Posts

448. Web-series Reviews – 246

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More web-series reviews… Ballard – Came in 2025. Based on Michael Connelly books which include Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer. Detective Renée Ballard runs a small rag-tag LAPD team that investigates cold cases. At an influential congressman's insistence, her main focus is a 24-year-old murder case; the victim was the congressman's sister. Not least among her problems is the ongoing feud with certain members of her old squad, the reason she was consigned to cold cases. A review from iMDB... The project is pitched as a spin-off of the iconic Bosch, and it shows right away: the atmosphere, narrative structure, and visual style are carefully carried over from the original. Everything works in the familiar key - restrained, dark, and refreshingly unflashy. Casting deserves special mention. In the role of Renée Ballard is Maggie Q - an actress who masterfully combines steely resolve with emotional depth. She's magnetic, co...

447. The Fall Part 2

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Continuing from last week…   During the stay at Murari’s place, I was given the food on my bed itself as it was quite cumbersome to hop around to reach the dining table 😊 !  Since the plaster was to stay for 42 days, I stopped my diet restrictions and had sweets and chaat items.  I knew that I could stop these whenever I want, so I over-indulged on these items. For coming back to Hyderabad, I booked a cab.  Luckily a big cab came for us. I sat in the front with a pillow under my leg for support.  It took about 10-11 hours for the drive from Bangalore to Hyderabad. Luckily, I did not have to visit the washroom for the entire trip 😊 . We stopped for breakfast and lunch in between. I stayed in the car and others went to have the food. My wife came to give me the food both times and I had them in the car itself. On reaching home, I hopped on to the house with the support of my son.  My wife got me the walker from the store room.  I occupied the gro...

446. Web-series Reviews – 245

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More web-series reviews… Art Detectives – Came in 2025. In the Metropolitan Police's smallest department, the Heritage Crime Unit, an art-loving detective tackles cases connected to the world of art, antiques, collectibles and cultural heritage. A review from IMDB... Granted this review is based on the first three episodes, so it could change. I found the first three episodes to be intelligent, crisp, deft and witty. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I would encourage others to take a stab at the series. As long as it is primarily case driven and avoids the temptation to indulge in tick-box family drama, I have high hopes for this. The three episodes thus far have been set in Yorkshire (Portraits and the National Gallery), Gloucester (A Viking dig and artifacts), Cornwall (a listed estate and rock memorabilia). For those who like comparisons, I would say it's an amalgam of Lovejoy, Dalgliesh and Chelsea ...

445. The Fall Part 1

Some 2 years ago, I decided to join the yoga program with Habuild (another blog on this topic later 😊 ) to get me in shape.  In Feb or March this year, they provided me an opportunity to attend a session at the Art of Living campus in Bangalore.  I checked out the same on the website and decided to attend the session.  In April, I went to Bangalore and started attending the session.  My attendance was just to find out what the program was rather than envisaging whether my body will benefit from it or not 😊 ! The campus was good and I had selected a 4-sharing room, meaning 4 people to one room.  There were 4 individual beds and an attached bathroom in the room.  The sessions were also good and I was able to do most of them.  Because of my leg issues, I was provided some leeway in exercises where I had to use my leg muscles most.  In one session, there were some games involved. In the first game, I was among the 15-20 odd winners of the game, ...

444. Web-series Reviews – 244

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More web-series reviews… From – Came in 2022 and ran for 3 seasons. From is set in a seemingly ordinary town with an extraordinary secret. The series follows the residents as they encounter unexplained phenomena that intensify with the onset of night. As everyday life is disrupted by mysterious forces, the inhabitants must navigate unforeseen challenges while trying to understand the hidden nature of their environment. The narrative weaves together multiple personal stories, exploring the struggle to maintain order and connection amid an ever-present sense of uncertainty. A review from IMDB... I have loved this show so far and the acting and mysteries etc. Are definitely very cool. However I am starting to get a little worried that this is going very much towards the "Lost" vibe. While "Lost" was also a fantastic show in terms of acting, directing etc. In the very end what annoyed me was how much of the mystery was there just to be mysterious. Watching th...

443. Web-series Reviews – 243

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More web-series reviews… The Sopranos – Ran from 1999 to 2007. New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling. A review from IMDB... The Sopranos is arguably the greatest show in Dramatic Television history. Its hard to think of another series that boasts so much intelligence, sublime writing or first rate performances. Across its epic scope it produces fresh and iconic characters and a constant level of high quality. Centering around the life of one Tony Soprano, a man who lives in two families. One is the conventional wife and two kids nuclear family the other a huge New Jersey Mafia group, of which he is the boss of both. Played by James Gandolfini, of True Romance and The Mexican fame, Tony is a fascinating, scary but also likable guy. Full praise must be given to Gandolfini for making a womanising and horrifically aggressive b...

442. Trip to Hampi

This trip was planned a long time back with my cousin and his family. Somehow or the other, it never materialized, for whatever reason.  In March this year, there was a ceremony in Bangalore that we had to attend. On checking the map, it seemed that I can make the trip to Hampi and then proceed to Bangalore for the ceremony from there.  As usual (I have decided that this was the last time I was doing this 😊 ), I called up a few people to see if they were interested to accompany me for this trip.  When no one seemed interested, I asked Jayashree if her friends would want to come. She checked with her friend, who was in Bangalore, and she immediately confirmed that she would accompany us.  I started seeing what all places were there to see in Hampi. Based on google, I drew an itinerary for a 2-day trip, seeing almost 20-25 different attractions in Hampi.  On checking the trains, I found that instead of reaching in the morning, it would be good if I can reach th...