Korean movies are way ahead -

I can't say that I have started following Korean movies lately because i haven't. I started following them 3 years back! Now i am kind of done with them. I am left hugely impressed and mind you I am a very very tough critic. The plots, screenplays, editing, action sequences, dialogues, curses - just about everything about them is fantastic!

BUT what is sad is that Bollywood keeps copying them and keeps makeing a hash of these movies...the best example is Zinda (copied from Old Boy)....man o man....what a gang rape on the Korean movie...sanjay gupta destroyed Old Boy...

Anyway - my recommendation for the uninitiated for the best Korean movies-
Old Boy
Memories of Murder
Joint Security Area
Sunny
My Sassy Girl
Miracle in Cell No. 7
Mother

Next set can include-
I saw the Devil
Lade Vengeance
Man from Nowhere
Bittersweet Life
New World
Thirst

The first set of movies is...simply put...mind blasting!

MA

West Indies - still the same issues!

I have been following West Indies cricket for more than 20 years now, they infact are my favorites. From the age of 10 when I was barely 3ft tall, I have been trying to copy and bowl like Curtly Ambrose (I was pretty fast in my earlier days and I mean express pace, not chummi fast!). Everyone knows the team has gone down, cricket is in tatters etc etc but this last series against NZ sums it up, I haven't seen more things wrong about a team since ...i cant even think of an example!

1) Batting coach is Stuart Williams - are you kidding me? On one side you have the great Ambrose as the bowling consultant and then you have Williams as the batting one? seriously? The guy could barely bat himself, averages in poor numbers and was at best tier-2 opener. Why have him? Where are Hooper, Jimmy Adams, Sherwin Campbell (even he would be better than Williams)? I am assuming Lara has said "fkk off" to these guy already else he is an obvious choice. I think the logic that you don't necessarily have to be great player yourself to be a great coach might work for the Head Coach position (Otis Gibson in this case) but it definitely DOES NOT work for the specialist position consultants. Imagine Sidhu being the fielding coach of India?

2) The captain - Ramdin. Why is he the captain? For lack of any other senior players? Where is DJ Bravo (the ODI captain)? Ramdin till last year was in pathetic batting form and himself not sure of his position in the side, now we have him as a permanent fixture. Silly - and to top it, he himself is not sure whether he can handle it. Extremely defensive and supremely bad team selection

3) Suniel Narine - This was the height of ullu ka pathapan that selectors did. He played the IPL final and was late by 1 day in reaching back, he missed the deadline. So he was told he will be omitted for the full test series. Why? What part of IPL schedule did WI selectors not know? IPL is already approved by various boards, the schedules are public knowledge, Kolkatta reaching final was public news, and more importantly didn't just happen out of the blue - everyone could see they are in top 4, won the 1st qualifier so are in finals. Even if he did get omitted for the 1st test, what is the point of omitting him for all 3?

4) Shillingford - He needs to go and practice a new variation, his doosra is banned and frankly he sucks at best! His inclusion in last test single handedly defeated WI. Instead of him, there should have been a batsman and NO i don't want to see Blackwood. Bring back DJ Bravo, Sarwan etc. Dink out Edwards, Gayle, Shillingford.

Bowling is actually looking good after a while, they need to get Fido Edwards also back fit and these 3 : Roach, Taylor and Edwards can actually do well together with Narine and Benn.

Ideal Test team should look like this -
Braithwaite, Blackwood, Darren Bravo, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, DJ Bravo, Ramdin, Narine, Roach, Taylor, Edwards
Also Chanderpaul is almost on his way out, so there is a huge hole waiting to be exposed there - Gayle should be brought down the order (same issue as Sehwag i think, he has no technique at the top!)

I really hope to see a Test Match in Jamaica one day and more importantly WI will win that day and not get thrashed!

MA

This soccer WC is a joke!

Teams are getting knocked out after losing 2 matches?! For 4 years of wait, for playing those lousy friendlies and for playing that extremely long qualifying round of matches - they get knocked out for losing 2 matches?

The domestic leagues are so much more entertaining and more importantly more intense. But why blame the WC...this should be expected with a faulty format.

Why would a team show it's true potential when they have barely played with each other on a regular basis and when the whole shenanigan begins 2 years in advance (i mean the stupid qualifying format).

I think instead the WC year should begin from Jan 1 of that year and be played throughout the year in a league format involving top 30 teams (each team will play all the remaining ones). It atleast gives a much more fair assessment of the teams and is a more reliable take on which team is the best international team in the world.  

If logistically it is not possible, then make it possible. If not every week matches, then make them play in bunches of 2-3 matches a week in every 4 weeks (domestic league and champions league fixtures should revolve around it for that year. As for the sidey less important cups, manager should get bigger squads - no one cares about FA cups, carling cups etc anyway!)

It also takes into account the whole regional bias in group formations and the number of slots that each continent gets etc (for 2014 - sweden hasn't qualified for the finals but iran has!? yeah seriously...i think zlatan alone can run circles around iran and kick their arse). There needs to be a better selection of teams for finals. 

Also those players who get injured just before the WC during the so called practice matches, miss out on the most important dream they have as a soccer player. Not only that, just look at this scenario - Jack Wilshere who plays for England and is uber van persie style made out of paper type sensitive and prone to injury. So he doesn't play many of the qualifying rounds coz he is injured. Then Arsenal, the club he plays for cribs that he got injured anyway in one of the "international friendlies" but still get him to rehab, make him stronger, get him to match fitness for him to break his foot bone again in one of the friendlies (by this time England has already qualified!). Anyway, the England manager obviously wants him fit and be ready so what does Arsenal do? - they rest him despite him being fit towards the end of the season so that he can play for England - fair enuf. World Cup comes...he is fit...but isn't chosen in the playing squad?!...England is out in 2 matches...he is fit but didn't play for any side...wtf?! And this is a story not with just 1 player...So many got injured in the practice matches before the WC itself...so many top class players in the world were missing.

MA