‘The Sound of Music’ is an award winning musical film released in 1965. The film was based on a successful Broadway musical by the same name, and the movie itself was one of the most successful music themed movies ever made. In fact, the movie, made at an approx budget of $ 8 million, made over $155 million at that time (and if this figure is inflated adjusted for the current, the movie made $ 1 billion at current prices, making this one of the most successful movies of all times). At the Oscars too, the movie was extremely successful, earning a total of 10 nominations, and willing 5 of them, including the treasured ones of Best Picture and Best Director.
The movie is very famous for the songs, and is actually known as a Rodgers and Hammerstein movie (so named due to the 2 song writers & musicians – Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (who died before the movie version was started)). The movie, although a musical, is based in Austria in very serious times, at a time when the Nazis were becoming more and more powerful, and is about the eventual escape of a family from the clutches of the Nazis.

The Academy awards for which ‘The Sound of Music’ was nominated were:

Wins

* Best Picture
* Best Director (Robert Wise)
* Sound
* Best Adapted Score
* Film Editing

Nominations

* Best Actress (Julie Andrews)
* Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Wood)
* Best Cinematography
* Best Art Direction
* Best Costume Design

The movie was essentially based on the Von Trapp family, headed by a widower naval commander, Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), and his seven cute children Liesl (16), Friedrich (14), Louisa (13), Kurt (11), Brigitta (10), Marta (7), and Gretl (5). In the midst of this comes Maria (Julie Andrews), studying to be a nun; she is sent to be the governess of these children. After some initial confrontation with the children and their father, she wins them over with the power and fun of her music and song (and these songs are the ones to watch).
The Captain warms to her when he sees the children getting closer to her, and Julie in turn finds herself falling for the Captain, but he is engaged to the wealthy baroness, Elba. Elba realizes the Captain is getting close to Julie, and sends her back to the convent. However, the Captain soon makes it clear that things will not work with the Baroness, and when Maria gets back to the house, they wed.
However, politically things are not turning out right. The Nazis take over power in Austria, and want Captain von Trapp to serve in the military. He however is not willing to serve, and buys time by taking part in a concert, from the entire family escape over the hills to Switzerland.

Songs from the movie:

* “Prelude and The Sound of Music”
* “Overture” (Main Titles, consisting of “The Sound of Music”, “Do-Re-Mi”, “My Favorite Things”, “Something Good” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”) seguéin= into the Preludium
* “Preludium: Dixit Dominus”, “Morning Hymn” (Rex admirabilis and Alleluia, based on traditional songs)
* “Maria”
* “I Have Confidence” (lyrics and music by Rodgers)
* “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”
* “My Favorite Things”
* “Salzburg Montage” (instrumental underscore based on “My Favorite Things”
* “Do-Re-Mi”
* “The Sound of Music” (reprise)
* “The Lonely Goatherd”
* “Edelweiss”
* “The Grand Waltz” (instrumental underscore, based on “My Favorite Things”)
* “Ländler” (instrumental based on “The Lonely Goatherd”)
* “So Long, Farewell”
* “Processional Waltz” (instrumental underscore)
* “Goodbye Maria/How Can Love Survive Waltz” (instrumental underscore, incorporating “Edelweiss” and the deleted song “How Can Love Survive?”)
* “Edelweiss Waltz” (instrumental, Act 1 Finale, based on “Edelweiss”)
* “Entr’acte” (instrumental, consisting of “I Have Confidence”, “So Long, Farewell”, “Do-Re-Mi”, “Something Good” and “The Sound of Music”)
* “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”
* “My Favorite Things” (reprise)
* “Something Good” (lyrics and music by Rodgers)
* “Processional” (instrumental) and “Maria”
* “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” (reprise)
* “Do-Re-Mi” (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
* “Edelweiss” (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
* “So Long, Farewell” (Salzburg Folk Festival reprise)
* “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” (reprise)
* “End Titles”

It is in the last 1-2 decades that animation movies have come into their own. And Pixar has had a great deal to do with making them more life-like, more enjoyable, and able to appeal to an adult audience as well. Finding Nemo was made by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution in 2003; it was the fifth such combined effort by Pixar and Disney, and was incredibly successful. The movie, surprisingly for an animation movie, has been voted in many of the top 100 films, and been incredibly successful financially. Even though the movie cost in the range of around $95 million to make, it made over $860 worldwide, and is probably the most sold DVD, selling more than 40 million copies.

Finding Nemo was nominated for 4 awards, and won 1.
* Best Animated Film – Won
* Best Original Score – Thomas Newman (Nominated)
* Best Sound Editing (Nominated)
* Best Screenplay – Original – Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson & David Reynolds (Nominated)
The movie was rated as not just a children’s movie, but a movie that appealed to teens as well as adults. For a start, Finding Nemo has some great animation. It has been pretty hard to make an animation that shows water naturally, and imagine a movie that was all about water; yet the effects were well applauded and the water, whether it be in the water of the Australian Great Barrier Reef or the smallness of a aquarium, always seemed realistic.
The movie also impresses in terms of its story. The elements of an over-protective father, a rebellious son, and the tensions surrounding such a relationship all are a basic part of life, and the movie presented this in a very warm, appealing way. The movie is also very funny, and you can be pretty sure to be laughing at many points of the movie. Also, for parents who watch Finding Nemo, the concept of losing a child, and the desperate effort to find the lost child is something that all parents can identify with.
What makes the movie even more special are the characters, all of whom have their own character, with many of them fighting their own personal battles. Some of the actors who have lent their voices and made the characters so more lovable are Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root and Geoffrey Rush.
The movie, about the clownfish, Marlin, is about him losing his wife and children (save one) to a barracuda. Marlin promises that the one safe child will always be safe. And hence, as Nemo starts to grow up, Marlin tries to live upto that promise and becomes an over-protective father, to the extent that Nemo is embarrassed by Marlin. When Marlin warns Nemo against the dangers of the open ocean, Nemo in defiance, goes to the ocean to demonstrate that there are no dangers against him; and thus starts the adventure. Nemo is captured by a scuba-diving dentist. Marlin soon loses the boat of the dentist, but picks up a blue tang named Dory who offers to help him search for his son (and is also a hindrance many times). They soon are able to figure out that Nemo has been taken to Sydney.
Nemo is now in a fish tank, waiting to be given as a birthday present to a young girl named Darla. The other fish in the fish tank are all enthusiastic about trying to escape, and a fish named Gil suggests jamming the filter (so that the dentist will take the fish out while cleaning the tank).
Marlin and Dory meet a number of creatures on the way, such as the shark who wants to love fish and not be seen as a fish-eating machine, a very old sea turtle totally young at heart, and then a pelican named Nigel who offers some incredible help by taking them to the dentist’s office. Nemo in the meantime pretends to be dead, and is sent down the toilet to reach the ocean. In between Nemo meets up with Marlin and Dory, and then Dory is caught in a net. In order to save Dory, Marlin has to allow Nemo to go back on his own while Marlin saves Dory.

After a long time, probably after I read ‘The Life of Pi’, here’s another book which keeps you engaged till the end. Its a sad and tragic story of a boy from Afghanistan. Its a work of fiction by Khaled Hosseini and his first one, did this in 2003. He is from Afghanistan.

The book starts with a story of a boy in Afghanistan in a well-to-do family with access to English DVDs, good food, Mustang, a influential father and most importantly a divine friend. The book is named ‘The Kite Runner’as this divine friend is a great kite runner. A kite runner is someone who runs and loots the cut kites. Amir, the rich kid and the Hasan the poor kid. The story moves easy and well in the beginning with details on Afghan life and mostly about Kabul before Russian war era.

It all funny and good-read till Khaled makes the first blow where Hasan gets badly treated by a group of rowdy boys. Wont tell you the actual thing but I was very shocked and I actually stopped reading this for a while. It seemed like a big effort to again pick the book and resume. From then on the story turns and more tragic thing start to happen. Amir gets into that guilt mode since he could not save Hasan. Then the war happens and they have to flee to Pakistan and then later to US. Amir has lost his mother very early and his Dad was never too excited about Amir for he was more of a creative kind with little or no interest in sports or more manly occupations.

The story then moves leaps n bounds with Amir finally moving to US, finishing his school there, finding a girl, comes back to Pakistan to meet an old friend of his Abba. Its a not a thick tome but Khaled has been able to add so much that you keep engaged and connected. Infact in last 100 pages, there are many new twists and discoveries. Its not only a story of a boy by now and rather takes you to society and a country. In last few episodes so much happen that you start to get nauseating at times.

The finish line has not been decorated too much, it sorts of end on a subtle note. Nothing great happens in the end, probably a realistic end to a heroic story. If you dont like reading tragedies then avoid but if you are interested in reading human relations, those secret aspects of ourselves, the innates then do read.

There is a movie on the book and is getting released shortly so read the book first before watching the movie.

Baby’s Day Out was released in 1994, and was a hit, seemingly continuing in the line of Home Alone. While Home Alone dealt with a young boy planning and scheming on how to ward off thieves, Baby’s Day out takes a toddler who through a series of incidents manages to outwit a trio of kidnappers. Given the age of the baby, it is impossible for these events to happen through deliberate action, but in fact the tale happens on the basis of a book called ‘Baby’s Day Out’. It of course helps that the kidnappers are bumbling kidnappers.
So what’s the story like: Bink is the 9 month old baby of rich parents, Bennington Sr. and Lorraine. 3 kidnappers, Eddie, Veeko and Norby get the idea of kidnapping the baby for ransom. They arrive at the Bennington home taking the place of previously scheduled photographers, and manager to get the baby away by pretending to setup a good photographer. And then starts a series of adventures. They try to feed the baby and make a mess out of it, and when attention is diverted, the baby starts to climb to the roof and eventually climbs on a plank that leads to the next building. When the panicky kidnappers try to follow him, one of them falls down a big fall and into a garbage bin.
Now the baby is away from their clutches, and the rest of the movie is about trying to catch him. They chase him when he gets into a bus, from there into a department store, find him again when he suddenly shows up on TV, into another taxi, into a zoo (where the gorilla beats up the 3 kidnappers), into a rabbit hole. In a park when they catch the baby, he sets fire to one of them, moving onto a construction site where the baby crawls onto a girder and after a series of mis-steps that afflict the kidnappers, escapes. In the meantime, the family discovers that he is following the places in the book and head for the final destination, an Old Solder’s Home, where he is finally reunited with his family.
This was an enjoyable movie, but if I was the kidnapper, after so many accidents, I would realize that fate was against me and given up.