Despicable Me!

A lovely, rainy evening last weekend saw me heading down to the cinemas to catch a screening of the latest animated flick to hit the big screens – Despicable Me.

I had seen many of the trailers and promos of the movie, and was quite happy to spend a few hours enjoying some completely mindless fun and light hearted entertainment.

Created by the newest animation studio – Universal’s Illumination” – the movie is a promising first film from the newcomers, and will definitely be a big hit with kids. Thankfully, there’s an interesting story line, and memorable characters which make it completely entertaining for the adults too.

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A Desi-Stepmom? Do We Dare? (Preview - We Are Family)

When most of us heard that there was a Bollywood remake of Stepmom in the making, our main reaction took the form of trepidation and… well, a general sense of dismay!

The classic from the late 90’s was a sensitive portrayal of the lives of one family through a major transition period in their life. So what possessed the well-loved Karan Johar, making him believe that he could undertake such a film?

Possibly the knowledge that he had found a strong cast, and a belief that Bollywood could use more family-friendly dramas such as this!

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It's Time for Oktoberfest!!

It’s the 200th birthday of the world’s largest fair – so we’re going straight to the heart of the Oktoberfest celebrations at Munich... and, no, it’s not only about all that beer! (But there’s plenty of that too!)

This year, Munich’s Oktoberfest plans are bigger and more extravagant than ever before, and will be held from the September 18 – October 4, in Munich to celebrate the origins of this festival. This gala of beer, wursts (sausage), pretzels, traditional drinking songs and, of course, more beer is the ultimate way to partake in a festival that started 200 years ago!

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The Expendables hits Colombo

It’s the return of the 80’s action flick – only this time, it’s upsized!

After a spate of insipid vampire movies, fun yet unbelievable fantasy flicks, and rom-coms galore, The Expendables give cinema goers who grew up in the era of epic action movies like Rocky and Terminator an opportunity to go back to enjoy a good, old-fashioned action flick in all its glory.

Therefore a few of us action buffs (aka kids of the 80’s) headed down to the theatre to enjoy watching things being blown up in epic style – and let’s be realistic here... that’s about all that this film offers, but it offers it in absolute over-the-top style. But what else can you expect when you put together an all bicep-bulging cast of the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and Steve Austin?

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Manila - City of Billboards & an Unlikely Shoppers Paradise

I’ve visited Manila plenty of times – A regular, if you will – and each time I return home, I pay a significant amount for excess baggage.

Yes... it is a pretty unconventional place to shop, especially since you don’t really hear all that much about it in the first place. I was lucky enough to have relatives who love having me around, so I’ve spent a considerable amount of time there on holiday.

For all you readers who swear by Bangkok, Singapore or even Malaysia, I assure you, there’s no better place to enjoy some retail therapy than the Philippines. There are numerous places to see and so very many opportunities for shopping to cater to any individual taste- at a price that’s hard to beat. What’s best about shopping here is that a lot of the clothes, shoes and accessories available are not usually found in other popular South Asian shopping destinations.

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Fort Printers: My Lil Hideaway

The last long weekend that came around in September saw me trying to wrestle my way into an overcrowded train to Galle to start a weekend of discovery around the charming fort and town.

It is really surprising. It seems that no matter what the time, the train down to Galle from the Fort Railway Station is ALWAYS packed.

Deciding however there were no chances of me getting a seat, and an almost definite possibility of being groped, I gave up the idea of the train, and opted for making the journey through an intercity bus.

Sure it’s not as picturesque or roomy as the train journey… but at least I was comfortable – Oxygen and personal space are such vital elements to enjoying a trip.

So there I was, enjoying the random silliness one encounters on Sri Lankan roads, munching on roasted cashews and humming along to my music, as I settled in for the 3 hour journey.

I was really looking forward to this trip – it was truly a much needed getaway, plus I was excited about visiting Galle – a town I have only ever briefly visited and was keen to explore the areas around the Fort.

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Pix By Manuel Zublena

The Inimitable “Bad Boy” of Bollywood!

Whether he’s doing his infamous towel dance, triggering mass hysteria amongst women, young and old, or simply just being as laid back as possible, it’s easy to see why Salman Khan has such an intense fan following!

Despite standing at a relatively short 5’7”, one cannot deny the magnetism of his presence as soon as he enters the room. His style - a crisp shirt, his ever present silver bracelet, and most importantly, a devil may care swagger - for this superstar is one who really does not give a S**T!!

While certainly not his biggest fan, often sick of his silly antics on-screen and reputation off-screen, I had to grudgingly give the actor his due credit when he braved the potential backlash of the South Indian film fraternity to attend the IIFA weekend in the country. As amused as I was at the high pitched screams emitted by women and girls of every age every time this actor was seen at the Cinnamon Grand, I simply had to admit there may, in fact, be something quite endearing about the actor.

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