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.

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.

Roma

Roma is a Mexican language Black and white film. It is written, directed, shot and edited by Alfonso Cuaron. The film stars debut actress Yalitza Aparicio in the lead role as Cleo, a domestic help. The film is set in the Roma district of Mexico in the 1970s and follows a year in the life of Cleo and her employers. (a family consisting of a Grandmother, a couple and their four kids)

The best movies and characters mostly are inspired by a writer or a director's real life experiences. The real characters or certain characteristics of theirs is what lends weight to the character or work of art and make it seem real and not reel. But, what if an entire movie was literally taken from memory? Like a faithful adaptation of a autobiography with no aim to make it over dramatic for the screen? Director Alfonso Cuaron has said that 90% of the movie is taken from memories of his own growing up years and a portrait of life in Mexico in the 1970s.

The movie has been presented to us exactly as he visualized it.

I do not understand or speak Mexican which leads me to observe the images on screen even more than I would do had the film been dubbed in English. The subtitles are present on screen, but having been conditioned to witness the subtitles as a tool with which to enhance the audio I hear, the subtitles were lost on screen, as I chose to let the visuals convey the story to me.

The movie is in Black and White, which automatically conditions audiences to the fact that the film is set in the past and leads them to decode the content in a manner quite different from what they would have done had it been in colour.

It seeks to eliminate the distractions on screen thus enabling the audience to focus solely on Cleo and her life inside and outside the house.

Such a character is usually a background filler in stories. Even if they are the leads, films focus just on said characters perspective on the house where they are employed and not their life in detail.


This is a film for cinephiles, as it is filled with excellent camerawork and pans that help drive home what the visuals on screen are indicating. You have to be able to spot it and know what it is. Even if you are unfamiliar with the technical terms you can appreciate it.


The life of the help is mostly associated with the silence of the house for a large part of the day. They are a part of the family, but apart from the family.

Their days are spent doing repititive tasks, up and down and up and down in the same manner akin to the motion of a pendulum. The camera work with its positioning and lateral panning drives home that fact to the audience. The silence in the film followed by the sudden cacophony of noise is a nice touch as well.

The scene in the hospital drives home the fact that we don't really know the small insignificant but highly important things about the servant. Yet without them the day to day activities are incomplete.
Throughout the movie Cuaron let's realisation hit us slowly. Like in real life how light dawns upon us so late and so suddenly.

These moments are very relatable for some.

When Alfonso Cuaron accepted one of the Golden Globe awards for Roma he said "
Cinema builds bridges and tears down walls with other cultures. Understand how much we have in common."

The film focuses on the minute details such as the raindrops hitting the floor, breaking into multiple smaller droplets, the drops of water dripping from the clothes on the string whilst she is washing another set of clothes and the translucent nature of wet clothes through which the sun flashes through, driving home the fact that it is a hot day.

For some this film is overhyped, for something so simple. But, isn't this hype needed? Honestly who would've watched it hadn't it been so hyped up. Of course the Academy would've and probably rewarded it as well (in the foreign language category) and there would have been a furore over the Academy rewarding movies that people don't watch. Moving back to the simple. The movie was hyped up and there was buzz about it and it is just so simple, which is what makes it so extravagant. It doesn't strive to make itself dramatic. Roma is just a mirror of our own lives in some way or the other.

Based on the precursor awards, Roma is a among the frontrunners to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and we already know that it has wrapped up the win in the Best Foreign Langauge Film. The film feels like a documentary and almost is, but Netlfix has presented it as a movie. Focus on the word Netflix. The biggest obstacle for the film to overcome with the Academy seeming averse to rewarding work which deviates from the traditional form of movie consumption in the theatres(Netflix did have a 3 week theatre screening before releasing it on the streaming service). Will It overcome? We shall find out. But until then this film must be observed, appreciated and admired by all. Films aren't more authentic than this.

Mary Poppins Returns

Sequel? Reboot? A guaranteed nostalgia evoking film

Starring Emily Blunt, Emily Mortimer, Lin Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw and Colin Firth, Mary Poppins Returns acts as part sequel, part reboot and entirely a shootout to its predecessor.

The movie also sees Dick Van Dyke (Bert in the original) and Karen Dotrice (Jane Banks in the original) and Angela Lansbury make special appearances.

Mary Poppins Returns picks up 25 years after the events of Mary Poppins. Set in the 1930's depression London, the dark and gloomy mis en scene serves the purpose of setting the mood of the film as well as the time period post which the snow melts and before the first blooms of spring. All the "too dark" complaints are just preposterous.

The plot centres around the now fully grown Michael Banks and his three children, John, Annabel, Georgie Banks, their aunt Jane Banks and housekeeper Ellen. Michael has to pay off a loan amount in five days time. The Banks are struggling... They need help. Enter Mary Poppins.

She descends from the skies, slides up the banisters and helps the children enter a fantasy world where she plants seeds of ideas in their heads with various fantasy based activities.(No I'm not talking about Inception) She then helps the adults with a little bit of magic.

Children are more likely than adults to engage in escapism- the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

Are all the escapades in the bath tub and the bowl just Mary Poppins telling the children stories? She is literally asking them "Can You Imagine?"

The children in the film engage in escapism, just like Michael and Jane did as children in the original. But now the parent Michael and aunt Jane dismiss such ideas of escapism. Why? The movie shows the evolution of children into adults.

Does that mean Mary Poppins isn't actually magic and only seeks to help others discover the magic through imagination?

Disney appear to have attempted to rectify the discrepancies between the way they presented Mary Poppins in 1964 to the way the character was presented in P.L.Travers series of novels.

Mary Poppins(Emily Blunt) seems a tad stern from Julie Andrews' version, yet it feels uplifting. She is practically perfect, repeatedly checking out her reflection and refuses to acknowledge the existence of a fantasy world. Her character seems exasperated when asked to join in the dancing and then consenting with a "oh very well."

Her presence on screen seems so reminiscent of Julie Andrews(though not so good, so as to make audiences think that this portrayal was better) as well as the Mary Poppins described to audiences by Emma Thompson's P.L.Travers in the film "Saving Mr. Banks." The rather frightening aspect is left out.

All the precursors point towards Emily Blunt receiving a nomination for The Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role.

Lin Manuel Miranda's Jack the Lamplighter makes the audiences yearn for and miss Dick Van Dyke's Bert the chimney sweep from the original.

Good editing could have seen a good 25 minutes shorter runtime.

The movie could really have done without one of the songs for after the fourth or fifth musical number it just seems tedious to sit through them.

A really funny criticism of a musical. But neither is the music spectacular nor can one easily summon the lyrics from memory. The songs are good but fall way short when compared to songs from the original. Stuff like, "A spoonful of sugar", "supercalifragilisticexpialidocius", "Chim Chim Cheree" or even "Let's go fly a kite" which are still adored and would be adored had we heard them for the first time today.

To be honest, such songs will always be better than anything new as we have been hearing those songs for years. The songs had soul and meaning and were just delightful, unlike the present day where we are flooded with dozens and dozens of songs and "songs."

In the entire runtime I spotted just two songs that feature dialogue lyrics. One song was part of a completely unnecessary scene the other song "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" (I had to use Google to help me with the name) featured the best choreographed song of the movie. Though honestly based on the pattern of the movie, we could see it coming, the setting, the side characters and the way it would start.

If the songs couldn't have been edited out, then surely the unnecessary scene featuring Cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep) could've been done away with. We don't get any closure from that scene nor is it revisited at a later part in the film or relevant to the films climax. The film would have remained the same had that scene not been there and someone else given the two crucial lines in another scene.

Mary Poppins requires every second Tuesday off yet she was working on the day before the visit to Topsy's which was the second Wednesday. Does Mary Poppins forget to take her holidays?

Disney has yet again refrained from introducing Micahel and Jane's siblings, the twins John and Barbara Banks and their youngest sibling Annabel.

Dick Van Dyke' s cameo appearance is one of the moments of the movie that does not fade away with the end credits like the rest of the film would.

Nostalgia in the form of the almost non existent 2D animation and a few characters and even the progression of the story make the film a must watch for fans of the original. The film is also worth a watch for ones wishing to enjoy a light film with good visuals. Kids below 10 would enjoy it.

The acting performances are good, but the singing isn't on par with the original, but on it's own and watched as a standalone, it is a good movie.

P.S. Please do not watch the original immediately before watching this one as you will struggle to like this film. For it is abundantly clear that the magic of the predecessor cannot be recreated.

Rating: 3/5

Best Movies to watch on Teacher's Day

(This was my submission for the Internal Assessment for the Feature and Opinion course)

What is a teacher? I asked a teacher as to what they think a teacher is. The reply was, “someone who has lessons planned for the next two weeks, but has no clue about that night’s dinner.”

In 1994, UNESCO proclaimed 5^th October as World Teachers Day. This celebrated a great step for teachers as on 5th October 1966, a special intergovernmental conference in Paris adopted the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers

Countries like Maldives and The Netherlands observe teachers day on 5^th October itself. Countries like India (5^th September) have their own respective teachers days.

The movies have made us laugh and made us cry. They have given us portrayals of teachers that we relate to and love and respect. In today’s day and age we wish we had more teachers like them.

Here are some of the best teacher portrayals in movies. As the efforts of one teacher cannot undermine the efforts of another, the numbers do not determine the ranking.

1. Robin Williams as John Keating (Dead Poets Society)

I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.

             Welton Academy, dubbed “Hellton” by its students has four pillars: Tradition, Honour, Discipline and Excellence. The teachers at Welton follow the first 3 pillars to drive the students towards the fourth pillar. All of them, bar the new teacher-John Keating.

John Keating or O Captain, my Captain (as he wishes to be called) says, “Because I love teaching, I don’t want to be anywhere else.” This shows us an essential quality of a teacher- passion.

John Keating aims to help his students to seize the day and live. It is something that doesn't happen in today's rat race. Teachers like him are a precious commodity.

Mr Keating encourages his students to rip out an entire chapter from a book.

The pages contain an introduction by Dr Pritchard. This introduction seeks to measure poetry based on a graph. According to Keating, measuring poems is similar to armies of academics annihilating the hearts and souls of young ones. Poems can’t be measured. They are filled with passion and are straight from the heart.

In his classes he encourages the students to think for themselves again. Oh how we yearn for such teachers in a world where our original ideas are quashed like bugs, these ideas which if allowed to bloom could change the world or help us be unique. He compares each person’s life as a verse, and how would everyone be unique if they were all the same?

The final scene symbolises wat a teacher can do. A teacher can be the match that lights a fire. The match can be extinguished, but the fire will spread.

 2. Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan (The Miracle Worker)

Anne Sullivan attempts to teach Helen Keller the alphabets for ‘doll.’

‘The Miracle Worker’ is based on Hellen Keller’s autobiography, ‘The Story of My Life’. It chronicles the efforts taken by Anne Sullivan to teach alphabets and their meaning to Hellen Keller.

In ‘The Story of My Life’, Helen Keller writes a tribute to her teacher, Anne Sullivan.

“All the best of me belongs to her – there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that has not been awakened by her loving touch.”

Hellen Keller is a child who has been rendered deaf and blind since an unfortunate illness struck her in her childhood.

She lived in a dark and isolated world. Even Specialists couldn’t help her out.  Captain and Mrs. Keller seemed to have lost all hope, and then arrived Anne Sullivan. This teacher was the final hope for The Kellers who seemed resigned to sending Helen off to an asylum.

Helen in one of her mad rages knocks out her teacher’s tooth and slaps her across the cheek on multiple occasions. Despite this she stays on, she recognises that the student should not be labelled as bad but as challenging.

Anne Sullivan discovers that Helen first needs to be taught discipline, she knows that the girl’s frustrations need to be checked. Sullivan does not take pity on Helen and battles with her physically (bordering on child abuse) and emotionally (separating Helen from her family for 2 weeks) until she finally makes a breakthrough.

3. Aamir Khan as Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Taare Zameen Par)

Every child is special, but that is not understood by all

9 year old Ishaan Avasthi is misunderstood everywhere and is subjected to thrashings, verbal abuse. He gets shipped off to boarding school as his parents think that his mistakes are not mistakes but acts of rebellion. At his new school, things do not change. He retreats further into his shell and his spirit is broken. The 9 year old now has lifeless eyes and attends class like a robot.

When all hope seems lost, there enters a new art teacher (Ram Shankar Nikumbh). This teacher is different from the rest of the teachers as he doesn’t stamp his authority on the class through fear but gets the students to like him through his unconventional methods. As is the norm with Bollywood films, there are no dialogues but a wonderful song sung by the teacher that encourages children to look at things in a different way. Ishaan however has been scarred so badly that he stops painting. Nikumbh doesn’t seem to mind and he tries to befriend the boy. According to Nikumbh, “every child has his own talent.” Nikumbh finds out that Ishaan’s talent lies in art. The teacher then realises what Ishaan’s disorder is and how it can be countered.

Nikumbh brings out the boys potential through art by teaching him alphabets and numbers through art. In a bid to boost Ishaan’s self-confidence, an all school painting competition is organised.

At the end Mr Avasthi is reduced to tears after seeing his son’s transformation wonders how he can thank the teacher. Nikumbh replies nonchalantly with an, “ah c’mon,” as he was just doing his duty as a teacher.

4. Pat Morita as Keisuke Miyagi (The Karate Kid)

"Either you Karate do yes, or Karate do no. You Karate do guess so you get squish, just like grape."

The words of Keisuke Miyagi are reminiscent of Master Yoda's words from Star Wars. Do or do not there is no try.

We have to learn to take a stand. By acting confused and being in two minds we will neither be here nor there. Imagine you are walking on the road, you either take left side or right side, if you are unsure and walk in centre you will be hit.

We need 100% belief in our own set goals in order to achieve them.

Mr Miyagi saves Daniel LaRusso from a bunch of bullies (The Cobra Kai). As a trade for getting them to lay off him for a while. Mr Miyagi enters Daniel into a Karate Tournament and also trains him for the same. He has one rule-ask no questions. Mr Miyagi makes Daniel do what seems like household work (waxing the car, scrubbing the floor, painting the fence and the house) with particular hand movements. Just as Daniel is about to quit as he is sick and tired of his “karate lessons” Mr Miyagi explains and demonstrates the importance of those tasks to karate.

We then need to believe in the methods of the teacher. They know what the long term goal is. Mr Miyagi, by making Daniel do what seemed like menial household tasks actually imbibed in him the karate movements as natural actions. This style of teaching is not looked at favourably by the student as they want to know why a particular thing is being taught. However we must realise that the teacher is not stupid and doesn’t have time to waste, they also realise that the student has no time to waste and whatever is being taught is for the students benefit.

Another important lesson given here is “first learn walk then learn fly.” It emphasises the need to learn things step by step.

While these actors and actresses pretend for a living, this pretend is based on true stories. Real life isn’t like a movie where the story ends after one success.

The movies end on a high and we assume that it's over. Real life inspires films but what films don't show is that there is so much more effort that a teacher puts in, sometimes even until their death.

The Miracle worker (the only film in this list based on a true story) didn’t mention anything about what happened after Helen Keller Anne Sullivan made a breakthrough in the climax. After teaching Helen Keller the meaning of alphabets and words, Anne Sullivan stayed with Helen for the next 49 years until her death.

The job of a teacher in real life goes back to square one once the next batch comes in. Their stories don't end like how Mr Miyagi’s story ended with Daniel LaRusso winning the tournament. The Mr Miyagi of real life have another Daniel LaRusso and then another and then another and another and another. They have to approach each and every single student with the same level of passion as the first.

There are some teachers who also try and try, but the outcome isn’t like a fairy tale as seen in the above movies. That doesn’t demean the efforts put in by these teachers.

Though the end result may not be as desirable as shown in the movies, but, the effort put in by every single teacher is what we should see and learn from these movies, which can be seen as tributes to the efforts taken by a teacher.

Honourable mentions: Shahrukh Khan as Raj Malhotra from Mohabattein and as Kabir Khan from Chak De! India, Burgess Meredith as Mickey Goldmill from Rocky, Julie Andrews as Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music.