I mentioned The Namesake trailer here, but here it is in all its glory. I can't wait to see it. Oh, here is a blog that goes with The Namesake movie too. Is Kal Penn really authoring it?

“Conceived as an introspective journey that takes you from the first daguerreotypes to war photojournalism, from fashion spreads to the greatest contemporary artists, this program includes 1700 pictures, 300 artists, and will appeal to all photographers – amateur and professional alike. This is not only the history of an amazing art form, it is also the adventure of one century and a half during which photography has captured the image of the collective conscience.

Over four hours long, this trip is as dazzling as it is moving, where one crosses paths with such celebrated photographers as Ansel Adams, Brassai, Lewis Carroll, Robert Doisneau, George Eastman, Max Ernst, Roger Fenton, Eadweard Muybridge, Helmut Newton, Nicephore Niepce, Man Ray, Edward J. Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Herb Ritts, and many more.

Disc one includes: The Precursors, The Surrealists, War Photography, Portraitists, The Photoreporters, and Fashion Photography. Disc two includes: Nudes, Photography and Science, Amateur Photography, and The Photographic Market.”

Cost: $39.95. Value: Priceless. Where do you buy it? From www.kultur.com of course!

Clint Eastwood's epic drama about the lives of US soldiers who victoriously raised the American flag on Iwo Jima called Flags Of Our Fathers opens in theaters here today.

The story is about how these soldiers were iconized and subsequently exploited by the US government. The act of raising the flag was captured and memorialized in a single image by Joe Rosenthal, a photojournalist documenting the war. It was distributed widely to build morale and support the allied actions in the Pacific.

Do you know of other movies where an image or a photograph played such a pivotal part? List your choices here in the comments section. If you see your choice already listed, please do not list it again.

Here is my choice: Chris Nolan's Memento.

Now, it is your turn.

Haven't read it but I knew way back when that Mira Nair had the script and was working on the cinema adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. Now thanks to Amit Gupta I caught the first glimpse of the movie – a trailer off of the Apple site. Check it out. Looks slick and very interesting. I am going to have to read the book now for sure.

I just read that Shekhar Kapur will again direct Kate Blanchett in The Golden Age, a sequel to Elizabeth, a 1998 Oscar-nominated film. I remember Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love both arrived in theaters at about the same time and they were both excellent period films.