This is going to be a long series. So readers who hate long pieces, scattered across the whole blog on a span of long time(months, or perhaps years), please keep away.
This is my list of fav movies. But its not just that. It's more than that.
This is a list of those of my fav movies, which give you inspiration, help you have get a reality check. Some of these, grovel your face against the cold brutal truth so hard, that you can taste the salt in your tears & the bitterness in your upcoming puke at the same time.
At the top of this list is my personal Fav "Remember the Titans". I can bet that this movie will be in the top 10 list of any serious Movie fan. & the same goes for any football freak.
This movie is a classic & Fav to me in more than one sense.
"Remember The Titans" was produced under the banner of Walt Disney & it was so well received by the public that the genre of Sport Movies" started flourishing.
Featuring Denzel Washington as coach Herman Boone, Will Patton as Bill Yoast, the story centers on the football team of 'TC Williams' high school in Virginia, Alexendria. 'The Titans' as the team is called is the only team in the state which has both black & white Players. The Coach's job is difficult not because he has to teach the players how to play football & make them better players; But because he has to teach them lessons in unity, team spirit, faith courage & brotherhood. The conflict of ideas & racial discrimination is portrayed by the continuous clashes between Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) and Julius Campbell (Wood Harris), two players of equally outstanding athletic ability, but different ethnic backgrounds. When these 2 champions start treating each other with respect, love & brotherhood, Boone's ideas & faith turns from his most cherished dreams into reality.
A poster of "Remember The Titans"
The movie is not only about racism, or football.
No Sir, its not that. Of course, it touches those subjects too, but the movie is more about a man who has faith in his dreams. Herman Boone, in the entire movie, not even a single time thinks that his dream is unachievable; and that is the only reason why he gets successful.
So why is the movie named "Remember The Titans"? I was as puzzled as you till I heard this dialogue from Herman Boone in the Movie (This is just before a Game):-
"Tonight, we got Hayfiield. Like all the other schools in this conference they're all white. They don't have to worry about race.
We do.
But we're better for it, men. Let me tell you something. You don't let anything.. nothin'...come between us. Nothin' tears us apart.
Greek mythology, the titans were greater even than the gods. They ruled their universe with absolute power.
Well, that football field out there tonight, that's our universe. Let's rule it like titans."
My fav Dialogue in the movie is again by Boone & again to the Titans, during a Practice season:-
"Anybody know what this place is?
This is Gettysburg.
This is where they fought the Battle of Gettysburg. Men died right here on this field, fightin' the same fight that we're still fightin' amongst ourselves today.
This green field right here was painted red. Bubbling with the blood of young boys. Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, men. "I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family."
You listen...and you take a lesson from the dead. If we don't come together right now,on this hallowed ground...then we, too, will be destroyed. Just like they were.
I don't care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other, and maybe... I don't know, maybe we'll learn to play this game like men."
My fav scene from the movie is the scene in which The Titans do their new Warm up for the first time. Here is one of the videos in You tube.
I have been a die hard fan of Holmes stories, since I was a kid, both as a reader who reads only for the plot of the story & as a scholar who wants to learn how to write better. One of the biggest reasons for the success of Holmes stories, besides the impressive writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was the attention to the details he paid when writing. "221b Baker Street. Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and his colleague John H. Watson, M.D., spent many years at this address in London, England, under the rent of Mrs. Hudson. Characters of every type have frequented the rooms of this place, calling on Mr. Holmes for help and assistance on mysteries only the finest criminal detective could unravel." - 221 Baker Street Museum
Well, as luck would have it, I was in London last week. And by the virtue of careful, thoughtful & meticulous planning of my friend, I was able to fulfill my dream of visiting one of the most famous addresses of the world - "221b Baker Street"
These are some of the pictures I took at 212-B Baker Street in London:-
The famous address "221B Baker Street", named as Sherlock Holmes Museum.
I swear to God, that I didn't posed like this willingly. Pooh & Harsh made me do it. Being the Simple & shy soul I am, it was too embarrassing, But then at the end I did enjoy it.
"The new Holmes" with Dr Watson.
Apparently, The new Holmes was also the manager for my entire London Trip, and I can say without any hesitation, that the trip wouldn't have been the same without her.
Some Nincompoop's have no respect for art & literature.
Harsh, bullying the bust of Sherlock Holmes. He was the stand-up comedian & non-stop chatterbox of the trip.
A letter from Holmes to Dr. Watson
"While there really is a Baker Street, there was no 221 Baker Street during the years of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Baker Street was very short, less than a mile long. The street ran north to south with numbered addresses ranging from 1 to 85.
In 1930 some of the surrounding streets were renamed, buildings were renumbered and Baker Street became much longer. At that point 221 Baker Street was a real address. Soon after this the building at 221 Baker Street was demolished. A new structure, Abbey House, took its place. Abbey House served as the head office for the Abbey Road Building Society from 1932 until 2002. Today the building is still one of the London offices of Abbey.
Because of the unique relationship between the company and Sherlock Holmes, Abbey commissioned a statue of Holmes. That statue now stands at the entrance of the Baker Street Tube Station. Abbey also has a person who deals with the cards and letters, as many as 30 a month, that come addressed to Sherlock Holmes."
I did get a chance to see the mentioned statue of Sherlock Holmes near the entrance of Baker Street Tube Station & I must say it is lovely. It is pretty well maintained, too. Well, much as I would have liked it, I could not get a picture of the statue, because of those shouting football hooligans!
This is an example of the kind of letters which the museum gets.
I chose this one, since it shows the light side of childhood, depicts the enthusiasm & the willingness to chase a dream. There were many more, some of them pretty serious, scholarly & even weird, but this one was among the best.
Overall, it was a nice experience. The whole Museum has got a artistic feel. Artifacts like Holmes's Pipe, his violin, Dr. Watson's Pocket watch, the famous Poker bent by Dr. GrimesbyRoylott, are all around. There are even some dummies depicting the original illustrations from the stories.
Besides, the museum, the central London based on either side of Thames is beautiful. I shot a couple of pictures over there too. I especially loved the Thames walk. It is very well managed, and is extremely beautiful. The Captain of the Ferry told me that Thames is the cleanest river in the whole Europe & no garbage is dumped in the river.
The Famous Big Ben!
Popularly known as "The Big Ben", most people don't know that "Big Ben" is actually not the name of the tower or the clock. The Tower is called "St. Stephan's Tower", and the clock is "Parliament clock". The name Big Ben is for the 13.8 ton bell which tongs hourly. There is a lantern at the top of the tower, known as "Aryton Light", named after Thomas Aryton.
A street sign near the Thames Walk.
You can, see the Street signs for Westminster Abbey, Embankment, White Hall, London Aquarium, Imperial War Museum & Thames Walk.
London Eye, also known as Millennium Wheel, is tallest (443 ft) Ferris wheel in Europe.
Richard Rogers said “ The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London."
The Captain of my ferry told me that "The giant wheel" rotates throughout the year, except on Christmas eve & on maintenance days. He even joked, that considering the profits earned, British Airways was thinking of closing its air line businessand planning to open more of "The eyes" throughout the world. In 2006, Tussauds Group bought out the other two joint owners, British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (the lead architects) & now owns the 100 % of the wheel.
The downside of London is that its very huge, too crowded, & everything is in rush. It's a nice place to see & visit, but not a very soothing place to live.
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