Rant Blog

I think we can classify the blogs these days into one of the following.

• Rants - this must be the most common blog that there is. You can rant about almost anything. Because we live in a hate-filled, imperfect (at least according to the blogger) society, you always want some change to happen to something around you. It is easiest to blog about it rather than doing something about. This blog itself, I think, will be classified as a rant blog.
• How-To/Educational - From a chocolate recipe to a font installation, you can find a blog that tells you how to do something. There's nothing wrong with this -- when you do a how-to blog, it boosts your self-confidence. Problem arises when one starts blogging a how-to for walking. You know what I mean.
• Reviews - From movies to music to books -- these are good blogs. I, in fact, read some blog posts before watching a movie or buying an album. 
• Travel/Photos.
• Useless News - Actress dumping someone for the umpteenth time, etc.
• Support - A cause or an organization. A belief or the lack of it. Why you should and not follow something/someone.
• No-brain stories/poems/articles. Cliched, copy-pasted from a different source, etc. 
• Really rare, good blogs also fall under the categories above. The difference? They're well-thought-out, organized, well-researched, informative, trustworthy and above all, interesting. You wonder if they underwent some sort of a review process - like a peer-reviewed research article. Good bloggers, in my opinion, blog only once in a while. 

I read somewhere that these are the best days for journalism - because ANYONE with access to the internet can be a journalist. And I totally agree - See, in about 30 mins, I managed to "publish" an article and you, the reader, have complete freedom to spit at or praise the journalist, myself. 

Long live Good Blogs.  

Crazy Heart

How many times have you watched a Hollywood biopic and felt good? How many times have you not been able to guess what would happen next? How many times have you heard a story that felt so real but realized, only in the end, that it's a work of fiction? Crazy Heart is one such movie. I'm not saying that it is one of the greatest movies of all time, or it's a movie with no fallacies. I will tell you here how this movie stands apart from the rest and makes a good impression.

This is a movie about a star, Bad Blake as he calls himself, who's recognized easily wherever he goes and was once a great artist! The movie begins with him being an alcoholic and a chain-smoker. A great singer that he is, he finds it difficult even to perform at a lowly bar. He's poor, lost, and spoiled. The movie doesn't try to explain why he became so, but just takes us through the end from here. He shows enmity towards a co-worker or a mentee of his, Tommy. He needs money badly.

He meets a lovely woman, Jean, who interviews Bad and eventually falls in love. Bad Blake, who had been married four times in his life, finds a new lease of life in Jean and her 4-year old son. He gets in an accident, and Jean takes care of him. They grow into each other as Bad spends his time in Jean's house. He finally gets a move on and goes back home to Houston, and writes songs for Tommy to make a lot of money. All this while, he still is an alcoholic. Jean comes to Houston to visit Bad, they go out and when Bad is with Jean's son at a bar getting himself a drink, he loses him. Jean goes mad and as the cops eventually find Buddy, you wish nothing worse happens. She leaves Bad, and Bad himself wants to get cleaned up and sober. He does, with the help of another old man and an institution, get sober. What happens after this is something I didn't expect but liked the way the movie ended.

I like this movie mainly because it's not a stereotype movie -- most of the Hollywood movies about artists or sport personalities (Ray, Fighter, Cinderella Man, etc.) show how the lead is great, how he falls headfirst into drugs or alcohol and how he redeems himself. This movie doesn't tell us the life story of Bad Blake, but just a part of it. There are surprises mainly because you want the worst to happen - it doesn't, and that's where the movie stands out.

If you are a person who likes to watch touchy stories, this will definitely satisfy you. Oh, forgot to tell you, the songs are great too. After all, it's a movie about a singer, you see!

It's my first blog here and my first about a movie. Hope you enjoyed reading it.