Movie - 60: American Ultra

American Ultra (2015)

by 

Nima Nourizadah

Movie Seen: 22 November 2015

Note Written: 01 December 2015

The factors which made us watch 'American Ultra' were its weird yet impressive trailer and the presence of Jesse Eisenberg. An ordinary couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart) tries to find a way out of a hunt for them by agents from the CIA while Jesse's character finds out that he has extraordinary martial art skills and reflexes, that's the basic plot. 

The movie has some thrilling sequences and is a fun one-time watch. It made me vary about how much the governments are trying to control ordinary citizens and how worthless our lives are to such huge institutions. We are just one dot on their huge statistics. After this movie and 'Panic Room', I have started liking Kristen Stewart. She is a fine actress, that one. Not great, but fine. 

As I said earlier, American Ultra is a passable one-time watch. That's all. 

Book - 60, A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows (2005)

by

George R R Martin 

Book Read: 23 Feb - 02 March 2016

Note Written: 16 April 2016

'A Feast for Crows' is massive, yet doesn't cover the perspectives of half of the important characters - Jon Snow, Daenerys, and Tyrion namely. There are new characters coming in as well. The novel is sure exciting for the fans of the series but doesn't have the stunning finesse of A Storm of Swords. 

Braavos, Dorne, King's Landing, and the Riverlands take priority here. The flow is not the same and at times some new characters and events confuse you till you get a hang of it and settle. Sometimes you just have to know what has happened to our favourite characters and you want to reach the next chapter or book with them featured. There's a lot of suspense around, and George R R Martin is ruthless with every character. You don't know if he has killed people, or worse. 

The character who inspired me the most, with his cold calculations and long-term plans for revenge was Doran Martell, who is normally considered a weakling. Euron Greyjoy impressed me with his show of sheer power and commanding attitude. I wonder why some of the characters are outright avoided from the TV series. Overall, a decent read for fans of the series, paving the way for the next book. 

Movie - 59, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

by

Stanley Kubrick

Movie Seen (Twice!): 13 & 15 November 2015

Note Written: 14 November 2015

(Forewarning: This is a long note)
I was planning to watch 'Spartacus' by Kubrick but unfortunately found the file missing in the folder - so I chose 'Dr Strangelove'. The name itself gets you deeply interested - 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'. I was expecting more of a serious war story and what I got was one of the best political satires ever! I was laughing uncontrollably throughout and had one of the best movie experiences of my life!

The 'Cold-War' crisis and the conflicts between world superpowers could not be shown better than this. Kubrick is a craftsman unlike any other director. He doesn't confine himself to particular genres but dabbles in everything and emerges a master. 

While watching the movie, I was thinking I have seen the guy playing Group Captain Mandrake somewhere and it was only after the movie that I realized it was in the same film! Peter Sellers, the actor, played three different roles in the movie and I had no fucking clue the whole time! Such finesse is rarely seen - each character was different and distinctly played. Bravo!

I was in awe of the movie while watching, clapped jubilantly during certain scenes, and my admiration increased once I started reading about the film. Kubrick has created a satire in the most believable manner, never once going for out-and-out comedy, particularly in the war sequences - I'm certain that if there is an impending nuclear apocalypse triggered by world nations, the circumstances would be similar, powered by clueless individuals, crazy of power or influenced by propaganda. 

The Captain who initiates the attacks, the one with his blatant hatred towards communists and twisted theories about bodily fluids and water becomes an allegory of the various belief systems which blinds people of our times - especially religion. People find their own reasoning and act stupid thinking they are right and acting for the 'greater good'. The are not aware or concerned of the later effects or implications of their acts. By the time they take some counter action or decides to withdraw, things would have gone out of hand for anyone to control.

The war room deserves a special mention - I have always imagined every warring nation to have such a room where only the powerful people have access, where they decide the fate of other people, sometimes even of people who have no clue who they are. A handful of people deciding the fate of the world to meet their selfish motives and agenda. Kubrick, through his humourous scenes in the war room, showed me that these 'leaders' and 'people of power' are also human - not just always serious and responsible for their acts, but also emotionally fragile, stubborn, and occasionally funny. We normally have an 'idealistic' image of these people and Kubrick shatters it through his 'war conference'. 

Stanley Kubrick is a genius - of all the directors the world has seen, he is perhaps the most versatile, most passionate user of the medium. Kubrick perfects his involvement with the cinematic medium through journeying across the borders of genres and archetypes which sometimes chain artists in specific spaces. I will watch all of his movies which I haven't seen, soon enough. Thank you for your patience in reading this note. Definitely watch 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb' if you haven't!

Book - 59, The Testament of Mary

The Testament of Mary (2012)

by

Colm Tóibín

Book Read: 20-22 February 2016
Note Written: 02 March 2016

Colm Tóibín's 'The Testament of Mary' was there in my Amazon wishlist for a long while and finally I purchased it and read. The novel shows certain experiences of Mary, mother of Jesus, from her own perspective. She is presented as a human like any one of us, not beatified and holy as the Mother of God. Fear, sadness, anxiety, anger, despair all caused by he actions and death of her son Jesus is explored through her contemplation.

There are some truthful accounts of how people/society would have reacted to someone who performs 'miracles', not the glorified version where everyone's all well behaved to Jesus and everything's hunky-dory. People would obviously follow him, but they also consider him a freak-of-sorts while taking advantage of a person like that. Mary tries to understand and at the same time oppose the way her son is being perceived and accepted(?) by society, after his death. She also fights the writers of 'Gospels' as they cloud her for information regarding her son, in the name of safekeeping.

Eve though the theme explored and certain aspects of Mary's thoughts and actions were interesting to read and know of, the book at large, was a bit boring. I wasn't really taken in by the book or the prose. I compare the book with a similar-themed novel 'The Gospel According to Jesus Christ' by José Saramago. Now, that was on brilliant narration! 'The Testament of Mary' wasn't much so.

Movie - 58, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)

by

Sooraj Barjatya

Movie Seen: 12 November 2015

Place: Suresh Theatre, Sitaphalmandi

Note Written: 14 November 2015

After having a Full Chicken Biriyani from Alpha Hotel, Secunderabad, I went for this movie (yum yum). What attracted me to 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' was its entire look and feel of the 90's, like the previous Salman-Sooraj combos 'Hum Saath Saath Hein', 'Hum Aap Ke Hein Kaun' etc. I'm not a big fan of those movies but then there's that whole nostalgia element of classic Hindi cinema. 

'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' was a lame movie with a whole lot of melodrama. It promises over-the-top drama and delivers it. But the crew could have connected and done things a little better at least. Yes, I get it, you are making a movie with in normal, cliche style - at least do it right, people! Disconnected scenes, lame dialogues, caricature villainy, bad editing, bad supporting characters all destroy the feeling of watching a classic-bollywood-modeled cinema. The songs weren't bad, I thought. Had the right feel to them. 

Salman Khan, in his true might and power, becomes the only salvaging factor of the movie. His comedic scenes and combination with Deepak Dobriyal were really good. Other major cast, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, and Sonam Kapoor, well, existed. 

Salman is shown reliving his own legendary on-screen persona of past films. As Prem, he becomes a lover boy and after many struggles, gets his girl; as Yuvraj Vijay Singh, he gets to be powerful, ruthless and mighty, and later become benevolent and give up his girl, as he did in 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hein'. That's the power of Sallu Bhai. That's the power of escapist Bollywood masala.  

Through the film Sallu shows the audience that he's the real 'Dilwale' of the industry, not Shah Rukh Khan - Shah Rukh is the 'Dimagwale', I guess. Dilwale is always Sallu Bhai. 

PS: The six minute Modi propaganda video during the interval was crappy and ruined the experience a bit for me. Read about it here.

PPS: I watched the movie twice again. Couldn't help! It was playing on the long-trip bus I was travelling. To and from Kerala. Both trips! The movie is haunting me I guess. 

Book - 58, The Sword in the Stone

The Sword in the Stone (1938)

by

T H White

Book Read: 16-19 February 2016

Note Written: 01 March 2016

I had no previous acquaintance with T H White's legendary 'The Once and Future King' series. Now I  realize that the King Arthur series was ever famous, but I was somehow oblivious to it. In fact, the only knowledge I had of T H White was from Helen MacDonald's memoir 'H is for Hawk', which I read last year. In the memoir, it is a sorry, struggling picture of White that we see. I thought he was some not-so-famous writer whose works I might never get hold of or read. Merlin's beard, I was wrong. Completely wrong!

'The Sword in the Stone' is a fantasy novel which gave me a level of enjoyment like no other book has done before. To say 'I loved it' would be an understatement. Perhaps, the only book I enjoyed as much could be 'Don Quixote'. In fact, the character King Pellinore reminds me of the legendary knight created by Cervantes. 

Combining the past and present alike in a simple children's fable laden with fantasy, legends, and facts, the novel weaves a world of magic around the reader. 'The Sword in the Stone' feels childish, yet is immensely powerful in its philosophy.

The underlying theme of practical education which we see in the book, through Merlin's tutoring of Art, tell us that nature and surroundings should be an integral part of education - text book knowledge is never sufficient. The parts which shows the 'Dream of Trees' and 'Dream of Stones' present to us pure science in the form of a wonderful fable. This is how we should learn, this is how we should be taught to learn. 

I wonder where the hell this book was during my childhood and teen years. At least, I am thankful I have read it now - will sure read it again, and again! 

Movie - 57, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

by

George Miller & George Ogilvie

Movie Seen: 11 November 2015

Note Written: 14 November 2015

I had to break and watch Mad Max 3 on two different days due to time constraints. After a stunning second part (Mad Max: Road Warrior), 'Beyond Thunderdome' isn't that impressive. The work done by Miller and Ogilvie in creating more varied landscapes and sets is appreciated but the movie lacks the vigour and finesse of its predecessors. Even as a standalone film (if it wasn't part of a series), 'Beyond Thunderdome' is just about okay. I think it was the whole atmosphere of 'Bartertown' which takes your spirits down. It felt half-cooked.

The idea of a tribal 'cargo cult' beyond the desert and their need for a 'God figure', a rescuer, through Max is interesting. The last scene  evokes a sense of good hope and was something I liked about the film. 

Overall, an okay film. Yet, Thank God for Miller's epic come back after 30 years through 'Mad Max: Fury Road'!