The importance of mediocrity

                        This is for all of you who fall in between. For the ones who neither quite make it in life nor are complete failures. For the ones whose lives are an endless blur of bills, loans, mortgages, and paychecks that disappear in a week. For the ones who have never led the field nor brought up the rear. This one is dedicated to all of you who have mediocre jobs and mediocre lives. This is for those who "also ran".

                        Most of you are probably wondering how mediocrity can possibly be important. Isn't it supposed to be boring? Don't people work their ass off to avoid mediocrity? After all how many films have you seen that portrayed an ordinary person leading an ordinary life. They are always about heroes or villains, the rich or the poor, the upper class or the dredges of society. They are seldom about the "in-betweeners" ( pardon my prosaic license). Most of us were brought up believing that there are only two ways to do anything -  Excel or suck. And we are taught, if you suck at one thing, then do something else - something in which you will excel. We are taught that no matter what we do, be it owning a company or cleaning dishes, we have to strive to be the best at that. Commendable advice and admirable goal, but unfortunately not everyone's cup of tea. Some of us just don't turn out that way regardless of education, upbringing and societal influence. Some of us fill in the gaps between the CEOs, Directors, Managers and the machinists and manual laborers.

              

                   Before you start to sermonize that this piece is about De-motivating or discouraging people in their pursuit of success, let me point out that that is absolutely not the case. This piece is about why the world needs mediocrity, in fact, why it is as vital as technical / business brilliance. Humor me for a second here - Imagine a world full of go-getters. Everyone strives hard and advances quickly up the corporate ladder whether he started out as a clerk or as a junior engineer. Let us also imagine that the bottom most rungs of the ladder have no dearth of people as new ones fresh from high school or vocational studies occupy them. What happens to the jobs in the middle ? What happens to the data entry jobs, the secretary jobs, the call center jobs? We would have such chaos, in a world that is already so cutthroat, that people would not stop at killing each other to climb the ladder. And all of this is not only relevant in your typical work place but also in sports, politics and any other walk of life. The person who wins a race only does so because the others obliged him by coming anywhere from 2nd to last. If you really think about it, the very act of winning, of feeling that powerful emotion of having triumphed in any endeavor is made possible only because there are people who contrive to do worse than you. The reasons don't matter. Winning and excellence exist because mediocrity allows it to. Losing and failure exist because mediocrity will not fall so low. Sometimes we have to struggle to elevate ourselves from the bottom to the average. Other times we contrive to give up winning positions to fall in between.

But then why does mediocrity exist in the first place. Why do some people succeed, some fail, and some are ...well, just stuck in the middle. There isn't a single answer to this question. Lot of people are so afraid of failure that they will do anything NOT TO FAIL. But they stop at that. They do just enough to elevate them to average. Not enough to make them succeed. Do they not succeed because they are lazy, because they lack motivation, because they procrastinate, because they are unambitious, because they are cynical, because they have complexes ? All of the above undoubtedly contribute to mediocrity and as successful people would have you believe, these are not the only reasons. I think that there is far more to it. A lot of factors have to come together to ensure success, some of which we can control and some that is beyond our control. You can be the most hard working footballer in the world but you might never feature in the first team of any team simply because you lack the talent to match your hard work. Cases in point are the umpteen number of European club level footballers who begin their careers, languish and then end their careers in some obscure 3rd division club.  Even in top clubs like Barcelona or Manchester United, there are footballers who never quite make it into the first team throughout their careers.

 There is also the widespread notion that if one fails or is average in a particular endeavor, there is always an opportunity or a task that one will succeed in or be the best at. Unfortunately, there are certain characteristics and behaviors of individuals that do not change regardless of the task that they do. And it may so happen that these things can undermine one's pursuit of success in which ever task or endeavor he chooses to indulge himself in. Hence, the end result might become mediocrity across the board - in one's career, family life and social life. One can well bring a very valid argument to the table - Can one not do a mediocre task with high degree of perfection? Isn't that a sign of success, however localized the context maybe? In my opinion, that is not success. The way I see it, you can only be so good a secretary or typist (no offense to people in those jobs).

How do people handle mediocrity though? Short answer. Not so well. Most people hate mediocrity and will do anything to get ahead of the curve. Some will altogether abandon their pursuit and choose another calling. Yet, there are some, who choose to embrace mediocrity. Believe it or not, some people actually are happy with an average job and an average life. They do just enough to stay afloat. And at the end of the day, don't we all spend our lives in the pursuit of happiness? If some of us find it in mediocrity, then so be it. So it is kinda unfair and demeaning when the successful show their utter disdain for mediocrity. It would behoove them to remember that they are where they are, they are what they are because of the mediocre.

There is a saying that goes " No one remembers the guy who came second". Well, I beg to differ. The guy who comes in second or even third are vaguely remembered at least by a few. The guy who finishes last also has the dubious honor of being remembered for failing but the ones that are truly forgotten are the also-rans, the ones that finished in the middle. It's high time the world remembers and recognizes the importance of the average. So, my mediocre friends, stand tall and be proud, of what you bring to this world, and try to find the happiness in your mediocrity. And if , in future, you should rise above it, remember where you came from and what you were.




P.S : Most of you would construe this article as negative and pessimistic. Still others would find it the product of a lazy mind and an inability to succeed. You are welcome to your opinions. After all I am not making claims of greatness or even validity of argument of this article. It's a mediocre article by a mediocre writer at best ! :) :)

The Dark Knight Rises - Review

Before I begin, I would like to observe a moment's silence to all those who lost their lives in the Aurora Shootings. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and my best wishes for a rapid recovery to the wounded.

And finally, after all the months of hype, teaser trailers, tie-in apps and TV spots, The Dark Knight Rises arrived in theaters last Friday to unprecedented levels of midnight show sales. And before you accuse me of being a Nolan fan boy I'll accept that I am one. I absolutely love his films. I put him right up there with Martin Scorsese, James Cameron and Peter Jackson. Which is why I had phenomenal expectations of the final installment of Nolan's Batman Saga. So, did the film step up and deliver? Did it exceed expectation and provide a fitting finale to the series? Yes and no. **FULL SPOILERS BELOW **

First off, having the watched the film in true 15/70 mm IMAX format, I was overawed by the visual grandeur and the breathtaking cinematography of the movie so much so that, I kinda got a little lost in the plot details for the first half hour of the movie. Bane's introduction in the opening mid-air heist scene was an explosive start to the movie and even though the mask that Bane wears strips him off more charisma, the mannerisms and the British accented growl employed by Tom Hardy was chillingly effective even if it did not rival the lofty standards set by the Joker character. After the opening, the film delves directly into sub-plots featuring the introduction of Anne Hathaway as the burglar and the character Daggett. We are shown an hobbling Bruce Wayne living his life in seclusion in the rebuilt Wayne Manor and are also introduced to the beautiful Miranda Tate played with charm by Marillon Cottilard of Inception fame. The details of who exactly Tate is and how she invested in Wayne Enterprises' energy project remains murky. From this point the plot builds to the mid-film highlight involving Bane's men breaking into the New York Stock Exchange. This sequence and the following chase scene in which Batman makes his first appearance is phenomenally shot and spell binding on the 70mm Imax screen. It was weird that the entire police department decides to go after Batman rather than Bane and even Batman doesn't care much about catching Bane. The scene could have had even more impact if it had been extended a bit.

Featured - Bane's hulking muscles. Not featured - His menacing voice.

Nevertheless, as the plot picks up pace, cat woman betrays Batman and leads him straight to Bane. A weakened Batman stands no chance against Bane as he destroys Batman and famously breaks Batman's back. Kudos to Bane for his diabolical drawl and fiery performance in this scene. Bane then throws Batman in the same prison that he was once imprisoned in and leaves him to watch the destruction of Gotham helplessly.  Bane then turns his full focus on destroying Gotham. Nolan comes up with brilliant ideas as to how plausibly he can show one man taking over and holding an entire city hostage in an elaborate and lengthy sequence. These intriguing middle sections of the film show how Bane takes over Batman's armory, and the way he sets a trap for the police department. The epic scene of the exploding stadium, the bridges and the general mayhem caused by Bane on a completely surprised and stunned city is totally worth the price of the IMAX admission. His monologue to the football stadium explains some of his motives and his thoughts on class warfare ending with Bane breaking Dr.Pavel's neck. One starts to wonder, however, Bane's conflicting motives behind his actions. He says that his plan is to give Gotham back to its people and conduct a witch hunt of the city's rich.Why then, would he detonate a fusion bomb which would obliterate every soul in the city including himself and his men ( Bane doesn't seem to have an escape plan) ?

The ever-sexy Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle

The story then shifts to how Bruce Wayne trains himself to get out of prison following a lot of (sketchy) exposition about Bane's origin, the prison itself etc. And when he finally gets out of the prison, he magically appears back in Gotham and the timer on the bomb has counted down to 12 hours remaining. What follows is a sensational 30 + minute climax sequence, that brings all the characters and plot threads together ( though it isn't always clear what is happening to whom) and brilliantly showcases massive fight scenes and set piece action sequences which are truly glorious to behold in 70 mm Imax. Some of the climatic scenes like Batman and Bane's hand-to-hand combat and Bane's death seems anti-climatic and distinctly unepic. But I was more disappointed to discover that Bane was not the mastermind he was touted to be following a weak and contrived plot twist at the end. Also disappointing was how Batman's purported sacrifice was handled. But I guess that had more to do with what producers wanted rather than what Nolan envisioned.

The All-Star Cast

Hans Zimmer's score is suitably bombastic and over the top but somehow doesn't match up to the lofty standards of the score for The Dark Knight and Inception.All the supporting characters are given sufficient minutes to make an impact. Of special mention are Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Strong characterization, motive and an evocative performance makes John Blake a believable and sympathetic character although his story arc doubles as an origin story ( for the new batman or for Robin) which kinda denies Batman and the rest of the plot additional screen time.


VERDICT :

The enormous expectations and the fan following ensured that the film broke box office records with a 161 Million $ opening weekend ( Biggest 2D opening of all time) despite the Aurora Shootings. Though this figure is still below estimates of a 175-200 Million $ opening weekend, the film should be able to run strongly for several weeks and is most likely to be the most profitable of the Batman films.


In summary, The Dark Knight Rises is a thoroughly entertaining and thought provoking thriller that is head and shoulders above standard super hero fare like The amazing Spiderman and The Avengers, although it falls short of Nolan's best work and doesn't quite match up to the phenomenon of the 2008 Dark Knight. TDKR is still a fitting and grand finale to a scintillating super hero trilogy and will be remembered for a long time.




Take a look at an official Featurette about the making of TDKR and interviews with the cast and crew.

A knight,A burglar and A terrorist

July 19th. Probably the most anticipated day for movie buffs this year. The day Christopher Nolan's Epic conclusion to the Batman Trilogy releases worldwide. Batman and Nolan fan boys have been waiting for this day ever since the director announced the project, which, he assures will be the last in the series. The Dark Knight Rises completes the trilogy that began with the exquisite Batman Begins (2005) and broke records with the magnificent, near-perfect The Dark Knight (2008).


No doubt the immense success of Christopher Nolan's previous two films, the mind-bending thriller "Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight, has contributed much to the almost unprecedented hype surrounding the latest film from him. Add to this the fact that over 50 minutes of footage for TDKR has been shot in 70mm IMAX Film format and the cast includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy playing Bane (one of Bat fans' favorite super villains) and you are pretty much guaranteed a 150M$ + opening weekend ( though it could well be over ). But all this hype is not without considerable substance to it considering that in this Facebook and twitter age, every summer blockbuster enjoy meaningless over the top hype and hyperbole. Nolan pretty much redefined the superhero movie genre with his Batman Begins which proved that you can make a brooding, character driven super hero movie that is steeped in enough realism so as to appeal to serious movie goers while still maintaining the lore and fiction from the comic books. More importantly, Nolan separates the trilogy from previous Batman films which were horrendously fantastical, with cardboard cutout characters, whacky action set pieces and terrible art design.

Although the first movie in the series was a pretty good movie, it had some of the drawbacks typical of an origin story. The amount of exposition given to what drove a billionaire to dress like a bat and rasp out hammy one-liners is drawn out, and by the time the tiny plot takes hold we are almost near the end of the movie. But the film established Christian Bale as a very good choice to portray the dark, emotionally scarred Bruce Wayne. R'as Al Ghul was not the most intimidating or charismatic of villains and the league of shadows' plan to destroy Gotham seemed implausible and poorly executed. Despite all of this, Batman Begins stood head and shoulders above all other superhero movies at that time and was a visually stunning thriller. But then came the Dark Knight.

Nolan pretty much made the first film look like an ordinary film with his explosive Dark Knight. Much of the phenomenal critical and commercial success of the film was owed to the immortal performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. In fact, the psychotic persona, disturbing mannerisms and perfect makeup of the villain threatened to overshadow another fine performance by Bale. This film got most of the ingredients spot on, including the meaty plot, script, casting and the level of intellectuality to proceedings.  Ledger's Joker along with Nolan's brilliant writing and Hans Zimmer's thunderous and disturbing score, created numerous memorable scenes  - think Joker's varied explanation of how he got his scars, the flipping of the trailer, and of course, the famous " Why So Serious" line, that will be remembered for years to come. Aaron Eckhart's powerful performance as Harvey "Two Face" Dent was another highlight of the film. The blistering pace of the film, with the sometimes tense, sometimes bombastic beats of Zimmer, added to one of the most atmospheric and realistic superhero movie of all time. The way Nolan crafts his stories in multiple layers and weaves an intricate web between the characters warranting multiple viewings to fully comprehend the depth and scope of his films.  The film rode a wave of critical acclaim, and commercial success, bagging multiple Oscars including the inevitable Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger ( which was unfortunately posthumous). It grossed more than 500 Million $ domestically and another 1 Billion $ internationally while shunning the 3D fad that had enveloped Hollywood.

For all its success and critical acclaim, The Dark Knight was not without its flaws. The scene where Batman abandons a room full of Gotham's Richest with the joker to save Rachel ends abruptly. Dent's motivation to transform to a villain in the final stages isn't very convincing and for someone who wants to wreak chaos, most of the Joker's schemes are intricately detailed and planned to perfection. The brilliant tunnel chase scene while breathtaking in the first viewing, throws up a lot of spatial inconsistencies and erroneous angles upon repeated viewing and keener observations. But these were all overlook-able gripes when you consider the explosive and emotionally stirring final package.

With the final film of the Trilogy, Nolan will attempt something that has been the Bane ( pardon the pun :)) of franchises in the past - to not make the third and final installment in a series suck. Granted, Nolan's ambitions are to trump the first two movies and provide an epic send off to the trilogy. From all the trailers, previews and featurettes, it is clear that he is going bigger and grander than the previous movies. Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, raised expectations even further. Bane looked suitably menacing and imposing, while some of the set pieces shown in the trailer looked downright fabulous. All said and done, one wonders whether the Bane character can match up to the lofty heights of the joker and if Selina Kyle will provide more than just Oomph to the story. Nolan has created a name for himself by directing cerebral thrillers and cutting edge visuals and one expects that the best of both styles fuse to create a magnificent conclusion to one of the most beloved superhero franchises of all time. Can Nolan deliver? Will he match the gigantic expectations that have been placed on this film or will the series go out with a whimper?

Bane maybe Gotham's Reckoning, but the TDKR is Nolan's as well.

Links and sources :
The Dark Knight Rises - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/
The Dark Knight - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/
Batman Begins - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372784/


 

Real Men Drive Real Muscle

                The key slides in with a soothing click. As the ignition is turned on, the 4.0 L 210 HP springs to life with a menacing snarl. There are no stuttering or raspy sounds from the engine like your everyday compact or utility car that serves the sole purpose of going from point A to B.The initial snarl settles down into a loud, anticipatory growl - like a stalking cheetah on the verge of pouncing on its prey. For all the pulsating power under the hood, the interior remains surprisingly vibration free and noise proof when idling. As the 5-speed manual transmission is engaged and the clutch released, the beast pounces forward with a screeching roar. The tachometer needle climbs like a rocket and the roar grows till the second gear is engaged. In that split second, time seems to be suspended and the noise subdued, and then again, like a hungry tiger going for the kill, the machine surges forward and in just under 6.7 seconds is at the 60 mph mark. Say hello to my friend - The 2008 Ford Mustang Coupe.

                   
                    
                The sun glints off the jet black hood. The white racing stripes accentuate the rugged sportiness of the vehicle whilst the exquisite galloping mustang on the front grille and the round headlights are reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. Out on the streets when one sees a Mustang at a light or an intersection, one gets the inimitable feeling of watching a hulking beast, stalking its prey before springing forward in a frenzied blur with a deafening roar . The 90s and the early 2000 s saw mustangs with contemporary styling that was pretty common in that time. That era was marked by conservative styling and timid engines that saw Ford focus (pardon the pun) on the family car, compact car and economy segments. With the 2005 Mustang, Ford ushered in the modern age of the quintessential American muscle car (or the pony car if you are a purist) with aggressive, beefy lines and bulky bodies that harkened back to the legendary muscle car days of yore - those days when oil wars were unheard of, when bombastic engines, rock bottom fuel economy, screeching tires and ear-splitting engine revs ruled the roost. But the ford mustang has endured - from the first mustang introduced in 1964 under the stewardship of the legendary Lee Iacocca to the latest 2012 Ford Mustang Shelby 500 -  the most powerful production V8 in the world featuring a 5.8L supercharged V8 putting out 650 horses. The mustang has endured the stiff competition from competing muscle cars like the camaroes, dodges and pontiacs in the 60s and 70s, the oil crisis of the 80s, three wars and the economic boom of the 90s. The fifth generation Mustang kick started another slug fest between American car makers with the revived Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger R/T competing for market share in the late 2000s.

             I think it was sometime when I was probably around 14 years old that I first became fascinated with cars. That's when most teenage boys in India start closely watching their fathers, elder brothers or uncles drive and one day want to pilot their own. There's something about boys and cars that is fascinating - some bond that defies explanation and turns introverts into gleeful, adventurous fan boys.Then came the video game revolution of the late 90's bringing along with it the Need for Speed racing series - the first time that gamers could get into fully realized virtual super cars a la Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and its ilk. Those years opened my eyes to the world of automobiles. To a an entire Indian generation whose view and knowledge of cars was entirely composed of the compact and functional maruti suzukis and fiats of the 90s, the chance to get into a Lamborghini Diablo and let rip around an exotic, fictional locale quickly became the stuff of wet dreams.As iteration after iteration of the Need for Speed series came out, bringing with it ever richer detail, technical realism, the ability to tune our virtual machines, customize its look and then burn rubber with virtual friends, my passion towards cars grew exponentially. Granted, I am not big on the intricate technical wizardry of the cars, I did not pursue an automobile degree (although I took a great deal of courses in my Mechanical Engineering Degree that focused on automobile technology) and I wasn't as passionate a follower of the Formula 1 Racing Series as some of my friends but I knew enough to appreciate the beauty of the machines, the flow and lines of an outstanding design, the roar and thunder of a V8 engine, the smell of burning rubber, and the pure joy of commandeering a mean machine.


                That said, my first driving experiences were on my Dad's Maruti Suzuki Zen, and later the SX4. These were your everyday, functional cars with woeful power and handling characteristics, but nevertheless introduced me to the thrill and unbridled excitement of driving. I drove super cars either in the virtual world of games or in my dreams. Even when I earned my driving license, I did not know much about the pedigree of American made cars (apart from the corvette and the chryslers), living as I was, in a country flooded with cheap, economical Japanese imports. Video games showcased mostly European sports and luxury cars and so I dreamed of one day driving the Porsche Cayman S, or the Audi. Then I read the biography of Anthony "Lee" Iacocca.

                   The life story of Iacocca is a fascinating account of expert management and sales philosophies. In fact his autobiography is compulsory reading material in all the top B Schools.The memoirs of how Iacocca single handedly led the Ford Motor Company to the forefront of the Automotive revolution with iconic designs such as the original Mustang enthralled and captivated me. Eventually I decided my first car would have to be the Mustang.
 

 The 2011 mustangs were given a small cosmetic makeover from the 2005-2010 era  but a bigger leap in terms of the technology. The front grille size was reduced, the headlights upgraded to a HID while reducing the size of the circular main light and the tail lights sporting LED accents around each of the the three 'light bars'. The interior which has never been Ford's forte, was spruced up a bit with a variety of tech like SYNC App link, navigation system, in dash adjustable performance features and aluminum accents. Some models included an optional glass roof  and other performance packages. Under the hood, Ford phased out the SOHC engine and put in its new generation Duratec 3.7L DOHC engines which puts out 305 HP @ 6500 rpm in the base model as opposed to 210 HP in the previous year's base model.

Considering that the base model of the 2011-2012 mustang starts at just 22,000 $ MSRP, it was tempting to go for it if only for the additional 100 HP that lets it compete with the SS Camaro. In the end due to financial reasons I had to settle for a used 2008 V6 Mustang. Granted the power was under whelming compared the the GT, BOSS and Shelby versions of the Mustang but the unmistakable pedigree is still present in all its glory. The interiors are a bit drab, with an abundance of cheap plastic and old school round tachometer dials and generic instrument panel but then, to quote the legendary Carroll Shelby " 'Refined' has never been one of the Mustang's Selling points". It's all about the wild, unbridled passion and symbolic aggression that starts under the hood and extends to the tips of the suspensions.

 So, as I gear up for a trip to the mountains this weekend, I envision caressing the beast through winding switch backs, under a speckled forest canopy, with the wind in my face, and 210 horses purring gently beneath me. This is bliss. This is the legacy of the Stang - One of the greatest pony cars in American automotive history.