New Stuff coming out soon!

Hey I know my articles generally come under the "reviews" section, but I've decided to be more open & creative. I think you guys would find it a real drag if I review each & everything, so I've decided to add another section to my site.

"Faute!" is going to be my "tennis-analysis" section covering anything & everything that goes on in the ATP/WTA world. I may add a few articles on other sports as well (If I feel like writing one!).

I love Tennis  - watching & playing (on my PS3 i mean :P ). So any news regarding sports would be primarily covering Tennis, occassional news about Football or Cricket may randomly appear.
So hope you all like my new articles, will get one out soon!

P.S: I am not putting a full stop to my reviews. U.N.Owen will continue rating & reviewing. So don't worry :)

Top 10 Android Apps

Android: Google’s prized MOS (mobile OS)  has taken over the No. 1 spot when it comes to smart phones. They have left Nokia & their Symbian phones speechless. However, iOS has been steady in its path to reach the No.1 rank. So which OS do you guys like? Android? iOS? Or Symbian? Leave your choices in the comment section.

Since I own an Android-powered Smart phone , I thought I’d share with you guys a few good apps. These are the Apps which I like and use on a daily basis.

•   Aldiko : This has got to be the best e-book reading app in Android at the moment! With the new update, now you can read pdf & mobi formats apart from the restrictive epub file formats. Reading on your Android phone has now been upgraded to Kindle style!!! Woot for the Day/Night Style of reading as well J

•   TubeMate: Want to watch a youtube video without waiting endlessly for it to buffer? TubeMate allows you to download your fav Video from youtube and play it using the stock video player or one downloaded from the Market.

•  Twidroyd : Android’s official twitter client. While the “Twitter” app is good, Twidroid (F.K.A) has a lot of features like support of multiple accounts,preview of messages & media,suggestions,photo & video upload facility,etc. Tweeting was never THIS fun!! J

•  Smart Keyboard: I downloaded this app the other day hesitantly because of all the security breach problems. However, I have to say that texting using this compared to native keyboard/swype is far easier & more responsive. Love the iphone keyboard theme as well.Keys are spread well apart without causing incorrect typing (had that problem with the in-built keyboard). I’d suggest everyone to buy atleast the Lite/Trial version from Market & test it. Its totally worth it!

•   PowerAmp: The stock media player isn’t that loud even when its set to the highest volume.So I decided to check out PowerAmp & guess what? I am in awe! It has an equilizer, album art as well as playlists.Best media player for android! Beats the others hands down!

•    Rocket Bunnies: Fun 3D game. Nice way to kill time ;)

•               Ninjump: This is really addictive. Converted my sibling into a Ninjump fan (hehe!)

•                Fruit Ninja: iPhone’s most addictive game in recent times hits Android Market. Super fun! Do download it.

•              Astro:  A really good file manager for your android phone. Helped me several times in finding apps.

•       Angry Birds: Before Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds ruled the roost (pardon the pun!). Unlike its iPhone counterpart, the android version in Market is the full version. Couldn’t kill time any better J

Hope you guys like this list. Do suggest more apps if you know & post them in the comments section.

Happy ‘app’ing J

Fusilli & Isles

Rizzoli & Isles

U.N.Owen's Rating: 2.5/5

"Who is Henry Deduboto?"
"Ted Bundy!"
"That's five letters too many for that anagram"
*sarcasm* "How do you do that" *sarcasm*

These lines basically sum up what was & will be a potentially good show. 'Rizzoli & Isles' is based on author Tess Gerritsen's books & her characters. Feisty Boston detective Jane Rizzoli(Rizzoli - sounds like Fusilli!) teams up with quirky yet super genius Medical Examiner,Maura Isles. The first season comprises of only 10 episodes (guess the show producer's were scared in case it flopped!) of fun-filled mysteries. Well the mystery part is scarce,in fact it's plain non-existent. With competition from other comedy/crime  shows like Castle & House ( i know it's mostly medical-crime; if there is such a genre) , Rizzoli & Isles  need to really step it up for the next season.

The basic premise of the show involves Rizzoli & Isles solving crimes in the most wacky & goofy (Maura!) ways. From the very first episode, the viewers are introduced to a very sinister nemesis from one of Gerritsen's famous (the first in fact!) books: The Surgeon a.k.a Charles Hoyt.Usually, I don't like shows where a recurring villain makes his/her appearance in the very FIRST SHOW, but I decided to give this one a pass. Turns out Books 1 & 2 ('The Surgeon' & 'The Apprentice') of Mrs.Gerritsen is the basis for episode 1: Bummer! However, as the season progresses (10 episodes is a season?!?!) the episodes & "mysteries" (CAUTION: loose terminology!) get better. With each episode, you get to know a bit more about the characters: Rizzoli's family & their plumbing business, Dr.Isles & her love for clothes, Rizzoli's partners, even Hoyt. Sasha Alexander potrays the "goofy" Dr.Isles, brilliantly while Angie Harmon acts well..bad! Her tone is quite off-putting, one minute she sounds feminine & the next like Yogi Bear. Also, if they were trying to potray Rizzoli as a feisty,brave,"kick-you-in-the-you-know-where" detective, Harmon doesn't pull it off. She sounds whiny & vulnerable at times. Even Lorraine Bracco has acted well as Mrs.Rizzoli. The redeeming factor - rather saving grace , would be its humor. Some of the one-liners & comic exchanges between Rizzoli & Isles are really very funny. Overall, a good first season which could have been a bit longer, episode-wise & mystery-solving-wise.

Verdict: Season two looks promising with the season one finale ending like that! But if I were at the helm, I would kick in the crime-solving aspect & yet retain it's comedy. Worth a watch, if you're bored.

127 Hourszzzzzz!!!

Movie: 127 Hours
Starring: James Franco
Director: Danny Boyle
Producer: Christian Colson, John Smithson, Danny Boyle
Music: A.R. Rahman
U.N.Owen's Rating: 3/5

Academy Award Winning director Danny Boyle teams up with another Academy Award Winner, AR Rahman, yet again. However, this time the movie is not solely adapted from a book but also based on a true story.


The movie begins with blaring music (courtesy Rahman) & glimpses of a hyper-active man. Enter Aron Ralston, daring & adventurous, who decides on a whim to pack his bags & prepare himself for some canyoneering. Armed with his trusty video recorder & a music player, Aron blazes through the desert-like lands on his bike & relishes the moment. He then stumbles upon two lost hikers, Kristi & Megan, who are apprehensive at first to trust him & accept his offer to guide them to their destination. They finally agree & begin to warm up to his quirky nature. After having fun with the two girls (falling through a gap into an underground jump), he bids them farewell & continues on his journey to Blue John Canyon. Once he reaches the canyon, horrible turn of events ensue. Aron falls through a narrow passage & finds himself wedged between the walls of the canyon, with his hand stuck to the wall. Futile attempts to free himself & his hand from the rock occur but they’re all in vain. As days go by, Aron struggles with his dwindling resources & suffers through the mental torture. He begins hallucinating about his family, friends, his girlfriend , his mistakes – he even records an impromptu “talk show” to control himself from completely “losing it”. With little to go on, Aron decides to do the inevitable – amputate his arm with his dull “cheap-a$$ Chinese knife”. Having done the impossible, Aron limps his way through the canyon & finds a bunch of hikers who save him. The movie ends with a montage of Aron’s (the real one!) life with his wife.


Now on to my criticism, I found the movie a tad bit long. It could have been cut short by about 20 minutes atleast, saving us from his babbles & unending hallucinations. Also I felt, Franco’s enactment of the amputation scene was not believable. Sure anyone would be exhausted but amputating without an anaesthetic let alone with a dull knife would make anyone scream & howl like a rabid animal. Apart from these minor glitches, I felt the movie was taken well. Cinematography was top-notch; the panoramic view of the canyon & the scene with the “my feet touching sunshine” deserve special mention. AR Rahman’s music & score was passable, not award-worthy material. However, with the current Oscar nominations for a film score, I think “If I Rise” will win! Apart from strong similarities with Spanish tennis star Fernando Verdasco, Franco’s acting was good if not award-worthy (second time I’ve used the word).


Verdict:-  Watch it or Skip it? If u want a dose of “adventure-gone-wrong” with a pinch of “Snoooze-flashback-effects” then you might find 127 Hours watchable. My verdict: Skip it or rent the DVD!