Dosa Hut

I have never been to Fordsburg at night. Fordsburg is almost "little India" - with shops open in the evenings, neon lights and lots of different, authentic, Indian restaurants. It has a very nice vibe - although parking is admittedly quite difficult. Dosa Hut is located at 48 Central Road and focuses on South Indian cuisine. The decor is not much to speak of, and the service is somewhat slow - but the food is delicious and cheap. It is certainly not upmarket - but it does come across as more authentic.

JPO's 1st 2013 Season 2nd Concert

There seemed to be a few more people in the concert last night; but there were still a lot of seats left empty. They missed a concert filled with really jovial pieces. I have heard Mendelssohn's The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) on the radio before, but didn't really know the name. It's a short, fun piece - although it didn't really match the advertised transportation to a scenic Scottish island.

Serbian born, Johannesburg resident, Serge Cuca, played Bruch's popular Violin Concerto No.1. Serge Cuca did not have a strong stage personality when compared to some of the other violinists that have graced the JPO stage in the past; but it was still a masterful performance, deserving of the enthusiastic applause. Continuing the Beethoven theme of the season, the last piece was his 4^th Symphony.

The next two weeks feature Russian pianist Alexander Lubyantsev, with some great pieces. Looking forward to it!

Movie: Zero Dark Thirty

There are movies that are long and fail to hold your attention. But Zero Dark Thirty is not really that long (just over 2 and half hours) - it feels much longer; but still holds your attention throughout. It is an uncomfortable movie to watch; especially the much talked about torture scenes. But there is an element of relentless pursuit - and only towards the end do you realise that this movie covered events spanning a decade. 

It is a movie; not meant to be a documentary - but in many ways, this will be seen as a historical re-enactment. It is in that, the torture scenes become poignant - since there is a catch-22. To state that torture evidence was not useful, further extends the view that torture is barbaric and has no place in modern civilisation. To state that torture evidence was useful, and the result justifies the means; questions the very existence of treaties such as the Geneva convention - and any position of moral superiority. Ultimately the movie chooses the later - and like it or not - most people in the US seems to identify with the results more than the means. 

It is a superbly acted and directed movie. The questions about torture has affected the movie's reap of rewards - but I do think it at least poses the right questions.