Aiki Dobonaca

tsereng thapa asked:


Kurchi Dasgupta (born 1974) is an artist based in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. She currently resides in the eye of the storm i.e. Kathmandu, of Nepal and was witness to the revolutionary dethroning of the monarch and the country’s journey into democracy.

A versatile painter, writer and translator, she has a University Gold Medal under her belt (1998, Jadavpur University, Calcutta). She was the CEO of the prestigious Society For the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Films (The Ray Society) for two years till 2006. She has also helmed the Lotus Print publishing house for three years.

Self-taught and unchained to any dogma or group, her works are being widely appreciated wherever shown. With her beginnings etched into the medium of gouache, she is now redefining her abilities in oil and acrylic on canvas.

Her paintings are a journey into the self and its location – a crystallisation of her efforts to mine and detect the elements that structure the fundamentals of our selves beyond socio-political, and even geographical, boundaries. It is the precision of her imagery, often surreal, and the ruthlessness of her vision that are steadily propelling her into that select echelon — of contemporary Indian thinking artists. An artist with a mind of her own, she is a rare creature, at least in the contemporary Indian art scene.

“I try and recontextualise everyday reality by drilling into the very core of the ‘sub’ or ‘Ur’ conscious. My aim is to provide the viewer/participator with a new set of tools with which s/he can interpret the world around. And within.”

Currently focussing her abilities on bringing the two disparate, yet similar, worlds of cinema and painting together – through a series on world cinema (to be shown at the Millennium Gallery in London, 2008). Works that initiate a dialogue with classics like A. Tarkovsky’s “Stalker”, I. Bergman’s “The Hour of the Wolf”, S. Ray’s “Pather Panchali”, A. Kurosawa’s “Raan”, and also works by Chaplin, Renoir, Welles, Eisenstein, Ghatak, Godard, Truffaut, Kubrick and Woody Allen.

Her major published works include the very popular “The Death Trap” (tr. from Bengali) of Sunil Gangopadhyay, brought out by Rupa & Co. (2003). “Possessions” is the translation of the award winning bengali novel by Shyamal Gangopadhyaya – “Kuberer Bishoy ashoy”. It was brought out by the Sahitya Akademi (2007), India’s National Academy of Letters. Currently, she is translating yet another award winning piece, Sandipan Chattopadhyay’s novel – “Ami o Banabihari”.

She has also published a number of short stories and written screenplays that have been filmed. [edit]

Her painting was selected by Nokia out of thousands of others and was showcased on its official website in 2007. Her works were also shown at The Bricklane Gallery the same year.She has also illustrated the Bengali translation (by Maitreyi Nag) of the acclaimed Daniel Pennac novel, “L’Oeil Du Loup”.

We are sure to see more of her and soon!

Bob Kish asked:


What Two Secrets Can You Apply to Turn Every Movie You Watch into a Spiritual Experience?

There are two things you can do to transform Every movie you watch into an opportunity for spiritual growth and learning. What are they?

Before revealing the secrets of turning simple cinema into spiritual cinema you might want to examine your movie watching tendencies. What are your favorite movies? Do you prefer romance, comedy, sci-fi, adventure, westerns, etc.?

While these movie watching secrets can be applied to any movie, it is important to remember that what you put into your mind helps to shape your reality and view of the world. With that in mind, why not choose movies that will motivate and inspire you?

Though a steady diet of horror or crime films might excite you, they might also leave you with a view of the world that is less than stellar. A negative outlook on life will not help you in your interactions with others or in your quest for achieving what you truly desire in life.

On the other hand, watching motivational and inspirational movies can help spur you to improve your own life and the lives of others. So, the next time you go to watch a movie, why not make it a film that will uplift or inspire you - or at the least bring you some joy?

Your choice of movie will make applying the following secrets easier to implement. (Remember, though they can work with any movie).

THE FIRST SECRET

What is the first secret to turning any movie you watch into a spiritual experience?

It is simple but powerful. Before the movie begins close your eyes and ask your mind or subconscious to pick out and remember any aspects of the film that you can use and apply in your own life to make your life better. It is that simple.

While you’re watching the movie, remember anything that impresses you deeply. Then, immediately after the movie is over, write down the scenes, situations, or lessons that come to you as being important in your life. Don’t judge them initially just jot them down then go over them later.

THE SECOND SECRET

Next, review the movie highlights that you have jotted down. The second secret is to actively apply the lessons in your own life. In other words, take something from the movie and use it to improve your life - or the lives of others.

As an example, I recently watched the movie What the Bleep Do We Know? A motivational movie about the power you have to create your own reality. There was one part of the movie, though, that really demonstrated the power of intention.

Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto did a very interesting experiment on the power of intention and the written word to affect the molecular structure of water. Photographs of the structure of the water were examined before and after certain events. The molecules was brighter, whiter, healthier, purer looking after a blessing by a monk, and also after words were taped to bottles of distilled water - words like “love” and “thank you.” (It should be noted that when the words were negative in nature the molecules turned a dingy yellow.)

In some of the experiments the words were accompanied by the mental projection of that particular word to transform the water. The scientist also noted that these intentions seemed to affect the structure of the molecules. (Hint: Intend to watch a movie with the purpose of learning something that will improve your life).

So, the lesson of the water was a testament to the power of thoughts and words to shape physical reality. But, how to translate and apply that lesson? That particular lesson could be applied in a number of ways, notably, recognizing that the thoughts and words you use on a daily basis help create your reality. So why not continually think and use positive words and phrases?

Of course, the most obvious application of the lesson is to actually write down words of power on jugs of water that you drink. (Actually, the simplicity of it eluded me until a friend of mine told me he was doing this.)

So, now I’m drinking jugs of water “blessed” with power words. My first batch features the words, “love energy.” Is it working? I think so - it inspired me to skip some reality tv and write this…

Chris Marshall asked:


When planning and buying your cinema home room it is always a good idea to browse the Internet fully and consider what options will be best for you and what will be best equipment for situation depending on many things such as budget and the space you have.

When planning a home cinema it is a good idea to read various reviews and get all the information you can about the products you are buying so you know they will be appropriate for what you want, there is no point spending lots of money if you are not going to get compatible equipment

When you are shopping for dvd home cinema systems then looking online is a good idea as you can actively compare prices and see what the best offers are available for you. There are plenty of different makes available such as pioneer home cinema uk or phillips dvd home cinema systems and they will all have different strengths and weaknesses. When you are considering equipment such as buying sony dvd home cinema systems then you will be buying a package and whilst this should be good it will never be as great as building a system via separates will be.

To build the ultimate and best quality system you will need to research the best kind of screen whether it be plasma, LCD or projector and then the best AV equipment and each speaker such as sub woofer and centre. Building a home cinema this way could be very expensive and you should ensure you have enough to build this system before starting. You can browse websites for each part individually such as home cinema projectors to buy online.

If you are looking for home cinema systems best prices then the systems you buy from companies that include everything will be best for you and are good for somebody with a more limited budget, this does not necessary mean you will not have a great system it will just not be as magnificent as one built from scratch with all, the individual pieces. When building a home cinema with separate parts you will need to plan first and think about everything including speaker cables home cinema as inferior cabling in a great system will bring the quality down.

Always research what you are buying to ensure that it has good reviews and will live up to the standards that you are expecting, a home cinema should be something to enjoy and be proud of and by planning each little bit of it you will ensure that you are happy with your choice.

Louis Victor asked:


Cinema advertising has always been an effective marketing tool for some advertisers, while for others they have yet to see the benefit of this unique form of media. When an advertiser hears the term “Cinema Advertising” automatically they think the slide that is shown on the big screen with the soothing music played in the background.

For many years that is exactly what it’s been but companies like the National Cinema Network and Regal Entertainment along with new technology have changed the scope of how cinema advertising is perceived. At many theatres you can actually have a total digital experience from the time you buy your tickets to the time that you sit in your seat. With LCD screens in the theater lobby and digital advertisements replacing both slides and rolling stock, it’s no wonder why both Regal and AMC Entertainment are on the hunt for more mergers and acquisitions.

The phasing out of slide and rolling stock advertising in cinemas across the nation and the progression to digital advertising puts the cinema advertising game in a new field. Making it more inviting for advertisers, entertaining for the patrons and above all giving advertisers potentially a greater return on their investment.

This just adds to the bottom line of the theater, more advertising means more profits, this is what will drive mergers in this industry. Cinema advertising is growing up and the companies that control the industry will reap the rewards that will follow.

They will no longer have to seek outside assistance to attract advertisers to their advertising platform, Regal and AMC have implemented this practice already and they haven’t looked back. So now with AMC merging with Loews Entertainment and Regal Entertainment taking over the National Cinema Network, it just remains to be seen as to which one of these companies will be sinking their teeth into the Cinemark theater chain.

This can happen sooner than later as we enter into the summer months with the big holiday season to follow.

Lou Victor New Age Media Concepts 888-463-9237 www.namct.com

Shaun Parker asked:


There used to be a time when you sat down in front of the television and watched television in mono sound on a screen smaller than the one you are viewing this article on. Today televisions have grown in size and capability and the home cinema and home entertainment system has come of age. Televisions come in all sizes from ones on your mobile phone to 150-inches large.

But what is the best way to set up a home cinema system in your living room and what do you need to make it work? Here is a simple check sheet to make sure you don’t miss anything out.

Television or projector?

The first decision you are going to have to make is whether or not you want to have a projector or a standard LCD or Plasma television. The advantage of a projector is that you’ll get a larger picture, however you’ll need to factor in changing the bulbs every couple of thousand hours (not that long considering you probably watch around 20 hours of television a week) and while projector technology has improved drastically over the last couple of years, they still need a fairly dark room and a white wall to be viewed.

LCD or Plasma?

So you’ve decided to go for a television over a projector, now you need to decide whether or not to go for plasma or LCD technology. The main criteria will be size. Under 46-inches you can’t really tell the difference. However your choice will be restricted if you opt for plasma with Pioneer’s Kuro range the one to go for if your plans are to go big. If you are going LCD then there are a number of manufacturers that offer solutions from Samsung, LG, Philips, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba. Philips has Ambilight for those looking for something a bit different. Ambilight fires light out of the back, and with its Aurea model out the front, that matches the colours on the screen. The idea is that it reduces strain on your eyes.

Amp

Once you’ve got the visuals out of the way you need to look at the sound and you start with an amp. Amps again come in all shapes and sizes with complete kits offered by companies like Samsung and LG, while companies like Denon and Arcam specialise in a system that you add components like a DVD player or games console to. An amp is also good for controlling all your different devices within your home entertainment system.

Speakers

You’ve got an amp, but now you need to hear the music. Yamaha and a couple of other manufacturers make a single speaker that sits under your television called a Soundbar. This saves on cluttering up your lounge with speakers, however for audiophiles it won’t beat a 7.1 surround system where there are speakers everywhere you look.

DVD/Blu-ray/Content

Once you’ve got a compete system set up you need something to play on its. If you are into movies you’ll need to get a good up-scalling DVD or if you’re an early adopter a Blu-ray player. Of course you can also get HD movies and TV shows via Sky’s HD service.

Remote controls

Having all this kit will mean a remote control for virtually every device. Rather than clutter up your armchair’s sofa, make sure you look at getting an all in one offering from either Philips or Logitech.

Ed Bagley asked:


© 2008 Ed Bagley

Cinema Paradiso (Paradise Cinema in English) - 4 Stars (Excellent)

In my search for films that are not well known but tell a great story with an excellent presentation, I discovered “Cinema Paradiso” by Italian Director Giuseppe Tornatore.

Tornatore intended the film to be an obituary for traditional movie theaters (like Paradise Cinema) and the movie industry in general, but after the film’s critical acclaim and box-office success, he changed his mind and apparently never publicly mentioned the demise of films again.

Many critics credit Cinema Paradiso with reviving Italy’s movie industry, which would later produce “Mediterraneo” and “Life is Beautiful”. Tornatore deserves even more credit than his directing effort; he also wrote the story and screenplay with some collaboration from Vanna Paoli.

Giuseppe Tornatore joins a very select group of writer/directors who have been able to create great films in a dual role. Most writer/directors fail miserably in their effort. I would elevate Tornatore to the same level as Tim McCanlies in “Secondhand Lions” and Kirk Jones in “Waking Ned Devine”, both excellent pictures. It takes a lot more than gumption to create an excellent film, it also takes enormous talent, heart, sensitivity and maturity.

So just how successful was Cinema Paradiso? Among its 19 wins and 12 nominations for excellence was the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, and Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cinema Paradiso will capture your heart when you see 6-year-old Salvatore “Toto” Di Vita (played by Salvatore Cascio) become captivated by the local cinema in his small, native Sicilian Village. He misses his father, who becomes a World War II victim, and through guile and a high interest level, convinces the cinema projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) to mentor him.

There are three “Totos” in the filmthe younger (Salvatore Cascio), the teenager (Marco Leonardi) and the adult (Jacques Perrin). Perrin is a real-life film producer. Cascio steals every scene he is in with his incredible ****** expressions, inquisitive mind and indomitable determination to learn how to be a projectionist.

Along the way, he gets into a lot of trouble. He loses his mother’s trust by spending money he is given to buy bread for the family on an admission fee to see a film at the theater. He cons Alfredo the projectionist into giving him some film that causes a fire in his home and threatens his sister’s life. He causes Alfredo to break his promise to Toto’s mother that he will no longer let Toto into the projectionist’s booth.

Ultimately, the flammable film also causes a fire and destroys the Cinema Paradiso and, in a harrowing act, Toto saves Alfredo’s life but Alfredo loses his sight in the disaster. After the Paradiso is rebuilt as the Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (New Paradise Cinema), Toto, who has learned to be a projectionist, is hired as a child to do so because he is the only one in the village who knows how.

The bond between Alfredo as a surrogate father to Toto will only grow deeper when Toto enters his teenage years. He will seek out Alfredo for advice on life when he falls in love with the beautiful Elena (Agnese Nano), who comes from a rich family and enters into a forbidden relationship with Toto.

Alfredo will encourage Toto to leave his village for Rome and never return if he is serious about a career in the movie industry. Toto will eventually grow up to become a famous movie producer in Rome.

Cinema Paradiso starts when Toto learns that his beloved Alfredo has died. Toto has not been back to his village and to visit his mother and sister in 30 years. The question is: Will he return for the funeral? After reliving his life in flashbacks during a sleepless night, he boards a plane home to find himself again. The total story is too good to reveal much more here.

Cinema Paradiso is all about relationships. The relationship of a mother to her son, of a surrogate father to a son, of a boy to a girl, of a young romance, of a village’s citizens to its theater, and of intergenerational gatherings among the villagers.

The release of Cinema Paradiso in 1988 proves the adage that if success was easy every film would achieve critical acclaim and would be a box-office smash. The original version released in Italy was 155 minutes (2 hours, 35 minutes) and had a poor response. After shortening the film to 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes), it became an instant success.

I saw the 123-minute version that was released in the United States and was disappointed that there was no indication of what ultimately happened in Toto’s relationship with Elena. I have since learned that Director Giuseppe Tornatore released a 173-minute version (2 hours, 53 minutes) in 2002 that contains exactly what I wanted to see. Find and watch the longer version if you can, it just adds to an already excellent film.

Mark Aucamp asked:


As the cost of cinema tickets rise so the price of taking your family to the cinema becomes more expensive and then there is the outrageous cost of ‘popcorn’. Cinema tickets cost from £4.50 to £8 per person depending where you are in the country. With the advent of Sky TV and video rental shops most cinema pundits thought that trips to the cinema would have become less popular and very last century.

It was expected that the public would abandon the cinema and either wait for a movie to be released on Sky TV or at the video rental shops. This never happened we still go to the cinema in droves to see the latest releases. We enjoy the experience of an afternoon or an evening at the cinema with the expensive popcorn, the extra large coke and the mobile phones going off during the movie. The cinema experience has come of age with the large multi-complexes showing a host of different movies and some now offering restaurant and bar facilities as well. The cinema can be a really enjoyable night out for two or for the family.

For sometime now Orange mobile, broadband, and landline customer have had access to 2 for1 cinema tickets nationwide every Wednesday. If you have an orange phone then all you need to do is call 241 from your Orange mobile. They will text you back your free ticket number to get your 2 for 1 promotion at the ticket office. Then you can go to Orange World, and select ‘Film’, followed by ‘Orange Wednesday to find a film and the closest cinema to where you live.

Now for the loophole!

As with most offers it only takes time to find a loophole. They say that if you purchase a £1 pay-as-you-go Sim card from orange and you use it once every six months then you can use the Sim card to obtain your 2 for 1 cinema tickets. The frugal members of the public should go to the orange website where they must do a search for ‘free-sim-card’, then sign up and wait for your FREE Orange Pay as you go Sim card to arrive in the post with up to 1000 free texts a month and 1MB of free orange World access.

You will of course need to unlock your mobile phone so that it will accept your new orange sim card as well as your current service provider. Do a search in Google to find out how to unlock your mobile phone yourself for free or alternatively use a high street mobile repair shop to unlock your mobile. Unlocking your phone is not illegal! The Orange 2 for 1 cinema ticket offer will save you money everytime you use it on any Wednesday in the year. You will experience some of the most modern multi-cinema complexes around today and you will enjoy watching the latest movies at half price.

Cineworld cinemas offer an unlimited Movie pass for the die hard movie goers for £11.99 and it offers you the experience of unlimited tears, horror, laughter, fears and movies on any day and at any time. I believe that it can be used with your 2 for 1 cinema code from orange so that you can take a partner in for free.