The Old Year- The final poem for 2k15

This year has been one of the best years for me. So, this New Years, I'm kind of sad that 2015 is going and it went so quickly that I couldn't even think of saying new year. So, here's a poem, in tribute to the year that has gone by. This is the Review Girl hoping to see you all next year. Happy new year!

The old year 

The last day of the last month,

Champagne and parties 

Lights and music

Mistletoe and cakes

All wish for a better year to come 

Celebrate the old year for a change, 

Celebrate the time that has passed for a change.

Bring back the memories of the year that have gone, 

And look back at the friendships and love that was shared. 

The new year has a long time with you, 

But the old one will soon be gone. 

Remember it as a truly wonderful year,

No matter how much sadness it may have given. 

Finally, as the clock strikes twelve

Bid farewell to the year 

That flew by in a day.

You might just hope, 

That the next one be longer than this,

Stay longer than this, 

And change longer than this.

Shawshank Redemption- Fear or hope?

Prison. A word that sends shivers down your spine and brings images of black and grey walls, white uniforms, rusted bars and bad food. Desperation and loneliness is what you have left inside of you and the rest of your life, staring at the cold, paint-peeled wall to think of all the things you did to bring yourself here. Life becomes nothing more than a time bomb and you're waiting for it to blow.

In the year of 1947, when a banker from Maine steps into the prison of Shawshank, eyebrows go up seeing someone as well settled as a banker commit a crime fit for imprisonment. Andy Dufresne is sent to the toughest prison in Shawshank, Maine for allegedly committing the murders of his wife and her lover. Sentenced to two continuous life sentences, one for each of the victims, Andy enters the prison with no idea of what he would disclose within the next fifteen odd years.

With the first few months being to himself, Andy befriends a con man and smuggler, Ellis "Red" Redding. He was known to get things for people. So, when Andy asked for a poster of Rita Hayworth and a rock hammer, the two get acquainted with each other. Through the years Andy makes a few friends and a few enemies at the prison. Being a banker, the warden and officer in charge of the prison allow him to become the prison officers' official legal help assistant. Later, he is shifted to the library to help another inmate.

How time flies in a prison, even Andy couldn't decipher, but it had already been fifteen years since he had first come to Shawshank and that one day changed his life. In 1965, Tommy Williams was brought to prison for burglary. Soon, he starts talking to Andy and his friends and reveals that an inmate of his from another prison used to speak of committing a crime which was never pinned on him. The man had killed a lady and her lover but the lady's husband was framed for the crime instead. Sounding extremely familiar, Andy tries doing whatever he can to prove his innocence. But to what extent does he go?

A brilliant movie (which I had to watch thrice to completely see it due to technical difficulties) is one that really gets you excited when you see it scheduled to come on your tv. A strong message and a thrilling storyline, the Shawshank Redemption makes you see the prison world in a very different light. It has a perfect combination of humour, a bit of action, some drama but very little romance. This particular movie, I noticed, does not have a heroine per say. Nevertheless, the brilliant actors make up for everything. I found this movie's background score to be amazing. It captured the essence of every different scene so well, that you could actually feel the pain, happiness, content and horror of each scene. It may be a thriller, but it's one that you can watch any number of times. A movie worth four and a half stars from the Review Girl.

Unfair Happiness

Unfair happiness  

Fate, you have a way with my life, 

How you turn things upside down 

And give wretched happiness

Along with contended sorrow. 

You let me win, 

But deep down I feel defeated. 

For I now have no one left 

To share what I've got. 

The happiest moments 

Are accompanied by tears.

Sometimes, I welcome the sad ones

With smiles from ear to ear. 

I can never forgive you

For all that you've done. 

I may have won some battles 

But the one I want most, 

Is what I've lost. 

Inside out- Feelings have feelings

Ever thought about how feelings work? You're sad one moment and the next moment, you get a brilliant idea and your face lights up like a Christmas tree. Ever wondered why all of a sudden you're phased out or the most random memory of you picking your nose for the first time comes back for no reason. Well, if you're going through all this, then be assured that your mind is in good hands.

This movie talks of two things, Riley and her mind. Born in Minnesota, she has her bundle of memories and adventures right from childhood in this place. Here is where her feelings come in. Within her mind, the five feelings, Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger manage her memories and other activities related to her brain through their Headquarters stationed in Riley's conscious mind. Her memories come to them in the form of orbs that are in different colours for different feelings and are sent to long term memory at the end of each day. Every special memory called a "core memory" is kept in the headquarters and powers small personality islands in her mind. For instance, when Riley made her first friend, the memory became a core memory and friendship island was formed.

Riley is now eleven years and has to move to San Francisco. Both she and her feelings have a tough time dealing with this. New school meant making new friends. That would begin with making the first impression. As all our feelings get ready to face the challenge head on, Sadness ends up controlling the console, making Riley cry on her first day, thus creating the first ever sad core memory.

All hell breaks lose when Joy tries to dispose of the sad core memory and in the process knocks off all other core memories leading to all of Riley's personality islands to shut down, causing huge psychological damage to Riley. During all this chaos, Joy, Sadness and the core memory orbs end up getting sucked into the long term memory storage area. They now have no time to lose and have to get back to headquarters to make sure that Riley gets her personality islands running before it's too late. With time definitely not on their side, will they be able to make it or not?

Disney and Pixar have outdone themselves this time with Inside out. It is by far the best concept for any animated movie. Thinking that feelings have feelings can only come from these guys. Every detail is so perfectly shown and the basic concept was that all the feelings have their own role to play in a child's life. The ending of the movie gives us a beautiful message which I felt was the best part of the movie. Other than that, it's like your average Pixar movie with just a tad more emotion and "feeling" in it. A must watch from the review girl.

My little sister's tale(tail)

It's been more than a year of having a new member in the family. So, I thought of writing a poem for her. Dog owners, this poem might just get you teary-eyed.

My little sister's tale(tail)

A beautiful evening of April
Brought you to my arms.
That moment when I first saw you in the light,
I realised there is now someone else with big eyes.

I remember how tiny you were,
And to me, maybe you've never grown.
At least mentally, you're still that little baby
I saw a year ago.

Together, we've done it all
Slept across the bed in summers,
While cuddled with each other in winters.
We've had water fights and cat fights,
Yet, the madness could never be relived.

Even though I know
your years are less than mine,
I will hold on to you forever, little sister
Because that one April evening
Changed my life forever.

And when you leave,
The thousands of pictures that we've taken together,
The infinite number of memories we've made for each other
Will be cherished forever more.
But one thing I'm certain of,
No one can ever take your place in my life
As my baby sister.

Queen- Redefining a woman's freedom

What do you do if one day before your wedding your fiancé decides to call off the wedding? Go on a killing spree probably, or stay locked in a room for days? Or, you could do what Rani did. The most badass after-breakup you could ever imagine.

Rani, a charming and slightly underconfident girl from Delhi was to marry Vijay. All festivities were underway and everyone was getting ready for the big day. But, Vijay had a sudden realisation and decided to call off the wedding a day before. After staying abroad for a while, he felt that he was a changed man and Rani would not be able to adapt to it. After getting the news Rani locked herself in a room and thought of all the times they had spent together, thinking what she had done wrong and where she could have been different. Then, the most brilliant idea came to her mind. She decided to use her pre-booked honeymoon tickets to Paris and Amsterdam as a getaway from the whole disaster wedding and just some alone time with herself.

After much protest, her parents approved, thinking it would be the best way for her to keep her mind off the tragedy. So, Rani, a girl who hadn't seen any place other than her own city, embarked on a life-changing journey. She goes through robbers and bar dancers of Paris, makes three very different friends in Amsterdam and ends up challenging someone for a cook-off. Her journey was what mattered and not the destination. The chance for her to see the world and live a little gave her the confidence she needed. What happens during her holiday? How much does she change as a person and does Vijay have second thoughts on the breakup?

Queen was one of the boldest Bollywood movies of the 21st century. I mean, a girl's marriage broken one day before her wedding in this country would mean eternal shame for her family. But, she turned that into an opportunity for seeing the world and understanding what's outside the borders of her city. The holiday transformed her into a free-spirited, confident and happy person. You can't go wrong with a holiday to Paris and Amsterdam, even if it is after your biggest breakup. Travelling does wonders. So that was how Rani turned from possible cynic into a satisfied and happy woman. This is one movie that you can watch any number of times and it won't get boring. To all recent single girls, this is what you've been waiting for.

Omens

Omens

Broken glass and black alley cats,
Withered roses and grey skies,
All feel perfect to her
For they understand her pain.

In black puddles and smoke,
Killers and mafias,
Does she find solace
After what she's been through.

Not a single ray of light,
Does she want to see.
After being blackened and bruised,
She is now consumed by the darkness, completely.

(One of the very few short poems of mine.)