BEST THINGS - ( End of July - Beginning of Aug)

Some of the best things in the past few weeks
1) Best show - Stranger Things on Netflix. Imagine being transported back into the 80s and getting treated to the best parts of ET, Nightmare on Elm Street, Stand By Me and still having a flavor of its own and being original, despite being so very derived from the best works of Stephen King, Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Spielberg. Yes - it's a gem!!! This 8 episode show will bring back the best memories of your childhood and christen this generation to ours - when black was black and white was white and we had bicycles instead of smartphones to take us places.
2) Best Horror - Lights Out - One original short swift sharp horror movie using the best set pieces with intelligent dialogues and a robust screenplay. It has some Ju-On Horror influences but well balanced with a very talented unknown cast and some great jump scare moments. It was good to watch something on 2D and get scared the wits out.
3) Best song - Sucker For Pain - Don't ask me why!!!
4) Best Game - Batman - The Telltale Series - The best take on Batman ever. Exploring Bruce Wayne's world as much as Batman's. It is by far the greatest Batman experience ever. Balancing boardroom politics with romance with detective work with action - This is just perfect bacon for Batman fan!!!!
5) Best supervillain act - Will Smith as Deadshot in Suicide Squad. He beats Harley Quinn by a narrow margin just for all those moments with his daughter. He maintains the swag with the style and then balances his smoothness with sympathy.
6) Best Trippy Timepass Masti Movie - Suicide Squad - Be a man - watch it and decide for yourself and not some depressed critic having chow for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
7) Best Moments performance wise- Irfan Khan interrogation scene with all the politicians for the Madaari "climax" - Brilliance is an understatement!!!!!
8) Ripleys believe it or not moment - Paul Greengrass making a bad Jason Bourne movie!!!!
9) Best Soundtrack - Neon Demon - Its fabulous!!!
10) Best OST featuring artists - Suicide Squad!!!
11) The movie I am looking forward to - DON'T BREATHE!!!
If nothing seems Good what's the thing we can still always return to - FRIENDS of course!!! :D

Why is Suicide Squad such an awesome Movie, yet critics are hating it?

I had my reservations while getting ready for the latest DC crazy. The critics had literally guillotined it and I was expecting another BvsS - I told you so. It took me some time to plan my Saturday but the Amex offer for Rs 100 off on a weekend was actually the clincher. I told myself for 100 bucks a 3D experience in a good hall in downtown Mumbai won't be a bad experience considering I don't spend any money on the popcorn and coke. So there I was 5:30 pm nervously expecting another fiasco made by your truly DC team. But I had faith on David Aiyer. I had watched all his movies and there was a voice in me, which kept on telling me - He can't do so many things wrong as the RT aggregate score kept rebuking me time and again - somehow drowning these two voices I settled down and then it began. It was after 2 and a half hours I realized I had made the best mistake of my life to drag myself out of my house through the rain soaked waterlogged streets of Mumbai to catch this evening showing with a cavalier audience. Suicide Squad was simply smashing fun!!!

Then I started thinking why are people hating this movie so much? 

And this article is just an attempt to try and understand that.

Firstly let me tell you a few things about audience psyche and type...

1) People who love movies but are not into comics.

2) People who love movies and comics but haven't known or read much of Suicide Squad.

3) People who love movies and comics and are crazy about Suicide Squad.

The first type of people will probably hate this movie because they don't get the verve and excitement of comics and to them - plot, storyline, screenplay and editing means much more than just having a good time!!!!

The second type of people will probably not hate this movie but may not love it like crazy either because they don't understand the tone and mood fo Suicide Squad stories. Usually, they are dark and conflicting and don't have straight black and white expositions.

The third type will just devour this movie and ask for more.

Have I addressed the raging bull in the China shop and then kicked the hornet's nest. Hope Not. Because I am just getting started.

Ok - let me start with the movie. There might be minor Spoilers nut nothing too extreme. Why is Suicide Squad such a good movie -

1. Let's begin at the beginning - The titles - The movie begins with a riotous splash and flash of colors for every character which just tells you on your face - " Don't take me seriously - I am just timepass." It's so beautifully font-funned that in 3D it just makes you feel giddy with delight.
2. Viola Davis as Amanda Weller straight out of the pages of the comic. You cannot help but marvel at the sinister way she goes about her job yet makes it seem so believable. Her act is top notch over the board brilliant!!!
3. Will Smith as Deadshot is so good that you feel like yelling through the movie- WHEN ARE WE GETTING THE STANDALONE SOLO MOVIE WHERE YOU GO UP AGAINST BATMAN - I THINK THAT WOULD BE BETTER THAN BATSY TAKING ON SUPERMAN!!! There is one scene he takes on a horde of enchantress vilified zombies singlehandedly on the hood of a car. The crowd just went wild in that scene!!! He is simply superb!!!!
4. Margot Robbie doesn't act - She is Harley Quinn. If Anthony Hopkins is Doctor Lecter and Jeremy Brett is Sherlock Holmes then she is the Clown Prince's girlfriend. You will just be bowled over by her lip smacking antics and one-liners. 
5. Boomerang, El Diablo and Croc do well also with their roles but Jay Hernandez stands out with El Diablo's backstory and fire -pyrotechnics. 
6. The backstories may seem rushed a little bit but it's required because we need a balance - they couldn't make a 4 and a half hour movie but the ones that matter have enough flesh and meat i.e. Deadshot, Harley Quinn and El Diablo. There is one scene in which Batman swoops down behind Deadshot, while he is walking home with his daughter. That scene is so epic and soul clutching - Its like the Good Guy is destroying a home - Yes Deadshot is bad but the emotional investment in that scene is weighed down so subtly and brilliantly. Harley's story with Mr J may seem uneven but its still great fun as we keep on looking forward to more scenes of him and her. El Diablo's story is quite tragic.  But they all are told. They may seem quick and fast and impersonal but in reality and its crisp and swift. 
7. All the Acts are perfect except for the third act - it seemed a little out of the place but it was needed as you sometimes do need a weak third act to pull off a cracking climatic fourth act. I also felt the third act should have been edited better. Lot of key frames and scenes have been just dislodged without much though, which makes the movie seem a little problematic. I can guarantee the UNCUT version will correct all the faults. 
8. The one liners are EPIC - I have no idea why they are being called lame!!! Deadshot and Harley Quinn just fire this movie up like anything. They should have shown their romance which is very much there in the comics. 
9. The action and effects are quite good. It may not be the best action you have seen but its definitely not the worst. Its pretty good  
10.  Some of the emotional moments of the supervillains are just so endearing. Watch out for the last scene of Deadshot with his kid explaining geometry as they wander back to guns, bullet- caliber and trajectory and windspeed. It was such a wonderful snappy moment as Flagg stops the Swat squad from disturbing Deadshot's time with his daughter.
11. AND FINALLY THE SOUNDTRACK - THE SONGS ARE SO GOOD AS THEY PERVADE THE MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE OF THIS MOVIE FURTHER ACCENTUATING IT TO IONOSPHERIC HEIGHTS.

 WATCH AND forgive and forget RT for they bleat and talk and blunder and know not what they don't understand.

There is just one complaint and i.e. the editing - we wanted more of Suicide Squad and they mercilessly killed Joker's best parts as well as upset the momentum of the movie. Sometimes you need more frames and screen time to further accelerate and make a movie sink in on many more levels - that's where this movie went wrong because someone in DC studio went scissor happy. I hope Mr J shows him all his toys and we get the UNCUT VERSION soon!!!!

    

   

Suicide Squad is great fun!!!!

Suicide Squad is a Big Bad Beautiful blast of funtainment!!

Critics have got this movie horribly wrong.

To me, it delivered on every level - Editing is a lil too sharp for my liking - Mr J aka Leto has been scissored bad!!! Wanted to see more of him. But Will Smith is in awesome form as Deadshot. Margot Robbie is all flesh and blood Harley Quinn. Amanda Weller is splendidly sinister. Punchy smashing soundtrack with some great songs punctuating moments.

Wow! It was like watching a comic. Don't get me wrong I have seen some great superhero aka meta-human movies but transposing frames to a screen so that you feel the pages in your hands as your eyes travel from panel to another - Yes!!! the last movie I felt that way was Deadpool and now this.....Suicide Squad is one whacky funasty movie you shouldn't miss at all.

Who cares about the plot!!?? What were we looking for? Memento or Inception!!!??? This is a supervillain movie full of bad guys and one even nastier gal, who love to blow up stuff and do mayhem. So just take the Coke and sit back and enjoy the ride!!!!

And yes the ride is entertaining. It's not a great movie but its definitely not bad!! I can surely watch it again. Loved it. Get your ticket for the weekend and go for it.

I was really so happy, being proved wrong for I really thought this was going to be bad. Yes - its Bad !!! Full of Bad !!!! Pudding!!! My Bad -- so happy - Thank you David Aiyer - DC is back on track- Don't miss the mid-credit scene - half of the people walked out. Don't miss it.

IN A NUTSHELL-
Sucide Squad is a splendid first entry and I am sure we are going to have sequels.Its not supposed to be a Nolan masterpiece but a yummy KFC grilled fried chicken and yes it is!!! Eat this entertainment pudding - And Kill and let die!!! Yummy!!!!!
Good Night - Now I need some nap time dreaming of Harley Quinn!!!
7.5/10

Plot hole in Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 9 Battle of Bastards (Spoiler Alert)

There is a small plothole in Game of Thrones( Battle of Bastards)

While feeding Bolton to his hounds, Sansa says that they haven't been fed for 7 days but how could she know Bolton hasn't fed them for 7 days, because in his meeting with Snow and lieutenants on the eve of the battle Bolton discloses that detail after Sansa rides away threatening Bolton that it will his last day.

So that's the plot-hole - the producers in their bid to make Sansa look powerful makes her say something which she just doesn't have any knowledge of. She couldn't have known Bolton hasn't fed his hounds for 7 days.

Who would tell her? Definitely not Snow and his men!! And neither was she present when Bolton told those words.

GOT producers need to be careful.     

Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - Yes!!! Its really that bad ( Spoiler- Full)

Well - the verdict is out.
It's been universally slaughtered and everyone seems to have an opinion about it.
First -let me divide all each and type of reviewer and then I'll tell you why this movie just doesn't work.

1) People who see it with an open mind, love comics and have no loyalties towards either DC or Marvel. I think the people in this group mostly comprise of that lot. Majority of Indians love Spidey as much as Batman. We don't cut one to praise the other - we love them all. But if you give your honest opinion - then your are branded a DC loyalist or Marvel conspiracist.

2) Marvel fans who watch it with open kukris ready to stab DC to death.

3) DC fanboys who won't accept that this movie is a damp squib.

4) Some people, who just have no idea about Frank Miller or Jeph Loeb or Bill Finger or Bob Kane and they just go to watch the special effects or how cute Superman is or how sexy Wonderwoman is -- They wouldn't care less if this was Krish returns!!!

5) There is even a 5th type of people, who wait and read all the reviews and then after watching the movie a little later come up with a review which is not mainstream - they essentially go against the flow e.g. they will try and say Batman Vs Superman is actually a good movie and everyone else is nuts!!!!

I think I belong somewhere too.  But I have been trying to figure it out myself because this movie has got me thoroughly confused.

Why is it so bad? And Snyder- hope you read this.......

Let's begin at the premise.. the sowing of the seeds of hatred between Batman and Superman. 

1. Snyder begins with this gigantic set piece of the Battle between General Zod and Superman, which kills  a few close people of Bruce Wayne, as the whole city is nearly destroyed.  Bruce Wayne is treated to this massive destruction and feels so much power in the hands of one mad is bad and he should be brought down. The seeds are germinated. Such a foolish thought!!! He literally terrorizes a city and takes down criminals with his fists and guns but he has to be self-righteous when it comes to Superman. Be grateful!! u dumb Bat - If Supes didn't bring down Zod - Earth wouldn't have been no more. Hence - the very seed of hatred seems stupid because fanboys can't believe Bruce Wayne - the greatest detective on Earth being swayed over this. His motivations seem pretty hypocritical if you analyze everything a little minutely. 
2. The second scene of young Bruce walking home with his parents on that fateful night  is infinitely the highlight of this movie. Brilliantly storyboarded - it's wonderful!!! The correct reference points being Mask of Zorro and also a wonderful Coming Soon next week of " Excalibur" shining through. It's probably one of the wettest dream sequences of Batman fanboys. Sometimes you felt like squealing with joy but still there are some weaknesses. The mugging killing scene is shot on an open street with traffic, which makes it a tad bit weaker.  
3. Then what happens - it settles into the Superman track which is bland, boring and bleak. The plotline is so childish that we just wish we are not put through the motions of Lois Lane investigating and his boyfriend superhero dropping in to save her at the right moment. He saves Lois but lets the key baddies escape in the first scene of the movie, which he could have easily done - but he doesn't - Do you know why because Goyer is writing a serious story, which is a telling commentary of our times.    
4. Soon afterward we are exposed to Lex Luthor, which is actually a poor man's version of his Smallville rip off meets Mark Zuckerburg. Jesse Eisenberg tries to be Joker, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Two-Face - everything all at once and fails miserably and keeps on failing and falling till the last frame of the movie. You just hate his version of Lex Luthor and remember the good old days of Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey but the fact is no one has played Luthor well till now. No one and Jesse doesn't do it either - In fact he is not Luthor - he is a loser!!!  
5.  Now lets switch to Batman stream. We have one of the eeriest Batman intros ever as two cops go to investigate a house to discover a human trafficking racket. Its a world where the victims are equally scared of Batman as the villains as he employs extreme measures to bring them to justice as "he is the Goddamn Batman" Lets not even get to the inspiratations- Thats not Snyder's cup of tea. It's Frank Miller and All Star Batman & Robin. How do we make Batman fresh and original. Make him darker and nastier and people will say "WOW!!! What a stroke of genius" We even see through that piece of originality but it definitely makes for the scariest opening sequence for Batman. It is bound to give me sleepless nights for sure. The Cop nearly blows up his buddy, scared to his wits seeing Batman. Its frankly the greatest opening sequence and probably one of the best moments of the movie. 
6.  Meanwhile we have the deep dry drama playing out with Superman being framed for a crime he didn't commit and Lois Lane playing the intrepid reporter trying to prove him innocent and Supes is so distressed and depressed because he is a good guy - Boo! Hoo!! Lex Luthor is already up to his tricks trying to harness the power of Kryptonite but somehow in this imbroglio, Clark Kent gets time to notice the masked vigilante terrorizing Gotham and would rather follow that story up, instead of pursuing the Sports section.      

Its just bad - Flashpoint or not!!!! I just don't feel like writing anything more!!!! Its not worth wasting my time on!!!

Udta Punjab Review

I plead ignorance to a movie, which I don't understand.Everyone is saying it's a brave movie, mirrors reality, it's like a flashpoint movie projecting truth - a fight against injustice, bias and the sad state of affairs in Punjab. Frankly speaking, I didn't get it. I will tell you why.

1) Nearly the whole movie is in Punjabi - I just couldn't understand what everyone was talking about.
2) Somehow if I could siphon some sense out of anything happening,even still I couldn't get through the labyrinth of the choicest Ma/Behen/Bhai abuses, which simply pervades the movie like mosquitoes concentrated on the dirtiest puddle of slush ever.
3) Finally, it just doesn't make any sense.It's very uneven. Brilliant in patches but hopelessly wayward and meandering and mediocre other- WISE!!!

It seemed Abhishek Chaubey tried making a path-breaking movie but somehow it falls woefully short. I maybe wrong. I hated Badlapur on my first watch but later after many re-visits realized its a masterpiece.How do I exactly define what's wrong with Udta Punjab. Hmm let me try. Last weekend, Miniplex showed Dev D - I watched it countless times again and again. Amit Trivedi's score and Anurag Kashyap's fractured movie telling skills par excellence. Was it an easy movie to watch? Was it hallucinogenic? Was it a muddled hazy psychedelic trip? But did we understand or connect with Abhay Deol and stayed with him till the end despite him being an insufferable horrible brat.. yes we did!!! But here Tommy Singh is just a cartoon - he never connects with you. He is this disconnected limbo who is screaming, shouting, raving, ranting and then falling in love and out and in and then becoming a hero to save damsel in distress. It was honestly Tom & Jerry for me.

A few days ago we were again treated to something incandescently disturbing in "Ugly" by Anurag Kashyap again. It was another dark trip with no light anywhere - culminating in probably the most depressing climaxes of all times. Everything was ugly about that movie - right from the cinematography, the characters, the story... it's like one dark black sun swallowing everything in its glow but it was brilliant!!!The point here is you can make a scattered crazy dark nasty movie with a message but it still needs some coherence and equilibrium somewhere. I just couldn't find that in Udta Punjab. It's a mad drug!! It's not a movie. It's a drug probably laced with LSD and Brown Sugar and once you take it - you either go for the whole trip or you vomit it out for good. I settled for the latter. Not tasty- definitely nasty- feels real but is actually an overexaggerated tragicomedy.

I don't like talking ill about a movie, which probably needs some time and again a review with an enhanced vocabulary of the most robust Punjabi slangs and words in my repertoire. But still will highlight a few things which caught my eye -

1) Alia Bhatt is a revelation. She has delivered a performance, which I would term as the best any actress has given this year. She surpasses all expectations. it was a very tough act and she has finally arrived. Highway was good but Mary Jane rocks!!! She is the surprise act of this movie.

2) If ever Texas Chainsaw Massacre gets a desi avatar - Abhishek Chaubey is the man. His manic narration and camera movement of Alia Bhatt's story is nerve-racking, brilliant and simply astounding. NH10 feels and looks like a lame joke after we are through with Mary Jane's story arc.

3) Amit Trivedi - Can this man even have one wrong singing bone in his body. The score is pure genius!!!

And finally - it's just one scene which still stay with me forever - when the elderly Sikh patriarch pats Alia Bhatt asking her ...forget it ( Spoiler) - essentially asks her in an assuring tone abt something and then all hell breaks loose in the next scene....all our conceived notions of trust come crashing down within seconds. Its probably one of the greatest moments of Indian Cinema I have ever witnessed!!! Just for that scene I may just forgive Udta Punjab for all its faults.

Currently, I still want to live in my Utopia of Santabanta and Sunny Deol and Singh is King - yes I wish to stay here a lil longer. There is too much of Trump and shooting and killing of good people happening around us. Would rather remain stupid and ignorant for some time and let bliss kiss me.

Watch the movie. You may be disappointed but probably there is something great hidden within, which requires further inspection and excavation with more re-viewing.

I would give it 2/5 stars.

The two big revelations - unearthed and will play out the way it should be....

1) Suicide Squad - Joker is the Second Robin Jason Todd

2) Star Wars - Kylo Ren is good. He is the Severus Snape of Star Wars, who will penetrate deep into the Dark side and sacrifice himself at the end to save the day.


Two predictions. Wait till they come true!!!