Written by Basil

Watchlog

Ok, I admit my defeat! Inspite of promising myself that I would focus solely on college exam preparation and academics in general, I have given into my temptation and desire. (When I now introspect, I realize I have wasted a lot of time doing everything except academics.)

I am a big organization freak and turn insane easily if I find any part of my life going undocumented. (This is one of the primary motivations for this blog.) So, without further ado, let’s begin at the beginning.

  1. 2020
  2. 2021

2022

  1. Frances Ha | Noam Baumbach | 2012

Just the kind of movie you want to begin your year with. An innocent, “undateable” Frances, an indescribable friendship, artist’s apartment in New York ❤️, “All I have to show are my mistakes”, and Frances’ expectation out of a relationship monologue. I loved every aspect of it, really. (first watch: Jan 10th, 2022)

  1. Edge of Tomorrow | Doug Liman | 2014

Post midnight movie with friends in the hostel. Interesting premise but solely for entertainment. (first watch: Jan 16th 2022)

  1. Her | Spike Jonze | 2013

Explores the extremes of what it means to love someone. Asks interesting questions. Brilliant cinematography and incredible performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johannson. Didn’t disappoint. Found myself drawing haunting similarities with my life. (first watch: Jan 18th, 2022)

  1. Friends | Season 10

All I can say is “Wow”. It has been an epic journey full of love and laughter. I learned so much and found so much. It has been an incredible experience.

  1. Gladiator | Ridley Scott | 2000

Story of sacrifices, gallantry, bravery, and courage. Signature Ridley Scott. Majestic soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and co. Incredible performance by Russell Crowe. Thought I could pause midway but it was too riveting. Watched till 6 in the morning. (first watch: Jan 21st, 2022)

  1. Sex Education | Season 01 | 2021

Netflix production. Is it only me or does Emma Mackey has an uncanny resemblance to Margot Robbie? Anyway, I liked how teenage school dramas are becoming more inclusive. Good selection of songs, and pop culture refs. And now, I have made a sizeable addition to my British vocabulary :P.

  1. Paprika | Satoshi Kon | 2006

It’s obvious that I’m a fan of Satoshi Kon’s works. I should have watched this waaay before but anyway. Recommended by a friend. I want to expand my cinematic knowledge to other cultures. BTW, there’s a 2021 documentary commemorating Kon’s works. Yaaay! PS: OMG, Susumu Hirasawa’s OST is so addicting! (first watch: Jan 22nd 2022)

  1. Life in a Day | Ridley Scott and Kevin McDonald | 2010

Part of a course assignment but really heart-touching movie. People were asked to record a day of their lives in 2010 to record for posterity what it felt like to be alive in 2010. Found it slightly voyeuristic which is part of the appeal I guess. Novel idea. They also did 2020. It hits different the second time you watch it. (first watch: Jan 23rd, 2022)

  1. Special Ops | Season 1

Watched with wingmates in hostel. Entertaining.

  1. Sex Education | Season 02 | 2021

It is what it says on the tin but in a manner that is appealing to today’s teenagers. It breaks the tradition, cliched (and cringed?) pedagogy of sex education and educates us subtly while concealing behind a teenage drama. Impressive and ingenious. Looking forward to season 3.

  1. Won’t you be my neighbor | Morgan Neville | 2018

“Always know that you’re loved and are capable of loving”. I really needed to hear that right now. This is a documentary about Fred Rogers, a minister-to-be from Pittsburg, who by a turn of events got into television which was booming in the 60s. He wrote, produced, and directed “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”, a TV program directed at young children. Mr. Rogers’ incredible understanding of child psychology coupled with his minsiterial training allowed him to present really sensitive issues like death, validation, and even divorce to young children. I really, really enjoyed getting to know this ambitious and noble man. PS: This was on my list for a very long time. (first watch: Feb 1st, 2022)

  1. Paris vu par (Six in Paris) | 1965

I have taken to French cinema lately and it has been a rewarding experience so far. The movie at hand is an amalgamation of six different stories directed by six different directors, all capturing the spirit of the beautiful city of Paris. Stories of love, deceit, drama, humor, and even death. The plots are varied and wholesome. Worth rewatching just for the Parisian shots and the language. ❤️ (first watch: Feb 3rd, 2022)

  1. Friends: The Reunion | 2021

It was everything I expected it to be and more. It was hilarious to know these funny, little trivia and BTSs. And nostalgic, of course. (first watch: Feb 5th, 2022)

  1. Damage | Louis Malle | 1992

A tale of unbridled passion on the part of an ultra-rich minister coerces him to lose everything he had. Frankly, the plot was too single dimensional and lacking dynamics. Watched it only for Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche ❤️. (first watch: Feb 10, 2022)

  1. Sex Education | Season 03 | 2021

Highly entertaining and thoughtful. Felt like a drag at places. But it ended on another cliffhanger :/

  1. Deep Throat | Gerard Damiano | 1972

My eyes. My eyes! MY EYES!! What a terrible day to have eyes. (first watch: Feb 16, 2022)

  1. The Worst Person in the World | Joachim Trier | 2021

Stunning Norway! Each frame is so well-crafted. And then, the superb writing and the performances by Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen. Had a great time. (first watch: Feb 18th, 2022)

  1. Endless Love | Shana Feste | 2014

I think I just needed some pre-majors cinematic recharge and this movie fitted the bill perfectly. No excessive mental overhead, no complex characters to analyse, or exceptional plots. The kind of romantic mushy love-found-lost-found teenage love story that makes you excessively giddy. Yeah, cute story. (first watch: Mar 3rd, 2022)

  1. A Walk to Remember | Adam Shankman | 2002

Just timepass. Okay. I need to diversify my list! (first watch: Mar 5th, 2022)

  1. Licorice Pizza | Paul Thomas Anderson | 2021

LP is a coming-of-age love story set in the 80s. It chronicles the ups and downs in the relationship of a 25yr old girl with a 15yr old boy and follows both as they seek out their meaning and place in life, the boy involved in petty teenage activities while the girl matured and more pragmatic in her approach to life. Their huge age difference formed a major factor as to how they approached their relationship and most of the movie revolved how they “worked it out”. Relatively sparse, quirky events, and a tad bit long, I felt it was a movie designed to pass time. (first watch: Mar 12th, 2022)

  1. Spider Man: No Way Home | Jon Watts | 2021

Great post-production. Storyline sets the backdrop for Multiverse of Madness. Digged the action sequences. (first watch: Mar 28th, 2022)

  1. In The Mood For Love | Wong Kar-Wai | 2000

After I finished the movie, I had this intense want to re-watch the movie again. It’s that good. Great story, brilliant cinematography, acting op, soundtrack. I think it all fits in quite well. (first watch: Mar 30th, 2022)

  1. Chungking Express | Wong Kar-Wai | 1994

Someone rightfully said on an online review that “You will like Chungking Express if you like films.” Loved the cinematography especially those artsy shots. Also, the soundtrack is nice. (first watch: Mar 31, 2021)

  1. Sen Yasamaya Bak (In Good Hands) | Ketche | 2022

I guess this was my first exploration of Turkish cinema. Okay. (first watch: Apr 2nd, 2022)

  1. Zodiac | David Fincher | 2007

Yet another Fincher classic. Suspenseful right from the first shot up until the end. Leaves the viewer pondering, with that lingering aftertaste of an incomplete, yet perfectly told story. Much to be learned from Fincher. (first watch: Apr 14th, 2022)

  1. Fargo | Coen Brothers | 1996

Fargo is an Oscar-winning “comedy crime thriller”. Directed by the brilliant Coen brothers, it’s a fictional story of a inept car sales manager who pays a couple of henchmen to kidnap his wife in order to exhort money from his miser father-in-law. However, things go awry and end up pretty badly for everyone. Superb storytelling, that Minnesota accent, the stark white settings, and Mike Yanagita makes this a movie truly deserving of being included in many “Best movies of all times” lists. There are also subtle many subtle references to Alfred Htitchcock and Stanley Kubrick among others. (first watch: Apr 30th, 2022)

  1. Lady Bird | Greta Gerwig | 2017

Funny, balanced, mature. The story of this typical teenager girl from Sacramento who pushes through a financially unsound household, relationship, college, and just existence in general. Enjoyed it. (first watch: May 2nd, 2022)

  1. Skyfall | Sam Mendes | 2012

Typical James Bond movie. Post-minor fallout. (first watch: May 13, 2022)

  1. Everything Everywhere All At Once | Kwan and Scheinert | 2022

Nice concept but I think badly executed. Sick editing and mind-boggling cinematography. (first watch: May 19th, 2022)

  1. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone | Chris Columbus | 2001

Yes, this is the first time I watched this (stop with the shocked looks already, okay!). I was really meant to read first but time scarcity. Hence. I really enjoyed the Diagon Alley vibes. Been going through some shit myself and needed somewhere to escape. This perfectly fitted the bill. And then, Emma Watson 💜 (first watch: May 20th, 2022)

  1. One Day | Lone Scherfig | 2011

Had to force myself to stop so I could finish the book first. But worth every bit of it. Anna Hathaway in one of her fine performances. And loved that cockney accent. (first watch: Jun 02, 2022)

  1. Breathless | Jean-Luc Godard | 1960

Hm, what’s such a big deal? Oh. Wait. Wow, WTF, this is genius! (first watch: Jun 07, 2022)

  1. Millennium Actress | Satoshi Kon | 2001

Holy cow! I want to kick myself for delaying this gem of a movie for this long. In this movie, Kon tells a romance story in his style, bringing together drama, love, poignance, piquing our interest, keeping us arrested in the disorienting whirlwind that is his modus operandi. There is chaos and yet, it doesn’t feel chaotic. The blurry line between reality and imagination is a recurring theme in all of Kon’s works and in this, it outshines. As Chiyoko remarks at the end, “After all, what I really love is the pursuit of him”, we are forced to rethink the basis of our affection. (first watch: Jun 12, 2022)

  1. The Platform | Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia | 2019

A deeply metaphorical, introspective study of capitalism, exisiting societal structures, and the human nature. Has a quasi religious undertone to it. Intriguing and a good watch. (first watch: Jun 20, 20222)

  1. Badlands | Terence Mallick | 1973

A beautiful film from start to finish. From the writing down to each individual shot, it exudes a sense of artistic appreciation in the executor. Paced and balanced story, had a tough time deciphering the Southern accent (lol), nice soundtrack, great dialogues. Overall, ~justified of being in Ebert’s Best Movies list~ a good watch. (first watch: Jun 23, 2022)

  1. Scott Pilgrim vs the World | Edgar Wright | 2010

How do I even begin to describe this cherry of a movie? Imagine someone mixed video games, rock music, and a love story together. The plot, the execution, the brilliant cinematography, the creative editing (which I highly approve of), this movie speaks for something beyond its age. It’s a weird movie, no doubt. But in a good way. And that is the best kind of weird, really. So, the story follows this skinny Canadian boy called Scott Pilgrim who’s reeling from past breakup and own problems when he meets Ramona Flowers, an American hipster and instantly falls in love with her. But he must defeat every member of the League of Evil Exes to get to be with her. It’s the kind of boy-meet-girl, fall-in-love, can’t-be-together, fight-against-all-odds, now-together, happy ending, reimagined. And, the characters OMG! (And Mary Elizabeth’s Ramona is so hot (LOL)) PS: There are seven of Ramona’s exes. PPS: Every teenager should watch this movie atleast once! PPPS: And why only teenagers? (OK, I’m too excited but it’s a good movie, I can’t help it. Ok, bye) (first watch: Jun 26, 2022)

  1. Heat | Micheal Mann | 1995

Set in LA, Heat is the classic police-and-theif chase story with a heart. Follows Neil McCauley (Robert de Niro) as he crafts master plans to rob banks, and execute dissidents, manage a personal life, etc. with Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a LAPD Homicide officer on his tail. It’s a great movie on so many levels. Great writing, cinematography, acting. It managed to keep me at the edge of my seat till 3:30 AM (LOL). Great movie for a Saturday night with friends. (first watch: Jun 27, 2022)

  1. Lost and Delirious | Leo Pool | 2001

The story follows two teenager girls who are in love with each other but then one decides to act on the “log kya kahenge” narrative which leaves the other girl distraught. The movie essentially explores the intense disheaval and delirium that the lose of a lover can bring. I think the writing was disbalanced because the characters weren’t realised to their full potential (For eg: the head mistress and her side-kick). I can imagine that it must have been “blasphemous” for a 2K1 audience for it does have few “bold” scenes. Also have to mention that Indian song/composition by Yves Chamberland which seems so out of place. Since it is unnamed, I couldn’t find translation for the lyrics which is so sad. Yes, now I’m gonna go and read Macbeth :P PS: It doesn’t end well. PPS: Yes, this is me celebrating pride month at the end because exams 😢 (first watch: Jun 30, 2022)

  1. Mad Max: Fury Road | George Miller | 2015

This is the definition of action-packed. Amazing movie from all respects. Loved it. Can rewatch anytime. No breakthorughs in terms of technique or cinematography but exceptional usage of existing ones. Brilliant writing of course, and editing. Now I know what the hype is all about. Again, couldn’t take my eyes off it (!) (first watch: July 2nd, 2022)

  1. American Psycho | Mary Harron | 2000

American Psycho is a open-ended, metaphorical study of the American capitalist mindset. It takes the idea of the quintessential Wall Street banker and stretches that to its extreme. It is beyond doubt that this movie counts among the finest of modern cult classics. The suspense, the drama, the sheer terror of it all, the constant pinging question of the fate of the next person Patrick Bateman would meet. Bateman stands in the company of the finest villains such as Anton Chigurh, John Doe, and Hannibal Lecter. His presence in the frame itself is terrifying and to achieve such effect requires a mastery of the craft. I admit that the ending is ambigous. We never know if it was Bateman’s imagination or for real but I think that makes sense because in the high-class, ultra-rich American bourgeois circles, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. We see that detective Kimball was unable to link any of the murders back to Bateman and just to add to your annoyance, none of the “murders” committed by Patrick were seen by other people on screen. So, is Bateman the metaphorical representation of the American rich dog who is above law and order and can get away with any crime, no matter how heinous or is he the representation of the over-clocked American workman who has lost it under anxiety and tension? I watched this with a friend and totally enjoyed it. Brilliant cinematography for eg: the casual shot of Bateman opening his refrigerator door to reveal a severed female head wrapped in plastic or the stored dead female bodies in his closet. It’s how quickly Harron was able to escalate situations that makes this movie a super edgy watch.

Review 2 that I wrote for college newsletter:

American Psycho is an open-ended, metaphorical study of the American capitalist mindset. It explores the limits of the psychological derangement of the quintessential Wall Street banker. The tantalizing question of the fate of the next person Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) encounters keeps the viewers on their toes. Bateman stands in the company of some of the greatest villains of all time: Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men), John Doe (Se7en), and Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs).

Bale’s calm and cold demeanor lends a chilling edge to his character. We never find out if the events shown were fictitious or real, which mirrors the blurred line between fact and fiction in aloof aristocratic circles, American or not. We see that detective Kimball was unable to link any of the murders to Bateman, and to add to one’s annoyance, none of the “murders” committed by Patrick were seen by anybody else on screen.

Is Bateman the representation of the opulent, entitled American who can get away with any crime, regardless of how heinous it is, or the overclocked American workman driven to insanity by anxiety and tension?

Brace yourself, as Bateman sermonizes his victims to the music of “Huey Lewis and the News” or Whitney Houston in one scene and axes them in the next; or as he opens his refrigerator to casually reveal severed female heads wrapped in plastic. Psycho, without doubt, justifies itself as a modern cult classic.

(first watch: July 2nd 2022)

  1. Pitch Perfect | Jason Moore | 2012

A modern musical based on the A Capella style of music making. Enjoyed the witty dialogues and the deadpan, sometimes dark humour. Character arcs were explicit and it was fun to revisit contemporary songs in an A capella setting. Watched it with a friend and learnt a lot of A capella-terms. A-ca-awesome (!) (first watch: Jul 4th, 2022)

  1. When Harry Met Sally | Rob Reiner | 1989

Well, another classic off my list I suppose :p But it’s a hilarious and touching movie. Laughed so hard at the fake Sally orgasm in the deli scene.

(first watch: Jul 5th, 2022)

  1. Little Women | Greta Gerwig | 2019

Wow, so many memorable lines. I really should have read the book :P They mean well when they say read the classics. One would actually want to live with the March sisters as they go about their business. Each sister is so well developed as a character and Alcott diversifed so well that every teenage girl, irrespective of their era, would be able to identify themselves with one of them. Love the conflict in Jo March’s character. “I want to be great, or nothing” is so well-spoken. And then you have, “Writing doesn’t confer importance, it reflects it”. Cherry of a movie. Definitely watchable with kids around.

(first watch: Jul 10th, 2022)

  1. Blue is the Warmest Color | Abdellatif Kechiche | 2013

Ok. I can understand now what the protests were all about when this came out 9 years ago. The male director does seem to border on fetishizing lesbians. Other than that, I think it’s a great movie nevertheless, although a tad too long.

PS: I Follow Rivers is such an earworm, OMG!!

(first watch: Jul 10th, 2022)

  1. District 9 | Neill Blomkamp | 2009

Entertaining. Contains strong graphic violence. Liked the character arc.

(first watch: Jul 17th, 2022)

  1. But I’m the Cheerleader | Jamie Babbit | 1999

What’s this movie LMFAO? It’s so weird and cringey and unfinished. So, basically, a group of homosexuals are sent to a therapy school called ‘True Directions’ which is headed by a hot-headed (read: humorous) headmistress Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) who believes in the simple “five step” solution to “cure” homosexuality as if it’s a disease. Very cringey writing, humorous and memorable characters. Overall, a funny movie.

(first watch: Jul 18th, 2022)

  1. Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness | Sam Raimi | 2022

I expect MCU to deliver monotonuous, cookie-cutter, feel-good movies and it never disappoints. Great for when I want to “switch off” my brain. Also, WTF Wanda?

(first watch: Jul 19th, 2022)

  1. Phantom Thread | Paul Thomas Anderson | 2017

Reynolds Woodcock is a successful fashion designer who is also a pain in the ass. A man who lost his mother at a young age and misses dearly, he is the antithesis of what he projects on the outside, when he’s alone. The plot follows him and Alma Elson, an indomitable local waitress as they fall in love despite their differences and is beautifully told. There are some innovative camera shots in this movie.

(first watch: Jul 20th, 2022)

  1. Arrival | Denis Villeneuve | 2016

Arrival is Ted Chiang’s novella “Story of your life” adapted for the screen. Told in a non-linear chronological order by a Dr. Louise Banks, an accomplished linguist as she recalls events of the past and yet something of her manner of talking is disconcerting. She talks in “You’d” and “I’ll” as if she’s already aware of what will happen. And indeed, the movie explores the themes of determinism, free-will, and eventually Cassandra complex in the behaviour of its protagonist, Louise. There is ample food for thought to the budding linguists in the language and its consequent decipherment of the “Heptapods” - the creatures who arrived. Amazing perfomances by Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner (playing Dr. Ian Donnelly) alongwith brilliant direction from Villeneuve who is known for masterfully directing thrillers. Coherent and wholesome.

(first watch: Jul 21st, 2022)

  1. Inglorious Basterds | Quentin Tarantino | 2009

By style and execution, this is a Tarantino all the way down (The skillfully directed strudel scene with Landa and Shoshanna in a confrontational ballet (contrary to the popular opinion of the opening chapter which is still great nevertheless)). Divided into chapters, it tells the fictional story of a group of Jewish-American-Italian rebel group that goes about terrorizing the Nazis of occupied France and the chase by Herr Hans Landa, an SS officer and the main antagonist of the movie. Basterds lacked the chaotic harmony of Pulp fiction where Tarantino masterfully weaved multiple plots and storyline into a cohesive whole. In that respect, Basterds is a less ambitious ordeal. But let that not fool you from the exceptional cinematography and brilliant shots and compositions that once again proves Tarantino as a master of his art (Cue in the shot of a hesitant Shoshanna resting against a huge window). The characters of Landa and Adolf Hilter himself, written in their incredulously humorous and dumb-witted fashion, were reminiscient of Taika Waititi’s another great movie, Jojo Rabbit. Great anti-war story with humour but I presume that is only to counter the explicit gore and violence that is one of Tarantino’s regular motifs.

(first watch: Jul 21st, 2022)

  1. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara | Zoya Akhtar | 2011

This. Movie. Is. A. Vibe. Amazingly writing, beautifully directed. Loved the poetry, the drama, the locales. One of those few pieces of art that makes you want to leave everything behind, pack your bags, and just head out. Kerouac’s On the Road made me feel this way too. Definitely rewatchable!

(first watch: Jul 23rd, 2022)

  1. Rashomon | Akira Kurosawa | 1950

My introduction to Kurosawa. Rashomon is quite an accessible piece among his works. Loved it for the vivid emotions and the residual influence of silent films. That iconic “woodcutter walking into the forest” scene is visual pleasure for the cinephile. And I suppose there is enough said and analysed about the meaning of the plot, the puzzle of the “true” murderer, and the nature of objective truth and human psychology itself. In ~88 minutes, Akira Kurosawa takes us into a world bordering on the mystic and supernatural and shows us the power of ingenious cinematography, camera movements, and clever editing. PS: A more critical piece is in the pipeline.

(first watch: Jul 27th, 2022)

  1. Playtime | Jacques Tati | 1967

Read more about this widely acclaimed French movie here.

(first watch: Jul 30th, 2022)

  1. La nuit americaine (Day for Night) | Francois Truffaut | 1973

Day for Night opens to what sounds like a conductor orchestrating an arrangement. Cuts to a livid and bustling Parisian avenue in the daylight as the camera follows a man who follows and slaps another man.“CUT!” and we snap back to reality – a scene was shot. Day for Night, which borrows its name from a filmmaking technique that is used to shoot night scenes in daytime, is a film about films by the acclaimed French New Wave director, Francois Truffaut.

The rich French culture of appreciation of films as work of art shines through in this visual storytelling that verges on the metaphysical portraiture of making films itself. We follow director Ferrand (Francois Truffuat) as he fends a number of personal and professional problems of himself, the cast, and the crew to shoot a film called “Meet Pamela” – an adulterous tale in which the hero’s fiancee falls in love with his father.

In a voiceover he rhetorically asks: “What is a director? Someone who’s asked endless questions about everything.” and goes on to prove the validity of his answer. The film beautifully captures the multitude of things going wrong, taking unexpected turns, the improvisations, the cast whims, the cast breakdowns, crew management, the logistics, the producer, the studio, and what not. I strongly believe any budding filmmaker should watch this film atleast once.

What I appreciated was the fact that inspite of all hurdles, Truffaut manages to sneak in the fantasized, dream-like quality of cinema. Be it the bundle of book on filmmaking he got in order or montages of shooting set in beautiful composition accompanied by majestic upbeat music by composer Georges Delerue. He takes pride in his art like an artist in his painting. Ferrand’s a restless detective, drawing inspiration from even the mundanities of existence. During the shoot, he improvises words spoken by the lead actress during her personal breakdown and introduced them as dialogues for her character! Or when he steals a blue vase from the hotel because it would fit perfectly in the scene. To be honest, it is difficult to point out where Ferrand ends and where Truffaut begins. A bit mischeivous, a bit crazy.

Filmmaking is a difficult job and perhaps, the job of the director the hardest. This movie is a great starting point to begin to understand that.

“A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant, and a bastard.”

~Billy Wender.

PS: The 400 Blows next :P

(first watch: August 3rd, 2022)

  1. Irreversible | Gaspar Noe | 2002

Gaspar Noe is known for commenting on sensitive topics via heavily experimental, avant-garde films. In “Irreversible”, he undertakes the task of telling the story of an ugly and horrifying night in the life of a couple in reverse chronological order. We meet Marcus, wild and aggressive, who seems on the verge of a mental collapse, running across the city chasing someone by the name of Tenia. He’s the embodiment of aggression and violence: trashing, punching, smashing people’s heads. The frames captures raw emotions, a dillusioned Marcus as Noe tries to convey his world collapsing by swirling his camera all over the subject and beyond. The camera movement seems forced and annoying compelling us to empathise with the fact that all is not well in Marcus’s life and suddenly, the movements start to feel like poetic. The only point of calmness is his friend, Pierre, who accompanies him through the cacophonic night.

Marcus’ girlfriend, Alex, was raped and killed in the subway while Marcus and Pierre were at a party. Alex was fed up by a drunken Marcus and left for home alone. She was suggested to take the subway to cross the road as it was “safer”. The shocking and terrifying 9 minute long rape scene shook the Cannes audience way back in 2002. And yet, it is so enraging and horrifying to realise that this is how it happens when it does.

The movie takes a peaceful turn in the second half as Gaspar elucidates the relationship between Alex and Marcus. Their bedroom scene is so pregnant with irony; when Alex vehemantly disagrees to be treated like an object men can pass around; or when she smirks at Pierre, her ex, when asked about her sex life with Marcus. The smirk of a woman who prides herself in the secrets she keeps. Something broke in my heart when she said, “It’s always the woman who decides”. It is a well-written balance to the first half where Marcus rummages through the wastelands of Paris, through filthy sex clubs, through depraved souls, and through smashing skulls.

Gaspar Noe learnt everything in film school just to make sure he never uses them. I talked about the camera, floating in space like a spectre. There is a loud wailing noise in the background at all times. The color palatte is dark. We see subjects in glimpses.

PS: Heavy violence, gore, sexual content. Highly disturbing (like all Noe movies). Watch at your discretion.

(first watch: 4th August, 2022)

  1. The 400 Blows | Francois Truffaut | 1959 A classic that helped kick-start French New Wave. I loved the story and cinematography. It’s a movie that celebrates childhood, Paris, and the audacity to not listen. Loved it really. (first watch: 6th August, 2022)

  2. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Mike Nichols | 1966 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an American theatrical piece by Edward Albee adapted for the screen. It explores the dysfunctional marriage of a history professor and his infertile, tumoultous wife whilst commenting on other existential issues like facing realities and the nature of illusion and lies.

The play is set mostly in George and Martha’s house where they receive a young, newly-wed couple, Nick, who is a professor in the Biology Department, and Honey, his “slim-hipped” wife after a party hosted by Martha’s father and head of Institute. The ensuing conversation between these two couples and a number of scandalous, heart-breaking, and vicious events turn the night into a despicable hell-hole. The characters are rich in complexities and multi-layered who can be dissected for a long time and provide ample food for discussion.

The central piece of the play is George and Martha’s marriage and the hundred ways they cannot survive each other and yet surprisingly have stuck together for so long. It’s a childless marriage and a truth Marta chooses to hide by conjuring a phantom son who is sixteen years old. George was once an ambitious young man who has a wild childhood, and has failed to achieve much in life eventually to live off his father-in-law’s money, a fact Martha cruelly points out and it seems, likes to take pride in. Out of frustration, the couple lacerates each other and their guests in multiple avenues through the night. It is, to say the least, painful to watch. Words turn to acid that dissolves any affection, gestures turned murderous and appalling. George eventually breaks the reality to Martha that is, that they have no children, a fact that seem to finally cap the excited, nymphous middle-aged woman.

There is love between George and Martha when she, in one of her spontaneous fits, confesses her love for George in a very poignant and deep monologue.

Martha: Whom I will not forgive for having come to rest.

For having seen me and having said “Yes, this will do.”

Who has made the hideous, the hurting the insulting mistake of loving me.

And must be punished for it.

~Who’s Afriad of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee

Virginia Woolf stood as a woman who preferred to face realities instead of living in illusions. Hence, the curious title of the play eventually translates to: “Who is afriad of facing realities?”, an appropriate title to the play and made more stark when Martha says, “I am. I am” in her closing lines. It leaves us wondering whether we are afriad of Virginia Woolf too.

(first watch: 13th August, 2022)

  1. Kill Bill Vol. 1 | Quentin Tarantino | 2003 Wacky. Signature Tarantino style. Motifs of food, feet, and refreshing cinematography. Coupled with striking shots and engaging storytelling.

(first watch: 14th August, 2022)

  1. Kill Bill Vol. 2 | Quentin Tarantino | 2004 Ditto Vol. 1. Tarantino movies are immensely rewatchable not only from the entertainment perspective which makes them accessible to the inexperienced but also serve as study material for the budding filmmakers. (first watch: 15th August, 2022)

  2. Vertigo | Alfred Hitchcock | 1958

I can understand why this movie is included in the list of “greatest films ever made” and is included in the case study of every budding filmmaker. This movie did things differently for the first time. Introduced innovative cinematographic techniques (such as the “dolly” shot) that became the standard in every filmmaker’s toolkit. Pioneered computer graphic usage in films. In a way, it was one of the films that wrote how films should be made and which was how films were made for a long time. There is a residual and quite distinct 50s character and style to the film.

Film was a relatively new medium of expression and it shows. From acting to the continuation of shots. The concept of “getting into a character” was meagrely defined and was still being developed. Actions sometimes just feel “empty”. Camerawork, although revolutionary, was still not complete. The ability to storytell a scene via a collection of shots, though polished by Hitchcock, was still not there. This is very prominently portrayed by the last scene after the nun finds out two strangers on the bell-tower attic. So out of place, it made me laugh.

Loved the suspense. Loved the music and design. The compositions were marvellous. Hitchcock was a master of creating suspense. This movie shows how its done.

(first watch: 18nd August, 2022)

  1. Liberal Arts | Josh Radnor | 6.7

Saw a post on Instagram about the “We should hug” scene from this movie and I instantly knew that I had to watch it. Brilliant writing. The dialogues are chef’s kiss. The movie explores the themes of growing up, adulthood, and accepting changes. It tracks the life of a timid clerk who revisits his alma mater and attracts the attention of a college sophomore while soaking in his own nostalgia of college life and simultaneously battling the tinging realization of the irretrievable past. I could connect better with this movie probably because I’m in college but dude, those dialogues.

“You could go up to everyone here and say, ‘I’m a poet’, and no one will punch you in the face.”

You get to sit around and read books all day and have really great conversations about idea;

People out in the world, they’re not really doing that.

And many more. Also, did I vent how beautiful I think the title of the movie is. Should have gone to an art school.

(first watch: 23rd August, 2022)

  1. Barry Lyndon | Stanley Kubrick | 8.1

Barry Lyndon is a period drama set in 1700s England during the reign of George, the third. It is the story of an unknown young and ambitious man who through his cunning and bravado achieves much and just as quickly loses everything, as men often tend to become fools and meek after the attainment of a certain portion of wealth and fortune.

The film is a great starting place to study composition in films. The elaborate settings, the costumes, the props, the posture - Kubrick shows his meticule and attention to detail. The repeating motif of pull back shots is a characteristic of this film (The pull-back shot is generally used to reveal location around the vicinity of a character and/or serve as establishing shots). The masterful use of pull backs can be studied to understand when and when not to use a pull back. Loved it.

(first watch: 28th August, 2022)

  1. Vivre sa vie | Jean Luc-Godard | 7.9

Vivre sa vie (My life to live) follows a young girl as she descents into the occupation of prostitution. The story untolds in a set of 12 labelled tableaux (scenes but more disjoint in time and space). This film is a product of the French New Wave phenomenon and it is evident from the unorthodox camera movements, avant-garde cuts (cue in the ingenious gun shot scene with Nana in the cafe and Raoul outside). Tracking shots, gyrating shots, extreme bird view tracking shots, and static, almost fixated close-up shots with a disregard to the environment (often without any establishing shots), all of which helped establish Vivre sa vie as an iconic New Wave film. The chemistry and tumultous relationship between Godard and Anna Karina cannot be overlooked in any conversation involving the New Wave simply because of her creative influence on Godard in the creation of the new style.

In Vivre sa vie, she uses style, body language, and facial expressions to express the apprehensions of a struggling Parisian woman trying to make both ends meet. I personally loved the conversation with the philosopher (the 11th tableaux). The last tableaux is reminiscient of “Breathless” (the parallel will be obvious to those who have watched it; I will leave it to others to find out). A film about life and love. An art film.

(first watch: 4th September, 2022)

  1. Mulholland Drive | David Lynch | 8.2 My introduction to David Lynch. Let me be honest that I have been prepetually stalling this director only to watch one of his magnus opus on an inpulsive spree. And boy, oh boy, it’s incredible. Gave me literal chills. Horror, suspense, atmosphere, setting, hot lead actresses, mind-fucking thriller. All the hype I heard about MD being able to conjure successfully one of the most suspenseful atmosphere is, in fact, true. A great first watch of Lynch. Blue velvet next ;) (first watch: 5th September, 2022)

  2. Wreck-It Ralph | Rich Moore | 7.7 One of the feel-good movies, something I can count on Disney to provide when I need them the most. Amazing story, great character chemistry, the dialogues, the character design, the animation, sound design, the art, the creativity dude, the creativity. Loved it. (first watch: 6th September, 2022)

  3. Ralph breaks the internet | Rich Moore, Phil Johnston | 7 I mean I had to, right? How could I keep stalling this cherry of a sequel that delivers important life-lessons in a creative and beautiful way? Loved it. Quintessential Disney. (first watch: 8th September, 2022)

  4. Tokyo Godfathers | Satoshi Kon | 7.8 This remained on my list for a very long time. All Kon movies are delightful from his efforts in going that extra mile for the characters, to wholesome stories, and cinematography. Kon is a master of his medium.

In Tokyo Godfathers, he chooses to tell the story of three homeless bums who couldn’t be more different but somehow manage to stick around - a drinker and gambler who left his family, a homosexual, needy man, and a stubborn teenager who ran away from home after she stabbed her father. The story chronicles their journey through Tokyo of trying to find the mother of an abandoned child on Christmas and how they eventually the child’s godfathers.

Kon explores the theme of mother’s love but the theme is so subtle and fleeting that one only comes to terms with it at the climax. And I think that is ingenious and a nice way to outstand from the herd where the trope of “mother’s love” sits glaring front and centre, literal death by boredom. Kon keeps us so sufficiently distracted in all the happenings, the quirky characters, the action, the shocking twists to sneakily plant the theme in place.

Kon also takes liberty to sermonize us through the characters on love, life, people. However, compared to his previous works like Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, or Paprika, he lets his illusionist edge take a back-seat. The story is top-notch and real, and he chooses to put that front and centre. I loved it!

(first watch: 9th September, 2022)

  1. Call Me By Your Name | Luca Guadagnino | 7.8 CMBYN is a love story told in the span of a summer between a teenage boy and a researcher who is spending the summer with the boy’s father, an anthropology (linguistics?) professor. It’s a beautiful film, from the shots to the composition of scenes. I liked that aspect. It does a commendable job of capturing the anxiousness, apprehensions of immature experience of first love.

The centrepiece of the movie is Elio, the awkward, nervous lover-boy. He transcribes music, reads a hell lot of books, swims, doesn’t respond very well to invitations of love, is not competent enough to express his own, dozes off after jerking off, is excessively horny, does weird things when he’s around a lover, in short: he’s a schoolboy. PS: At one point, he is told to “grow up”.

On another note, Marzia (Esther Garrel). Oh. My. Fucking. God.

Too slow for my tastes but I guess that is by design. I actually left it midway some time back and completed it today.

“Is it better to speak or to die?”

(first watch: 10th September, 2022)

  1. North By Northwest | Alfred Hitchcock | 8.3

A trademark Hitchcock. A gripping mystery, a hero chase, beautiful heroine in distress, generous dollops of misogyny, engaging rhythm, creative cinematography. It was a good story that got complimented by the conversion to the film medium by Hitchcock and not the other way around. But what really stood out for me was the subtle misogyny and treatment of women by Hitchcock in his films:

Eve: I’m a big girl. Thornbill: Yeah, and in all the right places too.

WTF?

Or this,

Eve: Maybe it was the first time anyone ever asked me to do anything worthwhile.

(first watch: 13 September, 2022)

  1. My Sassy Girl | Jae-young Kwak | 2001

Based on the true story of a boy’s relationship that he wrote about on his blog, MSG was a phenomenal success in Korea when it was released. And now, when I have watched it, I can see why. It is quirky, hilarious, and heart-warming. It manages to overturn typical stereotypes of the society back then too. With a relationship in jeopardy, let’s just say it’s something I needed at this point.

PS: Extra points for that car drive scene and the resolution at the end.

PPS: My introduction to Korean New Wave lesgoooo!

(first watch: 16 September, 2022 )

  1. Vantage Point | Pete Travis | 2008

A refreshing new idea. So, the film is essentially a retelling of the story of the assassination of the POTUS at a peace summit in Spain through, you guessed it, multiple vantage points. Pete artfully divulges new information through these people’s perspective, kinda mimicking how no one agent in a system has complete information about an event but rather is distributed. This quality of an unreliable source of truth has often hastened critics to draw comparisons with Kurosawa’s Rashomon but I suppose that is too hasty and ill-founded. The Rashomon effect referred to the absence of confidence in the account of any narrator of an event. With a little thought, it can be seen that Vantage Point is not the same as the different vantage point only divulges more and coherent information about the truth that is generally agreed upon. It can be, interpreted as, an innovative mode of narration and sure, something that kept me engaged till the very end.

(first watch: 16 September, 2022)

  1. Waking Life | Richard Linklater | 2001

Waking Life is an introspective and rich movie commemorating and simultaneously examining human life and existence in general. There is no plot as such and nothing “progresses” in a conventional way. The protagonist is dreaming and talking to a number of people who are sermonizing him on a variety of topics, deep philosophical questions that loosely try to answer, “What are we?”. Linklater comments on linguistics, on morality, evolution, existentialism, the mind, politics, democracy (or lack thereof), of raw human emotions like hunger, anger, frustration, and what they lead to like murders, bombings, and war. There are two shots - one of a man who while talking to the protagonist on a sidewalk, sets himself on fire in broad daylight and another seemingly innocuous conversation between two pals in a bar which escalated into both shooting at each other. The pace of the movie is slow but it lends itself well to be watched at 1.5x or even 2x, just to keep one on their toes.

Linklater is known for creating immersive experiences out of human conversations (Before Sunset) and he does that here as well. Of course, it is futile to talk about this movie without talking about the unique visual style. I think it was a nice decision to animate the movie so as to allow that degree of freedom in more creatively expressing the dream-like premise in which the story unfolds. Kudos to the animator team. Loved those disorienting environment shifts, the floating buildings and trees. That had an enchanting effect on me personally.

My first impression was: Cool-ass movie where people ask deep philosophical questions. That still holds good.

(first watch: 17 September, 2022)

  1. Paterson | Jim Jarmusch | 2016

If I have to summarise this movie in one line: “The story of a modern man”. That may sound bland and simple but it isn’t. This movie follows a bus driver, Paterson (Adam driver) in the eponymous city of Paterson, New Jersey. He cuddles his wife in bed, wakes up at past 6, goes to work, takes his dog for a walk, hangs out in the bar. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his life and then you realise that is exactly what is wrong with his life. He is a poet and writes in free-verse in his “secret notebook”. A girl calls him, “A bus driver that likes Emily Dickinson”. He rarely smiles or laughs and when he does, he’s careful to draw back. Maybe it’s difficulty to communicate with others, maybe it’s loneliness. he loves his wife, loves his job, likes to listen to people having conversations on the bus - draws inspiration from everything around him. He’s a poet, after all.

His wife has big dreams. Wants to be a country star, bakes cupcakes that are a hit at a local community and earns her $286. The small wins that accrue. Revels in the rich history and heritage of his city. It’s a movie that will make one think deeply about things. Or maybe not. But that’s not the point.

(first watch: 20th September, 2022)

  1. Loves of a Blonde | Milos Forman | 1965

Loves of a Blonde is Forman’s concerns vocalised about an Eastern Czechoslovakia that is lagging behind its contemporary Western counterparts. He employs a number of elements to convey that apprehension. Being a jazz fan, he points out how Slovaks were still using traditional music in ballrooms whereas Beatlemania was raging in Western blocs (It was the 1960s, after all). He talks about the perception of sexual relations in contemporary Czechoslovak, consequent perception of woman, their doubts and concerns, outdated seduction practices. But at the same time, we see Andula, the heroine rebelling and making herself an active participant in her sexual lifestyle (supposedly a controversial idea at that time). We see her in an almost naked frontal shot, vivid and bright, like a fearless independent woman.

I like to think it was Forman silently talking about the next generation of Czechs waking up from their isolated worldviews to their Western counterparts and slowly coming to speed with the modern world. And of course, there is no dramatic plot or character transformation, although it is a feature. Overall, a gentle introduction to Czech cinema for me.

(first watch: 19th September, 2022)

  1. Blue Velvet | David Lynch | 1986

Blue Velvet is an American thriller neo-noir. Set in a small town called Lumberton, we are introduced to a potentially unstable masochist singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini) via the protagonist, Jeffrey, who has returned to town and has conveniently started romancing the local detective’s daughter (Laura Dern). With the romance of Jeffrey and Sandy forming a distracting side-plot, Lynch tells the story of Dorothy and Frank, “a very sick and dangerous man”, via, again, Jeffrey who is someone of a “mystery lover”, breaking into apartments and following criminals in the night. Frank has made a sexual slave out of Dorothy by blackmailing her about her kidnapped husband and son. Frank is killed. Dorothy returns back to sanity after uniting with her son and Jeffrey and Sandy are a thing.

Drawing obvious parallels between Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, I was better able to understand Lynch’s style, cinematography, and mind. Innocuous objects are lent a chilling dimension, common places (the stairway to Dorothy’s apartment, for example) are casted into mysterious and malicious environments, while characters hold central stage in stylization and dialogues as they enrapture the audience from the beginning. Of course, none of these contribute to the plot but manages to instantaneously heighten the suspense and drama of a scene, something Hitchcock would be extremely proud of. Blue Velvet has its share of absurdity and weirdness. For example; why the hell was that hooker dancing on top of the car while Jeffrey was being assaulted by Frank? The strong and lasting imageries that Lynch creates stems from his ability to appeal to the sensual and inherently absurd quality of the human mind. Sensuality, sexuality, the “primal instinct” (Remember Frank’s “I’ll fuck anything that moves”?), destruction, crime are such an important theme of the film. it is how Lynch views modern society, full of crime and lust - “a strange world”. Kudos to Isabelle R for incredible and bold portraiture of a disheveled mother and wife - a character of conflict herself when she cannot decide if she should report to the police or give in to her own pleasures that she draws from being slapped and beaten.

Mixed feelings about how I feel about this movie but in any case, it’s a must-watch. Masterpiece? I won’t go so far (That would be Mulholland Drive if anything). Managed to inspire Tarantino, Coen brothers, and the like. Influential. Yes, that.

“It’s a strange world” is a recurrent dialogue in the movie. It really is. I think the movie is Lynch’s expression of personal anguish of finding himself in a strange world and counting on the robins to arrive. Something we all can identify with, I suppose.

(first watch: 23rd September, 2022)

  1. Psycho | Alfred Hitchcock | 1960

For my thoughts on Psycho, read this.

(first watch: 24 September, 2022)

  1. Fantastic Mr. Fox | Wes Anderson | 2009

A rather curious visual style adopted by Wes Anderson that is reminiscient of 3D stop-motion with clay models.

Once in a while, it is uplifting to watch movies like Mr. Fox, within which you can get lost and take a break. A reverse Icarus character arc, adorable characterizations, and the visual style. That’s what I remember.

Oh, and this :P

Boggis and Bunce and Bean,
One fat, one short, one lean.
These horrible crooks, so different in looks.
Were nonetheless equally mean.

(first watch: 24 September, 2022)

  1. Four Lions | Chris Morris | 2010

Four Lions is a British dark comedy satire commenting on the state of Islamic terrorism in the UK, their perception by the general crowd, and the eminent danger they pose today. I cannot begin to describe how cleverly written and well-researched this film is. I was laughing so hard in places.

The plot shows four (five actually) Muslims in London who are wannabe terrorists and how they want the ummah to rise up, their disgust for homosexuality, collective hatred towards consumerist, capitalist Western culture, and on and on. I don’t wanna spoil it for you but it’s a must-watch. What it manages to do is develop a powerful message about a controversial and sensitive topic in a humorous and light-hearted package.

Sample this: “Just because I’m a Muslim, you thought it was real?”

(first watch: 26 September, 2022)

  1. Reservoir Dogs | Quentin Tarantino | 1992

A bank robbery gone wrong. In Tarantino land. Identifiable motifs - men in black, car trunk scene, generous dollops of gore and violence, blood, blood, blood, gunshots, distrust, and a phasic narration style.

Six ragtags men are assembled to pull a daylight diamond heist but the maneuver goes wrong as police bust their plans. The story picks from this point where characters deliberate, ponder, and fight over the existence and identity of an undercover cop amongst them. Distrust, fear, and suspense are held in these scenes meticulously, in their carefully crafted dialogues to their behaviours. Sandwiched between these dialogues which mostly unfolds in a warehouse garage, Quentin tells the backstory of these goons. Quentin shows how creating good cinema does not require elaborate sets or a big bulky budget.

And that climax, OMG.

(first watch: 27 September, 2022)

  1. A Trip to the Moon | Georges Meiles | 1902

Oh, so finally we’re here. At the beginning. This 15 minute science-fiction short is what most cinema historians consider as the realisation of the art of the moving camera as a form of art. It is plenty evident from the style, presentation, and techniques of an early explorer’s pioneering efforts. As if they are surveying a new found medium, defining new limits and new “laws”. The remnants of theaters are obvious too. Meiles was more of an illusionist than a director just like directors of his era. The idea of expression realism developed much later but the basic gist of cinema remains unchanged (and which we find stark and central stage in ‘Le Voyage das la Lune’): story-telling.

Georges was an absurdist, and a visionary. There are long static and wide shots, strictly defining the boundaries of what’s in frame and what’s not. The realisation that the frame itself can be dynamic through the film was unknown to these early adopters. The claustrophobic shots is one of the features that stood out for me, along with interesting camera trickery that gave varied effects on screen (superimposition of the human face on the moon, perhaps one of the most iconic cinematic images). It is ironic to think how just seventy years from when we specualated of going to the moon, we actually did go to the moon.

Another interesting exercise, as I was led to believe online, is an interpretation of ATTTM. Most accepted theory is Meiles criticizing man as a bringer of chaos and highlights the destructive nature of man. They “invaded” moon and crashed into the moon-people uninvited. We may choose to laud these gentlemen on Earth for their accomplishment and bravery, but as soon as images of the moustacheod professor/astronaut spanking moon-residents with his umbrella kicks in as they disappear in a puff of smoke, we are led to rethink our zeal. After the end of 15 minutes as we stare at the tall statue of the astronaut, we are led to think what have they actually accomplished?

(first watch: 27 September, 2022)

  1. Django Unchained | Quentin Tarantino | 2012

Django Unchained is a Western action film by and follows Django, initially a black slave in a pre-Civil war USA in the South and his subsequent rise, through a fortuitous turn of events, to become a formidable bounty hunter. It is also a dark and serious commentary on the ill-treatment of blacks by the whites. Never has such passion erupted in my heart as watching the atrocities meted out to the blacks in this film as any other. It has been a fastastic experience (which QT film isn’t?). Scenes with suspense are so exceptionally composed, one might mistake to not be watching them but actually be in it. There was a tension between the whites and the blacks back in the 1850s. It is the same tension that Tarantino manages to weave into his scenes that lends gravity to the story. (For eg; Periodic pistol-clocking by Django under the table.)

Django is an exceptional character in its own right. A talented shooter who has a formidable level of confidence and grit. One of the good Western’s out there. (Oh I know, I should finally move my ass to watching The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly but oh well).

Auf Wiedersehen.

(first watch: 29 September, 2022)

  1. Slumdog Millionaire | Danny Boyle | 2008

SM is a shining example of how incredibly wrong people can be. Almost slated to be released in DVD, it was finally released in theaters after much tussle within Warner Bros. Recognized as a sleeper hit, it went on to win 8 Oscars in 2008 - yes, 8, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

SM is a “rags to riches” story of an uneducated 18 year old slumboy named Jamal Malik who went on to win 2 crore rupees on a television show. Suspected of foul play, he is arrested by the police and chronicles his accumulated his experiences of growing up and how he knew all the answers. Visually disturbing and starkly true, SM reminds me of White Tiger but only better. Loved the fairy-tale ending that balances well with the social commentary on the condition of slum kids. Must appreciate the cinematography, editing and acting by Dev Patel. A great place to get to know India.

(first watch: 1 October, 2022)

  1. Blue Valentine | Derek Cianfrance | 2010

Blue Valentine is a poignant and melancholic depiction of a failing marriage, a marriage decided circumstantially and in haste. It adopts a bi-narrative style telling the story of how the marriage came to be and how it is painfully disintegrating in the present. It balances the narrations well and I think that is a differentiating point. PS: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams make for a cute couple.

(first watch: 1 October, 2022)

  1. The French Dispatch | Wes Anderson | 2021

I have written my thoughts here.

(first watch: 2 October, 2022)

  1. Nocturnal Animals | Tom Ford | 2016

Nocturnal Animals is an interesting American psychological thriller. It tells the story of a rich and successful art curator who receives a copy of a new book written by her ex-husband whom she left for being less ambitious. As she reads through the story (which is also visually narrated to us), she slowly descends into depression as she realises how wrong she has been. At the end, she tries to redeem her mistake by trying to patch things with her ex-husband as her current marraige is failing and she’s pretty sure her husband is sleeping with other woman. The narrated story is about a man who lost his wife and daughter on the highway to Texas to a bunch of goons and found them raped and murdered later. Partnered with a cancerous police-officer, they manage to find the culprits who are murdered in increasing degrees of gore before he shots himself. So, yeah, kind of a mindfuck. Two parallele narrations and the innovative switched between them is interesting. The impressive use of sound and environment to create an atmosphere of increasing suspense and terror is commendable. Overall, it’s a nice entertainment piece.

(first watch: 3 October, 2022)

  1. Moonrise Kingdom | Wes Anderson | 2012

Unlike other Wes Anderson movies, Moonrise Kingdom is a profound inquiry into the psychological tendencies of young children. It explores the themes of orphans and disturbed childhood. But of course, it raises these serious issues in Anderson’s light-hearted, peculiarly comical manner. We get what Anderson is telling us but don’t get overwhelmed. The message is there, it’s just a little subtle.

We follow Mr. Sam Shakusky, an orphaned twelve-year old Boy Scout who resigns from his position to rendezvous with his love interest, Ms. Suzy Bishop, an emotionally perturbed tweleve-year old girl who Sam had the chance to fancy at a performance where she played, conveniently, the raven. Their elopement was not spontaneous but involved an intimate and detailed correspondence via letters that now, Mr. and Ms. Bishop, victims of a failing marriage themselves, as Suzy spots her mother secretly spending time with Captain Sharp, the local Island police, have found and call for a search. With Sam’s exceptional Scout-boy skills and Suzy’s considerable inventory, they spend time on Mile 3.25 Tidal Inlet AKA the “Moonrise Kingdom”, only to be separated later by Scout master Ward and Suzy’s parents. The plot gets more involved but in the end, they get back together.

It’s a sweet and charming children’s movie with a little bit of objectionable material for kids. It portrays that crazy excitement of first love and kissing/being kissed for the first time. The awkwardness, the alienness, and the exhilaration. Charming and poignant in its own way. While at the same time commenting on the mental condition of an orphan who is sent to foster parents who send him to Boy Scout (And who later disown him after they hear that he’s a runaway), and a twelve-year old girl who finds a book titled “Coping with the very troubled child” with her parents. Indeed, books are an integral part of the film as Suzy loves to read books about female leads (that she stole from the library, haha) to Sam. The books, themselves, are not rugged or real but maintain that ornamental “doll-house” quality so common of props in an Anderson film.

We see two kids, untouched by the corruptions of the world yet, who identify with one another and decide to heal each other just as well. In Moonrise Kingdom, we see a different aspect of Anderson. He celebrates childhood, that transient, innocent time of our lives.

(first watch: 4 October, 2022)

  1. The Kashmir Files | Vivek Agnihotri | 2022

The squabble and controversy that abounded the release of this movie was justified. TKF is a hard polarising movie if consumed without context or history and thus, a conveniently dangerous trigger for the impulsive youths. Facts are heavily distorted, sometimes even changed just to fit a one-sided narrative that Agnihotri has tried to propagate in this movie. Ironically enough, in a movie which likened the Kashmiri Pandit exodus to nothing less than the Holocaust, I could safely argue that that movie is infact a propaganda film aimed less at narrating an unbiased history but creating disbalance and enmity in society.

Clocking at a whooping ~170 minutes of runtime, the story of Kashmiri Pandits is told in which the sympathy rests solely with the Pandits. A wobbly plot, lame writing, and an incoherent presentation of information makes for a jarring watch if only countered by impressive performances by a relatively star-studded cast. Anupam Kher as a distraught Kashmiri Pandit comes to mind. Suboptimal acting by the protag made me cringe but it is Bollywood after all and we cannot escape drama. The legacy, lore, and myth of Kashmir was presented in a manner that seemed more to mock the audience for not knowing such an important piece of Kashmir’s legacy than to provide that information. There is considerable gore and blood shown with explicit scenes of assault and murder. Again, the objective seemed less to provide context to an “unbiased” telling of the history (which was, of course, absent) but to instigate a new generation of youth into cornering a certain section of the society as malicious. Yes, a piece of Agnihotri’s fetishized reality.

In all the crossfire, Faiz’s poetry Hum Dekhenge is distorted to conveniently fit into the narrative by invoking traditional Islamist fundamentalist views and somehow managing to interpret the poetry in that light. In his rallying to identify with the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, Agnihotri manages to paint a more blood-bathed picture of the Valley than the paradise that it really is.

In conclusion, my original advice of consuming his movie with considerable perspective and context is essential to sift facts from fiction. Or to not consume this movie altogether.

(first watch: 5 October, 2022)

  1. A Clockwork Orange | Stanley Kubrick | 1971

Read about my thoughts here.

(first watch: 6 October, 2022)

  1. 13 going on 30 | Gary Winick | 2004

I know, just little harmless things I do sometimes. A relatively less mentaly demanding chick-flick. Liked the references esp. to Blue Velvet, Talking Heads, and Jesse’s Girl.

(first watch: 07 october, 2022)

  1. Minority Report | Steven Spielberg | 2002

If you ask me to describe Minority Report, I’ll call it a movie of ideas. Directed by Spielberg, it’s a testimony to changing times, changing technology, and Spielberg responding to that change (Ready Player One anyone?). Based on a Philip K. Dick short story (yes, this guy seems to supply most of our sci-fi plots), we are introduced to the Department of Precrime whose job is to stop perpetrators before they commit the crime. They are able to do this with the help of three “Pre-cogs”, surviving humans from a failed genetic experiment with a superpower. The movie is highly debatable and thought-provoking asking the obvious questions of the morality involved in arresting someone before they commit any crime and the difficult question of choice, free-will, and determination. As someone explained, the Pre-cogs don’t show what you intend to do but what you are going to do. So, when John Ardenton (Tom Cruise), the officer in Precrime gets to know he’s gonna murder someone, he starts a chain of events that with the intention of preventing that event, will inevitable lead him to it.

Setting these questions aside, we come to the engaging story because it is essentially a crime thriller with a Christie-esque (God, I have to work on my portmanteaus!) whodunnit undertones. It got fairly predictable towards the climax but it was entertaining for the better part.

Spielberg manages to paint a “plausible” futuristic vision in this film where “plausible” is defined (tongue-in-cheek by me) as not cringe enough to make me gawk but acceptable. It is a loose definition by intention as it is difficult to predict the future (no pun intended :P). Impressive computer interfaces, futuristic cars, a centrally surveillanced city system, advanced law-and-order equipments, it was cool.

Now, coming to direction and cinematography. The building surveillance scene with spyders while Ardenton is on the run is nicely shot in bird-eye view. It’s a brilliant decision because the nature of the policemen is voyeuristic / intruding and nothing could have captured that better than a God-like bird-eye shot of the residents. This is just one example I can think of right now. Engaging camerawork. Loved it.

(first watch: 09 October, 2022)

  1. Punch Drunk Love | Paul Thomas Anderson | 2002

Hmm. I remember starting this movie way back and leaving it around the 30 minutes mark because nothing seemed to be happening. Now, that was quite naive of me but on a second attempt, I understood that those first 30 minutes in a 90 minute film does tell the story by not telling any.

Punch Drunk Love is a simple and profound story of love and finding love. It is essentially a brilliantly told character transformation story. We meet Barry, our protagonist and immediately figure that something is off. He’s heckling a customer care line about how their frequent flyer offer outvalues the price of the product monetarily. Not talkative, small brother with seven sisters, scruffy around people, anxious about social gathering, wearing a suit at 8am(!), everything seems strange about him. Some really cool shots worth mentioning are the piano stealing scene and the three cut shots of Barry looking down at the piano from three sides. It’s so beautifully executed. Barry is a lonely grown-up man with a crying problem. He loses his temper often and ends up kicking and shattering glass at her sister’s birthday. There is a beautiful shot of Barry with drooped head and Anderson pans the camera to the left to reveal an empty dinner table (typically where loved ones converse) showing how lonely he is. Again, brilliantly done. He’s talking to his brother-in-law and talks about how “I don’t like myself sometimes” and “I don’t have someone I can talk to about things” and “I sometimes cry a lot for no reason.” Now, these are serious issues and very much real in today’s society. Anderson is talking about real condition of real men in the real world. There’s this line “Everybody would be there and I’d get a little tense and I won’t act like myself” and I broke a little inside.

As much as it is a story of Barry, let’s talk about the agent that brought about his transformation. Lena Leonard, the woman in the red dress. The more she got to know him, the more she accepted him, something he needed. Being caught in the wrong company by a phone-sex line gang, after he falls in love with Lena, he goes all the way to Utah from L.A. just to tell the guy that he’s not afraid of anything because he has someone who loves him. It’s not so much as telling the guy but telling himself. That’s something he has been wanting to listen to and now, it’s there. This is where he derives his new-found power from. No more the timid, hesistant, and awkward Barry. But have I talked about the single most memorable shot of this film? Yes! The Hawaiian rendezvous! The framing and composition, the choice of silhoutte, the body language, omg! It blew my mind really.

PS: I saw this movie featured in a StudioBinder video on yt and got reminded of leaving it midway so here we are.

(first watch: 09 October, 2022)

  1. The Big Lebowski | Coen Brothers | 1998

TBL is a evident departure by the Coen brothers from their element and yet threads close to the spirit of a Coen production. It is a comedy-drama that follows a Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a pot-bellied, failed bum, who joins his friends, Donny and Walter, in bowling tournaments diligently (and pretty much nothing else). But things go awry when two rogues come and piss on his rug, mistaking him for another Jeffrey Lebowski, a namesake and a more accomplished individual with considerable reputation and a hot-chick wife who is in debt from a Mr. Jackie Treehorn. Our Jeff or “Dude” as he likes to be called, is slowly embroiled in a progression of different cacophonies. And that is essentially it, a million dollars in ransom, a kidnapped wife and a quest to bring her back.

TBL works for its very well-written characters, tidy cinematography, and story-telling. Walter Sobchak is a truly eccentric character, a short-tempered good-for-nothing who manages to fail in everything and bring the Vietnam war into every conversation. A man who loves rules and gets real upset real fast if he finds people flunking rules, Walter is just one example of a memorable and eccentric character. Infact every character lends a unique charm to every scene and create a humorous environment overall. This is a departure from the usual Coen characters who create a chilling aura on screen (Anton Chigurh from No country for old men).

Enjoyed it. Oh, and Julianne Moore. And that opening bowling game scene in slow-motion chef’s kiss.

(first watch: 21 October, 2022)

  1. The Double Life of Veronique | Krzysztof Kieślowski | 1991

  2. Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki | 2001

  3. The Usual Suspects | Bryan Singer | 1995

  4. Some Like It Hot | Billy Wilder | 1959

(first watch: 7 November, 2022)

  1. Sunset Boulevard | Billy Wilder | 1950

Sunset Boulevard is an American drama/noir film executed to the highest degree of perfection. It follows a forgotten, old actress, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who lives in her own imaginative fiction where she believes she is still adored by her fans, and respected by her colleagues. The progression and eventual breakdown of her mental psyche makes up the core plotline for the film. On the other hand, we have a struggling screenwriter who stumbles upon her palace of comfort and seclusion and ends up becoming a follower/submissive?. He is trying to come to terms with his inability to “make it big” and accepting his failure with resignation. The internal conflict of these characters form an interesting dynamic throughout the film and presents multiple real-world conundrums through it. The characters are very well-developed and presented. A shoutout for Ms. Desmond’s house which is an exquisite example of a mise-en-scene. The film is engaging and keeps one on the edge and yet is not horrific. It asks deep questions through the characters and invites us to understand their plights. To all the praises I have heard about SB, I think it deserves all.

The element of a dashing broke male protagonist becoming the object of affection for a plural number of attractive females or vice-versa (As seen in Some Like It Hot) seems to me a popular story device of the 50s. Here too, we see Betty Shaefer and Norma Desmond fall for our charming little gentleman, Joe Gillis. As a matter of fact, I found little misogynistic comments / dialogues than Some Like It Hot which seems to be a mark of the era rather than the director’s mindset themselves.

(first watch: 8 November, 2022)

  1. The Truman Show | Peter Weir | 1998

The Truman Show is an avant-garde piece of cinematic writing. It asks deep questions in an innocuous disguise. There are many clever references as treats for the inquisitive ones. And, it is a most wholesome of the so-called “happy endings”. I loved the unconventional voyeuristic camerawork that delibrately gave out the impression of being watch. That coupled with sneaky writing on the events and plotline lend extra suspense as we knew something was off from the beginning but couldn’t really manage to place it. TTS does a great job of arresting that suspense in a fulfilling manner. Questions of morality, personal freedom, the television, internet, online voyeurism, tracking, social engineering, illusion, facade, and so much more, just pours out of the premise itself. I’m sure, something new will come out of TTS everytime one sits to watch it and it will lead to a healthy amount of debate and discussion everytime. (first watch: 12 November, 2022)

  1. Double Indemnity | Billy Wilder | 1944

Double Indemnity is an American neo-noir thriller with many twists in the plot, subplots, complex characters, and weird-ass 50s dialogues and acting. It is Billy Wilder’s crazy experiment into creating a cinematic flick that would attract a cinema-going audience and also manage to establish him as a visionary in American film landscape. Double Indemnity, at its heart, is a tale of trust and deceit. Characters build trust and end up both betraying and getting betrayed simultaneously. A healthy dose of 50s American slang, sometime getting too mentally jarring to comprehend. Signature Wilder with his cocky weird-ass jokes that would be better received by an audience of the 50s, I guess.

All in all, a nice continuation of exploring Wilder’s works.

(first watch: 19 November, 2022)

  1. The Man Who Stole The Sun | Kazuhiko Hasegawa | 1979

The Man Who Stole The Sun is a Japanese dark humour comedy which follows a meek school science teacher who ends up making an atomic bomb in his apartment and quite literally brings the whole Tokyo state police to its knees. It is a deeply engaging movie with a lot of plot twists and thought-provoking events. With some wacky and interesting editing, the stop-motion theft of plutonium from the reactor sequence comes to mind, the shot composition, and the overall cinematography in this film is top-notch.

There is a bit of everything in this ~150 minutes long film – action squences, car chases, murder, gore, romance, comedy, music. TMWSTS explores two very different themes – the anguish and determination in the life of a lonely young man. Who wouldn’t sympathise with Mr. Kido AKA the A-bomb man, #9, and Bubblegum when Inspector Yamashita yells in the end scene, “That’s who you really want to kill-it’s you!”? At the same time, we get a glimpse into the destituted and utterly inept condition of state authority as they try in vain to nab the perpretrator. We are forced to question ourselves, What good is it to rest our trust for security in a state institution like this?

I loved the soundtrack in this movie. It was layered and beautifully executed. And the shots, ah. Whatever be the case, right out there with the likes of Akira and Spirited Away, TMWSTS is a classic Japanese flick that is an eye-candy to watch.

PS: I got to know about this rather obscure film (and many others) via this newly discovered YT channel called The Kino Corner. Check out their video too! (first watch: 22 November, 2022)

  1. Napoleon Dynamite | Jared Hess | 2004

Hmm, how do I describe Napoleon Dynamite? It’s a funky movie set in the middle of nowhere of Idaho and follows the titular character of Napoleon Dynamite who is far, far away from being anything close to a dynamite. Infact, characters seem to be in semi-sleep deprived state ironic given the title of the film. With very minimal and almost no action, NB manages to irk out some laughs and certainly some chuckles with clever writing and a slapstick-esque comedy style. It’s stupid and wacky and feels senseless but once you see it, you realise that is the beauty of it.

It’s a story with profound plotlines and memorable characters. It’s about finding love beyond barriers (The hilarious Lawfunduh and Kip tale), and priding in being the underestimated, neglected underdog who rises when the time is ripe. It’s a hilarious movie and worth watching just for the sake of Napoleon and the kind of (mis)adventures he is a part of.

PS: They also made an animated 6 episode series out of this.

(first watch: 24 November, 2022)

  1. Stuck in Love | Josh Boone | 2012

Stuck in Love combines literature and romance into a feel-good flick where defective characters eventually “find themselves” via experiences of love and beyond. It follows a family of a successful writer father who has been divorced for three years but finds it hard to move on. His two kids, a shy teenager boy who loves Stephen King and is socially awkward and his promiscous daughter who simply refuses to believe in love and dating because of the scars her parent’s separation left on her. It’s a story where characters eventually gain understanding, perspective, and clarity that the meaning of love is different for everyone. It ends on a happy note so there’s that. Loved the literature references such as ref to “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Craver where he ends,

I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone’s heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark. ~What We talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Craver

Wow.

And how Flannery O’ Connor, an American novelist and essayist said that the first 20 years of experiences is enough to inspire a writer for the rest of their creative output. I sooo love this.

PS: It had Jennifer Connelly in it. gasp

(first watch: 25 November, 2022)

  1. Dogtooth | Yorgos Lanthimos | 2009

What is Dogtooth? To be honest, I don’t know. Is it a work of genius or just another director’s brain fart? Is there a deeply embedded and profound message in the film or are we just left to our devices to find one where none exists? It is hard to say. It is set in a Parasite-esque sprawling residence complete with all amentities where the parents have brainwashed their three children into confining them to the house. They go to great lengths to do the same, reinventing words and changing their meanings (“Zombie” is a small yellow flower, for example), faking the death of their imaginary brother by a evil creature called the “cat”. It’s a film that contains many explicit scenes of violence, gore, and blood - Martin, the boy gorging out the guts of a cat with gardener’s scissors or the eldest smashing her mouth with a dumbell to get her dogtooth out - afterwards which she’s told she would be able to venture out and face the challenges of the world outside. Not a lot seems to be happening in the film - these characters moving around in slow and calculated steps, the cameras held in static shots as if everybody is holding their breaths and its kind of ironic given the pristine environment they live in. But once we look deeper, we find darker things going on in the house. Themes of submission are generously explores throughout the film along with incest and homosexuality. The climax is open-ended as we find the eldest girl being able to identify the shroud of lies her parents have put up and escaping out in her father’s car but we don’t really find out what happens to her afterwards. The last shot is a long take of her father’s backcabin. And that’s pretty much all I wanna say about Dogtooth. Weird-ass Greek movie.

(first watch: 26 November, 2022)

  1. Pan’s Labyrinth | Guillermo del Toro | 2006

Oh. My. God. Pan’s Labyrinth is a beautiful, chilling modern fairy tale story. But don’t believe “fairy tale” means all unicorns and magic spells - although, Pan’s Labyrinth doesn’t lack in imagination - there are more twists and moments of heightened suspense than in any conventional flick. Beautifully shot, the lighting are amazing, the color palettes, and the cinematography. And of course, the CGI. A very Alice in Wonderful-like plot but nothing like it. It has ample gore and bloodshed and death and magic creatures and fairies and fauns. Incredible experience.

Set in the Spanish civil war, it follows a little girl who discovers she is a magical princess but must perform three tasks to prove her fairyhood. Instead of spoiling the plot for you, I’ll just leave it for you to explore :)

(first watch: 27 November, 2022)

  1. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion | Elio Petri | 1970

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion begins with the murder of a beautiful woman, Augusta Terzi (Florinda Bolkan), with a severe rape-and-murder fetish by her police chief lover. Interestingly, the chief doesn’t try to cover his tracks but instead place evidences so that the police can trace the murder to him. And yet, even more intriguingly, the police chooses to unsee the evidence and defer the investigation simply because the culprit is a man of power. Indeed, the chief exclaims (multiple times) – “I represent power, Augusta!” The film questions state authority and machismo as the investigation unfolds against a youth-led communist uprising challenging the state dominance, which is most brilliantly represented by one of the most potent scenes – the interrogation of the plumber. One must notice the dialogues very carefully as they drip with irony and fear. It’s one of the most riveting demonstrations of the power of state authority and a starking representation of the theme of the movie. Shot in intimate full face shots, it’s upclose and personal. We can study each muscle twitch of the face. Fantastically executed. Perhaps, the single dialogue that summarizes the state’s attitude is this: “We must know everything. We must control everything.” The movie is also the commentary on the psychological transition of a man who is given incredible power to exercise. He breaks the traffic light and gets away with it. Terzi exclaims, “You can commit any crime you want” and we are left to ponder: Who will watch the watchmen?

Coming to execution, Investigation has some of the finest camerawork I have seen. Scene compositions are great, the camera movement graceful as they sway around a scene intriguing and creating suspense. I don’t know much about Italian cinema (I’m reminded of Life is Beautiful) but I suppose this will be up there. Complementary and “humorous” sound track. Love the flashback sequences.

(first watch: 28 November, 2022)

  1. Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | 2019

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood takes place in Hollywood in the 60s and tells the story of a fictional actor named Rick Dalton and his stuntman double, Cliff Booth. They happen to be neighbors to Roman Polanski and Shannon Tate (played by Margot Robbie) and end up getting engaged in a number of internal and external conflicts such as career issues, fight with the hippies, and so on.

The movie is a portrayal of the bourgeois Hollywood circles and a social commentary on the good ol’ have and have-nots. All filmed in classic Tarantino style. We have everything from feet to food to fight scenes with “Bruce Lee”. Car drives form a large portion in the first half and peculiar hovering bird-eye view shots too. And then, of course, the finale and confrontation at Rick’s house. And a special mention for Margot Robbie, oof :P!

I like how the film mingles the real life and the film life. Gave me a lot of Truffaut’s Day For Night vibes. All in all, a good watch for a lazy Saturday evening.

(first watch: 10 December, 2022)

  1. Fallen Angels | Wong Kar-Wai | 1995

In Fallen Angels, Wong Kar-Wai perfects and consolidates his unique style that he introduced in Chungking Express. Every shot is so dreamy and trippy from the steadicam camerawork (something taken by Gaspar Noe to the extreme) to jittery, grainy compositions with colors split midway. Fallen Angels is among one of the most stylized films I have watched till date. A movie with a distinct taste and sophistication.

Fallen Angels follows different individuals from different walks of lifes in Hong Kong and how their paths cross in serendipitous ways. It’s a dreamy film and takes that premise forward. I loved the stop-motion bounty murder sequences (an exceptional such sequence is the Plutonium theft sequence in The Man Who Stole the Sun), the camera movements are humorous, perky, and….comical. It’s delightful to hit play on any Wong Kar-Wai and let our minds drift into his world. Revisitable.

(first watch: 14 December, 2022)

Closing thoughts

In any case, this is a curation of the movies I watched this year.

I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas or suggestions to add to this list! Or you have a similar list you wanna share? Feel free to shoot me an email.