Hot tub time machine

 

English(A)

Cast: John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry Director: Steve Pink

Three friends, Adam (Cusack), Nick (Robinson), and Lou (Corddry), to escape from their bored adult lives take a trip to their favourite ski resort. But when they jumped into the hotel’s hot tub they are transported back to the summer of 1986 along with Adam’s nephew Jacob (Duke). Now, the three best friends are given a chance to either walk the same path or to re-do things to make their lives perfect.

Adam must find a way to get a perfect girlfriend and Nick should find a way to have control over his nagging wife while Lou, a party guy must get his mojo back for Jacob’s existence. In the process we have ‘hard decisions’ taken, including whether to dump or not dump an old girlfriend, or stand up to a bully. How will the guys steer their fate now seem a bigger challenge than their year 2010 lives.

If “The Hangover” was hot, “Hot Tub Time Machine” is even hotter and also cleverly executed with raunchy dialogues, yet minus the vulgarity. The film at first seems to be a yet another teen-movie, but the movie-goers are treated with a sense of seriousness with its ‘Poison’-era music and the period setup. The summer of ’86 seems to be a carefree period, but this film takes a look at it from the present time. It finally dawns that it was also an era of multitude errors.

Director Steve Pink also brings in a new lease of life to John Cusack’s career. Who could  have thought John Cussak will ever be funny? See it for yourself.  However, the guys’ problems are sometimes projected as either too simple to be bothered about or the solutions are stupidly solved. Besides, the slow pace in the second half, the essence of time is also a bit phony even as the director fails to dig deeper into the time machine itself. Yet, the final product we get is still refreshing and consumable for young adults.

Robert L. Sungte, Deccan Herald

Manipur CM apprises PC on Churachandpur ADC polls

Imphal, April 28 2010: Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh called on Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today evening and apprised the latter of the preparations being made by the State Government for the election to the Autonomous District Councils.
The Chief Minister also reportedly urged the Union Minister to provide additional security for the second phase of the election.

The Chief Minister called on the Union Home Minister at around 4.15 pm today.
Apart from apprising the Union Minister about the preparations being made by the State Government for the election to the Autonomous District Councils, the meeting also discussed issues related to the ongoing economic blockade along the National Highways, according to information received by the press.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also urged the Union Minister for providing additional Central forces in connection with the second phase of the election, the notification of which is expected to be issued on May 3 .

Earlier during the day, Chief Minister O Ibobi visited Parliament House at around 12.30 pm and met the Union Water Resource Minister PK Bansal.

In the morning, the Chief Minister called on the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Gulam Nabi Azad at the latter's office in connection with starting the session of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences from this year.

Source: The Sangai Express

MoU signed for Tipaimukh dam project

Silchar, April 28: The 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric project in Manipur may finally see the light of the day. A memorandum of understanding was signed in New Delhi today by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN), NHPC Ltd and the Manipur government to jointly develop the project.

The project has witnessed stiff opposition from Bangladesh, intense diplomatic parleys between India and its eastern neighbour and protests by tribals in Manipur and Cachar.

At the centre of controversy is a proposed dam for the hydel project to be built on Manipur’s Barak river that branches into the Surma and the Kushiara rivers after entering Sylhet district of Bangladesh.

The dam could affect water flow into Bangladesh. It will also impact the livelihood of around 60,000 people.

The Bangladesh government had been voicing its concerns since the project was conceived.

In July last year, a 10-member joint parliamentary committee from Bangladesh had visited the project site and studied the possible impact of the project.

Bangladesh Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia had asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to go ahead with the project.

In a joint communique issued after the three-day visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January, Manmohan Singh had reiterated that “India would not take steps on the Tipaimukh project that would adversely impact Bangladesh”.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh had also said the central government would take a fresh look at the project following protests in Manipur and Bangladesh.

By regulating excess water, the Tipaimukh project is expected to help control floods in Sylhet, western Manipur and southern Assam.

It will also open a new waterway from Haldia port in Bengal to the Northeast via Bangladesh.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 8,138 crore. NHPC will pick up a 69 per cent stake in the joint venture, while 26 per cent will be held by SJVN and the remaining 5 per cent by the Manipur government.

The NHPC stock gained marginally by Rs 0.15, or 0.50 per cent, to close at Rs 30.40 on the BSE.

“After a meeting of the shareholders at New Delhi today, the MoU was signed in the afternoon,” a source close to the development said.

A detailed project report will now be prepared after which the final impact of the project could be known.

Earlier, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation had also prepared a project report.

“However, a fresh study will be done,” the source said.

Courtesy: Telegraph

IAS officer’s surprise visit to Parbung sub-division gets people talk development again

  *Hmar students want link-bridge over Tuivai river to facilitate links with Mizoram during monsoon

By Lalmalsawm  Sungte

April 24, 2010: Churachandpur district commissioner Ms Jacintha Lazarus’ surprise one-day visit to Hmar villages in Manipur’s Parbung sub-division on April 21 has set people talking about development issues again and the Tamilian IAS lady officer herself.

According to reports received here, the people were so impressed by Ms Jacintha’s desire to meet them that in very villages she was “warmly received by the locals who aired their grievances without any reservations.”

Sources said that Ms Jacintha was scheduled to attend only the District Level Co-ordination Committee Review Meeting at Thanlon sub-divisional headquarters on April 20. But on the morning of April 21, she changed her plan and headed for Parbung sub-divisional headquarters, which is some 80-plus km away from Thanlon.

“Ms Jacintha told her team to take her to Ruonglevaisuo (Tipaimukh) area where there is practically no functional government machinery. She had always wanted to see for herself the ground realities,” the source added.

The commissioner’s team made brief stoppages at Pherzawl, Damdiei,Taithu, Parbung, Lungthulien and Senvon villages.

At Parbung sub-headquarters representatives of Hmar Welfare Association and Hmar Students Association met Ms Jacintha at the IB Center and submitted their grievances in writing. “We asked her to speed up the reconstruction work of NH-150 connecting Mizoram and Manipur,” they said over phone.

Members of the Tipaimukh Area Development Front (TADF) also asked Ms Jacintha to take up re-construction work of Tuivai Leilak (bridge) to facilitate links with Mizoram during the monsoon season. Another prominent demand of the representatives was the construction of a Mini-Sport Stadium at Parbung.

The sub-divisional staff members who accompanied Ms Jacintha literally turned purpled when they were openly snubbed by HSA leaders during the reception function held at Parbung. “The SDO and TD Block staff members and the medical officials are present today here just because of you. We don’t even know their names,” they told the district magistrate, who looked stunned.

And in Lungthulien village, the TADF members informed Ms Jacintha that Tipaimukh constituency never got the 9000-metric tonne rice sanctioned by the Central government last year in view of mautam. “In the Agriculture Input Subsidy people in Tipaimukh area are given just Rs.1000/-while other subdivisions got Rs 2000/-approx,” Ms Jacintha was informed.

To take action

Listening patiently to the people and their angst against state government officials, the district commissioner assured them that she will take necessary steps to make corrective changes once she is back in office.

An analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Ms Jacintha’s approach and strategy is completely different from her predecessor Mr Sumant Singh. “Mr Sumant Singh was like a stamp sent by vested groups. This young lady is his opposite,” another observer said.

Ms Jacintha had already visited Vangai TD Block under Tipaimuk sub-division last month to take stock of the ground realities. It may be mentioned that Churachandpur district was and is still the stronghold of militants. However, if one is to go by the current situations, Ms Jacintha has garnered an unwavering support of all sections of the people with her USP- development. But, the question in everyone’s mind is whether this “brave” Indian civil servant from Tamil Nadu has the guts to carry forward her development plans in this trouble-torn part of the country. Only time will tell.