Mindless war games
BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK
Director: Ang Lee
Actors: Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart a football game in Texas on Thanksgiving Day. While waiting for them to participate in a halftime musical extravaganza, the narrative flits back and forth from the stadium to memories of combat that keep erupting in the mind of the teenage infantryman (British newcomer Joe Alwyn; efficient enough, especially when he’s shedding copious tears).
As the day wears on, the disillusionment of the men increases. Flashbacks also abound of Billy’s reunion with his family, particularly his meeting with his firebrand sister (the ever-reliable Kristen Stewart).
Considerable time is wasted on subplots involving a romance with a cheerleader (Mackenzie Leigh) and the efforts of a glib-talking Hollywood agent (Chris Tucker) who wants to cast the soldiers in a potboiler starring Hilary Swank.
Jingoism and cynicism mix in equal measure as the plot winds down in confrontations with security personnel and an imaginary encounter with the squad’s slain sergeant (Vin Diesel), who loves to expound on Krishna and Arjuna, if you please.
Neither exciting nor entertaining, Billy Lynn’s… is recommended for Ang Lee completists only.
ILL-GOTTEN WEALTH MOSTLY ENTERS THE FORMAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM THROUGH REAL ESTATE AND SHELL COMPANIES
would be even lower as the tax department’s classification of seizures considers currency and ornaments as one unit.
One of the reasons why tax evaders and corrupt public officials prefer not to stash cash could be the sheer logistics of it. `1 crore in `1,000 notes, if stashed evenly, occupies one sq ft and weighs 13 kg. `100 crore would weigh 1.3 tons and occupy an area the size of a threewheeler goods carrier, making the movement of cash without detection difficult.
Ill-gotten wealth mostly enters the formal economic system through real estate and shell companies, a finance ministry source said.
HT reported on Thursday the currency switch could result in hardship for low-income groups as only 28%-32% of Indians have access to financial institutions, including post offices and banks. Further, 33% of the 138,626 bank branches are in 60 Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, leaving rural India at a huge disadvantage.