Great Scott!

I always love hype before seeing a film. This film has been an intriguing and at most times controversial film seen by the press, especially American press. It seemed to me to be quite unbelievable that it even got made, what with secrecy when it comes to uncovering CIA operations. If you look at Argo  for example and the surrounding news stories about how much you can reveal when making a film about an undercover operation. Especially since this particular film subject focuses on the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, with only two years having passed. The film was being filmed by Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal in 2011 about the attempt to find, capture and kill the most wanted man in the world, as it had been over 10 years since 9/11; when the news broke that the Navy SEALs had found, killed and buried the body of Bin Laden in the North Arabian sea. So with the film in progress of being made before Osama's death, the film had to stop and find out the rest of th

S unday 24th February 2013 was Oscar night and arguably the biggest night in the movie business. Again being in Rishikesh I was unable to watch the show live, as I have done once in the past. Not only is it a tiring, long arduous watch, but, especially more so if the hosts that year are under par for example to mention a year James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted. Hathaway was doing her best but Franco just let everyone down. Being in a completely different time zone anyway, being 5 hours ahead of the US, you hope the jokes are good ones, a little bit rebellious and garners some oohs and ahhs from the celebrity filled audience, some cringe worthy jokes or shockers. McFarlane hosts 2013 Oscars T his year it was hosted by Family Guy creator and comedian Seth McFarlane, who you would think could be a controversial host who pulls the punches in his show as the Griffin family, attacking every racial class, sex, denomination etc etc. but at the Oscars you have to be conservative w

As I am in Rishikesh at the present moment until 7th March, I have been unable to immerse myself in the film award season; missing out on watching the BAFTA's which is always broadcast around my birthday in February, something I am very happy to watch as a birthday present every year. I have managed to watch the whole show via YouTube (unofficially from the normal format of the BBC iPlayer, because you cannot watch it abroad in India). My first reaction is atypical, definitely expected results, some surprises but then again BAFTA are always a more sophisticated individual award ceremony. The only one in the season that is from the British Academy, signalling us out as one of a kind. The soiree weather as I could tell from the initial broadcasts afterwards, featured rain and sleet at the same time, something to greet the Hollywood stars with, only in England. If I go through the list of winners and my reaction of unexpected and expected winners:   - Outstanding British Fi

Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas Our first full day in Rishikesh. We had breakfast at the Hotel Prasanna, right by the river Ganges. We seemed to be the only people at the hotel. So they gave us plastic chairs and table to eat our breakfast right in the early morning sun. The air is incredibly clear so the sun feels as hot as if you're right next to it. Rishikesh's foothills I have a cold runny nose etc. which as gotten around via the three of us, living in close proximity. Especially as we've moved from a seriously hot part of India in the south to the north, where the temperature has dropped considerably if you're not in the sun and at night it's as cold as England is on a mild day.  We were staying at the Laxmi Lodge, paying 1000 Rupees a day which apparently is very expensive for a hotel room for the three of us, especially since the room was filthy. We spent a whole two hours thoroughly cleaning it, making it feel more like our home in Ti