The Runaway Jury
by
John Grisham
Characters
The Jurors
1. Nicholas Easter
The main juror who is the centre of attention and the leader of the jury. His past is clouded and is a big worry for both legal teams. He becomes more important as the trial progresses.
2. Jerry Fernandez
A gambling man who is going through a divorce and is in love with a fellow juror. He is also Nick’s friend so will vote as he does.
3. Rikki Coleman
A non-smoker who makes up the numbers and has very little part to play over the trial. She did have an abortion in high school but this never emerged.
4. Millie Dupree
Husband Hoppy is one of many people approached by the Big Four Tobacco Companies in an effort to bribe the jury.
5. Angel Weese
Wife of Derrick who tries to get a large sum of money from the defence team and thinks that Angel can influence the whole jury. In fact, she is shy and will follow her friends’ choice of verdict.
6. Sylvia Taylor-Tatum
Nicknamed the poodle and dating Jerry while on jury duty.
7. Lonnie Shave
A black businessman whose company is being took over and his job is under threat. He is told to vote for the defence to secure his job.
8. Gladys Card
A non-descript character who doesn’t do much in the book and had no real jury influence. However, she does appeal for a lower settlement in deliberations.
9. Loreen Duke
Another person with little to do in the book.
10. Stella Hulic - left
An social riser who is hated and eventually leaves because she is approached by the tobacco companies (or was it.)
11. Frank Herrera - left
A retired Colonel who is excused because a magazine with an influential article is found in his room.
12. Herman Grimes - left
The first blind juror on a grand jury. Elected foreman and the most honest as he doesn’t discuss the trial. He is excused after a heart attack that was caused naturally (or maybe not.)
13. Shine Royce - new
’’White trash’’ and jumps on bandwagons easily. He is shy and we do not learn much about him.
14. Henry Vu - new
An Asian who is called up fairly late on to replace Herrera. Has little interest in the trial and also jumps on the nearest bandwagon.
15. Phillip Savelle - new
An odd character who practises yoga and annoys other jurors. He is the first new juror.
Defence Team
Pynex
The main tobacco company of the Big 4 and biggest contributor towards the Fund which contributes towards trial costs. It has most to lose from a plaintiff verdict and so is anxious and often devious about bribes.
Rankin Fitch
The organiser of the Fund. He does all the dirty work for the Big 4 and is very experienced is bribery and jury tampering.
Durwood (Durr) Cable
The defence lawyer who stays away from the real bad work but still pushes Fitch to persuade juries by more devious means.
Plaintiff Team
Wendell Rohr
The main lawyer who with little resources and less staff, has a harder job than Cable. However he is a talented lawyer who is capable of getting a verdict in his favour. He has also been known to try to tamper juries but is not as good.
Jacob Wood
The man who died, allegedly from cigarette smoke after smoking for almost all his life. We hear very little about him and his life is not exposed
Celeste Wood
The grieving widow, who is considering remarriage, it is 4 years since her husband died. She gives evidence and does not much else in the trial.
Judge Fredrick Harkin
The judge who presides over the trial. His role is important but very tedious. He deals with any problems, which may arise and general court proceedings but has not much of interest to do.
Marlee
Used to be called Claire. The key part of the plan to control the jury and make a story. She is the girlfriend and general acquaintance of Easter. She is the mastermind behind the plan that involves her and Easter to hi-jack the jury. She is very secretive and leaves hardly any trail.
The Story
There is a very big tobacco trial going on in Biloxi, Mississippi over the case Pyrex vs. Wood. Jacob Wood died four years ago and the legal matters have been cleared up and now there is to be a trial. The first sentence of the book mentions a potential juror, Nicholas Easter. The defence has a select team of jury experts, paid for by the fund, to research each potential juror. The jury is selected and the trial begins with the usual opening statements and then the prosecution case. As the trial continues, the defence approaches several jurors and this leads to them being excused. Also, Marlee, a mysterious, sends a letter to Rankin Fitch. Fitch is in charge of the Fund to help tobacco companies win trials by any means possible. She tells him what a certain juror member will be wearing, reading and several other details. Fitch is amazed, and this continues, with the details becoming more amazing. Fitch does research and cannot find anything about Marlee. She eventually tells Fitch about her inside contact, Nicholas Easter. She has many meetings and then starts to play around with Fitch. She gets his goons arrested and tells him that now she is willing to make a deal. For $10 million, she will get Easter to influence the jury to give a verdict to the defence. Fitch jumps at the deal and accepts immediately. He has already been tampering with several jury members and this leads to the whole jury being sequested (this is when the jury has to spend their whole lives in a hotel with constant supervision.) Easter starts off with slow progress as the deal is yet to be finalised. When it is the trial is almost over and Easter gets to work. Meanwhile, Marlee uses the cash to make investments in the stock market. After all, she knows the trail outcome. I won’t go as far as telling you the ending and have left out a lot of detail so not to spoil the book.
My Personal Views On the Book
The first two chapters were incredibly slow, boring and did not catch my imagination at all. After a week or so, I came back and continued reading the story. It became more interesting and I soon found myself spending way too many hours reading and saying to myself ’’one more chapter.’’
This is a book with an ending that anyone fool could predict. You just don’t think! You will read the end and say to yourself: I should have known, then Oh Yeah! that’s why so-and-so did such-and-such.
I enjoyed the novel after I got into it but I know for certain that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. For Grisham fans, it will seem similar to other books. It has a small guy - big corporation trial. It has people wandering around spending billions like there was no tomorrow. It is set in Mississippi. It has a ton of legal jargon in it. It ends abruptly.
It is not totally realistic. Trials aren’t that corrupt (good source.) Everyone knows that tobacco firms are the bad boys and that cigarettes are dangerous, but they aren’t that bad. Tobacco firms haven’t bribed every jury ever.
There are 15 jurors, yet I can tell you a lot about less than 5. This is because a lot of ’’column inches’’ were spent on the legal details and precious little time spent of character development.
The Big Verdict
For Grisham fans, it is wonderful. For anyone else, read it but be patient and give it a chance. If you buy the book with the Partner in it as well, be prepared for a small let down. (The Partner is amazing)
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Street Lawyer - John Grisham
The Street Lawyer
John Grisham
As some my regular readers (I wish…) will know, I am a John Grisham fan and am currently reading and reviewing all of his books.
As with all Grisham books, this is based around the law and lawyers. The Street Lawyer, as the name suggests, deals with a lawyer who works the street. In this sense, I mean in an office helping the homeless - not ambulance chasers.
The Characters
John Grisham has always been good at character building and this gives the reader a good insight into every detail. By the middle of the book, you feel as if you know them. This is good as it draws the reader in and allows more emotions to be felt. E.g. sorrow when something bad happens to the ’good guy.’ However, nobody is perfect and each character has another side, this is not always clear at first and so makes for a good read.
Michael Brock
Mike is a Yale graduate and currently working at a top law firm called Drake and Sweeney. He is in his mid-thirties and will soon become a partner and will earn close to a million dollars a year and bonuses. He works eighty hours a week minimum and is climbing the ladder of success. However, one day he has an encounter with a homeless man. This turns his life upside down.
Claire Brock
Claire met the week he moved from Yale and got married soon after. She, like Michael, is unhappy with their marriage and has been for years. Since they met, Michael has worked non-stop as an upcoming lawyer and she has become bored. She then went to medical school and trained up as a brain surgeon. This was done to try to get her own back at Michael. They both became workaholics and are always competing on things such as: Who earns the most? Who works the most? etc…
Devon Hardy
Devon is only known as Mister until after the encounter with the lawyers. (Complicated but you’ll see soon.) He is a ’typical’ homeless man who has been living rough for a while. He arrives at the offices and takes several lawyers hostage at gunpoint.
Mordecai Green
Mordecai is a street lawyer and runs a centre for the homeless to come and get their problems solved by professional lawyers. Mordecai is a long time street lawyer who can get anything from bureaucrats at Capitol Hill. He owns the centre, which is called 14th Street Legal Clinic.
Branden Chance
Branden is a real-estate lawyer who works for Drake and Sweeney. His main clients are a firm called River Oakes. He makes a fatal blunder that creates an unlikely lawsuit later on.
Hector Palma
Hector is a lowly paralegal who works for Chance. He is an anonymous informer who helps Michael.
Lontae Burton
Lontae is a homeless mother of four children. She calls into a shelter and briefly meets Michael. She is later found dead in a car. She, and her four children, all died in their sleep from exhaust fumes whiles trying to stay warm. She becomes the focus of attention for the press and street lawyers. Her children are all from different men and out of wedlock.
Ruby
Ruby is a crack addict who has one son - Terrence. She rented a loft for him and paid the house owners rent. The owners of the house then raised him and let Ruby see him every night. After a while, he was a bright student and was getting ready for university. The house owners then refused Ruby her nightly visits and kept him for themselves. Ruby is allowed him back when she kicks the crack addiction. She become a friend of Michael and acts as a link between Michael and Megan.
Megan
Megan is the owner of Naomi’s - a women’s homeless shelter that runs NA/AA meetings. (Narcotics anonymous/Alcoholics anonymous.) Megan soon becomes friendly with Michael.
Arthur
A top boss at Drake and Sweeney who is eighty and getting tired. He is still a good lawyer and very menacing.
Of course, there is a large selection of other people around including lawyers, democratic officials, homeless people, and volunteers.
The Story
I’ll tell you a lot but I can assure you that there is much more to this story. As usual with John Grisham novels, there are tons of twists and it is practically impossible to predict the end of the story.
’The Street Lawyer opens with the best scene Grisham has ever put on paper.’ Sunday Times
This statement is not over the top; the opening scene starts with Michael Brock walking into a lift (or elevator) and being followed by a homeless man. Michael is in a rush as usual and ignores him. He leaves the lift and walks to a receptionist and then proceeds to his office. Before, he reaches it, he stops and turns around to see the receptionist lying bleeding. The homeless man then asks Michael to bring him into a conference room. Michael with very little options agrees and brings the hostage-taker into a room with a group of litigators. (Top lawyers who challenge parts of the law.) He is forced to tie them up and get the tax records so that the hostage-taker can see how much each one earns and how much they give to the needy. Several donate money to Yale and Garden Party Clubs and this annoys ’Mister.’ (His newly acquired title.)
Eventually, Mister is shot and the hostages released. They all go home and take the day off. The next day, all of them are back in work billing hours like there was no tomorrow. Michael, however, is disturbed by the previous day’s events. He goes to a homeless centre and meets Mordecai Green who is a street lawyer earning $30,000 pa. He is convinced to help for one night at the centre cutting vegetables as a snowstorm is approaching. He meets a few homeless people and is touched/inspired.
Within a few days, he learns a homeless woman, Lontae Burton died later that night with the children he was playing with. He investigates and finds that (DRUM ROLL…………) Drake and Sweeney (his current firm) wrongfully evicted the tenants/squatters. He quits his job, divorces his wife, and becomes a street lawyer all within a few days.
He starts up in the clinic working on hundreds of cases while preparing a lawsuit against his old firm. This is hard work, but matters are complicated as before Michael left, he borrowed a file that showed Drake and Sweeney are guilty of wrongful eviction. However, he was involved in a crash and so couldn’t return the file before someone noticed. This leads to complications and a good story.
Overall
This book will make you think about the desperate plight of the homeless. It might encourage some people to become volunteers, others will want donate money, and some will think it’s a good book and that’s it.
John Grisham
As some my regular readers (I wish…) will know, I am a John Grisham fan and am currently reading and reviewing all of his books.
As with all Grisham books, this is based around the law and lawyers. The Street Lawyer, as the name suggests, deals with a lawyer who works the street. In this sense, I mean in an office helping the homeless - not ambulance chasers.
The Characters
John Grisham has always been good at character building and this gives the reader a good insight into every detail. By the middle of the book, you feel as if you know them. This is good as it draws the reader in and allows more emotions to be felt. E.g. sorrow when something bad happens to the ’good guy.’ However, nobody is perfect and each character has another side, this is not always clear at first and so makes for a good read.
Michael Brock
Mike is a Yale graduate and currently working at a top law firm called Drake and Sweeney. He is in his mid-thirties and will soon become a partner and will earn close to a million dollars a year and bonuses. He works eighty hours a week minimum and is climbing the ladder of success. However, one day he has an encounter with a homeless man. This turns his life upside down.
Claire Brock
Claire met the week he moved from Yale and got married soon after. She, like Michael, is unhappy with their marriage and has been for years. Since they met, Michael has worked non-stop as an upcoming lawyer and she has become bored. She then went to medical school and trained up as a brain surgeon. This was done to try to get her own back at Michael. They both became workaholics and are always competing on things such as: Who earns the most? Who works the most? etc…
Devon Hardy
Devon is only known as Mister until after the encounter with the lawyers. (Complicated but you’ll see soon.) He is a ’typical’ homeless man who has been living rough for a while. He arrives at the offices and takes several lawyers hostage at gunpoint.
Mordecai Green
Mordecai is a street lawyer and runs a centre for the homeless to come and get their problems solved by professional lawyers. Mordecai is a long time street lawyer who can get anything from bureaucrats at Capitol Hill. He owns the centre, which is called 14th Street Legal Clinic.
Branden Chance
Branden is a real-estate lawyer who works for Drake and Sweeney. His main clients are a firm called River Oakes. He makes a fatal blunder that creates an unlikely lawsuit later on.
Hector Palma
Hector is a lowly paralegal who works for Chance. He is an anonymous informer who helps Michael.
Lontae Burton
Lontae is a homeless mother of four children. She calls into a shelter and briefly meets Michael. She is later found dead in a car. She, and her four children, all died in their sleep from exhaust fumes whiles trying to stay warm. She becomes the focus of attention for the press and street lawyers. Her children are all from different men and out of wedlock.
Ruby
Ruby is a crack addict who has one son - Terrence. She rented a loft for him and paid the house owners rent. The owners of the house then raised him and let Ruby see him every night. After a while, he was a bright student and was getting ready for university. The house owners then refused Ruby her nightly visits and kept him for themselves. Ruby is allowed him back when she kicks the crack addiction. She become a friend of Michael and acts as a link between Michael and Megan.
Megan
Megan is the owner of Naomi’s - a women’s homeless shelter that runs NA/AA meetings. (Narcotics anonymous/Alcoholics anonymous.) Megan soon becomes friendly with Michael.
Arthur
A top boss at Drake and Sweeney who is eighty and getting tired. He is still a good lawyer and very menacing.
Of course, there is a large selection of other people around including lawyers, democratic officials, homeless people, and volunteers.
The Story
I’ll tell you a lot but I can assure you that there is much more to this story. As usual with John Grisham novels, there are tons of twists and it is practically impossible to predict the end of the story.
’The Street Lawyer opens with the best scene Grisham has ever put on paper.’ Sunday Times
This statement is not over the top; the opening scene starts with Michael Brock walking into a lift (or elevator) and being followed by a homeless man. Michael is in a rush as usual and ignores him. He leaves the lift and walks to a receptionist and then proceeds to his office. Before, he reaches it, he stops and turns around to see the receptionist lying bleeding. The homeless man then asks Michael to bring him into a conference room. Michael with very little options agrees and brings the hostage-taker into a room with a group of litigators. (Top lawyers who challenge parts of the law.) He is forced to tie them up and get the tax records so that the hostage-taker can see how much each one earns and how much they give to the needy. Several donate money to Yale and Garden Party Clubs and this annoys ’Mister.’ (His newly acquired title.)
Eventually, Mister is shot and the hostages released. They all go home and take the day off. The next day, all of them are back in work billing hours like there was no tomorrow. Michael, however, is disturbed by the previous day’s events. He goes to a homeless centre and meets Mordecai Green who is a street lawyer earning $30,000 pa. He is convinced to help for one night at the centre cutting vegetables as a snowstorm is approaching. He meets a few homeless people and is touched/inspired.
Within a few days, he learns a homeless woman, Lontae Burton died later that night with the children he was playing with. He investigates and finds that (DRUM ROLL…………) Drake and Sweeney (his current firm) wrongfully evicted the tenants/squatters. He quits his job, divorces his wife, and becomes a street lawyer all within a few days.
He starts up in the clinic working on hundreds of cases while preparing a lawsuit against his old firm. This is hard work, but matters are complicated as before Michael left, he borrowed a file that showed Drake and Sweeney are guilty of wrongful eviction. However, he was involved in a crash and so couldn’t return the file before someone noticed. This leads to complications and a good story.
Overall
This book will make you think about the desperate plight of the homeless. It might encourage some people to become volunteers, others will want donate money, and some will think it’s a good book and that’s it.
USS Seawolf - Patrick Robinson
USS Seawolf
Patrick Robinson
Characters
President John Clarke - President Clarke is the guy in charge of the world’s greatest super-power. He also acts as C in C for the US Navy. His is an only parent of Linus, his only son, and makes sure he is looked after well. He has been giving the Navy extra funding for several years now and has a close friendship with Admiral Morgan.
Vice Admiral Arnold Morgan - Arnie Morgan is a tough guy who is NSA to the president. He is very good at his job and a likeable character in the book. He is engaged to his private secretary, Kathy O’Brien.
Harcourt Travis - Mr. Travis is the Secretary of State for the United States of America. He has a relatively minor part in the story.
Admiral Joseph Mulligan - Joe Mulligan is Arnie’s best friend from old military ways. He is Chief of Naval Operations for the US Navy and good at it. His job gives him a pretty major role in the story, although you do not learn very much about him.
Rear Admiral John Bergstorm - John Bergstorm is the Commander of Special War Command (SPECWARCOM). He has a minor role in the book relative to his job importance.
Captain Judd Crocker - Judd Crocker is on of the best captains in the US Navy. He is currently in charge of the best submarine in the world, the Seawolf. He is very experienced and one of the main characters in the book.
Lt. Commander Linus Clarke - Linus is the President’s sons and XO of the sub. He is an ex-CIA man who has joined the Navy. He is inexperienced but has risen the ranks with help from his dad.
Lt. Commander Cy Rothstein - Cy is the Combat Systems Officer on the Seawolf. He is important in the running of the submarine, and like the rest of the crew, is the best the US Navy have.
Lt. Kyle Frank - Kyle is the Sonar Officer on the Seawolf. His job in to sit in the sonar room and listen for other ships, subs and anything else of importance.
Colonel Frank Hart - Frank Hart is a Senior SEAL Officer. He becomes mission controller (later in the story) as is based on the USS Ronald Regan. He is vastly experienced and one of the best tacticians in the world.
Lt. Commander Rick Hunter - Rick Hunter is the Assault Mission Leader for the SEAL mission. He is one of the best soldiers in the world, (that’s why he’s in the SEALs), and capable of anything within limits.
Lt. Commander Rusty Bennett - Rusty Bennett is the leader on a SEAL recon team. He is senior BUD/S instructor and had experience in the Gulf War.
Lt. Commander Olaf Davidson - Olaf is a tough fighting SEAL from Newfoundland, and of Norwegian origin. Like all SEALs, he has vast experience; in Kosovo.
Admiral Zhang Yushu - Zhang Yushu is C in C of the PLAN. He is the Chinese equivalent of the President of the United States.
Vice-Admiral Sang Ye - Sang Ye is the Chinese equivilant of Joe Mulligan. He is a top PLAN chief and one of the best the Chinese have.
Admiral Zu Jicai - Zu Jicai is the Commander of the Chinese Southern Fleet. He really hates the Americans and would love to sinks the Seawolf.
Kathy O’Brien - Kathy is Arnie’s personal secretary and is engaged to marry him once he retires.
Story
America’s best submarine, the Seawolf, has just been refurbished (in a mechanical sense) and is about to go on its most important mission so far. The Chinese have been spying on the Americans for years and now America wants to know what they have done with the information. So, they need to get an ultra-quiet submarine into Chinese waters and sneak up on their newest sub to take measurements. So, the Seawolf is chosen for her first voyage since a major refurbishment. She has the best crew and the best equipment. You cannot hear the sub when its going under 20 knots. The Seawolf will be sneaking around against old diesel Chinese subs; but the water is shallow and they need to get very close to achieve their goal.
They set off and do very well under the command of Judd Crocker, the Navy’s best skipper. However, the top commanders from PLAN think that Seawolf may be in their waters so throw all their resources into finding it; meanwhile, the crew of the Seawolf, including Linus Clarke, son on the President, have almost finished their mission. While the XO has control one night, a major accident occurs when he misjudges a distance through the periscope. This has disastrous consequences and puts the lives of the whole crew in danger.
I won’t go any further but you can guess what happens on the whole.
The Verdict
I actually managed to read this book without realising it was the fourth..ish in a series of five (and expanding.) This annoyed me a lot but is a positive aspect of the book. There is nothing worse than a book that makes no sense because it is a sequel. It just goes to show how detailed a writer Patrick Robinson is.
I really enjoyed this book and am currently looking for the rest in the series, starting from the beginning. Patrick Robinson is a submarine expert, although never in the Navy, and it shows in the detail and vivid descriptions of everything. His attention to detail is magnificent. The plot is quite good, although a little predictable, but this is expectant in a book with a clear enemy. (The bad guys NEVER win!)
I still find it amazing that somebody can write a 400-page book and not waffle, which I am doing now.
Other Stuff
• www.partickrobinson.com
• Set in 2006
• Patrick Robinson has kindly included maps of the area and a very comprehensive character list.
Abbreviations
NSA - National Security Advisor
XO - Executive Officer
CO - Commanding Officer
C in C - Commander in Chief
PLAN - People’s Liberation Army / Navy
SEAL - Sea Air and Land (American version of the SAS.)
* I could have written pages upon pages on the plot,(because it was so massive) but decided against it so not to spoil it for others.
Patrick Robinson
Characters
President John Clarke - President Clarke is the guy in charge of the world’s greatest super-power. He also acts as C in C for the US Navy. His is an only parent of Linus, his only son, and makes sure he is looked after well. He has been giving the Navy extra funding for several years now and has a close friendship with Admiral Morgan.
Vice Admiral Arnold Morgan - Arnie Morgan is a tough guy who is NSA to the president. He is very good at his job and a likeable character in the book. He is engaged to his private secretary, Kathy O’Brien.
Harcourt Travis - Mr. Travis is the Secretary of State for the United States of America. He has a relatively minor part in the story.
Admiral Joseph Mulligan - Joe Mulligan is Arnie’s best friend from old military ways. He is Chief of Naval Operations for the US Navy and good at it. His job gives him a pretty major role in the story, although you do not learn very much about him.
Rear Admiral John Bergstorm - John Bergstorm is the Commander of Special War Command (SPECWARCOM). He has a minor role in the book relative to his job importance.
Captain Judd Crocker - Judd Crocker is on of the best captains in the US Navy. He is currently in charge of the best submarine in the world, the Seawolf. He is very experienced and one of the main characters in the book.
Lt. Commander Linus Clarke - Linus is the President’s sons and XO of the sub. He is an ex-CIA man who has joined the Navy. He is inexperienced but has risen the ranks with help from his dad.
Lt. Commander Cy Rothstein - Cy is the Combat Systems Officer on the Seawolf. He is important in the running of the submarine, and like the rest of the crew, is the best the US Navy have.
Lt. Kyle Frank - Kyle is the Sonar Officer on the Seawolf. His job in to sit in the sonar room and listen for other ships, subs and anything else of importance.
Colonel Frank Hart - Frank Hart is a Senior SEAL Officer. He becomes mission controller (later in the story) as is based on the USS Ronald Regan. He is vastly experienced and one of the best tacticians in the world.
Lt. Commander Rick Hunter - Rick Hunter is the Assault Mission Leader for the SEAL mission. He is one of the best soldiers in the world, (that’s why he’s in the SEALs), and capable of anything within limits.
Lt. Commander Rusty Bennett - Rusty Bennett is the leader on a SEAL recon team. He is senior BUD/S instructor and had experience in the Gulf War.
Lt. Commander Olaf Davidson - Olaf is a tough fighting SEAL from Newfoundland, and of Norwegian origin. Like all SEALs, he has vast experience; in Kosovo.
Admiral Zhang Yushu - Zhang Yushu is C in C of the PLAN. He is the Chinese equivalent of the President of the United States.
Vice-Admiral Sang Ye - Sang Ye is the Chinese equivilant of Joe Mulligan. He is a top PLAN chief and one of the best the Chinese have.
Admiral Zu Jicai - Zu Jicai is the Commander of the Chinese Southern Fleet. He really hates the Americans and would love to sinks the Seawolf.
Kathy O’Brien - Kathy is Arnie’s personal secretary and is engaged to marry him once he retires.
Story
America’s best submarine, the Seawolf, has just been refurbished (in a mechanical sense) and is about to go on its most important mission so far. The Chinese have been spying on the Americans for years and now America wants to know what they have done with the information. So, they need to get an ultra-quiet submarine into Chinese waters and sneak up on their newest sub to take measurements. So, the Seawolf is chosen for her first voyage since a major refurbishment. She has the best crew and the best equipment. You cannot hear the sub when its going under 20 knots. The Seawolf will be sneaking around against old diesel Chinese subs; but the water is shallow and they need to get very close to achieve their goal.
They set off and do very well under the command of Judd Crocker, the Navy’s best skipper. However, the top commanders from PLAN think that Seawolf may be in their waters so throw all their resources into finding it; meanwhile, the crew of the Seawolf, including Linus Clarke, son on the President, have almost finished their mission. While the XO has control one night, a major accident occurs when he misjudges a distance through the periscope. This has disastrous consequences and puts the lives of the whole crew in danger.
I won’t go any further but you can guess what happens on the whole.
The Verdict
I actually managed to read this book without realising it was the fourth..ish in a series of five (and expanding.) This annoyed me a lot but is a positive aspect of the book. There is nothing worse than a book that makes no sense because it is a sequel. It just goes to show how detailed a writer Patrick Robinson is.
I really enjoyed this book and am currently looking for the rest in the series, starting from the beginning. Patrick Robinson is a submarine expert, although never in the Navy, and it shows in the detail and vivid descriptions of everything. His attention to detail is magnificent. The plot is quite good, although a little predictable, but this is expectant in a book with a clear enemy. (The bad guys NEVER win!)
I still find it amazing that somebody can write a 400-page book and not waffle, which I am doing now.
Other Stuff
• www.partickrobinson.com
• Set in 2006
• Patrick Robinson has kindly included maps of the area and a very comprehensive character list.
Abbreviations
NSA - National Security Advisor
XO - Executive Officer
CO - Commanding Officer
C in C - Commander in Chief
PLAN - People’s Liberation Army / Navy
SEAL - Sea Air and Land (American version of the SAS.)
* I could have written pages upon pages on the plot,(because it was so massive) but decided against it so not to spoil it for others.
Top 10 English Movies
10 Top English Films
1.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
A brilliant performance from Tom Hanks along with the greatest director ever, Steven Spielberg. Saving Private Ryan is set in WW2. It is gory, but realistic. A great plot coupled with amazing acting.
2.
Forest Gump (1994)
Forest Gump is another movie with Tom Hanks, this time with director, Robert Zemeckis. It tells the life of an amazing man called Forest Gump. He is not the smartest person in the world but gives total commitment to everything he does. It is a very inspirational film!
3.
Waynes World (1992)
This is where Mike Myers started to produce really funny films. Wayne and Garth have their own cable channel. It is total comedy with a little bit of plot. A true comedy.
4.
The Rock (1996)
White men can’t jump but old men can act, as shown by Sean Connery in this action packed film. Connery is a very dangerous convict as is called up to help the Americans break into Alcatraz to stop some mad terrorists. Nicholas Cage also puts in a very good performance.
5.
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix has taken the world of computer graphics in films to a new level. The graphics and 3Dfx are next to none, and are way ahead of their time. There is also a very complicated storyline so you will probably watch it more than once.
6.
Independence Day (1996)
ID is another sci-fi action-packed film. Independence Day also was a great film, graphics-wise, when it came out. A great story, good acting. It is a true multi-million dollar film, and it wasn’t a flop.
7.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Tom Hanks yet again appears with Ron Howard in this true-story (always a plus point.) Probably realistic, very good, emotional acting and an overall excellent movie to watch with anyone.
8.
Airplane 2 (1982)
Airplane II: The Sequel has to be included because it is a sequel and better than the original. It has all the makings of a comedy; a spoof with plenty of hidden jokes and constant slapstick comedy.
9.
Titanic (1997)
Titanic is a brilliant multi-million dollar, emotional, film. It is based on a true story, although, it is not accurate to the truth; it is very close. With up-and-coming actors such as Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and a good plot inside the main one, it was bound to be big, but it exceeded all expectations.
10.
National Lampoon’s Men in White (1998)
It is very rare when a spoof is funnier than the original, but this is. It is based on Men in Black, which was amazing, but this manages to be better. The basic plot is that the aliens are invading and they decide to get two idiots to try to stop them to keep the FBI of their backs. Very Funny!
1.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
A brilliant performance from Tom Hanks along with the greatest director ever, Steven Spielberg. Saving Private Ryan is set in WW2. It is gory, but realistic. A great plot coupled with amazing acting.
2.
Forest Gump (1994)
Forest Gump is another movie with Tom Hanks, this time with director, Robert Zemeckis. It tells the life of an amazing man called Forest Gump. He is not the smartest person in the world but gives total commitment to everything he does. It is a very inspirational film!
3.
Waynes World (1992)
This is where Mike Myers started to produce really funny films. Wayne and Garth have their own cable channel. It is total comedy with a little bit of plot. A true comedy.
4.
The Rock (1996)
White men can’t jump but old men can act, as shown by Sean Connery in this action packed film. Connery is a very dangerous convict as is called up to help the Americans break into Alcatraz to stop some mad terrorists. Nicholas Cage also puts in a very good performance.
5.
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix has taken the world of computer graphics in films to a new level. The graphics and 3Dfx are next to none, and are way ahead of their time. There is also a very complicated storyline so you will probably watch it more than once.
6.
Independence Day (1996)
ID is another sci-fi action-packed film. Independence Day also was a great film, graphics-wise, when it came out. A great story, good acting. It is a true multi-million dollar film, and it wasn’t a flop.
7.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Tom Hanks yet again appears with Ron Howard in this true-story (always a plus point.) Probably realistic, very good, emotional acting and an overall excellent movie to watch with anyone.
8.
Airplane 2 (1982)
Airplane II: The Sequel has to be included because it is a sequel and better than the original. It has all the makings of a comedy; a spoof with plenty of hidden jokes and constant slapstick comedy.
9.
Titanic (1997)
Titanic is a brilliant multi-million dollar, emotional, film. It is based on a true story, although, it is not accurate to the truth; it is very close. With up-and-coming actors such as Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and a good plot inside the main one, it was bound to be big, but it exceeded all expectations.
10.
National Lampoon’s Men in White (1998)
It is very rare when a spoof is funnier than the original, but this is. It is based on Men in Black, which was amazing, but this manages to be better. The basic plot is that the aliens are invading and they decide to get two idiots to try to stop them to keep the FBI of their backs. Very Funny!
Google.com is Best
Google
Google (google.com) is one of the best search engines on the web. It is just like any other search engine at first sight but it is vastly superior to any one I have ever seen.
Advantages
- Fast
It is lightning fast, in only a few seconds, it can scan through millions of web pages.
I tested this by searching for ebay and it took under 5 seconds to display results. This is taken for granted nowadays, however, just think of it, possibly a billion web pages searched in less than 1 second. According to the blurb, Google has displayed 874,000 results in 0.21 seconds. The fastest search I have got was 0.08 seconds.
- Web Pages on the search engine
This brings me onto my next point, 874,000 web pages with ebay in their name or description. That is mind-boggling, they must have left hardly any out. According to the little sentence at the bottom on the front page, they search 1,610,476,000 web pages every time (with exceptions.)
- Customisation
Another smooth transition between points. You may not have the time to trawl through 874,000 web pages looking for ebay so you can customise your search to block certain ‘things’ and give preference to others. Just click on advanced search and there you go: you can search for words, phrases, web pages without words or phrases and so on. But it does get better, set it to English or German and get only web pages in that language. No more staring at a Japanese site with your dictionary! The next option allows you to search for different file types.
You can also search for web pages added within the last 6 months or 3 months if you are looking for information, for example, on the new Ford Mondeo or the FA Cup. Once you have searched once, you can then make it so you don’t get results from a particular domain. E.g. maybe you don’t want to see hundreds of results from amazon if you want to buy a cooker. The last feature is quite handy for webmasters, it allows you to search for pages which have links to a particular page. I like this as you can search for pages that link to a website about a hobby of yours, e.g. belfastgiants.com.
- Accuracy
When I searched for ebay, the FIRST result was ebay.com. This is good as it can save you a lot of time. Accuracy with search engines is very dependent on the webmasters’ descriptions but Google does well.
- I’m Feeling Luck
No, not really, but Google has a nice feature whereas you can type in your search words and press the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button, you will be then delivered straight to the first web page returned from the search.
- Images Search
Does exactly what it says on the tin really, search for images. This is a handy alternative for clipart, but not as reliable as the normal search; this is due to the fact many pictures are called pic1 etc… However, it can yield good results, and new websites you have not heard off before.
- Groups
Ten groups of groups (sorry): alt, news, biz, rec, comp, humanities, soc, misc and talk. A nice little description of each is available on the site by clicking on the groups tab.
- Directory
The directory is a section where all the websites are listed by category. I have listed the categories below.
Arts
Business
Computers
Games
Health
Home
Kids and Teens
News
Recreation
Reference
Regional
Science
Shopping
Society
Sports
Worlds
These are pretty normal for a directory, the directory is nothing special but is good. Navigation is easy.
Disadvantages
- Advertising
If you search for certain phrases such as online shopping, you get a coloured box as the first result, this is a sponsored link, that companies pay for to get higher in the search results. This may be slightly distorting the results, however, they are clearly marked and do not seem to slow down the searching.
Well, as you can plainly see, there are way more advantages than disadvantages. To summarise, it is fast and customisable. Well worth a look for anyone who doesn’t already use it.
Google (google.com) is one of the best search engines on the web. It is just like any other search engine at first sight but it is vastly superior to any one I have ever seen.
Advantages
- Fast
It is lightning fast, in only a few seconds, it can scan through millions of web pages.
I tested this by searching for ebay and it took under 5 seconds to display results. This is taken for granted nowadays, however, just think of it, possibly a billion web pages searched in less than 1 second. According to the blurb, Google has displayed 874,000 results in 0.21 seconds. The fastest search I have got was 0.08 seconds.
- Web Pages on the search engine
This brings me onto my next point, 874,000 web pages with ebay in their name or description. That is mind-boggling, they must have left hardly any out. According to the little sentence at the bottom on the front page, they search 1,610,476,000 web pages every time (with exceptions.)
- Customisation
Another smooth transition between points. You may not have the time to trawl through 874,000 web pages looking for ebay so you can customise your search to block certain ‘things’ and give preference to others. Just click on advanced search and there you go: you can search for words, phrases, web pages without words or phrases and so on. But it does get better, set it to English or German and get only web pages in that language. No more staring at a Japanese site with your dictionary! The next option allows you to search for different file types.
You can also search for web pages added within the last 6 months or 3 months if you are looking for information, for example, on the new Ford Mondeo or the FA Cup. Once you have searched once, you can then make it so you don’t get results from a particular domain. E.g. maybe you don’t want to see hundreds of results from amazon if you want to buy a cooker. The last feature is quite handy for webmasters, it allows you to search for pages which have links to a particular page. I like this as you can search for pages that link to a website about a hobby of yours, e.g. belfastgiants.com.
- Accuracy
When I searched for ebay, the FIRST result was ebay.com. This is good as it can save you a lot of time. Accuracy with search engines is very dependent on the webmasters’ descriptions but Google does well.
- I’m Feeling Luck
No, not really, but Google has a nice feature whereas you can type in your search words and press the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button, you will be then delivered straight to the first web page returned from the search.
- Images Search
Does exactly what it says on the tin really, search for images. This is a handy alternative for clipart, but not as reliable as the normal search; this is due to the fact many pictures are called pic1 etc… However, it can yield good results, and new websites you have not heard off before.
- Groups
Ten groups of groups (sorry): alt, news, biz, rec, comp, humanities, soc, misc and talk. A nice little description of each is available on the site by clicking on the groups tab.
- Directory
The directory is a section where all the websites are listed by category. I have listed the categories below.
Arts
Business
Computers
Games
Health
Home
Kids and Teens
News
Recreation
Reference
Regional
Science
Shopping
Society
Sports
Worlds
These are pretty normal for a directory, the directory is nothing special but is good. Navigation is easy.
Disadvantages
- Advertising
If you search for certain phrases such as online shopping, you get a coloured box as the first result, this is a sponsored link, that companies pay for to get higher in the search results. This may be slightly distorting the results, however, they are clearly marked and do not seem to slow down the searching.
Well, as you can plainly see, there are way more advantages than disadvantages. To summarise, it is fast and customisable. Well worth a look for anyone who doesn’t already use it.
Best songs of A R Rehman
The title is a song composed by ARR which means
A Flower Gifted by God for the movie Kannathil Muthamittal.
I for one am a person who believes that no one can make music like A.R Rahman..
The man is no doubt, a genius. Born as A.S Dilip Kumar,
he is now Allah Rakha Rahman/ AR rahman/ARR. And I consider this human being to be a musical genius.
So obviously I’m guessing no one will be surprised if I said I went to his concert in
New York spending……well let’s just say a lot of money for third row seats...right in the middle(which my dad still can’t seem to stop yelling about...’’You #@*&%$, you ruined all my hard earned money on some cr eature who calls himself a musician??!!”
My pitashri in an avatar of Hitler does not like this great musician for some reason that I have no idea about!!
So let me tell you about some of the many hit songs by
Padmashri AR Rahman that I think are THE best.…..
(n I should tell you… these were some EXTREMELY hard choices to make!!)
1) Sakhiye(saathiyaa) -Alaipayuthey
Singer-Hariharan, Clinton
This was the original Tamil version of the title song from the movie Saathiya. Also made in Hindi with Sonu Nigam’s voice and Gulzar’s lyrics though I’d always prefer the tamil one.Those who haven’t heard this song…do hear it to enjoy the beautiful instruments n Clinton’s voice in the background singing the beautiful lyrics by Vairamuthu comparing his ladylove to an array of beautiful colors.
2) Khamosh Raat – Thakshak
Singer- Roopkumar Rathod
A wonderful combination of AR Rahman’s music, Mehboob’s lyrics and Roopkumar Rathod’s melodious voice.
This was a song that even melted my dear pitashri’s heart (remember Hitler??)… I don’t think anyone can resist this song because of its addictive and very soothing guitar strums…I should say I tried for 3 weeks to learn to play this song on my guitar and was an unsuccessful fan…but I am gonna keep trying!!
3) Roja-Roja
Singers- SP Balasubramanium, Chitra
Thandi Thandi ay hawa.. tera kaam kya yahan
Meet nahin paas mein ..chaandni tu laut ja
Phool kyon khile ho tum ..zulf nahin vo yahan
Jhuke jhuke aasmaan.. meri hansi na uda
Pyaar ke bina meri.. zindagi udaas hai
Koi nahin hai mera.. sirf teri aas hai
Khwaabon mein tu..Saanson mein tu..Roja
SPB’s voice in this extremely beautiful piece of poetry actually makes you feel the pain of being stranded away from your loved one along with the stirring vocals of Chitra in the background. Notice how SPB stresses his pain in the first line of this stanza as if he is actually scolding the cold wind and pleading with the moonlight to leave. P.K Mishra’s lyrics come in to make this a phenomenal song…you could never miss it.
4) Chaiyya Chaiyya – Dil se
Singers- Sukhwinder Singh, Sapna Awasthi
One could never ask for anything better than a combo of ARR, Gulzar, Mani Ratnam and ….Sukhwinder Singh!! One could never get tired of listening to Sukhwinder’s voice as he goes on improvising along with Awasthi’s husky voice. ARR gives the song an appropriate pace with a bass and even electric guitars. Equally good was Thaiyya thaiyya from the same movie.
5) Nahin Samne Yeh Alag Baat Hai – Taal
Singer – Hariharan
An amazing song sung by the very gifted Hariharan with the lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
Adding to it was Ahmed Khan’s choreography in the movie. Gotta love listening to it at a high volume while driving. (no…this is not a course on How to Get into Accidents 101..I was just making a good suggestion yaar!)
6) Jiya Jale – Dil se
Singers- Lata Mangeshkar, M.G Sreekumar
Does ARR have to prove anything more to us?? He is a genius in every genre. Along with Gulzar’s lyrics. He brought Malayalam in between a Hindi song with
M.G Sreekumar singing the beautiful lyrics by talented Malayali lyricist Girish Puthencherry and made it so unique and wonderful. If anyone wants to know the Malayalam lyrics in this song n its translation..lemme know.
7) Nilaakaagiradhu - Indira
Hindi version is Khili Chandini Humein Keh Rahi - Priyanka
Again I would strongly recommend that you listen to the original Tamil version of this song with beautiful lyrics by Vairamuthu. The hindi lyrics are a bit different from the tamil lyrics…the latter being better. Hariharan’s voice will blow you away as he sings for Arvind Swamy when he feels life is looking down upon him. ARR’s music…every single improvisation ..makes us go through all those emotions. I feel so lucky to have seen these two geniuses perform live before me……
adhoa poaginradhu kaanal maegam…mazhaiyai kaanavillaiyae
There goes the cloud…I can’t see any rain
idhoa kaetkinradhu kuyilin soagam, isaiyum kaetkavillaiyae
Here I hear the koel’s melancholy…I can’t even hear its melody
indha bhoomiyae poovanam….endhan poovidhazh sarugudhae
The world in itself is a garden…but the petals of my flower are dying
indha vaazhkaiyae seedhanam...adhil jeevanae thaeyudhae
This life in itself is a bounty …but my soul is getting eroded.
8) Vellai Pookkal – Kannathil muthamittaal
Sung by ARR himself, the acoustics and piano just soothe your nerves completely. With lyrics by Vairamuthu, this song won the prestigious Subhash Award for ...I think it was best lyrics or best song…I’m not sure. And yes…I can sing along and play this song on my guitar!!!
!!!!!
Vellai pookkal oolagam engum malaravae,
Kiliyum bhoomi amaithikkaaga piliravae,
Mannmael manjal velicham vilugavae, Malarae sombal murithu elugavae,
Kulanthai vilikkattumae, Thaayin kathakathappil,
Oolagam vidiyattumae, Pillaiyin siru mudhal sirippil
As white flowers bloom everywhere in this world,
As a war-torn world silences for the sake of peace,
As the yellow light falls on the sand,
As the flowers wake, stretching widely, their leaves,
Let the children wake,
In the warmth of the world,
Let the world dawn,
With the laughter of the first new child.
Equally good was the title song from the same movie
9) Maargazhi poove- May Madham
Singer- Shobha Shekhar
I have no words to describe this song. The song is about a girl expressing her dreams n desires once she’s set free from the shackles of her very strict father. ARR uses the tune of the sloka, “Suprabhatham” which means ‘morning’ on the flute to show that this is the first time that this girl is actually enjoying the morning in all its beauty for the first time in her life. The music has birds chirping in the background and addictive beats with a very soothing chorus. ARR’s use of the violin and tabla in this song are just brilliant.
‘pookkalaip piriththu puththagam padippaen’
I will open the flowers and read them like books
(Yes they did use the music of all the songs in this Tamil movie in a Hindi movie ‘Love You Hameshaa’. Even though I don’t understand Tamil that well, I still love the music they make down there, they shouldn’t have manipulated it like that.)
10) Hai rama – Rangeela
Singers – Hariharan, Swarnalatha
How much of a genius is this guy??!! He’s like a magic box…that which every time you open, it springs up with something new and manages to take your breath out of you.
Notice how he elevates the passion with Hariharan’s pitch rising with every beat, n then he comes up with all these beats together taking it to its peak and ….bam…brings it back down. No doubt, he’s a genius in keeping his listeners hooked to what he does.
Also, lyrics by Mehboob.
There are soooo many more that I haven’t mentioned .
The album Kandukondain Kandukndain deserves special mention...its one of my fave albums by ARR. Every song is unique and absolutely beautiful.
Snegithane/Chupke se – Alaipayuthey/Saathiya (both by Sadhana Sargam)
Nazron ke milne se – Vishwavidhaata (Kavita Krishnamoorthy)
Vennilave/Chanda re – Minsara Kanavu/Sapnay (Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam)
Chinna Chinna Aasai/Dil hai Chota sa – Roja
En mel vizhundha – May Madham (Jayachandran)
(Was made into something average in Hindi sung by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam)
Oh Bhavre – Daud (by Asha Bhosle ,KJ YesudasYesudas)
Kissa Hum Likhenge – Doli saja ke Rakhna (MG Sreekumar, Sadhana Sargam)
Well…as always ARR’s music stood out for the otherwise crappy movie that this was made for.
Chandralekha – Thiruda Thiruda (Anupama) Omg…the genius at work again.
AMAZING!!!
Thee Thee – Thiruda Thiruda(carolene)
Uyire/Tu hi re – Bombay (Hariharan)
Kismat se tum- Pukar (aah…Sonu Nigam, Anuradha Paudwal)
All the songs from Lagaan
E Ajnabi (Udit Narayan)
Nadhiye n Thaniye from Rhythm
Sona Sona -ARR’s musical Bombay Dreams by ARR and Sukhwinder Singh
There are still soooooooooooooo many songs by this Maestro that I haven’t mentioned above but I would if I could.
A Flower Gifted by God for the movie Kannathil Muthamittal.
I for one am a person who believes that no one can make music like A.R Rahman..
The man is no doubt, a genius. Born as A.S Dilip Kumar,
he is now Allah Rakha Rahman/ AR rahman/ARR. And I consider this human being to be a musical genius.
So obviously I’m guessing no one will be surprised if I said I went to his concert in
New York spending……well let’s just say a lot of money for third row seats...right in the middle(which my dad still can’t seem to stop yelling about...’’You #@*&%$, you ruined all my hard earned money on some cr eature who calls himself a musician??!!”
My pitashri in an avatar of Hitler does not like this great musician for some reason that I have no idea about!!
So let me tell you about some of the many hit songs by
Padmashri AR Rahman that I think are THE best.…..
(n I should tell you… these were some EXTREMELY hard choices to make!!)
1) Sakhiye(saathiyaa) -Alaipayuthey
Singer-Hariharan, Clinton
This was the original Tamil version of the title song from the movie Saathiya. Also made in Hindi with Sonu Nigam’s voice and Gulzar’s lyrics though I’d always prefer the tamil one.Those who haven’t heard this song…do hear it to enjoy the beautiful instruments n Clinton’s voice in the background singing the beautiful lyrics by Vairamuthu comparing his ladylove to an array of beautiful colors.
2) Khamosh Raat – Thakshak
Singer- Roopkumar Rathod
A wonderful combination of AR Rahman’s music, Mehboob’s lyrics and Roopkumar Rathod’s melodious voice.
This was a song that even melted my dear pitashri’s heart (remember Hitler??)… I don’t think anyone can resist this song because of its addictive and very soothing guitar strums…I should say I tried for 3 weeks to learn to play this song on my guitar and was an unsuccessful fan…but I am gonna keep trying!!
3) Roja-Roja
Singers- SP Balasubramanium, Chitra
Thandi Thandi ay hawa.. tera kaam kya yahan
Meet nahin paas mein ..chaandni tu laut ja
Phool kyon khile ho tum ..zulf nahin vo yahan
Jhuke jhuke aasmaan.. meri hansi na uda
Pyaar ke bina meri.. zindagi udaas hai
Koi nahin hai mera.. sirf teri aas hai
Khwaabon mein tu..Saanson mein tu..Roja
SPB’s voice in this extremely beautiful piece of poetry actually makes you feel the pain of being stranded away from your loved one along with the stirring vocals of Chitra in the background. Notice how SPB stresses his pain in the first line of this stanza as if he is actually scolding the cold wind and pleading with the moonlight to leave. P.K Mishra’s lyrics come in to make this a phenomenal song…you could never miss it.
4) Chaiyya Chaiyya – Dil se
Singers- Sukhwinder Singh, Sapna Awasthi
One could never ask for anything better than a combo of ARR, Gulzar, Mani Ratnam and ….Sukhwinder Singh!! One could never get tired of listening to Sukhwinder’s voice as he goes on improvising along with Awasthi’s husky voice. ARR gives the song an appropriate pace with a bass and even electric guitars. Equally good was Thaiyya thaiyya from the same movie.
5) Nahin Samne Yeh Alag Baat Hai – Taal
Singer – Hariharan
An amazing song sung by the very gifted Hariharan with the lyrics by Anand Bakshi.
Adding to it was Ahmed Khan’s choreography in the movie. Gotta love listening to it at a high volume while driving. (no…this is not a course on How to Get into Accidents 101..I was just making a good suggestion yaar!)
6) Jiya Jale – Dil se
Singers- Lata Mangeshkar, M.G Sreekumar
Does ARR have to prove anything more to us?? He is a genius in every genre. Along with Gulzar’s lyrics. He brought Malayalam in between a Hindi song with
M.G Sreekumar singing the beautiful lyrics by talented Malayali lyricist Girish Puthencherry and made it so unique and wonderful. If anyone wants to know the Malayalam lyrics in this song n its translation..lemme know.
7) Nilaakaagiradhu - Indira
Hindi version is Khili Chandini Humein Keh Rahi - Priyanka
Again I would strongly recommend that you listen to the original Tamil version of this song with beautiful lyrics by Vairamuthu. The hindi lyrics are a bit different from the tamil lyrics…the latter being better. Hariharan’s voice will blow you away as he sings for Arvind Swamy when he feels life is looking down upon him. ARR’s music…every single improvisation ..makes us go through all those emotions. I feel so lucky to have seen these two geniuses perform live before me……
adhoa poaginradhu kaanal maegam…mazhaiyai kaanavillaiyae
There goes the cloud…I can’t see any rain
idhoa kaetkinradhu kuyilin soagam, isaiyum kaetkavillaiyae
Here I hear the koel’s melancholy…I can’t even hear its melody
indha bhoomiyae poovanam….endhan poovidhazh sarugudhae
The world in itself is a garden…but the petals of my flower are dying
indha vaazhkaiyae seedhanam...adhil jeevanae thaeyudhae
This life in itself is a bounty …but my soul is getting eroded.
8) Vellai Pookkal – Kannathil muthamittaal
Sung by ARR himself, the acoustics and piano just soothe your nerves completely. With lyrics by Vairamuthu, this song won the prestigious Subhash Award for ...I think it was best lyrics or best song…I’m not sure. And yes…I can sing along and play this song on my guitar!!!
!!!!!
Vellai pookkal oolagam engum malaravae,
Kiliyum bhoomi amaithikkaaga piliravae,
Mannmael manjal velicham vilugavae, Malarae sombal murithu elugavae,
Kulanthai vilikkattumae, Thaayin kathakathappil,
Oolagam vidiyattumae, Pillaiyin siru mudhal sirippil
As white flowers bloom everywhere in this world,
As a war-torn world silences for the sake of peace,
As the yellow light falls on the sand,
As the flowers wake, stretching widely, their leaves,
Let the children wake,
In the warmth of the world,
Let the world dawn,
With the laughter of the first new child.
Equally good was the title song from the same movie
9) Maargazhi poove- May Madham
Singer- Shobha Shekhar
I have no words to describe this song. The song is about a girl expressing her dreams n desires once she’s set free from the shackles of her very strict father. ARR uses the tune of the sloka, “Suprabhatham” which means ‘morning’ on the flute to show that this is the first time that this girl is actually enjoying the morning in all its beauty for the first time in her life. The music has birds chirping in the background and addictive beats with a very soothing chorus. ARR’s use of the violin and tabla in this song are just brilliant.
‘pookkalaip piriththu puththagam padippaen’
I will open the flowers and read them like books
(Yes they did use the music of all the songs in this Tamil movie in a Hindi movie ‘Love You Hameshaa’. Even though I don’t understand Tamil that well, I still love the music they make down there, they shouldn’t have manipulated it like that.)
10) Hai rama – Rangeela
Singers – Hariharan, Swarnalatha
How much of a genius is this guy??!! He’s like a magic box…that which every time you open, it springs up with something new and manages to take your breath out of you.
Notice how he elevates the passion with Hariharan’s pitch rising with every beat, n then he comes up with all these beats together taking it to its peak and ….bam…brings it back down. No doubt, he’s a genius in keeping his listeners hooked to what he does.
Also, lyrics by Mehboob.
There are soooo many more that I haven’t mentioned .
The album Kandukondain Kandukndain deserves special mention...its one of my fave albums by ARR. Every song is unique and absolutely beautiful.
Snegithane/Chupke se – Alaipayuthey/Saathiya (both by Sadhana Sargam)
Nazron ke milne se – Vishwavidhaata (Kavita Krishnamoorthy)
Vennilave/Chanda re – Minsara Kanavu/Sapnay (Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam)
Chinna Chinna Aasai/Dil hai Chota sa – Roja
En mel vizhundha – May Madham (Jayachandran)
(Was made into something average in Hindi sung by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam)
Oh Bhavre – Daud (by Asha Bhosle ,KJ YesudasYesudas)
Kissa Hum Likhenge – Doli saja ke Rakhna (MG Sreekumar, Sadhana Sargam)
Well…as always ARR’s music stood out for the otherwise crappy movie that this was made for.
Chandralekha – Thiruda Thiruda (Anupama) Omg…the genius at work again.
AMAZING!!!
Thee Thee – Thiruda Thiruda(carolene)
Uyire/Tu hi re – Bombay (Hariharan)
Kismat se tum- Pukar (aah…Sonu Nigam, Anuradha Paudwal)
All the songs from Lagaan
E Ajnabi (Udit Narayan)
Nadhiye n Thaniye from Rhythm
Sona Sona -ARR’s musical Bombay Dreams by ARR and Sukhwinder Singh
There are still soooooooooooooo many songs by this Maestro that I haven’t mentioned above but I would if I could.
Top Ten Best Songs in 2003
The year 2003 hasn’t exactly been a great year for music. But it definitely has given us some truly classic songs..
So here goes my list on the 10 Best Hindi Songs of 2003!
1. Benaam sa yeh Dard - Dhoop
The song is sung by my favorite Jagjit Singh, has music by Lalit Sen and lyrics penned by the awesome Nida Fazli (remember Sur??)
Benaam sa yeh dard theher kyun nahi jaata..
Jo beet gaya hai woh..guzar kyon nahi jaata..
2~ Jab Kabhi - Jhankaar Beats
Music was tuned by by Vishal & Shekhar, lyrics by Vishal Dadlani and this beautiful song was sung by Kay Kay and Mahalaxmi.
Jab kabhi baadal chaaye..ya ghani barsaat ho..
Hogi khushi har ik boond mein..agar tum saath ho.
3~ Aawarapan Banjarapan - Jism
Music by MM Kreem(remember Tu mile from Criminal?), lyrics by Saeed Qadri and Neelesh Mishra, Sung by KayKay
Is dharti par ..jis pal sooraj.. roz savere ugta hai
Apne liye toh theek usi pal.. roz dhala hai seene mein.
Jaane ye kaisi aag lagi hai..is mein dhuaan na chingaari
Hona ho is baar kahin.. koi khwaab jala hai seene mein
4~ Sajna ve - Chameli
Music by Sandesh Shandilya, lyrics by Irshad Kamil, n I went WOW at Sunidhi Chauhan’s voice.
Tujhe bhar loon apni aankhon mein..phir in aankhon ko main kholoon na..
Kholoon apni baaton mein..phir is duniya se boloon na.
5~ Chalte Chalte - Chalte Chalte
Music by Jatin Lalit, lyrics by the one and only Javed Akhtar, sung surprisingly well by Abhijeet and Alka Yagnik.
Doob gaya hai jaise dard mein dil..aansu bhari hain ab aankhein
Tanhaiyon ki jo rut aa gayi hai..ujdi hui hain sab raahein
Socha tha paayenge dono ek manzil ko..raahein jo badli to tum hi bata do
Chalte chalte gum kahan kaafle ho gaye..
6~ Mann ki Lagan - Paap
This album just came out a day ago I think, and I haven’t been humming anthing but this. Music by Shahi, Lyrics by Amjad Islam Amjad and sung mind blowingly by Rahat Fateh Ali khan.
Laage tumse mann ke lagan..lagan laage tumse mann ke lagan
Gali gali ghoome, dil tujhe dhoondhe...tere bin tarse nain.
Tere bin mera mann..jaise van mein hiran...jaise pagli pavan..
7~ Kal ho na ho - Kal ho na ho (happy and sad versions)
Music by Shankar Ehsaan and loy, Lyrics by Javed saab again, rendered in Sonu Nigam’s mellifluous voice.
Tum ho gham ko chupaye..main hoon sar ko jhukaye
Tum bhi chup ho..main bhi chup hoon
Kaun kise samjhaaye..
Ab dooriyan itni hain toh.. milna yahan kal ho na ho. (sad version)
8~ Ek Saathi Aur Bhi tha - LOC
Music by Anu Malik, Lyrics by Javed Akhtar, again sung by Sonu Nigam.
I honestly didn’t have the patience to listen to the lengthy songs in this movie until I saw the movie itslef and was especially touched by this song and the following lyrics..
Jao jo laut ke tum..ghar wo khushi se bhara..
Bas itna yaad rahe..ek saathi aur bhi tha..
Kal parbaton pe kahi..barsi thi jab goliyaan..
Hum log they saath mein..aur hausle they jawaan..
Ab tak chattaano pe hai..apne lahoo ke nishaan..
..Saathi mubarak tumhe..yeh jashn ho jeet ka..
9~ Kasam ki Kasam - Main prem ki deewani hoon
Music by Anu Malik, Lyrics by Dev Kohli , sung by Chithra and Shaan
I realize that sometimes the worst does happen for the best. Like this song happened because of this torture of a movie!
Log kehte hai paagal.. hoon main yeh bhi na jaanu
Dil lutaaya hai maine..ab kisiki na maanu
Chain dekar ke maine..bechainiya yeh li hai
Neende udaake maine..tumse wafaaye ki hai
Kasam ki kasam hai kasam se..jee rahe the hum tere dum se
Ab yeh pyaar na hoga phir humse.
10~ Sabaq Aisa - Tehzeeb
Music by AR Rahman!!Lyrics by Javed Akhtar and sung mesmerizingly by Sujata Bhattacharya.
Sabaq aisa padha diya tune..dil se sab kuch bhula diya tune
Mujh gunegaar ko jo baksh diya..toh jahannum ko kya diya tune
Daag ko kaun dene wala tha..jo diya e Khuda diya tune...
Hope you liked my choices and do comment if time permits!
So here goes my list on the 10 Best Hindi Songs of 2003!
1. Benaam sa yeh Dard - Dhoop
The song is sung by my favorite Jagjit Singh, has music by Lalit Sen and lyrics penned by the awesome Nida Fazli (remember Sur??)
Benaam sa yeh dard theher kyun nahi jaata..
Jo beet gaya hai woh..guzar kyon nahi jaata..
2~ Jab Kabhi - Jhankaar Beats
Music was tuned by by Vishal & Shekhar, lyrics by Vishal Dadlani and this beautiful song was sung by Kay Kay and Mahalaxmi.
Jab kabhi baadal chaaye..ya ghani barsaat ho..
Hogi khushi har ik boond mein..agar tum saath ho.
3~ Aawarapan Banjarapan - Jism
Music by MM Kreem(remember Tu mile from Criminal?), lyrics by Saeed Qadri and Neelesh Mishra, Sung by KayKay
Is dharti par ..jis pal sooraj.. roz savere ugta hai
Apne liye toh theek usi pal.. roz dhala hai seene mein.
Jaane ye kaisi aag lagi hai..is mein dhuaan na chingaari
Hona ho is baar kahin.. koi khwaab jala hai seene mein
4~ Sajna ve - Chameli
Music by Sandesh Shandilya, lyrics by Irshad Kamil, n I went WOW at Sunidhi Chauhan’s voice.
Tujhe bhar loon apni aankhon mein..phir in aankhon ko main kholoon na..
Kholoon apni baaton mein..phir is duniya se boloon na.
5~ Chalte Chalte - Chalte Chalte
Music by Jatin Lalit, lyrics by the one and only Javed Akhtar, sung surprisingly well by Abhijeet and Alka Yagnik.
Doob gaya hai jaise dard mein dil..aansu bhari hain ab aankhein
Tanhaiyon ki jo rut aa gayi hai..ujdi hui hain sab raahein
Socha tha paayenge dono ek manzil ko..raahein jo badli to tum hi bata do
Chalte chalte gum kahan kaafle ho gaye..
6~ Mann ki Lagan - Paap
This album just came out a day ago I think, and I haven’t been humming anthing but this. Music by Shahi, Lyrics by Amjad Islam Amjad and sung mind blowingly by Rahat Fateh Ali khan.
Laage tumse mann ke lagan..lagan laage tumse mann ke lagan
Gali gali ghoome, dil tujhe dhoondhe...tere bin tarse nain.
Tere bin mera mann..jaise van mein hiran...jaise pagli pavan..
7~ Kal ho na ho - Kal ho na ho (happy and sad versions)
Music by Shankar Ehsaan and loy, Lyrics by Javed saab again, rendered in Sonu Nigam’s mellifluous voice.
Tum ho gham ko chupaye..main hoon sar ko jhukaye
Tum bhi chup ho..main bhi chup hoon
Kaun kise samjhaaye..
Ab dooriyan itni hain toh.. milna yahan kal ho na ho. (sad version)
8~ Ek Saathi Aur Bhi tha - LOC
Music by Anu Malik, Lyrics by Javed Akhtar, again sung by Sonu Nigam.
I honestly didn’t have the patience to listen to the lengthy songs in this movie until I saw the movie itslef and was especially touched by this song and the following lyrics..
Jao jo laut ke tum..ghar wo khushi se bhara..
Bas itna yaad rahe..ek saathi aur bhi tha..
Kal parbaton pe kahi..barsi thi jab goliyaan..
Hum log they saath mein..aur hausle they jawaan..
Ab tak chattaano pe hai..apne lahoo ke nishaan..
..Saathi mubarak tumhe..yeh jashn ho jeet ka..
9~ Kasam ki Kasam - Main prem ki deewani hoon
Music by Anu Malik, Lyrics by Dev Kohli , sung by Chithra and Shaan
I realize that sometimes the worst does happen for the best. Like this song happened because of this torture of a movie!
Log kehte hai paagal.. hoon main yeh bhi na jaanu
Dil lutaaya hai maine..ab kisiki na maanu
Chain dekar ke maine..bechainiya yeh li hai
Neende udaake maine..tumse wafaaye ki hai
Kasam ki kasam hai kasam se..jee rahe the hum tere dum se
Ab yeh pyaar na hoga phir humse.
10~ Sabaq Aisa - Tehzeeb
Music by AR Rahman!!Lyrics by Javed Akhtar and sung mesmerizingly by Sujata Bhattacharya.
Sabaq aisa padha diya tune..dil se sab kuch bhula diya tune
Mujh gunegaar ko jo baksh diya..toh jahannum ko kya diya tune
Daag ko kaun dene wala tha..jo diya e Khuda diya tune...
Hope you liked my choices and do comment if time permits!
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S Movie Review
Sahi hai baap!
’’Apun jaise tapori ko kya maloom...saala pyaar kis chidiya ka naam hai’’ ,says Munnabhai. But by the end of the movie you can’t help but think otherwise. Munnabhai MBBS is the story of Munna aka Munnabhai aka Murli Prasad Sharma who as a kid was a goonda lafanga who ran away from his village to Mumbai fed up of life’s persuasions and expectations of him only to become a Bhai aka a gangster.
Munnabhai is ably accompanied by his sidekick Circuit and they succesfully conduct Paisa vasooli and call this business of their’s Social Service. At this point and time Munna’s father Hari Prasad Sharmacalls his son to inquire his whereabouts and whatabouts(?) in the big city. Munna chickens out and tells his father he fulfilled his lifelong dream and became a doctor. And thus begins a journey of lies(in the story) and rollicking fun (for the audience!).
Now that Hari Prasad Sharma is finally satisfied with his son becoming the doctor he always wanted him to be, he roconciles with Munna and makes frequent visits to the city with his wife. Of course Munnabhai is always informed before these visits so that his ’Dhulai karne ka’ crib by the resident Dhobi ghat is transformed into Shri Hariprasad Sharma Charitable Hospital, the mere signboard of which makes his father’s heart swell with pride. Preparations follow for his parents’ arrival. The building is painted, beds are brought in, the neighboring dhobis and Munnabhai’s chamchas are made patients, the gang’s trademark all-purpose ambulance is brought out, Munna’bhai’ becomes Dr.Murli Prasad Sharma and Circuit becomes Sarkeshwar.
What follows is a hilarious sequence of pretensions where Munna analyzes rare diseases likeLymposarchoma of the intestines and gangsters enact dying heart patients. (Watch out for the scene where Munna claims one of the patients to be an overdramatic actor whilst his baju wala is a natural one!!).
Senior Sharma’s encounter with an old doctor friend Dr. J.Asthana leads to the planning of a marriage between Asthana’s doctor dotty Chinki and Munna. Alas, the truth is revealed cunningly by Asthana and an infuriated and majorly disappointed Hari Prasad Sharma packs his bags and leaves for his village.
Now Munnabhais’ heart is crushed by his father’s hopelessness in him and vows to enroll at a top Medical College by hook or crook, become a doctor, please his father and of course take revenge at Dr. Asthana by marrying his Doctor beti.
Thats when the story picks up and tells us how this goonda changes a hospital altogether with his cute philosophies, ranging from his concept of ’’Jadoo ki Jhappi’’s to his punchline ’’Tension nahi lene ka bhai!’’
~~Characters and Acting~~
>>The lead role of Munnabhai is played by a flawless Sanjay Dutt. I’ve never liked him so much in a movie before. His role of a conscientious tapori bhai with the healing touch is sure to make you laugh and at the same time, think. All you do is go Awwww when he begins to love Chinki(which thankgod is devoid of korniness) or when he utters lines like ’’Agar feelings strong hai na..toh bina phone ke Chembur tak baat ho sakta hai..’’, that too to a patient diagnosed as a human vegetable. Bole toh ekdum qweet hai yaar!
>>Dr.Asthana played by a very unique Boman Irani is sure to bring the house down. His portrayal of a hitlerish (mere baap!!) doctor who relies on laughter therapy to keep his BP low is out of this world. I was ROFLing when he went ’’Woh Munna apna area ka bhai hai!Brother!!Hahahaha..’’
>>Munna’s sidekick Circuit played by Arshad Warsi is just awesome. If there is any underrated actor in bollywood, then its him. I loved this guy ever since his debut Tere Mere Sapne(’’Arre..tum log aise khaana khaathe ho jaise kisika postmortem kar rahe ho!’’) Everytime Munna needs something he rings up his celly and goes ’’Abbe Circuit, ek kaam kar.’’, and its done!Watch him when he enters Munna’s navi hostel room and goes ’’Eh bhai!Yeh kamra shuroo hote hi khatham ho gaya bhai!’’ or when he sets out to get a dead body for Munna to study!
>>Chinki aka Dr. Suman played by Gracy Singh was a pleasure to watch. While watching the movie some fool complained how her cheeks were chubbier than apna Raja Bhaiyya of UP. Come on now..you sure dont think about that when you look at Rambha or Silk Smitha, do you?lol ’’Barobar bole na humne??!’’
>>The rest of the cast including Sunil Dutt(as Hari Prasad Sharma) and Rohini Hattangadi(as Munna’s mother) provided able support. Special mention is deserved for other characters like the classic geekNagarajan Swamy who ends up as Munna’s roommate(’’What is the procedure to change the room please?’’, and Asthana’s subsequent reaction to this is the best!), Dr. Rustom Pavri(the guy who played the depressed lawyer in Jhankaar Beats), the cleaner Maqsood, Lakshmi bhai(a role spanning 10secs yet imp.), Anand Bannerjee(the human vegetable guy), Pappa, the guy who plays Rustom Pavri’s aging carrom-loving father.(His line of ’’Rani toh Pappa ni!’’ will surely make you smile) and of course Jimmy Shergill’s character of Zaheer, a terminally ill guy.
~~Music~~
Almost all the songs are highly situational and are required for the going ons of the movie. Songs that stand out are Chan chan and Dekh le. Music is composed by Anu Malik and lyrics are by Abbas Tyrewala and Rahat Indori. Even the background score by Sanjay Wandrekar deserves a mention.
~~Work of the Crew~~
Debutant director Rajkumar Hirani(who also wrote the story) has given us a comedy that atleast for me will sit beside Chupke Chupke, Andaz apna apna, Golmaal, Angoor, Naram Garam and many others. MBMBBS boasts of a taut screenplay by Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Lajan Joseph. Ditto for the howlarious dialogues by Abbas Tyrewala (of ’’Aslam bhai...Dubai ka chashma, cheen ki chaddi aur irani chai..’’ fame) Cinematography by Binod Pradhan fits the setting of the movie aptly.
~~What I think?~~
Ok, you can flee now.... You decided to stay and read what else I think?
You Rock!:-))
MBMBBS is no doubt one of the best comedies made in recent times. The climax although predictable, was well executed . The part from when Munna joins the Medical College and everyone scorns him for being the rowdy that he is, to when everyone in the college starts using the tapori lingo and even boast to people who Munnabhai gave his first Jaadoo ki Jhappi to, are all very well done. Sanju excels in the climax when after Zaheer’s death, Munna finally realizes himself that he is not fit to be a doctor, and his mere Jhappis and kind words cannot cure the ill.And of course his parents are proud of him now!Its a completely feel good movie. Also,kindly leave all ur capabilities of thinking before you venture upon MBMBBS.
Bole toh is pichurr ko samajhne ki jurrat hi ka hai??!Bole to ek dum phirst class hai!Bus!
Ab chal..idhar se kalti maar aur fatafat RC kar !! :-D
Eminem Show - Eminem English Music Album Review
The Eminem Show
well this is definitely a great comeback for Marshall Mathers.the ’’Eminem Show’’ is a great album for someone who has nothing against white people rapping and don’t mind hearing profanity and abusive language.
well this was an album that got Eminem a bunch of Mtv music awards and a grammy.i used to wonder first how could a guy get so many awards for dissing and cursing the world around him.but it has to be mentioned that the guy is a genius with his rhymes.’’Without Me’’ of course is the best of the lot.every word drips of sarcasm and its pretty humorous to hear Em diss Dick Cheny,his wife,Moby,Chris Kirkpatrick etc.another notable song is ’’Cleaning out my closet’’, a song about the terrible childhood that he is said to have in which he professes his hate for his mother yet again.
’’Sing for the moment’’ is basically a Led Zepplin song that Em has improvised on and it is pretty good.the first track is also one of the best tracks.’’White America’’ is both powerful and strong . be sure to check out the song sung by Em’s little daughter Hailie Jade ’’My Dad’s gone crazy’’.its cute.the other songs include features by 50 cent,obie trice etc. Overall ’’The Eminem Show’’ is a treat for hip hop lovers who don’t mind rap with immense profanity and hate!! If you like this album, check out the soundtrack of Eminem’s movie ’’8Mile’’ and the movie itself.Both are awesome.Especially the song ’’Lose Yourself’’ from the soundtarck is sure to blow you off. all you hip hop lovers,get the ’’EMINEM SHOW’’, i bet you’ll love it!!
well this was an album that got Eminem a bunch of Mtv music awards and a grammy.i used to wonder first how could a guy get so many awards for dissing and cursing the world around him.but it has to be mentioned that the guy is a genius with his rhymes.’’Without Me’’ of course is the best of the lot.every word drips of sarcasm and its pretty humorous to hear Em diss Dick Cheny,his wife,Moby,Chris Kirkpatrick etc.another notable song is ’’Cleaning out my closet’’, a song about the terrible childhood that he is said to have in which he professes his hate for his mother yet again.
’’Sing for the moment’’ is basically a Led Zepplin song that Em has improvised on and it is pretty good.the first track is also one of the best tracks.’’White America’’ is both powerful and strong . be sure to check out the song sung by Em’s little daughter Hailie Jade ’’My Dad’s gone crazy’’.its cute.the other songs include features by 50 cent,obie trice etc. Overall ’’The Eminem Show’’ is a treat for hip hop lovers who don’t mind rap with immense profanity and hate!! If you like this album, check out the soundtrack of Eminem’s movie ’’8Mile’’ and the movie itself.Both are awesome.Especially the song ’’Lose Yourself’’ from the soundtarck is sure to blow you off. all you hip hop lovers,get the ’’EMINEM SHOW’’, i bet you’ll love it!!
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