DVD
27 Dresses
Excel Home Video, Rs 599/-
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Edward Burns, Malin Akerman, James Marsden
Directed by: Anne Fletcher
Katherine Heigl (of Grey's Anatomy fame) is Jane Nichols — bridesmaid for 27 weddings with a closetful of bridesmaid dresses. She has a problem saying no to her friends, with the result that her own personal life has taken a backseat. From a cowboy wedding to an underwater wedding and an Indian wedding (bindi et al), she plays bridesmaid with practised ease even juggling two weddings in one night (as she does in the hilarious opening bit). At one of these ceremonies she bumps into Kevin (James Marsden), a reporter with the New York Journal who writes the weekly 'Weddings' column, of which Jane is a huge fan. Kevin goes out of his way to prove his love for her but also upsets her when he does a big breakout story on Jane's 27 bridesmaid dresses.
Meanwhile, Jane has a secret crush on her boss George (Edward Burns). Problems arise when Jane's elder sister Tess (Malin Akerman) is introduced to George who is immediately smitten. The pair get engaged and much to Jane's devastation, Tess asks Jane to be her… bridesmaid!
With the tangled web of love established, it's never in doubt where it's all going to end up. Anyone who's donned a bridesmaid dress will love this light comedy flick. If you enjoyed watching The Wedding Planner, Runaway Bride or My Big Fat Greek Wedding don't miss this romantic comedy for anything.
— Verus Ferreira
Music
Chor Bazaar
Trickbaby
Sa Re Ga Ma, Rs 199/-
After their debut effort Hanging Around, Brit band Trickbaby consisting of songwriter Steve Ager and vocalist Saira Hussain, bring a mix of Indian sensibilities with Western (obvious) sounds to their second album. Though the sound isn't that clubby or easy listening stuff, it's good enough for a fair audition in the comfort of your home. Trickbaby who produced songs for Bluffmaster, were also in the news for the song Sabse Bada Rupaiya. The new album named after the popular bylane Chor Bazaar, the antique shopping destination in Mumbai, carries memories of their last visit to India, old music and dashes of their own music styles. Their music is an amalgamation of Brit sounds laced with Indian influences and Indian instruments while their album inlay is littered with snapshots of Chor Bazaar's old objects.
While most songs on the playlist are in English, a few are in Hindi. Top of the line for a rewind would be the striking and punchy Fighter, the luminous, hit-in-the-making Light Up My Life and the beat-heavy Broken Dream. Baja is bouncy, while the title track Chor Bazaar is clubby and has a peppy reggae kind of feel to it. A few rock licks show up on Mujay Tujay. Don't miss the boogie feel in Neelaa. The lyrics are simple, the vocals neat and crisp. Tune into a pleasant album.
— Verus Ferreira
Book
What’s the English for... (Vol. II)
Thousands of ways to express yourself in diverse situations
By G. N. Garg
Pp 180, Rs 100.00
Have you got yourself a copy of the first volume of What's the English for..., reviewed in the October 2008 issue of The Teenager? If you haven't, you sure don't know what you're missing! Volume II is an ideal companion to the first, bringing you further ways and means of expressing yourself as and when necessary.
The taste of the pudding is in the eating, right? Then, here is a book that will give you a close to reality taste of perfection of the English pudding that the English language itself is. Are you ever at a loss for words to express yourself in situations that sometimes seem rather taxing? Well, What's the English for... contains apt words and sentences that can come to your rescue in ways more numerous than one, leaving at the end of it all a fine taste in the mouth!
English per se is no more a foreign language as such. Its one abiding quality is, taking root wherever it is planted. That it has taken firm root in Indian soil is absolutely beyond doubt. But enhancing one's command over it is not always easy for everyone speaking it. What's the English for... comes as a useful and timely guide. On the one hand, it has a thematically arranged structure as indicated by the Contents page (p 7), and a re-grouping of material under subject sub-heads as seen in the Index at the end (p 178-180). On the other, the grammatical structure of each sentence is beyond doubt and question.
If you are to derive full benefit from the use of books of this nature, you cannot leave What's the English for..., lying on the desk or standing on the shelf. Glancing across a page a day, or even reading a sentence a day, will take you far, in time very far! Ready for the challenge? Then go for it!
— Ladislaus L. D'Souza
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