Wednesday, December 07, 2016

The Jayalalitha That I Will Miss

It's hard not to shed a tear or two when a personality of this magnitude passes. You may not see eye to eye on everything, but there is respect that goes far beyond the differences. I had hated Jayalalitha's merriment when her comrades, irrespective of gender and age falling at her feet. I had criticized her arrogance on certain decisions, specially her attempt to convert what is South Asia's biggest library into a hospital just because it was M.K Stalin's Brain Child. It was annoying whenever I saw kilometers of posters of her all along the while going to secretariat or party office. But beyond all that when I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I watch one news channel after another, it was pretty clear. She was a colossus who defied every odd that was thrown against her and strolled head high as the iron willed lady in an era of politics that was defined by male chauvinism. Her loss will be felt even more in the near future when that chauvinist disease comes creeping back and you find nobody in the vicinity who could fight it the way she did. On top of it, she was a Kannadiga Brahmin women who took the reigns of a Pro-Dravidian party not because of influence but because every one their supporters wanted her to do so. Oh the inside battles that she won!

It wasn't that she rose to the highest post in the state by virtue of her own effort. She did have the support of the great Mr. MGR, nurtured by him and took over the party that he left behind. But her political legacy lies in the way she fought the countless obstacles that came her way. From being thrown off MGR's funeral convoy to be taken in a similar convoy and laid next to his mentor, she conquered everything. It's hard to imagine anyone, gender irrelevant, who could have survived and had the will to continue after what she went through. The spat with V.N. Janaki, the saree grabbing incident in the secretariat in '89, the 48 cases lodged after the error-ridden reign of '91-'95, The Tansi Case & the recent property cases would take anyone's breath away, literally. She broke all that didn't she! Put aside the political gimmicks that are inevitable part of the modern day political landscape, some of the schemes of her's deserve special mention. The Cradle scheme in '91 that arrested the rampant female foeticide, Rain water harvesting in '01, Amma Unavagam in 2011, Including the Supreme Court's decision to release Cauvery water in Governement Gazette  stands out as her best work. 

But my admiration for Ammu goes beyond her political achievements. It's J. Jayalalitha, the person that fascinated me. While serving the people has always been one of her ambitions, inside her was a child that longed for something else. A brilliant student, a trained singer and an excellent dancer, she wanted to pursue a career in all forms of arts. All she wanted was to be with her mom when she was gowing up and yet Sandhya was so busy making a living for a young Jaya that she never had the time for her daughter. She started acting against her wishes and thrust into politics against her will. I guess more than anything it's her struggles that made her what she is. if not for them she would have quit being a politician long time back. With every struggle came the determination to prove herself and get on top of that situation and life had a way of throwing one situation after another at her. Eventually she made her life as one of defying struggles and died a fighter. But is this what she really wanted? Not Really! All she craved for was a family but never had a chance for one. It's the one thought that kept coming to me. If she had a family, they could have fought harder for her because although she was ill for 75 days the timing just does not seem right. There was a sense of incompleteness that gripped my heart when I saw the last ride.

We all know the strong willed personality that she is but few know that gentle beating heart inside her. You could see that when she visited her best friend Cho Ramasamy who passed away as I was writing this. The video that showed her saying "It's gonna be alright" to him may be the most simplest thing but it showed a side we haven't seen in a while. We saw her in her most relaxed during M.S Vishwanathan's tribute. There was a moment when somebody joked and she had that candid, beautiful smile on her face that I will remember forever. She has a library of 10000 books in her house and used to kick back with a book every night after a hard day's work. There are stories of how she used to test drive cars in her Kodanad estate. She was a bad patient, just like us you know. She had an enormous liking for sweets and cashews and refused to not eat them even after being diagnosed with Diabetes. You could see the child, stubborn, adamant and stupid. If only there was a family to whack the child, we could have seen more of her. But the thng that I admire the most apart from her beauty is her command over the English languauge which just like her beauty was flawless and effortless. Bishop Cotton and Church Park! The old Matriculation Standard! As a child, her speeches in English were a true inspiration for me to love the language the way I do now. Thanks Ammu for that!

it's so heartening to see that the best of tributes for her came from none other than their arch rivals DMK. Years of battle back and forth and some bitter moments and yet, the respect in the end. Here is what one of them wrote, a truly fitting tribute this.

"Even though you stood against us, we were proud that we were facing a lioness.
We always wanted you to not rule but never wished for you to not live!"

R.I.P Ammu!

Saturday, November 26, 2016

My Captain And What He Means To Me

It's 3.30 in the morning. It's my wife's birthday. I am sitting in the living room with her and a bunch of her friends who had travelled a great deal to be with her on her day. It's an absolutely wonderful atmosphere filled with love and laughter. I log in to facebook to see updates that her friends had posted for her and yet I coudn't but notice that my newsfeed is filled with one name, Steven Gerrard. I had a few rounds of my favorite Scotch Whiskey on the rocks, I am a little high but I coudn't help but pen this piece on my captain. Honestly I don't want to be left out when all my friends supporting the great Liverpool Football Club is writing their tributes for their recently retired talisman even though he hung up his boots some thousand miles away from his home at Anfield. That's what my captain means to me. No matter the situation my captain makes me to write about him. My captain, the great Steven Gerrard. The laughter in my living room is not a distraction, not even close. I am in my own world now. My wife is in her own world and she doesn't mind either. 

Growing up in a country in an era that idolises individuals rather than the team, it was academic for me to follow a superstar when I first started following football. To be frank, it wasn't Steven Gerrard of Liverpool that captivated me, but that smiling assasin and the coolest and the greatest striker to have ever played, Alan Shearer. The knack for goal even with his back turned and that raised hand celebration simply captivated me. My first hero in Liverpool wasn't the all action midfielder either, it was another smiling albeit a bit selfish assasin, Michael Owen. How can a player be so cool when surrounded by 5 other opposition players in the box, I asked myself. Yet beyond all the fascination rose a man who did something to me that even those two greats couldn't do! He made me follow the beautiful game for the rest of my life. That you Steven Geroge Gerrard. He is my hero, my captain, my leader, my inspiration and he epitomized everything that I come to love about Football.

Enough was said about THAT Champions League campaign which included the oh so repeated Olymiakos goal, HIS FA Cup final at Cardiff and his loyalty to his boyhood club. But beyond all this I have come to love a man whose earliest memory of him that I had was a celebration after scoring a goal against that had him ignore his teammates and point towards himself as if to make a point that he is the man. I asked myself, who is this arrogant and selfish guy? Little did I know!!! 

I was fortunate enough to see Tendulkar play, bailing India out of a situation day in and day out. I had never imagined another sports person who was as dedicated to the sport and team he played for and that too in a sport as team oriented as football. It just so happened that he played in a team like Liverpool, that most family like club that you would ever see. It just fits. A club like family and a homegrown player to lead them out of the tunnel. Looking back now and there is only one fitting explanation for his brief flirtation with Chelsea, that he is human after all. Perhaps England would have benefitted from the two icons forming a formidable partnership both at Stamford Bridge and Wembley. But the legend was well and truly born when he told Rick Parry to remove the release clause from his contract after much media speculation that put an ever so small dent on that glorious return from Istanbul. 

He was there you know, pretty much everywhere. He was there with that spectacular goal against Manchester United. He was there with THAT celebration against Everton so early in his career that put them in their place. He didn't want to wake up in the Europa League, so he was there with "Gerraaaaard! What the hit son, What a hit!". "European Champions and this time it's for keeps" happened because he rose against everybody to head in that captain's goal. He had no energy but still conjured a "Gerrard Oh! Ohhhhhh!" to pull an absolute rabbit out of the hat and a celebration that made us say "We know the name Son!" Steven Gerrard and Andy Gray (An Evertonian of all people!) are football's version of Sachin Tendulkar and Tony Grieg. They made each other's carrers in more ways than one.

That he managed to do all this for 19 years with only three years of world class teams around him in the treble winning season, the title chasing teams lead by the brilliance of Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez makes his that more special. Not to reign on his parade but I wonder how much Frank Lampard would have dragged and achieved with an underachieving Chelsea team. Perhaps Zizu was right after all! He must just be up there with those two aliens who are playing in Spain right now. 

It is heartening to see that despite giving his life for the club, there is more he wants to offer for the club in a managerial role. Some people just don't know when to stop, do they! I really can't put a finger to why I support this great club. But I am greatful I did because I got to follow a man who continues to inspire me as a leader, even in my obscure job officiating a bank branch in a small town in northern Tamilnadu. The lives he can touch! Purely on a footballing perspective we may never find another Gerrard, Carragher. Totti, Maldini, Terry, Scholes, Giggs and the likes. Perhaps Harry Kane if Tottenham can keep up. It was a pleasure to have watched football during their times. The time of Men rather than the "brace my hair and I will fall down holding my knee and crying like a baby" footballers of today.

When I used to frequent a self-order cafe, I used to always pick token no 8 whenever it is available because it is his jersey number. Then for a birthday, a friend of mine made a puzzle that answer for which the answer is No 8 and the gift was with the cafe manager who was holding the token. That's how I rememeber my captain. By talking about him even to non football loving people. I will remember him everytime I type in my password. I will remember Steven Gerrard, for the rest of my life as the best footballer I have ever witnessed. And I will make sure that in all the footballing conversations that I will ever have, I will hold that thought. That will be my tribute to him.

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Movie Review: Doctor Strange – Has Soul Searching Marvel Found Their Key to Survival?

Every movie franchise needs a rebirth at some point. Christopher Nolan’s storytelling changed the way we look at superhero movies forever with that kind of conflict that rips our understanding of right and wrong. DC may have done the reverse of it with the utterly terrible Batman Vs Superman, Dawn of Justice. But Marvel seems to have turned a page from their formulaic action extravaganzas to formulaic magical extravaganzas. I use the word formulaic because despite the soul searching that the franchise undergoes along with Dr Strange, it is the writing that lets it down.

Doctor Strange follows that life of Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) an arrogant but brilliant neurosurgeon who loses his way after a terrible accident. In search of an eastern cure, he unwittingly falls into the hands of the Ancient One (Tilda Swindon) who along with Master Mondo (Chiwetel Edjiafor) transforms Dr Strange into a universe saving sorcerer by introducing him to dimensions that defy time and space. And when the inevitable threat comes to earth it was up to the trio to save it from falling into darkness.

Robert Downey Jr must be pissing himself at the sight of Benedict Cumberbatch. If he though he nailed the role of World’s famous detective, out came Cumberbatch with his version of Sherlock Holmes that blew the audience away. Now Downey Jr’s title as the best Marvel Cast member might be at threat with Englishman stealing the show as Dr Strange with an arrogant, narcissistic yet lovable, goofy and funny portrayal. There may be shades of Sherlock to it but only just. He mesmerizes us with a performance that shifts from self-centred arrogance to a world saver without essentially losing the soul upon which the character is developed. And yes, that smile! How long before he stars in a timeless romantic flick?

Though originally not conceived in the comics as a Celtic sorcerer, Tilda Swinton as the ancient one steals the show with a measured performance that resonates with the very purpose of the movie. Chiwetel Edgiafor has done far more challenging roles so this is a cake walk for the talented actor. Mads Mikkelson doesn’t do a lot of mainstream Hollywood movies but when he does it stands out like the Bond Villain in Casino Royale, the series Hannibal and now as Caesillius. Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams has limited screen space but that does not stop from leaving an impression.

Doctor Strange might just be the template upon which Marvel could continue its cinematic existence. Here they have moved into a darker territory and the sort of concepts that stimulates the modern movie going geeks. There is humour that goes extremely well written for the characters and doesn’t look forced. Originally conceived in the 60’s, the writers have done well to introduce modern concepts of physics to enchant the modern intellect and enough spiritual material to appeal to the family audience. The special effects stay close to the movie’s time and space bending concepts. Yet there are some inevitable flaws that they could not correct. The screenplay follows an extremely tried and tested path and sometimes overbearing of CGI that could take the focus off storytelling. There is an instant comparison to Nolan’s Batman Begins that follows a similar trajectory of a talented lost man in search for his soul in the orient and Inception inspired CGI although others may argue that Nolan stole the original idea from the comic itself.


Marvel after Infinity Wars could have been a stretch given the orgy of stars and that sort of final battle that could make a successful movie franchise and force their audience into submission. But with an alternative look to its thinking, Marvel might have found a way beyond that with Doctor Strange. 

Monday, October 17, 2016

Match Report: Liverpool Vs Manchester United, Barclays Premier League, Anfield

Ah you Mourinho! It is in these fixtures that he lightens up to become the party pooper. He set it up and he delivered spectacularly. The moment United went into the break not able to score after all their pressing, it was quite clear he will order a shutdown and his players executed it all so well. Make no mistake, it wasn’t a boring draw and it’s not like Liverpool played badly. If you look at the game from a defensive perspective, it was an excellent game for both the team’s defenders except perhaps Lorius Karius who looked pretty suspect. David De Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world by a country mile. The fact that he chose to stay without Champions League football only increases my respects for him. And one midfielder controlled the game and that was Ander Herrera who wasn’t exactly playing in his best position. But a great performance from the Spaniard and a deserved Man of the match.

Enough of United, where did we make the mistakes? Well, they were not bad but United stifled Liverpool so effectively that one man was missed more than ever. Adam Lallana’s introduction galvanised the team so much that one only wonders what would have happened had he started. I might be going on a limb here but Klopp really needs a couple of more players who should be in tune with that midfield to not miss a player. Emre Can did not particularly have a good game losing the ball a lot and a lot of defensive passes that got into the Anfield crowd’s nerves. But the biggest disappointment of the night was Sadio Mane. Again, Mourinho and his instructions were very clear to Daley Blind. Don’t lose Mane and he did just that. Too many slips and misplaced passes. Klopp was right in his post-match comments that Liverpool were not calm enough.

There is one case that is very puzzling these days and that’s one of Daniel Sturridge. He had an excellent game against Leicester despite not scoring a goal, making the right runs and creating chances for others. But these days he just seems too moody. Either him or Klopp needs to realize that he needs a change of attitude or this could very well be his last season. Title chasing teams cannot afford players who are on and off. It’s one thing that Liverpool did not find him enough but he is not a Balotelli or a Benteke isn’t he? He needs to be more involved too when he does not have the ball.

From a defensive perspective, it was a pretty good game with Matip and Lovren more than handling the threat of Ibrahimovic, Rashford and Pogba. But Karius still looks very suspect. I guess Klopp gave this start not to dent his confidence and the clean sheet should springboard him for better performances. 

Tactically, it’s a game that United won fair and square. For Liverpool it should feel like a loss but there is no need for dropping shoulders because now that Liverpool has played the big teams except Manchester City, it should not hurt them as much. But Jurgen Klopp should deal with the exact same problem I mentioned after the Burnley and Swansea game when teams counter Liverpool in their own game. It just seems like a perfect template to stop Liverpool attacks. That would determine where Liverpool finish in the league.

Monday, July 11, 2016

5 Years a Banker – The Story of a misfit who flourished

Sometimes in life, it just happens. There are no explanations, not even a warning signal. About 5 years ago, a slightly nervous yet excited young man stared at the “Allahabad Bank – Vellore Branch” board for a full minute before walking into the manager’s cabin. It was his first day at work as a probationary officer. He was not related in any way to the field to have chosen it as a career path (Expect that his dad was a banker), having graduated it Bioinformatics and worked in a corporate giant like Wipro (albeit for a few months). Yet somehow it all just clicked for no reason at all. This is not just my story but could be related to any of the hundreds and thousands of youngsters who join this grand old industry.

Part of the reason why I joined a mid-tier bank like mine despite having offers from two other highly ranked banks is what I thought would be a moderately good working culture. And boy was I right! Especially with the kind of people I got to work with and more specifically my fellow officers. I have never called myself as a complete banker, probably never will. And a lot of my fellow mates have been more surprised than the people who recruited me on why I am in this field. It’s true that I am bit of a misfit in this industry not only because of my background but also because of my interests that could vary from writing to making a movie (all of which my job allowed me to do). But two things made me stay put and enjoy my work. One is that I have always done what my heart told me to and second is undoubtedly my fellow officers. You see, it can be mildly frustrating (to put it mildly) to answer basic doubts from a fellow officer who has been here for more than 3 years. But that’s what I did. God knows how frustrating it can be. But they all had a smile on their face and a willingness to help me no matter what. That’s not easy to find and I am incredibly lucky that way. And it’s not every day that you sit down with your managers at the end of a hard day’s work and talk travel, literature and exchange books. That’s dream if you ask me.

It frustrates me when sometimes people look down of a bank job but it also amuses me on how less people know how good it can be. Yes, there is pressure and yes there is work and lots of it and every branch is always under staffed. But the greatest thing that being a banker had done to me is that I never had a phobia of Mondays. It just doesn’t make any sense to me when I see people post about Mondays because there had not been a single time where I thought “Oh My God! It’s a Monday!” The fact that I am writing this on a Monday evening says a lot. There is a lot of work but it’s never monotonous. There is pressure but there is also satisfaction. The sense of achievement that you get when you make some stranger’s life better is unparalleled. This is say despite working exclusively as an urban banker. It multiplies exponentially if you are a rural banker. This is a field where its personnel actually make a difference to the society. It’s not a “Facebook will pay 1 dollar for every like” world. This is the real deal and it’s tremendously satisfying to be an agent of actual change.


It just felt right to write this because my friends in banking proved me wrong you know. I never thought I will find these many good folks in my line of work given that I work in an office that has 10 people. There is great camaraderie and respect. There is hardly any rivalry even when appearing for promotions together and a genuine sense of happiness when a fellow officer is promoted and a responsibility to get everyone up to the next level. I mean, name one corporate where you can find mates like this. I may not end up retiring as a banker but whatever time that I spend here will most definitely be some of the most special years of my life and I have my mates to thank for. 

The Revenant – Welcome to Hell, on Paradise

Very few movies provide its audience one particular experience that can only be given by a book, getting lost into it. While other movies let us watch the story unfold, these select few let us be part of it. We struggled to differentiate reality and a dream state (Inception), we felt grateful to have touched the soil after passing enormous hardships to get back to ground from outer space (Gravity). Likewise, we have now felt pain, hunger, anger and solitude in a barren tundra and know what it is like to be left to die alone. There have been a lot of Man Vs Nature movies before but none have left us this beaten and bruised as Alejandro Innaritu’s exceptionally shot, The Revenant.

Legendary Rocky Mountain Frontiersmen Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is injured in a vicious bear attack while guiding a fur trapping expedition in the northern Missouri river. Left for dead by members of his hunting team, he needs to find extraordinary skills of survival to stay alive and extract revenge on John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who had done him great wrong.

In what is essentially a simple tale of revenge, Alejandro Innaritu manages to create an unforgiving masterpiece of grit, determination and survival so raw that you can even smell the breath of the characters. The intimacy of the work is such that you wonder if what’s giving you the chills, is the air conditioning of the movie hall or the landscape depicted in the movie come to life. It is minute-after-minute of arrow stricken men, butchered animals and ghastly moments that are downright visceral and can leave you with a disturbed gut but it is also of visual brilliance and great acting. While you could literally feel the drooping saliva of the grizzly, you can also taste the water when Glass sticks his tongue out to drink water from the falling sleet.

Eddie Redmayne’s reaction when Julianne Moore declared the winner of best actor at this year’s Academy awards perhaps encapsulates just how much the World wanted to see Leonardo DiCaprio lift the Oscar statuette. Some might question the choice given that there were two other power packed performances last year from Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) and Redmayne himself (The Danish Girl) but perhaps its poetic justice and a culmination of all his previous nominations that tipped the favour towards DiCaprio and now the World has one less thing to worry about. The performance itself resonated with his Oscar misgivings: Beaten, Bruised and left in the cold, he eventually crawls and fights his way to get his revenge.

Mark Rylance’s phenomenal work as the captive US spy in Bridge of Spies was the only thing that stood between Tom Hardy and a first academy award as he spits venom in his role as John Fitzgerald who is as cold and unforgiving as the landscape of the movie itself. Tasked with a role that is more challenging than DiCaprio’s, Hardy captivates the audience with so much of dark side that you are forgiven to have missed the humanity in it. How much he communicates through those powerful eyes! The premise of his character is not new to him specially after The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior and Legend but he brings something fresh to it every time he laces up his boots as a Villain. This complex, power packed performer will be one of the best performers of this era.

Alejandro Innaritu’s vision is a testament on how to convert what in essence an art house making into a commercial blockbuster. The Revenant is grand, brilliant and spell binding but ultimately exhausting. In an attempt to elevate the movie from a simple revenge tale Innaritu poses a lot of questions from race to climate change to humanity to a brutal system that helped build a nation. But he leaves no attempt to answer them but simply lets his characters be victims of all these problems. In doing so he has left a sense of incompleteness which is akin to Glass’ final moments in the movie, a long stare into the emptiness. Is that the point of it all?

It is not customary to finish a review with a take on a movie’s cinematographer. But Emmanuel Lubezki’s work is so captivating that you really wonder what this feature would be without this triple Oscar winner and multiple time nominee. His work in the Revenant is not just visual but also the way he lets the audience feel the movie or in his own words, immersive. Shot exclusively in natural light which is limited in the terrain where they shot the movie (Canada and Argentina), Lubezki brings us every sunrise, frozen plants, shooting stars, frozen waterfalls, every wound in Glass’ body and the fear in the men’s eyes. What could be equally or more challenging than shooting landscapes is capturing human emotions in its micro detail. So, the idea a movie like this involves the camera to be more emotional than mechanical and that is exactly what Lubezki achieved. Shooting for this movie was termed hellacious by the cast filled with unnatural hardships but the end product is heaven. The movie itself is a grand statement of what happens when the director and cinematographer works perfectly in sync with each other.

While the Revenant falters on content and grace, it more than makes it up with its unique style of moviemaking that’s brutal and awkward to watch but ultimately manages to floor you with knock out performances and out of the world cinematography. 

Sunday, June 12, 2016

The Conjuring 2 Review – The Sequel that does just enough

I don’t watch a lot of horror movies, simply because I am scared of them. I remember watching Darkness Falls back in the day and keeping a torch next to my bed for a week because the ghost, Matilda is afraid of light. But then, that’s what they are supposed to do aren’t they! I remember watching Conjuring and thought to myself, this is the sort of horror movies that I want to watch! Good investigative storyline, no over the top acting or short & wet dresses and really good light and sound effects. But then Annabelle happened and ruined it for me. I mean what kind of horror movie was that predictable. But when they announced The Conjuring 2, I started hoping again and I have to say that they did not disappoint although that is another way of saying, they did only just enough.

Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) are back, this time in England to investigate the supernatural incidents happening to a family of single mom and 4 young children. The Warrens themselves experience strange visions not necessarily relating to this event. How they manage to solve both (In an extremely well thought out twist in the end) forms the crux of the movie. The template doesn’t change at all. A family experiencing strange and horrifying incidents during the night, a resident ghost who just won’t leave and finding a medium to fulfil its demonic wishes. Then comes the warrens who investigate the matter, collect proof of demonic activity and with the help of the church manages to get rid of the resident evil. Same old same old, but what separates the Conjuring series with other horror movies is how they have managed to convince human powers to fight a higher evil. It is like how Gandalf explains in the Lord of Rings Trilogy that it’s not great power but the everyday act of kindness from simple folk that keeps darkness in bay. While in the first part it was the love of a mother that fought the demon inside her, here it is a family sticking together. This concept makes the Conjuring series more endearing to all audience alike.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga has forged a simple yet formidable chemistry between them that it’s impossible to think of another pair doing a better job at it. Their simple acts of kindness like Wilson fixing the poor family’s household items or the Elvis song that puts a smile on the much affected family’s faces. But the breakout star of the movie is Madison Wolfe as Janet Hodgson who is used by the ghost as a medium. There is an underlying sadness in her eyes that lets her go through the sheer range of expressions the character demanded with aplomb. Like I said earlier, the movie steers clear from predictable horror movie stereotypes and therein lies their success. The fact that they used real haunted locations and simple engineering mechanics to create the horror scenes and not relying too much on CGI makes the movie that much more authentic.

The movie has got its moments, quite a lot actually. But it isn’t the scariest that I have seen and it definitely does not get you to the edge of the seat all that frequently. Although the reason why Lorraine could not sense anything in the house is revealed in an exciting climax twist, the climax itself was a bit of a let-down. But what it quietly does is, let you travel with the Warrens and experience demons in an unassuming way that you actually feel relieved for yourself as much as for the Hodgsons. It’s not the most riveting but it is not a franchise killer either. I am already expecting a third part, only this time a bit scarier.