Recently Seen Movies - 12 - Page 110

The stranger - british crime thriller is ok one time watch. It becomes too complicated in the middle. But overall ok.

Get Back is not really a movie but more of a documentary.

I was not much of a Beatles fan but randomly decided it to watch it.

It is long and I have watched it twice now and gone down the Beatles rabbit hole, reading books on them and watching and listening to more of their stuff.

It is fascinating to watch the creative process as these talented musicians conjure songs out of thin air - songs that have stood the test of time.

It is also fascinating to see these musical superstars as a group of men who had been very close friends who are sometimes acrimonious and sometimes just having fun as their band slowly unravels.

Maja Ma

I am not going to bother with hiding spoilers because the rumor mills had given up the plot months ago.

Anyway, Bollywood's attempts at queer cinema are getting a bit exhausting. How long can good intentions and brave attempts cover up half-baked plots? The saddest part is that the plot had so much potential.

There are tons of queer folks in India who settled into heteronormative relationships to fit into society. They're not necessarily unhappy or loveless marriages. But they are not satisfying or fulfilling either. What are the implications when they are outed? What does it mean for the family? How do you move on from this? The possibilities for a compelling movie were endless. But all that gets lost in shoddy writing.

The whole American in-law plot was so contrived and painful. I know Indians have a less-than-stellar perception of NRIs. But this was the amalgamation of every cringe NRI stereotype ever. And man, if you did want to create a Bobby Jindal type - couldn't you keep it a little bit realistic? Put them in East Texas, Lousiana or Alabama. Houston is a blue city and has had a lesbian mayor - a Bollywood redneck has no fighting chance.

Not only does it waste talented actors like Sheeba Chadda and Rajit Kapur, but it also misses an opportunity to create a story rooted in an Indian small town. The same outing and conflicts could have been handled in a small-town context. The stakes could have been made so much higher when you're trying to win back your neighbors, your community, you have loved your whole life.

Srishti Shrivastava is also wasted on a stereotypical social justice warrior type. She is in your face with her LGBTQ activism. But the worst part is she's a cishet woman who has taken it upon herself to speak on behalf of actual LGBTQ folks. She is so out of touch that she consistently takes away actual queer folks ownership of their own voices and stories. Anyway, queer folks who believe the only reason she is an activist is that she is a Gender and Sexuality scholar - not because she or her husband could be bisexual, trans, non-binary, or questioning (another missed mark in character development). It just infuriated me that she treats her own mother as her social justice project instead of being there as a daughter is just there to support her mother in whatever way she needs. Idk who's worse the ingrate son who tries to fix his mother to solve his problems or the daughter who denies her mother her narrative.

The saving grace is Madhuri Dixit who makes the most of her character. She shows immense poise in the face of adversity. She is simultaneously vulnerable and resilient. And manages to say a lot with her expressions. I've probably surreptitiously fantasized about a queer Madhuri Dixit ever since I was a kid obsessed with Ek Do Teen. Never imagined the packaging would be so shoddy.

Gajraj Rao as the husband does show immense growth - but the whole Viagra plot was unnecessary and felt a bit lifted from the Adam Groff incident in Sex Education.

Oh, and thank heavens for Simone Singh who has the best lines. I hated the show Heena, but now I would happily simp for her. She makes the cl|toris as glorious as it should be.

PS: WTF IF the cl|t isn't abusive? Are you confusing it with cvnt?

return to hades!! come here you big scary mean person and give me a hug

Look Both Ways

Do Revenge

Both on Netflix.

Great movies to kill time, didn't have to skip anything so it's decent enough.

Bollywood - Bramhastra

I don't think I need to put a review for this one, a lot has been said already. One time watch for me, that's it.

Black-ish (all 8 seasons)

I enjoyed Black-ish a lot. What I appreciated is its lighthearted approach to being black in America. Anthony Anderson's Andre Johnson gets preachy and in-your-face with comedic effect, but the show itself never comes off as excessively preachy.

Creator Kenya Barris based it on his own experiences as a successful wealthy black man married to a successful wealthy black doctor. So there is some reflection in reality. The show is also self-aware of the privileges of being wealthy and counterbalances it with the pitfalls of being black.

The star of the show for me is Marsai Martin's precocious and sassy Diane Johnson. Followed by Tracee Ellis Ross and Jennfier Lewis whose characters are at perpetual odds with each other.

Unfortunately, the later seasons get messy. The show seems to not know the direction it is headed with COVID and the politics in America. These episodes tend to lose the narrative structure and feel haphazard. The final season winds down pretty abruptly. I felt that Andre Jr, Ruby, and Pops got a good arc - but the journey of the two main leads Andre and Rainbow seemed half-baked.

Happiest Season (2020)

It was weird watching Kristen Stewart in a bright Christmas movie. I've come to associate her with gloomy, edgy or indie cinema more. But she shines here. Seeing Dan and Aubrey Plaza was surprising. There was also Alison Bre and she was good. I did not like the actress who played Harper. She was contrived and just didn't fit the role and the chemistry was lacking. Wish they had cast someone else.

2/5

Partner Track

This is Gossip Girls meets Suits. It even had a Harvey Specter knock off. Oh and get this, a black gay lawyer who is into fashion. Shocker. Netflix is so formulaic it's not even funny anymore. Kinda felt like I was watching Emily in Paris but with lawyers. No wait, this was exactly it. The lead is a horrible woman same as in Emily in Paris, I don't know if we were to sympathize with her?

Is it formulaic? Yes

Does it have fancy clothes and locations with no regards to the actual story? Yes

Is it dry and contrary? Yes

Will I waste 10 hours watching the second season if it ever comes out because I have nothing better to do? Absolutely yes.

Laal Singh Chadda

LSC may not be the kind of movie people want to watch. But it is the kind of movie people need to watch. We all need to experience the world through the eyes of naive and innocent Laal.

Overall, LSC is a family-friendly feel-good movie that will make you laugh and cry as you follow Laal's journey through life. I definitely felt warm and fuzzy after watching it.

It is by no means a perfect film. It falters in many ways. The biggest being Aamir Khan himself. The actor resorts to exaggerated expressions and verbal tics where a grounded simplicity would have spoken volumes. The actor playing young Laal nails the character's wide-eyed innocence. The Rupa underwear story is also contrived and on the nose.

But despite the massive missteps the story still holds. Mona Singh is phenomenal as Laal's mother. Kareena Kapoor's Rupa also gets a better narrative than Forrest Gump's Jenny. The cinematography for the run across India is also stunning.

Had this film been released in pre-pandemic India, I think it would have done decently well. It is not mega-blockbuster material. But the film in now way deserved all the flak and negativity it received.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

I had never seen Hocus Pocus before this. It's sort of this Halloween cult classic in the United States. All the 90s kids in the states grew up watching it. They rewatch it every October. With the sequel being the new rage, I decided to finally watch the original.

Overall, Hocus Pocus is a pretty regular run-of-the-mill Disney movie. It is a PG movie, so it really isn't scary at all. The humor is mild-mannered and kid-friendly and not as punchy as some modern horror comedies.

What I think makes Hocus Pocus a beloved classic (besides nostalgia) is the Sanderson sisters. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker totally own their roles. They're playing witches in a kid's movie - they're silly villains - but they give it a 100% and bring the movie alive. Without them, Hocus Pocus may have just been a forgotten kid's film.

It's a fun "horror" film for the family (unless you're a Karen or your kids are p******)