Quarantine has brought me back to my blog! So, here's my first post in 2 years.
When Lady Gaga announced her collab with fellow powerhouse Ariana, I was expecting a chart topping hit. But "Rain On Me" is a very average pop song with mediocrity written all over it! It's like they haven't even tried! In my opinion, Lady Gaga who has dominated pop and dance scene for a decade now with hits like "Born This Way", "Alejandro", "Paparazzi", "Bad Romance" (all my favorites) and recently with her academy award winning vocals on "A Star is Born" should have known this is not a chart topper. And what about Ariana, she is one of the most successful pop and R&B artists of this decade and her songs are so extraordinary always, what got her into doing this average collab, I wonder. They have really attempted a glossy video during a time when such large gathering of dancers makes you anxious but unfortunately, even the visuals cannot save this mess. Both artists in heavily Kardashian inspired layers of make-up (which I understand is the norm of our time) and plastic clothes make you cringe (at least they made me cringe). All in all, an ordinary pop rendition by two of the most influential musicians of this century.
I am really late to this party, I know. I have been meaning to watch this movie for a while now, finally found it on Netflix. Had I watched this in 1999, it might have had a bigger effect on me but having lived through the Kardashian era (I know, they keep popping up in my posts. I can't help it, they are inescapable pop fixtures), much of the movie did not feel any different from the reality TV scene (Not sure if feeling that this is normal is something to be worried about?). I like it when stories end positively and not make their protagonists suffer (looking at you- Se7en!). Before I forget, while Jim Carey has delivered a not so over-the-top performance in this movie, Laura Linney definitely outshines as the extremely unlikable Meryl Burbank. Do give this a watch if you haven't yet in 20 yrs!
I have been exclusively reading thrillers of Gone Girl genre for a few years now. I have to admit, I don't like that "Girl" is added in titles of this genre books for the gimmick of it. They are easy to read and page turning but mostly predictable or have seriously disappointing endings. There are very few that stand out in their twists. I read one such book recently, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. The beginning is a bit slow but when it picks up it really picks up! You don't want to put it down until you have read the end. The book follows the strange story of a famous artist Alicia Berenson, who allegedy murders her fashion photographer husband at gun point and stops talking completely. Enters Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist determined to make her talk. How do you force someone who seems to have taken an oath never to speak again to do just that and what happens if she does talk. You find answers in an unexpected twist at the end. I am being careful about not giving any spoilers. So, let's just say, pick this book up if you like such reads and the ending will keep you thinking for days. Fictions are not to be taken seriously, so the book does disappoint you in places but it definitely is worth a read. It's the author's first novel, so I can't wait to read what he writes next.
RAIN ON ME- LADY GAGA FT ARIANA GRANDE
When Lady Gaga announced her collab with fellow powerhouse Ariana, I was expecting a chart topping hit. But "Rain On Me" is a very average pop song with mediocrity written all over it! It's like they haven't even tried! In my opinion, Lady Gaga who has dominated pop and dance scene for a decade now with hits like "Born This Way", "Alejandro", "Paparazzi", "Bad Romance" (all my favorites) and recently with her academy award winning vocals on "A Star is Born" should have known this is not a chart topper. And what about Ariana, she is one of the most successful pop and R&B artists of this decade and her songs are so extraordinary always, what got her into doing this average collab, I wonder. They have really attempted a glossy video during a time when such large gathering of dancers makes you anxious but unfortunately, even the visuals cannot save this mess. Both artists in heavily Kardashian inspired layers of make-up (which I understand is the norm of our time) and plastic clothes make you cringe (at least they made me cringe). All in all, an ordinary pop rendition by two of the most influential musicians of this century.
(Image credit: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/05/lady-gaga-ariana-grande-rain-on-me-music-video)
THE TRUMAN SHOW
I am really late to this party, I know. I have been meaning to watch this movie for a while now, finally found it on Netflix. Had I watched this in 1999, it might have had a bigger effect on me but having lived through the Kardashian era (I know, they keep popping up in my posts. I can't help it, they are inescapable pop fixtures), much of the movie did not feel any different from the reality TV scene (Not sure if feeling that this is normal is something to be worried about?). I like it when stories end positively and not make their protagonists suffer (looking at you- Se7en!). Before I forget, while Jim Carey has delivered a not so over-the-top performance in this movie, Laura Linney definitely outshines as the extremely unlikable Meryl Burbank. Do give this a watch if you haven't yet in 20 yrs!
(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/426575395932087356/)
THE SILENT PATIENT BY ALEX MICHAELIDES
I have been exclusively reading thrillers of Gone Girl genre for a few years now. I have to admit, I don't like that "Girl" is added in titles of this genre books for the gimmick of it. They are easy to read and page turning but mostly predictable or have seriously disappointing endings. There are very few that stand out in their twists. I read one such book recently, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. The beginning is a bit slow but when it picks up it really picks up! You don't want to put it down until you have read the end. The book follows the strange story of a famous artist Alicia Berenson, who allegedy murders her fashion photographer husband at gun point and stops talking completely. Enters Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist determined to make her talk. How do you force someone who seems to have taken an oath never to speak again to do just that and what happens if she does talk. You find answers in an unexpected twist at the end. I am being careful about not giving any spoilers. So, let's just say, pick this book up if you like such reads and the ending will keep you thinking for days. Fictions are not to be taken seriously, so the book does disappoint you in places but it definitely is worth a read. It's the author's first novel, so I can't wait to read what he writes next.
(Image credit: https://www.amazon.in/Silent-Patient-Alex-Michaelides/dp/1409181634)
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