As for the movies, take your time. I mentioned this because I found that it was better to view quality movies, which are played in your local movie channels (Beware Star Movies and HBO frequently broadcast only popular movies, such as Transformers, Iron Man, Inception, and the Dark Knight, and very rarely play classical films. So, you may have to keep checking your channels frequently to get a glimpse of movies such as the Robert De Niro starrer RAGING BULL and the Russell Crowe Starred Cinderella Man).

It is better to stick to watching movies via TV, rather than splurging up 10-12 Dollars on useless Bollywood, Kollywood, or Tollywood films. Also, in this fragile economy, it is best advisable to spend your money wisely, what do you say

I am not sure about US, but in India, at the current rate, we are facing a recession and I am afraid we cannot afford to watch ZOMBCOMs (For ya folks who don’t know, that’s the new term for a Zombie Comedy)…..

And reminding me of Zombie Comedies, I think I saw a few in Star Movies or HBO namely Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland… These two are way better comedies than Go GOa and Gone.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

What a pity Viki.com is not available in India. Solid Asian content.

Plan to watch Monsieur Ibrahim, an acclaimed French film today.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329388/

As for your suggestion of watching movies on broadcast TV, I can’t remember seeing a complete film on TV. Far too many ads interrupting the flow. Plus, I don’t subscribe to Star or any other Murdoch channels. In my not-so-humble view, Rupert Murdoch represents all that’s cheap, tawdry and tacky in the world.

For instance, if SI or any of his friends took the time to switch on their TV and browse the movie channels like Star Movies, HBO, Fox Action etc, they will find good movies, such as Inglorious Basterds (Not Bastards), Raging Bull (The movie on the boxer, Jake lamotta played by SI’s favorite actor Robert De Niro), Pursuit of Happiness (Yeah, I know SI had reviewed this film and Inglorious Basters, but WTH), The Great Escape, Shutter (Thai Version – translated in English (Not sure if they played it in HBO or some other channel))or Cinderella Man (A great performance by Russell Crowe and easily the best boxing film since Rocky).

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Sweetie, after I finish my binge-watching the superb Korean TV series Incarnation of Money (I’m on Episode 10, another 14 to go), I shall do as per your edict.

For those who have not seen Incarnation of Money, I strongly recommend it. Free on Viki.com (hopefully, Viki plays in India and there are no geographical restrictions).

This could make SI to be easily perceived as an anti-Telugu site.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

We’ve also covered major crimes by Prabhakaran and Rajaratnam (both Sri Lankan Tamils) and not so major crimes by Dharun Ravi (Indian Tamil in New Jersey).

People accumulate money all the time, without realizing, the problems (health / social) are directly proportional to it.

Larry Page is worth 23 Billion USD and the man has lost his voice to a rare vocal cord paralysis.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

There is little justice or fair play in the world since times immemorial.

But the early exits of emperor Alexander and Steve Jobs, jailing of Raj Rajaratnam, Madoff and Jeffrey Skilling, conviction of Rajat Gupta etc offer some solace that the Devil sometimes ends up on the losing side.

Apple’s/Steve’s fortunes were made on the basis of well designed products, fanboys’ enthusiasm, abject exploitation of Chinese workers and showing the middle finger to American workers. Several of Apple’s contract workers killed themselves at the Foxconn factory in China and countless American workers remain unemployed because of the practices championed by Steve Jobs at Apple.

Much as I hate China for stealing Indian territory (including 19 square km recently), The Last Train Home is a moving documentary.

Another cinematic conversation that I liked from your link above.

“I have all the brains, and you have all the billions,” Kumar was overheard saying to Rajaratnam.

A “but” instead of an “and” would have been nicer.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

The good news is Raj Rajaratnam is likely to die in prison. Apparently, he has serious kidney problems. There was talk of a transplant in a special prison hospital at a cost of $300,000 (Rs 1.6-crore) to the tax-payer.

Great fortunes are invariably preceded by great crimes. Only fools believe otherwise!

BTW, a movie is being made on Raj Rajaratnam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandran_Rutnam#Prince_of_Malacca

I have not stayed at an ‘Oberoi’ but the maintenance of these 5 or 7 star hotels are unimaginably bad.

I stayed at one in Delhi. Even the walls were dirty

Sanjay Dutt should better off in ‘anda’ cell

Btw, sorry to hear about the attacks. That sucks!

SearchIndia.com Responds:

You write: Have you stayed in any Oberoi, SI?

No, I’ve not stayed in an Oberoi but been to a few for meetings, breakfast, lunch, dinner….Not impressed.

But I was not impressed with the Waldorf Astoria on Park Ave in NYC either.

BTW, I hear the Leela hotels in India are impressive in sheer grandeur.

I can’t imagine watching these star trek movies. I also find the rise of JJ Abrams amazing. This guy will be directing star wars movies as well. How did he get to be such a big shot? I remember reading trekkies and star wars fans don’t like each other, I am talking about the fanatics here, not the regular joe who just watches these movies for time pass but people who are really passionate about the alternate universes these movies create. So the fact that this gets to direct movies from both these franchises is simply mind blowing.

I personally love all your reviews and articles and wish that you guys would write more.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

The world is crazier than we can imagine.

He was arrested and was in prison for a week or so, and they blew every simple fact out of proportion. That, the govt intentionally forced him into the prison in Trichy (known for its hot weather) instead of Chennai. That the guards gave him only chapathis and idlis. His wife complained that the cell was full of mosquito and did not have enough facilities. WTF, is that not how jails are supposed to be?

SearchIndia.com Responds:

I think we should build special prisons for our Bollywood stars, politicians, consultants, sportsmen etc with air conditioning, big-screen TVs, broadband access, gourmet food and ‘company’ for the night.

In the U.S., another Indian Chutia with $100 million but wanted more, Rajat Gupta is (hopefully) going to prison soon:

When I look at myself, yeah, I am driven by money…And when I live in this society, you know, you do get fairly materialistic, so I look at that. I am disappointed. I am probably more materialistic today than I was before, and I think money is very seductive….You have to watch out for it, because the more you have it, you get used to comforts, and you get used to, you know, big houses and vacation homes and going and doing whatever you want, and so it is very seductive. However much you say that you will not fall into the trap of it, you do fall into the trap of it.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/rajat-guptas-lust-for-zeros.html

Offtopic: strangely I thought your website was down due to some technical problems for past few days, but then I tried to access your website from some proxy server, voilà! It worked, I guess maybe indian ISP’s banned ur website or is it just sm technical issue??

SearchIndia.com Responds:

1. Netflix is huge here with ginormous streaming content (Hollywood movies, foreign movies, TV shows etc).

I have streamed some good Korean films on Netflix.

I’m surprised India does not have something similar, a service offering a cheap, legal subscription streaming ($7.99/month ) and DVD ($8.99/month) based entertainment. They have a gazillion TV shows and movies (a lot of them old stuff). A few Bollywood movies are also available for streaming.

The problem with India is that where cheating is an easily available option people won’t pay for anything, be it streaming or screwing. I once knew two people in Mera Bharat Mahaan…..both smart, energetic, fun-loving guys…One day, they hired an Anglo-Indian hooker, took her to a motel, screwed the hell out of her and when she went into the bathroom to wash…they locked the bathroom door and ran out without paying her and leaving the whore nude and without payment in the locked bathroom. Streaming or Screwing, Indians won’t pay if they can get away without paying.

What Stalin once said about the Russians is applicable to Indians too – “Who can ever understand our people.”

2. I’m sorry if the site was down.

As I responded earlier to another comment, some U.S. based Telugus have pooled their resources and launched a massive attack on the site using IPs in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Turkey, Italy, China and Romania.

We took some counter measures and that may have restricted access to a few legitimate users.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

If I’ve told you guys once, I’ve told you guys a million times – Population control is the solution to all of India’s problems, including the vexing issue of shattered smartphone display screens!

But none of you listen to the voice of wisdom.

Breed, breed, breed…broken display screens, smartphones dropped from balcony, missed calls….suffer, suffer, suffer.

http://www.wallstreetprisonconsultants.com/

Seen this? :O News to me.

SearchIndia.com Responds:

Interesting example of entrepreneurship.

I like the fact that the director is knowledgeable about prison life, having served a 10-year sentence.

Here’s some related sad news: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt is feeling “suffocated” in Arthur Road Jail. Maybe, we should get him a room in Oberoi.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sanjay-Dutt-feeling-suffocated-in-anda-cell-pleads-to-be-shifted/articleshow/20106409.cms

Was SI down for quite a few days? or Is it just me?

SearchIndia.com Responds:

A bunch of U.S.-based Telugus have pooled their resources and using IPs in India, U.S., China, Turkey, Italy and Romania launched massive simultaneous attacks on SI over the last one week.

Some counter measures we took to safeguard SI might have restricted access to some people.

We apologize. Always, please log on while reading so that we know it’s not a malicious element trying dirty tricks.