Boredom

Continuing from my last post on Oscars 2017, let's look at other best film nominees: D) Hidden Figures: For a better understanding of this film and history of 'space race' b/w Russia and USA back in 1960s-1980s, I shall strongly recommend you to watch 'The Right Stuff'. It's an epic film of 80s, quintessentially American and exquisitely narrated. Hidden Figures borrows heavily from The Right Stuff's coverage of America's space mission of Project Mercury and make it it's narrative backdrop. And it tells us the story of three Black American women mathematicians who did all the intensive computing and mathematical calculations that propelled John Glenn and his fellow astronauts into Space. Dubbed as the Feel Good film of the year, it's strongly acted by Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer. While Academy notoriously snubbed Taraji for a best actress Oscars, Octavia has won a nomination for the best supporting actress award. You will definitely fee...

As per a ritual of movie enthusiasts like me, it's high and right time I come up with my Oscars predictions for year 2017. I have covered 8 of the 9 best picture nominees and I believe all the popular awards like best actor, director and actress shall come out from their closets only. And just like two previous years, this is gonna be a two-parts post. So let's begin..... A) Arrival : Although Academy doesn't like giving best film award to sci-fis (cases in contention could be Alien, Gravity and Stanley Kubrick's Magnum opus that I cannot recall), it would be another utter wrongdoing on Academy's part if Arrival skips it's radar. It's the ROOM of Oscars 2017....A completely original film with an adapted screenplay that will leave you emotionally shattered and completely awestruck. Oscars for best cinematography and adapted screenplay is due and definitely deserved. B) Moonlight: I strongly believe Moonlight scored an Oscars nomination for best film simp...

I believe, despite the popular opinion, that no one in India really watches Cricket. They definitely follow it, I believe. In fact, they are forced to in absence of other popular sports. But that's a topic for another day for if they really care, I wanna tell them that Horror Show of Indian Cricket has just made a triumphant return in Pune. They made a pitch that took considerable turn from day 1. For once, I was happy because Aswin and Jadeja have toiled very hard for their wickets on benign tracks of NZ and England home series and thus they deserved something good for all their back-breaking efforts. All was left to achieve now was TOSS and Kohli lost it. And thus it started. Australia made a great start and made quite respectable 260. India lost it in their first innings. Jadeja bowled his guts out for no rewards. Reason: he was bowling a classic spinner's length and that's why despite beating Aussie batsmen's edges umpteen times, he only had 5 wickets to show in two...

It's tragicomic in a sort of way that of all the wonderful Hollywood and world cinema I have been watching in loads in last three months, I am choosing to write about a Bollywood film here. Jolly L.L.B 2 is the subject here. It's a typical 'feel good' Bollywood film, no more, no less. Akahaye, Saurabh and Annu were up to the task and made everything work out to almost perfection. Dialogues were not over-the-top. Narrative though was certainly skewed to make audience empathize with Akshaye's gimmick. What disappointed me most was how over-the-top the court scenes were. They were unbearably unfathomable and made absolutely no sense. That Jammu Police let go of Fahim Butt and Jolly in the last scene simply because they won a famous trial in Lucknow was the part where I thought of terming this write-up tragicomic. This is where, I believe, Bollywood let go of its 'thinking' audience. Hollywood too doesn't care much when it churns out crowd pleasing summer bl...

There was a time when Hollywood was all Jewish but now when it's trumpeting against Trump's temporary Muslim Ban, it seems there are more Muslims than ever in Hollywood now than ever. I have just gone through a list of Muslim Celebrities working in Hollywood and they were 31 in numbers. Some of them were world beaters at one point of their career and still command respect undoubtedly. And although I condemn Trump's ban and appreciate Meryl's speech given other day at Globes', I strongly believe these guys don't do anything else other than paying lip services to their fellow brothers and sisters in distress. They have the power, money and means to really counter such negative connotations and yet they only give speeches. And that's still a good thing for that shows that at least they are empathising but does it really do anything? There is also an aspect of these protests that troubles me. For 5-6 years now, both Yeman and Syria are ravaged with war and civil...