Game of Thrones

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."

When it came to adventure we couldn’t stop ourselves from posting something about Game of Thrones! This was an amazing write-up on Game of Thrones. As epic as the series itself. Now, can't wait for the next season to start!

Stand-up

Since we’ve had a few posts on stand-up comedians and how to write for stand-up, on our Qitaabe facebook page, we thought we’d share with you an interesting documentary on stand up comedians. See the work that goes behind creating a funny joke and the hardship and rewards of being a successful stand up comedian or writer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVDzuT0fXro

Facebook is a funny place

If you love facebook and love reading something funny, then here’s the perfect book for you! ‘Funny Facebook Status Updates and More’

http://www.amazon.com/Funny-Facebook-Status-Updates-ebook/dp/B003KVKSWG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350543726&sr=1-1&keywords=FUNNY+BOOKS

Road/Travel films

Let’s face it who doesn't like travelling? Travel broadens the mind they say and all of us at CD hop on the first bus or train when the opportunity comes knocking. Needless to say, when you enter the monotony of everyday life and work, such opportunities are rare. We love watching films based on travel, films where the protagonist wants to reach a destination, or as they say where the journey itself becomes the destination for most of them. That wide angle shot of the dry Texas landscape in Wim Winders’ Paris, Texas or the beautiful Japanese countryside in Kitano’s Kikujiro, transports the viewer right there, as if you can smell the asphalt or feel prick of the sun. Such is the power of Cinema. So, when it came to books on travel during Qitaabé , we thought why not extend it to films as well. We have compiled a little list of 25 of our favourite road films, in doing so we have surely missed out on loads of other amazing road films, but this is just from the top of our minds . Bare in mind these are films where the road is not just a setting or a backdrop but a crucial part of the narrative. The road propels the narrative, the characters take shape based on what happens on the road. The road here is not just restricted to ‘roads’ on the street but it’s a manifestation of the path or the way the characters decide to take and how it plays a crucial role in shaping their life. Hope you find this useful. Oh and we can’t wait to watch the adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

a. Alice in the cities
b. Kikujiro
c. Wrong move
d. Kings of the road
e. Y tu mama tamien
f. Into the wild
g. Mystery train
h. Wendy and lucy
i. The Beach
j. Half moon
k. Paris, texas
l. Sideways
m. Planes trains and automobiles
n. Easy rider
o. Old joy
p. Fear and loathing in las vegas
q. The Darjeeling limited
r. The straight story
s. About Schmidt
t. Vagabond
u. In July
v. The Return
w. Riding alone for thousands of miles
x. La Strada
y. The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner

Adaptations

With more and more books getting adapted into films, we were wondering where the author’s work ends and the filmmaker’s begins. Auteurs like Stanley Kubrick have been known to highly change the original novels/ books their script was based on, take The Shining as an example. While plenty of shows and films are getting adapted from books, we wondered if there’s a dearth in quality scriptwriters or is adapting from a book just an easy way out? Who would you rather work with as a filmmaker, an author or a screenplay writer? Sure, you read a book from time to time, and imagine how perfect it would be if it were made into a film, but does this also work the other way around?. Stanley Kubrick made 2001: A Space Odyssey at the same time that Arthur C Clarke was writing the novel, and the result is nothing but awe inspiring in both cases. Can such a dialogue and exchange between a filmmaker and an author result in a much bigger and epic piece of art? Also film adaptations run a risk of misinterpreting the novel or leaving out crucial elements which de-value the story as a whole. In such a case does the author’s claim over his piece of work end soon as he sells the rights to a filmmaker? Does the filmmaker become the sole bearer of the story? How does it feel for an author/scriptwriter to work on a piece for months or years, only to see it butchered at the hands of a lousy film director? Also, what do you do first, read the book or see the film?These questions gave rise to an interesting debated at the Cine darbaar office.

Funny or Racist?

We've just compiled a list of our favorite comedians and its not shocking that most of these comedians were Jewish or had what they called a sense of Jewish humor in them. It should be made clear that Jewish humour doesn't imply making fun of Jews but Jews having a laugh at themselves, in a self-deprecating way. Take the likes of Woody Allen, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, Seth Rogen, the list goes on. So what makes these men funny or what is it about Jewish humour that tickles a funny bone for people from across the world? This dialogue between funny men, Ricky Gervais and Larry David gives a better insight about Jewish humour-

“RG: I love Jewish humour but I don't know exactly what it is. What is Jewish humour?

LD: There's a lot of complaining, I guess - being dealt a bad hand, the weight of the world upon your shoulders. There's also a certain rhythm to the way Jews talk that might be funny.

RG: Yiddish is funny already. I wanted to learn Yiddish.

LD: There's a jazz to it. And oppression would lead to humour, would it not?”


It is funny if a Jewish comedian jokes about his ancestory and past but is it funny if a non-jewish person jokes about the same? Ricky Gervais fell into a controversy regarding the same when he joked about Anne Frank. In his defence he said “I have had that routine for nearly 10 years now. It is about the misunderstanding and ignorance of what is clearly a tragic and horrific situation. My comic persona is that of a man who speaks with great arrogance and authority but who along the way reveals his immense stupidity.

In this particular routine, I envisage an almost slapstick version of the Nazis entering the home of Anne Frank on a daily basis and always failing to bother to "look upstairs".

I even have one of them suggest, "Looking upstairs today, Sarge?" The officer replies, "No, let's move on."

The first Nazi then says: "What's that tapping sound?" - as I mime using an old fashioned typewriter. Again the joke here is the supremely stupid assumption that Anne Frank obliviously and noisily typed her diary.

The Sarge (who I am portraying as a lazy and incompetent Nazi) answers, "Mice! Move on".

The final layer of ignorance in the routine is that, instead of taking the obvious and correct stance that Nazis were disgusting, immoral and evil, I merely conclude that they were "rubbish" because of their inability to find Anne Frank earlier - like it was all part of a big, mutually agreed game of hide-and-seek.

I can see if you took this routine at face value as my real opinion on this profound and heroic tragedy, it could be deemed highly offensive. However, this is obviously an absurd comic position with the audience well in on the joke, fully aware that I am saying the exact opposite of what every right-minded person thinks.

(http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/66593/ricky-gervais-why-its-kosher-joke-about-anne-frank)

There is such a thin line between funny and racist. Being a fan of Ricky Gervais and knowing where his humour is coming from I stand by him. Also, in my opinion comedians must be given a leeway to perform their materials and not be taken at face value.


NG

BOOKS or E-BOOKS?

With technology invading our private space and taking hold of our life, one wonders how long it will take till we lose all physical objects and turn digital. E-mails are much more convenient than letters or telegrams. ‘Skyping with someone is cheaper and more feasible than going and meeting someone in the opposite end of the world. So, are e-books better than actual books?

This brought up another debate at CD. The room was divided into two, on one side were the tech savvy geeks, who thought that e-books are the right way to go. Think of storage, cost, and durability. People don’t still read from scrolls or tablets, so why should you still read from books. Technology always makes way for easier options and humans have always embraced it. While on the other side, were people from the old school. Think of the illustrations on the books, the joy of unpacking your favorite book and the sweet smell of an old book.

There can not be an end to this argument, but here’s hoping that the future generations atleast have the option of choosing from an actual book and reading a book that’s projected in some corner of their brain