Life In July 1 - Oct 15

A period of calmness and taking things slowly. Not worried about goals and directions. Enjoying life at its pace and be okay with every moment. No guilt, no lofty goals.

Yet, with all of this, there was some action -

Travel - 

1. Trip to Gokarna - Documented here - http://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2018/08/gokarna-trip-2018.html

2. Trek to Kurinjal peak - With Nitin, Ashutosh and Vikram. Full of leeches and in rain . 3 different type of bus transport. Beer and munchings. Very less planning and no expectations.


Books

Have been very slow on this. In the middle of two books -

1. Baburnama - Very fascinating to read .
2. A feast of vultures - Very difficult to read.


Movies - 
Movies at home have been way better than the one in theatres. Here is a list -

- Miss Sloane - 3.5/5 Debut by Aaron Sorkin featuring Jessica Chastain, this was on my list since the day it was released. Very different from usual Sorkin and loved the story. Highly recommended.

- Blue Valentine - 4/5 Wanting to watch a easy film, I picked up this one hoping how serious it could be but it was totally opposite of easy but very well made and a story that is so difficult to capture.

- Our souls at night  -3.5/5 Loved it. Robert Redford with Ritesh Batra. I am a fan. Suburb life and some serious questions in the background.

- Julie and Julia - 3/5 Okayish film. Good one to watch when one wants to watch a light hearted film.

- Her - 3.5/5 Excellent performances and a life imagined with AI as partners.

- Ex Machina - 3.5/5 Truly a thriller film in its execution and a tad cliched in its ending but still very good. Execution gets full marks and scifi bits are very well done.

- Village Rockstars - 4/5 Kind of the movie that grows on you. Very authentic and genuine film about life of kids in one Assamese village. Very moving and the kind of movie where nothing happens but still it stays with you for a long time.

- Mulk - 3.5/5 Movie of our times . Had to be watched to understand what is happening around us. Good performances but it is just the theme that scores more than anything.

- Manto - 3.5/5 About the writer and his life. Movie mixes his short stories with real life in a very clever way. Good performances as well. But because of its structure does not feel complete. Yet it should not be as it is not fiction

- Mission Impossible Fallout - 4/5 Mindless action at its best. Loved the sound track part of it.


Plays
Macbeth what is done is done  - 2/5 Have never enjoyed their Shakespeare based performances.

Board games - 
Learnt Hanabi and  Blokus . Also played Pictionary twice and Poker. Gaining some traction here.

TV series - 
Finished Shooter - 2/5 Will not recommend.
Line of Duty - 4.5/5 Loved it. Have not seen a police procedural with this much level of dialogue. Brilliant.