Falling Inn Love (2019)- Netflix

‘Falling Inn love’ is a run of the mill and predictable romcom that is light hearted and fun to watch. The first thing that I remembered was Elvis’ song which has lyrics similar to the movie’s title. It has a deep message with respect to fixing things that are broken and like the song the film subtly shows us that some things are meant to be. The script by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galano isn't remarkable but can work as a good one time watch for the characters come across exactly as one usually expects from films of this genre. 

Directed by Roger Kumble this film stars Christina Milian as Gabriela an executive in San Francisco who routinely describes her life as one spent running like a hamster in the corporate wheel. Right from the first shot she is shown as someone who adores journeying through the countryside as she elects to have her virtual reality goggles show her as though she is cycling through the countryside whilst she pedals furiously in her living room.

Her personal and professional life unravel within the space of a few hours. Real life would usually have a person hit rock bottom only to realise that it wasn’t actually rock bottom, but that would defeat the point of this rom-com. Gabriella decides to enter an online contest called win an inn and based on the title of the film it’s all but obvious what the outcome of the contest is going to be. Or else what's the point of the movie?

The only catch is that she has to fly halfway across the world. However once she reaches New Zealand she learns that everything isn't as it seems and sets out to realise her dream and hopefully find herself in the fictional town of Beachwood Downs with the help of its residents( who say that everyone's business is their business). It’s amusing to see who strangers to a town are portrayed in different genres. Aren’t we all raised to be suspicious of a new person no matter who they are?

One resident in particular is Jack (Adam Demos), who is the first person she meets when he crashes his pickup truck into her suitcase. He is the contractor of the town. We learn that he has built a wall and locked himself from the world due to a deep personal loss, and it is to be expected that this complete stranger would somehow unlock this man from his fortress of solitude (I can totally see him as Superman in the blue bodysuit and red cape)

Based on rom-com formulas we know that he's the guy. Later on when the two repeatedly meet there is the aversion and the kiddish hiding from and trying to avoid the other. The ups and downs are like a regular rom com film however at times I did get a bit confounded as to why the happy ending isn't coming yet. There is just that one more level of disappointment we are made to encounter before that happy ending which happens not just to the 2 leads but one other important character too.

The script by though predictable successfully takes us on a journey and pieces together the 2 leads' thoughts and backstories which leads us to actually buy into the fact that this could be a happily ever after we can invest in. I found the ‘Crocodile Dundee’ reference quite hilarious for I haven't seen those 2 countries being mixed up in that manner. And it's something I'm so used to hearing with respect to ignorant individuals claiming that east Asians are the same when actually they are poles apart.

Christina Millian’s Gabriella is what most of us are. Frustrated run of the mill corporate employees who would gladly describe their lives as ‘soulless.’ We can relate to her and invest in her character as let’s face it, we all dream of going out there to the countryside and starting something of our own, or just taking a sabbatical and discovering ourselves. Her dialogues such as , We have off days, but just don’t take them”, and, “struck a chord with me.” She has an urge to be modern and wants to replace the old things such as the fireplace and a faucet. Her character is a polar opposite to  Adam Demos. As Jack he gave me Chris Hemsworth Thor vibes and wants to retain the past. He lives a country life that others dream off. In addition to being a corporator he is a beekeeper and even a volunteer firefighter.

But the star of the film for me for Gilbert the goat. Initially Gabriella says, "I don't like this goat", but the audience would surely have loved him and he could perhaps become a meme if this film is seen by many. Gilbert’s timing is amazing and you don’t even fault him when he punctuates a crucial moment in this film. You just can’t help but smile when Gilbert’s around.

Falling Inn Love is a fun 98 minute watch for those who just want a couple hours of leisure and light hearted entertainment. The shots of the beautiful New Zealand landscape lend weight to the leads love of the countryside and at times it may seem like a New Zealand tourism advertisement (I certainly added New Zealand to a bucket list of countries I’d like to visit someday). These beautiful shots help us understand the mood of the characters and also the magnet which is attracting Gabriella to remain where she is. The story could even present us that fantasy for a fleeting second (till we learn that the only place we can visit are our desks and our homes) and act as a clarion call to ditch your soulless lives and head to an exotic location to finally realise that dream of running your own business.

Badla (2019)- Netflix

'Badla' is just as its title suggests. A tale of revenge which leads us to believe things and switch those very beliefs within seconds. This film is an elaborately constructed psychological game of cat and mouse, which covers what the general public believes about the legal profession. It has us empathize with certain characters and hate them just minutes later for their despicable actions. This movie comes across as a locked room mystery, a revenge story, a twisty thriller, but it is a tale which implores us to pay attention to the details again and again. More often than not a tiny element in some frame was missed by me and I felt just as a particular character did when they too realised that they hadn't paid close attention to all the details. 

We get right to it from the start. The opening credits created a tense atmosphere which captured my attention. Everything was in black and white and seemed intricately connected. The background song vocalized by the lead actor too was what I managed to identify and began thinking of the last time an actor sang his own song in a film. There have been many instances of course, but this minor thing got me interested.

This film takes place in the apartment of Naina Sethi (Tapsee Pannu) where she is interrogated by her defence counsel and undefeated lawyer Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) who says he has been persuaded to come out of retirement. Naina who is out on bail (she has to wear an ankle tracker) narrates her version of events which have led up to this moment to her legal counsel. The scenes from outside the apartment take place in the form of narration through flashbacks. 

The first thing I remembered about this combo was their earlier film "Pink" where they portrayed the lawyer and client characters. However, this lawyer-client relationship here is completely different.

Badal believes that justice is blind and constantly thwarts Naina’s version of events going as far to call it very convenient that a character develops a new skill just at the right moment. Isn’t that a thought we have all had whilst watching a movie. 

He repeatedly tells Naina (and indirectly addresses us behind the 4th wall) that it is important to focus on each and every single minute detail. At times I wish I had paid better attention to the minutest element in the frame and not just been delighted at having found that one detail but completely miss the details within that detail.

Badal takes the words of Dr. Gregory House to heart and believes that, "Everybody lies." And it is only through the successful identification of ones lies that the truth can be spotted. The thing to remember while watching this film is to focus on the details and believe everything or maybe not? But always remember the liar seeks to recreate a setting from inspiration and if something seems out of place... well it usually is. Spoiler? No, you will see too many red herrings if you are determined to spot this based on my previous sentence. 

Having caught this film on Netflix after being confounded on numerous occasions I decided to rewind to the critical moments and saw that what was being shown more clearly was actually there in screen in a blink and you miss it style of appearance. To really enjoy and experience this film you need to have your brain switched on throughout. ‘Badla’ does spell things out for you later on, but what's the fun in that.. wouldn't you rather have that satisfied smirk on your face when you see your prediction unfold on screen. And make no mistake if your grey cells are active you will be able to predict what happens for this film seems to fall victim to the frequency of its plot twists. 

With the basic structure of mystery films in general and our limited number of characters it is all but obvious that one of them is heavily involved in the killing. You know that there will be that one final twist, because the film has had no shortage of them and the twists won’t stop coming right at the climax where the audience usually expects the major reveal to pop up. You will be waiting for it and perhaps like me you too would find it predictable and be of the opinion that 'Badla' fell victim to its own ingenious script character development

The acting is good with special praise going to Tapsee Pannu after initially coming across as the scared woman she has been in both Pink and Game Over presented another side of herself which managed to make me direct a variety of emotions other than sympathy to her character. In her scenes with Amitabh Bachchan she both acts with authority and reacts with tension and is able to hold her own. 

Looking back and thinking closely about this film, particularly the dialogues I felt delighted that I was able to predict that ending. It was that obvious in retrospect... who else would speak about what they spoke in that manner. Perhaps it was due to the fact that there were so many twists and turns throughout the 117 minute run time that there could be an argument that this was predictable and shouldn't have been missed by the eagle eyed viewers. But are we conditioned to tune in to a Bollywood film with our brains switched on? 

This is a good thing that is happening in Bollywood right now and hopefully more films like 'Badla' can change the way Bollywood is looked at from films of song and dance melodrama to serious and gripping cerebral cinema.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (OUATIH) is no Pulp Fiction where the jumbled up storyline feels just right, nor is it a Django Unchained where we bear witness to blood splatter and an abundance of expletives, nor is it The Hateful Eight. None of the performances really shine as Christoph Waltz's turns in Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. It could feel out of place in today’s world where we thirst for plot heavy films. OUATIH has multiple storylines which seem jumbled up, however it worked for me as it served its purpose of transporting me back to the 1960's I have become accustomed to seeing on screen or hearing about and evoking a sense of nostalgia among older viewers. 

The film is Tarantino’s ode to the golden era of Hollywood which functions as the major star of the film. It is a slow fairytale of two halves where we get to see and hear about the key elements in that era such as the single screen cinema halls, westerns and the emergence of ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ and Black & White 35mm prints. We see the characters shaped by and respond to this era as they meander along the various sets of Tinseltown and all over a delightful looking, non congested freeways of L.A.

In the first half, our fictional protagonists as well as a few real life characters are established through a series of storylines which are weaved across each other at crucial points to give us a comparison between the old and the new as well as set up for that final showdown which you obviously would be aware of if you aren't living beneath a rock in today's information inundated universe. 

From L-R: Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton and Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarz

Leonardo DiCaprio in his first feature film since 2015’s The Revenant, plays Rick Dalton, a fading western star who is reduced to playing bit roles. His agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) summarises this predicament by saying that he is in that phase of his career where what matters is who will beat him up next week. Dalton is a complete contrast to his on screen persona which radiates confidence. This emotional wreck is ably supported by his buddy and stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) who doesn't mind Dalton crying, but not in front of the Mexicans. 

Booth is introduced right at the beginning of the film as the guy who ensures that the studios don’t go into losses if the star of the production were to suffer an injury. However we soon realise that he is more than just a stuntman. Booth is Dalton’s man friday and the only person he has for support. It is believable to see Pitt as a supporting actor to DiCaprio in this film as he does everything to elevate the lead actor and ably supports him. 

They meander through the 1969 Hollywood and learn that they are part of a fading era. Dalton is desperate to score big in pilot season but is often cast against type. This element of the story is quite common and introduces the Spaghetti Westerns (westerns produced in Europe most notably Italy) where actors were quite often cast against type. Dalton has to be attired and presented in a manner where the audiences don't see the character he was in his prime. This takes me back to what I read about the film called ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ where older actor Peter Fonda was cast against type as the villain. He too looked way different from what he used to when he played the good guy. 

As the duo realise their place on the ladder we are shown the infamous Cielo Drive. The camera lingers on this signboard for a tad longer than usual as Tarantino plays with the audience knowledge of the movie synopsis which is based on real life events which occurred half a century ago.

We are then introduced to our first parallel storyline as the new 'It' couple of Hollywood [Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski] pull up in the adjacent driveway. Following the success of Rosemary's Baby the director is the toast of Hollywood. 

The way they spend their nights lays the groundwork for the next day as Tarantino more explicitly and yet ever so subtly explores the despair of the fading star and the joy of the rising star. The scene has Sharon Tate visit a theater where she watches a film of the real Sharon Tate thus enabling us to watch Sharon Tate watching Sharon Tate. The patrons in the theater lap up scene after scene and Tate revels in the adulation she receives. Her star is on the rise. This runs parallel to Rick Dalton fighting with the notion of being a ‘has been.’ He goes through a crisis of confidence and a lengthy shot of him on set gave me the impression that I was watching a western. Dalton yelling out, "Line, Line!" is what made me realise that Dalton Western was a movie within Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

This overly long scene helps the audience share the tumultuous feeling of the character as he goes through the ups and downs. The “8 fucking whiskey sours” montage is incredible and you would wish that there was a rewind button as you just want to watch and re watch this incredible scene. 

Whilst we explore the rising star and the fading star our stuntman/man friday sets off on a drive around LA. He fixes an antenna on the roof where he takes off his shirt for no one's attention whatsoever(maybe it was for the benefit of those behind the 4th wall). He is like a star in his own movie and there are scars on his body which makes his flashback fight scene believable. While Pitt is no Achilles (the character he played in the 2004 film ‘Troy’) in this film, his scene did draw a few excited murmurs from the patrons of the cinema hall I was in. Tarantino constantly teases us by having Booth cross paths with members of the Manson family on multiple occasions. 

This first half which is in excess of half the run time makes the audience aware of the characters and their deepest desires. It appeals to their pathos thus enabling them to emotionally invest in the characters in the 2nd half which accepts that the golden era is on its way out. That is evident with the costumes and hairstyles sported by our fictional leads. Fans who up until this point had to be content with the overuse of "Fuck" and a solitary pussy joke are treated to an ending which finally makes them believe that this film as directed by Tarantino. 

Based on our synopsis I knew what's going to happen, but then I remembered that Quentin Tarantino has directed and written this film. Tarantino decides to alter history in a manner that sticks to the one and only idea of this script which is to pay tribute to Hollywood albeit in a hotchpotch manner. If someone looks at me incredulously when I say the words, "alter history" I imagine Tarantino looking at them with a half turn and wink whilst quoting Billy Crystal from his 84th Academy Awards opening number, "You didn't think I wasn't gonna do this now did you?"

The climax which will enthrall every single Tarantino fan sees purpose of the stuntman examined word for word. This when seen in the context of this film brings Shakespeare's, “All the world’s a stage,” to my mind. OUATIH has Tarantino show us that he too is following the rules he lays out for his own characters and this is part of the beauty of this film.

It is only when I left the cinema hall that I noticed how long this film actually was and was perplexed because I did not feel it's 165 minutes. In retrospect there could be an argument calling for a few scenes to be discarded in the editing room as they stretch the film. Yet they work for me as they fit with the ‘once upon a time’ theme which exhibits the yesteryear glamour of the region. 

Tarantino had initially intended OUATIH to be a novel and then decided to bring it to our cinema screens. Despite the film working for me there is still a part of me that believes that it should have made as a much longer film or a  miniseries (like True Detective Season 1). The longer format would have worked wonders as the buildup to the film’s latter half seems like a disappointing reward (perhaps there is a tiny inherent bias against non plot heavy films here) to first half which is like an intricate puzzle box requiring you to take time to appreciate it and just marvel at the masterful construction. 

Tarantino has mellowed and his 9th film doesn't leave the audience walking out of the cinema hall under the impression that they have seen a TRUE Tarantino film. I hope this isn't his last outing and if indeed we get number 10 which we claims will be his final offering to Hollywood I hope to see the real foul mouthed, smart talking comic book type violence in that one. 

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Ash is Purest White (2018)

Ash is Purest White is a Chinese language film which premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. This Palme D'Or finalist finally made its way to the Indian cinema halls almost a year later. Starring Zhao Tao as Zhao Qiao and Liao Fan as Guo Bin this film seems like the story of Qiao and Bin, but it actually is the tragedy of Qiao. 

In the 2001 part of the film, Bin and Qiao are walking in the grassy wilderness where they stop and stare at a volcano in the distance. Qiao remarks, “ Volcanic Ash is very pure, isn't it? Anything that burns at a high temperature is made pure.” Bin replies, “no one would know if you burned to a crisp.” This exchange offers the viewer a hint into the psychology of the characters and the direction they will take in this film.  

Directed by Jia Zhangke, this film starts off with scenes of a bus journey with seemingly regular people in our frame. The grainy documentary like footage which makes the viewer assume that they are watching a handheld camera video. This helps lend the feel of an old China that proves to be crucial to the progress of the film. 

The camera moves onto the other passengers in the bus and we finally are given a glimpse of  Zhao Qiao. Qiao is shown as one who has strong roots within her community and has an aversion to ballroom as it is in her words “too western.” She is in love with Guo Bin, who is the head brother of the Jianghu. 

Based on the progression of this storyline and a plethora of western films it would be safe to assume that Jianghu could be a translation of the mob or an organised crime group in China. (The customary subtitles were absent from the screen at the utterance of this word)

Soon, Bin falls victim to an attack by young pretenders and has to brawl his way out before he is overpowered. This leads to Qiao intervening and sacrificing herself for Bin. 

The scene of her interrogation shows that she is aware of exactly what she is getting into with her deception of the law enforcement authorities, yet she does so of her own free will, this marks the beginning of her 'burning at a high temperature.'

This film weaves together some of the real life happenings in China (the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze River) and presents them to the audience with a voiceover (the ferry announcer) which through informing the passengers is seen as a commentary on the displacement of people in a changing world. This happens when we are reintroduced to Qiao in 2006 after she has served her 5 year prison sentence and sets out to locate Bin. 

There is a wonderful shot in this scene with Qiao drifting on the river and framed as a silhouette against the mountains and the twilight sky. It symbolically shows the old Qiao fading away to give rise to a new version of herself- pure and having risen from the fire. 

Zhao Qiao grows as the film progresses. She is still innocent at heart and gets duped, but quickly learns that the world is not what it once was and adapts. She misses the way things were and this is crucial to her character. 

Qiao who appears like a delicate porcelain doll in the initial part of the film is transformed by her half a decade imprisonment which lends a sort of hard edge to her character. A decade later, she finally evolves into a fearsome woman who commands respect from the Jianghu. 

However, what didn’t evolve was her ability to recognise a past situation recurring, thus leaving her to be emotionally burnt to a crisp with no one knowing, but also being purified due to being metaphorically burnt by her one true love as realisation finally dawned upon her.  

The movie progresses slowly and its runtime of 136 minutes would feel long when you decide to narrate the story to a friend. They would be like, "is this film really that long?" 

This "lengthy" runtime is a result of long pauses before replies and multiple reflections by Qiao of life around her. These extra long pauses in the post 2006 interactions between Bin and Qiao helped emphasize the realization dawning slowly upon Qiao. 

Ash is Purest White showed me a China that is worlds apart from the China I have become accustomed to witnessing through popular culture. There is more to China than the glitz and glamour of the skyline which every Hollywood movie shows when they visit the world's most populous country. It focuses on the dangers of not learning from the past.

The western music combined with the weird ballroom dancing at a funeral and a bizarre and out of the blue appearance of a UFO serve as a respite from the brooding pace of this film which is a 16 year tale of love, betrayal and has traces of the impact of a rapidly evolving capitalistic society.

This simple metaphor helping structure the entire story was something I loved. It is a film that will help you use the metaphor in your life and help you grow as well as looking back at your life and realising how the toughest of times have made you the best version of yourself. 

La Dolce Vita (1960)

La Dolce Vita (the sweet life) is an Italian language drama film directed by Federico Fellini. This film stars Marcello Mastroianni, Ankita Ekberg, Anouk Aimee, Yvonne Furneaux, Aalin Curry and Walter Santesso in pivotal roles.

The first time I heard of Fellini was before my class was due to watch a screening of La Strada. It was at this moment our instructor informed us about the film La Dolce Vita which in his opinion is Fellini's best film.

He spoke to us about Fellini having a fascination with the number 7 and this film possibly representing the number 7 in Christianity thanks to its opening sequence (We can call this as our prologue for the movie is divided into what I'd like to call as chapters) There are numerous different interpretations of the number 7 such as the 7 deadly sins, the 7 sacraments, the identification of 7 as the perfect number. However, I think there are 7 parts as it is Fellini's 7th feature film. 

These 7 parts seem like different chapters akin to an episodic show chronicling the life of hedonistic reporter Marcello Rubini where we get to examine his life and career. Each chapter contributes to a deeper understanding of himself as a person and leaves the viewer with a message about Marcello's psyche. We understand that he is being challenged to look within and find something. 

The chapters pit themes against their opposites thus providing both Marcello and the viewer the opportunity to introspect and understand what truly is 'La Dolce Vita.' Marcello comes across as one who believes that monogamy is mundane, however his promiscuous activities are meaningless for they are unable to help him find meaning in a life where he already is without a clear goal. This is a man whose life in the late 1950s or early 1960s seems to mirror the indecisiveness that people experienced and still continue to do so especially in today’s era where the audiences are inundated with choices. 

He is at a crossroads between a life of journalism and literature. As a journalist it is his job to cover the high class and exuberant i.e. the ones who are living 'La Dolce Vita' and in doing so he too gets a taste of the sweet life, but it feels meaningless as what he reports on is considered as meaningless drivel and the manner in which he (and the other journalists) do it, is described in the film as ‘hyena like.’ 

Director Federico Fellini even contrasts the definition of what the idea of 'La Dolce Vita' truly is, with Marcello being one definition and the character of Steiner representing the opposite. This character is crucial and his solace in the church, his recordings of nature combined with progressive life of 1950s Italy portray him as one of the few who are averse to change i.e the conservative Italian. This scene in which Steiner speaks about the progress of society being just a mirage hiding a dangerous world where the end can be announced with just a single phone call is framed and shot brilliantly. Steiner is looking out of the window with the night sky resulting in the audience seeing his reflection in the window as he reflects on his view of the progressive world contradicting his ideal of 'La Dolce Vita.' This character drives Marcello to realization of what has happened due to his self destructive indulgences.

As the chapters progress and Marello witnesses life around him, he along with the audience are be able to form an interpretation both of his life and this film respectively. Every single person will have something to take away from this film. 

It is a delightful monochromatic kaleidoscope of meanings if one is prepared to introspect and look beyond the surface of the seemingly normal and unrelated incidents. If not well then this is an almost 3 hour snoozefest. 

Considering the time period in which this film premiered and it's country of origin there are certain scenes which one would look at without blinking twice in 2019. But in the 1960s…. The orgy scene, the depiction of Christ to enhance the theme of the movie and the sunbathers would have caused the audience to avert their gaze from the screen. 

Like the other film of Fellini which I have seen, this one too comes full circle with the characters exchanging places with what they were doing the previous time around. Everything begins and ends like a circle and it is possible that there could be 60 different viewpoints from 60 different people. This movie has been renowned for being able to change what people can take from it when they rewatch it at a later stage in their lives. La Dolce Vita remains the same and despite its release almost 60 years ago, it still remains relevant today and can still provide a different context to every single person who decides to spend 173 minutes of their life on this Italian masterpiece. 

Netflix: Murder Mystery

Murder Mystery is a murder mystery movie distributed by Netflix. The name of this film may come across as one of a tentatively titled venture during its pre-production and production stages but is not. This is the film's final title and like the title the film seems quite unfinished.

As Adam Sandler's Nick Spitz says to his wife Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) "This is our adventure." That's primarily what the movie (Murder Mystery) is and strives to be. The adventure of an officer and his hairstylist/avid murder mystery novel reader as they go on a honeymoon to reignite a spark in their marriage and fall headlong into a Murder Mystery.

Nick Spitz fails his detectives exam and in a bid to surprise his wife and also pacify her decides that the time is now ripe for them to take their dream honeymoon 15 years to the day they were married. Their vacation turns into quite a surprising invitation by Viscount Charles Cavendish to a family gathering aboard a yacht. This invitation reeks of desperation and made me think about the character of 'the millionaire' from 'City Lights.' Except for the fact that here Cavendish is not drunk and he remembers then the next day and their invitation still stands.

Throughout the movie there are major call backs to Agatha Christie novels. The mixture of characters aboard the yacht are introduced in a manner so synonymous with the way they are in her novels. And every single one of them feels completely out of place in the year 2019. For example. The Maharaja of Mumbai! If you recognised this introduction style, you would understand that one particular character is crucial to the story.

The gathering of all the characters in a plethora of classic Agatha Christie novels such as 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas' and the iconic 'And then there were none' takes place here and we finally get the murder.

From this point on, one would be expecting the story to pick up, but it stumbles as it's sole purpose is to get particular characters to various locations. It has a stop start kind of feel to it which caused me to zone out.

Rather than a compelling murder mystery or even one along the lines of the 2006 film 'The Pink Panther' and it's sequel which fall into the comedy mystery genre we get ridiculous gags such as touching the body and puerile shtick like sticking the knife in and pulling it out.

The reactions and acting of the other guests aboard the yacht made me think of entertainment skits on talk shows as their reactions seemed manufactured and over the top. The two leads' bickering is also annoying, but this is their adventure.

'Murder Mystery' meanders on for another hour introducing us to a French detective whose name on first hearing sounds like Hercule Poirot. There are further call backs to Agatha Christie mysteries such as questioning everyone individually, the mysterious reveals of deeds many years ago and the classic seating of all the participants involved before the killer is revealed.

At this point I was so disinterested in this film and was extremely happy when the final reveal came in about 15 minutes before the movie was about to end. I didn't think that it's not quite right and there must be something more and was happy that this parody like film was finally over....

Murder Mystery is the type of 1 time watch for anyone, though most people may lack the mental fortitude required to not click the back button and return to the Netflix home screen. Fans of comedy and not so serious and dramatic Murder Mysteries will enjoy this Murder Mystery but unfortunately I'm not one of them. The movie ends in a manner that leaves room for a sequel which I personally hope isn't part of Adam Sandler's remaining films on his Netflix deal.

Black Mirror S05 E01: Striking Vipers

Striking Vipers is the first episode of the 5th season of Black Mirror.

The episode features best friends Karl and Danny use the video game 'Striking Vipers' as an escape from their day to day lives. The game offers players a chance to choose between a plethora of characters. Danny chooses a ripped male fighter Lance and Karl opts for scantily clad female fighter Roxette.

There is a line in this pre game dialogue between Karl and Danny which shows that Danny is one who has responsibility at the back of his mind and uses the game as a fantasy escape from reality. His tone shows that he is slightly sad, but that is a constant of Danny throughout the episode. It's sad-sad, sad-angry and shows us that he is just resigned to accepting life.

We jump 11 years to Danny's birthday barbecue party. He is now in his late 30s and doesn't seem that into his love life and is searching for excuses to avoid a second child. At this gathering his old friend Karl comes back into his life and his gift is the 'Striking Vipers X' game complete with all the technological upgrades of a decade.

Callister Inc (from the episode USS Calister) has released its technology which allows humans to transfer their consciousness onto the characters they play and even gives them the exact experience their on screen persona is going through. This is like Westworld come real except that here there are no other characters (hosts) apart from the ones you choose to lose yourself in.

They choose the same characters as they did over a decade ago, inhibit the characters consciousness in the virtual world and resume their battles. Then they have virtual sex with each other. It's a heterosexual encounter w.r.t. the virtual characters but the consciousness inhabiting the characters and experiencing the pleasure results in it being a homosexual encounter.

This frequent virtual sex leads to a further decline in Danny's marital life with Theo and she can sense it as she literally asks is there someone else. He forgets important dates and lives each day of his life waiting to get to the time he and Karl's consciousness will meet. And soon he feels guilty and locks the game, but Karl who continues to play reveals to Danny that virtual sex with other characters doesn't feel the same.

Striking Vipers a solid episode which manages to provide a balance between technology, fantasy and a way of escape and real life and responsibilities in keeping the commitments people have made to one another. It focuses on how people consider their virtual in game identities as a projection of their real lives unfulfilled desires and at times they become unable to differentiate between the boundaries of real and virtual.

It speaks about how technology can also be used to satisfy ones intrinsic needs but it's usage in limitation with the consent of all parties is a solution which has benefits for all.

The cast of is one of the best ever ensemble lineups for a Netflix episode and honestly such a line up should be getting much more attention than Miley Cyrus received for her appearance in the third episode of the series. 

Black Mirror S05 E03: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too

Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too is the third and final episode of the 5th season of Black Mirror. 

The episode features sisters Rachel and Jack who live with their father who is designing a humane replacement to eliminate mice from households. The family has moved to another city and the 2 girls are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their mother. Rachel is gifted an Ashley Too doll on her birthday which spouts out motivational lines resulting in it (a robot doll) becoming a 15-year-olds closest companion and alienating her from other humans in her life. 

Miley Cyrus as Ashley O along with the AI doll Ashley Too

Their story runs parallel with teenage music sensation Ashley O who we see as happy on camera but her off screen persona is a complete contrast. She is under the control of her manager/aunt/guardian who is keen to make money off her niece until she turns 25 and maybe even after that. As Ashley O rebels against her support system (controllers) and refuses to take her pills they are slipped to her over the course of a single dinner rendering comatose. Ashley O is hospitalized and her legion of fans are distraught. 

Technology is used to interpret her subconscious thoughts and shape her preferred crude rock music into pop (because just hiring a ghost writer would be too non Black Mirror right) with the voice recordings taken for the Ashley O dolls serve as the audio for Ashley Eternal (a holographic version of Ashley which kind of makes front row seat demand at concerts to be useless)

When the words Black Mirror flashed on screen at the beginning of the episode and the glass cracked up until this point we had an episode showing us a glimpse into the future of concerts and a possibility of simultaneous concerts as well as the horrific possibility of technology controlling the real pop star. It was a representation of the culture of controlling people for profits and going to any measure to achieve that control. The 'my way or the highway' culture. This is/will be/could be the future and was perfect for an ending. 

But no, the two sets of parallel stories intervene with Rachel's Ashley Too watching a broadcast about Ashley O which causes it to glitch out? Too convenient for the doll to suddenly break out against the limiter installed in it as the siblings find out when they set about to repair it. The beans are spilled and aided by the two sisters the digital Ashley O i.e. Ashley Too goes to set things right and then guess what Ashley O and Ashley Too team up. Are you kidding me?

It seems as though Charlie Brooker has taken to watching and getting heavily inspired by Disney which is where the star of this episode Miley Cyrus made her name as Hannah Montana. 

After watching 'Smithereens' I had big hopes from this episode but rather than end the episode at a proper moment which would have maybe appealed to more fans as well as earned praise for its shorter runtime they chose to give the big star her defining moment in beating the villains. The 'Ashley Eternal' reveal would have worked well without all of the other forced drama. 

In the final credits scene, I was stunned to see Charlie Brooker credited as the writer. Was this uh this..... thing actually written by the brain behind 'White Bear'? 

Just because 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' is part of the iconic 'Black Mirror' series people may start thinking about it and try to interpret various sorts of conclusions. Social media comment sections may be filled with ardent fans debating this stuff. But honestly, if this episode had been the series premiere instead of 'The National Anthem' then Black Mirror would have remained a Channel 4 show and probably ended in the early part of the decade. For now though this would be considered as one of the most disappointing episodes of Black Mirror and possibly be remembered as 'That Miley Cyrus episode.' Quite a shame considering that Miley's performance is one of the better ones of the series. 

Black Mirror S05 E02: Smithereens

It  possible that you may get this notification whilst driving or walking or doing something much more important before the cell phone beeped and alerted you to this. Please ignore this if you are busy with anything. Too late right? You already will have yanked out your phone, glanced at the notification, swiped it out of sight and refocused on your task at hand. Those few seconds of lost focus would be detrimental though. For you or for anyone else, but after the seconds hand completes a 360° journey around the face of the clock do you even remember what you looked at? 

'Smithereens' is the 2nd episode of the 5th season of Black Mirror. It targets the present day obsession i.e. our addiction to social media and how evolution has resulted in us not having the self control to shun our desire to reach for our phones when we hear a beep. It also shows us how trivial and uniform our reactions seem to be no matter what the thing we are reacting to. Do we actually care about what happens?

Chris Gillhaney (Andrew Scott) is a cab driver who wishes to speak to Smithereen (a social media platform) founder Billy Bauer. Simple right? Not so. Chris has been planning this for a long time. The episode starts off in a suspicious manner as Chris is waiting for his passenger. Such a thing happening without the passenger uttering a courteous apology about his/her tardiness is very unusual. 

What comes off as casual conversation is later on revealed to be a master plan hatched by the driver to achieve his goal i.e. ensure that his feedback reaches the top rather than the feedback option which is read by employees sitting before a screen and providing feedback to a board. He finally gets hold of an employee (intern) and takes him hostage. 

Andrew Scott as Chris Gillhaney in the drivers seat with his hostage Damson Idris as Jaden Thomas

The next 40 minutes feature scenes from within the taxi where Chris and Jaden are sitting, the British police officers on the periphery of the field, the FBI and the top brass of Smihereen. 

Despite all the key pieces in this episode scattered across 2 different continents there isn't a feeling as though we are randomly jumping from one spot to the other. 

When watching this episode most of us would recognise Chris Gillhaney (Andrew Scott) as BBC Sherlock's Jim Moriarty, but as the episode progresses we do not see a single trace of the iconic villain and instead see a person who is frustrated and deeply traumatised but is essentially good at heart.

Andrew Scott had to tap into some really personal trauma to summon up all the facial expressions and the choking voice when with pent up frustration he delivers his lines.

In another monologue he also manages pull off what in the hands of other actors would have been seen as an over the top comedic turn and make the audience actually understand and relate to his frustration at our lifestyle where a beep mechanically draws our hand to our pockets to whip out a device which we unlock without even realising, all this while not stopping what we were doing before. 

The regular action and the setting of the scenes in the episode providing the background music makes the audience feel like they are actually there and are part of the action unfolding on screen. The episode catches in the elements of the characters and minor details that lead to absolutely no questions about why something was included which could have cut short the duration by a few seconds despite having a longish run time of over an hour. 

A fade out climax after the high drama drives home the key points of the episode once again in case it slipped our mind as audiences began analysing Stockholm Syndrome 

Just for he sake of finding a flaw in the episode I'll talk about the abyssmal aim of the British police sniper. He could have moved a bit right, but to miss twice? They need to recruit Euron Greyjoy for that role. 

'Smihereens' doesn't touch upon the fact that humans must have self control despite admitting that the applications are designed to be so addictive that it's almost like muscle memory for us to open it on our phones whenever they are in our hands. However, it does focus on other things such as that of our culture of being controlled by notifications for a split second and then not giving a damn about it, it also focuses on topics such as the robotic language of negotiations, the way the human mind has forgotten the importance of memorizing another person's number, the way in which social media can be used to decipher a person's state of mind, the fact that we are broadcasting our true selves to the world and providing the social media giants with every minute detail about ourselves thus rendering anybody a detective as they can just log on and find out anything about anyone, and the evils of social media and minute by minute news in a crisis situation. 

This episode has a Black Mirror feel to it but it doesn't feel edgy or offer that sort of shock ending akin to some of the iconic episodes of this series. Smithereens is the saving grace of Black Mirror Season 5. Unlike 'Striking Vipers' and 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' this episode is set in the present day and we can relate to these events as we have gone through them. Maybe not at the extent at which Chris Gillhaney did, but one may have bumped into someone at a crowded place when their phone rang which caused them to look at some nonsense like snapstreak notification or an Instagram notification that someone is going live and honestly how important is all that? Like all the characters swiping their phones and like Billy Bauer flicking his mental switch post the crisis and resuming whatever he was doing, you too will forget about this in about much lesser time than it took you to read and peruse it. 

Aladdin (2019)

Starring Mena Massoud as the titular character and Will Smith as the iconic Genie, Aladdin is a live action remake of the 1992 original animated feature. It is adapted from the short story in the Arabian Nights (as is introduced to viewers in the first song of the movie). The tale is about..... well if you need to be told what this tale is about you should just look away. With a runtime of 130 minutes it is almost half an hour longer that the animated classic and seeks to answer questions raised over 27 years ago.

The film panders to the present day audiences and presents to us a not a whole new and unrecognizable world but a slightly evolved one. (Why though)

Plenty of songs are retained from the original and bring nostalgia and delight to one and all.  

The lyrics of the opening song 'Arabian Nights' have been retained despite being subject to a plethora of studies regarding Orientalism which is a point in favour of this one as it retains the fear of the Arab region by the west with which the original musical was written.

The 'A Whole New World' song is splendid. The absence of CGI animals in the magic carpet sequence works for me as the song seeks to emphasise Jasmine breaking free from the confines of the palace without a disguise. The sequence respects speed and the effect of the wind on Aladdin and Jasmine and restricts the protagonists journey to within Agrabah itself. 

'Friend like me' is our first impression of the blue genie and one can't help but think about the iconic Robin Williams' rendition of the song. Quite unfair to compare the two as they both are good in their own rights.

'Ali Ababwa's' colourful costumes and procession is a shoutout to the daily parades witnessed at Disneyland's parks throughout the world and that's about when you finally get used to Will Smith as the genie and see that he has actually done quite well. 

The absence of excessive GGI in all of these numbers is excellent as Disney avoided the complaint of the film being "effects overloaded." The only change in the songs is that the midriffs of the dancers in 'Ali Ababwa' have been covered.

There is another song in the movie which sees Disney Princess Jasmine finally getting her solo. The power ballad 'Speechless' leaves the audiences speechless but does precious little to elevate he character for the climax where Jafar, Aladdin, the carpet, Abu and the genie are the primary characters. Was the only purpose of this song was to allow Disney to have a horse in the race for the Best Original Song at the end of season Film Awards? 

There is a feminist narrative added which is completely out of place in the time period Aladdin is set in and just aims to pander to the present day audiences. 

However, some of the other additions in the film work, such as the humanizing of the genie and him getting a farewell. This lends weight to his desire that his master frees him with their 3rd wish. The introduction of Dalia (handmaid to Princess Jasmine) into the story seems to serve just this purpose. On the lighter side we discover the Jasmine had many more outfits than the blue gown she has become synonymous with. 

The Sultan isn't a buffoon as he was in the animated version and his actions in the live action actually lend weight to the vizier Jafar needing to hypnotize him. 

Our big bad Jafar gets a minor backstory which is another thing that works as it lends weight to his character and helps the audience understand his motivation. It is a blessing, for sans that he is pathetic as the villain and seems as the sort of mini boss one needs to defeat before meeting the real enemy. He has the desire to be the most powerful person in Agrabah, has utter disdain for the word second and doesn't want to take power by marriage but rather from a coup d'etat. (So have the laws of Argabah already been amended to the present day where the one with the blood of the royal family is the true ruler?) Personally, I felt that the animated version Jafar was much scarier than uh.. this.... He is saved by the effects in the climax and once again that small backstory. 

Despite the 3D making the picture seem darker than usual it enhances the movie and the scenes of the genie magic.

The live action movie has a conclusion that takes forward what we saw in the animated and literally spells out something contradictory to what we assumed in 1992. It does feel convenient but once again, but it wasn't touched in the original and we just assumed it. Who knows if the ending we got last time round could have actually been an open ending where we could assume either one of our protagonists became the ruler of Agrabah. 

Aladdin is a movie which is a must watch for all Disney fans. The shoehorning of present day ideologies may be a tad annoying for those hoping for a faithful adaptation, but with an abundance of colour and foot tapping music it is the type of film to watch just to get refreshed and I promise you, you will leave the cinema hall with any one of the songs playing in your head. 

The Last of the Starks

The last of the Starks was the fourth episode of the final season of Game of Thrones. Politics and scheming comes to the fore and gives viewers somewhat of a reminder of the show get grew to love all those years ago.

And we really miss that show 

This episode was extremely bright and there seems to be no sign of winter (was the Night King the source of winter? And are we in a state of eternal summer post his disintegration?) and Starbucks has opened it's first ever outlet in Westeros.

The episode kicks off outside the castle of Winterfell where the living set fire to the dead with each major character setting alight the pyre atop which the one which meant the most to them lay on. Arya-Beric, Jon- Daenerys-Jorah, Sansa-Theon, Sam-Edd and that's all there's time for. We don't see who Grey Worm lights fire to. Now the reason for that could be that Grey Worm considered all of the Unsullied as his own (which is what HBO wants us to believe) or the fact that they didn't focus on anything in the Unsullied army apart from Greyworm.

THE MAD QUEEN 

Throughout the episode the camera angles and the expressions on her face as well as her behaviour seem to indicate her descent from wannabe saviour of the people to the power hungry mad queen. It began with her mourning the loss of Jorah Mormont and ended with what she considered the last straw (the murder of her advisor Missandei atop the walls of King's Landing). Daenerys does try to win loyalties at Winterfell, but it isn't easy as legitimizing a Bastard and giving him a title as well as a castle. Despite her best and speedy attempts at politics she realises that she will not be accepted as the people will not switch their allegiance based on a solitary toast to the hero of Winterfell. The people already have their favourite and they won't change that based on a solitary toast. Everyone isn't and cannot be Ser Bronn (who now will relax wait for either Lannister party to win and claim either Riverrun or Highgarden). She also wishes for Jon/Aegon Targaryen to not reveal his true identity to his sisters as she knows his claim (despite him not wanting it) to the throne is much stronger than her own. She has no concern for the condition of her forces and just wishes to conquer as quickly as she can. Daenerys questions the honour of the north when they say that their forces need time to recover. The murder of her child (Rhaegal) in a classic Game of Thrones assault which viewers had long forgotten had the element of surprise and the ensuing battle resulted in the capture of Missandei. One last attempt by Tyrion to talk his way to a solution failed (But was anyone really expecting a meek surrender and transfer of power following a conversation? There was always going to be a war, a rebellion, a revolution.... The Final War) and Missandei was murdered which was the final piece in the puzzle of completing the transformation of Daenerys. The expression on her face just says it all. She has completely lost it and now seeks to fulfil her trusted advisor's final word "DRACARYS."

If anyone has read Daenerys well it is Cersei and Varys. The two of them both have realised that the dragon queen is a scared little girl who has grown up with the desire to get back what was hers (not really it was never hers. She was the third child) and now all the delays and deaths of her advisors will result in her losing the voices of reason.

The "Mad Queen"

She is known as that but she seems to be the shrewdest tactician in Westeros at the moment. Cersei was at her Machiavellian best where she informs Euron about "their" child and permits the civilians of King's Landing to enter the red keep because "the Usurper is comimg." No, she doesn't give a damn about them. They are allowed to enter only because she knows that Daenerys will either refrain from attack or (as is the case now) when she does attack, the civilians will see her for what Cersei has claimed she was all along "just like her father- The Mad King." Her sick and satisfied smirk at the end of the episode was telling as she knows she has succeeded.

Watching her act is a treat to behold and fingers are crossed that she finally gets her long due Emmy Award.

"As your brother once told me, he is not a Stark."

Sansa Stark reveals Jon Snow's true identity to Hand of the Queen Tyrion Lannister just about 5 minutes of screen time after having been sworn to secrecy.
The line here used by Tyrion is "As your brother once told me, he is not a Stark." This is a reply to Sansa's claim that men from her family do not fare well when they travel south. The pronoun of 'he' in Tyrion's line here could refer to Jon which means that Tyrion already knew of Jon's true identity courtesy Bran, yet chose to keep it a secret as he still believed in Daenerys. Or it could have been Tyrion suspecting it all along (because of his love for reading combined with him observing that the Dragons permit Jon to ride them) and tricking Sansa into revealing the secret with the line actually referring to Bran revealing that he isn't a Stark and is the three eyed raven (with respect to the conversation they had at the start of the episode).

The Spider and The Imp

These two are aware of the fact of there being another with a better claim and throughout the episode we see Varys staring at Daenerys whilst deep in thought. When Tyrion reveals the truth about Jon Snow to Varys (as Sansa hoped that he would) he hopes that Varys will not think about committing an act of treason, but he actually provides the spider with information which help the former master of whispers ensure that the realm gets the best. But why did Tyrion not keep this a secret? Has he lost his touch and failed to spot that Varys was showing signs of switching allegiances? The Spider does voice his opinion regarding the same only to get brushed away. He openly claims that he is for the realm and seems extremely keen on doing away with her but watching over her is Tyrion Lannister. The prediction by the Red Woman says that Varys must die on this strange continent of Westeros and we don't think that she means old age many years after the war. Tyrion and Varys trying to outplot each other or better trying to keep Daenerys away from her desired throne would be a beautiful thing. Two of the best minds at work to either thwart each other or work towards a common goal.

The speed with which they travel is remarkable

This has been a criticism of the show ever since the commencement of the penultimate season. The shows pace once again is questioned as events which ideally occur days or weeks apart seem to happen within just 5 minutes. It will no doubt take quite a few days for the Greyjoy/Golden Company fleet to set sail from King's Landing to Dragonstone to ambush the Targaryen fleet and then back to the capital along with their prisoner. Jaime both sleeps with Brienne and then dumps her in the same episode.

The old thrones would have spread out the events of this episode over atleast 3 episodes to let the tensions simmer and make sense.

What next?

Will Euron contemplate the words of Tyrion or was he too busy just smiling?
Tyrions words though should lead Euron Greyjoy to question the authenticity of Cersei's claim that their unborn child is his. As there no chance that Tyrion will know about Euron's conjugal activities with Cersei which happened long after the Dragonpit parlay. In the few seconds after Tyrion talks about her child sees Cersei's unflappable exterior shaken a bit and her body language is akin to one who is a tad nervous. But she knows that Euron is a buffoon.

The death of Aegon Targaryen?

The signs are ominous and point towards this as Rhaegal (the dragon named after Jon Snow's true father) was shot dead in true Game of Thrones fashion as Daenerys and part of her army returned to Dragonstone (was Euron waiting there for a while or did someone tip him off that the Targaryen girl would be making port there soon?) Sansa once more voiced concerns about the men from her family not faring well in the south and this has to be there for a reason. She cannot go on bringing this up as Jon had gone south last season only to return with his head still on his shoulders.

How will the combined forces of the North and the Unsullied be able to penetrate the walls of King's Landing and compete with the Lannister Army+ The Golden Company and the Greyjoy fleet? Dragon's presence will not be telling as the enemy is armed with proven Dragon killing shotguns whose prototypes managed to injure Drogon itself. Will Yara Greyjoy make an appearance to eliminate her uncle? And will we get Cleganebowl in the next episode. And what about Jaime and Arya? Who will reach Cersei first?

The episode has received a low rating and this is mostly due to the fact that many viewers' fan theories are being disproved. This is a major disappointment to see viewers take out their petty frustrations regarding thr direction of a show and give it a poor IMDB score. The Last of the Starks was a solid episode and served the purpose of setting up for whatever finale we have got in store.

Avengers: Endgame

(This writeup contains spoilers. Look away if you haven't yet watched this movie and wish to do so)

They called this many names and it's own title too was created into a event. Avengers: Endgame, the 22nd movie of the Avengers series and last instalment in the initial series features an ensemble cast of Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldanha, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, Tessa Thompson, Elizabeth Olsen, Evangeline Lily, Sebastian Stan and many more. Once more.. this writeup contains spoilers....you have been warned.

Endgame kicks off right from the time of Thanos' universe 'saving' snap albeit in another part of the globe and acts as the basis for a major character switch and descent into vigilante insanity. It also drives home the core idea of any superhero film of the last decade which is that a superheroes are first a normal humans and have lives beyond their jobs of suiting up and saving the universe and it's various realms. This was expected in this movie and worked well with the context of it's present time period. We are now in a post apocalyptic world where momuments for the erased are in abundance and survivors guilt is a common emotion. Time has not healed old wounds completely and even half a decade on the best and unruffled are shaken. This despite them having avenged their comrades quite quickly. The surivivors are extremely greatful for each other's presence despite the animosity that existed amongst them previously. A good chunk of the first hour is devoted towards driving home these points to the audiences. This can even be viewed as the movie breaking the fourth wall and communicating directly to the audience. (I will elaborate on this later in the writeup)

Avengers Endgame works as a farewell vehicle for the original 6. It could have been bold and gone for so much more but they went for an extremely limited story idea which was punctuated with an overdose of fan service. This was expected as it is what usually happens in farewell films of franchises that have fared extremely well.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's script overdid it with the cheap moments of silence and one liners just to draw a chuckle from the adoring 'marvel can do no wrong' loyalists. To any objective viewer this screenplay was seemingly penned by a coalition of fans as it gave every single Avenger their one moment in the spotlight. What we have is a 3 hour nostalgia filled journey with multiple throwbacks to iconic scenes of the 21 films which will absolutely delight fans who have watched and rewatched every single installment of this series. This is no doubt good, but it comes at the cost of an impactful story. The first few films won the hearts of the audience due to good stories and action and frankly more of that would have been a much more fitting farewell and would have further enhanced the post battle scenes.

Endgame was a tad predictable too but the film did manage to surprise me as well. The Avengers here were divided into those that survived the snap and those that didn't. The lead cast and the supporting cast got shown on screen equally in comparison with the other lead and supporting cast members. Despite featuring such an ensemble cast no single actor seemed to receive more screentime than the other. Thanos was eliminated in just 15 minutes and Iron Man's journey to infinity and beyond ended quickly. Despite my criticism of the film due to it's pandering to the audiences the formula was successful which is evident from the raucous cheers by the 400+ people in the cinema hall I visited to watch this celebration of Marvel and the Avengers.


These things really disappointed me

3D flatters to deceive

I always talk about how the usage of 3D in every single film is absolute hokum as just the first 5 minutes actually have something that appears on screen which gets enhanced by the technology. This time however the 3D is visible in flashes but disappears towards the end. The scenes where they could have really capitalised on it were any of Thor's scenes where he summons the thunder and the one iconic scene of the movie where Captain America: The world's first avenger is worthy.

Earth or Titan or any random planet.. it doesn't matter

Earth gets a makeover and looks similar to the murky background seen on Titan when actually it should've been a very colourful scene when the resurrected and restored Avengers return. Are we even on a different planet? The battles scenes on earth in previous Marvel movies have quite bright colours.

A mouse was the key to the Avengers restoring balance in the universe

If you look at everything carefully you would notice that the one future out of 14 million 605 in which Doctor Strange sees the Avengers win and restore balance was dependent on a mouse accidentally pressing a button and releasing Ant-man from the quantum realm? Really? This is clear evidence that Thanos' move to save the universe was not good as pest control seems to be largely ignored.

From saviour to destroyer

Thanos is always portrayed as one who wants to save planets and restore what is his definition of balance. However when he faces rebellion he transforms into an autocratic ruler akin to Daenerys Targaryen as he vows to end everyone. Did the Avengers make the Titan so mad and change him within seconds?

Captain Marvel's lengthy absences 

The explanation of the absence of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel is vague and she just pops in and out when absolutely necessary which disappoints those hoping for her to get much more screen time.

Shoehorning

Like all final films this one too was guilty of shoehorning (a practice that is usually spotted in final films as they attempt to throw in elements which the script could have progressed without and still stayed the same). The scene in which Captain Marvel makes her entry and takes the infinity gauntlet from Peter Parker sees every single woman on the battlefield rush to Danvers' side. It's extremely convenient about how during such a major battle every woman would not be engaged in individual combat against Thanos' minions. The line used here was that she has backup. Now it's perplexing as to why no male character or even Spiderman who was right there rushed into battle with that group. This did nothing to the story and possibly was just shoehorned in for God knows what.


In addition to the fan service the film even put forth an interpretation and seemingly speaks to the audience of what the real world will be like post the Avengers films. We have to learn to move on and thinking about it with the knowledge that these particular characters who have been a part of our lives for over a decade will never grace the big screen together at the same time which can cause us distress. There will always be fan groups of the Avengers and they will exist even in a generation where the hype of the Avengers will not be as massive as this. They will strive to keep the memory of those that gave them a decade of memories.

The film is a thank you to the legion of fans that supported this studio for the last decade. It acts as a vehicle which is designed to delight the audience, give them major nostalgia feels, pass on the torch as well as end the story of a few characters. It is a great film with amazing acting but the disappointing thing is that it elected to just stay great and not strive to be excellent. This is not even close to it's predecessor (Avengers: Infinity War), but who cares everyone will have found catharsis after watching this film (for some it would have been the resurrected Avengers, for some it would have been Hawkeye reuniting with his family and for others it could have been the scene where Star Lord gets kicked) I found catharsis when Captain America wielded Mjolnir and summoned the Lightning and his journey back in time at the end to restore order both to the real universe as well as his own before passing on the shield.

This is a one time watch on the big screen and it is advised to view this in 2D as omce this film progresses the only thing that reminds you that it is 3D are the glasses on your face. The movie has no end credits scene and saw the leads sign off in the mid credits itself which was another statement from Marvel to the audiences that it indeed is over. And we are just going to have to learn to accept that.

I'm going with a 3/5 rating.

08.01 Winterfell

The episode "Winterfell" was a tad underwhelming as audience expectations were high post the mediocre penultimate season which saw the characters travel the continent of Westeros at logic defying speed. Please turn away if you haven't yet watched it. There are spoilers in this article.

It will always be remembered as the one with the reveal, the reunions, the new opening sequence and plenty of throwbacks to the series premiere "Winter is Coming."

"Winterfell" reminded causal viewers of scenes from The pilot episode where a young boy runs to the crowd and Arya is missing from the welcoming party within Winterfell. Where a ruler from the south is making their way north and is welcomed in the courtyard of Winterfell. Unlike season 1 though Arya doesn't show up for the welcome just in time and no one can do a thing about it.


Opening sequence
The new opening sequence features the astrolabe with a white background, the wall, the last hearth, Winterfell, the Godswood and King's Landing. The throne room makes it's first appearance in the opening sequence. The absence of Pyke is telling and based on the events of the first episode we may have possibly seen the last of Yara Greyjoy.

The Reveal
Jon Snow has been informed that he actually is a Targaryen, but that was the last we saw of his character for the episode. He seemed to be overwhelmed but hopefully he knows something and manages to join the pieces and find out how he was successfully able touch the dragons without getting incinerated and even ride Rhaegal in the scene I like to call 'How to Train your Dragon 4: The Secret Targaryen's first flight.'


The Reunions
Right from the opening scene it became abundantly clear that the episode was going to focus on getting those long awaited reunions and first meetings out of the way. So much so that the Night King and his army of the dead were not even on screen save for the one wight at the end.

The lack of close ups in the scene where Arya spots Jon, Sandor Clegane and Gendry among the crowd is telling. Here most people will say that the scene was from Arya's point of view and she managed to spot these characters from among the crowd, but what about the audiences who have just tuned in to the final season due to its hype. Just like how people showed up only to watch the final Harry Potter movie.

A close up on either on the characters would have shown everyone that these characters matter from Arya's perspective as well as show the new audiences who don't see it fit to watch the previous 67 episodes that these characters are different from the rest of the soldiers.
The arrival of Jon and Dany isn't grand on its own and requires the dragons to swoop in and make the save just as they have been doing ever since the tv show went ahead of the books.

Other reunions include Sansa and Tyrion Lannister (who is grossly underused in the episode)

His plans seem to be all over the place and we earnestly hope that the show brings back the man who drinks and knows things.

Just when we though that the reunions were done, Jaime Lannister arrives in Winterfell only to be met by none other than Bran Stark who was "waiting for an old friend." This is similar to the final scene of the series premiere way back in 2011 when Kingsguard Jaime Lannister throws young Brandon Stark from the tower to close out the episode.

Best part of the episode
Bran being Bran
He is still just sitting there always at the right place at the right time and being extremely creepy. His 3 scenes (the one where he tells Daenaerys that they have no time, the one where he tells Sam that he must tell Jon the truth and the one where he meets his "old friend") are the ones that will be remembered for long time.

The episode also saw action in King's Landing and the introduction of the Golden Company. Cersei was drinking wine, something which she had refused to do so in the previous season as she was "pregnant?" We can see that it was Machiavellianism and I feel stupid for letting it surprise me, as after 7 seasons one can come to expect Machiavellian behaviour to be the norm from the Lion Queen.

People who say that the show is galloping ahead with too many reveals and reunions happening in a single episode should refrain from speaking as when else will all these reunions happen.

There are just 5 episodes left and there are so many battles still to come which makes it good that these reunions are out of the way.

We didn't seen our main antagonist in this episode, but we know that he is moving south. With all these reunions and reveals out of the way all the pieces are in place in the giant chessboard of the North and just 5 episodes remaining one can expect the pace to pick up as the battle finally begins.