Movie - 50, Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko (2001)

by

Richard Kelly

Movie Seen: 29 October 2015

Note Written: 18 January 2016

'Donnie Darko' is a movie which stunned my mind with its brilliance of theme and narration, also with its simplicity of execution with regard to its scale. 'Mind-fuck' would be the right word to describe this brilliant movie. It makes you think and read more about the movie itself, the various concepts discussed. You try to understand it and make sense of it, somehow. 

'Donnie Darko' is a film that needs and deserves to be re-watched and I shall be doing it soon. I understand that Richard Kelly wrote the script and made this movie when he was just 26, my age now. Such an intelligent work - makes me jealous and feel bad about myself. Maybe my time is yet to come. Maybe it won't come at all. Maybe I'm lazy. It's a lot of 'Maybe's', I know. Back to the movie now.

Jake Gyllenhall played the troubled teenager with finesse and the supporting cast was great as well. The figure of Frank, the Rabbit haunts you at times, while you watch. It is easy to understand why this movie has a cult status among film aficionados. Interesting, intriguing, and intelligent, I really admire the movie, and feel a tinge of jealousy towards its makers. 

Book - 50, God's Pauper: St. Francis of Assissi

God's Pauper: St. Francis of Assissi (1962)

by

Nikos Kazantzakis

Book Read: 11-18 January 2016

Note Written: 25 January 2016

'St. Francis of Assissi' by Kazantzakis is a deeply spiritual book, told from the perspective of Brother Leo, a trusted companion of the Saint. The perspective is observational yet critical. Leo is part of Francis' transformation as well as ascent to a saint. Leo has witnessed everything, Leo has been a part of everything, Leo has struggled with everything. Leo is the true witness to St. Francis. 

I had read the life story of St. Francis of Assissi during my childhood. 'Assissiyile Vaanambadi' (The Skylark of Assissi) was a book which was gifted to me on the day of my Holy Communion. Growing up in a Catholic household, I am no stranger to the stories of saints. This particular book about Francis Assissi made him my favourite saint of the time, maybe even now. Looking at St. Francis in a different light, this time through Kazantzakis, was a thought-provoking experience for me.

The journeys, agonies, and experiences of St. Francis and Leo can be compared to the legendary 'adventures' of Don Quixote de La Mancha and Sancho Panza. The hardships faced and the lack of acceptance, the craziness, can all be seen similar to the experience of the characters created by Cervantes. The crazy knight with an out-worldly mission who would accept all hardships which comes along can be compared to Francis and the devout follower to Leo. They are ridiculed by the society, beaten up, stoned upon, and yet move forward relentlessly. Leo is a staunch follower, like Sancho, even though with a lot of doubts about his master and the mission, yet follows around like a fool. Francis sees his troubles and agonies as prizes of his devotion to God; Don Quixote sees them as his prizes of valour and necessary sacrifice for the love of Dulcinea del Toboso, also imaginary, but believed to be true. 

Yet another thing I would like to mention is that for ascetics and religious monks, religion and salvation are often very patriarchal notions. It is always an exclusive world of men, or of women. Why were there only brotherhoods and sisterhoods and not human-hoods? Why do we need gendered paths of salvation if God created us as one? 

The book left me with a lot of doubts upon St. Francis, on faith, on religion, on life itself; I couldn't agree with most of his (Kazantzakis' Francis) notions or arguments, yet it was an interesting life to experience. The novel was definitely worth reading and reflecting upon. 

Movie - 49, Up In The Air

Up In The Air (2009)

by

Jason Reitman

Movie Seen: 25 October 2015

Note Written: 14 January 2016

'Up in the Air' was a movie which I had refrained from watching on the notion that it would be very serious. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's a delightful movie with stunning visuals and a great cast. The aerial shots of various cities of America, showing the extensive travel-lifestyle of the lead character, were great to watch. Ryan Bingham is a character tailor-made for George Clooney and he plays the 'lay-off specialist' with no sense of responsibility, with great ease. Anna Kendrick was a marvel to see with her great comedic timing - she was totally fun to watch. I thought the film was heading to a rom-com style cliche climax but then the director saved the day avoiding it. Jason Reitman's films are always a delightful experience. I would recommend this film to anyone who would like a happy, time-pass movie which would not bore you at all. 

Book - 49, The Thirty Nine Steps

The Thirty Nine Steps (1915)

by

John Buchan

Book Read: 09-10 January 2016

Note Written: 21 January 2016

I had seen the movie adaptation of this story some years ago during my course on Alfred Hitchcock and that familiarity is why I purchased this book when I saw it on a book sale. 'The Thirty Nine Steps' is a deeply engaging thriller from cover to cover. Told in a first person narrative, it follows a Londoner, not so fond of the city, who sees a stranger who reveals big secrets to him and then got murdered, and now he has to sort things out. 

The first person style of narration is the biggest strength of the book. It gives the novel a unique flavour and you feel that you have to solve the mystery along with the protagonist, since you only know what he knows. Persistence and patience are most often the keys to unravel certain secrets you would like to know. The story is well crafted and was an absolute pleasure reading. I would keep in mind the name 'John Buchan' and be on the lookout for more of his works. 

Movie - 48, Fargo

Fargo (1996)

by

Joel and Ethan Cohen

Movie Seen: 25 October 2015

Note Written: 14 November 2015

'Fargo' is a movie which shows how a simple, stupid human act of selfishness and greed can turn things haywire and so complicated for the people involved, and affect people you wouldn't even know about, save for the occurrence of that moment of flaw. The movie is a grim tale with comedy spread all over; it makes you laugh as well as it makes you sad, angry, or shocked. 

It is a great movie in terms of scripting, direction, and its stellar cinematography. The directors succeed in conveying the subtle message and depicting the simplicity, frailty, and stupidity of human actions. Each frame was chosen carefully and adds to the beauty and impact of the movie.

Frances McDormand as the Police Chief Marge Gunderson, steals the show with her exemplary performance. I loved the chemistry between Chief Marge and her husband. All the characters of the movie are very realistic - you feel for them and identify with some, at least some, of their actions. This is where the film wins big-time - in making is feel. Fargo is now considered a cult-classic, and rightly so. 

Book - 48, A Storm of Swords : Steel and Snow

A Storm of Swords : Steel and Snow (2000)

by

George R R Martin

Book Read: 24 December 2015 - 08 January 2016

Note Written: 20 January 2016

The quest to complete 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series and 'Lord of the Rings' series continues. 'Steel and Snow', part one of 'A Storm of Swords' has many important events happening which were major reveals and turning points in the TV series. This is where Jon Snow gets together with Ygritte, Daenerys buys the Unsullied, Tyrion's weds again, Sam escapes with Gilly, Arya meets the Hound among many other turn of events. 

The novel was very engaging and thrilling. Even though it took me more than usual time to complete the novel because of my journey to Kerala and the number of weddings which I attended, every once in a while I started reading, it was difficult to stop. The flow of the series has been bettered compared to the first book, I felt. 

Comparing the TV series with the novel gets difficult at times; I try not to, but it seems impossible not to have those wonderful visuals infront of you. In some parts the visual possibilities of narration of the TV series outsmart the whats written in the novel. For example, in the part were Daenerys buys the Unsullied, the TV series stands tall because they could actually use a foreign language, as opposed to the novel where it just said that she spoke High Valyrian. It helps to have seen the series because you can put faces and behavioural styles of the actors to the characters, but sometimes it's a curse as well; your imaginative power gets restricted, or the actors really don't complement the feature of the written character. 

'Steel and Snow' was a great thrill read for me. Eagerly waiting to read the next and the next. Valar Morghulis!

Movie - 47, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

by

Robert Wiene

Movie Seen: 23 October 2015

Note Written: 14 November 2015

I was mostly free that day at work and watched this 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' there. As a movie which is considered a landmark in world cinema and prelude to the genre of film noir, this movie was always there in my wish list. 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' starts on a grim note where two people are sitting in a garden contemplating on dead people's spirits and one of them begins narrating and ordeal/incident which he was a part of. A contemporary parallel to 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' could be 'Shutter Island', even though this movie is different in many aspects and stands a notch above the latter.

The mis-en-scene of the movie is its greatest asset, as unusually shaped backgrounds, rooms, settings, and buildings take you through a surrealistic world. Even though we now are used to various genres of horror movies and seen all kinds of suspenseful narration, this classic still succeeds in creating an impact and a small sense of fear in you. The movie perhaps has one of the first 'end-twists' in world cinema and I was shocked to see something like that used in a cinema from then. 

Shadows and lights played a crucial part in bringing out the spookiness and horror intended, perfecting this masterpiece of German Expressionism. The inter-titles and readings from psychological texts describing Dr. Caligari's experiments builds intrigue in us and enhances the power of the plot and the movie as a whole. There's a reason classics are classics and I should watch more of them.