Aparajito (1956) | Review

30/Dec/2021.

Last film of the year.

Watched. 

My rating: 10/10. 

 This being my second Satyajit Ray film, I can most definitively confirm that Ray is a cinematic god and he truly deserves his place among names like Bergman, Fellini and Truffaut. 

  This film invented the bounce lighting technique. And now I know where Karan Johar got the scene of a man feeding seeds to birds whilst saying, "Aao. Aao. Aao..." (Come. Come. Come...). The same sciene is used in Johar's 1995 film, DDLJ and that's the film because of which the scene is in the mainstream consciousness of the Indian audience.

 I'm once again writing against my writer's block today and I'm anxious as hell. I should've written it last night, it would've been one of the better pieces of this month.

 The film picks up where the first film left off, and things are starting to look better for the Roy family. But soon, tragedy strikes again and Apu and his mother are left to fend for themselves. They move back to the village and try to live a happy life. Apu does well in school, grows up and moves to Culcutta, leaving his woeful mother behind and only seldom getting a chance to visit her.

 The film is all about how something flourishes for a fleeting moment. Like a lonesome daffodil in spring, moments bloom and await us. It us our lack of understanding of their fragility that leads us to unhappiness. Our very own mortal uncertainty is the cause for our happiness and our sorrow. And Appu learns this lesson by the end of this film, but then its too late. 

 Satyajit Ray's films capture the very soul of Indian literature. The literature on which I grew up on and have loved dearly. His echo with the likes of stories found in the Nandan and Champak magazines or R K Narayan's Malgudi Days. There is a certain earnestness about them which resonates very strongly with me. And the score of this film carries that same energy with it.

 This film, like Pather Panchali, boasts of a score by Ravi Shanker. I recognize him as the man who taught George Harrison of the Beatles the Indian musical theory. But man... I've become a fan of his music. And he reminds me of Illaiyaraja because of his mastery over classical music. His score conveys the doleful fate of a mother and a child's joy and wonder. It conveys the anxiety and it conveys the hope for the future. The music elevates the film in scented coils of purples and yellows and blues and pulls us into Apu's sansaar (world). 

 There are a few swift pan cuts in this which are just mind blowing. The editing overall is revelatory and so are the actors. Karuna Bannerjee, who plays the mother, is a spectacle to behold in this. Her each gesture embodies care and resiliency. At times I had to remind myself that its a performance and I'm watching a movie. I wanted to step into the screen and give her a big warm hug. The two actors which played Apu and Kanu Bannerjee, who played Apu's father, were equally great as well but Karuna was the highlight of this film for me.

 This film made me smile, laugh, and cry. Oh did this film made me cry... This is what cinema is for. For telling your own truth. For being honest. For putting the human condition up on display in all it's terrible beauty. An empathy generating machine indeed. 

 I bow before you in awe and gratefulness.

Dune 2021 | Review | IMAX

  Review written on 31/Oct/21.

 Watched in IMAX on 23/Oct/21. 

My rating: 9.5/10. 

 

 I read Frank Herbert's iconic sci/fi epic, Dune in January of 2021 and I must say that it was an experience. An experience of being on an alien planet. An experience of a strange but seemingly familiar culture. An experience of alien weapons, vehicles and other wonders of technology.

 And whilst reading it, I found out that a new big screen adaptation is coming out and it is directed by none other than Denis Villenueve, the man behind Arrival (2016) and Prisoners (2013). Arrival is perhaps among my top 3 sci/fi films of all time and is my favorite first-contact film. It is exactly what I want a first-contact film to be; a film about linguistics. And as a big fan of language and it's workings, I think Arrival really hits the spot for me on multiple levels.    

  Like in the book itself, Arrakis -the Dune planet- is the main character of the film. The priority here was to build a world rich enough, diversified enough, to be passed off as a living and breathing eco system. And Denis and his team surpassed all of my expectations when it came to it. They've conjured up a world comprised of real and CGI landscapes of vast magnitudes. The grassy cliffs of Atreides' home world, Caladan look just as good as the endless swells of the deserts of Arrakis. Not to mention the breathtaking, 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque shots of ships hovering near planets. The warmth of the colours leapt from the screen and the cold pallets drew us in. The experience of watching it in IMAX was surreal and for a film like this, accept no substitutes.

 From the mammoth sandworms themselves, to the desert dwelling muad'dib (kangaroo mouse), the fauna and flora really sells it as a world that could actually exist. There's a shot in which a Muad'Dib scurries along the top of a dune, stops... and we see veins visible with the sun coming through it's thin flesh, droplets of sweat slowly dripping down towards it's mouth. And then it carries on. Little moments like this is what makes this film stand away from the crowd of blockbuster movies with an identity of it's own. And, if you don't know the story, that little mouse might play a huge role in the sequel. I'm not spoiling anything. Just giving you a taste of what's to come.

 But, like any film with visuals like this, the question arises: does the sound design match the scale of what's being shown? The answer is yes. I had begun to grow weary of Hans Zimmer's music. But, the first thing that I said to my friend during the intermission was that Dune revived my fondness for Zimmer. The feminine chants in the score plays with the Sufi mysticism of the Bene Gesserit and adds to the ancient wisdom of the desert and the Fremen and the bagpipes are regal in every sense of the word, reminding me of Dead Poets Society's theme. The sound design overall is fantastic, with each little effect adding so much depth to the atmosphere. There is one scene in particular where Paul gives a gun back to a character, unloading it beforehand. The click-clack of the weapon... for some reason, its just perfect.

 When it comes to the story, I've already said my two cents about it. I could further relate the subtext of Arrakis as Iraq, spice to oil, fiefdom, anti-imperialism and so on and so forth. But there's no point to it because it all has been said before and said better by people who understand the politics of our and the Dune's world much better than I do. I compared Dune's story to Lawrence of Arabia's (1962) in my review for LOA and I think all of which that I said in it still applies to this film. Instead, I'd now like to talk about the cast.

 The casting in this film is pitch perfect. Every character feels right as rain. The somber mood is rather difficult to pull off, especially in a big budget blockbuster such as this. But each and every single character nails their performance to the floor and its difficult to imagine someone else play them. The only actor which I thought didn't really fit the character was Stephen M Henderson as Thufir Hawat. Thufir Hawat is one of the most interesting and important characters of the book but he doesn't get enough time in the movie to develop. My dream-casting for Thufir would definitely be Robert Duvall. That would've been something. While we're at it, I must also say that if they include Count Fenring in the sequel, it should be played by Jeff Goldblum.

 Timothee Chalamet is perfect as the young Paul Atreides. The hearth-robe proves time and again that he is more than just his looks and Dune is not an exception. I loved him in Call Me By Your Name (2017) and every film that I see of his, he becomes a more and more exciting actor. Rebecca Ferguson who plays his mom, Lady Jessica also steps up her game and you really feel her protectiveness and strength in each scene.

 I was a bit doubtful with Oscar Isaac playing Duke Leto, but I'm more than happy to announce that he ruled each scene with eye and claw with his hawk like features. Commanding, to say the least.  Jason Momoa surprised me with his very likable Duncan Idaho. And Josh Brolin's voice just made me scream "Thanos!". But it went away quickly because no character, except for Paul and Lady Jessica gets much screen time for the sake of world building. Which is completely fine with me.

 Now, lets talk about the literal big bad guy of Dune, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Played by Stellan Skarsgard, Baron comes off as very similar to Brando's Colonel Kurtz with his big belly and calm demeanor. As you know, Apocalypse Now (1979) was my number 1 film of 2020's top 20 list, so it makes me very happy to see that they chose to go this route with Baron. Stellan floats around in his suspenders and eats up every scene that he is in. I just hope we get to see more of his intimidating presence in the sequel.
 

 The costume and set design is splendid as well. The stillsuits couldn't have looked better with their medieval patterns and fittings, it screams that its designed for agility and survival. I personal favorite costumes are that of Lady Jessica, especially when she first arrives on Arrakis, adorned with jewellery  from head to toe. The academy must get this film nominated at least for visual effects, costumes and set design.

 Dune is a perfect adaptation. It couldn't have been any better. If you've read the book, there are a lot more references that you will enjoy. And I do think that its a film primarily made for the fans of the book. The only reason that I cannot give this film a perfect score is because it's story is incomplete. I love the fact that it ends in an ellipsis, but I must admit that it leaves much more to be desired, which is it's intention. The two and half hours feel like an hour and just as the story gets going, it ends. Its a perfect prologue. A perfect introduction. And I do hope that the sequel builds on it tremendously.

 Dune is what I wanted from Marvel movies. A big budget meditative spectacle. My first experience of IMAX couldn't have been any better. I'm glad that this is the first adaptation of dune that I decided to watch.

 I wish Frank Herbert would've lived to see this...

After Life | Seasons 1 and 2 Review

Seasons one and two. 4 Oct 21 - 6 Oct 21.

My rating: 6.9/10. 

 

 Here we are again. I'll tell you how I've lost my will to write. About all the trappings of being an unmotivated writer. About how I fear that I don't have anything new to say. And then we'll both go on our merry ways.

 After Life, believe it or not, is the third comedy that I've tried watching which turned out to be about depression. First being Fleabag and the second World's Greatest Dad (2009). It strikes a chord within me, this theme. A chord which has been struck more often now than it ever has before. But let's not go there. Now's not the time. 

 Written and directed by Ricky Gervais, it finds Ricky as the lead, a bloke called Tony who lost his wife six months ago and is still in grief. He is angry at the world because everyone is alive but not his wife. He is suicidal, as well. The only reason that he doesn't kill himself is the bitch- a female dog- that he has. A friendly German Shepherd, if you're interested.

 But its not all moanin' and whingin' with Tony. He fancies his father's nurse in the old age home and she fancies him back. But he can't bring himself to be with her because he feels like he is being unfaithful to his wife. To his dead wife, to be clear. He also takes a liking to a young girl who just started working at the Tambury Gazette, Tony's workplace where his boss is his brother-in-law. A walking-talking reminder of his wife who keeps trying to cheer him up even though he has problems of his own with his marriage.

  I quite liked the little world that Ricky managed to create here. With little characters that he keeps bumping into, it feels like a Sunday morning cartoon show which is not meant for kids. Its more of a drama then a comedy. Its talks about some dark subject matter but its not entirely cynical either. The show maintains a glint of optimism as it talks to you, which is nice. 

 I enjoy Ricky Gervais very much. I believe I've watched all of his stand up specials. A lot of his interviews and, of course, The Office (and An Idiot Abroad very recently). But I do think that After Life is summation of his ideas. Repetitive ramblings of an aging comic, that is. And some scenes do feel a bit forced to fit his same-old-same-old one liners into the show. I like those one liners, but I do think they've gotten stale. 

 The direction by the man himself is nothing to hold the ship for. I mean it's fine, serviceable. Some needle drops were pretty good but the background score was overused. 

 Like all melodramas, you've to be in a particular state of mind to connect with the story. I couldn't recommend it to anyone, but if you're anyone, just watch the trailer and you'll know if you wanna watch it or not. I'd love to watch its third and hopefully final season. Yeah.

Fleabag | Complete Series Review

Seasons 1 and 2. 4th and 5th of September, 2021.

Watched. 

My rating: 10/10. 

 

I picked up Fleabag because I thought it was just a light comedy with a couple of seasons of short episodes. But I was so wrong... and I'm glad for it.

 Fleabag follows a 30 year old woman who remains unnamed for the entirety of the narrative; but you may adress her as 'Fleabag' because of obvious reasons. She struggles with depression after losing her best friend to an accident, has to revive a dying cafe and try not to screw her relationship with her family any more than she already has. She masks self hatred with her razor sharp sense of humor whilst constantly breaking the fourth wall to offer her insights of her world in an intimate manner to us.

 Phoebe Waller Bridge, who wrote and starred in Fleabag, has achieved something here that not many writers are capable of; writing a story which interweaves two seemingly opposed genres together so seamlessly that it becomes rather difficult to notice when one shifts into another. The two genres that I'm talking about are, of course, comedy and drama.

 Now, I'm not saying that two have never met before. In most dramas, you'll find a hint of comedy and most comedies will find their roots in some sort of dramatic foundation. What I'm saying is that I've seldom seen it done so well, so pitch perfectly, as it is done in this show. The show blends the funny and sad bits of life so well that sometimes it left me unsure weather I should laugh or cry. 

 Not a single scene overstays it's welcome and tells more about the character than you'd expect in such a short span of time, maintaining the break neck speed. Every character is passive aggressive in this but none more than Olivia Coleman's character, Fleabag's Godmother. I just watched Olivia in The Father (2020) and I genuinely felt sorry for her character. But in this, I just wanted to smack her in the teeth. It just goes to show how good she is. Unbelievably good!  

 When it comes down to it, everyone in the cast is really at the top of their game in this one. Weather it be Sian Clifford as Flebag's sister, or Bill Paterson as Fleabag's dad or even Brett Gelman as the Fleabag's perverted douchebag of a brother in law, every single person draws out the emotion the scene demands and makes it look as easy as a walk in the park. And, of course, witnessing Andrew Scott- Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock- as the "Hot Priest" is delight of it's own.

 The melancholic overtone of the show really struck a chord with me, making it the first 10/10 piece of art that I've watched in months. I'm not sure if it will connect with you, dear reader, as much as it did with me, but I'd urge you to check it out nonetheless. 

Fleabag's seldom poignant, often humorous portrayal of grief is as sincere as one can expect, and I'll most definitely return to it in future.

 

 

Loki (2021) | Review (not really)

1/Aug/2021. Watched. 

My rating: 5.8/10.

I do not have it in me to write anymore. And I don't wish to write something which doesn't come from the heart. Have I lost my passion?

Pretend it's a City (2021) | Limited Series Review (sorta)

Limited series. Watched. My rating: 9/10. I love Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz is among the coolest writers that ever lived. And I'm terrible at writing about documentaries. 

WandaVision (2021)| Series review

5/March/2021. Written on, 6/March/2021.

 Watched.

 

 My rating: 7.8/10. 

 It baffles me how much the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown since 2008's Iron Man. 23 feature films, 12 television series, shorts, video games, comic books, insane amounts of merchandise... In 2008, DC had The Dark Knight and Marvel had Iron Man. Yet, Marvel is the one who can say, "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!". Get it?

 WandaVision is the latest gear in the Disney's money making machine in which we find out what Wanda Maximoff has been up to since the events of Avengers Endgame. Turns out, she has been starring in her own little sitcom reality that she has somehow created! Remember that episode from Mr Robot in which Elliot gets stuck in a sitcom with ominous overtones? This is that episode stretched to a full season length.

 Like my Mandalorian season 2 review, I'll walk you through my experience with this show, episode by episode. 

 The first episode of any show is arguably the most exciting episode if you don't count the finale. And so was this one. The show begins with a I Love Lucy (1951) aesthetic of black and white sitcom. Even the special effects used to show Wanda and Vision's powers are in portrayed in that vain. The even features an advertisement of fictitious products in each episode; which I also did in Jump Cut Jukebox (2020), only difference being JCJ was 1960s'. To give the show more of a sitcom feel, Debra Jo Rupp shows up as one of the characters! Debra was in a lot of sitcoms back in the day, like That '70s Show, Friends and Robot Chicken. 

 By the end of the first episode, I wondering if I could respect Marvel for trying something new. Then the generic, orchestral theme played over the credits. Its time we retire those "Avengers-like" themes and tried something new. Just listen to Gustavo Santaolalla's Last of Us theme for inspiration.

 Episode 2 made me think of how Marvel uses special effects and other tried and tested methods to bedazzle us and hide the fact that their stories lack emotional depth. The laugh track got old rapidly because the comedy never landed for me; I smiled once. Still, I was giving them the benefit of doubt. Maybe it was intentional. Bizarre. I had written in my notes from this episode that the director breaks/shifts/expands the fourth wall in this episode and I can't remember for the life of myself what I meant by that. If you remember the episode and want to understand that line, go ahead, knock yourself out.

 The makeup and costume is terrific, especially with Vision. The colour of his skin translates really well on screen as something which is pleasing to the eyes. As if he was a droid with a velvet cover. 

 By this point in the show, I was theorizing that Wanda is in a coma, and this is all going on in her head. She is fantasizing about her life with Vision.In the episode, we see a toy helicopter, but its in colour instead of being monochromatic. By the end of the episode, Wanda gets pregnant and her world gets filled with vibrant colours of the '60s. Let me ask you this question: how did the '60s end in Hollywood? By the murder of a pregnant woman named Sharon Tate. There's a connection you didn't expect, now did you?

 Episode 3 gave us a little of the Andy Kaufman brand of troller's humor, with the scene cutting and replaying, jarring the audience. I actually checked if the video file was corrupted when it happened. That was fun. I only have two more thoughts on this episode. 1) Is her son the green speedster from the comics? 2) Finally! Someone mentioned Quicksilver!

 Which brings us to the 4th episode, with it's cheesy writing. The big reveal in this episode wasn't really a big reveal. It was just a... reveal. We knew it was Wanda from the get go. But Kat Dennings was a fantastic character to return to M.C.U. This episode featured some pretty awesome editing and a great needle drop to end an episode with. Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child, if you were wondering. Why voodoo child? Well, 'cause the children born in this episode are born from magic... 

 In most of the American films and television now a days, men are portrayed as feminine and women as masculine. There is nothing wrong with that except it feels rather pandering.

 Geraldine and Wanda fight and by the end of it I thought she broke Geraldine's back and paralyzed her. That was far from true, it later turned out. The border between film and TV in terms of special effects is narrower than ever. 

 When Kat Dennings asks for a vintage TVto tune in to what Wanda was broadcasting, she gets one right under the table where she was standing. Where did it come from? It was... super easy, barely an inconvenience. 

 Time for episode 5, the one we all have been waiting for. The only two reasons that liked this episode as much as I did are: 1) the argument between Wanda and Vision. 2) Quicksilver showed up! The good one! The Fox universe and M.C.U just collided! Woah...

 Elizabeth Olsen is so good in this that you can see the tears in her eyes. Thankfully Paul Bettany keeps up with her. But the thing which rubbed me the wrong way was the soldier-not-listening-to-doctor cliche in which Rambeau was put in. 

 The first half of episode 6 was a little slow and Hayward is such a stereotypical army guy. And the Darcy trio defeated the S.W.O.R.D soldiers (F.B.I agents?) too easily. What was the point of hyping them up? A bit like the storm troopers.

 "Its been Agatha all along" is the revelation of the 7th episode. Such a nice, catchy little song. If that wasn't enough, Rambeau now has powers of her own. And it was the seventh episode that I realized she was the daughter of Maria Rambeau, from Captain Marvel. I don't care about Captain Marvel. I think its the worst film that M.C.U has churned out. 

 I adored The Office (2001) type mockumentary they went for in this. Vision was basically Tim from The Office when he said "I'm not amused." I was also thinking, "Please let Evan be Quicksilver and not make some sort of henchman!". 

 When Wanda sees the bug in Agatha's house and then proceeds to walk down the stairs, into the basement, it mirrors the climactic scene from The Silence of The Lambs (1991), in which Clarice walks down Tooth Fairy's basement. All that's good, but the show never blew my mind even though it had the potential to. 

 Episode 8 makes it canon that Bryan Cranston exists in the M.C.U as a part of Malcolm in the Middle, and because of that, and other reasons, episode 8 is the best episode so far. These are the darkest 42 minutes M.C.U has ever produced. We finally get to see Wanda and Pietro's tragic back story and I absolutely loved the way they executed it. And I must admit that finding Vision dismantled was worse than I imagined. All the emotional beats hit me hard in this and I almost cried. Almost. This episode also had me worried that they were gonna waste Quicksilver.

 "What is grief, if not love persevering?" that line blew my mind. The only thing that blew my mind in this show is that line. It really hits the spot, doesn't it?

 Which finally brings us to the big finale! Yes, they did waste Quicksilver. What a shame... I'm still hoping that he is hiding under the name "Ralph Bohner". 

 WandaVision continues the tradition of sky beams which are a staple of the genre at this point. I'm not a big fan of the "evil version of the good guy" trope that superhero movies seem to love so much. We saw this trope in Spider-Man 3 (2007), Iron Man (2008) and even 2018's Black Panther. This is just lazy writing at this point and makes the fight dull as hell. But, somehow, WandaVision manages to make this trope fun to watch in action, perhaps one last time. I'm talking about the Vision VS Vision 2.0 fight. The two characters fly and punch through each other like Supermen until the fight comes to a halt. This show's climax gave me what I've been wanting from a superhero movie: a battle of wits instead of punches and kicks. Vision uses the "Ship of Theseus" thought experiment to make Vision 2.0 realize that their is no reason to have a conflict. Fantastic! That's exactly how to computers would resolve problems, not by the violent means of territorial primates.

 By the end of it Wanda becomes the Scarlet Witch and her new costume looks fabulous. She even has a "The Darkhold", a book filled with information about magic and what not. What follows are my problems with the finale.

 The dialogues were so predictable that its not even funny. Characters conveniently disappear for a while whenever the camera cuts away from them. Darcy? Quicksilver? Rambeau? Jimmy Woo? Where are all of 'em? Darcy has one shot in the whole episode. One shot! And the Vision is back? Great! Nobody dies in the superhero genre! Even Dottie was not even used properly! Hayward, who was a morally ambiguous, a bit shady character up until this point suddenly decides to shoot at a couple of kids just so the children who are watching the show get a confirmation that he is a bad guy.   

 WandaVision felt very anti climactic. Marvel might've dropped the ball with the ending. The ending is going to be very divisive with the audience. The second last episode was dark and then they geared it down in the finale. That's not how its supposed to work. Marvel has always had commitment issues with what they promise to do. The climax shouldn't have been a big fight scene. It should've been about Wanda fighting her own demons.

 For example, the scene in the end when the couple tucks in the children and then bid each other farewell. That scene was rushed as hell. I would have stayed in that moment for about 10 more minutes, for it to be emotionally devastating. The wait for something to die is more painful then the death itself.

 The End does not reach the heights I was hoping Marvel would reach. Instead, it opts for a much more lenient, sugary, Disney ending. Wanda never had to deal with the consequences of her screwed up actions. The people she was controlling should have been coming after her in the end, making her transformation into a villain complete.

 Fun fact: the scenes set outside Wanda's  bubble of reality are shot with Ultra Panatars, which are 1.3x anamorphic lenses. They were especially made for Infinity War, so using the same type of camera gives the audience a sense of familiarity with the world outside the bubble and makes the world inside feel that much more fresh.

 Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Katherine Hahn make WandaVision a fun time for the whole family. It is, no doubt, one of the most creative Marvel projects ever put to screen and a great segue for the multiverse and secret invasion story lines. And this is now officially, the lengthiest review I've ever written.