scottshak_111 Reviews

Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019) Season 8, Episode 6

How it was supposed to end!

[8/10 · 20 May 2019]

It was exactly how it was supposed to go. It became a tad predictable which was unlike how GOT used to be. I liked how there were no more surprises and that it ended at a happy note.

Yes, I concur that there was nothing cool about it that people wanted Jon and Danny to have a war to set things right, but I would have wanted it less theatrical myself. The way it ended was apt.

I like to think its ending to be akin to life. You think you deserve what you want but you get what you deserve. As a true GOT fan, I think they did a fine job toying with the idea of who becomes the king. Yes, it was less on theatrics but it was apt for the Starks and justice was served in the end. It was what George had in mind for it at least. Yes it didn't pan out properly but eventually it was supposed to go there. However, now that it is out and given the disappointment people tasted this year, pretty sure he would make his tweaks to the events that led us here in the book.

Rampage (2018)

Silly Monster Entertainer

[6/10 · 3 September 2018]

Totally surprised by Rampage movie! Now I don't generally walk in with high hopes for a video game movie. They have a really bad track record except for Tomb Raider which I thought was pretty good when you hang them up to dry. What was making matters already worse for Rampage was its trailer, which had already shown all the daft stuff that we were to see and expect from the flick. Turns out the movie is actually entertaining.

Brad Peyton has a history of making pointless movies. So a movie wherein genetically engineered giants are overtaking a city seemed not only far-fetched but utterly imaginative. But that was a game after all. Even though the fancy feels undoubtedly juvenile, the good thing is that the movie adaptation of the Rampage game leverages it to the maximum.

Hits and Misses Rampage movie becomes laughable at times, the CGI in particular, where you can literally differentiate the background from the forefront. There are plenty of instances lurking in the latter half of the movie that insinuate the obvious.

But luckily that isn't the case for the most part of it. There are areas where it scores high owing to its CGI alone. All of it fills the movie with content giving it a proper weight in terms of substance.

Rampage movie houses plenty of action primarily in areas where the trinities wreak havoc. All of it is bound to take you back to your childhood days. If you are not meticulously bothered about minutiae that makes up a movie, you wouldn't realize its numerous flaws. Just do not think much and you are going to end up having a good time.

Plot and Theme of Rampage Movie (Spoilers) Peyton walks in with an impossible plot and yet he turns it into something tangible. Few minutes in the movie, and you are thinking - I will bite it. Because things are made pretty believable. From a zero-gravity shot in the beginning to the part where the three, nay two animals, are shown encountering humans for the first time are just ravishingly built.

Gene manipulation canisters fall on earth at three different locations, as a result of an experiment gone wrong. They are either consumed or encountered by three different animals - a wolf, a crocodile and a gorilla. Out of these animals, the gorilla is friendly. Name's George who is under the care of Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), a primatologist in a wildlife preserve.

With rapid genetic changes, these animals begin to grow showing immense strength. Davis is approached by Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) who explains him the concept behind genetic editing.

The Summon To make matters worse we have brother-sister duo antagonists who use a transmitter in the center of Chicago to lure the animals in order to cover up their screw-up by distorting all evidence and pointing them towards Kate. So the trio, the monsters, rampage towards the center of the city destroying everything in their wild run as the US Army tries to stop them.

But they are unstoppable. They destroy the transmitter as Davis becomes successful in bringing George to the good side of the wall.

Then George and Davis become tight again, and they attack the Wolf (Ralph) and the Crocodile (Lizzie). Even though the Wolf and the Crocodile are already fighting. But the Croc makes the job easy (Watch out for that badass bit where the croc literally rips the wolf apart!)

George and Davis together manage to slay the reptilian as George ends up going down. Surprise! Eventually, we find him intact as well as he plays pretend dead to mock Davis.

Read more at Straight From a Movie website.

Phantom Thread (2017)

Powerhouse of Performance

[8/10 · 3 September 2018]

While there are movies out there unserious about filmmaking, there are some rare gems like the extraordinary Phantom Thread movie that is the exact opposite. There is so much going on in each frame of the flick that it leaves you extremely mesmerized.

While Phantom Thread is a movie that is bedecked by none other than the acting polymath Daniel Day-Lewis himself, he is guided none other than the colossal vision of Paul Thomas Anderson. Together these guys recreate the magic of There Will Be Blood again.

The Deadly Combo The combination is deadly, you know it. They prove yet again why they are so revered not only in the industry but all across the globe. For a sleepless man who is a master at getting into the skin of his characters, who fills meaning into the profession of acting, sometimes it becomes hard to tell Daniel Day-Lewis apart from his characters.

Paul Thomas Anderson is a great director himself. He knows how well to leverage a dedicated actor like Daniel. It is filmmaking at its best whenever you see these two weave magic onscreen. Phantom Thread movie uses this golden opportunity properly.

Phantom Thread movie leaves you with a lot of questions. It is quite good frankly, because a good movie should make you think, and that's what it does.

I am sure doubts still linger in your head, and you want a proper closure for all those hard to grasp bits. I hope to settle some of the daunting questions you might be left with after watching the flick. First, we will dive headfirst into the plot of Phantom Thread movie and try to figure it all out therefrom.

The Plot and Theme of Phantom Thread Movie (Spoilers) The story of Phantom Thread movie dives into the head of a fastidious man who is peerless in his profession. A dressmaker he is who makes immaculate dresses that pass under his scanner in painstaking detail. He is a master at what he does as Daniel makes his character Reynolds Woodcock a reality.

For a great man to fall in love, as Gatsby had often reiterated (only if you keep re-reading) it has rarely ended well. With that Paul introduces a hint of love in the form of Alma played by Vicky Krieps who happens perchance to him when he least expected it. That's how love happens when you overlook the reality that tacks along.

A house that doesn't change is a dead house.

Alma Alma walks into his life as an object of admiration. She wishes to be more but ends up becoming a plaything of an unfeeling monster of a man (monster is a relative term) who places his work well above everything else. And he has never been in love before. His unadulterated love for his work is evident by his success. He is well above it. But like all mortals on earth, he becomes smitten by one of his toys.

For the hungry boy, my name is Alma.

Unfortunately for him, it is a breathing toy who expects more of him. She is a person who walks in with her own dreams, clouding his vision with attention.

Alma can't be overpowered because she has a voice of her own, a defiant brat when she's mad. She tries to adjust to this newly found life of hers, but the poor thing could only take so much. You realize there's nothing wrong with her. But that's what marriage is - people trying to fit into one common tiny blanket together.

But for Reynolds, it is never about what others think of his dresses. It is about him, and only him. It makes him feel complete when he is able to produce a timeless piece.

Read full article at Straight From a Movie site.

Loving Vincent (2017)

Perfect Homage to Vincent Van Gogh

[9/10 · 3 September 2018]

Speechless! Loving Vincent movie is a work of a genius, of a combined effort of a team and a vision of directors who have immense knowledge about how to film a scene. What stands out almost immediately is the way it has been projected and portrayed on 65000 oil paintings by hundreds of artists from all across the globe, and such fine animation it retains that it would leave every innate motion to shame.

The amount of work that has been put in and the gargantuan size of that effort will leave you marveling over what humans can achieve if they put their heart into something. It is an ideal paragon of colossal things that we can achieve when braided together.

A Forgotten History Loving Vincent not only boasts of its teamwork but it also carefully builds itself over that thin edge of reverence and criticism that we often carry for forgotten people.

For instance, so far I just knew that Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most brilliant painters of his time and that he was one ear short as portrayed in one of his self-paintings. I knew nothing of how, nothing about his life or the history that he became whilst trying to do one thing he loved to do - painting. Until of course, I saw Loving Vincent movie for myself, and everything changed. My very perception of this man I didn't know. I felt a hole in my heart being filled as I was able to relate to Vincent who had so much going on in his life.

It is hard not to love him not for just the work he did, of which it speaks volume, but for a man trying to find his place in a world that failed to understand him. The latter relates to me on so many levels that I fell in love with the artist almost instantly.

The Plot of Loving Vincent The plot basically strands out from Vincent Van Gogh's life, as was consumed after death from the eyes of Armand Roulin from The Roulin Family It is voiced and painted on Douglas Booth who by the way fits right into the presumable boots of the original, of a man who had grown to hate Vincent. But as Loving Vincent progresses he comes to understand Vincent's mindset appreciating him all the way.

Armand empathizes for him, wearing his shoes as he becomes him, literally sleeping in his bed to realize that the world was just too cruel for Vincent and that people failed to do enough.

Full Spoilers and Analysis of Loving Vincent There are questions that weigh on him of which he elicits answers from, but in doing so he becomes immensely affected. Trying to deliver Vincent's last letter which was given to Armand's father postmaster Joseph Roulin who was also one of Vincent's friends (he has been painted as well), Armand stumbles across many people who help him understand why Vincent shot himself starting from:

Pere Tanguy (The Paint Supplier) Louise Chevalier (The Housekeeper) Adeline Ravoux The Boatman Marguerite Gache Young Man with a Cornflower Old Peasant Gendarme Rigaumon Doctor Mazery Doctor Gachet Babes are like animals son. They can know the heart of a man just by the sight of them.

As a side mission to delivering that letter, he takes upon himself to solve the mystery of the suicide as was asked of him by his father. Armand meets all kinds of people, the ones who hated Vincent to the core to the people who really adored him.

Live longer, you will see. Life can even bring down the strong.

The Past He learns that Vincent was really close to his brother Theo (Cezary Lukaszewicz)to whom the letter was intended.

Two hearts. One mind.

Vincent's death had left him shattered.

He had actually been with him a whole day at the end, but Vincent insisted they use the time to discuss life not death.

Theo died six months after his brother. As a flashback of sorts, we get to relive the story of Vincent.

He tried so hard to fit into his family. But, he never succeeded in this.

Vincent's early life was a mess owing to how difficult he found it to find his place.

He struggled to be what they wanted him to be.

But when he picked up the brush when he was 28 (it's never too late to follow your dreams people) with Theo's support he was able to pursue it for real. Paris happened to him as Pere Tanguy (John Sessions), puts it:

Everything that happens in art happens here.

Vincent took it as a pitstop to learn before finally bidding farewell to Pere. The latter suggests Armand to see a certain Dr. Gachet (Jerome Flynn) whom he had seen crying the most at Vincent's funeral.

Read full at Straight From A Movie site.

The Meg (2018)

A Stale Shark Tale

[6/10 · 27 August 2018]

The Meg movie is yet another stale Shark movie that's not up to the mark. While it tries to bite on "how big this time the shark is" factor, it fails to leverage it properly. Jon Turteltaub's creation is an instant fail when he decides to speed up every attack the shark does to hide a proper closeup. It's like packaging cheap thrills inside every moment to look out for. Unfortunately, that paints a very unrealistic picture. Rushing in of the shark is so sudden and deliberate that you are always prepared for it. Owing to that the flick fails to deliver real tension. The horror you feel doesn't feel justified.

Somewhere Jon fails to leverage a monster in the sea and I don't know how good Steve Alten (the writer of a series of Meg novels) is, but to bring a gargantuan shark from the deepest trench of the ocean and not to cash in on its sensational size and the horror that emanates naturally, feel like a dud shot, a missed opportunity. It is not visually appealing either. The cinematography is just meh!

There was so much poetry in 2015's In the Heart of the Sea that it makes Meg feel like its written in a farcical universe. You pay attention to the screenplay of The Meg and you realize how witless it is. There is nothing of value for perceptive minds to chew on. Then you turn your attention towards its humour. Entertaining movies have at least that for the rescue. Unfortunately, it is not that funny either, even though one of its characters suddenly goes for it as the movie swims to the finish line.

Characters in The Meg

The Meg movie's characters cannot be taken seriously. The protagonist Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is like a superhero in the vanguard who doesn't miss any chance to encounter the behemoth even though he narrowly escapes almost every onslaught. He is a man with a mouth which eventually ends up drooling for Suyin (Bingbing Li) and vice versa. The chemistry they bring to the table is just pathetic. Suyin feels like a paper thin Barbie doll incapable of eliciting emotions. While Jonas seems like as if he is trying too hard.

The child actress Meiying's (Shuya Sophia Cai) presence is barely for the contrast she puts up against the mammoth sized fish. Then she is there just to fix her mommy up with any potential hubby material guy. There was a lot we could have done with her given what a liability she was but instead they end up turning her into a pimp.

Some of the characters in The Meg movie are just there without a purpose. Wink at Ruby Rose as Jaxx. It's almost like the casting peeps said:

"Hey! You look cool. You are in."

Many are dispensable while many dispensable characters end up surviving. Jonas has an ex-wife Lori (Jessica McNamee) and you can't pinpoint why she is there in the movie in the first place. Oh right! Just to stay as bait to Meg, so that Jonas says yes to the mission?

Cliff Curtis has so much potential I don't know why he signs up for movies where he is always sidelined as a supporting actor.

The Theme of The Meg Movie

When you talk about the plot of the movie, it can be dissected into two halves where the first part focuses on a limited world, the one curious about the things that are underneath a thermocline in the form of a research station called Mana One. The second part capers a bit on the outside where the real action is driven. You know, with the same old cliched deadly fin that a shark deliberately shows to tell its exact location.

Read More at: Straight From a Movie Scottshak Founder of Straight From a Movie

October (II) (2018)

Falling for the Fallen

[8/10 · 13 August 2018]

October movie is a perfect paragon that reveals how every movie is a director's easel and that its actors only constitute a part of his/her storytelling. While Varun Dhawan has been known to make brainless movies in the past, I don't know if it simply implies the kind of image he wishes to be associated with, but doing a Shoojit Sircar flick turns out to be a fair makeover.

It's a pleasant change even though the role Shoojit had in mind for him was apt for a guy like Varun. It requires him to be innocent and naive which he already is. The fact that he aces it all is a wonder given his past record. Shoojit paints him crude as Varun ends up becoming quite natural at his expressions. They seem very involved and oblivious to what's going on. It's good to see him in a super-realistic avatar that quite frankly suits him the most.

The Theme of October Movie

October movie is poignant. That being said, I would say it is not for everyone. If you are expecting a budding romantic love story to entertain you, then this movie is not for you. Do not go if you consider yourself a part of that audience.

The flick cashes in on crushing selfless love that depicts a one-sided love story mocking somewhere at its pointlessness, the very futility of adhering yourself to a regime, to a lost cause. What is the very definition of love? It forces you to think hard as you try to place it inside a connotation. The perspective you have grown so fond of that you don't realize that it has become something else altogether.

Above it all, October movie places itself precariously on the edge of doubt. It builds itself on a big maybe, but isn't that what most love stories today have been reduced to? A one-sided affair that keeps doing something for someone selflessly whilst the other one fails to acknowledge.

The Plot and Cherishable Moments (Spoilers)

Serving as the nub of October movie, in a contemporary backdrop, is a story of a 21-year-old Hotel Management trainee Danish 'Dan' Walia (Varun Dhawan), who isn't good at whatever he does. Placed in a contrasting image is Shiuli Iyer (Banita Sandhu), who is the ideal student of his batch.

Everybody knows Dan, for the rebel he is, trying to mess things up, screw things up, talkative, yet with dreams to make it big. While he is just one of those friends who might come to help you when you need something, but you still can never take him seriously for the reckless image he has built in your mind, he still remains very relatable. Like that guy who is quite absent at everything for whom you never care to care about.

Shoojit cares for that guy as we see him holding the perspective of a hero. Shiuli meets an accident falling from a slippery roof that puts her in a coma. As the world begins to forget her, that same guy whom we thought was not worth much, simply can't. He is by far the most sentient of them all. In just about two visits Dan begins to realize how badly she was affected. It kind of grows on him quickly as he begins to feel for her.

Dan slips in hope for those who begin to despair. He chooses to give a dwindling life precedence over a pointless job. Dan is one of those rare breeds who we are missing in this world. A world has come shattering down for Shiuli's mother and the rest of her family, yet the rest of the world keeps moving on. How is that fair? Why don't they stop? Dan stops with them and literally becomes one of them.

The Optimism

The optimism in a 21-year-old Dan is brutal when you see him hurt when Shiuli fails to recognize him. But the fact that he coherently makes it a secretive reward is just commendable. He turns it around and makes it into something good.

It is something that's so rare. We get hurt by little things. Even when we know what to expect, and when we get it, it still crushes us, so much that we often just leave. But Dan just chooses to stay. He is always there eyeing a stranger or maybe just an acquaintance with hope.

How much world is he yet to discover? How much of it is he yet to see? Yet he chooses to be, playing his age like it ain't a number but something very important.

Dan tries to remember what Shiuli was psyched about - night jasmines that only grew in the month of October. He brings them to her and suddenly she is resuscitated. She begins to respond even in a coma. Although it fills you with hope, October movie isn't akin to some old Bollywood flick where the actress would spring to life owing to something the hero would do.

Instead, it is forever bolstered on all the lines that the doctor produces. It simmers in pandiculation around reality, saying this is what happens. It's no miracle. The way the flick looks into your eyes, it is simply bold.

Painting the Reality

I loved the reality of it all, that places us directly into the world of a young trainee.

Shoojit depicts a regular 1 RK flat and how things are sieved in it. How bachelors compromise with everything while they are trying to earn a living.

Ferdinand (2017)

A Pacifist's Tale in a Violent World

[10 August 2018]

Surprisingly a good movie! I would be honest with you. From the trailers, I didn't expect much from Ferdinand Movie. But I was wonderstruck when I actually saw it. Watching it become a powerhouse of emotions as the movie progressed, I knew I had been dead wrong. That a movie should not be judged by its trailer, just as no book should be judged by its cover. Ferdinand movie didn't pack in as many jests as you find in animated movies nowadays, but it was a great entertainer nevertheless. It was successful in walking a tightrope of emotions. That's where its true strength lurked. When you focus on other parts critically you realize there were tons of issues strewn around the movie as well. But all of that can be overlooked once you become the bull the movie cashes in on, and try to empathize with that creature who doesn't share his dream based on his appearance, rather stands by his decision to see what others fail to. Story and Characters Not everyone is same. We have been wired differently. Whilst a father wishes to be something, his son might not share his dream. He might have a dream of his own. Everyone has a choice. That very fact forms the basis of Ferdinand movie. You can't decide or judge someone by their size or appearance. What you can't see, their brain, in fact, holds the key to their vision. Place that impactful storyline into animation and you have got an enjoyable hoot to savour. That's what Ferdinand does with its bull, the protagonist voiced by John Cena. He is an out of place animal who doesn't share other's dreams. Bullfighting in Ferdinand Movie Either you are a fighter, or you are meat. What you might call as someone's dream is a brilliant mockery of materialism. In the movie, the dream of fellow bulls is to fight the matador. Whilst the bulls in the flick fail to see the pointlessness of it, (like all the people who consider bullfighting a sport) Ferdinand in his blatant sense of indifference towards the game, digs up the real truth behind it. They are all ending up getting slaughtered! Just as we had seen in Sausage Party, the blind followers are all prepping up to die. Sure, you get to fight in a magnificent stage, but it's just another chop shop! Ferdinand movie uncovers the ugliness that surrounds the sport in a way that will leave you teary-eyed. Ferdinand is all about saving the meek, helping others. He is finding it hard to explain it to others why he is the way he is. Doesn't that chime in with life? I don't know, like your very own? How many times have you felt that way? As if you are in someone's else body, forced to live someone else's dream. Are you fighting for it? It's good to see someone is. Ferdinand is willing to leave no stones unturned to make the world understand he is not like the others. He is different. Violence his not his place even though he has been bedecked with a body that leaves the onlookers marveling. Look at your pecs! They are like two tiny bulls inside a bull. But the world, being the world, judges Ferdinand by the way he looks and brands him as destructive. A Glance at Life Ferdinand is given a shot at identifying his life the way he wishes to live it. He finds it in a place right next to Nina voiced by Lily Day. That's where he wishes to be - In a patch of land where a bull is chosen over a dog, Nina teaches Ferd the Nerd what love is all about. Is this love? I love love. It's that taste of life that helps the bull in registering home - not where you are born but where you are supposed to be. Deprived of the life he desires to lead, Ferdinand is picked up and dropped at Ground zero once again. He ends up in Casa del Toro, the place that he had escaped from, to be prepped up for bullfighting, something he is not cut out for. Unable to understand what the fuss is all about Ferd tries to escape a bull's fate, but ends up drawing himself closer to the inescapable sport. Lupe voiced by Kate McKinnon is one of those weird funny characters, who brings in most of the punches and stays close by. El Primero (Miguel Angel Silvestre) is in search of a bull to fight his final fight. Marking Ferdinand as a perfect contender he awaits him in the center of all applause. Even though the main villain brings that heightened sense of befitting contrast to Ferdinand's character, you realize it is a typical cliched build-up that you have often seen in countless movies in the past. El Primero might have reminded you of Anton Ego from Ratatouille if only he had better words to say. The screenplay of the flick, unfortunately, isn't impressive and hence framing him as a villain to remember is something you might want to reconsider. The Final Showdown What tears you apart is the final face-off that puts the bull against El Primero. While there's an imminent death written in the frames, the demeanor of the bull is enough to shatter you into pieces. The multitude is busy cheering the one with the sword, but they easily forget that the one fighting without is a true champion

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Celebrating Show Business

[7/10 · 10 August 2018]

Walks in with yet another engaging spectacle, Steven Spielberg is hands down a master at filmmaking. The extremely gifted man once again proves with The Post Movie that he is peerless at what he does. His work never ceases to paint flairs of extraordinaire. He is the one man who could make a simple conversation stand out. And there is so much inscribed in his frames that you can't help but wonder how does he manage to pull it all off. There's a story he tells even in long winding conversations. The Post Movie is full of such brilliant masterly koreros. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep with their Oscar-bait presence, make all those chats stand out. There's something about his direction that's instantly uplifting. Even when he is not busy painting fiction like last years The BFG, he is pouring meaning into the mundane, shaping it and moulding into something delectable. In a world of power that's run by the corrupt, perches a voice that's broiling to do the right thing. The Post movie bases itself on that very run, the pointlessness of a war that had edged itself precariously on the parapet of "let down". The fact "we can't show the world we lost" smothers the superpower dream and the United States government was finding it difficult to come clean. It was The New York Times who took the first plunge but the victor - The Washington Post who saw it all the way through. The Post Movie Plot and Theme (Spoilers) The Post narrates the true story of the Pentagon Papers that shook the very foundation of the US government when they were made public in 1971. It is built around all that took place inside the head of all the decision makers and the turmoil they were in when something as huge as the truth itself came along. The Post movie kicks off in the year 1966 with a prologue showing Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) accompanying US troops and documenting US military activities led by Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood). When speaking to President Lyndon Johnson he expresses how hopeless the Vietnam war was, and yet publicly speaking McNamara says the exact opposite. There was something about that blunt lie that shakes the very foundation on which Daniel was built. Unable to take it anymore he decides to let all the government secrets out in the open for the public to see. He photocopies classified reports that showcase the progress of Americans on Vietnam soil ever since the time of Harry S. Truman and then leaks it to The New York Times. Later he releases it to The Washington Post where a pissed off Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) was scouring for news. Quality drives profitability. It should be well noted the import of the papers. It is worth noticing how the director chose to run the camera literally with the Pentagon papers thus establishing the colossal importance of news. A world was about to go down for some really powerful people. You could literally feel the weight of the papers in that parcel that made its way to Ben's desk. Meryl Streep as Kay Graham Katherine Graham or Kay (Meryl Streep) found a world on her shoulders when she took the reins of The Washington Post in her hands as the publisher and owner after her husband died. She was overpowered by some really strong men, and it was hard for her to cope with those who condescended her at all times. Be it be her advisors or the men who surrounded her. In the beginning, there was this apparent tension as clouds of doubts hovered over her. It was important to show that owing to the huge decision boiling in the eventuality of the flick. Meryl nails it giving an Oscar-worthy performance yet again. There are some really ingenious shots put in by Steven Spielberg when he chose to show a woman entering a room full of men. It spoke of contradiction. Even though words weren't spoken, eyes spake 'em. There was an evident air of control that you could sense in that frame when Katherine takes her seat unable to speak herself out due to stress and hesitation. News is the first rough draft of history. You could sense her to be this vulnerable woman who was forced out of her way and flung into a room full of responsibilities. What people did not know was the undeniable fact that every person is totally capable of handling things once they get a hang of it. There was also one scene where all the wives of men at great posts stood outside smoking, waiting and discussing trivial matters while this contrasting lady Kay Graham goes right through them all to meet with the 'men' to take a call. It is just truly inspiring for all those who thought there was a said place for women. She literally changed the very perspective people had about women. Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee Editor in Chief of The Washington Post is Ben Bradlee portrayed by Tom Hanks. He is rooting for a big news when the biggest of all news hits him in the face. A lot of shots are called by him in the flick but at the end of the day, the decision still stood with Kay

Read more at: Straight From A Movie Scottshak Founder of Straight From a Movie

The Post (2017)

Serving the Governed Not the Governors

[10 August 2018]

Walks in with yet another engaging spectacle, Steven Spielberg is hands down a master at filmmaking. The extremely gifted man once again proves with The Post Movie that he is peerless at what he does. His work never ceases to paint flairs of extraordinaire. He is the one man who could make a simple conversation stand out. And there is so much inscribed in his frames that you can't help but wonder how does he manage to pull it all off. There's a story he tells even in long winding conversations. The Post Movie is full of such brilliant masterly koreros. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep with their Oscar-bait presence, make all those chats stand out. There's something about his direction that's instantly uplifting. Even when he is not busy painting fiction like last years The BFG, he is pouring meaning into the mundane, shaping it and moulding into something delectable. In a world of power that's run by the corrupt, perches a voice that's broiling to do the right thing. The Post movie bases itself on that very run, the pointlessness of a war that had edged itself precariously on the parapet of "let down". The fact "we can't show the world we lost" smothers the superpower dream and the United States government was finding it difficult to come clean. It was The New York Times who took the first plunge but the victor - The Washington Post who saw it all the way through. The Post Movie Plot and Theme (Spoilers) The Post narrates the true story of the Pentagon Papers that shook the very foundation of the US government when they were made public in 1971. It is built around all that took place inside the head of all the decision makers and the turmoil they were in when something as huge as the truth itself came along. The Post movie kicks off in the year 1966 with a prologue showing Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) accompanying US troops and documenting US military activities led by Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood). When speaking to President Lyndon Johnson he expresses how hopeless the Vietnam war was, and yet publicly speaking McNamara says the exact opposite. There was something about that blunt lie that shakes the very foundation on which Daniel was built. Unable to take it anymore he decides to let all the government secrets out in the open for the public to see. He photocopies classified reports that showcase the progress of Americans on Vietnam soil ever since the time of Harry S. Truman and then leaks it to The New York Times. Later he releases it to The Washington Post where a pissed off Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) was scouring for news. Quality drives profitability. It should be well noted the import of the papers. It is worth noticing how the director chose to run the camera literally with the Pentagon papers thus establishing the colossal importance of news. A world was about to go down for some really powerful people. You could literally feel the weight of the papers in that parcel that made its way to Ben's desk. Meryl Streep as Kay Graham Katherine Graham or Kay (Meryl Streep) found a world on her shoulders when she took the reins of The Washington Post in her hands as the publisher and owner after her husband died. She was overpowered by some really strong men, and it was hard for her to cope with those who condescended her at all times. Be it be her advisors or the men who surrounded her. In the beginning, there was this apparent tension as clouds of doubts hovered over her. It was important to show that owing to the huge decision boiling in the eventuality of the flick. Meryl nails it giving an Oscar-worthy performance yet again. There are some really ingenious shots put in by Steven Spielberg when he chose to show a woman entering a room full of men. It spoke of contradiction. Even though words weren't spoken, eyes spake 'em. There was an evident air of control that you could sense in that frame when Katherine takes her seat unable to speak herself out due to stress and hesitation. News is the first rough draft of history. You could sense her to be this vulnerable woman who was forced out of her way and flung into a room full of responsibilities. What people did not know was the undeniable fact that every person is totally capable of handling things once they get a hang of it. There was also one scene where all the wives of men at great posts stood outside smoking, waiting and discussing trivial matters while this contrasting lady Kay Graham goes right through them all to meet with the 'men' to take a call. It is just truly inspiring for all those who thought there was a said place for women. She literally changed the very perspective people had about women. Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee Editor in Chief of The Washington Post is Ben Bradlee portrayed by Tom Hanks. He is rooting for a big news when the biggest of all news hits him in the face. A lot of shots are called by him in the flick but at the end of the day, the decision still stood with Kay

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Classic Sean

[7/10 · 10 August 2018]

Absolutely loved it. It has Tom Clancy written all over it, and you could tell how good he is as a writer. Sean Connery does an amazing job.

Brilliant stuff!

A Quiet Place (2018)

A Gripping Sci-Fi Thriller

[10 August 2018]

Even before A Quiet Place was about to hit the theatres, I was blown away by the concept I saw in its trailers. Don't make a sound! How apt is that for horror? I knew it was going to be promising then and there. Fortunately, A Quiet Place movie doesn't disappoint. It leverages that hush quotient to the maximum. It constructs itself in a way that uses all the possible rogue elements in real life that could overthrow a solid working plan - of keeping quiet. We are gradually prepared for the inevitability with a plot that has dangerous written all over it. It is like walking on the edge of a knife. You know that it's not going to work, but the plot literally walks you through it. Plot and Theme of A Quiet Place (Spoilers) John Krasinski's genius lies in a world where staying mum is the word. There are blind aliens lurking in the city that rampage and decimate everything that makes a sound. So what are the things that make a sound? Oh! Wait, right about everything. To thrive in a world where even the teensiest noise is going to set them off, how do you think you are going to survive? It has been carefully built, of course without the usual screenplay, with the music reworking itself to produce patient notes that become both engaging and thrilling alongside its nerve-racking storyline. It forces you to often go silent yourself, as you become the characters portrayed. That's the impact A Quiet Place has on you. You can't appreciate John Krasinski, Bryan Woods and Scott Beck enough to come up with a plot so wild and engaging that it rivets an entire hall of moviegoers at once and shuts them to silence. The Tragedy What appears like a prologue basically bases itself as the nub of the story. A family of five scrounging off an emptied world, taking what they need and sticking together as a team. Lee: Too noisy. The little one Beau Abbott played by Cade Woodward who fails to understand how dire the situation was, makes a mistake and ends up paying the price. It is a scene that rips the family apart just as aliens do to the poor boy. One of flick's strength is, hands down, the hearing aids of Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds). It is as if the whole story revolves around it. It ends up becoming the reason of Beau's death for which Lee (John Krasinski) begins to secretly blame Regan. It kills Regan to know that her Dad hates him because of something she doesn't have control over. She feels guilty too but the past can't be changed. Same goes for Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) who plays wife to Lee. We see her often visiting Beau's room and crying. It crushes her too knowing that her hands were empty, that she could have lifted Beau to avert the tragedy. Evelyn's Struggle We fast forward to a year later where people are still secretly lamenting for Beau. Lee is trying to make contact with the outer world to check if there are others like them scavenging silently, still breathing. Evelyn is pregnant with another child (like really? I thought they were careful right about everything). Whilst Regan goes to visit Beau's grave after having a heated ASL argument with her father. Lee takes Marcus (Noah Jupe) to a river to teach him how to fish. Marcus: Do you still love her? Lee: Of course I do. Marcus: You should tell her. He shows him that innate louder sounds are always going to mask their normal talks and movements. It is an exercise that reassures you that there is a way to stay safe despite the current state of the world. Like how in a zombie-ridden world people would wrap themselves up with zombie insides to smell exactly like them. Workaround? Okay, that seems like a preparation for a sequel already. Back at home, Evelyn goes into labour as she steps on a nail breaking a glass frame alerting nearby aliens. As an attempt to warn others she makes the exterior lights red signaling danger. What follows is a nerve-rending affair of her trying to beat the pain by staying quiet as aliens explore the interiors of her house. It has all those mind-numbing elements impregnated that will force you to literally jump out of your seats. It's like you are feeling her pain as the creature's onslaught feels imminent. But you can only imagine it. The Grain Silo On returning and on finding the lights red, Lee asks Marcus to create a diversion with a rocket as he enters his house only to find Evelyn with the baby in the bathroom. With babies crying is inevitable, and so they nearly escape another close call as they further into the basement. Making a promise to look after their children Lee leaves. Who are we if we can't protect them? We have to protect them. Meanwhile, Regan and Marcus unite and head to a grain silo to alert their father using a signal. Regan is defiant saying that her father doesn't love her. Marcus tries to explain it isn't true. In the midst of a confusion, he falls inside. He is about to become a victim of grain entrapment when Regan jumps in and helps him out using the fallen hatch door. Marcus: He'll come for us

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Belittles Cable, Humorous Nevertheless

[10 August 2018]

Everything you expect it to be! Deadpool 2 movie is high voltage humour, witty comebacks with excruciating gore. The only problem being, in achieving its Marvel-ous targets, it ends up condescending one of the most badass Marvel characters that was ever created by comics - Cable. You put anything serious against Deadpool and he lances it with his humor sword. That's how it is! The reason why the Deadpool 2 movie feels unjust to the character even though Josh Brolin does Cable apt justice with his looks. All that seriousness that he had implanted in our heads with a ravishing performance as Thanos in Infinity Wars, unfortunately, ends up getting belittled here. It is disparaging to a hero we were looking forward to watching. There's trouble brewing in its editing department too which speeds up the movie unnecessarily prancing towards an act. Then there is that impoverished CGI of Juggernaut which makes you question why didn't we go with an actual human being like we did in X2? Or at least upped it a bit so it looked more badass like Thanos or even Hulk for that to matter. If you are fine with such apparent issues and wish to watch DP make fun of everybody, you will not be let down. He will make sure you have a blast. Humour is simply outrageous! Plot of Deadpool 2 Movie (Spoilers) To form its plot we find Deadpool failing to kill a mercenary who ends up shooting his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). The whole world loses its meaning for him as he is rendered without a purpose. DP wishes to not live in it. But unfortunately, he can't die! He tries it several times but it's like a curse that compels him to keep on surviving without her. After being blown up to pieces, he visits Vanessa in the afterlife for a short time before he is brought back to life. He is rejoined by Colossus as he wakes up in the X-mansion. The only thing he has with him from her is a Skee-Ball token to remember her by. Listen to the pain. It's both history teacher and fortune teller. Pain teaches us who we are, Wade. Sometimes it's so bad we feel like we are dying, but we can't really live until we die a little, can we? Considering it as a part of his healing, he joins the X-men only to be summoned on his first mission that he ends up messing up. Meet Firefist a.k.a. Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) who is yet another mutant kid being tortured by science experiments. This time the torturer is a Headmaster (Eddie Marsan) of Mutant Reeducation Center. On realizing that the Headmaster has been abusing lil Rusty boy, Deadpool shoots one of their staff members. Owing to his actions both Deadpool and Rusty are immediately apprehended and taken to a prison after being put on a collar that suppresses mutant powers. With this collar on, my superpower is just unbridled cancer. Give me a bow and arrow and I am basically Hawkeye. Cable Incoming Cable! A cybernetic soldier from future travels back in time to kill Rusty up young before he ever becomes a killer, for an older version of Rusty had killed Cable's family in the future. Wade Wilson tries to save Rusty intervening and manages to. Rusty overhears Deadpool's claim that he doesn't care for him as Cable takes Vanessa's token. You are so dark. Are you sure you are not from the DC universe? Afterlife revisited, Wade comes across Vanessa who asks him to save Collins. All those conversations are more like Wade talking with his own subconsciousness, doing the right thing, finding himself a purpose and the will to go on. In a world where teaming up is a primal necessity, Deadpool decides to form his own team. You know what we need to do? We need to build a team. We need 'em tough, morally flexible, and young enough so they can carry this franchise 10-12 years. Thus X-Force is created with a team of unusual superheroes. The big joke lies in the fact that nobody makes it except Domino. Zip it, Thanos! As DP and Domino try to save the kid from Cable's wrath, little did they know that Rusty had already teamed up with *drum rolls* the Juggernaut. He literally splits Deadpool in half as Rusty takes him with him to get revenge on the Headmaster. Yet Another Team Growing his legs and chilling at his house, Deadpool is visited by Cable who explains his situation to him, that he wishes to kill Rusty before his first murder. DP volunteers for a chance to be able to stop him from going to the dark side before murdering a poor confused child. Cable: I use a device to slide through time. The longer I travel, the harder it is to control. I got two charges: One to get me here, one to get me home. Deadpool: Well, that's just lazy writing! Back at the orphanage the team goes to war with the Juggernaut, as Rusty closes in on the Headmaster. Before Cable is about to kill Rusty, Deadpool takes the shot instead, wearing the collar that takes all his mutant powers away

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

An Entertaining But Unnecessary Spin-off

[10 August 2018]

Totally unnecessary! We all knew what was going through our minds when we first heard the news about Solo A Star Wars Story. You cannot put a face to a legend while he is still alive and breathing. Hell, we are not over it yet! In comes the spinoff, totally uncalled for, and completely unnecessary that tries to cast a young actor, nay, more importantly, a look-alike, to carry on the legacy for years to come. Don't really see the point? Do you? Anyways as a Star Wars aficionado, more Star Wars stuff the better, right? So we went along with it when Ron Howard announced that he was making a spinoff of the legendary Han Solo to tell, nay fabricate, his part of the story before he ever made it to the first part like what was he doing all this time? What all adventures he embarked on? How did he meet Chewie? Why is his name Solo? All these prying questions about interesting people's lives often intrigue us, but it is better to leave that part to mere imagination. When you put a story in someone's past, there is a 50% chance that it might not justify a person's awesomeness. But then there is that 50% chance that might make you revere him/her even more. Luckily Solo A Star Wars Story edges itself precariously in between. It is at times good, at times fun and at times outright stupid. But is it good for the popularity for the character? Yes! Because that's when people compare versions. That's how Gods are made. Plot of Solo A Star Wars Story (Spoilers) Lovers Han (Alden Ehrenreich) and Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) are trying to escape a local gang from Corellia by bribing an Imperial officer using a coaxium sample when Qi'ra is left behind. With a promise to get back to her and a dream to become the best pilot in the galaxy, Han joins Imperial navy as a flight cadet. Expelled 3 years later, he joins the infantry on Mimban. I am gonna be a pilot. Best in the galaxy. There he comes across Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and his team and sees through their cover. He tries to blackmail them but is outsmarted and thrown into a pit to be fed to a Wookie. Let me give you some advice. Assume everyone will betray you. And you will never be disappointed. Chewbacca That's where he meets Chewbacca. With his ability to speak the Wookie language, he befriends Chewie and escapes the pit. Coming on to the good side of Beckett, he and Chewie join them in their mission to retrieve coaxium shipment from Vandor - I. The mission begins to go awry as Cloud Riders show up headed by Enfys Nest. Two of the crewmates die and all of the coaxium gets destroyed. To make amends with Beckett who reveals that the shipment was actually meant for Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) the crime boss of a Crimson Dawn syndicate, Solo accompanies Beckett volunteering to help him steal another coaxium shipment. On reaching Vos' yacht he comes across Qi'ra and finds out that she has joined hands with Vos and is one of their top lieutenants. Qi'Ra: What should we drink to? Han Solo: Let's drink two and see where it goes. Presenting a risky plan to steal coaxium before it is processed from the mines of Kessel, Solo manages to wheedle Vos. Vos agrees asking Qi'ra to join them on their mission. (Like really? What kind of a boss knowingly leaves his prized possession with an old lover?) You think everything sounds like a bad idea. Lando Calrissian Qi'ra brings the team to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) with hopes to retrieve his ship. Solo defies him for a game of sabbac with the wager being on each other's ship (with Solo bluffing to be having one). Lando cheats to win however agrees to help them for profits. Entry! *drum rolls* Millenium Falcon! Just did the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs! The newly formed team reaches Kessel riding the Falcon. Lando's droid L3-37 sparks a droid revolt and under that diversion Solo manages to steal the unrefined coaxium. However, L3 fails to make it. Using her navigational computer to map an escape route, Han pilots the Millenium Falcon for the first time piloting it like a pro to escape Imperial assault. Then they land on Savareen to process the coaxium. That's when Enfys shows up once again. You happen to notice that freighter down there? You know what's on it? About 30 hired guns. All I gotta do is give 'em the signal, you are surrounded. Lando flies away with his Falcon. The Final Showdown Enfys (Erin Kellyman) reveals that she and her crew were all rebels trying to fight the Syndicate and the Empire. Sympathetic to their cause, Solo decides to help them by tricking Vos, but ends up getting double-crossed by Beckett. Vos sends his men to capture Cloud Riders but the latter overpowers them. Outsmarting Vos, Solo tries to take the coaxium but Beckett takes it instead. He takes Chewie as hostage too. Qi'ra kills Vos sending Han after Beckett. When she is alone she speaks to none other than Darth Maul about what happened claiming Beckett to be responsible. She demands Vos's position and is directed to return to Maul

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Running Out Of Stories?

[10 August 2018]

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom is an unserious take on dinosaurs, and more so interested in creating monsters and then lining up actors to play as baits. It has an impoverished storyline that will leave you unsatisfied with its dozens of plotholes having pointless motives that branch out ending up being daft. This part, in particular, is interested more in its horror bit than in telling a proper story. With that, it's clear that we are not going to get a dinosaur movie we deserve. Unless, someone decides to reboot it completely, and paint it from scratch of course. I don't know what has happened to this franchise. Since when did dinosaurs become uninteresting? Nowadays dino movies have been reduced to mere cheap thrills. What about the magnificent vision, that mojo Steven Spielberg had so magnificently hit home when he had depicted a dinosaur on the big screen for the first time? Where did that gasp of being dumbstruck go? Where did that element of intrigue about a particular species disappear? Did we all, I don't know, evolve? Is it really evolution when we are steering towards dumb? The vision Michael Crichton held for the badass reptiles is gradually becoming extinct and you know it. People aren't serious about it anymore. Hey! we are talking about our reptilian ancestors here. Don't they deserve a calmer, dramatic and much powerful direction and storytelling? I think they do. Sadly Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom is missing out on everything. The Theme of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (Spoilers) In terms of storytelling, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom is everything that The Lost World was. So are we once again revisiting the age-old tale? Really? Are we out of stories to tell? There is that recreation of that trio from the second part. The same plot where all the dinosaurs are locked up and then the trio sets them free. The dinosaurs make it to the city which was basically what The Lost World's ending pressed on. Except we are simply carrying Blue - the velociraptor, as the protagonist of the story here keeping the badass T-Rex as the big daddy in the backdrop. Then there are many events taken directly from Jurassic Park. Like the scene of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) ending up paralyzed and then running alongside the herd of dinosaurs running from a herd here (calamity). Feels familiar Grant? The unoriginality of this movie compels you to shake your head. Screenplay Absurd as it might have appeared when we saw the trailers of Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom with dinosaurs being put in the backdrop of volcanoes, it was clear the movie wasn't really serious about narrating a grim storyline. That we were not going to get a movie that deserved a standing ovation. The character Ian Malcolm played by Jeff Goldblum is a sidelined orator which was clearly in the movie just to draw eyes. "Life finds a way." The screenplay for most of its part simply catapults what we had been listening over the years. Sometimes it tries to be funny, sometimes it is just pointless. To get such a colossal platform to perform on, I think the writers should feel privileged and write something out of the ordinary. But with the flick's writing, I felt they were more concerned about keeping things trendy. So there is nothing profound lurking in any of it. Somehow I feel the prequel had much better writing in dialogues revolving around Masrani. It had a solid build up at least all of which is simply missing in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Action and Drama Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom is all about fast-paced action. It does not stop to even breathe for a while. Things keep on happening one after the other. Volcanoes explode, dangerous dinosaurs show up within seconds, there is one bump after another and you just sit there watching people make close escapes. So for the most part of the flick, you are thinking: "Phew! That was close!" But if you put on your thinking brain, it baffles you. Like what are the odds of a certain catastrophic event happening any second? The number of times things go awry feels just impossible. Then you talk about its drama and it feels like a deliberate and fabricated attempt to create pang. There is no emotional touchup given to the characters of Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady. They are once again distant even though they are always running together. The only good part in melodrama lies at the moment where we see a Brachiosaurus succumbing to a gradual death. It's poignant and almost tries to paint a picture of what the dinosaurs might have encountered when struck by an asteroid. Its merciful crooning on being left behind will bring tears to your eyes. That bit is powerful! The Antagonist The latter part of the movie introduces its antagonist in the form of a hybrid creation of a hybrid we saw in the prequel - Indoraptor. With the creation of this new breed, you can't help but wonder someone will come up with a hybrid of a hybrid of a hybrid, in the next part

Ocean's Eight (2018)

Classy Sans Thrill

[10 August 2018]

One word - Elegant! While this latest Ocean's adventure might be high on girl power, you can't ignore the fact how elegant it looks. The cinematographer of Ocean's Eight movie Eigil Bryld does a tremendous job. Shots in the movie are simply stunning with cameras placed in all the right areas. Not just that, you pay attention to any aspect of the movie and you realize that everything is top grade. From the wardrobe to the execution of dialogues, everything artistically crisp. The clothes, in particular, you see the characters wearing feel drenched in modish waters. Cate Blanchett as Lou is an eye candy in whatever she slips into. So is the protagonist Debbie Ocean played by Sandra Bullock who can't stop her kleptomaniacal urges which basically runs in the family. That being the theme on which the plot tries to build itself right from scene one. We will come to that in a sec. You watch this movie and the words that come out your mouth right away are - CLASSY and STYLISH! So the question is - Is that the movie all about? And most importantly is that enough to make a movie? The Theme of Ocean's Eight Movie (Spoilers) Agreed there are things galore that stand out instantly but what about the plot? What does it constitute? So basically the story of Ocean's Eight movie is more inclined towards a heist that Debbie has been planning from behind the bars. The first thing she does is steal as soon as she lays her hands on freedom. Calling her old partner Lou, filling her in on the plan they start executing it. That's when we get introduced to the rest of the team and an actress forming the eight thus justifying the titles from Steven Soderbergh's series. The story trundles on with the rest of the team Amita (Mindy Kaling), Tammy (Sarah Paulson), Nine Ball (Rihanna), Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter) and Constance (Awkwafina). They are filled in on the plan to rob a $150 million dollar Cartier necklace from the Met Gala. The necklace is to be smartly planted on the neck of a snobbish actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) from where they wish to rob it. If you are going to have a problem with stealing, then you are not going to like the rest of this conversation. A Vengeful Subplot There is a subplot that runs alongside Debbie's plan. She wishes to get back at her ex Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) for backstabbing her, costing her freedom. Lou is not happy about it, that she might be putting everything in jeopardy but that's like a minor inconvenience obliterated by Debbie's confidence. The real plan gets depicted in execution as the team literally rips the diamond apart and come wearing it into the Gala defiantly. Getting away with it eventually, even replacing the original with a fake. Debbie even plants one of its pieces in Claude's jacket eventually framing him as the guy responsible for the heist. James Corden is a pretty surprise in the end who plays an insurance investigator John Frazier who tries to figure out who the culprit is. Even though he knows that Debbie is responsible he doesn't have anything on her. On being tipped off by her, he sinks his fangs into Claude. As is customary, the Ocean's Eight movie allows the addition of another member to continue the franchise by showing that Daphne is not a dim-witted person after all. That she was at all times conscious of what was being done to her in order to steal the necklace. She decides to not rat out on them and eventually asks for a cut.

Yet Another Subplot Towards the end, Ocean's Eight movie attains new levels of vexation when it tries to show that more heists were performed behind the screen. It's almost like the producers weren't too happy with just one heist or with the not-so-impressive storyline that they decided to put in extra weight to the story. It's like layering it unnecessarily for substance. Even though that just feels completely superfluous that's been done in order to sound smart. Somehow you end up being not convinced even though they aim for that icing. The movie ends with the crew doing what they intended to do - spending their money lavishly on things that were important to them. With Debbie sipping a martini in front of her brother's grave, it tries to say that the legend will continue in one form or the other even without the legend himself. You would have loved it. The Final Verdict Ocean's Eight aspires to walk on the footsteps of its prequels but fails miserably in terms of how smart they were supposed to portray its heists. Sandra does a great job slipping into the shoes of Danny's sister wearing that same old sly comfort on her face at all times. But it feels somehow a let down from what the franchise had fed us so far. Earlier there used to be competition, mind-racking moments that used to have our hearts in our mouths. Au contraire, Ocean's Eight movie almost makes it all seem really easy. There isn't that thrill of a heist going wrong but an assurance and conformity of a sure-shot success

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

The Franchise is Not Yet Lost

[10 August 2018]

Sicario Day of the Soldado had standards hard to beat, and we are talking about Denis Villeneuve standards. So does it even graze it? Fortunately, yes. The series that kickstarted in 2015 with the first installment has not been lost yet thanks to Taylor Sheridan who has once again taken the story forward by writing an absolute beauty. Sadly this movie is less on the action front as was promoted via trailers, but if you have a good solid fortified story in the front seat, petty things like that hardly matter. The politics in Sicario Day of the Soldado is high on dope and the capricious behavior of government is simply frustrating. You almost get an idea of how the government works, how it doesn't flinch whilst taking bold decisions and then how it becomes terrified trying to see it all the way through. You fathom that even the people who actually get the job done, happen to be nothing but tiny specks who don't matter to a comfy sprawled up system. Unfortunately, it works the same in every enclave of life. You go anywhere, that's how the world rolls today. You don't have a say in anything if you are not at the top of the chain. All you can do is suggest your ideas, put forth things to keep the engine of life rolling, but even if somebody at the highest notch wishes to listen, you are tightly bound to a single order. One word and everything that you have so carefully built will fall like dominoes. Everything boils down to just one man's command who will do anything to save his name. Sicario Day of the Soldado leverages that quotient effectively and depicts men trapped under decisions. It shows how brave men crumble even when they are at the top of their game. Direction and Plot of Sicario Day of the Soldado (Spoilers) The direction of Sicario Day of the Soldado by Stefano Sollima turned out to be surprisingly good if not matching the levels of Denis. That brings to mind the glorious depiction of an ambush from the perspective of a little girl inside a van. Not for once do we see a theatrical glorification of the men shooting at the convoy. It is like living a tale from your very own perspective. There are no faces to evil. From the vantage of a girl every man with a gun is. It is one of the most powerful scenes from the movie. Sollima is great with building up. He becomes successful in creating some real tension. When you see your hero trapped in a situation, you are constantly feeling that mind-numbing blow in your heart, scanning tiny moves by the enemy. You are constantly rooting for him to escape a tight situation. If a director is able to create that thrilling nail-biting moment without giving away what's going to happen, he has managed to rivet you in a trance. That's what happens here. Stefano Sollima is also unafraid of depicting gore. Blood is not splattered all across the movie since a lot of areas are left to the viewer's imagination. But when it is an absolute necessity there is no doubt aplenty. The Story This sequel explores US's involvement once again on Mexico's soil after a tragic bombing occurs in a mall in Kansas City. As a comeback bid, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is put on a mission to use extreme measures against those suspected to transport terrorists from Mexico. In comes Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro) who is hired to start a war between cartels. Matt Graver: You gonna help us start a war. Alejandro: With who? Matt Graver: With everyone. Alejandro then slays a crooked lawyer of Matamoros cartel in a theatrical display of wrath. Later the team nabs Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner), the daughter of a kingpin of their rivals to piss them off. They stage a rescue with the help of DEA, to plant the idea that she was kidnapped by her father's enemies. Their mission is to escort her back to Mexico but to hand her over to her father's rivals so as to inflame the strain. The team gets ambushed by Mexican police as Isabel escapes amid havoc. That's where Alejandro parts with Graver and decides to pursue Isabel alone. The US Government figures out that they messed up since two of the suicide bombers were actually US citizens and were not smuggled in as were preconceived. The mission to mess with the cartels is aborted at once and Graver is asked to erase everything that could link their involvement. Meaning even Isabel is to be executed. I could throw a stick across the river and hit fifty grieving fathers. Saying No On being ordered to do so, Gillick refuses thereby turning rogue. Disguised as illegal immigrants Gillick and Isabel try to enter the US as Graver and his team tries to hunt them down in Mexico. One of the best conversations happens when not a word is spoken. It is aced by a power pack performance by Bruno Bichir's character of a deaf person. Gillick and Isabel bump into him as the former uses sign language to speak to him. In a world of chaos where nobody trusts anyone, the poor old deaf man comes as a blessing

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Ethan Hunt is on Another Wild Joyride

[8/10 · 10 August 2018]

Christopher McQuarrie walks in with yet another installment of the MI series and he doesn't fail to deliver. Mission Impossible Fallout is fully packed with action and a mind-racking mission that will have your heart in your mouth. To ice it all, the fact that Tom Cruise has done all his stunts himself deserves a standing ovation per se. The bloke is so invested in acting that even a broken foot doesn't stop him from completing a scene. It is just thrilling to see him this phenomenal at the age of 56. Mission Impossible Fallout doesn't have any separate memorable side-missions like all the prequels used to carry except the immediate prequel. I guess we have to accept McQuarrie's way of filming an MI movie. He doesn't really cash in on a sub-plot rather focuses more on the actual one. For him, the idea of an impossible mission is to stay with the primal plot, and it makes sense too. He has literally changed the way we have been looking at an MI mission. For some, this very fact could be bothersome while for some, it doesn't really matter. The end you've always feared is coming. And the blood will be on your hands. The fallout of all your good intentions. Mission Impossible Fallout has old school written all over it even though it is working along with all those latest gadgets IMF has. Everything boils down in the end to a cliched helicopter chase where the hero throws himself in the nick of time on a rope or someone in the team does something as intricate as cutting wires off bombs. But what makes it all different and why does Mission Impossible Fallout movie stand out? The Direction of Mission Impossible Fallout Movie McQuarrie believes in delivering a realistic experience to his audience. The fact that he doesn't resort to that much visual effects in order to shoot an action sequence just goes on to prove how serious he is about filmmaking. If you get a complying actor who never fails to impress either, lo! the circle is completed. Judgment is delivered. You get a complete cinematic experience that focuses on what's innate and not what's fabricated. Tom is his golden goose, and the magic seems to be working every time. Christopher McQuarrie satiates action lovers with all kinds of stunts in this new installment that capers around topics that makes all its stunts justified. It is a mind-boggling adventure of a tale that comes with its own twists and turns. Working for IMF and for so long (we are talking all the installments here) the team has become capable enough to outsmart people, and they do it plenty of times here, thus proving why experience gives them the upper edge. There are close calls aplenty that will have you jumping on your seats. It also has an endearing love angle that places the two women Ethan loves and his boss in front of his mission and he juggles them all like a pro. There are split-second decisions to be made that Ethan makes unflinchingly. Plans going kaput that places him in dire situations and he always manages to come through. McQuarrie leverages Tom in a way he has never before whilst depicting uncut original shots that will have you biting your nails off. Whilst Cruise cruises through it all dedicatedly and unfazed by what it might do to him. Such a level of commitment! It leaves you speechless. The Plot of Mission Impossible Fallout Movie (Spoilers) Set two years later after the events of Rogue Nation, the movie starts off with a dream Ethan Hunt has where he is concerned about his ex-wife Julia's (Michelle Monaghan's) safety with the prequel's villain Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) by his side as the world speeds up into oblivion. With Lane in custody, the remains of The Syndicate forms itself into a terrorist group called The Apostles. Ethan is assigned a mission ("should you choose to accept") to intercept the sale of three Plutonium cores which are being handed over to their client John Lark. There cannot be peace without first a great suffering. The greater the suffering, the greater the peace. Cut to Berlin where he meets the rest of his team Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) to carry out the mission. Ethan fails when he chooses to save Luther's life over securing the plutonium cores which is stolen by the Apostles. Nuclear weapon's expert Nils Debruuk (Kristoffer Joner) is captured by the team then and is tricked into believing that the nuclear bombs indeed went off and that cities like Rome, Jerusalem and Mecca were destroyed in its wake. Duping him, they take the info about Apostle's next move. August Walker Enter August Walker (Henry Cavill), a Special Activities Division operative who is instructed by CIA director Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) to shadow Ethan for the rest of the mission after knowing about his debacle in Berlin. You use a scalpel, I prefer a hammer

Incredibles 2 (2018)

14 Years of Punishing Wait is Over

[8/10 · 10 August 2018]

The sequel to Incredibles is finally here after 14 years and it's hard not to go gaga over it. Incredibles 2 movie is exactly what we expected it to be - extremely entertaining! In terms of its story, it is almost like its prequel and more, as the creators let it take a natural form taking things forward right from where it left off. Like the presence of Jack-Jack automatically dabbing the throttle on one of its major sub-plot. The CGI is simply breathtaking which is exactly what you expect from a Disney Pixar creation. Brad Bird has done an outstanding job yet again with the tightly packed chemistry of the family that works so well when they are together. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the Incredibles 2 movie as you go on a mind-racking joyride that features a villain that would literally dip you into horrific waters and then suck out all hope. The Long Wait It was a constant follow up right from the point - "Why are we not developing a sequel to a truly deserving movie?" to "We have finally found a story" and the news that Brad was all over it flung us into euphoria. That Brad was going to see things through once again, put back the promise in its place, the promise that the movie wasn't going to suck. And it doesn't. It's time to make wrong things right. What makes the movie admirable at once is the nostalgia that comes right back with Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) trying hard to get back the reins of Mr. Incredible. Holly Hunter's incredible southern accent that literally resuscitates her character of Helen Parr / Elastigirl again. While they changed Dash's voice this time done by Eli Fucile owing to age issues, Sarah Vowell got in the vocal chords of Violet Parr once again bringing back a sudden gush of reminiscence to the shore. Then we have Frozone back in Incredibles 2 movie again reprised by Samuel L. Jackson's next to perfect voice. His presence felt quite satisfying and he has a pretty good role in here as well. How can we forget Edna Mode? Voiced once again by Brad Bird to perfection, she serves as a worried nanny in this one, who at once takes interest in Jack Jack's power and abilities and gives him a suit he deserves. It is almost like the entire family of superheroes and all the related people we saw in the prequel ending up having a reunion. Other Important Characters What adds spices to the already outstanding plot of Incredibles 2 movie was the inclusion of Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener) and Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) into the storyline. They take the story forward by bringing that mysterious undertone that was there in the prequel as well. You don't accept people to be good. With Winston and Evelyn giving Elastigirl a chance of her lifetime, a similar plot takes shape. To help my family I gotta leave it. To fix the law I gotta break it. The Screenslaver The Screenslaver is one of those mysterious villains that ends up being a rare match. His confounded theories will make you wonder that like every genius nemesis, he is right on a lot of points. Of course, as to his real identity, who he is, you will find out once you watch the movie. I am not going to spoil it further. Just going to put this brilliant quote right here untended: The Screenslaver interrupts this program for an important announcement. Don't bother watching the rest. Elastigirl doesn't save the day; she only postpones her defeat. And while she postpones her defeat, you eat chips and watch her invert problems that you are too lazy to deal with. Superheroes are part of a brainless desire to replace true experience with simulation. You don't talk, you watch talk shows. You don't play games, you watch game shows. Travel, relationships, risk; every meaningful experience must be packaged and delivered to you to watch at a distance so that you can remain ever-sheltered, ever-passive, ever-ravenous consumers who can't free themselves to rise from their couches to break a sweat, never anticipate new life. You want superheroes to protect you, and make yourselves ever more powerless in the process. Well, you tell yourselves you're being "looked after". That you're inches from being served and your rights are being upheld. So that the system can keep stealing from you, smiling at you all the while. Go ahead, send your supers to stop me. Grab your snacks, watch your screens, and see what happens. You are no longer in control. I am. Stunning CGI It is hard not to talk about the movie's stunning CGI. Whilst it is something people often tend to overlook owing to how invested they are in the story, and you barely get time to notice minutiae that comprise it, but if you pay enough attention to every character's expressions, of things that are lingering alongside them, the artwork that goes behind in the backdrop, you realize how painstakingly everything has been built. You know it's grandeur written in every frame. So much of work that has gone in it

Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Entertaining as Ever

[7/10 · 22 June 2017]

Whoever said one is enough. In a world of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, where more is considered to be better, Despicable Me 3 movie storms in like a flick that has still got some juice left. Well, who knew it really had! There are still plenty of things to milk, even though there was supposed to be a happy ending after every part. Plots are layered up deliberately to build something new and tacky, and boy has it worked every time. Luckily even this time it didn't disappoint.

With a far-fetched plot to introduce Gru's twin brother Dru into the flick, Despicable Me 3 movie might have seemed a tad absurd from the trailers. But it turns out the movie is quite fun actually. It packs in ample humour if not matching the levels of its predecessors, gives every important character quite a good amount of screen time, making the minions hilarious as ever and builds up a great exciting villain from scratch.

At times you feel the Despicable Me 3 movie drag a little, scrounging for every bit of story it could get, and there are countless occasions wherein you feel the dearth of humour badly. But it manages to hold tightly somehow owing to its calm sense of storytelling. It retains ample focus, constantly letting that smile stay on your face.

Despicable Me 3 Movie Plot (Spoilers Ahead)

For the plot here we have Gru (Steve Carrell) being kicked out from AVL (Anti-Villain League) along with his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) for being unable to capture Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker)even though he manages to save the world's most expensive diamond. With no jobs to support the family and reluctance to return to villainy, the Minions leave Gru.

Gru comes to discover that he has a twin brother named Dru. He and his family are summoned by Dru for a visit. Despite starting off on a wrong foot he comes to adore Dru for trying to flicker that spark of villainy in him. Lucy is having a hard time being a mother, trying to get on the good side of the kids. Agnes, this time voiced by Nev Scharrel, is obsessed with finding a real unicorn. She finds a one-horned goat slapping that title on it, and loving it profusely even though Gru breaks it to her that unicorns aren't real.

Meanwhile, Bratt steals the diamond back, and is on his way to execute his master plan of creating a monster sized version of him to destroy the city and make a major chunk of it fly. Also, as a side-plot, minions get arrested for trespassing from where they escape missing Gru terribly. After which, evil geniuses as they are, make an escape plan to reunite with him.

The Mission to Mess with Bratt

Gru and Dru get on a mission to bring the diamond back from Bratt as Dru beseeches him to teach villainy since it was in their blood. Gru agrees to it only secretly wishing to take the diamond back to AVL to get his and Lucy's jobs back. They infiltrate Bratt's den and somehow manage to get the diamond with the help of Lucy leaving Bratt in a sticky situation.

On returning and after saying final goodbyes, taking the diamond away from Dru, having a minor spat with him for not leaving the diamond as a trophy, Gru and his family are all ready to board the plane. That's when Bratt shows up disguised as Lucy and steals the kids and the diamond along with him.

He progresses with his plan to bring utter carnage by getting into his monster robot version and leaving the kids on a building's parapet. Gru reconciles with Dru and along with Lucy arrive to save the city. They meet minions on the way who begin following Gru.

Lucy saves the children while Dru internally damages the giant monster robot. Gru involves himself in a "dance fight" with Bratt defeating him eventually as minions explode the giant bubble gums (the weapon of Bratt) to save the city.

With diamond restored and Bratt captured, Gru and Lucy get their jobs back. The latter gets acknowledged as mother by the children which elates her beyond limit. Minions find a new villainous leader in Dru as they slink out at night to wreak some wicked havoc.

The Proper Flow

The beauty of Despicable Me 3 movie lies in its proper flow of events. Everything happens for a reason and everything has a natural order to it and they were bound to happen. There is ample focus in the frames, and things are less cartoonish than they used to be in other movies of Illumination Entertainment.

It doesn't forget the minions even though they revolt and aren't with the primary story-line of the movie. Directors Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon still find a way to include them by giving them a funny plot to chase. We have a new revolting minion named Mel who is introduced brilliantly into the tale.

There are important things you can take from the movie too. Gru's incapability to break a hopeful Agnes's heart when he wished to tell her about the unicorn's existence, and then breaking it to her anyway when the chips were down, and Agnes's acceptance to focus on the good things, her optimistic nature have been beautifully inserted. She is very thoughtful in trying to help Gru by selling her toys to make the difference.

The Final Verdict

Illumination Entertainment has been now paying attention to the bridges that were missing from a lot of its previous projects. Despicable Me 3 movie is quite an entertainer. It scores a little bit less in terms of humour but yes its very relatable. You will thoroughly enjoy it.

Sachin - A Billion Dreams (2017)

Sachin makes you nostalgic about those good old days!

[8/10 · 20 June 2017]

Sachin movie is the justice our God of Cricket deserves. It is an extraordinary biopic documentary that takes you on a joyride of your life trying to show what you deem closest – all things cricket.

If you are an Indian, love for cricket comes inbred. And if you are talking cricket, there is only one name that resounds in every corner of the country. Sachin! and it goes on two times in unison. That's how we remember Sachin – the God of Cricket.

You hear that uproarious clamour, goosebumps ensue. That's the power of chanting a mantra they say. Well, they got that right at least.

To be absolutely and hopelessly in love with mortals, so much that you epitomize them as Gods – it's in the nature of mankind. It's one hard to beat wont that we will never get over. And centuries from now, people who wouldn't know about this gem of a man, will blindly pray for him and worship his idols. Weird stories will layer up, the good deeds will become blessings and what not. You can write that down, that's how Gods have flourished everywhere. It's an imminent reality that's on the cards.

To break that stereotype from actually creating a story of its own walks in Sachin himself with his story on the big screen. James Erskine does him impeccable justice with a documentary to help us store his face as is in our minds, not to be obliterated by casting an actor, not to be decimated by the contortions of ugly visual effects – mistakes M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story committed.

He lets Sachin himself do the talking while he assembles real life footage from his life to connect the dots. When you let someone narrate his/her life story, you know instantly justice has been already done. Because who else knows your life's story better than you?

Humility and Love

If you listen to his conversations and interviews, it is hard not to melt. Every time he spoke you can feel a humble child trying to do his level best, even in things that are off-field. The one interview where he is being asked whether he liked all the fame that came tagging along, you can feel the warmth in his answer. That unfazed nod and the "it's alright but that isn't the thing I am after" look is going to make you fall in love with this man again.

The film also steers on numerous occasions towards depicting the fun and light side of Sachin's life, be it be with his personal conversations with Sara his daughter or pulling his son Arjun's pants off on a recording, or having fun with his friends, everything is so beautifully cut in that it brings a smile to your face.

Few know about the love life of Sachin. The Sachin movie brings into the vanguard some of those exciting moments we hadn't come across. It's a great love story that happens between Anjali and Sachin, the import of which we realize by watching their delightful moods as they narrate it. A lot of people already know about the sacrifices Anjali had to make in letting Sachin follow his passion. Even though it might not seem apt to some, it is a cost one should be willing to pay when you have a prodigy for a partner.

The Saddest Moment in the Sachin Movie

One of the saddest moments in the Sachin movie lurks right before the intermission when Sachin's father expires. Frames play a symphony of emotions that's hard to escape from. You give in to his exact words, and it is hard not to cry for Sachin's loss.

Sachin shares what he felt, how he felt and describes every feeling for you to empathize. Tears follow. It is a reality that awaits everyone right around the corner. Being in someone's shoes who has to go through such a nightmare is immensely heartbreaking. James Erskine makes those frames even more poignant by showing hundreds of slippers and shoes so as to depict that's what you see when you are entering a house full of people when you are down and your eyes are all teary.

Rewatching Sachin deliver that interview with a heavy heart, and feeling the exact amount of despair and sadness he must have been carrying at that moment, would rip your heart out. When the cinema hall lights up for the interval, you are afraid people are going to see you in tears.

Remember all those times Sachin got out and how badly scathed you were from the inside. That pin drop silence, as if something horrible had happened? Just imagine being in Sachin's shoes for a second and multiply that anger, frustration by 100. That's how he felt every time he failed to score. He truthfully states that and it makes you want to revere him even more.

Can you imagine a mortal being judged for every second of his life? A man constantly playing in a shitstorm of pressure with expectations that could overwhelm you into defeat? Well, this mortal is no mortal, I say!

That big retiring moment, it almost felt like it was yesterday. Watching Sachin acknowledge all the important people in his life and our prayers in the form of "Sachin! Sachin!" was deeply plaintive. Watching him go touch the pitch again will make you cry your eyes out, and so it did all over again.

It was hard to part with him even on 16th November 2013. It is hard to part with him even now. He will forever be in our hearts with that one song that all of his disciples sang together. It's a song that anyone could sing, "Sachin! Sachin!" Tap – Tap – Tap.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

He shouldn't have returned

[6/10 · 11 May 2017]

Mindless action! xXx Return of Xander Cage bends laws of physics, banks on clichéd action at times to deliberately showcase what its director thinks "would look cool" stunts. It has cheesy lines galore, and a really insipid plot in its baggage. The worst however remains, that instantly piercing and bothering demeanour that Vin Diesel wears throughout the flick. His smugness is the worst. It makes you go, "Is this guy for real?" Overlook Vin and you see how hollow, clichéd, stupid and pointless the whole movie is.

Plot of xXx Return of Xander Cage (Spoilers)

Presumably dead the legend, Xander Cage (the one who gets on your nerves avatar of Vin Diesel) from the first one, is hunted down by CIA to bring a stolen device called Pandora's Box back. It is a device that can ensue destruction on a massive scale, since it holds the reins of military satellites. To successfully complete the mission he hires his own team, deliberately throwing an unprepared bunch of soldiers out of a moving plane. Whaaaat?

Wait, that's nothing. He breaks a gun, yes! a frigging gun with his knees just to prove a point! He brags a lot about himself, or let others go on and on about him, which gets on your nerves.

To make matters further indigestible, he goes on a bike chase in the sea. I repeat, in the sea! When that's going on, you wonder if they plan on ever stopping. A water station maybe? To get some gas? They appear as if they were planning on crossing the ocean on their bikes.

The Competition

His competition is Xiang portrayed by Donnie Yen who is the guy Cage is supposed to race to get the Pandora's box before he does. Xiang has plans of his own and a team too. Eventually both the teams end up joining hands to fight the double-crossing government instead. In words of Sebastian from La La Land:

"It is all very very exciting."

All seemingly cool frames seem very deliberately created just to prove a scene. There is one bit that shows Cage playing with grenades with Xiang and Serena (Deepika Padukone). What a way to make a conversation! *Facepalm* It is hands down one of the most forced scenes in the movie, and makes it very laughable. You know, spoofs get made because of such absurdity!

Oh wait! Cage gets shot too. You know when in a movie hero would get shot, a voice in your head would always go, "he must be wearing a bulletproof vest? Or the bullet might have been stopped by an impenetrable object? Well the former's your answer.

Yes, the story is as if a kid wrote it. I remember thinking all that stuff when I was five.

All the Shooting

Then there is that clichéd gun fight scene too, where two badass chicks come out in the open and then shoot at random army of villains who somehow never stop coming. Yes the one where they are leaning against each other's backs to look dope. Yeah! It's all in there.

Just then to break the monotony, everyone's bullets run out, and you predict the director has something up his sleeve, in comes the protagonist from the second part, which was an even shittier movie. Ice Cube comes with a grenade launcher reprising his role as Darius Stone and the music in the background turns into a rap. It is supposed to mean the "Lord is here!"

Tony Jaa gets a role of a psychotic fighter who looks like he has been on a strict Red Bull diet all his life. Nina Dobrev plays the one fun character that we have seen in so many movies before that it should actually cease to exist. But no! Every movie has it.

Deepika Padukone doesn't cause any ripples either. She seems weirdly out of place whenever she comes to do her bit. Her icky walk to meet Xiang would make you wonder what the director must have been expecting to see, and what came out as a result. And he chose to include it too.

And what's with the tats? The director D.J. Caruso seems like he must have been saying: We should not leave the tattoo! Let him wear a Capri so that the tattoos show!

Worthy Bits

If you still expect something cool to happen, then it is Donnie Yen's fight bits that takes off the heat for a while. You watch him go full Ip Man on rogue soldiers and you get your money's worth then and there with his badass action moves. Inclusion of known faces from the past, like Darius Stone too at one point makes you smile.

Amongst other worthy scenes, okay, now I am drawing a blank.

If you are a huge Vin Diesel fan, you can still watch it.

The Final Verdict

xXx Return of Xander Cage is nothing but a fully flawed flick. If you are a die-hard Vin Diesel fan, and are ready to accept him in every avatar he portrays, this movie might make you happy.

To be honest, nobody remembers the first XXX movie. Now when did that happen? 15 years ago! I was a kid back then and might have mistakenly considered Xander Cage to be cool.

So far Vin has been mighty successful in the Fast and Furious series. He should stick to that. Because at least the direction and story there weaves up something worth watching. It lets us digest all the nonsensical stunts.

The Red Turtle (2016)

The Speechless leaves you speechless

[8/10 · 31 January 2017]

Whoever thought the mute can't speak? The Red Turtle movie might be a film where no one talks but not for a second do you feel like you are watching a dead screen. Because in the background goes a beautiful score that aggrandizes an already fantastic tale of a shipwrecked man who meets a Red Turtle whilst trying to escape an island. The story is reflective of our lives, and acts as a parable for us to figure out the analogy.

One look at the animation and you feel reality taking an alluring form. It's stunningly done, and brilliantly brushed. Every scene looks like a painting worth keeping. The turmoil in the head of its protagonists looks real, and so does all of his choices. There is humility in him, struggle, love and a fighting attitude that turns The Red Turtle movie into a learning experience.

Plot of the Red Turtle Movie (Spoilers)

If you look at the plot of The Red Turtle movie it looks like a lore, a fairy tale that we grew up reading about. To be honest it doesn't call for an explanation only your interpretation of it, of how you choose to relate to it, take out the gist and enjoy its countless similarities to life.

It holds true for every fairy tale out there. There are no dragons, monsters and fairies in real life. Just the good and the bad things. Situations that topple your lives over with their icky monstrosity.

The Red Turtle movie is a profound journey of a man's life where he gets stuck in a flood, then in an island, lost and alone. In his stay of entrapment, he looks for things he could use to feed himself and survive. Also he wishes to go back where he came from.

He builds a raft to set out for the sea, but fails to go the distance owing to a mysterious blow that breaks his raft. He tries again, and fails. Then again, and fails, only this time he finds the reason gawking at him with mute eyes. A Red Turtle, the likes of he has never witnessed before, is the one who is the destroyer of his dreams. The Turtle once again topples him over, before swimming away.

On returning to the island furious this time, spewing fits of anger, the man finds the same red turtle making its way to the beach. Taken over by fierce madness, he bludgeons the turtle hard and topples him over, and jumps over its chest. That image of beauty and elegance goes silent. He realizes that it's dead. Soon he is overwhelmed by guilt.

The Beautiful Woman

One day however the shell of the turtle breaks, and comes out this beguiling woman that changes his will to go back. Smitten by her, he decides to stay on that island. They have a beautiful child and it almost seems like a happily ever after. The child grows up into a young man who learns to stand on his feet. He learns the way of the ocean, befriending turtles and knowing whatever his little world has to offer. But he is curious for more.

A tsunami hits them destroying their island in the process. Amidst chaos he finds his parents again. After a few more days of torpor, the child's parents could read his willingness to see more of it. Thus, he bids farewell to his parents and sets out for sea. The old parents then lead the rest of their lives in that island loving each other even more until the day they pass. The woman turns back into the Red Turtle before disappearing into the sea.

Interpretation of The Red Turtle Movie

I believe there could be as many interpretations to the movie as many thoughts exist in the universe. Mine tries to look at it this way: A man stuck in a storm is akin a cardinal adversity that life flings at you. You are alone, trying to face it with all you have got, but it drifts you away nevertheless.

When the man finds himself on an island, it is like a situation we are not comfortable with, that we didn't ask for, but got anyway. Maybe a state of mind or a job that we are averse to, but it somehow gets us by. We always have that inbred wish to go back to a past that we came from. That could be made out with his obstinate wish to return to the sea with a raft with hopes to make it to his land. He fails incessantly at it, but he never stops trying only to realize someone or something toying with his life.

Our first reaction to anything that stops us from doing what we wish for is anger and frustration that hits the poor creature bluntly without realizing the consequence of the action. It is instantly reflective of how we choose to ignore people who are trying to help us out by stopping us from heading into the wrong direction. The island was supposed to be his destiny. But he was too recalcitrant to notice.

Reason to Live

As a result the poor thing dies. Then there is regret. We tend to burn in a hell of our own doing, our own thoughtless action only when it's too late. To his surprise, enters a girl in his life emanating from a theatrics of a red turtle. The purity of his profound emotions rewards him with a reason to make life less painful.

Me Before You (2016)

Theme belies gloom, satisfactory watch

[7/10 · 7 December 2016]

Me Before You is more of a downhill romantic sojourn, where you are bound to feel sorry and good at the same time for the protagonists. The movie banks on an unvarying jocular theme with witty conversations and gradually budding love. All of it tries hard to put romance in perspective. However, in its blithe tone Me Before You overlooks a fair chunk of gloom that necessitated a part of vantage that was crucial in nailing the bond between its characters.

CHOICE OF CHARACTERS

Sam Claflin fits like a glove into Will Traynor's character, and there is nothing that you don't like about his demeanor. Emilia Clarke, au contraire, beams so much that it sometimes becomes too much. Her face doesn't look concerned, rather oddly in sync with the mirthful theme of the movie. It leaves her as a slit open flaw. Her way too much expressive countenance does create a different character altogether, no doubt, but it leaves her scampered in a gravity-deficient world.

Me Before You belies despair and tries to wrap it all in the hilarity of Lou's life, when the truth is a lot more darker, meaner and horrible. It is good that we don't see the ending upfront from our pedestal. The culminating point of the movie is very plausible and that's what tries to help it get back onto the saddle again. It avoids hitting those shallow waters again.

PLOT OF ME BEFORE YOU (SPOILERS AHEAD)

The novel by Jojo Moyes finds Thea Sharrock to define it within boundaries of time. Though the screenplay is pushed more by humour, there is little that it feeds us on depth. A mishap leaves Will Traynor paralyzed that renders him useless. In another world Lou Clark struggles to find a job after her thread's cut. She lands one by chance, as the caretaker of the affluent Will. What gradually develops from thereon is written in happy feels, where she toils hard to bring Will back into the world of the living. But the pointlessness of it all nibbles at his soul, and despite all the good times he gets to live with Lou, he chooses euthanasia.

The score of the movie is abounding with songs. Aptly put at various intervals. But you begin to feel its banality when there are less thoughtful notes sputtered.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Me Before You's story remains a gorgeous one nevertheless. Putting yourself before someone selflessly is worth an ovation. The fact that love can happen at unusual places lets us have faith in it. That's what counts.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

A comical allegory

[8/10 · 7 December 2016]

I have been meaning to write the review of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl for so long that it makes me sad to see it stand waiting for so long, in the backcloth of my mind, hungry for appreciation. It deserves adulation. It deserves your attention. My sole intent is to shower undying love for this intensely deep and touching movie that beats every convention that mainstream cinema sells us today.

DIRECTION OF ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a constant droll that stays beautifully supplemented by the subtle direction of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. What you cannot certainly overlook is its extraordinary cinematography that pays attention to meticulous details at different crises. If you pay attention enough you will approve the existence of the genius behind the camera.

Alfonso's frames are in a perfect sync with the flick's deadpan. Also, you are invariably smiling at the way things are shown which makes Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a propitious watch. Camera's superlative swiveling from a single axle point and such countless experimentation throughout, will make you realize how Jesse Andrews might not have been able to get a better director for this movie.

Apart from stunning camera movements, the flick scores high on editing too. It stays fueled by its perfect timing for skipping frames, or throwing in a funny jest every now and then. Best ones are stop motion animation scenes that try to expound what our protagonist is thinking. It is intelligently depicted, and bides by its "out of the box" thinking.

PLOT OF THE DYING GIRL (SPOILERS)

Even though the titular flick gives away the primal plot through the moniker itself, it balances on a mere assertion to show us what might or might not happen. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl stays in the head of Greg played by Thomas Mann at all times, and depicts coming of age stuff from his perspective. We also have Earl who is Greg's best friend, played by RJ Cyler who gives a brilliant icing to the story. There are subplots to the tale that unveil as a result of an unusual setup which get superbly helmed too.

It also has 21 mini movies that tell you how talented and amazing the brains behind the Me and Earl and the Dying Girl are. All of these short movies land up one way or the other inside the flick, and you can't help but reflect on your childhood dreams. You are compelled to brood over that passion of yours that could never really go anywhere.

Olivia Cooke as Rachel is absolutely perfect for the role. Her eyes do most of the talking, and you can't thank the casting director enough to have chosen her. Earl doesn't disappoint either. He creates this perfect comportment to depict 'distance' whenever it was the call of the hour. Thomas Mann can't be applauded enough. His Greg brings plausibility to the tale and makes him a very promising character.

FILM FOR RACHEL

The final movie on Rachel is a colossal metaphor. It leaves you wondering about things that constantly float in the head of Greg. It is hard to picture someone as furled as Greg have gargantuan profundity hidden.

There are images that run wild without words that try to say bazillion things to Rachel. It is Brian Eno's music, and Greg's animation that speak up abstract thoughts in a language only Rachel understands. It is so beautiful and poetic at the same time that you cannot clap enough for the writer to have thought something as eccentric as that.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a fun frolic into the lives of Greg, Earl and Rachel. But the tragedy that awaits or doesn't, at the culmination point is going to leave your mind impassioned with emotions. A must watch!

Sully (2016)

An incredible biopic of Sully's Miracle on Hudson

[8/10 · 24 October 2016]

Sully took my breath away. I was rendered speechless by Chesley Sullenberger's humanly impossible act, unbeatable acumen, extraordinary decision making and his unrivalled acuity that saw him through. How humbly does he put it?

"I was just doing my job."

The gargantuan magnitude of the paranoia that engulfed him in those split seconds of life and death, the way he came out of it, a victor, it is something that you can never forget. A feat that is so rare in our mundane that you can't help but call him a real life superhero.

What Chesley Sullenberger accomplished on January 15th 2009 was simply incomprehensible. One could only shudder at the thought of having lived the horror firsthand, that too from the nose of death itself. One wrong move and you are talking head-on with it. Sully managed to land the plane to save every single soul onboard. All 155 of them! That just leaves your jaw wide open.

PLOT OF SULLY (SPOILERS AHEAD)

Clint Eastwood's biopic does in every way justice to Sully's magnanimous nature. Caught between a trillion could-haves and aftermath-thoughts, Sully hasn't even yet recovered from the shocker that shook him up good, that we have dour faces knocking at his door. The unfeeling NTSB board begins pressing up hard trying to prove his human error. Their unvarying attempt is to disprove the choice Sully made when he decided to land US Airways Flight 1549 on Hudson River.

The movie rides to and fro showing us different timelines through Sully's recalling. What it also does is try to depict us the real incident from different vantages. The fact that it is exhilarating to watch every single time even though from different pedestals, makes you marvel at Sully's heroism even more.

TOM HANKS AS CHESLEY SULLENBERGER

If there was an actor who could have done Chesley Sulley Sullenberger justice, it was none other than Tom Hanks himself. The constant apprehension in his eyes as he tries to put meaning into things is havocing.

There is this moment where he is worried about the numbers, the count, whether everybody made it safe, and is asked:

"Are you okay?" To that he replies:

"I will answer that once I know everybody is safe."

That flicker of doubt or that tumult of incredulity when he gets to know he has saved all 155 souls aboard on the plane, is literally going to melt you. He stays in a perfect aura of agitation as he talks to her wife to tell her he is fine.

There is this expressive impassioned face that he puts on as the world showers him in a tub of adulation, but he is polite enough to refuse. There are so many times that he apologizes at odd hours that you can't overlook how civil and deferential amidst all of it.

Sully's final lines will tell you how modest he stays in reality, not taking the credit of having pulled off the landing. He shares his accolade with the people who were on board and those who rushed to rescue when he hit the waters.

CLINT EASTWOOD'S DIRECTION

Even though chopping off frames to time-travel us toward memories from the past was a tad baffling, it worked nevertheless. If it weren't for the music that rang up Sully's head, it would have been hard to guess for some which timeline one was in.

Clint Eastwood nevertheless remains one of the most thoughtful directors of our time. The way he glides alongside the plane to show minuscule details about the sojourn that went kaput is worth commendable. He makes even conversations riveting.

Todd Komarnicki's screenplay ices it up with witty one liners, most of them escaping the mouth of Jeff Skiles played by Aaron Eckhart. Talks with Laura Linney are directed to make you feel good. She does a fine Lorraine Sullenberger.

BEST MOMENTS

The most satisfying moment in the movie is when Sully proves NTSB wrong. All that colossal turmoil in Sully's eyes vanishes in a jiffy. For the first time you see those clouds of doubt disappear for good. He takes a short break just to talk to Skiles to tell him how proud he feels; how relieved he was of his decision to land 1549 on Hudson.

If we focus on other crucial movie moments, there are many actually. The movie shows how when people are hit by a conundrum they react differently. One of those survivors thought he could swim all the way in the freezing cold towards the land. Whilst there was one lady who thought it was a gas leakage, and that the Jet might explode, and so she jumps into the water panicking.

THE FINAL VERDICT

It goes without saying that those lives he saved will stay indebted to him forever. Whilst there are people who are decimating lives, we have this silent modest hero at one end, who is concerned about saving them all. You can't applaud Chesley Sullenberger enough.

Stories need to be told. I am glad I got to know about Sully through such a beautiful movie.