Daily Archives: February 27, 2020

The 25 best-performing large cities in the US: Milken Institute – Yahoo Finance

Posted: February 27, 2020 at 2:28 am

The Milken Institute is out with its annual Best-Performing Cities Index, and San Francisco takes the top spot for 2020. The non-profit think tank measured the economic vitality of 200 large metro areas and 201 small cities based on job creation, wage growth, high-tech GDP growth, plus other innovation and industry metrics.

San Franciscos legacy of innovation, research universities, and abundance of skilled labor and tech startups highlight the depth and dynamism of the regions economy, Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Milken Institute Center for Regional Economics, told Yahoo Finance.

Klowden notes the many of the cities on the list have something in common. The top-performing cities have cohesive strategies that allow them to weather economic storms and leverage their assets for sustained growth, he said.

Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance

Reno, which ranks 4th on the 2020 list, has jumped seven places since Milkens 2018 index, and Tesla (TSLA) and its gigafactory are a big reason for the jump. Klowden says that former Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval made a significant effort to lure tech companies to the state, and when Tesla needed a home for its production facility, geography worked in the states favor.

When Tesla was looking to build the gigafactory, it had to be on the rail and highway lines leading to their main factory in Fremont, California. And there arent a ton of places that fit that, he said.

RENO, NEV - MARCH 25: Construction on the Tesla Motors Gigafactory east of Reno, Nev., March 25, 2015. (Photo by David Calvert/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Klowden tells Yahoo Finance that cities that top this years list are primarily in the Sunbelt and have an eye on the future when it comes to its workforce. One way this is done is by creating jobs that are less likely to be phased out by technology.

Its this interesting case, where if you look at the places that have done well, with the exception Boise and Seattle, ... are the places that have seen real growth in the of future-facing jobs, he said.

Its the ability to create jobs that are less likely to be computerd out and less likely to be taken out by a lot of the current economic challenges. Those are the ones that do well, he said.

Every major, thriving city thats on this list that has been strong for quite a while, he added. They have to deal with growth problems, and its how you manage that growth that really becomes a significant issue. And if you can manage that growth, then it means that youre going to be thriving for quite a long time.

Reggie Wade is a writer for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at@ReggieWade.

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No, the Astros’ league-leading HBPs in spring training are not retaliation for their cheating – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 2:28 am

The narrative jumps out as soon as you look at MLBs spring training leaderboards.

The Houston Astros at the top of the league in HBPs with seven in five games, right in line with how fans and some MLB players have indicated the Astros should be ready to take a few pitches in the back.

Some fans may see what's happened in recent Astros games and think that retaliation is clearly now beginning, as Astros manager Dusty Baker feared and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred warned against. No one would be surprised, given the jeers and signs weve already seen decrying baseballs worst cheaters of a generation.

Except, that is almost definitely not what is happening.

So, seven HBPs. Most in the league. Except there are currently four other teams Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals right behind the Astros with six plunkings.

To our knowledge, none of those teams are currently embroiled in the fallout of a massive cheating scandal, and yet theyve experienced 85 percent of the pain the Astros have. Maybe if the Astros led the majors in HBPs by a wider margin, you could say its a trend. But having 14 percent of the rest of the league right behind them indicates we might just be dealing with, yknow, out-of-practice pitchers.

The narrative further erodes when you actually look at the Astros who have been hit by pitches. That list is Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Alex De Goti, Aledmys Diaz, Osvaldo Duarte and Dustin Garneau.

So, two well-known faces of the infamous 2017 team, two players who were not part of the Astros organization in 2017 (or 2018), and three minor leaguers. Probably not a group of players the league thinks had it coming.

But Altuve and Bregman got plunked! The other HBPs might just be organizational depth facing pitchers in the second week of their throwing programs, but those must have surely been deliberate, right?

Why dont we take a look at the plunkings before declaring that. Heres Altuve:

Well let Baker interpret the placement of that pitch.

He was hit in the foot, Baker told reporters after the game. That aint nothing, you know what I mean? It wasnt intentional.

And heres Bregman getting hit by a pitch that is much more well-placed as a plunking, right between the shoulder blades.

That sure looks like a deliberate plunking ... until you notice the count was full and the ball thrown was a breaking ball.

It was a splitter, Bregman said after the game. It just got away from him.

The pitcher in question is also Cardinals minor leaguer Ramon Santos. He has never thrown above Double-A, meaning a) his command might not be majors-level and b) he probably isnt personally angry enough at the Astros to blow a strikeout opportunity while trying to maintain his place in the Cardinals organization, which demoted him to Class A Advanced last year.

The Astros are getting hit by a lot of pitches. It is also spring training. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

So thats what the Astros retaliation is right now. Five players who werent on the team that actually cheated, one player getting hit in the foot and another getting hit with a full-count splitter. Thats either an incredibly stealthy, inefficient campaign to stick it to the Astros while skirting MLB discipline, or, and this might sound crazy, spring training.

Even if it all was deliberate, isnt the point of retaliation to send a clear message? Why muddle the message with breaking balls from minor leaguers and balls in the dirt in games that werent even televised?

Story continues

None of this is to say the Astros wont face retaliation on the field in the future, especially once the regular season starts. Its inevitable given how openly livid players across the league have been with both the Astros cheating and lack of player discipline. Astros hitters will get deliberately hit which, by the way, is very dangerous no matter how good your command is at some point.

However, interpreting nearly every hit by pitch against the Astros as retaliation as some are doing now would lead to a lot of pitchers getting ejected for balls that simply got away from them.

Some fans clearly want to see the Astros some kind of comeuppance, but acting like thats whats happening right now is just wishful, weird thinking.

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Lost ancient kingdom uncovered in Turkey after farmer finds stone with strange inscriptions – Yahoo News UK

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A mysterious stone with strange inscriptions has led to the discovery of a lost ancient kingdom in Turkey which may have battled Phrygia, a kingdom once ruled by King Midas.

The as-yet-unnamed ancient kingdom was found after a farmer discovered a huge stone containing a message from an ancient king in an irrigation ditch.

Researchers from the University of Chicago were investigating Trkmen-Karahyk, a large Bronze and Iron Age mounded settlement occupied between about 3,500 and 100 BC.

A local farmer told the researchers he had found a big stone with strange inscriptions while dredging a nearby irrigation canal the previous winter.

Assistant Professor James Osborne, of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, said, My colleague Michele Massa and I rushed straight there, and we could see it still sticking out of the water, so we jumped right down into the canal up to our waists wading around.

Right away it was clear it was ancient, and we recognized the script it was written in: Luwian, the language used in the Bronze and Iron ages in the area.

Full view of the archaeological mound at Trkmen-Karahyk (University of Chicago)

The survey team immediately identified a special hieroglyphic marking that symbolised the message came from a king.

The farmer helped pull the massively heavy stone out of the irrigation canal with a tractor.

From there it went to the local Turkish museum, where it was cleaned, photographed and readied for translation.

The inscription boasted of defeating Phrygia, the kingdom ruled by King Midas, famous from the mythical story where he developed a golden touch.

Prof Osborne says that the city covered 300 acres, making it one of the largest in Bronze and Iron Age Turkey.

The kingdom is as yet unnamed, but it could reshape the history of the area.

We had no idea about this kingdom. In a flash, we had profound new information on the Iron Age Middle East, he added.

The researchers now hope to investigate the area further, and are planning to complete a survey this summer.

Prof Osborne said: Inside this mound are going to be palaces, monuments, houses. This was a marvelous, incredibly lucky find but its just the beginning.

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Beyond Meat, Best Buy earnings: What to know in markets Thursday – Yahoo Finance

Posted: at 2:28 am

As investors continue to monitor the coronavirus, theyll also be paying close attention to earnings announcements from Best Buy (BBY) and Beyond Meat (BYND).

Ahead of the opening bell, Best Buy is expected to report fiscal fourth quarter adjusted earnings of $2.74 per share on $15.05 billion in revenue. Best Buys holiday quarter results will help investors get a pulse on the health of big box retail. Rivals Walmart and Target both had disappointing holidays due to weaker-than-expected demand.

Analysts are concerned that the deadly coronavirus will lead Best Buy to give conservative guidance for fiscal 2021, fourth-quarter results are largely expected to be strong driven by e-commerce strength. Best Buy is anticipated to report first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.01 per share on $9.27 billion in revenue. For the full-year, analysts estimate adjusted EPS of $6.26 per share and revenue of $44.22 billion.

The broader industry has been dealing with weak gaming sales, and Best Buy is also expected to have been negatively impacted.

Shares of Best Buy rose 40% over the past 12 months and have outperformed the broader markets 14% gain in the same time period.

Meanwhile, plant-based protein maker Beyond Meat will deliver fourth-quarter results after the market close. The company is expected to deliver another quarter of profit. Analysts polled by Bloomberg expect Beyond Meat to report adjusted earnings of one cent on $79.77 million in revenue. Gross margins will likely have expanded to 33.3% from 24.9% in the year-ago period.

Data points have skewed positively since Beyond Meat reported Q3 earnings (the day before the lock-up expired), including various new and extended restaurant partnership announcements, continued momentum in scanner data, and positive interviews by senior management, UBS analyst Steven Strycula wrote in a note Feb. 25.

In addition, updates on international expansion and production capacity will be closely monitored. Strycula expects Beyond Meat to provide guidance in line with consensus estimates. We expect BYNDs FY20 guidance to bracket Consensus given retail trends QTD and recent foodservice announcements. Consensus FY20e revenue of $495m is a +$213m YOY increase. Based on checks and our restaurant economics framework, we estimate that the nationwide Dunkin & Hardees roll-out could add a combined ~$85m in sales.

Story continues

Beyond Meats report comes on the heels of an announcement Wednesday morning that the company would be partnering with coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX)to sell breakfast sandwiches with Beyond Meat sausage patties. Starting March 3, more than 1,400 Canadian stores in Canada will offer the Beyond Meat, Cheddar and Egg Sandwich on their menus.

Shares of Beyond Meat have surged a whopping 55% so far in 2020 and have outperformed the broader markets 1% decline during the same time period.

On the economic calendar for Thursday: GDP annualized quarter on quarter, second print 4Q19 (2.2% expected, 2.1% prior); personal consumption, second print 4Q19 (1.8% expected, 1.8% prior); core personal consumption expenditures, second print 4Q19 (1.3% prior); Durable goods orders, January preliminary (-1.5% expected, 2.4% prior); Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, January preliminary (0.2% expected, -0.8% prior); Initial jobless claims, week ended February 22 (211,000 expected, 210,000 prior); Continuing jobless claims, week ended February 15 (1.726 million prior); Pending home sales month on month, January (2.0% expected. -4.9% prior); Kansas City Manufacturing Activity Index, February (-1 expected, -1 prior)

Other notable earnings reports scheduled for Thursday include the following: Cronos Group (CRON), Crocs (CROX), AB InBev (BUD), JCPenney (JCP), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), and TD Ameritrade (AMTD) before market open; iQIYI (IQ) Workday (WDAY), Dell Technologies (DELL), Autodesk (ADSK), VMWare (VMW), AMC Entertainment (AMC) are set to report after market close

Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter:@heidi_chung.

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Pete Davidson Revealed Why He and Kaia Gerber Broke Up – Yahoo Lifestyle

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Like many of Pete Davidsons public relationships, he and Kaia Gerbers romance was memorable, yet brief.

The 26-year-old Saturday Night Live cast member and the 18-year-old model dated for a few months in late 2019 and early 2020.

Shes very young, and Im fing going through a lot and it was before I went to rehab, he began. Its just like, she should be having fun. She shouldnt have to worry about some dude that just has issues and s. She should be enjoying her work. It just wasnt the right place or the right time at all.

Page Six reported that the relationship became very overwhelming for Gerber. "Pete has a certain M.O. and hes very intense to his girlfriends," a source shared with the outlet. Davidson seemed to corroborate this report, telling Charlamagne Tha God he can be a lot in relationships.

I cry a lot. I get into deep conversations. I care about your s, he explained. I like to meet your family. I like to know who you are. And some families are like, Who the f are you? So Im a lot for certain people. It was just how I was raised.

After high-profile relationships with Gerber, Margaret Qualley, Kate Beckinsale, and Ariana Grande, Davidson says hes not dating for a while.

Unless I meet the love of my life, Im pretty done with that, he said in regard to dating. Im going to try and stay away from that. Its just a lot.

RELATED: Kaia Gerber and Pete Davidson Have Reportedly Called It Quits

That being said, Davidsons learned a lot from the awesome chicks that Ive been with.

He commented on a few of his exes, calling Gerber beautiful, smarter than me; he praised Qualley, saying shell win an Oscar; Davidson called Beckinsale fing legendary, adding all of my uncles freaked out. He also commented on ex-girlfriend Cazzie David, whom he dated ahead of his relationship with Grande. In addition to Beckinsale, Davidson called David one of the funniest people Ive met.

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Best Uplifting Trance Mix – All Time Favourites #1

Posted: at 2:27 am

Vol #2: https://youtu.be/cutFKtuyyK4

Our favorite music on Spotify:http://bit.ly/TGS-SpotifyPlaylist

InstaGrand:https://instagram.com/the.grand.sound

More The Grand Sound:https://thegrandsound.ffm.to/listen

The Grand Sound Communities:https://discord.gg/kqpNgvF

Become a Member / Patron:https://thegrandsound.ffm.to/joinhttps://www.patreon.com/TheGrandSound

Download the Mix:https://theartistunion.com/tracks/f645de

Tracklist:[00:00] 01. Super8 & Tab - Irufushihttps://open.spotify.com/track/2t1rAU...

[03:18] 02. Xgenic - Around Mehttps://open.spotify.com/track/1UmAbO...

[09:28] 03. Temple One - Forever Searching (Adam Nickey Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/3hRGeZ...

[16:49] 04. Xgenic - Prometeus (Sensitize Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/7GiLC5...

[21:47] 05. Farid - Afloathttps://open.spotify.com/track/7oVdlg...

[27:11] 06. Elias B - Polar Ice (Adam Nickey Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/0Y19dN...

[33:15] 07. Daniel Kandi - Childhttps://open.spotify.com/track/27066e...

[38:48] 08. Driftmoon - Bittersweet (Temple One Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/3kTVus...

[44:09] 09. Hydro Aquatic - Crossfirehttps://open.spotify.com/track/17Qiyp...

[49:43] 10. Stevy Forello - Shaded Starlight (Temple One Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/5wBqVt...

[54:35] 11. Ultimate - If We Werehttps://open.spotify.com/track/1v3fbb...

[1:00:09] 12. Grenz & Skaarung - Radiate (Suncatcher Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/39MYi3...

[1:05:43] 13. Daniel Kandi - #Trancefamilyhttps://open.spotify.com/track/5bk5fW...

[1:12:12] 14. A.R.D.I. - Eternityhttps://www.beatport.com/track/eterni...

[1:18:15] 15. UCast - Kliahttps://open.spotify.com/track/75q19R...

[1:24:13] 16. Solis - True To Me (Suncatcher Remix)https://open.spotify.com/track/2W0oXg...---Music Genre: Uplifting Trance

#Trance #UpliftingTrance

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Witness The Essence of Trance [25 Years of RAM] – EDMTunes

Posted: at 2:27 am

RAM is out with his 25 years mix of Essence Of Trance. Covering 4 discs and 320 minutes of music, this is epic in both size and scope. Are you ready? You better be!

Our Dutch DJ, producer, promoter and label runner lived a lifetime of trance25 years (and a month!). Since his first DJ booking, hes been experiential at every nook of trances progression. Last month, he sold out his open-to-close show at Amsterdams famed Paradiso concert hall. Now, we get to listen to it forever on this album.

Experience his own quintessential musical history, through mixing and compiling in this career-defining move. RAM has left nothing to chance. From 400 down to 78 tracks, he worked hard at cutting down his quarter-decade-spanning list of music.

You will see highly recognizable names featured in remixes. Each song flows together to the next, and we love this about albums. Its like one giant set that never ends. We are honored to hear this set-list.

The album is grouped into four headings: Moments, Magic, The Journey,andPassion. For every main headliner weve seen, theres an arsenal of the undergrounds most beloved waiting with remixes. That is to say, Ralphie B, Vincent de Moor, Chakra, X-Cabs will be in here. Plus, Salt Tank, Signum, The Thrillseekers, DT8 Project, York, Gaia and more.However,Tisto, BT, Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, A&F, John OCallaghan, Solarstone, Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery also take to the decks.

Disc 1: This is about my memories, about countless unique and unforgettable moments Ive collected throughout 25 years of DJ-ing.

Disc 2: The magic of music, [especially trance], has a strong impact on the human bodyThe power of melody, harmony, and rhythm packed in a soul work from someone to someone. That is what music is about for me, magic!

Disc 3: Music takes me where I go. I am so grateful for my journey. I have seen many beautiful places around the world and [connected] with thousands of people. The best thing about this journey is that it never gets boring.

Disc 4: My passion for music has always inspired my being. Never give up on your dreams, have faith, trust, and believe you can achieve whatever your dreams and passions are.

For me it is all about melodic, emotional trance and the feelings this music gives me. Due to evolutions in electronic music, I have played different types of trance in my career. Instead of creating 4 mixes with different subgenres, I have chosen for tracks that fully connect to my essence of trance. The tracks on this compilation inspired and motivated me for the last 25 years, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. RAM

Listen now and let us know which musical identity you resonate with.

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The most requested title track composed by Vinayakan from ‘Trance’ is here! – Times of India

Posted: at 2:27 am

Vinayakan is a phenomenal actor and we know that! But the actor now proves that he is great with music as well. Vinayakan, who won the hearts of movie buffs with his performance in 'Kammattipaadam', is now ruling hearts with his new composition for the recently released Anwar Rasheed directorial 'Trance'. Vinayakan has composed the music for the title track of 'Trance' and the song is just fab. Vinayak Sasikumar has penned the lyrics and playback singers Neha S Nai and Lee have crooned for it. The title track also happens to be the most requested tracks by movie lovers ever since the film was released. Music lovers and cinephiles had been dying to hear the song again and so, the makers have finally released the song!The addictive track is sure to drive you crazy. Here it is: Directed by Anwar Rasheed, Trance was released in Kerala on February 20. The movie is bankrolled under the directors own production house Anwar Rasheed Entertainments and is receiving mixed reviews from the audience.Trance has Fahadh Faasil essaying the lead, Viju Prasad, who is a motivational trainer. The most awaited film of 2020, the movie also has a stellar cast of Nazriya Nazim, Soubin Shahir, Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Dileesh Pothan, Sreenath Bhasi, Jinu Joseph and Tamil director Gautham Vasudev Menon portraying some of the pivotal characters.On the technical front, Amal Neerad has cranked the lens. Vincent Vadakkan is the screenwriter and Praveen Prabhakar is the editor for Trance. Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty is managing the sound design. Jackson Vijayan has managed the music and he has also joined Virus fame Sushin Shyam for the background scores in the movie. The movie is releasing the cinemas outside Kerala tomorrow.

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‘Trance’ review: Fails to impress overall despite its bold theme – THE WEEK

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Director-producerAnwar Rasheed wanted to keep the story of his new film, Trance, close to his chest and guard its fantastically intricate concepts till the film's release. So much so that he didn't even want to release a trailer just to avoid any sort of spoilers. It was for his hero Fahadh Faasil's push that Rasheed released the trailer for Trance at the last minute. Of course, revealing details of the film before its release would not only have killed the curiosity, but also could have invited controversies. Because, the film deals with a very sensitive subjectreligion.

Trance is definitely a bold attempt for its theme, as far as Malayalam cinema is concerned. But it fails to do justice to the theme it explores with its weak script that becomes so cluttered and confused towards the third act.

The film explores the journey of a motivational speaker, Viju Prasad, from the locale of Kanyakumari to the world of tele-evangelism. In the first half, we see the intelligent use of montages to tell Viju's past. The sound design in these portions are truly world-class. The film follows a linear progression in its narrative. It starts at a slow pace. The protagonists character-building is decent. But, once his new avatar is introduced, the film gains speed and the whole show becomes more stylised. It becomes more and more messy, too, as far as storyline is concerned. Fahadh's character has references from Indian Godman Osho to Israeli televangelist Benny Hinn.

Hinn used to have a theme of using his jacket (or 'God's Jacket') to heal blind, deaf, people with cancer and AIDS in his evangelical shows. His ministries had been dubbed financially suspect and corrupt by Ministry Watchan organisation who reviews Protestant ministries for financial accountability and transparencyin 2006. In Trance, you could see its protagonist, too, waving his coat to sell God.

Trance goes to the depth of financial crimes happening in name of God. Though the film makes a direct attack on Protestant and independent churches, it takes extra care not to piss off the powerful Catholic church. There is a conscious effort from the director to show that Catholic priests or nuns do not support activities like interfering with medical treatment in the name of religion.

Trance is a technically brilliant film. DOP Amal Neerad makes it a visual treat. Reportedly, this is the first time a Bolt High Speed Cine-bot camera has been used in a Malayalam film. Neerad explores a range of shots and angles to give a stylised output. Editor Praveen Prabhakar really deserves an applause for the beautiful montages, and the sound designing byResul Pookutty is just mind blowing. However, at the end of the day, technical brilliance alone cannot save the film.

The films cast is huge. Fahadh Faasil does a neat job. Actor-filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon makes his acting debut in Malayalam. But, the exceptional performance is that of Sreenath Bhasi. In Trance, Nazriya Nazim finally comes out of the cocoon of her cute, cuddly and naive Nazriya-like characters. But she is neither an enigmatic Ma Anand Sheela nor an eccentric Harley Quinn. And, her character is one of the badly written ones in the film.

Expectations for Trance were quite high, and for many good reasons. This is Anwar Rasheeds first feature film after a gap of eight long years. The team had big names in front of the camera, and also in the background. Also, there were lot of speculations and intrigue about the theme it explores. But it fails to give a great impression, overall.

Film: Trance

Director: Anwar Rasheed

Starring: Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Sreenath Bhasi

Rating: 2.5/5

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Fahad Faasil’s ‘Trance’ takes on the business of religion – Gulf News

Posted: at 2:27 am

Faahad Faasil in 'Trance' Image Credit: Supplied

Indian National Award-winning director Anwar Rasheed returns after seven years with a story about the business of religion.

The film is led by Fahadh Faasil and an ensemble cast of accomplished actors, including Gautham Menon, Soubin Shahir and Nazriya Nazim. Faasil in particular has earned rave reviews for his role. With his chameleon ability, Faasil has carried many films on his capable shoulders. His body of work includes diverse roles and he has an ease with which he brings alive his characters, from the arrogant businessman Arjun of Chappa Kurushu, the playboy Dr Arun of Diamond Necklace, Cyril of 22 Female Kottayam to the OCD software geek Harikrishna of North 24 Kaatham. Faasil won the Indian National Award for his role as a petty thief in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.

Trance has been receiving appreciation for its bold content, stylish filmmaking and stellar performances.

Heres everything you need to know about the film.

Vincent Vadakkan is clearly on a high. The ad-filmmaker from Bengaluru marks his debut in Malayalam cinema as a writer with Trance and spoke to Gulf News tabloid about his new journey.

What is Trance about?

This story follows the journey of Viju Prasad, a motivational trainer who is transformed to become Pastor Joshua Carlton by an independent group of people in a Corporate set-up and spirituality is their business. However, Trance is also about sibling relationships and psychological elements, and not just the business of religion. It dwells also on the psychological turmoil the protagonist endures the journey inside his mind.

What sparked this story?

I had seen some of my family members being part of religious groups. Not to forget troll videos of such groups. The format is the same. They claim this is Christianity, but Christianity is beyond all this noise. Post release of Trance I have been asked if I am a non-believer. I am a believer of Christ.

Trance has been in the making for a long time, tell us how it developed.

I quit my career with Oglivy in 2014 to write my story. My first draft was ready by the end of 2015. I narrated it first to Fahad, who liked it and spoke to Anwar about the story. Anwar liked the story and the project was on. Its a human intense subject and after several discussions and revised drafts, Trance was ready. Anwar has the ability to bring out the best in you. When I felt this was the best I could do, he pushed me to stretch myself further. Filming took two years.

Sketching many characters must have been quite a challenge. Were there moments when you got stuck?

Trance constitutes many characters that have been played by a team of accomplished actors. There was so much content in the film; the film could run for three to four hours. We had to edit to two hours plus. While sketching, every character had to be given a clear importance keeping in mind the huge star cast.

There were many instances when I got stuck with writers block but you do come out of it. In fact when stuck with Trance, I went on to write another story.

Is Trance inspired from people around?

Not really. One back story of a character was inspired from a real life incident. It is the character Vinayakan plays; he is one of the Pastors followers. I read the story in a news report about how things are done in the name of faith.

How did Gautham Menon come on board?

We wanted somebody suave and stylish, a Malayali bred outside Kerala to play Solomon Davis, the brain behind the business venture. Anwar had watched Gautham Menons interview and he liked the way he conducted himself. He felt that Gautham was perfect to play the role.

For me, it went beyond my dreams. I never thought Gautham Menon will play the villain in my first script. It was good spending time with him. You can sit the whole day listening to him. We spoke about films and writing. He is too good and has a style.

How did Fahad prepare for his character?

We gave Fahad references to his character. He did not imitate them but came up with his own version of Joshu. It was an intense role for him- there was a lot of screaming loud in scenes, besides pausing on some words and stressing on other words. Fahad got it bang on.

What were the shooting challenges?

Since Anwar Rasheed is the director and producer, we did not have a producer breathing down our necks. The biggest challenge came while filming with a crowd. They had to perform and not merely stand around. And, the performance had to be synchronised. We briefed them on it. For one scene, Anwar told them to think about the problems in their lives and perform. After he said cut they continued in that state, so immersed they were in their problems. Assistant directors rushed to wake them up from their stupor. They had got carried away, some were in tears.

For me every shot was amazing to see my story unfold on-screen. Each frame is a masterpiece. Towards the tail end, we shot with a crowd with smoke around and Fahad in his climax attire. It was almost a heavenly feeling. I got goosebumps.

What was your Trance moment?

A: Sitting inside the theatre with the audience at the first days show, I was eager to know how people will react to some dialogues. Listening to their clapping and watching the reactions was encouraging. I was overwhelmed.

TAMIL DIRECTOR GAUTHAM MENON ON HIS ACTING GIG

Role call

I was surprised to receive a call from Fahadh Faasil who mentioned that director Anwar Rasheed wanted to meet me for a project. Anwar came down to Chennai and offered me the role of Solomon Davis. For me, it was about the director, actor and I had heard so much about Amal Neerads crew. I believe everyday is a learning. I wanted to be in the midst of this brilliant team.

The role

Solomon Davis believes in business and money a no-holds-barred man. He is very quiet and scheming, even if he is saying a few things, there is a layer that he does not reveal. He is also someone who gets down to getting things done. With grey shades to him there is a mysterious air about him. Anwar described the character well. I made sure I got the lines right. I enjoyed playing Solomon, except for the last scene-you will understand when you watch the film.

Being directed

There were only four to five shots a day. In between shots I had three to four hours to myself. Working in the Malayalam industry was a nice and learning experience. The crew spend so much time setting up a shot and you understand why they get it perfect. I loved being directed by Anwar. In Trance small roles were taken on big actors. They worked like a family. When shooting we were hanging around and chatting. I enjoyed their company. I am looking forward to being a big part of the Malayalam industry and in talks with actors including Fahad Faasil. I like the way the audience accepts new films.

On Fahad Faasil

He is the best actor in India. Trance is completely Fahads story and journey and he has portrayed it brilliantly.

OSCAR-WINNER RESUL POOKUTTY ON DESIGNING THE SOUND

The filming involved huge crowds, as many as two to five thousand people. Fahad had apprehensions and called me up to say When I am doing my voice right, I am not getting the body language right and when my body language is right, I am not getting the voice correct. I told him you just go ahead with it. For me every flaw is seen as an advantage. While shooting in sync, its not about doing everything right but about being live with it. There are a lot of accidents that happen and these go to make a scene memorable and super-human like-the result is a brilliant performance.

The director was very pro-sync. No one complained when we asked for retakes or asked for more time, Anwar even pushed the release by a week for me to finish the mix comfortably. We did this film with so much love.

The protagonist goes through some situations in life that required a series of psychological analysis through sound. Trance is a state of mind. What takes him into that state of mind? We arrived at a soundscape through careful use of sounds to emulate a feeling of trance. Prior to Trance, I worked on a film, Thaakkol, based on the Christian tradition. For Thaakkol, I was analysing sounds of Christianity and went into the deep aspect of this community through sound. The very sound palette used as identification in Thakkol was used as subversion in Trance.

In the second half, the story moves to another plane where sound is used stylishly and in a very unorthodox way. We had to strike a balance with quiet moments, slow paced moments and not make it a harsh experience. Sound has the ability to sub-consciously affect you and there is a conscious use of the same in Trance.

Dont miss it!

Trance releases in the UAE on February 27.

Excerpt from:

Fahad Faasil's 'Trance' takes on the business of religion - Gulf News

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