The Mathew Rate-O-Meter

This is where you get ratings, reviews, quotes and tips from a leading expert and critic - Me. Check out the links for further details.

Rock On
Hindi Movie - 3.25 out of 5 stars
I have never been a fan of Hindi movies (Bollywood movies, should I say). During my college days, I once jeered my friends so much.... Read more

Shivasamudra Falls
Tourist Spot near Bangalore - 2.5 out of 5 stars
My friend, Kunjai has been staying with me for a little over two months. On Friday evening (15th Aug), we suddenly realised that we hadn't taken a trip..... Read more

Spiderman by Michael Buble
Movie OST - 3.5 out of 5 stars
I was at a restaurant called Opus, celebrating my sisters birthday when I heard this song. I knew that I had to GET THIS SONG. It brought back..... Read More

The Leatherheads
English Movie - 3.0 out of 5 stars
I was kinda looking forward to The Leatherheads as it has two of my favourite actors, George Clooney and Renee Zellweger.... Read More

Batman - The Dark Knight
English Movie - 4.0 out of 5 stars
I saw The Dark Knight over the weekend. All the reviews that say it is a 'must watch' are absolutely true.... Read More

Jumper
English Movie - 2.75 out of 5 stars
I asked for a good action movie and I got Jumper. The main characters, other than Samuel L Jackson are not your typical action heroes.... Read More

Untraceable
English Movie - 3.25 out of 5 stars
Untraceable was the other movie I picked up and surprise surprise, it too has Diane Lane in it. What are the odds on that?? Here she is one.... Read More

A Prisoner of Birth
Book - Fiction(English) - 3.5 out of 5 stars

I am a big fan of Jeffrey Archer. Of all his books, Kane and Abel was mind blowing. I still remember being inspired by the intelligence.... Read More

Cool Dude phrases

I find some phrases very catchy. It kinda sticks to me and I use it time and again. I know its very corny but it always make me smile. Sometimes it gets so bad that my close friends and family get irritated and tell me to pipe down. Other times, it brings out a smile and I am told to stop being corny. But hey, they all luve me cause I am a great guy and... Anyway, I thought it would make an interesting read and hence put a few of them down.

Talk to the Hand - The phrase is an English language slang phrase associated with the 1990s. It originated in African American Vernacular English as a contemptuous and urbanized way of saying that no one is listening and is often elongated to a phrase such as "Talk to the hand, because the ear's not listening" or "Talk to the hand, cause the face don't understand" or "Talk to the hand, cause the face don't give a damn." It is usually accompanied by the gesture of extending one arm toward the other person, with the palm of that hand facing the person being insulted, in the manner of the gesture to stop. Also popularized in 2003 in Terminator 3. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears on a dance stage naked with a male stripper, and asks the stripper for his clothes. The stripper replies to the Terminator, "Talk to the hand." The Terminator proceeds to talk to the stripper's hand, grabbing and breaking it, and bringing it close to his mouth and replying, "Now."

Surfs Up Big Kahuna - I first heard this phrase in the movie Batman Forever, where Jim Carrey (The Riddler) pushes another guy into the waters while shouting out Surfs up Big Kahuna. Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined as "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession." The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the 1959 film Gidget, in which "The Big Kahuna", played by Cliff Robertson, was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the "Big Kahuna" was the best surfer on the beach. Eventually, it was adopted into general surfing culture.

Hasta la Vista - I know, I know. A lot of people use this. That's why I put it here cause I can't miss it. These are Spanish words which mean see you later. Thanks to Arnie (again), these words gained huge popularity. The dialogue goes like this
John Connor: No, no, no, no. You gotta listen to the way people talk. You don't say "affirmative," or some shit like that. You say "no problemo." And if someone comes on to you with an attitude you say "eat me." And if you want to shine them on it's "hasta la vista, baby."
The Terminator: Hasta la vista, baby.

You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? - Okay, that is a movie dialogue. The interesting thing is that I have never seen the movie Dirty Harry where Clint Eastwood delivers this dialogue. I heard it in The Mask, where Jim Carrey does a spoofy imitation of this. Iknew it then that it must have been a powerful dialogue in some movie. It goes like this
Harry Callahan "Dirty Harry": I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Thats all folks! I'll put up some more and I'll try and avoid Arnie and Jim Carrey next time. Until then, see ya later alligator (your response should be 'in a while, crocodile'). Btw, this is from a song composed by Bill Haley & The Comets in 1956 ;-)

Movie Review - Rock On

I have never been a fan of Hindi movies (Bollywood movies, should I say). During my college days, I once jeered my friends so much for going to watch one that they picked me up and carried me to the bus. That movie was called 'Mann', starring Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala. It was so bad that we walked out even before the intermission. Such a traumatic incident was enough to reinforce my belief that Hindi movies and I should stay away from each other. After this, I have seen very few Bollywood flicks, mostly to keep my friends company.

However, it is my firm belief that the quality of Hindi movies has improved. It may not be a drastic improvement but they are more watchable. With this belief, I went to check out Rock On. The movie is about four friends who have a rock band ergo they are rock lovers. The characters are Aditya (Farhan Akhtar), Joe (Arjun Rampal), KD (Purab Kohli), Rob (Luke Kenny) and Sakshi (Prachi Desai). They get along very well and so do their girlfriends till a bit of fame come along. Bam, the problems come tumbling like an avalanche and they split up. About ten years later, each of them are living separate lives, successful in their professions except for Joe. Despite this, they aren’t very happy and something seems to be missing in their lives. A chance encounter between KD and Sakshi gets the two talking and then they try to get the others together. Will the group get together (hurrah) or will the old problems compounded by egos keep them apart (gasp gasp gasp - last two were echoes, Bollywood ishtyle)? That is what the rest of the movie is about.

Now this is a typical rock band story, in real and reel life. However, full marks to Abhishek Kapoor for using the theme in a Bollywood flick where this is not an old overused theme. Although the movie is produced by Farhan Akhtar and not written by him, it seems to have his influence. I mean this is the guy who gave us Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya (I enjoyed both thoroughly). He sings pretty well too, most of the songs in the movie are sung by him. What I also liked about Rock On is the way the movie switches between their past and present lives. Purab Kohli has done a great hob, very entertaining. What I didn't like about movie is that the rock band didn't have the chemistry you would expect. The camaraderie and the jamming sessions didn't feel right. Arjun Rampal just doesn't have the cool attitude that lead guitarists inherently seem to possess. Also, the plot slows down and kinda loses its way just before the end but it rights itself at the end. Overall rating on the Mathew Rate-O-Meter 3.25 out of 5 stars.