Movie of the month
I have no idea why all the reviews are calling it a bad movie because I really enjoyed it. Tom Hanks was a strange choice. I bet Dan Brown, being Dan Brown, would have preferred someone taller, darker and handsomer with a strong chin and high cheekbones and other pulp-fiction-hero stereotypes, but as always hanks doesn't ham. Audrey Tautou is easy on the eyes. So my verdict is that it's worth watching even if you have read the book, because IMO the movie is way better. And if you haven't read the book, then save yourself the trouble.
Book of the month
Have you wondered about small proteinaceous infectious particles that cause spongiform encephalopathies by resisting inactivation by procedures that modify nucleic acids or how mosaicism relates to the relative percentage of 45X cells within the body?If you answered yes, stop reading right now and seek medical help (and allow me to christen you Mendel Manja). The kind of mumbo-jumbo that you see above is exactly what Matt Ridley's 'Genome' is NOT about. It demystifies genetics for the man on the street explaining how genes determined everything about him; like how he ended up being a man and why he came to be on the street. Every chapter in the book picks up one gene on a different pair of chromosome in the human cell, and so the book has 23 chapters. The narrative is so simplified and enthralling that in the end I wished we had a few more pairs. This is definitely one of the best non-fiction works I've ever read.
Song of the month
Clear As The Driven Snow by Doobie Brothers.
6 comments:
Hey Deppe, thanks for the review. I'm so eagerly looking fwd to watch the Code and the book sounds interesting too. Even I wondered why Hanks...I had imagined him to be someone very different.
i still cant imagine Tom hanks in a role which requires someone like Harrison Ford :))
I pictured Robert Redford & Sophie Marceau for the lead roles. And Boris Becker for the role of Silas:D
Doobie brothers! Now, there is going to be one guy in the crowd,
cheering, when Skinny Alley plays their covers ;)
kavs: It releases this weekend there right?
swathi, jax: I swear I am not making this up, but I thought of Harrison Ford and I do remember thinking that Silas' eyebrows look exactly like Boris Becker's :-)
First time on your blog.
It has been my ambition to understand something of genetics. So I did buy Matt Ridley's book and bravely ploughed through the first few pages. But I stopped. I felt it wasnt easy. Ofcourse you cant expect it to move like Davinci code :)) But now, reading your post, I am encouraged. I was suspicious that you were a geniticist yourself and so found it easy. Your profile says you are not. Will make one more attempt. Thanks! I mean it.
hey anu
Brave the first few pages and I'm sure you'll enjoy the rest.
Post a Comment