Pluribus : The Present As Dystopia.

That Vince Gilligan just didn’t get enough of the bleak, desolate suburban spaces of Albuquerque despite the sprawling slow burn seasons of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is the feeling that I first had when I was mid stream, watching the first episode his new show for Apple TV, Pluribus. In fact, the proceedings early on had me wondering if this was a Kim Wexler spin-off again set in the Breaking Bad universe, for obvious reasons. On to this landscape, this time around Gilligan decides to paint a dystopian, post apocalyptic world, which I admit is not exactly a favorite genre of mine. Now that I am done with the first two episodes, the Albuquerque setting does make sense, there’s an unsettling palpable calmness to the air, that you almost want to be a part of, even in the midst of Armageddon. Especially if you happen to reside in a bustling city subjecting yourself to the corporate grind.

I think Contact when I see giant radars, as any sensible movie buff is expected to and Gilligan looked like he was in X- Files territory again, as the show unravelled. For a moment I wondered if Gilligan was straying into an absurd Kubrickseque setting, far removed from the grounded gritty transactions between characters that we are accustomed to as viewers of his brand staple. It also threatened to invoke memories of the pandemic. I found myself asking if I would’ve watched the show knowing the genre, if it wasn’t for the tag – “from the makers of, you know what”. That’s when the brilliance of the premise hit me, somewhere in the middle of the second episode, when I finally “joined” Gilligan’s vision.

Rhea Seehorn’s cynical, disenchanted fantasy fiction author probably is a representative of every individual on this planet today where we are connected to each other at unprecedented, unfathomable levels. Our thoughts, desires, dislikes and opinions are not just commodities to Silicon Valley giants but also ammunition to feed the rhetoric for political organisations and if nothing else just reasons for a stranger from the farthest corner of the globe to hate us outright. Leaders, thinkers and artists from Lincoln to Lennon have been attacked and assassinated throughout the history of mankind, for their ideas and opinions, just because they had a stage and a platform to reach far and wide. Today, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are those platforms to every individual on the planet with access to basic technology. Which is why Pluribus’s dystopia feels elapsed, not imminent.

Lokah Chapter 1 : Chandra – Malayalam Cinema Goes World Building, And How !

Underrated and cliche are two terms that are strewn about rather abundantly when movies are discussed. It would indeed be as cliched as it gets to say that Dominic Arun’s debut film as a director was underrated, at this point when he takes Malayalam Cinema into a different realm, literally, with his second feature Lokah Chapter 1 : Chandra.

Ever since the Spider-Man movies came out two decades back and the subsequent dominance of Marvel in the blockbuster movie business, every film industry in every corner of the world has been churning out their own versions of superhero films and cinematic universes. Some have failed miserably, some have remained one hit wonders and almost all have struggled to retain a distinct identity and in the end resort to latext suit tropes. Dominic Arun’s distinct and quirky visual style is evident here too and when he joins hands with Santhy Balachandran in the writing department the result is world building that would make any Marvel or DC studio executive proud. The writers draw from familiar folklores. myths and legends from the State of Kerala and successfully weaves those tales into an urban narrative that would appeal to the most skeptic manga fan of a viewer out there as well the crowd that grew up on “Aithihyamala”. One can’t but help feeling though that while they checked most boxes, the narrative does take a them-us tone when it comes to the bad guys, on the lines of state borders. Also disturbing was the rather unhinged violence featuring minors that brought to my mind similar thoughts I had while watching Logan.

The film loses little time in pulling the viewer into the thick of things and Nimish Ravi and Chaman Chacko are firing all pistons here in aid of Dominic Arun’s vision. Be it the introduction of Naslen or Kalyani to the salt spill- starry sky transition scene, the frames and visuals have a global appeal. Speaking of global appeal, Jakes Bejoy’s stellar work carries the film for its entire running time. Naslen, Chandu and Arun add life to the film, in that order and a major portion of the film plays out like a darker version of Premalu. A lot of familiar faces appear on the screen but the writers have done a decent job of making them more than just cameos and as a viewer you are already eager for the rest of the chapters. The presence of Raghunath Paleri I guess is what they call foreshadowing these days, especially when you see a surprise extended cameo that finds space in one of the post credit scenes too, considering Paleri was one of the minds behind the iconic My Dear Kuttichathan – you can see where I am going with this, if you have watched the movie already.
Sandy gets to play another scary guy here again. Nishant Sagar may get to flex his muscles in the chapters to come. Vijayaraghavan intrigues the viewer too and is another reason to look forward to the rest of the tale. Probably a mega cameo in the making too. You do feel that the film relies on action set pieces towards the end for a while than on the plot, but you barely notice it and probably they wanted to save it for the rest of the chapters.

Lokah is indeed a giant leap for Malayalam cinema and for Dulquer’s Wayfarer. Wunderbar deserves a thought here for believing in Dominic Arun’s unconventional pitch with Tharangam. Wayfarer did good to take note and I would say Malayalam Cinema is indeed in safe and very capable hands. Rorshach, Manjummel Boys, Bramayugam and now Lokah – when Malayalis dare to dream and break moulds and paths.

Thudarum : Tharun Moorthy Has Arrived.

Tharun Moorthy has probably established himself as the blockbuster director of the era in Malayalam cinema with Thudaram. Delivering a Mohanlal film that pleases the viewers and critics alike or at least one of the two is a task at which many a new and accomplished filmmakers and writers have failed on multiple occasions in the past two decades or so. Much like the recurring motif in the film, that of an untamed wild elephant, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Tharun Moorthy has taken the wild mammoth of an elephant that the actor and box office powerhouse Mohanlal is, by the tuskers and wrangled out a movie that will run amok in theatres wherever there’s a Malayali presence, across the lands.

The craft and skill of the director are evident and anchor the movie into the hearts and minds of the viewer right from the opening sequence. It is indeed heartening to see that Malayalam Cinema that’s renowned for content is achieving technical finesse of the kind that we’ve been envious of in movies from more established industries of late. Cinematography by Shaji Kumar is stellar in it’s entire running time. It’s almost impossible to talk about the movie without revealing spoilers of some kind and it makes perfect sense in retrospection when you think about how tightlipped Tharun and team were, about the movie. Wouldn’t blame him either, considering the recent experiences of filmmakers like Lijo Jose Pellissery. It has worked to an extent in the success of the film too, I dare say. The writer KR Sunil penned on social media that the film started as an idea when he saw man staring at an impounded car in a police station compound in a Kerala town. He has flexed that thought with Tharun Moorthy into one of the finest commercial movie scripts in recent times in Malayalam. Of course it evokes rather strong memories of Mohanlal’s iconic Drishyam and his other hit with his buddy Priyadarshan, Oppam, but who’s bothered when you are emotionally involved like only Mohanlal can make you, as a viewer. Personally I felt that the film is an antithesis to Drishyam in many ways and also to Sachi’s swan song, Ayyappanum Koshiyum which ironically to me was an antithesis to the hero archetype that Mohanlal himself was stifled to, since Devasuram. But that’s a thought for another day. The movie is also pleasantly littered with references to Mohanal film lore and the recent social media jibes, digs and trolls that Mohanlal has been subject to and of.

Much has been said about Prakash Varma the ad guru who makes his debut and holds his own against Mohanlal, which is something to say indeed. Having said that, it is indeed Mohanlal who delivers a performance that has shades of almost all characters that have endeared him to viewers over the years, who undoubtedly holds and carries the film like only he can. Tharun Moorthy has of course played to the gallery and no one’s complaining because the man obviously knows his game. Shobhana makes a come back on screen with Mohanlal and the dynamics against the family backdrop worked more for me than it did in Drishyam. Different movie, makers and unfair comparison maybe, but still an involuntary thought. Tharun Moorthy has extracted exactly what he needed for the film to work from the rest of the cast namely Binu Pappu, Irshad, Manianpilla Raju, Farhan Faasil and Abin Bino. Thomas Mathew and Amritha Varshini play Mohanlal’s children and Aarsha Chandini Baiju impresses in the few but crucial scenes she have. Bharatiraja and Ilavarasu makes apperance from Tamil along with actors like Arjun Asokan, Santhosh Keezhatoor, Shobi Thilakan and Suresh Kumar who apparently are more than happy to play roles that are cameos or a bit more in a Mohanlal vehicle. It would be a crime to not mention Jakes Bejoy who almost carries the film with fierce loyalty right from the word go. Even in scenes where the writing teases to falter, Jakes Bejoy comes to the rescue. And a moment of silence for Nishad Yusuf the editor who tragically passed before he could see the fruit of his efforts. More importantly Tharun Moorthy proves yet again that when Mohanlal is in the frame, backdrops, be it international locales or small towns, doesn’t really matter, as long has you have a decent story to tell, that fits and respects the icon that the man is, as an actor and a star. The saga, goes on.

Early Season’s Favorites : Paradise, Prime Target and Zero Day.

That all the hottest shows of the season seem to have something to do with tech or a tech wiz to feed the average viewer’s paranoia and interest is just more than coincidence considering the times we live in, I can’t but help presuming.

To reveal the genre of Paradise would be a spoiler in itself and unravels as a gripping thriller right from the first few scenes. Sterling K. Brown makes an impression and is in the company of James Marsden who refuses to age, apparently along with Julianne Nicholson and Sara Sahi – yes, she does her thing. The show does take a leaf out of the GoT book and put it to good use, IYKWIM. Can find it on Disney +.

Prime Target on Apple TV+ is probably best described as A Beautiful Mind meets The Da Vinci Code meets Good Will Hunting and have the likes of Leo Woodall, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Quintessa Swindell keeping us interested jn the proceedings on screen. Starts out like a slow burn nerd fest but shifts gears soon enough.

The latest to debut on Netflix, Zero Day marks the entry of none other than Robert De Niro to the streaming business – technically yeah Scorcese did that already – and you get to see an in form De Niro. “Meth Damon” makes a toned down appearance. The rousing monlogue early into the first episode is probably De Niro’s the finest moments in recent times though you may tend to disagree with the political rhetoric on display.

The Piano Lessons of Race and Heritage.

Denzel Washington brings yet another play of August Wilson’s to cinematic life with The Piano Lesson and makes it a family affair, coincidentally family ties and bonds are a crucial part of the narrative too. Directed by Malcolm Washington who makes his debut here, The Piano Lesson also has John David Washington in one of the lead roles. Samuel L Jackson is another prominent face in the midst of actors who make their mark in this film that bends genres.
Being an adaptation of a play, much of the movie focuses on dialogues between characters and most of it takes place in the living room of a house and hence heavily relies upon the sheer talent of each of the actors who appear on screen, backed by a screenplay written by the director along with Virgil Williams. The film starts out as a family drama and teases the viewer with elements of horror and folklore.

Like with any film that explores the history of the African American people, here too the themes of oppression and struggle are central. Malcom Washington makes an impressive debut and translates Wilson’s vision and that of his father like a seasoned auteur, on to the screen. Music plays a crucial role too, O Berta was a treat.

The Madness : The Times We Live In.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani were shot at in a bar in Olathe, Kansas by Adam Purinton on February 22, 2017. Purinton hurled racial slurs and asked them to “get out of his country” before opening fire. Another American, Ian Grillot was hurt when he attempted to help the Indian duo. Srinivas succumbed to his injuries. The parents of the victims would later blame the rhetoric of the Trump administration for the tragedy. If you think this is an American problem, look up videos and news of North Indian candidates being thrashed and driven away by “activists” in Maharashtra under the guise of protecting the employment opportunities of the locals. The Madness, that debuted on Netflix the other day delves into the human costs of such rhetoric and the “us-them” political narratives.

The politics of divisive narratives have always worked the way it did in Olathe. The individuals in the high towers whisper and the extremists with their heads to the ground prick their ears. Some dogs bark as they say, some bite and some are plain rabid. From BLM to Antifa to variations of 4Chan, catchphrases and hashtags that we have come to associate with uprisings and tools for instigations find a place in the plot line of The Madness. The show probably feeds on paranoia but the timing is eerie almost considering the influence big tech and social media have on politics and outcomes of elections these days. To speak of coincidences, the Alex Cross reboot on Prime too has an African American lead pitted against cabals of influence and power.

Colman Domingo plays the man who finds himself being drawn into the web of conspiracy around which the plot of The Madness has been spun. His family isn’t spared either and the character is torn between his desire to seek accountability and the urge to protect his family. John Ortiz seems to be the popular choice these days for supporting characters from the law enforcement community. Tamsin Topolski plays another central character in the show that attempts to empathise with the victims on both sides of the conflict. It is definitely not one of those feel good shows for the holiday season, rather a well timed one, with the US election results and impending swearing in. Whether you like it or not, there is no escaping the madness, as The Madness suggests.

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Gladiator 2 : Not Too Entertained.

Was I entertained ? Some yes, not really maybe. I have questions though, what was the point, being the most prominent one, not of the movie, the intent, rather the idea in fact, of remaking a modern popcorn classic. While it is a personal opinion that Scott peaked with Gladiator much like his main man in the original and never managed to scale the same heights again, I can only say that his desire to rehash his most successful work of the last two decades is entirely justified at a time when every other reel in your feed is about how great things were apparently in the past. The film early on reminded me of those posts on social media that talks about nostalgic pop culture elements and blows even the most mundane and mediocre from the 80s, 90s and 00s out of proportion.

Scott not just reuses the most popular and iconic lines from his original, but scenes and basic arc of the story too. From “strength and honor” to the one about one’s actions echoing in eternity, almost all the iconic lines are mouthed multiple times but rather in uninspiring ways in this so called sequel too, though it feels more like a remake with a weak lead than a sequel. The arc of the lead character and his journey to the Colosseum and the placement of the gladiatorial battles makes you wonder if you are watching a filmed version of a backup script for the original. Even the much talked about Rhino and Shark battles that Ridley purportedly wanted to do in the original but could not and managed to pull off this time around are not in the same league of any of the battles from it’s predecessor. The music is nothing to write home about either.

Though Gladiator invigorated the much dead swords and sandals genre back when it was released, bringing weak writing and a weak lead to a post Game of Thrones audience was rather suicidal I would say, now that I am done watching the film. The writers again looked like they have been watching too many memes when Denzel Washington walks up to Paul Mescal and almost says “my man” but actually says “my champion”. Connie Nielsen looked like she was rather meme-worthy in some scenes that demanded intensity. Pedro Pascal didn’t have much to do and Denzel Washington looked like the one having most fun in the midst. All things said, Paul Mescal isn’t Russel Crowe and those are not big shoes to fill, but giant ones, to be fair to him. And it’s Scott and the writers who have let him down in this sequel that won’t bore you until the final few moments and is functional but is a battle it will always lose hands down with it’s predecessor.

Trap : Don’t Listen to the Critics.

That Hollywood and it’s entourage have no love lost for Manoj Night Shyamalan is something that’s more than obvious and I have digressed on the subject briefly when I shared my thoughts on Split. Considering the budgets that most Shyamalan movies are made upon, none of them have made losses at the box office, even his forays into blockbuster territory, rather the vicinity. Shyamalan himself has gone on record when he spoke about mortgaging his house for The Visit and how his approach was so much against the system. Personally, even his worst movies as the critics would have us believe are more creative if nothing else, compared to the formulaic horror and thriller films that Hollywood rely on every year to try and set the registers ringing.

Coincidentally, rather eerily, it was at the screening of Longlegs that I came across the trailer for Trap and was hooked immediately.
Longlegs for me was just a lot of PR for a rather mediocre movie and in contrast, the early responses for Trap were biased if you ask me. Interestingly Silence of The Lambs came up in chatter about both movies, and I would go so far as to say that to speak of film in the same breath as Longlegs would be something akin to cinematic blasphemy. It was Shyamalan himself who said that Trap was pitched as Silence of the Lambs at a concert. Neither of the films are in the same league but I have to admit that I had more fun with Trap than Longlegs as a viewer though they are two different films entirely. And this is indeed Shyamalan’s most fun film to date too.

Josh Hartnett has been edging his way back into mainstream Hollywood of late and he is at the centerstage in Trap in more ways than one along with Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka who is making her debut here. Another problem that the critics had with the film was the fact that Shyamalan was using this film as a launchpad for his daughter’s music career, something that he made no secret of either. In fact the music and the concert are crucial to the narrative and it is indeed a fun ride, if you won’t take it too seriously. And trust Shyamalan to deliver a PG13 serial killer movie !

Deadpool & Wolverine : Superheroes are back !

For those who came in late, now that Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox are subsidiaries of Walt Disney Studios, it was just a matter of time and money and egos managed, before a reunion of all Marvel originals would be staged. There is no real “endgame” when it comes to superhero films and franchises, Deadpool reminds us here, and he tags along none other than Wolverine in a merger within a merger of sorts. That’s to say Ryan Reynolds is tasked along with Hugh Jackman to revive the superhero genre by Disney and Reynolds who wrote the film with director Shawn Levy does it in true Deadpool style, to the hilt, almost. All irreverence intact, less innuendo, probably because of the presence of probably the greatest actor to ever embody a superhero inseperably, Jackman. And he holds the record for that too, incidentally, despite Rober Downey Jr and the MCU.

Here Deadpool doesn’t break the fourth wall, there is no fourth wall, in fact. This film can approached for an analysis at so many angles that it would be analogy to the multiverse theme running in these MCU films. Not that it’s the kind of a film that needs an analysis. But yet, this is probably the most self aware, self deprecatory superhero film or rather any film to hit the screens ever. No one is spared, the Fox acquisition by Disney, the MCU lows in terms of box office and content, to the actors. Reynolds mouths the word exposition on at least two occasions that I noticed. It’s just about as meta as any form of popular art could get. The writing in the opening sequences are almost a subreddit comment section on anything ranging from studio businesses to memes, if you know what I’m talking about.

Watching Jackman perform, I couldn’t but help think if the actor was given his due by writers and directors out there, considering the powerhouse of a talent that he is. While you cannot as a viewer envision any other actor as Wolverine, he is capable of so much more too. Jackman himself has stated that he took inspirations from Clint Eastwood to portray Wolverine along with Mel Gibson. But he emotes too in his inimitable style, grounding the film, picking up from where he left off in Logan. It’s the perfect antidote of a screen appearance to everything Reynolds and Deadpool stands for. And they complete each other in more ways than one.

What made me sit up though were the cameos, easter eggs are not really a thing anymore in Marvel movies. One of those cameos has the ability to bring down any movie hall packed with 90’s kids. With Deadpool fighting to the tune of NSync’s Bye Bye Bye the movie makes it evident early on that it had every intention to bank on every element of nostalgia around. When staying back for the post credits scene feel nostalgic, you realize that you are not getting any younger and that time flies indeed. But again this film is all about irreverent unapologetic big screen entertainment and Deadpool delivers it with much help from Wolverine.

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Twisters : No Surprises Here.

This is a rant. Despite Jan De Bont fresh off the bus with Speed understandably wanting to follow up with a film that had some chasing to do and something faster, Michael Crichton and Helen Hunt, was never a huge fan of the original Twister. Bill Paxton has always been a used car salesman to the average 90s moviegoer. That didn’t help either. Hollywood was still exploring the possibilities of CGI and disaster movies pushed early boundaries. And in Twister, cows did fly ! Yeah it did make a good pop corn cruncher, just wasn’t my tea cup of storm, so to speak.

But that is not what my rant about. It’s rather inconsequential and I have no actual reason to be triggered by whatever it was that triggered me. Amblin Entertainment in the titles probably and the sight of the Indian university student maybe. I have on previous occasions come clean about my issue with Spielberg’s portrayal of Indians right from Temple of Doom days. Yeah he probably has nothing to do with this and I am not making any sense too but that’s how rants are, for the sake of argument. I should get to the rant now, here goes. Why does every Indian university guy in every Hollywood movie have to look like a dork or a nerd ? I mean we are Hrithik Roshans who walk out of choppers making Tiger Shroffs drop their jaws or Nivin Paulys fighting in the mud and walking in black shirts and white mundus, wooing lecturers too, not all of us are Harold and Kumar prospects. Indian dudes can save the damsels in any tornado distress too, just ranting.

Now that I am done, have to say Twisters make for some good pop corn crunching too. It’s just about as formulaic as disaster movies get. Someone makes a mistake, harbor regrets, shuns family and friends, happens to be an expert in the field, reluctantly agrees to show up, gets dragged into the thick of things and saves the day ultimately. In Twisters, true to the theme, things happen at breakneck speed and everything from screenplay to direction to performances are functional enough to make a decent run at the box office. I mean if a family had to choose between Twisters and Longlegs, I don’t exactly need to spell it out, do I?