Recently Seen Movie #13 - Page 34

Kaathal — The Core

A very emotional and tender exploration of a divorce. The life of a well-respected and simple man, Matthew, is turned upside down when his wife, Omana, files for divorce. The case is on the grounds of his homosexuality.

At first, when you see Matthew's confusion and turmoil, Omana comes across as cold. But over time, especially during the court proceedings, you get an insight into her sacrifices and suffering.

The final act of the movie is quite beautiful. It shows mutual affection and friendship in the wake of the divorce. It shows the ex-spouses and daughter come to terms with what happened.

There is very little dialogue from the main characters in the movie. But a lot is conveyed through expressions and emotions. Its a stellar performance by both, especially Mammooty. Also, him and Anil Kapoor need to reveal their hair secrets.

Overall, the movie is a case for acceptance and how forcing people to live authentically can ruin many lives. My only gripe is that Matthew's alleged lover, Thankan, is almost a secondary character. You never see talk to each other or even briefly interact beyond glances and looks. I craved more openness like in "Badhai Do."

Laila Majnu:

Beautifully captures the essence of timeless love. Loved both Avinash Tiwary and Tripti Dimri. Avinash, in particular is a brilliant and very underrated actor indeed. Wish he'd get more films!

The Haunted Mansion

I'm surprised by this film's poor box office performance and reviews. I believe it was poorly promoted and released at the wrong time.

While not as phenomenal as their runaway hit "Pirates of the Caribbean." "The Haunted Mansion" still boasts of a stellar cast, great characters, and a fun screenplay chockful of jokes. It is an all-out, fun family entertainer.

Where the movie falters is some lackluster special effects at points and a script that is a bit loose.

Nevertheless, it should have fared better. A better promotional plan and a Halloween release would have worked wonders. It was released too close to Barbenheimer. There wasn't a single kid friendly major release for Halloween this year in theaters or streaming and the movie could have made bang there.

Avatar - Way of the Water

James Cameron really loves the ocean. This is his third movie after The Abyss and Titanic, which centers on the mystery and majesty of oceans.

In Way of the Water, he waves another fantastical land expanding on the breathtaking beauty of Pandora. His imagination and creativity are stunning. The story of living in harmony vs human greed both entertains and tugs at the heartstrings.

Some of the sequences are so immersive and grandiose that I regret not seeing this one on the big screen.

The girl on the train:

One time watch. Slow paced and boring.

Freddy:

I liked it. Both Karthik and Alaya did well.

Animal-

Entertaining. Ranbir acted brilliantly. The music is awesome.

Month of Madhu broke my heart. It's about two Madhus. The first one is an alcoholic with anger issues who's holding out on divorcing his wife since he's hopeful that she'll come back. They had an epic love story and had been married for so many years.It needs another Madhu -a young American Indian girl who struggles to fit in- to make him realize the true picture of his marriage. It's painfully ironic that the second Madhu is exactly as old as the child he'd have had with his wife -if only he hadn't coerced her into an abortion.The enduring love of the couple remains and tempts us with the possibility of if-onlys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmAvA6_7-zU

Castle in the Sky

HBO Max has the entire Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki collection. These are some of the most popular and beloved anime. But I have never seen a single one of these films. So, I am going to be watching through the entire collection.

Castle in the Sky is the first movie Miyazaki film under Studio Ghibli. It tells the tale of a mysterious girl, Sheeta, who has a magic crystal pendant and falls into a mining town. Pazu, an orphan who works as a mechanic, finds her falling and rescues her. But immediately, two groups of dangerous people appear, searching for Sheeta.

One group is the army led by an unscrupulous, dogged spy, Muska. The other is a band of sky pirates led by Dola, who sports a tough criminal exterior but has a soft heart.

Pazu and Sheeta band together to discover Sheeta's ethnicity and ties to the legends of Laputa, a flying castle in the sky.

I can see why Studio Ghibli is so revered. The animation style is gorgeous. For 1986, there is such beauty and detail in each frame. The movie is also well ahead of its time, juxtaposing industrialization and technology vs nature and humanity well before they became fashionable. It's an animated film that young kids and adults will find equally enjoyable.

The entire Pixar filmography can be credited to this film as it is one of John Lasseter's favorite films and heavily influenced his animation career.

I'm stoked to see what the rest of the collection has to offer.