b></a>, which is very prescient in a pseudo-AGI world.</p><p><b>7. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517268/" target="_blank">Barbie</a></b></p><p>When me and Arch discussed the whole <i><b>Barbenheimer</b></i> phenomenon, it was quite easy to assume that she would like Barbie more than me. However, the exact opposite happened, and I ended up liking Barbie way more than her. Sure, it's a little <i>blunt-tool</i> at times, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh my ass off through the entire runtime of the movie. Even some of the throwaway jokes like the Duolingo line had me ROFL-ing. Hat tip to <b>Ryan Gosling</b>, for pulling off the perfect Ken. And <b>Margot Robbie</b> as Barbie = * chefs kiss *</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/a1e01eac-961a-4c19-9c55-ba8e2036ed21/ryan-gosling-3-ht-gmh-230531_1685553813951_hpEmbed_25x14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="800" height="260" src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/a1e01eac-961a-4c19-9c55-ba8e2036ed21/ryan-gosling-3-ht-gmh-230531_1685553813951_hpEmbed_25x14.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><p><b>6. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10640346/" target="_blank">Babylon</a></b></p><p>Yes, I know Babylon is <i>technically<b> </b></i>a 2022 movie, but it came out basically in the end of Dec and I watched it in 2023 so I'm going to include it here. Incredible cast (<i><b>Margot Robbie</b> again, this time with <b>Brad Pitt</b> and </i><b><i>Diego Calva</i>)</b>, a tremendously talented director<b><i> </i></b><i>(</i><b>Damien Chazelle</b>), and what is arguably the best movie soundtrack in a long time all come together to create this fever-dream of a movie set in 1920's Hollywood. When it came out, people had very mixed reactions to the movie, but IMHO, Babylon was a better story than even <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3783958/" target="_blank"><b>La La Land</b></a> which Chazelle is known more widely for. <b><i><br /></i></b></p><p><b>5. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11992424/" target="_blank">Sapta Sagaradaache Ello</a></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/entertainment/movies/bsozd4/article67256168.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/SSE5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="273" src="https://th-i.thgim.com/public/entertainment/movies/bsozd4/article67256168.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/SSE5.JPG" width="410" /></a></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">In recent times, it feels like Bollywood has forgotten how to tell love stories, and nearly every great love story seems to come from outside of Bollywood. And the surprise this year was <b>Hemanth Rao</b>'s two-part Kannada saga:<b> Sapta Sagaradaache Ello</b>. <b>Rakshit Shetty</b> and <b>Rukmini Vasanth </b>have chemistry that's simply incredible, and the beautiful screenplay takes us through the trials and tribulations of the couple across multiple decades. Nothing much more to say. Watch it, and keep a box of tissues handy, because you'll need it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">A couple of other movies around love that I enjoyed this year were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19719976/" target="_blank"><b>Joyland</b></a>, which is easily the best film to come out of Pakistan this decade, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26733205/" target="_blank">Journey of Love 18+</a></b>, which is a more light-hearted romcom.<br /></p><p><b>4. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23804378/" target="_blank">Three Of Us</a></b></p><p>While the rest of the world went gaga<b> </b>over <b>Past Lives</b>, folks in India were very lucky that we also got to see <b>Three Of Us</b>. Just like <b>Past Lives</b>,<b> </b>the movie deals with reliving nostalgia and young love, but through the lens of having lived complete, fulfilling adult lives with other partners. <b>Shefali Shah </b>and <b>Jaideep Ahlawat </b>have rightfully gotten a lot of credit for their performances in this movie, but a special hat tip goes out to the <b>Swanand Kirkire </b>for his role as Shefali Shah's husband.</p><p>I needn't explicitly say it again, but do watch <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13238346/" target="_blank">Past Lives</a></b> and <b>Three Of Us</b> as a double feature, and decide for yourself which movie is better. Maybe because of the setting, or the relatability of the characters, I found myself drawn so much more to the latter. <br /></p><p><b>3. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18816518/" target="_blank">Sick Of Myself</a></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/04/12/multimedia/sick1-hltw/sick1-hltw-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/04/12/multimedia/sick1-hltw/sick1-hltw-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg" width="477" /></a></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">As I've gotten older, I find myself feeling more and more distant from social media. But many of the people I work with, especially from Gen Z, have gone deep into the world of likes and shares, always on the lookout for the next 15 second adrenaline hit. <b>Sick Of Myself</b> is the story of one such person, who is quite literally ready to go to any depths for a minute of attention, even when it takes her closer and closer to self destruction.<b> </b>The modern world is very self-centered, dog-eat-dog, vacuous, and collaboratively disillusioned, yet we all go about our day like this is all very normal. <b>Sick Of Myself</b> is a dark, yet funny, take on this generation and their fallacies.</p><p></p><p>Some other movies that capture similar themes, and will resonate with people who have been pulled into the selfish, social-media fueled bandwagon from this year are <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14483774/" target="_blank"><b>Shortcomings</b></a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16252698/" target="_blank"><b>Passages</b></a>, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15434074/" target="_blank">Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan</a></b>.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>2. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15398776/" target="_blank">Oppenheimer</a></b></p><p>There's so much that I liked about Oppenheimer. The performances: From <b>Cillian Murphy</b>, who really deserves all the credit that he gets for this execution of the tortured genius, to <b>Robert Downey Jr.</b>, who makes us forget he was literally, friggin' Iron Man not too long ago, to even smaller performances like <b>Bennie Safdie</b>, <b>Tom Conti</b>, and <b>Emily Blunt</b>. The minute-long silence in the IMAX theater followed by the earth shattering boom of the nuke. The music score, which was quite literally <a href="https://www.nme.com/features/film-interviews/oppenheimer-score-soundtrack-ludwig-goransson-christopher-nolan-3471661" target="_blank">considered impossible to play</a>.<b> </b>The accuracy of so many of the minute details when it comes to showing scientific process on-screen.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>Christopher Nolan </b>has time and time again, shown that he is one of the few directors whose works I'll always pay top dollar to watch in the best possible theater I can get to, and he doesn't disappoint.<br /></p><p><b>1. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13616368/" target="_blank">Amerikatsi</a></b></p><p>First things first: I know nothing about Armenia.<b> </b>I can probably point it out on a well-labeled map, but besides that I know nothing about the country, it's culture, or it's history. Which is probably one reason why <b>Amerikatsi</b> was such an incredible movie-watching experience for me. Or maybe it was because I've gotten into arguments with many friends who <i>"cheer for India from the sidelines" </i>while sitting in their cushy first world apartments<i>, </i>and this movie shows them a picture of what that blind optimism can lead to. Or maybe it's the sublime ending that gets to me. Or maybe it's how it perfectly blends silliness with it's message on patriotism.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/5aeb188de5d629d91b7837243022f3a84277aa69222be8950ed29ef3a9737fb9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="260" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/5aeb188de5d629d91b7837243022f3a84277aa69222be8950ed29ef3a9737fb9.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><p>I know that <b>Amerikatsi</b> is an outside-shot for the Oscar for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_submissions_to_the_96th_Academy_Awards_for_Best_International_Feature_Film" target="_blank">Best International Feature Film in 2024</a>, alongside some tremendous juggernauts (<i>many of which have not had wider releases yet so I've not seen</i>), but if there's one nominee I'd strongly want everyone to watch, it's this one.<br /></p><p><b>Honorable Mentions: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/" target="_blank">The Whale</a></b> (<i>Brendan Fraser deserved that Oscar</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21440780/" target="_blank"><b>How To Blow Up A Pipeline</b></a> (<i>Anarchism + Cinema?</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9006564/" target="_blank"><b>2018 </b></a> (<i>a fine nominee for the Oscars</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15006566/" target="_blank"><b>As Bestas </b></a> (<i>Xenophobia is a global truth</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8649252/" target="_blank"><b>Scrapper </b></a> (<i>Because 'Aftersun' made father-daughter movies cool again</i>), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849194/" target="_blank">The Holdovers</a></b> (<i>O Captain, my captain</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11396310/" target="_blank"><b>Viduthalai: Part 1</b></a><b> </b>(<i>Vetrimaaran doing what he does best</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14993250/" target="_blank"><b>Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani</b></a> (<i>Surprisingly fun family swap, mostly driven by Ranveer's charisma</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27540185/" target="_blank"><b>Chithha</b></a> (<i>Siddharth continues his run of movies tackling hard subjects</i>), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt25153418/" target="_blank">The Male Ghost</a></b> (<i>Quirky malayalam police procedural</i>), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13650540/" target="_blank">If You Were The Last</a> </b>(<i>Sci-fi romcoms are a thing!</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11858890/" target="_blank"><b>The Creator</b> </a>(<i>OK story, stunning visuals 1.0</i>), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13539646/" target="_blank">The Wandering Earth II</a></b> (<i>OK story, stunning visuals 2.0</i>)</p>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-57159559962816440722023-08-03T01:37:00.004+05:302023-08-03T01:39:14.429+05:30Writing your first eBPF program!<p><a href="https://ebpf.io/" target="_blank"><b>Extended Berkeley Packet Filters</b></a> (<b>eBPF</b>) is probably the most exciting additions to the Linux Kernel in recent times. To put it simply, eBPF is designed as a very nice middle-ground between native kernel changes, which have traditionally been very slow (<i>arguably rightfully</i>) to come into mainline, and kernel modules, which have become a <a href="https://reberhardt.com/blog/2020/11/18/my-first-kernel-module.html" target="_blank">popular footgun</a> for anyone working at the kernel level.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsNwCH5XbxznWm9LBM0HC9jBdn6Xi8_T5BlWfgiFiykm_fSTPf5QDUdKc-RgRn7dw3HQqh8FkyCweK8NUwsbumpKT6olIekZdr83TkdZGTl5wm87DSycPc-mdURr-GfksFBuskQHbIRAqwcGAdf8lhT5OViJi8Of2GbpTurNq9jfSj-jcsB7QCEJ8GMI8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="850" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsNwCH5XbxznWm9LBM0HC9jBdn6Xi8_T5BlWfgiFiykm_fSTPf5QDUdKc-RgRn7dw3HQqh8FkyCweK8NUwsbumpKT6olIekZdr83TkdZGTl5wm87DSycPc-mdURr-GfksFBuskQHbIRAqwcGAdf8lhT5OViJi8Of2GbpTurNq9jfSj-jcsB7QCEJ8GMI8" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>My introduction to eBPF was through <b><a href="https://pyroscope.io" target="_blank">Pyroscope</a></b>, which uses eBPF to provide continuous profiling (<i>And anyone who's worked with code long enough knows the pain that it takes to profile a system running in Prod WITHOUT having a significant impact on performance</i>), and over time, I've been playing around with more tools in the eBPF space, whether it's on the networking front (<i>a la <b><a href="https://github.com/groundcover-com/caretta" target="_blank">Caretta</a></b></i>), or on the security/observability front (<i>a la <a href="https://cilium.io/"><b>Cilium</b></a> /<b> <a href="https://falco.org/" target="_blank">Falco</a></b></i>), to wilder shots like load balancing (<i>a la <b><a href="https://engineering.fb.com/open-source/open-sourcing-katran-a-scalable-network-load-balancer/" target="_blank">Katran</a></b></i>). But while I've grokked the "<i>what</i>" and "<i>why</i>" of eBPF, the "<i>how</i>" was something that was always a mystery to me.</p><p>So I dug a little to see how you can write your own eBPF-enabled program, and it turned out to be much easier than I assumed it would be... So let's see how we do it!</p><p>For this sample app, we'll write a simple Python program that will act as the userspace application and have it communicate with an eBPF program written in C (<i>which the eBPF compiler will compile to bytecode and run at the kernel level</i>). So let's get started.</p><p>First, let's install the <span style="font-family: courier;">bpfcc-tools</span><span style="font-family: courier;"> </span>and <span style="font-family: courier;">linux-headers</span> package, which has what we need<span style="font-size: x-small;">(*)</span> </p><blockquote><p> $ sudo apt-get install bpfcc-tools linux-headers-$(uname -r)<br /></p></blockquote><p>And now we can write our code:</p><blockquote><p>$ cat hello_ebpf.py<br /><br />from bcc import BPF<br /><br />ebpf_program = r"""<br />int process_start(void *ctx) {<br /> bpf_trace_printk("A new process was started!");<br /> return 0;<br />}<br />"""<br />prog = BPF(text=ebpf_program)<br />execve_syscall = prog.get_syscall_fnname("execve")<br />prog.attach_kprobe(event=execve_syscall, fn_name="process_start")<br />prog.trace_print()<br /></p></blockquote><p>And that's it! Our eBPF <span style="font-family: courier;">hello-world</span>is now ready for action. To run it, simply run the file in the terminal</p><blockquote><p>$ sudo python3 hello_ebpf.py <br /># Depending on your package version, you may see some warnings here<br /></p></blockquote><p>In another terminal, you can kick off some processes by running commands like <span style="font-family: courier;">ls</span>, <span style="font-family: courier;">echo</span>, <span style="font-family: courier;">cat</span> etc. and every time a new process starts (<i>which internally uses the <span style="font-family: courier;">execve</span> syscall</i>), you'll see a message printed in the running python application.</p><blockquote><p>b' bash-3713 [000] d...1 12276.629282: bpf_trace_printk: A new process was started!'<br />b' bash-3714 [000] d...1 12278.088251: bpf_trace_printk: A new process was started!'<br />b' python3-3715 [000] d...1 12278.244559: bpf_trace_printk: A new process was started!' <br /></p></blockquote><p>So, how does this work? Well, the code should be quite self-explanatory, but the important bit is the <span style="font-family: courier;">prog.attach_kprobe(event=execve_syscall, fn_name="process_start")</span> line. What this does is create and attach a <a href="https://docs.kernel.org/trace/kprobes.html" target="_blank"><b>kprobe</b></a><b> </b>to each call to <span style="font-family: courier;">execve</span> and runs a hook defined in <span style="font-family: courier;">process_start</span> method, which is what is compiled to eBPF bytecode. </p><p>You can probably appreciate how this makes writing applications that can access kernel level data so much easier, and allow access at an incredibly detailed level. Want to know when a file is accessed? eBPF allows that. Want to know when a process talks to another? No problemo. Want to know when a network socket request is made? Easy, peasy!<span style="font-size: x-small;">(^)</span> eBPF's <i>relatively</i> straightforward interface means that even with so much fine-grained access to syscalls, picking, filtering, slicing, and dicing kernel calls is straightforward, without needing as much low-level kernel knowledge. Best of all, since eBPF is compiled to bytecode <a href="https://ebpf.io/what-is-ebpf/#loader--verification-architecture" target="_blank">by the eBPF compiler</a> and executed within the kernel rather than in userspace, the performance impact of these listeners is <i>EXTREMELY</i> low. This allows real-world applications like continuous profiling, network security, and load balancing to be driven through eBPF without worrying too much about real-world performance.<br /></p><p>I've been playing with eBPF over the last year or so and would definitely recommend folks to look into this incredible kernel technology. Who knows, it may just be the system-level observability "<i>silver bullet</i>" you've been looking for.</p><p>---</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(*) I'm running this on <a href="https://releases.ubuntu.com/jammy/" target="_blank"><b>Ubuntu 22.04</b></a>. Instructions may be a bit different depending on your distro. But as long as you have a fairly modern kernel version <i>(4.1+) </i>you should be able to get this up and running.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(^) If there's interest, I may just make this a multi-part series diving deeper into how to write these applications as well. </span><br /></p>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-31448895350551633992023-02-21T22:27:00.007+05:302023-02-21T23:24:22.418+05:30Papershelf<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The more you know, the more you realize you know nothing."</i><br /><em>— <b>Socrates</b></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em> </em><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Embedded from: </span><a href="https://navinpai.github.io/papers/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://navinpai.github.io/papers/</span><br /></a><br /></div><div><iframe height="600px" src="https://navinpai.github.io/papers/" style="border: none;" width="100%"></iframe></div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-9161608807790843822023-01-03T03:25:00.002+05:302023-01-18T14:57:10.411+05:30Movies of 2022<p>Well, it's that time of the year again isn't it? After a year that's brought us some incredible movies, it's time for the much awaited (<i>or so I've been told</i>) list of my favorite movies of 2022. I genuinely felt that this year was the first year since COVID began when movies really kicked back into high gear. So many great movies across the year that picking a single "<i>Best Of</i>" list really doesn't do justice. But let me try my best to put across my opinion nonetheless. Here we go!:</p><p>13. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1777606/" target="_blank"><b>Rosaline</b></a></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEis8DHM4FRPq2aMc_s00tnvGJvycjBMPBTBBA_A5QWfQaUCc1GL2Ob2CQFntmmQwkzCG_c3rS6Z7zR0cjtx_OByrDclmIvvgkvS5KF9WdbNTnMMw3qPne8zJl1L3F9YxpqaKTGe_4rEcYFcwULS0hsgY15Hy5bL9U9MnxJIv3bJ4UsyzNYR4nN05Q9n" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEis8DHM4FRPq2aMc_s00tnvGJvycjBMPBTBBA_A5QWfQaUCc1GL2Ob2CQFntmmQwkzCG_c3rS6Z7zR0cjtx_OByrDclmIvvgkvS5KF9WdbNTnMMw3qPne8zJl1L3F9YxpqaKTGe_4rEcYFcwULS0hsgY15Hy5bL9U9MnxJIv3bJ4UsyzNYR4nN05Q9n=w213-h320" width="213" /></a></b></div><br />The story of Romeo and Juliet has been hashed and rehashed over and over for centuries at this point. But have you ever heard the story from the perspective of Romeo's ex-girlfriend, Rosaline? That's the one-line pitch for this quirky movie, which pretty much went under the radar this year. This genre of modern-day takes on classics is a guilty pleasure of mine, and if you add in some great comic timing, paired with a really fun jilted-girlfriend performance by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3239803/" target="_blank">Kaitlyn Dever</a></b>, then you have yourself a very enjoyable watch!<br /><p></p><p>12. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13880104/?" target="_blank"><b>Happening</b></a></p><p><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Ernaux">Annie Ernaux</a></b>, who won the <b>Nobel Prize for Literature</b> this year, wrote the book that this movie is based on, which deals with the topic of an unwanted pregnancy in a country where abortions are illegal (<i>1960s France</i>). What should, in any decent democratic state, be a simple, straightforward process to give someone authority over their own body is unfortunately rarely the case. In a landmark year where the <i>gReaTEsT DEmOCRaCY</i> has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade">taken away the rights</a> of half their population's to choose, it really goes to show how history can be cyclic.</p><p>Three other movies that deal with the theme of women dealing with a system stacked against them from this year that I enjoyed were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13466166/" target="_blank"><b>Saani Kaayidham</b></a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21261388/" target="_blank"><b>Gargi</b></a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14428598" target="_blank"><b>Qala</b></a>. In each of these, the central themes couldn't be more different from each other, nor could the director's vision. But all three movies tell stories of resiliency in the face of sheer adversity, led by excellent leading actors.<br /><br /></p><p>11. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7322224/" target="_blank"><b>Triangle of Sadness</b></a></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFqES1LU9KG3L6OW23EcgywyoFBRS4ahveeaZsE3VXStTJEUEuVH0aqXvqBc2a3NXpcYDDilFUjlQNRnCSObh38yo6sEjEe5Lr9EYZx5UfWV0SahxiViSeM6Jh0jWzU0iJKYRV2CssYg_VMR8VSCBRXPhKcyzsvp8S4n8FuhFFAf5GIBFXSNLZgEBy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFqES1LU9KG3L6OW23EcgywyoFBRS4ahveeaZsE3VXStTJEUEuVH0aqXvqBc2a3NXpcYDDilFUjlQNRnCSObh38yo6sEjEe5Lr9EYZx5UfWV0SahxiViSeM6Jh0jWzU0iJKYRV2CssYg_VMR8VSCBRXPhKcyzsvp8S4n8FuhFFAf5GIBFXSNLZgEBy=w320-h178" width="320" /></a></b></div><p><b><br /></b>No annual "<i>best of</i>" list is complete without a dark satirical comedy cementing it's place in it, and boy oh boy, is <b>Triangle of Sadness</b> the most juicy satire you'll see all year! Since <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2121382/" target="_blank">Force Majeure</a></b>, <b>Ruben Östlund</b> has carved out a name for himself as a director to watch out for, and <b>Triangle of Sadness</b> really does deliver on that promise. The story, which starts off on a cruise-liner for the super-rich, deals with the class divide in a delightful way, and will leave you in splits when you watch it, but then kicks off an eternity thinking of the layers below the surface. And while the movie does leave you with a bit of an open ending, it's been interesting to discuss with friend how they interpret the ending, because it's a glimpse into their rationalization rather than the movie itself.</p><p>If you are a fan of quirky, satirical movies, then another fun movie from this year was <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11700260/" target="_blank"><b>Official Competition</b></a></p><p></p><p>10. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12593682/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank"><b>Bullet Train</b></a></p><p>Cinema is all about escape, and no genre of cinema promises more escape than the action thriller/comedy. And you've got to admit, in recent years, the bar for action movies has been quite high. And for me, the movie that defined the genre this year was <b>Bullet Train</b>. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wick" target="_blank"><b>John Wick</b></a> series is such a guilty pleasure for me, so when the new <b>David Leitch </b>movie came out, it was a must-watch! Set almost entirely on a single train (<i><b>Snowpiercer</b> vibes anyone?</i>), the movie tracks a bunch of zany characters, connected to each other in one way or another, culminating in action set pieces that are oh-so-beautiful interspersed with a tonne of out-and-out comedy, and callbacks that'll give you major whiplash in all the best ways!<br /></p><p>I maintain a list of movies that I enjoyed watching through the year, and the first movie that made it on was <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4998632/" target="_blank"><b>Ambulance</b></a> which is in the similar genre, and truly Michael Bay doing what Michael Bay does best. And of course, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/" target="_blank"><b>Top Gun Maverick</b></a> is another movie in the same genre from this year that deserves a watch! <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15128068/" target="_blank"><b>Monica, O My Darling</b> </a>and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11564570/" target="_blank">Knives Out: Glass Onion</a> </b>are other Action comedies I enjoyed this year<b><br /></b></p><p>9. <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/" target="_blank">The Fabelmans</a><br /></b></p><p>I'm an absolute sucker for movies that tell stories that are very personal to the director, and who better to tell a story about his own life then the king himself, <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg" target="_blank">Steven Spielberg</a>. The Fabelmans </b>is a story of a fictional family, but is based closely on the director's own childhood and details the coming-of-age story of a kid who loves movies and the extents he'll go to in order to be able to do what his heart tells him to do. Like classics like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/" target="_blank"><b>Cinema Paradiso</b></a>, this movie is a love-letter to movie-making as much as it is the story of a cinema-obsessed child in a dysfunctional family in 1960s USA. As someone obsesses with movies, watching The Fabelmans was a throwback to the freedom and obsession that only young adulthood can provide.<b><br /></b></p><p>Two other movies in a similar vein I enjoyed watching in 2022 were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11271038/" target="_blank"><b>Licorice Pizza</b></a> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9681686/" target="_blank">Chello Show</a> </b>(Though the latter is a bit too "<i>inspired</i>" by <b>Cinema Paradiso</b> for my liking)<b><br /></b></p><p>8.<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22488728/" target="_blank">Love Today</a></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd-dxt0ACO7IXLD2jZ0GBMC_3DIa17OAbjkbCR1qK8Yv4L0mvjE8RMtKPZZ6W_jOxKixZZ7protM1qN09c-dmohDphlEqdR1wCQP5z2VBLiRDfp7A5yudSDuWTPUFmfGVTlLf09spZwYdhKqhwYJ-eDayLI2HUfqK-h8AwhAtdh5W8LnhczwvGC2_Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="594" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd-dxt0ACO7IXLD2jZ0GBMC_3DIa17OAbjkbCR1qK8Yv4L0mvjE8RMtKPZZ6W_jOxKixZZ7protM1qN09c-dmohDphlEqdR1wCQP5z2VBLiRDfp7A5yudSDuWTPUFmfGVTlLf09spZwYdhKqhwYJ-eDayLI2HUfqK-h8AwhAtdh5W8LnhczwvGC2_Q" width="190" /></a></b></div><b> </b><br />Modern relationships are rarely captured well in Indian rom-coms, with most movies being written quite obviously by middle-aged teams trying to capture what modern relationships look like. And this means just randomly throwing in some Millenial/Gen Z lingo for brownie points and calling it a day. But out of the blue, a movie like <b>Love Today </b>comes out and shows you how it's done. The premise is simple: A girl's father asks the couple to exchange their mobile phones with each other for a day as a precondition to accept their alliance, and all hell breaks loose. But the execution is where this movie shines! Fron the creative editing and jumpcuts, to the quirky background score, to the incorporation of tech in the movie, to storypoints that'll have you laughing out loud, <b>Love Today</b> manages to craft an interpretation of a RomCom that I hope more folks try to emulate.<b> </b>Hattip to <b>Pradeep Ranganathan</b>, who both directs the movie and plays the main <strike>doofus</strike> protagonist<b> </b>of the movie<b><br /></b><p></p><p>7. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877830/" target="_blank"><b>The Batman</b></a></p><p>This was finally the year when it happened. "<i>Peak Superhero</i>" was finally reached, and specifically with the MCU, it felt like I'm officially too old to see more CGI-heavy rehashes of the same story from the Russos. But like <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456/" target="_blank">The Joker</a> </b>from a few years back, a new, refreshing take on the caped crusader was just what the doctor ordered! <b>The Batman </b>was by far the best superhero movie of the year IMO. I loved <b>Matt Reeves</b>' take on the hero, and returning him back to the detective roots was such a great creative decision (<i>from whatever it is that the awful<b> </b>Justice League batman was</i>). While I did initially have reservations about the choice of <b>Pattinson</b> as Batman, the<b> </b>screenplay of this entire movie played very well into his strengths as an actor. Not to mention<b> Paul Dano </b>in a very unique interpretation of <b>The Riddler </b>that was the cherry on the cake!<b><br /></b></p><p>6. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11777738/" target="_blank"><b>A Hero</b></a></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7r5QUHWfYyCF0qpGQjW7jAVCH1NhQTMOFGn1JLEcbJ1vdQRrcyE0Wizwyc8rFKbdbdEzV1WytL6K9ynDUCe0JEzqYeA_9emjvqxPzysOU37Wk3RlVofmk9BmUtDlxX5v2cbP0naFfCwd-dSWDilY0oVCoQNgJBf3C2roaHrDltLkhgrrOkTqF0w3K" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7r5QUHWfYyCF0qpGQjW7jAVCH1NhQTMOFGn1JLEcbJ1vdQRrcyE0Wizwyc8rFKbdbdEzV1WytL6K9ynDUCe0JEzqYeA_9emjvqxPzysOU37Wk3RlVofmk9BmUtDlxX5v2cbP0naFfCwd-dSWDilY0oVCoQNgJBf3C2roaHrDltLkhgrrOkTqF0w3K" width="320" /></a></b></div><b> </b><br />From a superhero to a movie where performing a heroic act creates the central tension in the film. <b>A Hero</b> is another installment of the "<i>slice of Iranian life presented in the form of a story</i>" series of films by <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asghar_Farhadi" target="_blank">Asghar Farhadi</a> </b>(<i>of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5186714/" target="_blank"><b>The Salesman</b></a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1832382/" target="_blank"><b>A Seperation</b></a> fame</i>) that deals with the ramifications of a "<i>heroic act</i>" that a prisoner performs while out on parole. There's few directors who manage to meld in distinct cultural markers of their cultures into their movie-making (<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jafar_Panahi" target="_blank"><b>Panahi</b></a> being the obvious other name for Iranian cinema</i>, <i>and</i> <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jia_Zhangke" target="_blank"><b>Zhangke</b></a> for Chinese cinema</i>), and with <b>A Hero</b>, <b>Farhadi</b> shows how he has perfected the balancing act of telling a story while offering a glimpse into society that it's based in.<b><br /></b><p></p><p>5. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15327088/" target="_blank"><b>Kantara</b></a></p><p>If you are from India, then you should just skip the next two movies on the list because you've probably heard enough about these movies for the better half of the last 3-4 months. But heck, the praise for both is extremely well deserved<b>. Kantara </b>by<b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishab_Shetty" target="_blank">Rishab Shetty</a>, </b>who's also lead actor in the movie, is a movie that takes the much-explored "<i>bad-landlord good-villagers</i>" trope and blends together with elements from local mythology<b>/</b>folklore<b> </b>into a spectacle that's been causing waves across the country for months. Having grown up being part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulu_Nadu" target="_blank">Dakshin Kannada culture</a> and having experienced events like <b>Bhuta-kola</b> and others personally, seeing a action fantasy that incorporates these into it's story with arguably the best cinematography and sound design that Kannada cinema has ever seen was absolutely surreal. The movies I most closely compare Kantara to are <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8721556/" target="_blank"><b>Jallikattu</b></a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8239946/" target="_blank"><b>Tumbbad</b></a>, both of which have made it onto my yearly lists in the past for many of the same reasons that I loved Kantara!<b></b></p><p><b>Kantara </b>does have it's fair share of elements of horror, but this has been a great year for horror fans nonetheless with movies like <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12519030/" target="_blank">Hatching</a></b>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954984/" target="_blank"><b>Nope</b></a>, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15474916/" target="_blank">Smile</a></b> providing plenty of spooks.<br /></p><p>4. <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9179430/" target="_blank">Vikram</a> </b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYEJ8DUGT5Gk2vLLKPeLva_UegdZobLVshNvGlLr5dXWyQy1Cg6heZpu1AsCJfuK5Z4hn_kMdw_9YVvb-Yab1bzq-2JXAkX1vthHW0sTSjCN76y6PZb0SbdmjqE5-jLXWJESOAIF1TGOEdWaTjPqw6UCGrhgYUR9YikhYtZcwZJuFuB-YwEvn-LcVc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="740" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYEJ8DUGT5Gk2vLLKPeLva_UegdZobLVshNvGlLr5dXWyQy1Cg6heZpu1AsCJfuK5Z4hn_kMdw_9YVvb-Yab1bzq-2JXAkX1vthHW0sTSjCN76y6PZb0SbdmjqE5-jLXWJESOAIF1TGOEdWaTjPqw6UCGrhgYUR9YikhYtZcwZJuFuB-YwEvn-LcVc" width="320" /></a></b></div><p><b> </b><br />If Kannada cinema delivered us <b>Kantara</b>, then Tamil cinema was not one to be left behind with <b>Vikram</b>. Yes, I know all the problems this movie has. Yes, it may not have a deep social message behind it. Yes, it's "<i>massy</i>" in the most massy way possible. But I'll fight anyone who'll say <b>Vikram</b> wasn't an absolute blast of a movie. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamal_Haasan" target="_blank"><b>Kamal Hassan</b> </a>+ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahadh_Faasil" target="_blank"><b>Fahadh Faasil</b> </a>+ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijay_Sethupathi" target="_blank"><b>Vijay Sethupati</b></a> (<i>+ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriya" target="_blank"><b>Suriya</b></a> being a tease</i>) in a movie directed by <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokesh_Kanagaraj" target="_blank">Lokesh Kanagaraj</a> </b>and music by <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anirudh_Ravichander" target="_blank">Anirudh Ravichander</a>. </b>What more can a Tamil movie fan ask for? Heck, I walked out of this movie and hummed "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0tefh9uMec" target="_blank"><i>Plata o plomo</i></a></b>" for a week. If there's one cinematic universe I'm in for for 2023, it has to be the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokesh_Cinematic_Universe" target="_blank">Lokiverse</a> (<i>and yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds as well... bite me!</i> 😆)</p><p>Speaking of <i>massy, </i>two other mainstream movies I enjoyed this year were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7518786/" target="_blank"><b>83</b></a> (<i>which I still can't believe flopped quite badly</i>), and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20850406/" target="_blank"><b>Sita Ramam</b></a> (<i>which is a great example of romantic dramas done right</i>)<br /></p><p></p><p>3. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11127680/" target="_blank"><b>Boiling Point</b></a></p><p>Folks who know me know my relationship with cooking that has developed over the years into a skill I want to master, and an escape I need to have. And as such, movies and documentaries based around cooking always pique my interest. <b>Boiling Point</b> is just that. The movie is a one-shot movie set in a restaurant over a single night, moving from person to person, between the head chef, the sous, the managers, the servers, the dishwashers, and the guests. I have a few friends working in the food industry, and their anecdotes of working in a professional restaurant aligned with this movie quite a bit while making me feel extra-cushy about my "<i>sit in shorts and work with code</i>" career. <b>Boiling Point</b> hammers in the stresses that hover below the surface of most restaurants. I promise you'll not complain about tardy waiters or food taking too long for a few weeks after watching this movie<b>!<br /></b></p><p>Another excellent movie based on the theme of food is<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9764362/" target="_blank">The Menu</a></b>, which features <b>Ralph Fiennes </b>as as mysterious chef<b> </b>at an exclusive luxury restaurant where a select group of people get invited for dinner.<b><br /></b></p><p>2. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474/" target="_blank"><b>Everything Everywhere All At Once </b></a></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJWrp-zBe8RkCPOtk0qm51241nrRB0PP9LkJJPF8OkhdxVwaUIVfwDbEXR1RhmnunX1DUjduLCxojlkekBCb8w8fyotx1KyEONNlCeXXuv_7Mlv7qSpDeGJn5K1jGMlBSqm1V0tiQ6co4D4UVmnHR-AEwALrtKOvMVsmrPO_YNXjXUdjo4uB2mGPZq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJWrp-zBe8RkCPOtk0qm51241nrRB0PP9LkJJPF8OkhdxVwaUIVfwDbEXR1RhmnunX1DUjduLCxojlkekBCb8w8fyotx1KyEONNlCeXXuv_7Mlv7qSpDeGJn5K1jGMlBSqm1V0tiQ6co4D4UVmnHR-AEwALrtKOvMVsmrPO_YNXjXUdjo4uB2mGPZq" width="320" /></a></b></div><b> </b><br />There was one movie about multiverses that was heavily publicized this year, and another one that was actually a great movie<b>. </b>The latter was <b>Everything Everywhere All At Once</b>. I really don't know how to even explain this movie to someone to get them interested in it, so I won't even try. Just know two things: 1) That this is a movie about a middle aged woman who discovers she can jump between multiverses and 2) That when you will walk out from this movie, you'll come out with a wide smile, a blown mind, and a full heart!<b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Yeoh" target="_blank">Michelle Yeoh</a> </b>puts forth an incredible performance as the protagonist, but is supported equally well by <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ke_Huy_Quan" target="_blank">Ke Huy Quan</a> </b>who playes her husband. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniels_(directors)" target="_blank">The Daniels'</a> </b>are slowly proving their mettle as the Absurdist duo (<i>their previous feature was the whimsical <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034354/" target="_blank"><b>Swiss Army Man</b></a></i>). As an addon, you <b>have</b> to see<b> </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFFopPPrGiE" target="_blank">this WIRED feature</a> on how they've mastered the art of building CGI on a budget in an age where Bollywood struggles even today with basic CGI.<p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ke Huy Quan gets emotional as he accepts his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoldenGlobe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoldenGlobe</a>. <a href="https://t.co/IpBnF0ZqEp">https://t.co/IpBnF0ZqEp</a> <a href="https://t.co/i1dj81Ns6c">pic.twitter.com/i1dj81Ns6c</a></p>— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1612983130608259075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <p><b><br /></b></p><p>1. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14444726/" target="_blank"><b>Tár</b></a></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQwIw2fUQRmwT4VXAreHe17ZaF-fC2AM_QfZts1aWioMfF4xgKPi-D2HFSnT2QUBL51_rNzwVpG1TWQr9mSULrvodaVunBpWk0QN9Dr79FrigyGbEhYY0UEVZFMYgdsGwJ7vtp1T9eLVT-YidAdsiWP4lwvwsm7Ws1ChyBrrQV0lE76A12Su0jj2bG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1140" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQwIw2fUQRmwT4VXAreHe17ZaF-fC2AM_QfZts1aWioMfF4xgKPi-D2HFSnT2QUBL51_rNzwVpG1TWQr9mSULrvodaVunBpWk0QN9Dr79FrigyGbEhYY0UEVZFMYgdsGwJ7vtp1T9eLVT-YidAdsiWP4lwvwsm7Ws1ChyBrrQV0lE76A12Su0jj2bG" width="320" /></a></b></div><b> </b><br />A movie that I keep debating about with <b><a href="https://twitter.com/IGurlInTheDark" target="_blank">Arch</a></b> is the 2014 movie <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582802/" target="_blank">Whiplash</a>,</b> which is one of my all time favorite movies. And the debate is always the same. Do the results justify the methods when we're talking about the process of learning? <b>Tár</b> deals with the same subject but modifies the question a little to ask: Does brilliance justify the behaviour that it comes from? We've heard all the stories of <b>Steve Jobs</b> being an A-hole which many folks justify would justify with some variant of "<i>He deeply cares about the product</i> hence...". Or everytime you see <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/" target="_blank">The Shining</a></b>, and knowing that <b>Kubrick</b> <a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/726299/how-the-shining-changed-shelley-duvall-forever/" target="_blank">pretty much psychologically tortured</a> <b>Duvall</b>, which translated into one of the best pieces of acting. And of course the eternal question of "<i>Can you seperate the art from the artist?</i>". <b>Tár</b> attempts to explore some of these questions<b> </b>through the story of the titular Lydia Tár, who's a world famous orchestra conductor<b>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cate_Blanchett" target="_blank">Cate Blanchett</a> </b>pulls a powerhouse performance in this (<i>I'll be surprised if she doesn't win the Oscar for this role</i>). Long after the credits roll, you'll be left pondering about the questions this movie raises!<p></p><p><b>Honorable Mentions</b>: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10733228/" target="_blank">Gehraiyaan</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8633464/" target="_blank">After Yang</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15361028/" target="_blank">Jalsa</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11138512/" target="_blank">The Northman</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18568902/" target="_blank">Kaun Pravin Tambe?</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14494586/" target="_blank">7 Days</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15654262/" target="_blank">Chup</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11866324/" target="_blank">Prey</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216/" target="_blank">The Banshees of Inisherin</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216/" target="_blank">All Quiet On The Western Front</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13403046/" target="_blank">Fresh</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8550054/" target="_blank">Pleasure</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13391710/" target="_blank">Jana Gana Mana</a><br /></p><p>All in all, 2022 was a momentous year in terms of the world returning to a semblance of normalcy after a couple of crazy years. And it looks like 2023 is only going to get bigger and better! So as always, here's hoping that 2023 brings with it more great experiences for everyone and I hope to see you all the movies! <b><br /></b></p>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-17769711303218551652022-01-03T21:56:00.004+05:302022-01-04T00:50:49.888+05:30Movies of 2021<p>Well, it's that time of the year again... Another year in the pandemic, though to be honest, this year <i>felt </i>less surreal than the last. Or maybe we've just learnt to find traces of meaning in this kakfkaesque world, with lifestyle adjustments, both big and small, defining the year for us. Thanks to this constant sense of dread (<i>which got triggered even more with the second wave which hit many of my direct gaggle of friends and family</i>), 2021 was the first year in a long time when I didn't visit a movie theater even once over the course of the entire year. </p><p>Yet, the ever-growing number of OTT platforms (<i>along with our friends at the bay of pirates </i>😉) ensured that noone could complain about being bored at least. 2021 was a fun year at the movies, so without saying much else, here's some movies I enjoyed watching this year:<br /><br /><br /><b>13. Lamb <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnEwJKVWjFM" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiChZQicN_RF-tUAlfYFuTFxHYn_iPS-RLOfk7elG4XbZ0JL0yGsM7VdnovraJO26ffrb384FjiOKxcG9Ii-g1LHNxDaBx06ubV6_89BNB52POfCKgqp_TKpF_xKgAalfubS1IfYtqf40Bc6nH1_rbfTjyRZiPRUNZ0VF1fbTcz3qDAj21zaYYdNIjG=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1200" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiChZQicN_RF-tUAlfYFuTFxHYn_iPS-RLOfk7elG4XbZ0JL0yGsM7VdnovraJO26ffrb384FjiOKxcG9Ii-g1LHNxDaBx06ubV6_89BNB52POfCKgqp_TKpF_xKgAalfubS1IfYtqf40Bc6nH1_rbfTjyRZiPRUNZ0VF1fbTcz3qDAj21zaYYdNIjG=w400-h243" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b> <p></p><p>Nordic cinema has seen a revival of sorts over the last few years with their movies getting distributed much more widely, both by OTT platforms and traditional media houses. And what I love about a lot of Nordic movies are the whimsical horror movies that come out of there (<i>I still tell everyone I know to watch <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278340/">Dead Snow</a></b></i>). <b>Lamb</b> falls bang within this genre. The movie centers around a couple in Iceland who discover an <i>unnatural</i> birth in their sheep pen, and then raise the creature as their own child. A really fun mashup between folklore, fantasy, horror and drama!<br /></p><p>If you enjoy <b>Lamb</b>, this year also had <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3811906/" target="_blank"><b>Malignant</b></a>, which was a fun James Wan directed horror flick (<i>which also extensively uses an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_hw20Qg7g" target="_blank">excellent cover </a>of one of my fave songs</i>), and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10944760/" target="_blank"><b>Titane</b></a>, which is an excellent entrant to the school of French body-horror!<br /><br /><b>12. The Mauritanian <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WJSjln30BQ" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p><b>The Mauritanian </b>is based on the true story of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamedou_Ould_Slahi" target="_blank"><b>Mohamedou Ould Slahi</b></a>, who was arrested and held at Guantanamo Bay for 14 years with no charges filed against him, simply because the army claimed he was part of Al Qaeda. "<i>Innocent until proven guilty</i>" is simply a phrase unless it is
actively practised. And in an age where the government in India seems to be inching closer and closer to
using draconian laws as a catch-all against all dissent, this movie hit much harder. <br /></p><p><b>The Mauritanian</b> stars the always charming <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Cumberbatch" target="_blank">Bumberdit Clunderbash</a></b> as the army prosecutor prosecuting Slahi. If you enjoy his movies, you should also check out <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8368512/" target="_blank">The Courier</a></b> which came out this year,<b> </b>which is based on another true story of espionage during the Cuban Missile Crisis.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>11. Mandela <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES1Oz7cW11M" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj02htd66mFl-ZhdP8ctNeypYF5SaylENhOXBL7CLlvlS-YHyiRZwmumyNPmHeegScAiasLL045tqSnC8UTqmQGd5VoNHaEyJNry4YhtxYktHFrda70FcKOkT12BYsZiFcGfz3Zw6Uiyupj1G3mixGK8-Icy-E5oUXOmmTVd2TDhpJ3dIV4EatlJK87=s680" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="680" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj02htd66mFl-ZhdP8ctNeypYF5SaylENhOXBL7CLlvlS-YHyiRZwmumyNPmHeegScAiasLL045tqSnC8UTqmQGd5VoNHaEyJNry4YhtxYktHFrda70FcKOkT12BYsZiFcGfz3Zw6Uiyupj1G3mixGK8-Icy-E5oUXOmmTVd2TDhpJ3dIV4EatlJK87=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b> <p></p><p>South Indian cinema is an absolute beast that's just grown leaps and bounds over the last decade. And <b>Mandela</b> was one of the finest political satires I've seen in a long time. A village where 2 fighting upper-caste factions realise that the deciding vote in the village election will be that of the low caste village barber is such a great premise, and executed to near perfection. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Babu" title="">Yogi Babu</a> truly shines in every frame of this movie! <br /></p><p>Some other really good South Indian movies at the interesection of politics, religion and caste that came out this year were <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11604676/" target="_blank">Nayattu</a></b>, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13551614/" target="_blank">Kuruthi</a> </b><i>(end of the day, we're all Prithviraj Sukumaran stans, aren't we?)</i> </p><p><b>10. The Trip <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC5MwTuEeeg" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4drnfgt5Sq08UvLOqRBuaU8sc6SOo8ybtB-rophe0-g2WOm3rse27cdfqJP1amj53Xbnuu0RflSaWRc69yBJUw7cbzKCsiJOZ0uU8MHYhnZZzueNJ40dxgYwKgLMb_t__gC3jKDcBsW8nFaLDqA2V_Y0d9_yQmWpiq75MLhndcZAyVcWRdSexSuWH=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4drnfgt5Sq08UvLOqRBuaU8sc6SOo8ybtB-rophe0-g2WOm3rse27cdfqJP1amj53Xbnuu0RflSaWRc69yBJUw7cbzKCsiJOZ0uU8MHYhnZZzueNJ40dxgYwKgLMb_t__gC3jKDcBsW8nFaLDqA2V_Y0d9_yQmWpiq75MLhndcZAyVcWRdSexSuWH=w400-h200" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></b><p></p><p>Another entrant from Scandinavia in the list, <b>The Trip</b> is the story of a couple that plan a trip to a remote lodge, but unknown to them, each is planning to kill the other on the trip. The movie is a laugh out loud riot, and reminded me quite a bit of <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4u4cqCNDw0" target="_blank">Papa, sdokhni</a></b>, which was <a href="https://www.lifeofnav.in/2021/01/movies-of-2020.html" target="_blank">on the list last year</a>. <br /></p><p>Some other comedies focussed on couples at odds with each other that came out this year which you'd also enjoy are <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14640242/" target="_blank"><b>Together</b></a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15010834/" target="_blank"><b>Ikkat</b></a>, both of which focus on couples cooped-in together during the covid lockdown, the former in the UK, and the latter in Namma Bengaluru!<br /><br /></p><p><b>9. Shiva Baby <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ribuR9hVv4" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p>Ever been at a family function where you feel like you are the only person that doesn't belong there? Well, that's the foundation that <b>Shiva Baby </b>builds itself on. What do you think would happen if a young, confused, bisexual, jewish lady attends to a family function where other invitees include her lesbian ex-lover, her ex-sugardaddy who's just had a kid with his new wife, and a never-ending slew of relatives who want to know what's new in her life and just want "<i>to help her</i> <i>out</i>"? So much to unpack here, yet done so beautifully over the course of this movie, shot almost entirely in the house where the function is taking place. And to think this was the director's debut is just a cherry on the cake!</p><p>Another movie which, like <b>Shiva Baby</b>, centered around a single location was <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12676326/" target="_blank">Malcolm and Marie</a></b>, which focuses on a couple in a house over one night (<i>who said you can't make movies in a pandemic?</i>), and stars the incredible <b>John David Washington</b> and <b>Zendaya </b>going through waves of equally intense love and hate. <br /></p><p><b>8. Lapsis <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf3ZUi9zzOQ" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOpgKi_OOr70HU6hob0-b-YsMF767cOjk12SObWFaCCgSzK9ghdSmNdPqEN_nMNAyudc5E33e9q0Hl2CxV_u9YVW-RmNQqmmsy03AZompXGtWA8ii14no3Px3YT-r3HWnRDPStHkZrYZN7hO-y7v3MxdRx5suh5vwJEMQrAMX1XPeGggtjNUUtkhG0=s763" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="763" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOpgKi_OOr70HU6hob0-b-YsMF767cOjk12SObWFaCCgSzK9ghdSmNdPqEN_nMNAyudc5E33e9q0Hl2CxV_u9YVW-RmNQqmmsy03AZompXGtWA8ii14no3Px3YT-r3HWnRDPStHkZrYZN7hO-y7v3MxdRx5suh5vwJEMQrAMX1XPeGggtjNUUtkhG0=w400-h168" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>Lapsis</b> was a movie I went into without knowing what to expect at all. But it's stunning how <b>Noah Hutton</b> takes elements that we are familiar with, such as the gig economy, robotics, and high speed internet, and pushes it in quirky directions. In an age where Sci-fi is more and more about movies made on a grand scale, movies like <b>Lapsis</b> (<i>and <b>Cargo</b> and <b>Android Kunjappan</b> <a href="https://www.lifeofnav.in/2021/01/movies-of-2020.html" target="_blank">from last year</a></i>) truly show that storytelling can shine brightly in a landscape filled with expensive CGI.<br /></p><p>Other Sci-fi movies I enjoyed this year include <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160419/" target="_blank">Dune</a> </b>(<i>though tbh I thought it was quite overrated... or maybe it was just the lack of a theater experience</i>), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12625756/" target="_blank">Churuli</a> </b>(<i>whose ending I'm still trying to wrap my head around</i>), and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13087796/" target="_blank">I’m Your Man</a> </b>(<i>which<b> </b>was<b> </b>another relatively small budget German movie, which was quite reminiscent of the 2013 film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/" target="_blank"><b>Her</b></a></i>).<br /></p><p><b>7. The Novice <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4zCPgMdbo0">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSIhQN0ZF_Guok7MRbUn2vfu0jvhoBeH-UFkFeWpEA6Zt2CAkOvX4d7RhcQpwmH90Rrrq7D4MoO7hBQ2O9Dd7MlSEfDgW04NI0gXYiQ-O59VBC4QRNzqHOCyZYB6ovnJWlL_bdB5gtnU1mCz0xvbWNJ0v37JGCpnL5-b6EG07-9LYG_4tL0u_4wP7L=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSIhQN0ZF_Guok7MRbUn2vfu0jvhoBeH-UFkFeWpEA6Zt2CAkOvX4d7RhcQpwmH90Rrrq7D4MoO7hBQ2O9Dd7MlSEfDgW04NI0gXYiQ-O59VBC4QRNzqHOCyZYB6ovnJWlL_bdB5gtnU1mCz0xvbWNJ0v37JGCpnL5-b6EG07-9LYG_4tL0u_4wP7L=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><b> </b><p></p><p><b>The Novice</b> is a movie about a freshman who joins her university rowing team. But more than that, it is a movie about what happens when you try to make "<i>excellence</i>" part of your identity, especially in a world where that word means something different to everyone. It's about the sacrifices made to be the best, and the absolute lows felt when your best is still not enough. It's about the process of trial by fire, anguish, self-flaggellation, and near-insanity. If you resonate with movies like <b>Whiplash</b> and <b>The Social Network</b>, you'd like this movie as well. </p><p>Two other movies from a similarly focus on people blurring the line between focus and insanity are <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11423784/" target="_blank"><b>The Disciple</b></a>, which is probably my second-favorite <b>Chaitanya Tamhane</b> movie after <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3717068/" target="_blank"><b>Court</b></a>, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11790780/" target="_blank"><b>The Alpinist</b></a>, which is a <b>Free-Solo</b> like documentary about <span><b>Marc-André Leclerc.</b><br /></span></p><p></p><p><b>6. Nine Days<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73FnWETvr8" target="_blank">trailer</a>) <br /></span></b></p><p>Some movies make you laugh, some movies make you cry. But some movies just make you sit back and think. About love. About life. About what it means be alive. <b>Nine Days </b>is one of these movies. Set in a fantasy land where souls are <i>"interviewed</i>" before being selected to be sent to earth to live is such a surreal concept in itself (<i>though quite parallel to Pixar's <b>Soul</b></i>), but what makes this movie click is completely down to <b>Winston Duke</b>'s incredible performance as the arbitrator. This movie captures the essence of life, with all of its complexities oh so poignantly.<br /></p><p><br /><b>5. Tick, Tick... Boom!<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJserno8tyU" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZq35ISIgDhUnk09uo9oSq6d63clfxfnkZ8t51yHodva_GFjQU1L2uwjXjTyfrLUUV0A3kzDj5jAQitGTq5YoveE07ff3uSiUioTV6PZXox_kBdobJOjNHuipATGSGP0VXe1YHd0WuuHVzJN_bqa-un35EQuOpThB5Qm0Di8OzqVph9cf7pp7E0VZh=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZq35ISIgDhUnk09uo9oSq6d63clfxfnkZ8t51yHodva_GFjQU1L2uwjXjTyfrLUUV0A3kzDj5jAQitGTq5YoveE07ff3uSiUioTV6PZXox_kBdobJOjNHuipATGSGP0VXe1YHd0WuuHVzJN_bqa-un35EQuOpThB5Qm0Di8OzqVph9cf7pp7E0VZh=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I'll be the first person to admit that I had no clue who <span><b>Jonathan Larson</b> was.</span> Heck, my knowledge of Broadway itself is pretty much limited to a handful of names crumpled somewhere at the back of my mind. So I went into <b>Tick, Tick... Boom!</b> expecting it to be a nice, light musical but boy was I wrong. Massive credit to both <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin-Manuel_Miranda" title="">Lin-Manuel Miranda</a></b> for directing this and <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Garfield" title="">Andrew Garfield</a></b> for his portrayal of Larson, and the trials and tribulations he goes through while trying to get the eponymous play onto Broadway for a decade, while life seems to move on from him. </p><p>The multi-talented Garfield (<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brq-exSvB7Q" target="_blank"><b>Holland</b> can dance</a>, <b>Garfield</b> can sing, the ball is in <b>Tobey</b>'s court now</i>) is incredible as Larson, and manages to capture so much of the constant struggle Larson went through, and the single-mindedness with which he approached things. One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Larson is arguing with his girlfriend while simultaneously thinking if he could write a musical number about the fight. This movie sent me down a multi-week rabbithole of reading all I could about <b>Larson</b> and his work, as any good biographical movie should!<br /></p><p>Two other biographies that came out this year that I thought were incredible were <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620288/" target="_blank"><b>King Richard</b></a>, which is about <b>Richard Williams</b>, and his "<i>plan</i>" to make his daughters the world's best tennis players, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12536294/" target="_blank"><b>Spencer</b></a> which follows <b>Princess Diana </b>over Christmas with the Royal Family. <b>Will Smith</b> and <b>Kristen Stewart</b>, respectively, deserve massive praise for their roles in these movies.<br /><br /><b>4. The Father<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TZb7YfK-JI" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhtAPjuUrY73-ubzRtKqHN4dKY7acWOIxbcFlsS_uOgIs5CQzZE3tROtczHZDB2Td10zLDLuzjZEnGAeLn51Bf-xCCG9oOBzV8GL4mZrCAeb9oIHouVcUdgovOd8qHVqHYh-hxwlO3opQqE6pusjWo5G8Mw34ZXIrwmH80rUUEjzv3j-swQkmrx5V-=s976" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhtAPjuUrY73-ubzRtKqHN4dKY7acWOIxbcFlsS_uOgIs5CQzZE3tROtczHZDB2Td10zLDLuzjZEnGAeLn51Bf-xCCG9oOBzV8GL4mZrCAeb9oIHouVcUdgovOd8qHVqHYh-hxwlO3opQqE6pusjWo5G8Mw34ZXIrwmH80rUUEjzv3j-swQkmrx5V-=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Dementia is such a saddening condition, and unfortunately, way too many of us end up encountering people who suffer from it, in some form or the other, during our lifetimes. The worst part about the disability is that you are constantly second-guessing yourself, never quite certain if your brain is playing tricks with you or not. And like so many other diseases, the condition is hard on both the victim as well as the family. <b>The Father </b>is a movie that focuses on this condition, and <b>Sir Anthony Hopkins </b>plays the titular father in the movie. </p><p>The director chooses to tell the story from the titular character's frame of reference, so you are constantly disoriented by the dementia he faces and the effects it has on him. It's a movie that'll break you (<i>especially that final scene</i>), and leave you shattered when the credits roll. Don't watch this if you are already feeling low, because this movie will ruin your day.<br /></p><p>Along the similar lines of memory lapse is the Greek film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10110614/" target="_blank"><b>Apples</b></a>, which takes place in world where a world-wide pandemic causes people to have sudden amnesia. Another great story-led film, that deals with memories, and how they impact the people that carry them.<br /></p><p><b>3. Minari<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0gFidlro8" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><p>Stories about immigrant families have become a bit of a trope at this point, but every now and then, a movie like <b>Minari</b> comes along, and reminds you why the trope exists in the first place. <b>Minari</b> is about a Korean immigrant family in Rural USA, trying to build a life, and live the so-called <i>American Dream</i>. </p><p>I think the reason Minari really works is because there is so much of the director's own lived childhood experiences that come through in this movie, so the movie never really has to make massive moments, but clicks throughout simply showing the work that goes into assimilating into a foreign land without losing one's own identity. </p><p><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11041106/" target="_blank">The Justice of Bunny King</a></b> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9343754/" target="_blank"><b>Eeb Aalley Ooo</b></a> are two other movies from this year that tackled similar topics, about how we treat those who are less fortunate than the average joe, and how societies treat those different to the status quo.<b><br /></b></p><p><b>2. Bo Burnham: Inside<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs-GdcUfl0Q" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOYcG_G5kcopchVBWWzWeFp7--0me6l2g4KQbKlkYHg9unpl8dEPbmn_PEXvRZAYzujeR1bPDGWVqM5G1CeiKuNR1mm22EvfcbQ4XFGF7LH30I8xOTz-ieo3oIoYFVy3qVho8_awmtnlHfL7d-o52OEAKkgP_Lz5d7EXiBffFm54dzwK-Fl1Xw9Ekm=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOYcG_G5kcopchVBWWzWeFp7--0me6l2g4KQbKlkYHg9unpl8dEPbmn_PEXvRZAYzujeR1bPDGWVqM5G1CeiKuNR1mm22EvfcbQ4XFGF7LH30I8xOTz-ieo3oIoYFVy3qVho8_awmtnlHfL7d-o52OEAKkgP_Lz5d7EXiBffFm54dzwK-Fl1Xw9Ekm=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /> </span></b><p></p><p>Remember those two years when you were locked in at home, constantly on edge, unsure of what the future held, and whether "<i>normalcy</i>" itself was a concept that we would have to redefine? How did you spend your pandemic years? Well,<b> Bo Burnham</b> sure as hell found a way to create art in the middle of the pandemic. And not just any art, the dude managed to sit alone in a room and pretty much capture the entire essence of what the pandemic felt like to most of us, in all of it's whimsy, depression, excitement, rage, and agony.<br /></p><p>Bo is one of those artists I have so much respect for, because whenever I feel like I've achieved something in life, I find myself going back to see what Bo is up to, and constantly being in awe of the stuff that he's putting out, and I feel like he's one of the few master artists that have managed to capture the voice of my generation so well, imbibed of course with his own whimsical style. Special shout-out for the scene where he celebrates his 30th birthday during the pandemic (<i>hard relate there</i>), and for giving us <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8iaViNIy3U" target="_blank">the song that automatically plays</a> in my head everytime Bezos shows up somewhere. <br /></p><p>As an aside, another movie that again made fine use of pandemic-induced filming restrictions like Inside and <b>Malcolm and Marie</b> was<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14031338/" target="_blank">Language Lessons</a></b>. The movie is basically just conversations between two people learning Spanish on Zoom, but is a very sweet movie.<br /></p><p><b>1. The Great Indian Kitchen<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_E6ctiFn6I" target="_blank">trailer</a>)</span></b> </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The female urge to make sure every man in India watches The Great Indian Kitchen. <a href="https://t.co/GP61m4eLqU">pic.twitter.com/GP61m4eLqU</a></p>— Sukhada (@appadappajappa) <a href="https://twitter.com/appadappajappa/status/1475384303341109250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <p>If there's one movie that truly, truly needs to be watched by every single man in India, it's <b>The Great Indian Kitchen</b>. As someone living in a country where the patriarchy rears it's head ever so often, it's quite easy to forget how a lot of privileges I enjoy are only thanks to, in large part, my gender. And post-marriage, it's also been quite surprising to have even so-called educated folks (<i>including, amazingly, a lot of women</i>) say silly, openly misogynistic things, quite matter-of-factly to me and (<i>more often</i>) my wife.</p><p><b>The Great Indian Kitchen</b> makes incredible use of repetition, and slow shots to drive home the point of how life differs for men and women, how societal expectations shape lived experiences, and how monotony, routine, and sacrifice is just another <i>expectation </i>from a woman after marriage. I was constantly squirming in my seat through this movie, since I could point out countless similar incidents in my own extended families where these expectations hold even today. So while it was a fictional movie, it hit a bit too close for comfort. Feminism, as a concept itself, has so many definitions, but movies like this show us that while a certain segment of folks may feel more empowered today, we have a long way to go in the journey to equality.<br /></p><p>Two other movies that deal with similar stories are <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11891870/" target="_blank">Biriyaani</a></b>, which talks about the life of an married muslim woman in Kerala, and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13567374/" target="_blank"><b>Sabaya</b></a>, which is a chilling documentary about <span>Yazidi </span>women kidnapped by ISIS to be used as slaves.</p><p><b>Honorable Mentions:</b></p><p><b>I Care a Lot</b> (<i>Rosamund Pike + Peter Dinklage. What's not to like?</i>),<b> Cinema Bandi </b>(<i>A heartwarming movie about movie making</i>), <b>Kala</b> (<i>For the excellent fight sequences</i>), <b>The Suicide Squad</b> (<i>For the fresh breath of air from DC after all the dark, brooding movies</i>), <b>Coda</b> (<i>A movie about a deaf family and a daughter that love singing</i>), <b>Dead Pigs</b> (<i>A Jia Zhangke-esq movie about rural and modern China colliding</i>), <b>Luca</b> (<i>Just Pixar doing Pixar things</i>), <b>This is the Year</b> (<i>For a feel-good YA rom-com</i>), <b>Love Hard</b> (F<i>or a feel-good adult rom-com</i>), <b>French Dispatch</b> (<i>Because it's Wes Anderson... duh!</i>)</p><p>On the whole, 2021 was a fine year at the movies, and I'm glad that the world seems to be finding it's footing again while that microscopic maniac mutates along. Of course there'll be missteps along the way, and I'm sure that 2022 will have just as much, if not more, in store for all of us. But as the saying goes, here's hoping that everyone expects the best, prepares for the worst, and cherishes every moment in the year ahead. Happy New Year!</p><p>---</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Footnote</b>: Never realised that these random yearly movie reccos are something that some folks actually look forward to. So a tip of the hat to the folks who pinged me over last few days asking where this year's reccos are 🤠</span><br /></p>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-17191189433221878152021-01-01T14:40:00.001+05:302021-01-01T14:41:03.046+05:30Movies of 2020<p>2020 has been a crazy year in more ways than one. Who would have thought that most of the world world would be forced to stay at home for a majority of the year, making Dalgona coffee (<i>remember that?</i>), baking sourdough bread, and basically calling the bluff on every company that said "<i>We don't allow remote work since it allows people to slack off</i>". </p><p>Despite the crazy number of movie releases that got pushed out to 2021 (<i>since not everyone has the confidence of Chris "I-shot-in-imax-toh-dekho-theater-mein-bc" Nolan</i>), 2020 ended up being a good year at the movies. Personally, thanks to big budget movies getting moved out, it made space for me to discover so many smaller studio houses and directors, who would have gotten overshadowed otherwise. </p><p>Anyway without much further ado, here's my list of mt fave movies from 2020 </p><p><b>13. Cargo </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvpdN4VltKY">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXNmVglJf631OKAgRAEf22kM4WMmhgTP3rfXJ532wCBNmc2lJjXiiRe5Dn2Q86p8JAiShWtEmjqlhDEgSJy5ztqB1gW9m090U4bkl2eu-2yOPkVQ4UCTmWdouyCco_ui4-4O9Ks13gqg/s1280/cargo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1280" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXNmVglJf631OKAgRAEf22kM4WMmhgTP3rfXJ532wCBNmc2lJjXiiRe5Dn2Q86p8JAiShWtEmjqlhDEgSJy5ztqB1gW9m090U4bkl2eu-2yOPkVQ4UCTmWdouyCco_ui4-4O9Ks13gqg/w400-h169/cargo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Something I absolutely hate about both horror and sci-fi films made in India is how we try so hard to retrofit unfamiliar western concepts into our movies. This is why movies like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8239946/"><b>Tumbbad</b></a> are such a breath of fresh air. Cargo falls within the same realm. It's a sci-fi movie made on a small budget, but so uniquely Indian in it's storytelling that you can't help but want to tag along on the journey. <b>Shweta Tripathi</b> and <b>Vikrant Massey</b> are great protagonists, but the questions this movie poses sticks with you long after the end credits have rolled.</p><p><b>12. Happiest Season</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h58HkQV1gHY">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p>Almost every year, in the crowd of predictable, "<i>timepass</i>", rom-com movies, there will be a few movies that stay with you. Last year, it was <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7374948/" style="font-weight: bold;">Always Be My Maybe</a>, and this year it is Happiest Season. This movie is a cheesy, formulaic, fun, heartfelt rom-com, but still manages to stand out from the pack nonetheless.</p><p>Other similar genre movies that you may enjoy from this year is <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9484998/">Palm Springs</a> </b>and the Netflix Series <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1758589/">Dash & Lily</a>.</b> Also, if you are an Aubrey Plaza fanboy like me, then you should also check out her other release this year, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9601220/" style="font-weight: bold;">Black Bear</a>, which falls well within Aubrey territory.</p><p><b>11. Swallow</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auVZKcxV7XQ">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYuTUgH9HlN-VNjIXL8-QqZvZxRhXn3EnfriFIV8aifAtKBTyJDiAjSE10ys0Y7XmvTxZRKPeiNGztmQGaW543xti7fzsn8e7TI_OAJP2RDs7xxcRbnY_VINUcGlLCC5ZpLwf9NoGp8w/s800/MV5BZDhjN2JiMWQtNTE2Yi00YzNiLWI0Y2QtODM5MzQ3ODdhOGU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYuTUgH9HlN-VNjIXL8-QqZvZxRhXn3EnfriFIV8aifAtKBTyJDiAjSE10ys0Y7XmvTxZRKPeiNGztmQGaW543xti7fzsn8e7TI_OAJP2RDs7xxcRbnY_VINUcGlLCC5ZpLwf9NoGp8w/w400-h223/MV5BZDhjN2JiMWQtNTE2Yi00YzNiLWI0Y2QtODM5MzQ3ODdhOGU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>This was a movie I was really looking forward to since the trailer first dropped last year, and while it had very mixed reactions overall, I personally loved it. <b>Swallow</b> follows a woman who has a growing urge to swallow household objects (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)">Pica</a>), and the list of objects becomes more and more dangerous. <b>Haley Bennett </b>is brilliant in the lead role here, and watching her give in more and more to her urges is weird. In many ways, this movie reminded me of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4954522/" style="font-weight: bold;">Raw</a>, which follows a similar storytelling format. Embrace the queasiness that this is bound to induce! </p><p><b>10. Android Kunjappan Version 5.25</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO5MN0Ws0Hc">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p>Yes, I know this movie technically came out very late last year, but I caught this in January, and knew right then that this would be making the list. A grumpy old man living in rural Kerala is gifted a humanoid robot by his son who's working abroad. Again, this was a movie which manages to circumvent expectations quite a bit and tell a heartwarming tale of friendship, love and companionship. The budget for the humanoid bot in this movie is likely less than what Marvel spends on coloring the Hulk green, but that doesn't stop this from being a great watch! And as a bonus, you get to see an Android wearing a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundu">Malayali mundu</a> for a good part of the movie :D</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6px79ssUmwem8zxUBVsRVytZxQeBbems873RkfDwpJd6Yri7GI0zd-Inncy3K9a0p5sOK3H1hHF8dYXcbFfbqgYAu3_ir2W4As1j6dPrdW6s7ekLuMB3VzvZbyvA3zdj7DFMR753xI/s660/28tvandroid4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="660" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCP6px79ssUmwem8zxUBVsRVytZxQeBbems873RkfDwpJd6Yri7GI0zd-Inncy3K9a0p5sOK3H1hHF8dYXcbFfbqgYAu3_ir2W4As1j6dPrdW6s7ekLuMB3VzvZbyvA3zdj7DFMR753xI/w400-h266/28tvandroid4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>9. Vir Das: Outside In</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH2lgeC_bjY">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p><b>Vir Das</b> has always been among the smarter comedians in India, and he seems to have cracked this unique ability to connect with both an Indian as well as a global audience. <b>Outside In</b> is his latest special, which follows a very simple format: Through shows done completely via Zoom, he asks participants from around the world one question: "<i>Once the pandemic is over, what is the first thing you would do?</i>". This is interspersed with what Vir himself was going through behind the scenes during the course of these shows. For me, this was very cathartic for two reasons: First, it really underlines how the entire world are all fighting the same thing, and second, how our human experiences are so varied yet fundamentally similar.</p><p><b>8. Papa, sdokhni</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4u4cqCNDw0">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p>Anyone who knows me knows how I'm a sucker for dark comedies, and the Russian film <b>Papa, sdokhni </b>("<i>Why Don't You Just Die</i>" in English) was such a crazy ride! Shot almost entirely in one apartment, there's a certain playfulness that the director uses throughout. The movie's quite violent and gory, but cartoonishly so. Most Russian movies I've watched in the past have been of a similar genre/tone, but in the last few years, it's been great to see Russian filmmakers make great strides in different genres (<i>in fact one of my all time fave hacker movies is <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0466043/">Khottabych</a> </b>from 2006</i>). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwDJ9dQYpeKsgMj8MGwS8AVtXMmMhUFRyXM7bJ-RjlVfwBgcXM0WRA5JJJQdjWJEddtQF4JZRBXJ8kwN5kncJdLMiXDKMC_XNcwUy6V05L6sXUGGzCIsb0TB-5ybHZ-Nkm7OAHbdEmyg/s1200/15.+Why+Don%2527t+You+Just+Die.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwDJ9dQYpeKsgMj8MGwS8AVtXMmMhUFRyXM7bJ-RjlVfwBgcXM0WRA5JJJQdjWJEddtQF4JZRBXJ8kwN5kncJdLMiXDKMC_XNcwUy6V05L6sXUGGzCIsb0TB-5ybHZ-Nkm7OAHbdEmyg/w400-h210/15.+Why+Don%2527t+You+Just+Die.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I found out a few weeks after watching the movie that the director, <b>Kirill Sokolov</b>, was 29 years old when he made this movie! <b><i>*insert existential-crisis here*</i></b></p><p><b>7. Guns Akimbo</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggpSpqxS6I">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><p>Since getting done with Harry Potter,<b> Daniel Radcliffe</b> could easily have retired and lived a comfy life in a mansion on some island. But I love that instead, he's constantly been experimenting with the most bizarre storylines, be it in <b>Swiss Army Man</b>,<b> Horns </b>and now <b>Guns Akimbo</b>. Ever since<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/daniel-radcliffe-holding-two-guns"> the meme-worthy images</a> that leaked out 2 years back, this movie has been on my radar! Summary: Gamer dude wakes up with 2 guns bolted to his hands and has to fight against the craziest, most psychotic killer (<i>the oh-so-gorgeous <b>Samara Weaving</b></i>) in a<b> </b>livestreamed fight to the death. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEtMvcjtSz24JkU6WmQTWYXp5QY5yZKOQT5Udhs9MxqyeC9gJo5tvLJQLQdopTQXHxjO-oede02YgmDK8EnMMTnv0YK7E89zzTHP5VzIOznxkdIbq6U_VdTED8Wyp5_jVnBiH-dd_JyY/s1001/samara-weaving-guns-akimbo-promos-0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEtMvcjtSz24JkU6WmQTWYXp5QY5yZKOQT5Udhs9MxqyeC9gJo5tvLJQLQdopTQXHxjO-oede02YgmDK8EnMMTnv0YK7E89zzTHP5VzIOznxkdIbq6U_VdTED8Wyp5_jVnBiH-dd_JyY/w320-h400/samara-weaving-guns-akimbo-promos-0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This movie gave me strong vibes of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471041/"><b>The Tournament</b></a>, so catch that as well if you enjoy this genre!</p><p><b>6. Bacurau</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKTejyk9ZIA">trailer</a></b>)</span></p><div>It's hard to really explain what Bacurau is really about. It's partially a uniquely Brazilian take on the classic western, it's partially a statement against the political class, it's partially an anti-colonialist movie, and it has components of sci-fi as well! How the directors manage to create a story from these elements, I really don't know, but Bacurau is proof that you can. A village in Brazil rallying against forces that want to wipe off it's very existence makes for an excellent watch, especially since it will surely push you down the path of understanding more about the socio-political climate the movie explores.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another excellent film that explores similar themes of political apathy and corruption is the highly rated Romanian documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10706602/" style="font-weight: bold;">Colectiv</a>, also from this year.<b> </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>5. Dick Johnson is Dead</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfTmT6C5DnM">trailer</a></b>)</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyukBANh8BKPte_c_MY_wFxmWkdQ1YEB0qh_nXMbb-OhFKNc7vGdrZ_0XwaPBTvfEzyEVM_jL2kI5I_OeUZb8Hxqv1b81Yo3J7gr0WA0jUkkqXYsiYlf5TnPbxACcjMc7SxGPhBLtyQI/s1800/dick-johnson-is-dead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1800" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyukBANh8BKPte_c_MY_wFxmWkdQ1YEB0qh_nXMbb-OhFKNc7vGdrZ_0XwaPBTvfEzyEVM_jL2kI5I_OeUZb8Hxqv1b81Yo3J7gr0WA0jUkkqXYsiYlf5TnPbxACcjMc7SxGPhBLtyQI/w400-h234/dick-johnson-is-dead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>"<i>Sucker-punch right in the feels</i>" is what the friend who recommended this movie to me had said, but boy, was I unprepared for this. <b>Dick Johnson is Dead </b>is a documentary in which filmmaker <b>Kirsten Johnson</b> helps her father, Dick, prepare for his worsening dementia and eventual death, by staging different ways in which he could die. The whole concept is dark, and very honestly, I initially felt super uncomfortable feeling that Kirsten was using her father as a prop. However, as the movie goes on it really does grow on you, and culminates in a final 20 minutes which truly left me in tears.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. The Trial of the Chicago 7</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVb6EdKDBfU">trailer</a></b>)</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Aaron Sorkin </b>is pretty much the best when it comes to crafting stories that keep you glued to your seat, and <b>The Trial of the Chicago 7 </b>is no different. However, the reason I really connected with this movie was also because of the parallels that exist between this story, which is based in the aftermath of the DNC convention in 1968, and the current political climate in India. Dehumanization of anyone whose political ideologies are not in line with those in power, lumping together everyone against the government as one homogenous blob even if they are radically different ideologies, moral corruption at the highest levels and more. It was ridiculous to learn that some of the movie's most disturbing actions were actually fairly watered-down compared to what actually transpired. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcinI4zshuRm-uNMj9Ao8T4D6XPIzDvZdUfM2DJ6J1hNXkdbWHK3j0vd89MTpXppKQeq2ATz4fCA5s6euTwm1aapbNQsTlX_Gt4kcAOL3Dvrwm9asPRU_Xyes9qC97in_0GCpU7cX_GMQ/s745/chicago-poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="745" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcinI4zshuRm-uNMj9Ao8T4D6XPIzDvZdUfM2DJ6J1hNXkdbWHK3j0vd89MTpXppKQeq2ATz4fCA5s6euTwm1aapbNQsTlX_Gt4kcAOL3Dvrwm9asPRU_Xyes9qC97in_0GCpU7cX_GMQ/w400-h225/chicago-poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sacha Baron Cohen</b> and <b>Eddie Redmayne</b> are standout performances in this. And it feels so weird to say this, but you should also catch Sacha Baron Cohen's other great performance this year in <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13143964/">Borat 2</a></b>, which explores the same political disconnect, through a vastly different lens.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>3. Soul</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsLIiBStEs">trailer</a></b></span>)</span></div><div><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">pixar movies 20 years ago: haha talking toys! <br /><br />pixar movies now: how do you identify your life's purpose? what structures your identity & makes you, you? how do you deal with love & loss? what can we do to find joy in life despite the meaninglessness of our existence? how do we</p>— sarah thee tonin 🖤 (@sarahndipity18) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahndipity18/status/1342677448761204736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><div>It's funny that Jazz lies at the core of Soul, because the movie feels quite a bit like a jazz composition, with a mishmash of ideas, concepts, and motifs that really need to be molded together well in order to work. And after a string of movies that were very hit or miss since <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/">Up</a></b> (<i>arguably the best animated movie of this century, unarguably containing the best 2 minutes of animated storytelling</i>), it felt that with <b>Soul</b>, they've hit it out of the park! The intersection of purpose, talent, and passion is such a fundamental question to tackle, and Soul manages this so well. I personally loved how they show how thin the line between being "in-the-zone" and "soul-sucking obsession" can be, and that resonated very strongly with me (<i>sadly, you see that line only in retrospect</i>). I was overcome with emotions through this entire movie.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>2. </b><b>Never Rarely Sometimes Always</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjw_QTKr2rc">trailer</a></b>)</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMdMfALI-oC8mZcQkf8aay9zZa0dfWNJEncJrZEq3QDd75tt4Ud8I58TbEcEG1g-tE06mU1FO5jNKzuzuoTIQ6PXHtw9fD4jVBw4TtQWGtO2ZZStmLSLRw5VVyVSW1Ldg4n0f_bLUkB0/s659/Never-Rarely-Sometimes-Always.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="659" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMdMfALI-oC8mZcQkf8aay9zZa0dfWNJEncJrZEq3QDd75tt4Ud8I58TbEcEG1g-tE06mU1FO5jNKzuzuoTIQ6PXHtw9fD4jVBw4TtQWGtO2ZZStmLSLRw5VVyVSW1Ldg4n0f_bLUkB0/w400-h225/Never-Rarely-Sometimes-Always.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There's nothing in <b>Never Rarely Sometimes Always </b>that I can connect with directly, and yet I feel so strongly moved by this film. It tells the story of a seventeen year old who finds out she is unintentionally pregnant, and wants to have an abortion. The USA is truly ridiculous in terms of abortion rights (<i>any topic + uninformed politicization =</i> 💩), and this movie brings out the gut wrenching journey she needs to take from orthodox Pennsylvania to New York, accompanied by her cousin. I think it's the circle I surround myself with, but I've never understood the logic behind denying someone control of their own body, and this movie, through a fly-on-the-wall perspective cemented that all the more for me. <b>Sidney Flanigan </b>and<b> Talia Ryder </b>truly deserve all the praise for their performances in this. As <a href="https://twitter.com/Su4ita">Sucharita </a>says: "<i>Women telling women stories</i>" is unfortunately still a rare but powerful genre so more power to movies like this which not only focus on women, but are also produced and directed by them.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are looking for a more fun-take on the same core story, then check out <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10556022/" style="font-weight: bold;">Unpregnant</a>, which also came out this year. Another movie tackling similar viewpoints is <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9000224/" style="font-weight: bold;">The Assistant</a>, which is an underrated gem of 2020.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>1.The Platform</b><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfooqeZcdY">trailer</a></b>)</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V6LBTJwY0QlmUXwyJFYxNEiJSVFE_b6CrRUU8mzjmUr4N7FAk1x8KZ1KZ4EZPFE4MgvMw0myyq_9ry0kN8BXNglKaTWcj_vNU1FRPng-zqNxAEbEy19exz7X1nmImWym7R67kZiaS5A/s1920/1_HmEgpFm5d57cWkQA4nzXEw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V6LBTJwY0QlmUXwyJFYxNEiJSVFE_b6CrRUU8mzjmUr4N7FAk1x8KZ1KZ4EZPFE4MgvMw0myyq_9ry0kN8BXNglKaTWcj_vNU1FRPng-zqNxAEbEy19exz7X1nmImWym7R67kZiaS5A/w400-h168/1_HmEgpFm5d57cWkQA4nzXEw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Wow! Just wow. There's really nothing to say about <b>The Platform</b> (<b>El Hoyo</b>), which hasn't been said already. Like <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/">Parasite </a></b>last year, <b>The Platform</b> manages to be a compelling critique of modern society, while being a kickass movie in itself. Even at a conceptual level, I'm in awe of how this movie might have come about. Such a simple but clever concept combined with great storytelling and performances. "<i>Edge of your seat</i>" is an understatement for this movie. <b>The Platform</b> is one of the finest exposes into human nature and psychology. This movie somehow manages to walk the balancing rope showing the worst of both capitalist and socialist ideologies, while having enough subtle allegories, to keep you thinking for weeks after you are done watching this. Not for the faint-hearted, but truly a masterpiece!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Honorable mentions</b>:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7212754/">Ludo </a>(<i>I already said I like dark comedies</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7921248">The Whistler</a>s (<i>Thriller with a new form of communication</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1086064">Bill & Ted Face the Music</a> (<i>Leave your brains at home, stoner fun</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10919380">Freaky </a>(<i>Leave your brains at home, freaky friday fun</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10199640">Beanpole </a>(<i>Fine example of the genre of movies I usually associated with Russia</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10288566">Another Round</a> (<i>Can alcohol really be the cure for productivity?</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8399664/">Babyteeth </a>(<i>coming-of-age for a terminally ill teen without the cheesiness</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8206668">Bad Education</a> (<i>What if the face of the organization was embezzling them internally</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12505468">Kadakh </a>(<i>Your friends are at your home but you have a secret to hide</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11651796">AK vs AK</a> (<i>Just for the sheer audacity... Kudos to both AKs</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11235142">Dia </a>(<i>A twisted Kannada romantic movie</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13381376">Welcome Home</a>/<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8508734">His House</a> (<i>Both great horror movies centered around houses</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8244784">The Hunt</a> (<i>Supremely divisive, extremely fun</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10530176">The Call</a> (<i>Sci-fi timetravel thriller</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10515526">Lootcase </a>(<i>What would you do if you found a suitcase full of money?</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8472964">Chintu Ka Birthday</a> (<i>Heartwarming movie about a family in war-torn Iraq</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8299768">Blow The Man Down</a> (<i>When everyone knows everyone, are secrets really secret?</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, 2020 is a year I'm sure most people want to forget for a whole tonne of reasons, but at the same time, it's also given us a lot of time to introspect and think about what really matters (<i>I have a whole other post about this, hopefully will publish that soon as well</i>). Looking over the list, I felt that a lot of movies that resonated with me this year, especially in the second half of the year, tended to be more grounded, human stories. Either way, irrespective of if 2020 has been the best year of your life or your worst, I hope that 2021 brings with it more growth, be it personal, professional, or otherwise and of course more stories that capture those emotions. :D</div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-63512156837149682812020-01-01T04:42:00.000+05:302020-02-24T11:49:02.895+05:30Movies of 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, another year, another set of amazing movies. 2019 was a great year for movie lovers, and brought a lot of great stories to the forefront, both from indie filmmakers as well as massive studio-led productions. Sure, there still exist the <i>Housefull4</i>s and the <i>Pagalpanti</i>s, but between the influx of OTT platforms (<b>Netflix</b>/<b>Prime Video</b>/<b>Hotstar</b>/<b>Mubi</b>) and the ongoing globalization of cinema, which makes even the most esoteric movies accessible at the click of a button, it's a great time to be a movie buff!<br />
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Without further ado, here's the movies I absolutely loved from the last year:<br />
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<b>13. Always Be My Maybe </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHBcWHY9lN4">trailer</a>)</span><b></b><br />
I think the <i>romantic comedy </i>genre has been badgered to death over the last decade with the same formulaic recipe being dished out over and over and over. Always Be My Maybe plays to the formula, but there's so many small things that they get perfectly right that you can't help but end with a smile on your face. Maybe it's just the vibe of San Francisco that they get perfectly right (<i>One of two problem-ridden cities I love</i>), or maybe it's just the <i><b>Keanu Reeves</b> </i>extended cameo (<i>which is by far my fave cameo in any movie this year</i>), but just take my word on this one, and enjoy the ride.<br />
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<b>12. Jojo Rabbit </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL4McUzXfFI">trailer</a>)</span><br />
There's always one movie in my list which I struggle to find a decent synopsis of. This year it's Jojo Rabbit. So let's see: A <i><b>Taika Waititi</b></i> movie about a pre-teen German youth nazi in WWII Germany who has an imaginary friend who is the Führer himself (<i>played by Waititi himself</i>). Yes yes, it's true, but barely does justice to what is by far the craziest story you'll see on screen this year. It's funny, it's tragic, it's wild, and basically just everything that you'd expect from a Waititi flick.<br />
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If you like Jojo Rabbit, and are looking for more wackiness, you'll probably also enjoy <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Self-Defense_(2019_film)">The Art of Self-Defense</a></b></i><br />
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<b>11. Ash is Purest White</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLab19dyAVA">trailer</a>)</span><br />
<i><b>Jia Zhangke</b></i> is another director who has rarely disappointed with his storytelling. His depictions of the intermingling between Modern Day and Traditional China, and the fallouts, the despair, the changes in relationships (<i>for good or bad</i>) that follow, have such a nuanced take on a culture that I've been fascinated by for the last couple of years.<br />
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Another movie which explores similar domains and is just as elaborate (<i>with a <a href="https://twitter.com/davidehrlich/status/1104083675505938433?lang=en">sad real-life incident</a> that grounds the movie</i>) is <i><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8020896/">An Elephant Sitting Still</a></b>.</i><br />
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<b>10. Shadow </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGetemRDuVY">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Another Chinese movie in the list! But truly a well deserved entrant. There's probably a handful of movies that can build out a movie from a minimalistic color-palette the way that Shadow has. Chinese period fantasy-based movies usually tend to be very similar to Indian period fantasy-based movies: Pointlessly cringey CGI, over the top acting, and very meh story lines. But like <i><b>Tumbbad</b></i> last year, which did it for Indian period fantasy, <i>Shadow</i> builds from the ground up (<i>rather than borrowing from what came before</i>) to build an amazing story.<br />
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I know I just said this 2 sentences back, but what an amazing color-palette! Kudos to the set designers, cinematographer, make up and visual artists who came together to speak the same visual language.<br />
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<b>9. Us</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNCmb-4oXJA">trailer</a>)</span><br />
<i><b>Jordan Peele</b> </i>(of <i><b>Key and Peele</b></i> fame) came into the limelight last year with the surprisingly dark <i><b>Get Out</b></i>, But I personally feel his latest film Us is what cements him more firmly into the "<i>directors who get horror</i>" group. Us, like Get Out, starts off normal, but just keeps building up into something darker and darker.<br />
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Big ups to the entire primary cast of <i>Lupita Nyong'o</i>, <i>Winston Duke</i>, <i>Shahadi Wright Joseph</i> and <i>Evan Alex </i> (<i>and especially the latter two</i>), for performances that made my skin crawl multiple times.<br />
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<b>8. Ready or Not</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtYTwUxhAoI">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Every once in a while, you want to just sit back and watch some shit go down. And for that mood, Ready or Not is oh-so-satisfying! A simple concept: A newly-wed bride is made to play a game of hide and seek with her new family, which she soon realizes is not a game but a hunt.<br />
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It's funny, it's wacky, it's gory, it's everything you'd want in a dark comedy horror thriller. Samara Weaving (<i>aka "Sasta Margot Robbie"</i>) does a great job of holding the movie together, but the other characters of the family are what bring this movie to life.<br />
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If you liked this, you'll probably also enjoy <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knives_Out_(film)">Knives Out</a></b></i> and <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_(film)">Polar</a></b></i> (<i>the latter even more so</i>)<br />
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<b>7. Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb0-Mw_V_bA">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Some of the most fulfilling movie-going experiences are films made by film lovers for film lovers, and <i>Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota</i> is a perfect pick for that title this year. Vasan Bala grew up watching a tonne of movies and that shows in the lovely trope-filled, fun ride which redefines the <i>superhero</i> movie genre with a refreshing twist. <b>Abhimanyu Dassani</b> does a great job as leading man, but the show stealer is <i><b>Gulshan Devaiah</b> </i>(<i>who plays two characters in the movie</i>,<i> but shines as Jimmy</i>). The child actor who plays a young version of the protagonist is great, and a quirky soundtrack rounds up the lovely package!</div>
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A similar take on the superhero genre this year was <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!_(film)">Shazam!</a></b></i><br />
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<b>6. Jallikattu</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItcQNybOOHM">trailer</a>)</span><br />
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I watched Jallikattu after hearing rave reviews about it from friends, and I'm so glad that I did.<br />
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Malayalam cinema is truly leading the way when it comes to experimental cinema and Jallikattu is a masterclass in it. Director<i> <b>Lijo Jose Pellissery</b></i> (<i>and his cinematographer <b>Girish Gangadharan</b> who deserves special mention</i>) takes us on a journey over a couple of hours exploring mob mentality and devolution to primality in the simplest of settings. The last 30 minutes, with the background track, the denial of rationality, and the visceral ending is something that's hard to forget.<br />
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<b>5. Avengers: Endgame</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItcQNybOOHM">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Ah, this just had to be in my list for the year. The end of an era. Truly the end of an era. I vividly remember watching the <i>first <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_(2008_film)">Iron Man</a> movie</i> with friends and being amazed at what we saw on screen. Since then, a decade has passed and I've literally grown up with many of these characters (<i>I think everyone from my generation has been in a Whatsapp group called The Avengers at some point</i>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5o_gzNyJ-I-3y8xHIQ8HbJlcnorLKSJIGsMreUjTPHQVMnz9R-Dov9IB9I8ZLNVXtJb7qHA4eDFU0CJLEFQ0Qd8d77tbnbVH72_vk8CeOpGvkj6GdvURhtzkm6WCUlZP4RouA94e7yGE/s1600/e7e7df51bcc2a6b8e7350425958dff142a28f8b7.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5o_gzNyJ-I-3y8xHIQ8HbJlcnorLKSJIGsMreUjTPHQVMnz9R-Dov9IB9I8ZLNVXtJb7qHA4eDFU0CJLEFQ0Qd8d77tbnbVH72_vk8CeOpGvkj6GdvURhtzkm6WCUlZP4RouA94e7yGE/s400/e7e7df51bcc2a6b8e7350425958dff142a28f8b7.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/03/29/ap_090911089838_sq-3271237f28995f6530d9634ff27228cae88e3440-s800-c85.jpg">I'll miss you 3000</a></td></tr>
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Sure there are plot holes and logical inconsistencies. But who cares? This was truly the end-of-an-era summer blockbuster we deserved. This was not just a movie, it was an experience. I laughed my ass off, I cried my tearducts dry, I cheered till my throat was hoarse, I recognized and appreciated the callbacks to previous movies, all alongside a hundred other people who shared the same emotions with me. It really feels like a decade long arc for Marvel has ended, and even if I don't ever watch another movie from the universe, I know I take back a tonne of great memories. God damn you Russos, I love you 3000.<br />
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<b>4. Marriage Story</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHi-a1n8t7M">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Another movie that's close to my heart from 2019 is <b><i>Noah Baumbach</i></b>'s <i>Marriage Story, </i>which was succinctly described as "<i>a movie about love told through the lens of divorce</i>". Relationships can be hard, but at the same time can be the most fulfilling experiences you'll ever be in. What I love about this movie is that though it centers around divorce, there's barely any fighting in the movie. There's one (<i>yes, one</i>) fight in the whole movie between the protagonists, but the way the scene plays out makes it one of my favorite scenes from the entire year. <b><i>Adam Driver</i></b> and<i> <b>Scarlett Johansson</b></i> is what is (<i>by far</i>) their finest roles.<br />
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<i>On a related note</i>: Not a movie recco, but the music video for Prateek Kuhad's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il7Nv270zNk">Cold/Mess</a> explores similar themes: How every relationship changes you in some small and not-so-small ways (<i>brownie points for whoever had the idea to have the couple separated but eating Lemon Tarts at the end of the video</i>)<br />
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<b>3. Joker</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHi-a1n8t7M">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I told someone that the reason I loved Joker was because my expectations from it were so sky high that even if the movie was <b>A-</b>, it'd feel like a letdown. But damn, I didn't expect to be punched in the stomach so hard by the movie as it did. <i>Todd Philips </i>(<i>who I admit I was skeptical about</i> <i>directing a Joker movie</i>) builds a world so grim and so vivid, that you truly immerse yourself in the journey Arthur Fleck takes.<br />
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And damn, that performance by <i><b>Joaquin Phoenix</b>, </i>just give this man every acting award there is. The last time a role of the power-insanity duopoly was played this well was probably <b><i>Daniel Day-Lewis</i></b> in <i><b>There Will Be Blood</b></i>. I still have so many unanswered questions about the movie and the way in which Arthur is used as an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator">unreliable narrator</a> throughout the movie means that the origins of Joker (<i>if this is even supposed to be the same Joker as in the comic</i>s) continue to remain shrouded, just as it should be.<br />
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<b>2. Gully Boy </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfbxcD6biOk">trailer</a>)</span><br />
This is probably a divisive opinion, but <i>Gully Boy</i> was a masterpiece for me. I watched the movie 4 times with different groups of people, and each time I was pulled into the world of <i>Murad</i>. <i><b>Zoya Akhtar</b></i> really knows how to write great characters, and build a world around them. <i>Gully Boy </i>is as much about the world of Dharavi as it is about the characters.<br />
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Excellent performances across the table (<i>Sid Chaturvedi and Ranveer Singh especially, but also a lot of the minor characters</i>), the best movie soundtrack of 2019, and that brilliant ending scene with the closeup of protagonist, who has more than he ever hoped for, yet has a look that screams insecurity (<i>Imposter syndrome? Life?</i>).<br />
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<b>1. Parasite</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUXfv87Wpk">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Just like <i><b>Thoroughbreds</b></i> last year, I think the moment I knew Parasite is going to be in my top 3 favorite films of the year was the moment the end credits started rolling. And I've been thinking of the movie so much since then (<i>and have become the annoying guy who recommends the same thing over and over again until you watch it</i>), that it goes without saying that Parasite is my favorite movie of the year. Every single scene in this is perfection. For every movie in the list, I can find something I didn't like, but no matter how hard I try, I come up short for this. I genuinely feel that decades down the line, we'll look back at this movie as an exemplary example of moviemaking.<br />
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There's people who've dissected bits of the movie to try to <i>explain </i>why Parasite is brilliant (<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezwSfT7sXO0&t=576s">Accented Cinema</a> & <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezwSfT7sXO0&t=576s">NerdWriter</a> have some great videos on this</i>), but I think it's a perfect combination of the class conflict, visually driven cinema, focussed character development and just the right amount of environmental events. And damn, that house is a central character in itself (and given me serious <i>#HouseGoals</i>). Take a fucking bow <i><b>Bong Joon-ho</b></i>! <br />
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Honorable Mentions you should watch even though they aren't mentioned above: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385524/">Stan and Ollie</a> (<i>drama based on the later years of the comedic duo</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6513120/">Fighting with My Family</a> (<i>wrestling family kid gets to try out for the WWE</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6139732/">Aladdin</a> (<i>a fun Will Smith movie which has a prince and princess</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622/">Once Upon a Time In Hollywood</a> (<i>Quentin Tarantino's homage to the late 1960s</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4364194/">Peanut Butter Falcon </a>(<i>Adventures of an autistic person and his nomadic friend</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/">Portrait of a Lady on Fire</a> (<i>Historic drama with forbidden love</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7019942">Super Deluxe</a> (<i>which would be in the list above if not for one story arc), </i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9052870">Chhichhore</a><i> (3 Idiots-like college camaraderie tale), </i>Guava Island (<i>for showing glimpses of paradise</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6146586/">John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum</a> (<i>Just the right amount of ridiculous Baba Yaga-ness</i>) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7605074/">The Wandering Earth</a> (<i>Liu Cixin's short story built into a CGI-loaded blockbuster</i>)<br />
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Overall, 2019 brought lot of great stories to the big screen, gave a lot of reasons to cheer along with and was an excellent high note to end this decade of movie making on. I look forward to see where cinema takes us over the next year and decade.</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-82593727759721836612019-06-22T16:04:00.001+05:302019-06-22T16:04:56.882+05:30#CurrentMood Alors On Danse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"The absurd depends as much on man as on the world. For the moment it is all that links them together. It binds them one to the other as only hatred can weld two creatures together. This is all I can discern clearly in this measureless universe where my adventure takes place."</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Albert Camus </span></b></span></div>
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(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoT4N43jK8">So, let's dance</a>?)</div>
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navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-21248609931889202062019-03-06T11:12:00.003+05:302019-03-06T11:13:10.685+05:30This Kind of Thunder Breaks Walls...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You truly defined the jilted generation. The sheer earth-shattering energy will be missed.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Flint">#RIPKeith</a></span></div>
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navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-91076117279251262242018-12-28T15:50:00.001+05:302018-12-29T17:21:39.702+05:30Movies of 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2018 has been an amazing year for movies. It's interesting to have been able to witness so many genres of movies moving in new directions, often with amazing results. It's been a year when the sure-shot superstar-backed movies have bombed badly and better storytelling has taken stage front and center. So as we wrap up this year, here's a list of my favourite movies of 2018:<br />
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<b>15. Tehran Taboo </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rZ5Afqb6vU">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Rotoscoping (<i>and similar animation techniques</i>) hold a special place for me since the amazing <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/">Waltz with Bashir</a> came out a decade ago, and Tehran Taboo takes that forward in a big way. A very strong female-focussed storyline with an amazing cast, set in the modern-yet-regressive Iranian society, which puts a strong focus on how society and personal relations interplay with each other in modern day society.<br />
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If you like Tehran Taboo, you'll probably also like: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6451304/">Have a Nice Day</a> (<i>Similar animation-wise, but set over a long night in China</i>) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5974388/">In Between</a> (<i>a movie focussed on the stories of 3 girls sharing a flat in Tel Aviv</i>)<br />
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<b>14. Loveless</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h5GuecUU-Q">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I hate watching movies like Loveless. Since Anurag Kashyap's <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2882328/">Ugly</a>, I've hated movies involving missing children simply because through the course of the movie, you realise how one person's tragedy is just a regular day for everyone else. Loveless follows in that school of thought and gets just as dark just as quickly. Don't watch this on a happy day.<br />
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<b>13. Upgrade </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hTLGlgZ4Z8">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I'm fairly certain that Upgrade is a movie most people didn't even hear about, let alone watched. It's very similar to Venom thematically, except instead of an alien symbiote, it's a computer chip surgically implanted in the protagonist's spine. Sure, the storyline is fairly predictable, but it's the action sequences and punchy one-liners that keep this movie slick. Cyberpunk at it's finest!<br />
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Also, if you like this genre, you should also check out: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6129302/">Bhavesh Joshi Superhero</a>, which was an amazing attempt at an "<i>Indian superhero</i>", but couldn't find the story it wanted to tell clearly enough.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<b>12. October</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vracgLyJwI">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Fairly certain this is the most divisive movie in my list. October was very hit or miss for a lot of people, but I personally loved it. Yes it's slow, but honestly that was part of the charm of the movie for me. And Varun Dhawan was a pleasant surprise as well (<i>it's easily his best role after <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3678782/">Badlapur</a></i>). As a star brat who's had the priviledge of not having to worry about career in real life, he manages to portray the love-over-career-bumpkin role well.<br />
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<b>11. Avengers: Infinity War </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8">trailer</a>)</span><br />
The end of an era. Literally the end of an era. I still remember watching the first Iron Man movie and being in awe of RDJ and the storytelling. After a decade of bringing comics to life, and 3-4 years of movies formulaic enough to be included in science text books, I had little hope for Infinity War. No, you cannot do justice to so many storylines and so many characters I thought. But I was glad to be mistaken. Avengers: Infinity War truly defines the term "<i>Summer Blockbuster</i>", and I simply can't wait to see how they wrap up this decade-long arc with EndGame.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><b>10. Borg vs McEnroe </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgfFdEOGUqE">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Adulting is a lot about finding a style of functioning that suits you. No two people work in the same way and what is the best for one may be the absolute worst for the other. And no two people at the peak of their sport displayed this contrast as much as Borg and McEnroe. The movie is equal parts stunning as devastating, showing how much individuals push themselves to "<i>the best in the world</i>", and how despite being very different people, they were the only two who really understood what drove each other. This movie reminded me a lot of another amazing movie: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1424432/">Senna</a>. Top marks for the cast of this movie, especially <i>Sverrir Gudnason </i>and <i>Shia LeBeouf </i>as the titular characters.<br />
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<b>9. Imaikaa Nodigal </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0QoCgbwPjs">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Anurag Kashyap as a serial killer. Nayanthara as a CBI officer being challenged to catch him. A soundtrack by Hiphop Tamizha. I needed to watch this, and boy was I glad I did. A tight psychological thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you at the edge of your seat, Imaikaa Nodigal was an awesome ride throughout. Reminded me in some ways of Vikram Vedha (<i>but that's at a different level altogether</i>)<br />
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The other thrillers I really liked this year was the much applauded <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108198">Andhadhun</a> and Oscar nominated <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6742252/">The Guilty</a>, which turns this genre on it's head altogether.<br />
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<b>8. Batman Ninja</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwPFxcefpdU">trailer</a>)</span><b></b><br />
I'm a simple man. I'm a fan of Batman. I'm a fan of anime. You do a crossover and I'll watch it. But boy, was I blown away by Batman Ninja! The art, the voice acting, the sheer audacity of the batman mecha-battle, everything was brilliant. Love how the movie incorporated the best of both cultures to create an experience that I could only have dreamed of.<br />
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I also really liked <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/">Into the Spiderverse</a> as well, but for me, the best alternate reality animated movie for the year was hands down Batman Ninja.<br />
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<b>7. Manmarziyaan</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToxnuakJrqE">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Anurag Kashyap's take on love in the 21st century is what this movie promised, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. What made this movie amazing for me was that none of the characters were rubberstamps or selfless lovers (<i>*cough* Devgan in HDDCS *cough*</i>). Love is, in a lot of ways, a very selfish thing, and this movie does a good job of showing that. Vicky Kaushal is amazing in this (<i>when is he not?</i>) and the soundtrack by Amit Trivedi is easily the best movie OST for a Bollywood movie in 2018.<br />
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<b>6. Heavy Trip</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AQtfYY1L_Q">trailer</a>)</span><br />
The only comedy movie in my list is this criminally underrated Finnish comedy Heavy Trip (<i>Hevi reissu). </i>It's such a quirky story, with such an amazing cast. And having travelled through small towns in Scandinavian countries, this movie is so soaked in the niche culture of these small towns that it's an immense treat to watch. I for one sure hope to hear more "<i>Symphonic Post-Apocalyptic Reindeer-Grinding Christ-Abusing Extreme War Pagan Fennoscandian</i>" metal by "<i>Impaled Rektum</i>" in the future.<br />
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<b>5. Nanette</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Not a movie, but it's my list and you really should be watching this so I'll break every rule I need to to have this on the list. Nanette was marketed as a Stand Up Comedy on Netflix. And yes, it is laugh out loud funny in large parts. But Nanette just as easily veers into territory that makes you uncomfortable, teary-eyed and straight up outraged. Hannah Gadsby lays out her soul on stage during this show laced with social commentary about her life as a non-straight woman in a society that is split and often aggressive on the subject. If this doesn't hit you in some deep part of your soul, you probably are dead already.<b><br />
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<b>4. Sorry To Bother You</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeISaoQDh2g">trailer</a>)</span><br />
Every year there is this one movie which is so weird, and so metaphorical that you can't help but keep thinking of the movie long after you're done watching it. Sorry to Bother You easily takes that crown for this year. The metaphors in this movie are being dissected even today (<i>think a 2 hour long This is America</i> <i>music video</i>) but even leaving that aside, it's an amazing movie in itself. It's very socially relevent, in these times of ground-up movements like #MeToo and the rage against the 1%, all while the people at the top are happily having their 700Cr weddings and playing society like pawns in a game. Again, a kickass soundtrack that lends voice to the visuals (I especially like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKXwQy8BIk0">Level it Up</a>)<b> </b><br />
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<b>3. Thunder Road</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTjYRFZOf4I">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I'd seen the short film that this movie is based on a couple years ago and<b> </b>when I heard they're making a full length movie on this, I really wondered where they could take that film without losing the spirit of it, and I'm happy that they didn't. The movie<b> </b>reminded me of another gem of a movie "<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034228/"><i>Manchester By The Sea</i></a>" in the sense that it starts off with a death but that's the happiest part of the film. Thunder Road a soul-crushing film and if you've ever lost someone you'll find yourself tearing up repeatedly in this movie. Jim Cummings as Actor/Director absolutely steals the show and there are so many moments in this movie which are absolutely perfect.<br />
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<b>2. Tumbbad</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN75a3vF254">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I loved a lot about Bollywood this year. Almost every<b> </b>pointless superstar movie failed, while gems like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108202/">Stree</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108198/">Andhadhun</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8439854/">Lust Stories</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7725596/">Badhaai Ho</a> took center stage, with a lot of them getting popular through word of mouth. But the single best movie to come out of Bollywood this year in my opinion was Tumbbad. For far too long, we've tried to adapt Hollywood's idea of fantasy and horror to the Indian palate, but Tumbbad simply turns this idea on it's head. The story is extremely similar to the Jataka Tales and rural Indian myths I grew up listening to, the cinematography is absolutely top notch, the actors are brilliant and the background score is perfect. Here's a movie that's Indian Fantasy and proud of it. I sincerely hope the success of Tumbbad means that genre will be explored more<br />
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On a side note: We really need more Indian takes on sci-fi, superhero stories, fantasy, horror etc both in written and visual mediums. We've explored a lot of humor and drama from an indian perspective, but a lot of these other genres have been explored much less.<b></b><br />
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</b> <b>1. Thoroughbreds</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPcV_3D3V2A">trailer</a>)</span><br />
I'm a fan of dark movies, as is probably obvious from a lot of my movie recommendations. And I love movies that revel in darkness rather than try to skirt around it. Thoroughbreds is like a 2018 American Psycho/Gone Girl-inspired story which creates an experience which is simply par-excellence. I watched this movie around April, but I knew right then that this will be in my movies of the year list. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy as the protagonists are simply perfect and their chemistry is brilliant. If you like demented, dark, twisted thrillers then this is right up your lane.<br />
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Also, this is another film that makes such amazing use of the soundtrack to add to the story. I've become a huge fan of <i>A Tribe Called Red </i>and <i>Tanya Tagaq</i>'s inuit throat singing, since listening to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3TpDQ0vsB4">SILA</a> which is used extensively in the movie.<br />
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A few other honorable mentions you should watch even though they're not mentioned above:<br />
<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7040874/">A Simple Favor</a> (<i>Anna Kendrick+ Gone Girl</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6213284">I Am Not A Witch</a> (<i>African tradition meets modern world</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/">Hereditary</a> (<i>That girl kid is scary</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3892172/">Leave No Trace</a> (<i>PTSD meets parenting</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7014006/">Eighth Grade</a> (<i>Bo Burnham's take on growing up in the 21st century</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5610554/">Tully</a> (<i>Motherhood in the 21st century</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6251024/">Office Uprising</a> (<i>pure unadulterated zombie fun</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/">A Quiet Place</a> (<i>Shh... Don't talk</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6896536/">Foxtrot</a> (<i>Conscription affects a family in different ways</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7048622/">The Insult</a> (<i>when personal disputes grow to a political agenda</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7581902/">Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety</a> (<i>+1 for the dialogues, -1 for the misogyny</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155172/">Roma</a> (<i>Cuaron's take on his childhood in Mexico</i>. <i>Childbirth scene still haunts</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7664504/">Three Identical Strangers</a> (<i>Fact is stranger than fiction</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6952960/">The Kindergarten Teacher</a> (<i>What would you do if your student is a prodigy?</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5968274/">The Angel</a> (<i>Egyptian spy saves Israeli lives</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7668870/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Searching</a> (<i>a thriller shown through computer screens</i>), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7213936/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">What will people say?</a> (<i>a Pakistani movie that hits close to home culturally</i>)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
2018 has been an amazing year at the movies and I'm really looking forward to see what 2019 brings to the big screens. I hope Bollywood continues it's push towards better storytelling and other non-Bollywood Indian cinema starts becoming more accessible to audiences across the country (<i>like Malayalam cinema has done over the last few years</i>). Internationally as well, I have a couple of movies that I'm really looking forward to in 2019, including the end of the decade-long MCU chapter with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Avengers: EndGame</a> and I hope that 2019 as a whole lives up to the hype. I initially wanted to make a Top 10 list, but 2018 simply had too many good stories to share and I sincerely hope filmmakers continue to push the boundaries with film making and storytelling in 2019. Your audience awaits... :)</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-14627775793802105872018-10-12T02:10:00.003+05:302018-10-12T12:08:11.339+05:30Review: PyCon India 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Python community has been one of the few communities that I've actively been part of over the last couple of years, in part because I'm a huge fan of the language (<i>As the saying goes: Python is the second-best language for everything you want to do!</i>) and also because the community has always been one of the most welcoming tech communities I've come across. I've been lucky to be able to contribute back to this amazing community, be it through open source contributions, conducting Python/ML courses for (<i>usually</i>) college students, or by being part of the volunteer team that organizes PyCon India every year. This year, I was part of the <i>CFP workgroup</i> along with a bunch of super cool people, and the months of effort that many people put in culminated last weekend with <b><a href="https://in.pycon.org/2018/">PyCon India 2018</a></b> taking place in Hyderabad. What follows are my thoughts on the event.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57brdRM4UKI5abbOaNjN6MRtPMqASdEgLxnMZSR0uVRdDIeClenWLqkwJnR-fQAzikcYs7dWOT7ivhr_JUjiIdiTUPQ3VtT_Zi_AsYxu16Xnt0uo9t7w7F6WRAFnNJO9v8xllrlx-uUw/s1600/IMG_20181006_093250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57brdRM4UKI5abbOaNjN6MRtPMqASdEgLxnMZSR0uVRdDIeClenWLqkwJnR-fQAzikcYs7dWOT7ivhr_JUjiIdiTUPQ3VtT_Zi_AsYxu16Xnt0uo9t7w7F6WRAFnNJO9v8xllrlx-uUw/s400/IMG_20181006_093250.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
First things first: PyCon India 2018 was a grand success! This year was an especially challenging year for PyCon India for multiple reasons:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>This was the 10th edition of PyCon India, so the community as a whole wanted to have an event which would fit the occasion.</li>
<li>Due to multiple disagreements (<i>to put it lightly</i>) within the community, the conference was shifted out from Bangalore to Hyderabad with just 4 months to set up the entire event, basically from scratch.</li>
<li>In between all of this, the PSSI was also dissolved (<i>which IMHO was the best thing to happen to the org since it had long ago ceased to stand for anything useful</i>), and the new PyCon team had to take on the added load of figuring out how to handle finances/sponsorships for the event.</li>
</ul>
Thankfully, right from the get-go, the nation-wide python community stepped up to ensure that the conference would go through as smoothly as possible. Kudos to the local Hyderabad python community for leading the efforts! I'm happy to say this is easily in my top 3 PyCon India experiences. Special mention of the food at well. Hyderabad definitely lived up to its foodie reputation and I enjoyed the delicious food served over the course of the conference.<br />
<br />
Something that I feel worked really well this year was the <a href="https://www.europython-society.org/workgroups">EuroPython model of having workgroups</a> for different responsibilities. The model was adopted out of lack of alternatives, but it allowed for much deeper focus, and more community interaction during the course of the conference organisation.<br />
<br />
From a talks perspective, <a href="http://www.lifeofnav.in/2015/10/review-pycon-india-2015.html">I've always complained</a> that PyCon suffers from trying too hard to balance between beginner and advanced talks (<i>mostly because of the diverse audience at PyCon</i>), but this year I personally feel we came really close to striking the right balance. My favourite talks at PyCon India 2018 were:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>The Future of Python</b> <i>by</i> <b>Armin Ronacher</b>: This was a talk I was really looking forward to. There are very few people who have not used some python module created by Armin. But he's had a very flaky relationship with both Python as a language and as a community over the last few years. His talk, which was the opening keynote of the conference, was an amazing look at what the <a href="https://www.rust-lang.org/en-US/">Rust community</a> is doing right, be it in code, or through community and what the Python community can learn from it. It was lovely to have someone speak so openly about the shortcomings of Python, and point to actionable items, rather than simply praise the emperor's new clothes. The talk included zingers like "<i>The wider python community and core developers want very different futures for the language</i>" in front of an audience of 4+ python-core devs and 1500 wider community members! :P</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ10a7UISKXwMiVPYUNaAQ2JzKqXppPds6jAZUZbpiZqfR0BLCY-BhcbPcgY2Tzhj0t26f0dlce7NvI0y_VB0L3mOo9iSrGSqnbOdZjpQfq1kRBPL0TL8kpBeqBWT8jB93nEuVIhmv_yI/s1600/DozHGY5WwAA4KZI.jpg+large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ10a7UISKXwMiVPYUNaAQ2JzKqXppPds6jAZUZbpiZqfR0BLCY-BhcbPcgY2Tzhj0t26f0dlce7NvI0y_VB0L3mOo9iSrGSqnbOdZjpQfq1kRBPL0TL8kpBeqBWT8jB93nEuVIhmv_yI/s400/DozHGY5WwAA4KZI.jpg+large.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Large scale web crawling using Python </b><i>by </i><b>Anand B Pillai and Noufal Ibrahim</b>: This talk was a pleasant surprise, especially since I spent nearly a year working on a product which did web scraping at a scale which can only be described as <i>large! </i>Despite never having heard of <a href="https://github.com/pythonhacker/rotating-proxy-daemon">their project</a>, but it's funny how similar the system we used at <a href="http://bloomreach.com/">Bloomreach</a> is (<i>which is more complex, but also has half a decade of engineering behind it</i>), and it was interesting to see and compare the compromises we made vs the ones they made with very similar constraints and having faced the same issues.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Cleaning data with Python </b><i>by</i><b> Anand S</b>: Anand is someone whose talks at any conference are always of the same outstanding quality and this talk was no exception. While a decidedly <i>unsexy </i>topic to talk about, the problem of data cleaning is something that literally anyone who works with data runs into nearly every time. Anand's talk focused on different techniques for extracting and cleaning data, and how to handle the billion possible edge-cases you can end up with. Every PyCon, I find one amazing talk which uses live code through the talk, and this was the one from this PyCon (<i>Yes, he used a <a href="https://github.com/gramener/cleaning-data">pre-made Jupyter notebook</a> but that still counts</i>).<b><br /></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>The M-Word</b><i><i><i> by </i></i></i><b>Sidu Ponnappa</b>: Sidu is, again, a not-so-obvious keynote speaker for a PyCon, since he's not really a Pythonista in any significant way. But what he has done is build communities and companies which are very strongly engineer-driven and built from the bottom-up. His talk was about the dreaded M-word, <i>"Manager". </i>His talk was more of a brain dump on the parallels between code management and org management, and how different structures and dynamics come into play in organisations, in the same way that systems grow in complexity over time. His talk was enlightening (<i>except maybe the first 20 minutes which felt more like a Go-Jek pitch</i>,<i> and could have been much shorter</i>) and highlighted how engineering principles apply to org management.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Lightning Talks</b>: Lightning talks are 5 minute talks given by people from the community about any topic they feel is relevant to the conference. In the past, lightning talks have been pretty meh, with unprepared speakers, half-baked slides, incoherent talks et al but this year was very different. The lightning talks were really well presented, tight talks about projects ranging from a RC car controlled using EEG waves (<i>and using a neural net LSTM</i>), to <a href="https://medium.com/@biswaz/at-the-eye-of-the-flood-5ddec61a87b8">the role python played in the post-floods rescue operations in Kerala</a>, to types of engineers and how they shift between types, to using python for astronomy, to the super fun talk by <a href="https://twitter.com/datapythonista">@datapythonista</a><i> </i>on well.... random nuggets of coolness! Special mention of the organisation of lightning talks with dual-laptop round-robin screen switching, which ensured the downtime between lightning talks was practically zero.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBh3M9cnwzAiaPGHHV9za5fdPNfvMUNn83XgrklfOcgflal1lqP3UyHiDKGlNkSAgqGoFPO1oBYqFgrb88XnBWnK6VoCaaR7MmpIP2V96lVNOHu7jOU2cgnwBb2wtg8TLRc7n45c05mM/s1600/Do6POPIVsAAt-N4.jpg+large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBh3M9cnwzAiaPGHHV9za5fdPNfvMUNn83XgrklfOcgflal1lqP3UyHiDKGlNkSAgqGoFPO1oBYqFgrb88XnBWnK6VoCaaR7MmpIP2V96lVNOHu7jOU2cgnwBb2wtg8TLRc7n45c05mM/s400/Do6POPIVsAAt-N4.jpg+large.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@datapythonista doing his thing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course, as a volunteer driven event, there's always things that can be improved upon. These are the things I didn't particularly love about PyCon India this year and I hope we can improve next year:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Main Hall Setup</b>: The main hall setup had multiple issues. The big one was that the sponsor stalls were in the same room as the main hall. Unfortunately this meant that many talks were disturbed by the noise from the sponsor stalls, where they had ongoing events for participants like quizzes/darts etc. You could hear the noise even from the third row of the Main hall and it was very distracting. The other issue was the sound setup in the same hall which was messed up leading to the speaker not being able to hear anyone from the audience who used a mike (<i>relevant during the QnA session that follows every talk</i>) throughout the conference. </li>
<li> <b>Dev Sprints</b>: Dev sprints provide an opportunity for coders to work with open source project maintainers to create patches for open source projects. The barrier to entry for open source is, even today, seen as being high, and events like this help break that myth. Unfortunately, dev sprints messed up this time. Tickets were announced very late, and even then they were charged and limited to 150 seats. Charging someone money to introduce them to open source contribution is ridiculous IMHO. We need as many good developers as we can get (<i>and then some more</i>) and charging/limiting the number of participants for this was pretty bad. This was called out on Twitter by multiple people, and I genuinely think we could have done a better job of it.</li>
<li><b>Job board</b>: It's a known fact that PyCon acts as a platform for companies and developers to meet each other and create win-win situations where developers get connected to good jobs which require their skill-set while companies get talented individuals to interview/join. This year, we had a job board, which was basically a flex sheet, and companies were encouraged to write their details on sticky notes and paste them on the job board. People could browse through the board and apply/look for more details. It's ironic that PyCon took such a non-technical approach to this problem. A simple web-app would have been so much more useful for this, and been less painful, more easily searchable, and definitely more practical.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqePUhvZ3vE95vG-oHxlZm5SxPeW-uLs1Tn0PmHVh5Nhr_SVaG3VzPOnc8jHdVFq5nxQmderv4hjDFRVEHAsbztBW4vcnkhHZaA99beMJvJex8M_QLE01NzYxxZdThJpyAZD5TLVlkx4/s1600/IMG_20181006_180140.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqePUhvZ3vE95vG-oHxlZm5SxPeW-uLs1Tn0PmHVh5Nhr_SVaG3VzPOnc8jHdVFq5nxQmderv4hjDFRVEHAsbztBW4vcnkhHZaA99beMJvJex8M_QLE01NzYxxZdThJpyAZD5TLVlkx4/s400/IMG_20181006_180140.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The job board at the end of PyCon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Overall, as I mentioned at the start of the blog, PyCon India 2018 was a stunning success and I truly enjoyed myself throughout my stay in Hyderabad. I definitely look forward to participating in PyCon India 2019, both as a organizing team volunteer as well as a participant (<i>Possible speaker as well? Maybe? Yes? No? :P</i>), because after all these years, what still remains true is this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<pre class="literal-block">>>> import this</pre>
</blockquote>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-63782856479531296672017-04-19T02:14:00.000+05:302017-04-19T02:36:44.845+05:30Google Authenticator 2FA on Mac OS with oathtool<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Multi-factor authentication (<i>Commonly 2FA</i>) is a security godsend. You really should enable it on every account you have that supports it. I usually use <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.authenticator2&hl=en">Google Authenticator</a> for time-variant OTP systems. However, I find it irritating to have to reach for my phone to check for the OTP every time I log in to a site. Why do I find it irritating? Because of 2 reasons:<br />
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>I <b>actually</b> have to get to my physical device, which I usually don't carry around with me. </li>
<ul>
<li>In office, I usually keep my phone away from me to avoid distraction/unwanted calls/notifications.</li>
</ul>
<li>Even after I open up Authenticator, I have to type out the digits from screen to screen. </li>
<ul>
<li>I know there are other alternatives, but Google Authenticator is most widely supported across services I use daily: AWS, Okta, Google Suite, Pager etc. and it's not going away soon.</li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div>
I always wondered if there is an easier way to get the added security of 2FA, with more flexibility. And the solution was to simply use 2FA from my laptop itself. So I came up with a workflow. This is my current workflow on Mac OS Sierra (<i>but should work on any Mac</i>).</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Step 1: Generate 2FA tokens on laptop</b></div>
<div>
This turned out to be simpler than I imagined. I simply needed to use the awesome <a href="http://www.nongnu.org/oath-toolkit/">oath-toolkit</a>, which basically behaves like Google Authenticator for the laptop. It can be used to easily generate time-variant one time passwords, which is what GA does! Setting it up is a breeze:<br />
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$ brew install oath-toolkit<br />
$ oathtool --totp -b "<i>your_key_here</i>" | pbcopy</blockquote>
<div>
<br />
The key you use here is a key generated when you set up OTP (<i>You probably remember scanning a QR code</i>). If you don't have the key saved locally, you will have to do a one-time reset of your 2FA to generate a new key.<br />
<br />
We pipe the generated token to pbcopy to copy it to clipboard. This allows us to generate totp tokens and have them ready to be pasted when needed. No need to look for your mobile phone for OTP anymore!<br />
<br />
<b>Step 2: Smoother Workflow</b><br />
Now that we can generate OTP tokens without a phone, let's clean up the process. Currently, we need to go to the terminal every time we want to generate a new token. What if we could bind this to a global key command instead? Mac OS has an awful global keyboard macro system (<i>Yay Linux as always</i>), but it can still be done. This is how I do it:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Install <a href="https://github.com/deseven/icanhazshortcut"><b>ICanHazShortcut</b></a>, a nifty Mac app for global hotkeys. It's not too fancy, but delivers what it promises!</li>
<li>Set up an Automator service to simply paste clipboard contents when called:</li>
<ul>
<li>Go to Applications -> Automator -> New -> Service</li>
<li>Service receives "<i>no input</i>" in "<i>any application</i>"</li>
<li>Drag the "<i>Run Applescript</i>" action to the right and fill in the following and then save the workflow as <i>paste-from-clipboard. </i>You can save it in your home directory:</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFtKNZ7yn3fAghje5K5IRc1GZKFvnu5XxDR8JeAvFqd3ur4XAbBx1t9onEzo3VzGnoLwg8EsMq1DXdbOU9OyIB6naz1XVjQsSHEBmFwfF4HwtCq6XsRcpu7lVGamqX0qxSx2VUeuTSS4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+1.55.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFtKNZ7yn3fAghje5K5IRc1GZKFvnu5XxDR8JeAvFqd3ur4XAbBx1t9onEzo3VzGnoLwg8EsMq1DXdbOU9OyIB6naz1XVjQsSHEBmFwfF4HwtCq6XsRcpu7lVGamqX0qxSx2VUeuTSS4/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+1.55.12+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Finally, bring it all together! Set up keyboard shortcuts in ICanHazShortcut, and set the command to run as: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
/usr/local/bin/oathtool --totp -b "<i>your_key_here</i>" | pbcopy | automator ~/paste-from-clipboard.workflow/</blockquote>
Here I assume that the workflow you created was named paste-from-clipboard and saved in your home directory. You may not need to specify the full path for oathtool, but I had to.<br />
<br />
And that's it! Now whenever you're on a page that needs a 2FA token, simply type in your keyboard shortcut, and your token will be filled in!<br />
<br />
...And the love kickstarts again ;)<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">PS: Yes, this is unsafe because if someone get's physical access to your system, then he can access your 2FA key and generate tokens, thereby rendering your 2FA useless. Then again, if he has physical access to your system, then this is just one of a million ways to get access to your data, so the attack vector surface increase is not as prominent. Of course, if you're uber concerned about security, skip this. But if you want a compromise between security and usability then this is a decent solution! :)</span></div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-77953014691805442422017-04-05T01:42:00.000+05:302017-04-05T01:42:34.773+05:30Debugging Running JVM Without Restart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Debugging a process actively running on a JVM without restarting the application and setting up flags and attaching a debugger is a <a href="https://www.javacodegeeks.com/2012/01/debugging-jvm.html">a bit</a> <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/troubleshoot/jvmts.html">of a pain</a>. However, there's quite a bit you can do to debug a running process without needing a JVM restart.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG1-ieQwueKNrD2XU0yxe37y15P8TgQhjbOTp33hLNgsEjH7wha2MHo1i9DR1XtkqHCw2ikNcWhRMW0peVpu-lpgeNW10CoQfXQWgi4noNG6FbsE2LXTRTIK_jLw977G7n8Z_6K8GFc0/s1600/debug-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG1-ieQwueKNrD2XU0yxe37y15P8TgQhjbOTp33hLNgsEjH7wha2MHo1i9DR1XtkqHCw2ikNcWhRMW0peVpu-lpgeNW10CoQfXQWgi4noNG6FbsE2LXTRTIK_jLw977G7n8Z_6K8GFc0/s320/debug-meme.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This. But with less enthusiasm. Much less enthusiasm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here's a quick walkthrough, with the associated commands. I'm simply compiling the steps to allow a single lookup for everyone else who has to walk down this road.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Ensure that it is the JVM which is consuming too many resources. A combination of <i>free </i>and sorting <i>ps </i>output should do the trick. <i>free</i> tells us current memory consumption, while <i>ps </i>gives us process level statistics</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$<b> free -m</b><br />
total used free shared buffers cached<br />
Mem: 15040 13956 <b>1083</b> 0 84 890<br />
-/+ buffers/cache: 12980 2059<br />
Swap: 0 0 0<br />
<br />
$<b> ps -eo pmem,pcpu,vsize,pid,cmd | sort -k 1 -nr | head -5 </b><br />
<br />
<b>69.8 67.5</b> 8180544 <b>24204</b> <b>java -Duser.dir=[...]</b><br />
7.5 5.6 1550956 4866 python /mnt/manage.py run_gunicorn -c /mnt/conf.py<br />
7.4 6.3 1542356 4848 python /mnt/manage.py run_gunicorn -c /mnt/conf.py<br />
7.4 6.0 1548132 4863 python /mnt/manage.py run_gunicorn -c /mnt/conf.py<br />
7.4 5.8 1537104 4869 python /mnt/manage.py run_gunicorn -c /mnt/conf.py</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Wow, so we seem to have barely a GB of memory free and a resource hog java process and a bunch of gunicorn processes. Let's take a look at the Java process shall we? The pid is <b>24204 </b>(<i>highlighted in previous command</i>)<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Let's find thread utilization of resources. <b>ps </b>to the rescue again!</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$ <b>ps -mo 'pid lwp stime time pcpu' -p 24204</b><br />
PID LWP STIME TIME %CPU<br />
24204 - 16:12 00:32:41 17.4<br />
- 24204 16:12 00:00:00 0.0<br />
- 24255 16:12 00:00:03 0.0<br />
- 24256 16:12 00:01:11 0.6<br />
- 24257 16:12 00:01:11 0.6<br />
- 24258 16:12 00:01:11 0.6<br />
- 24259 16:12 00:01:11 0.6<br />
- <b>24260</b> 16:12 00:06:34 <b>33.5</b><br />
- 24261 16:12 00:00:11 0.0<br />
- 24262 16:12 00:00:00 0.0<br />
- 24263 16:12 00:00:00 0.0<br />
- 24264 16:12 00:00:00 0.0<br />
- 24265 16:12 00:00:00 0.0<br />
- 24266 16:12 00:00:43 0.3</blockquote>
Interesting. It looks like a single issue here. How do we trace this? Why, we take a couple of thread dumps of course! We use jstack for this. jstack simply produces a thread dump of the given process.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$ <b>jstack 24204</b> > 1.dump<br />
$ <b>jstack 24204</b> > 2.dump<br />
$ <b>jstack 24204</b> > 3.dump<br />
<br /></blockquote>
I usually take multiple jstacks just for further analysis. You may also need to run jstack as sudo as <i>sudo -u user jstack <pid></i><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Now we have the thread dump and the misbehaving thread, so we can check what that thread is doing. Since thread id in the previous command (<b>24260</b>) is a decimal, we first convert it into hex because thread dumps use hex ids. To do this we simply use <b>bc </b>to convert the number, and then <b>tr</b> to transform the uppercase into lowercase. </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$<b> echo "obase=16; 24260" | bc </b><b>| tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'</b><br />
5ec4 # this is the thread id in hex<br />
<br />
$ <b>vim 1.dump</b> # Now search for the thread hex in the dump file<br />
<i>[...]</i><br />
"Concurrent Mark-Sweep GC Thread" os_prio=0 tid=0x00007fea2c083000 nid=<b>0x5ec4</b> runnable<br />
<i>[...]</i></blockquote>
So it turns out in this specific case that the GC is taking up a massive number of CPU cycles. <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9631939/garbage-collector-taking-too-much-cpu-time">The solutions</a> <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/27003451/jvm-consumes-100-cpu-with-a-lot-of-gc">for this</a> <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/35262175/jvm-garbage-collector-suddenly-consumes-100-cpu-after-running-for-several-hours">are numerous</a>, and may vary depending on what your constraints are. The other issues may be related to database access, I/O access, or, quite frankly, a million other reasons relating to badly written code.<br />
<br />
To be honest, this method of debugging does have it's constraints, but can be a godsend when you need to quickly validate your thinking when it comes to resource hog bugs. And of course, you can celebrate by posting memes on slack!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENwCy_o_njbeEY_kZny2J9XDgyWpOMEvhlALDdxG6dVJI6Nmk0xgxy6vu1vjRBHUv1_4P8U1cM7kvA0PlAet_tm-dqzdoeGOqftZUGp_Re_IAV0vlA1p_zQU00XYT0IxykPrTLniGFks/s1600/63000230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENwCy_o_njbeEY_kZny2J9XDgyWpOMEvhlALDdxG6dVJI6Nmk0xgxy6vu1vjRBHUv1_4P8U1cM7kvA0PlAet_tm-dqzdoeGOqftZUGp_Re_IAV0vlA1p_zQU00XYT0IxykPrTLniGFks/s320/63000230.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Bloomreach, we prefer <b>:patre:</b> #insidejoke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hope this is helpful! Until the next <span style="font-size: x-small;">b̶u̶g̶</span> feature... :D</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">PS: Yes, I know the first couple of steps can be done using <b>htop</b> as well, using htop in thread view. I just find <b>ps </b>so much more convenient</span></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-49512257435592487802017-03-19T08:44:00.004+05:302017-03-19T09:22:21.123+05:30The Best Teacher.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Special+Elite" rel="stylesheet"></link><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: 'Special Elite', cursive;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 36px; font-weight: 100; line-height: 60px;">I am <span class="word" data-word="not"></span> <span class="word" data-word="perfect"></span>. </span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 36px; font-weight: 100; line-height: 60px;">I <span class="word" data-word="make"></span> <span class="word" data-word="many"></span> <span class="word" data-word="mistakes"></span>. </span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 36px; font-weight: 100; line-height: 60px;"><span class="word" data-word="but"></span> I <span class="word" data-word="NEVER"></span> <span class="word" data-word="repeat"></span> <span class="word" data-word="them"></span>.</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 36px; font-weight: 100; line-height: 60px;"><span class="word" data-word="and"></span> <span class="word" data-word="that"></span> <span class="word" data-word="is"></span> <span class="word" data-word="why"></span> I will win!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This page generates a new set of typos every time someone visits the page. It has enough variation that you can (almost) safely claim that every person on this site sees a personalized set of mistakes, never seen before by anyone and never to seen again by anyone. Eternally looking for perfection, just like you and me.</span></div></div><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
$('.word').each(function(){
var word = $(this).data("word");
if(Math.random() > 0.5){
var position = Math.floor(Math.random() * word.length);
if(position != 0){
var arr = word.split('');
var temp = arr[position];
arr[position] = arr[position - 1];
arr[position - 1] = temp;
word = arr.join('');
}
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$(this).text(word);
});
</script></div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-53994938796716410952017-03-02T01:07:00.000+05:302017-03-02T11:41:28.020+05:30Thank You Mario. Your Quest is Over!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For as long as I can remember, I've been addicted to technology. And I can happily credit a childhood spent interacting with technology as the reason for that. The first time I was blown away by technology was when I was lucky enough to own a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System">Nintendo NES console</a> (<i>a FamiCom rather</i>).<br />
<br />
I spent hours and hours saving the princess in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.">Super Mario Bros</a>, and shooting up ducks in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Hunt">Duck Hunt</a>, and building mazes in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_City_(video_game)">Battle City</a>, or simply running around shooting people as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man">Mega Man</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUItayxNpxRfUcUgj7pf9LgP1Dk5_xLkHmuFdSonxRSizp39X_41gN_qdAVM4UE_785o8SYh3EX0_VsN_II7BfQ9BlYY0oSt9FW4zZkfRqkfZJ7zyLFzkQfaSFkUmJKv51Ws60fbMYIA/s1600/Famicom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUItayxNpxRfUcUgj7pf9LgP1Dk5_xLkHmuFdSonxRSizp39X_41gN_qdAVM4UE_785o8SYh3EX0_VsN_II7BfQ9BlYY0oSt9FW4zZkfRqkfZJ7zyLFzkQfaSFkUmJKv51Ws60fbMYIA/s400/Famicom.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah Childhood!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So when Nintendo announced the <b><a href="http://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic/">Mini NES Classic</a> </b>just before Christmas, I was possessed by a near Gollum-like need to possess one of these beauties. Alas, Nintendo really underestimated the nostalgia quotient of the NES, and for over a month, the NES Classic supply chain seemed nearly non-existent. I had a (<i>sort of</i>) planned visit to Mountain View starting the first week of Feb, and decided that I simply could not return without getting my hands on a NES Classic.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_L6H21pnKISgm5iNQT3HuNTEBSndLcMyzQ8p3TrSO1_BsmDI4TKj4jv4-ZJ49rVB66RBnRoubVcmrEyK7R0PDh5qeaXvaOLFZiEdB6VIUPnSSr9giAqGpXsIV8-VMulKT9LEXxkdWIA/s1600/nes-classic-edition.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_L6H21pnKISgm5iNQT3HuNTEBSndLcMyzQ8p3TrSO1_BsmDI4TKj4jv4-ZJ49rVB66RBnRoubVcmrEyK7R0PDh5qeaXvaOLFZiEdB6VIUPnSSr9giAqGpXsIV8-VMulKT9LEXxkdWIA/s400/nes-classic-edition.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Precious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So this is where my story starts:<br />
<br />
From the day I got to MV, I started lurking around message boards on Reddit which discussed the Mini NES. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/minines/"><b>/r/MiniNES</b></a> was the best forum, with a lot of likeminded, nostalgia-fuelled gamers looking to get a late Christmas present. This is where I read about this amazing site called <a href="https://brickseek.com/">BrickSeek</a>. The concept of Brickseek itself is so amazing. Basically, they collate data from Target/Walmart/CVS etc. using their own inventory IDs (<i>or SKUs as they call them</i>) and allows people to query to find product availability in different stores. While they do not claim to be 100% accurate, they are nonetheless a godsend when looking for hard to find products. I had a BestBuy a block away from my hotel, a Target a couple of blocks away, and a Walmart about 2-3 miles away. So I assumed I had a good chance. Oh boy, was I wrong!<br />
<br />
The NES Classic turned out to be so much harder to find than I expected it to be. Nintendo even put out a press release apologizing for the delay in restocking, and BrickSeek just kept showing a total count of 0 in all stores in a 100 mile radius from me. I read 1-2 posts a day on Reddit of people who somehow managed to get one, and that mostly included people who saw an update on Brickseek and camped outside a Target from 4:30 AM!<br />
<br />
And then it happened. This post came up on Reddit:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqVc9mXZefdN6LoU5E16Cyy4mja8o_pq84P-onxULieyE8wRRHs3V1K7hyhxzWjoPbPeDEo7DcusnDSaWM9AJkJjme6uHZ1DENc8DlSibLvRzkf-p9v4oXbWx81-Ts_8c5sljQAfQrpQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.09.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqVc9mXZefdN6LoU5E16Cyy4mja8o_pq84P-onxULieyE8wRRHs3V1K7hyhxzWjoPbPeDEo7DcusnDSaWM9AJkJjme6uHZ1DENc8DlSibLvRzkf-p9v4oXbWx81-Ts_8c5sljQAfQrpQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.09.09+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moist_Cookies for President!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I clicked on the link 9 minutes after it was posted. Was it too late? Load you damn page, load! And almost unbelievably, it was still "<i><b>In Stock</b></i>". Buy Now. Buy Now. Buy Now. Typed out my card details faster than I ever have and pressed Buy. Credit card debited $$$. OMG THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. There's an email confirmation as well! Doo-doo Do-doo-do Doo doo!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVcmrTRD3v-M7l8wiS1eRDBG-hrG_C7Mf1-owwaZQlZ8k9cK2wybnm_qBo2g56sEa3AtV7rhSUOo93JdDxAKlwZJBDuMC1nQGVPKcshP7lbg10_LoHXkF3lyYZq3ekrwR84wkjfPHhtU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.16.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVcmrTRD3v-M7l8wiS1eRDBG-hrG_C7Mf1-owwaZQlZ8k9cK2wybnm_qBo2g56sEa3AtV7rhSUOo93JdDxAKlwZJBDuMC1nQGVPKcshP7lbg10_LoHXkF3lyYZq3ekrwR84wkjfPHhtU/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.16.38+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But wait, what's this? Another email from BestBuy?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHGO4bG4vvjylplTCU9W_kIkFpjiClI7a86cXvVSqHDe9eI6FPk8UeNTysdZV-J2-5Izmy0kIxfJ7IKKy-3ATQYv7QXNLaJ5eWTg7dkfuYByZl_Vl5_L8UXR3gJEW7QY47ysC3LEMSXQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.18.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHGO4bG4vvjylplTCU9W_kIkFpjiClI7a86cXvVSqHDe9eI6FPk8UeNTysdZV-J2-5Izmy0kIxfJ7IKKy-3ATQYv7QXNLaJ5eWTg7dkfuYByZl_Vl5_L8UXR3gJEW7QY47ysC3LEMSXQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-03-01+at+11.18.50+PM.png" width="272" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
NOOOOOOOO! I quickly visited the page again to reorder but by now, it's gone back to it's dormant state of <i>"<b>Out of Stock</b>". </i>Y U NO GIVE ME NES CLASSIC BESTBUY?<br />
<br />
This event really felt sad. More so, because almost everyone else on the MiniNES reddit seemed to have gotten their order placed successfully. Stupid international credit cards. Either way, the wait continued.<br />
<br />
The next few days I almost gave up on the idea of getting a MiniNES. People on forums got more and more cynical about the stock being replenished in physical stores, and even when they were, stories of store employees themselves buying them to sell later at hyper inflated prices (<i>3-4x the MSRP</i>) became common place. These grapes are sour anyway, I though to myself at a point.<br />
<br />
One fine evening around 9PM, after a day spent tinkering with code, I remember the quest I had left incomplete, so I open up BrickSeek. Target, as with every other time I have checked, shows zero stock. Walmart, as with every time I've che... WAIT WHAAAT? The <a href="https://www.walmart.com/store/2119/whats-new">Milpitas Walmart</a>, which is about 12 miles away from my hotel shows a stock of 6. Not 1 or 2.... but 6! How can this even be true? The most ANY store has shown has been in the range of 1-2. Six is too good to be true, but I need to get this. I google the store timings, and it says it's a 24 hours Walmart. I know everything I need to know. I pull on a hoodie, and I jump into my car to drive down to Milpitas.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLKdFAyj0kATuiqonDnGp7thPAfSu6ZUhASFXqINkiv2_7dbk2TksIGl0RVHN_v3UaW-nn1ht9I1oNU8YGUdEsWY6rb43Uf-egn3HSwOskj_wHTOiJskRKBwBTEu6VGeAvzX3HtY_s7I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-03-02+at+12.14.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLKdFAyj0kATuiqonDnGp7thPAfSu6ZUhASFXqINkiv2_7dbk2TksIGl0RVHN_v3UaW-nn1ht9I1oNU8YGUdEsWY6rb43Uf-egn3HSwOskj_wHTOiJskRKBwBTEu6VGeAvzX3HtY_s7I/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-03-02+at+12.14.34+AM.png" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this the real life?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's about 10PM by the time I get there. And I practically run to the electronics section. No one at the counter, though I see a couple other people waiting, and I already know what they're waiting for! I do a quick count, and there's 7 other people there already. Gulp!<br />
<br />
The guy manning the counter comes up. He's a senior Korean gentleman, who fits every Korean stereotype you can think of. "<i>Hey, I am looking to get a NES Classic for my son</i>" says a distinctly Indian gentleman ahead in line, pointing to the kid next to him. Oh, so they'll just buy one. So there's 6 other people there. But wait, a huge american guy is also here with what looks to be his partner. And maybe they'll also buy just one. Just 5 people! "<i>Are you all waiting for the NES Classic?</i>" asks the Korean Gentleman. "<i>Yes</i>". "<i>Yes</i>". "<i>Yup</i>". "<i>Yeah</i>". "<i>No, I'm waiting for the PS3 controller</i>". OMG! Just 4 people. But Korean guy has vanished now, and no one knows what to do but wait for him to return.<br />
<br />
As people start walking around looking at us, the Indian dad comes up with an idea to make chits, just to ensure sanity. Everyone agrees, and he takes up a brochure lying on a table and makes 6 chits, expecting more people to join the waiting line. Huge American Guy gets #1, Desi Dad gets #2, Solo Gamer Chick (<i>I'll tell you about her soon</i>) gets #3 and I get #4. All Fair and square so far. Korean guy comes back and says that he's paged a manager but no one seems to be responding because it's late. We ask if he can at least check inventory. He says Walmart uses internal skus. Literally all 4 of us offer the internal skuid for him to track, but he mumbles something and goes away again. Will this night end in glory or despair?<br />
<br />
It takes literally 20 minutes of us just standing there before a manager comes. "<i>Hey, what you guys here for?</i>". "<i>Thee YenEeEss Classic konsowl</i>" offers the Korean gentleman. "O<i>h yes, we have them in the back..</i>." says the manager. Phew, I think. "<i>... but we have just 2 with us right now.</i>" What? No, What? How many? What? "<i>Not again</i>" squeals the Solo gamer chick, who's holding the #3 chit. Turns out the same thing has happened to her at a Target a couple weeks back and at another Walmart a week ago! Damn. Damn. Damn.<br />
<br />
Sigh. I guess it's just bad luck. Maybe it's not meant to be after all. Maybe I'll just get a PS4 instead. Maybe I'll not tell anyone I came to Walmart at 10PM to look for a gaming console. All these random thoughts going on in my mind, and a good 5 minutes have passed since the manager went into the back to get the NES for the lucky two. I at least want to see what the box looks like. And apparently so does Solo gamer chick, who has also not moved an inch for over 5 minutes at this point.<br />
<br />
Out comes the manager with a box, and puts it on the counter proclaiming "<i>Turns out we have 4! Do you know who all are getting them?</i>" "<i>Eep</i>" squeaks the Solo gamer chick (<i>or maybe it was me and her both... or maybe just me.... but it's my blog and I want to sound Macho</i>). In a way, even the Huge American Guy and Desi Dad are happy because everyone there gets an MiniNES! As they say, "<i>Fortune favors the brave</i>".<br />
<br />
After three consecutive "<i>Would you like replacement guarantee?</i>" "<i>No thanks</i>" "It's $64.xx" "<i>Thanks</i>" conversations, I'm up. I don't want any replacement guarentee. Just shut up and take my money I think, channeling my inner 9Gag. And that's it! The beauty was mine!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S5Jwa1aYLFzfxqMjk1gAwbPUQAkMwN_AV67Y0CkxwjpaELRMvZ27iVaTkrE_4MkLqeMpPDSxIP2gMH5vyvoBvMdp_iTUI25feeA18tNHW3NzsqAayIVogf0578WoaC8EJ7HWEpldC3c/s1600/17016440_1262050127219261_655546637_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S5Jwa1aYLFzfxqMjk1gAwbPUQAkMwN_AV67Y0CkxwjpaELRMvZ27iVaTkrE_4MkLqeMpPDSxIP2gMH5vyvoBvMdp_iTUI25feeA18tNHW3NzsqAayIVogf0578WoaC8EJ7HWEpldC3c/s320/17016440_1262050127219261_655546637_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've played around with this only a couple of times since I got it, but I must admit, it really is as awesome as I expected. I'm not really going to get into a full review because many people have already done that and the Pros almost always outweigh the Cons in most reviews. Be it simply for Nostalgia (<i>the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI34LFLaZww">CRT Filter mode</a> is especially nostalgia inducing</i>), or for paying homage to a company that led the gaming revolution, the NES Classic is everything it promised to be. I actually spent a little more to get a second controller to allow multiplayer mode and can't wait to get home and play with my little sister!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWENg6W0XeUToMb_FCDbquoV8Vzu1KjmHt1Un2uqA1mVR7K9i-HGQf11dq57_YKj4zxAbLTKJ8saUXw3bXwRrAuL1pGqyPTfPZvQz7NcIvzjD23lWyYRRCCRor-2VtMCtLsBPY0McIL3Q/s1600/17105837_1262048913886049_1390677683_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWENg6W0XeUToMb_FCDbquoV8Vzu1KjmHt1Un2uqA1mVR7K9i-HGQf11dq57_YKj4zxAbLTKJ8saUXw3bXwRrAuL1pGqyPTfPZvQz7NcIvzjD23lWyYRRCCRor-2VtMCtLsBPY0McIL3Q/s400/17105837_1262048913886049_1390677683_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mario, the princess is in another castle!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At some point, I'll also probably use the <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/01/new_hack_offers_a_full_game_library_on_your_nes_classic_edition">now famous hack/mod</a> to add more games to the NES Classic, but that'll happen only after I've run through everything on this device right now! :)<br />
<br />
All in all, My quest well played and memories to last for a long time to come.<br />
<br />
<i>up - down - up - down - left - right - left - right - b - a</i><br />
<i>up - down - up - down - left - right - left - right - b - a</i><br />
<div>
<i>up - down - up - down - left - right - left - right - b - a</i> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-45937610929887463952017-01-05T22:42:00.001+05:302017-01-05T22:42:20.121+05:30Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="There is only one correct way to eat gingerbread man cookies. And when there are cookies, I become the knight who says MY! :P" border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/rFAV79Q.png" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" title="There is only one correct way to eat gingerbread man cookies. And when there are cookies, I become the knight who says MY! :P" /><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Christmas season is cookie season. Cookie season is Monty Python season.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Then again, every season is Monty Python season.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"> Yes, my sis made cookies! :D :D</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4">Go watch it now!</a>) </span></div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-78979270600356253582016-12-31T13:17:00.003+05:302017-01-02T08:06:55.708+05:30Best Of: Movies of 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2016 has been an amazing year at the movies, with some amazing work making it to the big screen through the year. The expected hits were mostly misses (<i>oh <b>Batman vs Superman</b>!</i>), save a few exceptions (<i>I honestly liked movies ranging from the silly <b>Suicide Squad</b>, right up to the masala-fied <b>Dangal</b></i>). But looking back at the year, I can safely say that this year had many gems. Here are my top recommendations (<i>in descending order</i>).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Note</b>: These may not be movies released in 2016, but contemporary movies I watched through the year. I think it's safe to say all these movies released post 2014.</span><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3011894/">Wild Tales</a> (</b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTXKTj4XCs8">Trailer</a><b>)</b><br />
Let's be honest. As humans, anger is almost certainly the one emotional response which we all share. And we all react differently to it. Anyone who says they don't get angry is straight out lying (<i>Munnabhai, you lying schmuck</i>)! Wild Tales is an Argentinean movie which features 6 short stories, all centered around the central concept of anger, and different responses to it. A peach of a movie, with beautiful stories which are all relatable. Dark humour all through the movie, and an especially amazing performance in the final story (<i>which also happens to be the longest</i>). Argentinean cinema rarely gets it's dues but hopefully this movie puts some more light on an amazing filmmaking community.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5311514/"><b>Kimi no Na wa.</b></a> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRfHcp2GjVI">Trailer</a>)<br />
Anime movies are usually very hit or miss. They're extremely intricate, very beautiful visually (<i>Go watch <b>Paprika</b> if you don't believe me</i>), and deeply intertwined with Japanese culture. Kimi no Na wa is a all of those, and more! A perfect love story, a perfect fantasy story, well, just perfect. If you don't believe me, then just know that this movie is being nominated (<i>and winning</i>) Best Movie in innumerable film festivals. Yes, Best Movie, not Best Animated Movie. That in itself says a lot. The director Makoto Shinkai is being hailed as the next Hayao Miyazaki, and I think that's a title he truly deserves. Kimi no Na wa makes you realize how beautiful life is and touches you in ways very few movies can.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8E8GxQ_Cw0dMZG4Wwgg6JsfkHQjDYBWmVYEcS1IS-3qEDtx6QYiA2qsz4PZfwhq5LRUv20sZFe5mCxKvbA0SQSgoVM1EQeaq82jiuD6RVsO9Xq3-DANRQsRj7ztW9oWu9pgPg8HMVLA/s1600/thumb-1920-731745.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8E8GxQ_Cw0dMZG4Wwgg6JsfkHQjDYBWmVYEcS1IS-3qEDtx6QYiA2qsz4PZfwhq5LRUv20sZFe5mCxKvbA0SQSgoVM1EQeaq82jiuD6RVsO9Xq3-DANRQsRj7ztW9oWu9pgPg8HMVLA/s400/thumb-1920-731745.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimi no Na wa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4226388/">Victoria</a></b> (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8wcV3GjW0">Trailer</a>)<br />
Remember when Birdman came out last year and everyone went ga-ga over the single shot nature of the movie? And then were disappointed when they found out it was all thanks to innumerable camera tricks and extremely clever editing? Well, what if you could really make a movie in a single take? That's what Victoria is. An entire movie in one take. Brilliant direction, brilliant story, a cinematographer who deserves every accolade that has been thrown at him/her, and a set of performances by the entire cast (<i>Especially notice the cast members in the background</i>). Apparently the director said he'd do 3 takes of the movie before going to plan B, which was a <i>normal </i>edited movie. What we see is take 3. I've watched the movie multiple times, just trying to count the number of things that could go wrong in this, and it's mind boggling how this movie even exists in the form that it does.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3697626/">A Hard Day</a> (</b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r1lJuk4EjA">Trailer</a><b>)</b><br />
I have a friend who loves to remind everyone that the Koreans really know how to make good thrillers, while Indian directors know how to make bad ripoffs of the same. A Hard Day follows in that tradition. An intense, elaborate, smart thriller which never lets off from start to the end, and leaves you gasping for breath. Yes, the title is a reference to the fact that the movie is based on 24 hours in the life of the protagonist. And boy is it a ride! Every character has shades of grey, and every plot device, from the very believable to the downright nonsensical, all drive this movie towards a strong climax. This one for fans of Tarantino.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffYgc0asQBPxeEgcey1EHxMpIUNpKfea-c9b33FVnrEHoQzSHtc5aC0AtuQ1AKAA7u2npUu8lQfu8l6brTMJd19z0kl61OjyojAiJvgu7IeTvOL6QSMs3akiWc8m9RSB0S9aesV96kwo/s1600/8c2943acea44549d1b9c571ad553c87d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffYgc0asQBPxeEgcey1EHxMpIUNpKfea-c9b33FVnrEHoQzSHtc5aC0AtuQ1AKAA7u2npUu8lQfu8l6brTMJd19z0kl61OjyojAiJvgu7IeTvOL6QSMs3akiWc8m9RSB0S9aesV96kwo/s400/8c2943acea44549d1b9c571ad553c87d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Hard Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3114132/">10000 KM</a> </b>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64RxGE0i9mg">Trailer</a>)<br />
Ah, long distance relationships. This movie is very personal to me for multiple reasons. Anyone who says long distance is easy is kidding themselves. I think we've all come across the way in which distance messes up things, be it in friendships, or love, or anything else. And this film does a great job of showcasing the same. It's never the big things that change. It's the big changes that happen one tiny change at a time. Beautiful performances by the lead cast, and a simple story told beautifully, is what makes this movie what it is. This movie is similar to Kimi no Na wa in a thousand ways, and different in a million ways. Truly a movie with heart.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4881362/">Thithi</a> </b>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_NltD4Stv4">Trailer</a>)<br />
Indian cinema, with it's <i>Sultan</i>s and <i>RaOne</i>s and <i>Happy New Year</i>s, makes you want to lose faith in the moviemaking in the country. But then a movie like Thithi comes around, and you're instantly out of things to complain about. A non-professional cast, a young director, a quirky story, and fearlessly honest filmmaking is what this movie is all about. Telling the story of men from 3 generations of a family in a rural village in Karnataka, each having their own expectations from life, Thithi manages to do the near impossible: Create a relatable story from a situation that almost none of us have or will ever be in. You'll laugh, and you'll cry, and you'll spend a much longer time thinking about how life differs for those of us outside of our cozy little cities. This movie brought back fond memories of the iconic <i>The Gods Must Be Crazy</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineO3PbxWHaZFR5KwfjnleeFPDVUgR60bf1kn9omfW-4CMQdIb3Brx0KAKgXkJ11ZxE0cwuLOcD8Gx8ndm3DOpq9xngxDj5cZeKv7yzVoU_xJktexbAbh6UbvY-1Z1nvTcUBsVoqAw5H0/s1600/thithi-759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineO3PbxWHaZFR5KwfjnleeFPDVUgR60bf1kn9omfW-4CMQdIb3Brx0KAKgXkJ11ZxE0cwuLOcD8Gx8ndm3DOpq9xngxDj5cZeKv7yzVoU_xJktexbAbh6UbvY-1Z1nvTcUBsVoqAw5H0/s400/thithi-759.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thithi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5637188/"><br />Saat Uchakkey</a> </b>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW928Xsk230">Trailer</a>)<br />
Every once in a while there comes about a movie that is so un-abashedly desi, so unabashedly crude, so slapstick, yet so beautifully brought together that you can't help but applaud the execution. When <i>Delhi Belly</i> came out I was the most disappointed because most of the humor was shitty (<i>pun intended</i>), and most of the swearing (<i>which was the USP of the movie</i>) was very forced. Saat Uchakkey fixes all of that. If you have close friends from the North, then watch this movie with them. Yes, it's vulgar. Yes, it's silly. And yes, it's proud of it's shortcomings. But then again, doesn't vulgar, silly and proud of it's shortcomings describe a large majority amongst us? You have the expected brilliant performances by Kay Kay Menon, Manoj Baypayee. And Aditi Sharma shines as well. The ending was a little disappointing, and Anupam Kher was extremely underused, but overall it's the kind of movie that Bollywood really should make more often.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Honourable Mentions </b>(in no particular order):<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5074352">Dangal</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3740778/">Mountains May Depart</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5743656/">Phobia</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4991384/">Visaraanai</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5221584">Aquarius</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3409392">Timbuktu</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170902">Theeb</a><br />
<br />
Go on, get yourself a tub of popcorn and set yourself down for a movie marathon. :)<br />
<b><br /></b>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-41227726898745413162016-10-07T00:41:00.000+05:302016-10-07T00:41:39.967+05:30.pill { color: #0000FF }<link href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Varela" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><br />
<style>
.glitch {
color: black;
font-family: 'Varela', sans-serif;
font-weight: 600;
font-size: 60px;
position: relative;
width: 600px;
margin: 0 0 10px 0;
}
.author {
font-family: 'Varela', sans-serif;
font-weight: 400;
font-size: 20px;
position: relative;
margin-top: 30px;
}
@keyframes noise-anim {
0% {
clip: rect(2px, 9999px, 22px, 0);
}
5% {
clip: rect(70px, 9999px, 66px, 0);
}
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clip: rect(48px, 9999px, 44px, 0);
}
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clip: rect(50px, 9999px, 18px, 0);
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65% {
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70% {
clip: rect(41px, 9999px, 35px, 0);
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75% {
clip: rect(65px, 9999px, 76px, 0);
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clip: rect(63px, 9999px, 56px, 0);
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85% {
clip: rect(49px, 9999px, 60px, 0);
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90% {
clip: rect(98px, 9999px, 74px, 0);
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.glitch:after {
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position: absolute;
right: 2px;
text-shadow: -1px 0 red;
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animation: noise-anim 2s infinite linear alternate-reverse;
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@keyframes noise-anim-2 {
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</style><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="glitch" data-text="Reality is merely">Reality is merely</div><br />
<div class="glitch" data-text="an illusion,">an illusion,</div><br />
<div class="glitch" data-text="albeit a very">albeit a very</div><br />
<div class="glitch" data-text="persistent one.">persistent one.</div><div class="author">- Albert Einstein</div><br />
</div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-24926471937557564722016-09-28T23:31:00.002+05:302016-09-29T02:44:34.631+05:30Collaborative Neural Network Mona Lisa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script src="http://cs.stanford.edu/people/karpathy/convnetjs/build/convnet-min.js"></script><canvas height="200" id="canv_original" style="display: none;" width="10">Get a modern browser.</canvas><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Just give it a couple of seconds to get set up.<br />
<canvas height="200" id="canv_net" width="200">Get a modern browser.</canvas></div><br />
You are now part of a collaborative neural network painting project. What you see is a neural network's approximation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. If you're on this page, the network begins to use your browser resources to further train itself. The network itself is saved as a checkpoint after a predetermined number of training steps. Anyone visiting the page starts off from the network of the last saved checkpoint.<br />
<br />
The network has been setup to train itself very slowly, so it should not eat up too many resources, but in case it does, I apologize in advance. :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This experiment is powered by<b> <a href="https://github.com/karpathy/convnetjs">ConvNetJS</a></b></span></div><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
var ori_canvas, nn_canvas, ori_ctx, nn_ctx, oridata;
var data, labels;
var layer_defs, net, trainer;
var saved;
var w = 400; // width of our drawing area
var h = 600; // height of our drawing area
var counter = 0;
var batches_per_iteration = 100;
var mod_skip_draw = 100;
var mod_skip_save = 200;
var smooth_loss = -1;
layer_defs = [];
layer_defs.push({type:'input', out_sx:1, out_sy:1, out_depth:2});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'fc', num_neurons:20, activation:'relu'});
layer_defs.push({type:'regression', num_neurons:3}); // 3 outputs: r,g,b
$(function() {
var image = new Image();
image.onload = function() {
ori_canvas = document.getElementById('canv_original');
nn_canvas = document.getElementById('canv_net');
ori_canvas.width = w;
ori_canvas.height = h;
nn_canvas.width = w;
nn_canvas.height = h;
ori_ctx = ori_canvas.getContext("2d");
nn_ctx = nn_canvas.getContext("2d");
ori_ctx.drawImage(image, 0, 0, w, h);
oridata = ori_ctx.getImageData(0, 0, w, h); // grab the data pointer. Our dataset.
net = new convnetjs.Net();
$.get("http://ec2-52-207-219-42.compute-1.amazonaws.com/getNN")
.done(function( data ) {
net.fromJSON(data);
})
.fail(function() {
net.makeLayers(layer_defs);
})
.always(function() {
trainer = new convnetjs.SGDTrainer(net, {learning_rate:0.0005, momentum:0.9, batch_size:5, l2_decay:0.0});
// start the regression!
setInterval(tick, 1);
});
}
image.crossOrigin = "Anonymous";
image.src = "http://i.imgur.com/muEx11T.jpg";
});
function update(){
// forward prop the data
var W = nn_canvas.width;
var H = nn_canvas.height;
var p = oridata.data;
var v = new convnetjs.Vol(1,1,2);
var loss = 0;
var lossi = 0;
var N = batches_per_iteration;
for(var iters=0; iters<trainer.batch_size; iters++) {
for(var i=0;i<N;i++) {
// sample a coordinate
var x = convnetjs.randi(0, W);
var y = convnetjs.randi(0, H);
var ix = ((W*y)+x)*4;
var r = [p[ix]/255.0, p[ix+1]/255.0, p[ix+2]/255.0]; // r g b
v.w[0] = (x-W/2)/W;
v.w[1] = (y-H/2)/H;
var stats = trainer.train(v, r);
loss += stats.loss;
lossi += 1;
}
}
console.log("in update");
loss /= lossi;
if(counter === 0) smooth_loss = loss;
else smooth_loss = 0.99*smooth_loss + 0.01*loss;
}
function draw() {
if(counter % mod_skip_draw !== 0) return;
// iterate over all pixels in the target array, evaluate them
// and draw
var W = nn_canvas.width;
var H = nn_canvas.height;
var g = nn_ctx.getImageData(0, 0, W, H);
var v = new convnetjs.Vol(1, 1, 2);
for(var x=0;x<W;x++) {
v.w[0] = (x-W/2)/W;
for(var y=0;y<H;y++) {
v.w[1] = (y-H/2)/H;
var ix = ((W*y)+x)*4;
var r = net.forward(v);
g.data[ix+0] = Math.floor(255*r.w[0]);
g.data[ix+1] = Math.floor(255*r.w[1]);
g.data[ix+2] = Math.floor(255*r.w[2]);
g.data[ix+3] = 255; // alpha...
}
}
nn_ctx.putImageData(g, 0, 0);
}
function save() {
if(counter % mod_skip_save !== 0) return;
saved = net.toJSON();
console.log(counter);
$.ajax({
url: "http://ec2-52-207-219-42.compute-1.amazonaws.com/getNN",
type: "POST",
mimeType: 'multipart/form-data',
processData: false,
contentType: false,
data: JSON.stringify({
"net": saved
}),
dataType: "text",
})
//$.post("http://ec2-52-207-219-42.compute-1.amazonaws.com/getNN", {'net': saved})
.done(function() {
console.log( "Neural Net state saved");
});
}
function tick() {
update();
draw();
save();
counter += 1;
}
</script>
</div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-1743538619420103242016-09-24T04:37:00.000+05:302016-09-24T04:51:26.099+05:30OpenCV on Android with Java SDK and JNI - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In <a href="http://www.lifeofnav.in/2016/09/opencv-on-android-with-java-sdk-and-jni.html">Part 1</a>, we set up our Android Studio workspace and project to use the<a href="http://docs.opencv.org/2.4/doc/tutorials/introduction/android_binary_package/O4A_SDK.html"> OpenCV4Android SDK</a>. But what if some of my OpenCV code is not in Java but in C/C++? What we need to do is ensure that the C/C++ code is also loaded as part of your APK, and is linked correctly. We already set up <a href="https://developer.android.com/ndk/index.html">the NDK</a> in Part 1, so now we can use it to accomplish the task at hand. This is how you can do that:<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Open up <i>app -> build.gradle </i>and add the following just before<i> buildtypes</i><br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/c447eebd3105d59f7eb27bd04c8273c7.js"></script><br />
</li>
<ul>
<li>Basically this overwrites the default ndkBuild task and instead asks it to build from <i>src/main/jni </i>. Also, it defines a build script (<i>Android.mk</i>) and a NDK app Makefile (<i>Application.mk</i>) and outputs stuff into <i>src/main/jniLibs</i>. Remember <i>jniLibs</i>? That's where we had <a href="http://www.lifeofnav.in/2016/09/opencv-on-android-with-java-sdk-and-jni.html">previously added</a> the architecture specific <i>opencv_java3.so</i> files. Turns out that <i>.so</i> files written to that directory <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/a/28430334/1060926">are included</a> in the final build for a given architecture. So what we'll do is build our code into .so files and add them into the <i>jniLibs </i>directory for the given architecture</li>
</ul>
<li>Create a directory <i><b>jni</b> </i>inside <i>app -> src - > main. </i>This location should contain our native C++ source code. Go ahead and create 3 files. A C++ file here named <i style="font-weight: bold;">native-lib.cpp</i>, and 2 files named <b><i>Application.mk</i></b> and <i><b>Android.mk</b></i> respectively.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00ftS8aRoloCjMBItlhFfKn5oVKXoD8h4NoQtFMIP6G60Q9aUOXw6oY1GgtURVCso3QbevaM_dmEkP7QBdlT0ODfp_wjW3F4pH054tox9soeeRc6GZQo1P7LcqXjYBelBDBW1UFyp7-0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+3.37.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00ftS8aRoloCjMBItlhFfKn5oVKXoD8h4NoQtFMIP6G60Q9aUOXw6oY1GgtURVCso3QbevaM_dmEkP7QBdlT0ODfp_wjW3F4pH054tox9soeeRc6GZQo1P7LcqXjYBelBDBW1UFyp7-0/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+3.37.39+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</li>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Add the following content into <b><i>Android.mk</i></b>, <b><i>Application.mk</i></b> and <b style="font-style: italic;">native-lib.cpp </b>respectively.</div>
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/385e6790bb8a51066673c4bd2dcc5329.js"></script></li>
<ul>
<li>You'll have to provide the path to the <i>OpenCV4Android SDK</i> on line 7 of <b><i>Android.mk</i></b></li>
<li>Also, in <b style="font-style: italic;">Application.mk </b>, we mention which architecture we are building for (in my case, <i>armeabi-v7a</i>). You can change it as per your architecture. </li>
<li>The code in <i style="font-weight: bold;">native-lib.cpp </i> simply takes an OpenCV Mat object (<i>referenced by it's address</i>) and runs <a href="http://fourier.eng.hmc.edu/e161/lectures/canny/node1.html">Canny Edge detection</a> on it, and saves the result back in the same address.</li>
<li>If you want to know why the esoteric naming of methods in <b><i>native-lib.cpp</i></b>, it's because JNI needs to be given methods in that format. <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/a/32473938/1060926">Read this</a> to know more about this.</li>
</ul>
<li>Okay, so we have native C++ code, and a way to build it. Finally, we just need to load this native code through Android and call it's methods. We first load the native library by loading the library statically. This can be done by using <i>System.loadLibrary. </i>Our static block will now look like this<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/50b6e3b53fa74e9e2ccead6151de3a36.js"></script><br />
</li>
<li>We do this by first defining the native method in <b style="font-style: italic;">MainActivity.java </b><span style="font-style: italic;">just before the closing parenthesis</span>.<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/577ecbc244610247daa49f63746234b2.js"></script></li>
<ul>
<li>Note that the name of the method in Java and C++ are strongly correlated. C++ names are basically named as <i>Java_packagename_classname_methodname</i>. Make sure you are following this convention, otherwise things <b>WILL</b> break.</li>
</ul>
<li>Finally, all we have to do is make the call to the native method we've defined. Replace the <b><i>onCameraFrame</i></b> method we have with the following:<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/ded5074b4c80a5e5e26b2bc70ac02f6c.js"></script><br />
</li>
<ul>
<li>As can be seen, this code reads an image from the camera, converts it to greyscale, passes it to the native C++ code (<i>explained above</i>) and then returns the result back to the display. </li>
</ul>
<li>Now simply run <i>MainActivity</i>. If the build goes correctly, you should see <b>libnative-lib.so </b>is added to the <b>jniLibs </b>directory under the architecture you're building for, and when the app is pushed to your device, it shows you realtime edge detection.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMynDLYRH2q6js835rQ-oFN32qIyWbkB72wvL589XQRIOREc4a7mqEsqLFNm498CyGYpsPzO0BScctHAZIJIUhDlXgCU7A4-y7uGru_o9iICO4zeyVXhEUEvdsSMYPe292pJOKLsWn9D8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+4.16.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMynDLYRH2q6js835rQ-oFN32qIyWbkB72wvL589XQRIOREc4a7mqEsqLFNm498CyGYpsPzO0BScctHAZIJIUhDlXgCU7A4-y7uGru_o9iICO4zeyVXhEUEvdsSMYPe292pJOKLsWn9D8/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+4.16.01+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">libnative-lib.so added to jniLibs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB9NvYGhAfQjdLCzZWBzl7ME1y_RKrURKGDqtW8paCLVgOD2GLKVdEqr7lr7eDZgB7RdtZX5WO2bsjfM60EI0I0hJp5QmEXWyZyX-Wey0GOxzYlT56fsexSNWAMrpwzo9_Ywnx9dl4lg/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQB9NvYGhAfQjdLCzZWBzl7ME1y_RKrURKGDqtW8paCLVgOD2GLKVdEqr7lr7eDZgB7RdtZX5WO2bsjfM60EI0I0hJp5QmEXWyZyX-Wey0GOxzYlT56fsexSNWAMrpwzo9_Ywnx9dl4lg/s400/unnamed.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running the app. The thumbs up says it all!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ol>
That's it! So now we have Android + OpenCV4Android SDK + native C/C++ code working together to perform realtime computer vision tasks. In fact, there are ways in which you can further <a href="https://developer.android.com/training/articles/perf-jni.html">improve performance</a> of JNI, but let's talk about that some other time.<br />
<br />
<b><i>codex pulchra est</i></b></div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-48446467415426231112016-09-24T01:53:00.000+05:302016-09-24T02:35:53.303+05:30OpenCV on Android with Java SDK and JNI - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anyone who has even the slightest understanding of computer vision has at some point worked with OpenCV. It's a super cool (<a href="http://shervinemami.info/timingTests.html" target="_blank">and fast</a>) general purpose CV library. At a <a href="http://www.sequoiahack.com/" target="_blank">recent hackathon</a> we were at, our hack required getting OpenCV running on an Android device, but because the documentation for doing this is very vague, we spent a lot of time just on the setup itself. What further complicated everything was that we had some code in C++ and some in Java and needed to bring all of this together, with rewriting the code of one language into the other not an option. We succeeded in the end, but we knew that our build flow was super hacky. But we're engineers and we don't like hacky code (<i>not even at hackathons</i>) so I thought it would be good to document how to do it the right way. So this is how you go about running OpenCV on Android:<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Step 1: The Setup</b></h3>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Download the following</li>
<ul>
<li>The latest <a href="https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html">Android Studio</a> (<i>I use <b>v. 2.2</b></i>)</li>
<li>The latest <a href="http://opencv.org/downloads.html">OpenCV for Android SDK</a> (<i>I use <b><a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/opencvlibrary/files/opencv-android/3.1.0/OpenCV-3.1.0-android-sdk.zip/download">v.3.1.0</a></b></i>)</li>
</ul>
<li>On first launch of Android Studio, it'll download all the latest SDK Components (<i>Assuming you downloaded it without the SDK</i>), platform-tools, build-tools etc. These are the components it offered to download for me. Note the <i>build-tools</i> version (<i>Mine is <b>24.0.2</b>, yours may differ</i>), but you'll need it later on.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZUiNwx83dDLRppeUU1EZfHERRY3y3lbblStI_wmjbiXADKYcUR2d9vWee4coEw2Zo0GmUilxAFik9DqxUbKlksLX1y_whGHRnlTOzeqVzjdf6bJDX2bZWn1E4j0hywlyp35HLMnP3eE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.09.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZUiNwx83dDLRppeUU1EZfHERRY3y3lbblStI_wmjbiXADKYcUR2d9vWee4coEw2Zo0GmUilxAFik9DqxUbKlksLX1y_whGHRnlTOzeqVzjdf6bJDX2bZWn1E4j0hywlyp35HLMnP3eE/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.09.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Start a new project. Uncheck the checkbox that says "<i>include C++ support</i>". Next.</li>
<li>On Target Android Devices, choose <i>Phone and Tablet</i> with <i>Minimum SDK Version</i> as 15 (T<i>hat's Ice Cream Sandwich!!</i>). Next.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0yeRmeUgyaZ180gFhIJqVTKhJo2CnRZIcR_p7wTqGrntYYfJ0IegOSV-csP1noNdRtEtfgUAjx6RN0adjqRisC8AgyxO9TKNT-WusgKqBrnwACi8i370bI3w5PeoQ_w0mb_g1W1wvvY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.21.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0yeRmeUgyaZ180gFhIJqVTKhJo2CnRZIcR_p7wTqGrntYYfJ0IegOSV-csP1noNdRtEtfgUAjx6RN0adjqRisC8AgyxO9TKNT-WusgKqBrnwACi8i370bI3w5PeoQ_w0mb_g1W1wvvY/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.21.25+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Add an Empty Activity. Next. On the <i>Customize the Activity </i>screen, just click Next.</li>
<li>Your workspace is now ready! Go to <i>Android -> SDK Manager</i>. Under <i>SDK Platforms</i>, check <i><b>Android 6.0 Marshmallow</b>, </i>which is API Level 23 <span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span>. Under SDK Tools, check <b><i>NDK</i></b> (<i>My version shows <b>12.1.2977051</b></i>). Click on apply and it'll download the components.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bgtw02wA42RVfs9rwLli9uXJ64L7Bu-7em1CqhS5f6y4TWvNvhsn5hnm0TFxplBY5MyOSIgHmixOrOMeAcf22mxSl0d_zqZt2HhXz-oJBeWEPFvo_c0LAUb8ghchQrpW89_c-QFmvAQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.24.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bgtw02wA42RVfs9rwLli9uXJ64L7Bu-7em1CqhS5f6y4TWvNvhsn5hnm0TFxplBY5MyOSIgHmixOrOMeAcf22mxSl0d_zqZt2HhXz-oJBeWEPFvo_c0LAUb8ghchQrpW89_c-QFmvAQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.24.11+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open up the SDK Manager</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrBlx07RK8KdkzMf9ISnmQAJwdrJ7bmQCRk-bXbq2I1muqe2fN0v8UFVv0pUXees6FOx9-eN2dN1WkZ3CMolarFuI_rw2ZkhNAgk5i-_b-W6BziRTCPtPlQA6fxCtA9fMsuZeeybfAs8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.25.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrBlx07RK8KdkzMf9ISnmQAJwdrJ7bmQCRk-bXbq2I1muqe2fN0v8UFVv0pUXees6FOx9-eN2dN1WkZ3CMolarFuI_rw2ZkhNAgk5i-_b-W6BziRTCPtPlQA6fxCtA9fMsuZeeybfAs8/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.25.43+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Download NDK</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Once this is done, go to <i>File -> Project Settings </i>and click on <b>S</b><i><b>elect default NDK</b> </i>for <i>Android NDK location</i>. This will populate the text field with the path to the NDK you just downloaded.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9Lql28HW99RzY47jmCHb6MVNLYC_fvKsZcJ4C8f2RKiEiWQjbchOXDIBvbUDH1qlFu4lbfkkbsGP1R5Smic2sx4zxfjT9T1d4-l541OJOo_VE5XFX2R_My8PPsMtu9h5RUAvr00rHro/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.41.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9Lql28HW99RzY47jmCHb6MVNLYC_fvKsZcJ4C8f2RKiEiWQjbchOXDIBvbUDH1qlFu4lbfkkbsGP1R5Smic2sx4zxfjT9T1d4-l541OJOo_VE5XFX2R_My8PPsMtu9h5RUAvr00rHro/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.41.10+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Unzip the OpenCV for Android zip file into some location.</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Step 2: Adding OpenCV for Android SDK</b></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Go to <i>File -> New -> Import Module </i>and then add <i><OpenCV for Android Unzipped Path>/sdk/java</i> as a module. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrvyt_531RAbcE9cxe4TtUjiJvwwsqAUvLugu6pcGg4ryc4QB5_pn9OhcPvgxJB8evpxLsUF4zkIAw-sviclcD7EYcLAs-2z0kilGybevhyphenhyphenzXP-mn5IvQt_qVkyxpgC7gtN7da7IfepI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.44.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrvyt_531RAbcE9cxe4TtUjiJvwwsqAUvLugu6pcGg4ryc4QB5_pn9OhcPvgxJB8evpxLsUF4zkIAw-sviclcD7EYcLAs-2z0kilGybevhyphenhyphenzXP-mn5IvQt_qVkyxpgC7gtN7da7IfepI/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.44.50+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
<ul>
<li>You will probably get an error. Let's fix that. In the left menu listing the files of the project, you can switch from Android view to Project view (<i>using the dropdown right at the top</i>). Open the <i>build.gradle</i> file for the module you just imported (<i>openCVLibrary310 -> build.gradle</i>) and edit values to what's shown below. Make sure the <i><b>buildToolsVersion</b></i> is the same as what you noted down in step 2 of setting up. Then select <i>Sync Now </i>and<i> </i>all errors should disappear.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAITVa8l_Iy331LMK8KF2YmAJOrXJzm0k3gEXmmbqJVYcJXATXSjv-ap0QXN9VfYWvaJHyeoHC_2GffaDK17Vpf2zacqoAwmI-_gcElaUbl1UZmGUGPNTAV-CztlgHq_JJaJGrnLc7eQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.49.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAITVa8l_Iy331LMK8KF2YmAJOrXJzm0k3gEXmmbqJVYcJXATXSjv-ap0QXN9VfYWvaJHyeoHC_2GffaDK17Vpf2zacqoAwmI-_gcElaUbl1UZmGUGPNTAV-CztlgHq_JJaJGrnLc7eQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.49.25+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li>Right click on <i><b>app</b></i> in the left menu, and select <i>Open Module Settings. </i>Select the module <i>app, </i>click on<i> Dependencies, </i>and then add the<i> openCVLibrary310</i> as a module dependency onto <i>app</i>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjay7_xyJziyCQxsNpKqsYJp6OQLYUTcpDLQSNCSmTUwdrCEoZSKx6-uiVd11HytUQxZv70A2viB3L7BwpYEtWm1e3mp_0KbaAWp6P1OhajxF2SX1tsdodjBiNna7xVyfXGvh_a_cUuqBU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.50.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjay7_xyJziyCQxsNpKqsYJp6OQLYUTcpDLQSNCSmTUwdrCEoZSKx6-uiVd11HytUQxZv70A2viB3L7BwpYEtWm1e3mp_0KbaAWp6P1OhajxF2SX1tsdodjBiNna7xVyfXGvh_a_cUuqBU/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.50.17+PM.png" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open module settings for app</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXU6bI9yVfMb9J3ewYlNzyKB7HHUefsmQkfTJgYJ2TLSdcOElrk_K6cIvqxr3zY_GvYXYobtai65Rmq5XLttKbPs2a37e1UIb90q6DyM2FGiLg4b6crXooP70YARADhwpAt4KAj-cSYU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.50.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXU6bI9yVfMb9J3ewYlNzyKB7HHUefsmQkfTJgYJ2TLSdcOElrk_K6cIvqxr3zY_GvYXYobtai65Rmq5XLttKbPs2a37e1UIb90q6DyM2FGiLg4b6crXooP70YARADhwpAt4KAj-cSYU/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+4.50.45+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After adding the dependency.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Create a directory names <b>jniLibs </b>inside <i>app -> src -> main. </i>In this directory we add the architecture dependent <i>.so </i>file for OpenCV. You'll find all the architectures supported in <i><OpenCV for Android Unzipped Path>/</i>sdk/native/libs/ . Choose your architecture (usually <b>armeabi-v7a</b>) and copy the directory into <b>jniLibs</b>. We only need the <i><b>libopencv_java3.so</b> </i>file so go ahead and delete all the other files.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VQ03HSnPOQuy_l5GThpKuWLehnbjYUKbFn5VMc9tIqXcKYZL8kFO9QA600qJACfzotrz9z5CwIe7pxybfDHhsVk5ad9KgHFm44suqS-zmOLr7jjEoWdxL2622C7j0ZMeHKGkOc5rEMg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+1.29.56+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VQ03HSnPOQuy_l5GThpKuWLehnbjYUKbFn5VMc9tIqXcKYZL8kFO9QA600qJACfzotrz9z5CwIe7pxybfDHhsVk5ad9KgHFm44suqS-zmOLr7jjEoWdxL2622C7j0ZMeHKGkOc5rEMg/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+1.29.56+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How it should look</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Step 3: Test it out!</h3>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Let's test if OpenCV loads properly in our Android app. Go to <i><b>MainActivity.java</b></i> and add the following code segment right at the start of the class:</li>
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/3613ff41e81ddebd2cb13cb4e4e5353a.js"></script>
<li>Now just connect your phone in USB Debugging mode and click on the Run icon at the top to build and push your application to your device <span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span>.</li>
<li>The application builds and pushes to the device and opens up the <i>Android Monitor. </i>In the filter, filter by <i><b>OpenCV::Main</b> </i>and you should see <b style="font-style: italic;">OpenCV loaded</b><i>. If instead you see </i><b style="font-style: italic;">OpenCV not loaded</b>, it may be because you've use used the wrong architecture<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>library in step 3 of Adding OpenCV. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UrXy0az1VYT-7qZ33RyVo2ESVcI6naEd4K9m6ic6SJKeCKKnBvvlPq5-B79UYODc3WNTNFF64bQNZOPnLgzQNxOMjskoirgjJ6Pbo-Oaf-Sw6lVCn95iCXm-N04PTQVUOnGUU5He1cg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+1.31.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UrXy0az1VYT-7qZ33RyVo2ESVcI6naEd4K9m6ic6SJKeCKKnBvvlPq5-B79UYODc3WNTNFF64bQNZOPnLgzQNxOMjskoirgjJ6Pbo-Oaf-Sw6lVCn95iCXm-N04PTQVUOnGUU5He1cg/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-09-24+at+1.31.27+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OpenCV loaded. Yay!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Step 4: Let's Code!</b></h3>
</div>
We're all set to write our OpenCV code in our Android Application. Let's write a simple application which takes camera input, converts it to greyscale, performs a Gaussian on it and returns it to the screen.<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Create a file named <b>camera.xml</b> in <i>src -> main -> res -> layout</i>. Add the following in it.<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/39fa729b563051627adcbbe3af1195d7.js"></script><br />
</li>
<li>Open up<i> src -> main -> AndroidManifest.xml </i>and add the following lines just <b>before</b> the <i></manifest></i><br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/9d6cd4f9f35704b08fd09f180f18536a.js"></script><br />
<ul>
<li>Also change the android:theme to <i><b>@style/Theme.AppCompat.DayNight.NoActionBar</b></i> to ensure no bar is seen at the top of the application</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Go to <i>src -> main -> java </i>and open <b>MainActivity.java</b>. Replace it's contents by:<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/91bdd13004d4634c187e1cd8f38c1946.js"></script><br />
</li>
<ul>
<li>The OpenCV code is actually all on the <b><i>onCameraFrame</i></b> method. As you can see, it takes a total of <b>2 lines of code</b> to do what we want!</li>
</ul>
<li>Click the run icon to rebuild and push the application to your device. It should ask for <b style="font-style: italic;">Camera Permissions</b>, which we just added. Give it access, and you should see a realtime Grayscale Gaussian-ed view of whatever the Camera sees!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Y7Fsq43_O_wTJWbLL3pxEUfQ4u_VNZaclxqbvz1Nfsy5-5c6DIZZSCjrFcULSUxvYpkDxPeBw4KchzA12LoHzMdVxbANOP5_pgGLgOMbnlq5sQdHn9s4BKC-PZ-mW0i6qGesU9XVLGA/s1600/Screenshot_2016-09-24-01-16-10-792_navin.tuts.opencvapp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Y7Fsq43_O_wTJWbLL3pxEUfQ4u_VNZaclxqbvz1Nfsy5-5c6DIZZSCjrFcULSUxvYpkDxPeBw4KchzA12LoHzMdVxbANOP5_pgGLgOMbnlq5sQdHn9s4BKC-PZ-mW0i6qGesU9XVLGA/s400/Screenshot_2016-09-24-01-16-10-792_navin.tuts.opencvapp.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's the first bit. In the second part of this post, I'll show how we can write native C++ OpenCV code to run on the device using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Native_Interface">JNI </a> (<i>which is what the NDK we installed initially is for</i>). The advantages of using JNI is both speed and flexibility. I'll also show how you can mix the Android OpenCV code and JNI code if you so wish to. Until then...<br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b> <b><i>Codex vincit omnia</i></b><br />
<br /></div>
----<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span> I usually download a couple of earlier SDKs as well for testing as you can see (<a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/28896828/android-sdk-manager-do-you-need-to-install-all-android-platforms">Why?</a>). <i>Nougat (API level 24)</i> also should work just fine, but I use the <i>Marshmallow (API level 23)</i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[2]</span> If you're new to all of this, read <a href="http://www.howtogeek.com/129728/how-to-access-the-developer-options-menu-and-enable-usb-debugging-on-android-4.2/">this tutorial</a>!</div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-21208773275240847082016-09-14T23:11:00.000+05:302016-09-14T23:21:19.383+05:30Deep Learning Setup QuickStart on AWS EC2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>TL;DR:</b> Use <a href="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545" target="_blank">this gist</a> and you're all set! The remainder of this post is a step-by-step for a newbie to Deep Learning/AWS<br />
<br />
The Deep Learning ecosystem has matured tremendously over the last few months or so. I've been playing around with some of these applications over the same time period as well, and it's amazing how much the field has moved ahead in such a short time. Today, terms like Word2Vec, CNN and LSTMs have became part of the lingo of nearly every researcher, hobbyist or otherwise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97og324Buf5ifHiYq52qqc7SyvYYIviKIsSSQt0hfUG8E4brfBqkEWD88-wg-Aee18giyENj7DzwZRHvwT10iWMMBsbR2K96RieXBC6Y4IKaBYvoVcVkpIxnjpV6HQNv6JeF5OmUkvzo/s1600/893078.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97og324Buf5ifHiYq52qqc7SyvYYIviKIsSSQt0hfUG8E4brfBqkEWD88-wg-Aee18giyENj7DzwZRHvwT10iWMMBsbR2K96RieXBC6Y4IKaBYvoVcVkpIxnjpV6HQNv6JeF5OmUkvzo/s320/893078.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And of course, AWS makes running deep-learning applications possible at almost no cost. Especially if you lack a good GPU on your personal system, AWS is a godsend. I've been working with some of these amazing frameworks so thought it might be good to automate the process of setting up a brand new EC2 instance with everything required to get up and running with deep learning. This includes:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.tensorflow.org/" target="_blank">TensorFlow</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://deeplearning.net/software/theano/" target="_blank">Theano</a></li>
<li><a href="https://keras.io/" target="_blank">Keras</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_home_new.html" target="_blank">CUDA</a></li>
<li><a href="https://developer.nvidia.com/cudnn" target="_blank">CuDNN</a></li>
<li>Misc. tools like <a href="https://tmux.github.io/" target="_blank">tmux</a> which are a godsend for remote development.</li>
</ul>
So, let's get started:<br />
<br />
1) Get yourself an AWS EC2 instance.<br />
Go ahead and get yourself a new instance with an <b>Ubuntu</b> AMI (<i>14.04/16.04 should be fine</i>). Since we obviously we want to use the GPU instances, pick either <b>g2.2xlarge</b> or <b>g2.8xlarge</b> instance type. (<a href="http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/launching-instance.html" target="_blank">Lost?</a>)<br />
<br />
2) SSH into the machine and either:<br />
a) Download <a href="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545/archive/e0c9060f28e24cfaff09cd7c7676796e735e5f79.zip" target="_blank">this zip file</a> and extract it into the machine using:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>$ curl "http://link_to_zip" -o dl_setup.zip</i> </blockquote>
and unzip the file using<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>$ unzip dl_setup.zip</i></blockquote>
b) Simply create the 3 files and copy the contents from <a href="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545" target="_blank">the gist</a> using your <a href="http://www.vim.org/" target="_blank">favorite editor</a>. The 3 files are:<br />
<br />
i) <b>deep_learning_bootstrap.sh</b><br />
<br />
This is a shell script which installs all the required dependencies and libraries required.<br />
<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545.js?file=deep_learning_bootstrap.sh"></script><br />
ii) <b>test_install.sh</b><br />
<br />
This is a shell script which tests to ensure that the install is successful.<br />
<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545.js?file=test_install.sh"></script><br />
iii) <b>theano_test.py</b><br />
<br />
This is a small python script which tests to ensure Theano is using the GPU for it's computations.<br />
<br />
<script src="https://gist.github.com/navinpai/34942eabe6324633e9f4570fd32fb545.js?file=theano_test.py"></script><br />
3) Next up run the following to ensure the shell scripts are executable:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
chmod +x *.sh</blockquote>
4) Run the bootstrap script using:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
./deep_learning_bootstrap.sh</blockquote>
This will take some time (<i>~5-10 minutes</i>) to download and install all the dependencies.<br />
<br />
If a pink screen pops up mentioning "<i>A new version of /boot/grub/menu.lst is available</i>", choose "<i>Keep local version</i>" and select OK.<br />
<br />
Once everything is done, you should see the following message:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Reboot System (sudo shutdown -r 0) and run ./test_install.sh</blockquote>
5) Follow the instruction and run:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
sudo shutdown -r 0</blockquote>
Your SSH connection will disconnect while your machine reboots. Wait for ~30 seconds and SSH back into the machine. You should see the prompt changed to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
ubuntu@D33P_L34RN $</blockquote>
6) Now run the test script to ensure everything has correctly installed:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
./test_install.sh</blockquote>
Just look for the messages in green and ensure the output matches it.<br />
<br />
And... that's it! You're all set to start developing your own deep learning applications on AWS EC2. Here's <a href="https://github.com/fchollet/keras/tree/master/examples" target="_blank">a set of examples</a> you can get started with.<br />
<br />
Happy coding! :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes: Why both Theano and Tensorflow? Because choice. Honestly, thanks to Keras, using either as a backend is as simple as <a href="https://keras.io/backend/" target="_blank">a string change</a>. Also, most early to mid level posts in the field use one of the two with no strong monopoly, so it simply made sense to have both of them. </span></div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-3409113888270700132016-08-28T23:34:00.000+05:302016-08-28T23:34:02.957+05:30Waldeinsamkeit.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Someday, I really want to use *Waldeinsamkeit* in a conversation. The word itself is nearly as beautiful as the emotion it represents. :)" border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/XvIHniL.gif" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" title="Someday, I really want to use *Waldeinsamkeit* in a conversation. The word itself is nearly as beautiful as the emotion it represents. :)" /><span style="font-size: 13.6px;">Sometimes, these perfect moments make you </span><span style="font-size: 13.6px;">remember </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.6px;">what an amazing journey you're on!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. <a href="http://i.imgur.com/TKlY72O.jpg" target="_blank">Thank you</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BFF/videos/678989565560842/" target="_blank">Source</a>)</span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-20770374966769455002016-08-25T11:19:00.000+05:302016-08-25T11:19:00.861+05:30Love (to Hate) Thy Neighbour!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine." border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/afYpV3b.png" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" title="Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine." /><span style="font-size: 85%;">Honestly though, I think the sedition law was an archaic law for the period the movie was based in.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Yes, archaic... even in 1947.</span><br />
<br />
</div></div>navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053394841374181016.post-12349471224241882632016-02-04T02:40:00.001+05:302016-02-04T10:55:05.333+05:30To Hack Or Not To Hack?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another weekend, another hackathon attended. But again, as has become common with the last few ones I've been to, something felt wrong. It's difficult to say what exactly, but something definitely felt off. End of the day, I returned home halfway through the hackathon, following my gut (<i>or rather my team's gut</i>), as always.<br />
<br />
For those who don't know, a <b>hackathon</b> is an event where teams of <strike>coders</strike> <strike>developers</strike> hackers<span style="font-size: small;"><b>*</b></span> sit for periods ranging from 12-48 hours and work on coding something cool from scratch. Hackathons are awesome, because they present a good way to test how well you can apply what you know in a small timeframe. The word <i>hack </i>itself, which today unfortunately generates a negative connotation, actually <a href="http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/meaning-of-hack.html" target="_blank">implies</a> "<i>an appropriate application of
ingenuity</i>".<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4URoZKFkqCKfrR-tpJBXl6omZGjTt3T8Ds_zpm5ApJAXj88zlJgrGWYLR1agyQoXRcDPzLGM5_uCnvnggRK8GMWGVLibBks6ULrTRMXay5urgzV2U8gDL0H_6rBuWNWtjkKkkrBQcIE/s1600/102161147-Hackathon_18.530x298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4URoZKFkqCKfrR-tpJBXl6omZGjTt3T8Ds_zpm5ApJAXj88zlJgrGWYLR1agyQoXRcDPzLGM5_uCnvnggRK8GMWGVLibBks6ULrTRMXay5urgzV2U8gDL0H_6rBuWNWtjkKkkrBQcIE/s400/102161147-Hackathon_18.530x298.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">your typical hackathon... hoodies + laptop stickers included</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've been participating in different hackathons for about 4 years now, and have been lucky enough to have been part of some of the best hackathons in the country. Especially over the last 8-10 months, we (<i>Myself, Baka, Bhatta and CEO ... You either know them or you don't :P</i>) have been super active on the Bangalore hackathon scene, having won quite a few big shot hackathons as well. In fact,<a href="http://www.iiitb.ac.in/" target="_blank"> IIIT-Bangalore</a> (<i>my M.Tech college</i>) students are extremely active on the scene, and you'd be hard pressed to find a hackathon with zero representation from there.<br />
<br />
In theory, hackathons have an unlimited upside:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>You get to meet tonnes of like-minded people (<i>Even in Bangalore, this is hard!</i>)</li>
<li>You have a hard timeline (<i>As a fresh graduate, I still suck at doing things without timelines</i>)</li>
<li>You get to work with cool stuff that interests you (<i>Enuf said</i>)</li>
<li>You get ideas/yourself validated (<i>Judges are usually the who's who of the tech world</i>)</li>
<li>Free food!! (<i>Having to pay for stuff still feels weird :P</i>)</li>
<li>And if you're looking for it, hackathons are a great place to find a job as well! </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJQ6TM2sA3qqKOW5JWICTFaclO8sn2aECAd0K4uwG9cDEuuExGaI2MjFONi9YawYpjfyvdnXmEvHe_SgSRMS8Wprevs0hjCLwMxxrtU5a1aizbqah_9cJeNB13cXt7zxNaxM9PLZ8k8/s1600/the-simpsons-homer-beer-mug-its-all-good-blue-graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtJQ6TM2sA3qqKOW5JWICTFaclO8sn2aECAd0K4uwG9cDEuuExGaI2MjFONi9YawYpjfyvdnXmEvHe_SgSRMS8Wprevs0hjCLwMxxrtU5a1aizbqah_9cJeNB13cXt7zxNaxM9PLZ8k8/s320/the-simpsons-homer-beer-mug-its-all-good-blue-graphic_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or is it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then what's wrong? Why that bad taste in the mouth in recent times. Well, I think it comes down to the following:<br />
<br />
<b><i>I am NOT here to do YOUR job</i></b><br />
Picture this scene. Rising startup which aims to disrupt industry X raises capital. Couple weeks later, they have a hackathon, where the problem statements are very specific niches of industry X. While the team spends time <i>mentoring </i>participants, the actual participants do everything from design to coding. At the end, startup announces winners, but stakes claim to <b>all</b> the IP created during the hackathon. Winners walk away with T-shirts and the equivalent of a week of pay. Others walk away having coded for free. This sounds funny, but I could think of at least 2 hackathons that had the <b>exact</b> same terms (<i>down to the T-shirts</i>). In fact at one hackathon, I was requested by a senior developer to not use a NoSQL database for my hack because that's not what they use!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYnMissLvGL0DcAL1SV2dj4fL5IKoVaKV-YyF4jLugVfiJ81KlbgiNo9VHHGwgv0lLjHe3GDT3eBwyxWvqjnsfHrv3kip6ZFwqSWCokwSMxb4VjNUBsysnGXGjz9liVU-2YkyiAL-qE0/s1600/slaves_in_iraq.jpg.CROP.rtstory-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYnMissLvGL0DcAL1SV2dj4fL5IKoVaKV-YyF4jLugVfiJ81KlbgiNo9VHHGwgv0lLjHe3GDT3eBwyxWvqjnsfHrv3kip6ZFwqSWCokwSMxb4VjNUBsysnGXGjz9liVU-2YkyiAL-qE0/s400/slaves_in_iraq.jpg.CROP.rtstory-large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mentoring session in progress!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Hackathons, Hackathons, Everywhere! </b><br />
One of the early hackathons I attended was <a href="http://openhackindia2011.pbworks.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo! OpenHack</a>. And I must say, I have fond memories of the event. The grand scale, the quality of the hacks, the exclusivity, the bean bags (<i>every participant walked away with a bean bag</i>), everything. Once the event got over, you waited an entire year for an event like that. Nowadays though, hackathons have gotten extremely commercialized. You have entire <a href="http://www.acehacker.com/" target="_blank">companies</a> <a href="http://www.venturesity.com/" target="_blank">centered</a> <a href="http://www.hackerearth.com/" target="_blank">around</a> running hackathons on behalf of other companies (<i>and a <a href="https://mlh.io/" target="_blank">league as well</a> for some reason</i>). It's not odd to have multiple hackathons every weekend, differentiated only by the toppings on the pizza they serve for dinner. This has taken away from the actual spirit of hackathons because it's no longer about getting something done. In fact I overheard someone say recently "<i>We can code at the hackathon next weekend, we should network this weekend</i>"... Sigh. Not only do we have more hackathons than can be handled, but the prize money at stake has also grown exponentially. And we know what happens when that happens...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1H2rSbQaC0U7jyVZj8lZ5l1ebWK2s-MqNiiShgePltaBMH4HTXd7Cx4S0k-_A_5Oftl2ndVlccWi0QYssRfBv1qaHxJr2E7T3QmujlTYmOxk12QhsvCGcOnvozg2rodNZlRvn0PDWW4/s1600/quote-Sophocles-rather-fail-with-honor-than-succeed-by-91924.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1H2rSbQaC0U7jyVZj8lZ5l1ebWK2s-MqNiiShgePltaBMH4HTXd7Cx4S0k-_A_5Oftl2ndVlccWi0QYssRfBv1qaHxJr2E7T3QmujlTYmOxk12QhsvCGcOnvozg2rodNZlRvn0PDWW4/s400/quote-Sophocles-rather-fail-with-honor-than-succeed-by-91924.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You tell em, Greek dude!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater</b> <b> </b><br />
Maybe it's just me, but the beauty of a hackathon hack is that you start with a completely clean slate and code something fun over the course of the hackathon. That something may involve simply bringing together different APIs, or figuring out a nice way to visualise stuff, or something more in depth. Sadly, as time goes on, I seem to be going into a stark minority. It's not an odd sight for people to show up to hackathons with <b>complete</b> running applications, which are then simply demoed at the end of the hackathon. Heck, I've even seen the <b>exact</b> <span id="goog_1531966268"></span><span id="goog_1531966269"></span>same application being demoed (<i>and winning</i>!) at multiple hackathons by the <b>same</b> team. I'll give you an example of a recent hackathon I went to<span style="font-size: x-small;"> **</span>. The Runner up team had a nice web app, where they took in some inputs, performed some magic<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(tm)</span>, and came out with some output. The output seemed too good to be true, which usually implies it is. Turns out, their output page was completely hardcoded. It didn't depend <b>at all </b>on the input. They got past this <i>limitation </i>during the demo by providing the <b>only valid input</b> which would generate the output page they had written. Given the format of the demo (<i>3 minutes for demo + 1 minute for questions)</i>, no one realised this. And these guys are still not the worst offenders. The team that won had actually submitted the exact same app, with the exact same name, to another offline hackathon a week before this hackathon, and won there as well. And these guys are <b>still</b> not in the all-time hackathon offenders hall of fame. I know a team who has demoed the same application with the same name and the same story (<i>the pitch, if you will</i>) at at least 5 hackathons, and won prizes in at least 4 of them. This is definitely not what I signed up for and goes completely against the hacker spirit.<br />
<br />
<b>Pizza + Redbull + Coffee + Pizza =/= 10x Developer</b> <br />
The first time I went to a hackathon, I was amazed at the fact there was free pizza and redbull... and unlimited coffee! What more could a code monkey ask for? And then it happened again, and again, and again. Until at one point, you simply realise that this may not be a way to live, let alone a way to live healthy. As time goes on, I seem to understand more and more what people mean by the term: <i>healthy lifestyle</i>. Sure, it sounds like an old fart trying to tell young people that it's wrong to "<i>live fast and die young</i>" or to "<i>get rich or die trying</i>" or the quintessential "<i>YOLO</i>", but after a point you really need a break. Maybe this ties back into the point of commercialization of hackathons, but attending too many of these things at a stretch can take a serious toll on your body. For sure, I enjoy nightouts spent coding, leaving aside all your worries for for a while, just as much as the next guy (<i>what do you mean by go to bed?</i>), but I'd much rather learn to respect by body before it decides to show me why I should!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8V68uVa6ectyhLPSqmmRCE5NNpVZ9TZr0zpaCAGhpKdstt_YmnE4_JxbR0Ore9BStmcLpOt_XshvZ0eYp1VM3aCW0Bu4jGfgkKvVdvrNdUuHQZ9tAqpCHjvH0gTP4muRmiAxaNTT5w8/s1600/424-photo-sleeping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8V68uVa6ectyhLPSqmmRCE5NNpVZ9TZr0zpaCAGhpKdstt_YmnE4_JxbR0Ore9BStmcLpOt_XshvZ0eYp1VM3aCW0Bu4jGfgkKvVdvrNdUuHQZ9tAqpCHjvH0gTP4muRmiAxaNTT5w8/s400/424-photo-sleeping.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical scenes 18-20 hours into a hackathon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hackathons in Bangalore have a stirring resemblance to the EDM festivals in Goa in the sense that what started out as a bunch of people simply geeking out has today become a massive industry, and brought along with it lots of unwanted elements. How do we keep these elements out? I'm honestly not sure. I'm not even sure if we should keep these elements out, as this is what defines hackathons now. Perhaps there will soon be a <a href="http://hillhacks.in/" target="_blank">indie scene</a> for hackers to meet up and hack at. Or perhaps the only option left now is to hack the hackathon itself. But until something overtly dramatic happens, I can confidently say, we live to hack another day... maybe just not at this hackathon! :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUk2FEaL21ROEkCFoD8fq7LSOYFLrtX8zsuyqgEWp_O2cEIp-je2xe0XVAKk5KKjWMl7bCW4xtrcSkmf9ms9y-1qCm53bx5Tk1ol4h3yI-UpLUNAwjEyVEj0-LctNSiaRHgAetLc3D5U/s1600/glider.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUk2FEaL21ROEkCFoD8fq7LSOYFLrtX8zsuyqgEWp_O2cEIp-je2xe0XVAKk5KKjWMl7bCW4xtrcSkmf9ms9y-1qCm53bx5Tk1ol4h3yI-UpLUNAwjEyVEj0-LctNSiaRHgAetLc3D5U/s1600/glider.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* hackers = Again, simply someone who associates himself/herself with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_culture" target="_blank">hacker culture</a>, which does not mean they can gain access to your Facebook account</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">** </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">No names because many of the people involved happen to be friends on the hackathon circuit. Kept details scant to avoid identifying traits. </span></div>
navinpaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15435058507924336176noreply@blogger.com0