MovieNotes: Gully Boy

Title: Gully Boy (IMDB)

*ing: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Sidhhant Chaturvedi, Kalki Koechlin

Directed By: Zoya Akhtar

Language: Bambaiya Hindi

Genre: Rap Music, Coming-of-age tale

Preamble

First Indian movie focusing on the rap music genre.

Basic Premise

A college student, growing up in slums, trying to make a way into the street rapping community, while fighting his family expectations and social barriers.

MovieNotes

Highlight of the movie - the freshness of the concept. Yes, rap and hip-hop based movies are common in Hollywood. But Gully Boy introduces the idea into Bollywood. We can expect a spate of movies exploring this genre now. Lets see what the copy-cats bring on board!

Ranveer Singh is simply a brilliant actor. He is so far removed from his super-charged & pumped up image that at times you feel that its a totally different actor onscreen. The supporting cast does a great job as well. 

There is a nod towards "Poverty tourism" as well. Westerners getting a guided tour inside the Dharavi slums and also into homes, which charge a certain fees to showcase their poverty. Just another example of people putting their entrepreneurial skills to use! Also showcased is "Jugaad" - the tourists are simply fascinated by our optimum utilization of space! 

The most poignant scene of the movie - where the lead sees his master's daughter upset, is ferrying her to the house, wants to console her, but doesn't say a word as the class barriers are just too high between them, even though the physical proximity is there for a considerable amount of time! And that triggers his poetry!

We often talk about changing times. For people of certain age upwards might remember an old Pepsi commercial. The kid would ask" Mera Number Kab Aaayega" and patiently waits. And now the slogan is a more brash and confident "Apna Time Aayega". As a Nobel Laureate once said, "the times, they are a changin",

Rating - 8/10. Fresh concept, brilliant acting!

Previously on MovieNotes: Avengers: Endgame

MovieNotes: Avengers: Endgame

Title: Avengers: Endgame (IMDB) 

*ing: Thanos, The Avengers, A Raccoon & many other superheroes big and small, but most importantly a Rat. 

Directed By: The Russo Brothers 

Language: English 

Genre: Fantasy, Comic Books, MCU 

Preamble 

The conclusion of a 22-movie saga spread over 11 years. And also resolving the cliff-hanging shocker of a dusty end to last year’s Infinity Wars.

Basic Premise 

The remaining world population adjusts to life after the Snap. While the bunch of heroes try to figure out a way to undo the effects of the Snap and defeat Thanos! 

MovieNotes 

[Spoilers Galore – Intended for those who have seen the movie. Its been a whole week since the movie released and as the $1.2 Bn opening weekend suggests, lots of folks have already seen it. And given the blog's limited readership, this post is unlikely to spoil it for anyone]

Firstly, the questions from Avengers: Infinity Wars. Let’s see whether I could figure out the answers 

• Are they really dead? Seems so, rather in a suspended animation state. 
• If they are not dead, where have they disappeared to? Not answered! 
• How will they return? By using the infinity gauntlet. 
• Is time travel involved? Yes, more on this later. 
• Now that he has achieved his mission of “removing” half of the universe’s population, what does Thanos do next? Destroys the stones, tends to his garden. And is killed off in his very first scene. 
• Does he sit on his throne, wait for the population to grow back to a certain level and snap again? No. 
• Does he use the soul stone to resurrect his loved one? Resurrection is not possible! 
• Does the Snap destroy all living creatures? Yes, half the living creatures disappear. 
• The missing ones – Where were Hawkeye, Antman, Wasp, Valkyrie, Mordo, Hela, the Ravagers? Did they survive the carnage? Will they have a role in the next installment? 
• Hawkeye – At his home with family. Yes. Yes. 
• Antman – In the quantum realm. Yes, Yes. 
• Wasp – Sending Antman into the quantum realm. No. Yes 
• Valkyrie – No clue. Yes. Yes 
• Mordo – No Clue. No clue. No 
• Hela – Seems to have died during the events of Ragnarok.  
• The Ravagers – No idea. No. Yes 
• Why did Dr. Strange not use his power? That was the only way of stopping Thanos! At least as we learn. 
• Why can’t Dr. Bruce Banner change into Hulk? Probably shock. 
• Is it a new trick from the master of trickery, Loki himself? No. 
• Where did the fighting rhinos of Wakanda disappear? No idea 
• And could they not have closed the gap in the dome after a while? No idea. 

Well some answered, many remain unanswered. And now for the highlights reel from a spectacle full of them.

• It all began with a mouse. That’s how Disney went on to become the biggest entertainment empire of all time. Fittingly in their biggest creation – the resurrection of the Avengers began with a mouse! 
• The movie was a fitting farewell to the original Avengers cast. Some sacrificed themselves, some retired, yet all managed to make peace with themselves their past. All this while, the movie also managed to compile a retrospective video of the greatest moments of the team. Though we might still see Thor and Hulk in the future, most of them have handed over their roles! They have passed on their batons! 
• Finally, the Avengers Assembled – the greatest star-cast of all time – even bigger than Ellen’s famous selfie (incidentally taken by Bradley Cooper aka Rocket!) 
• During Infinity Wars, the men had their ego battles sizing each other up, while the women show camaraderie from the word go. Here, they take it to a whole different level. The A-Force (comprising all the female superheroes) assembling and protecting Captain Marvel as she takes over the gauntlet. All except Black Widow - the original Marvel superheroine was missed there. 
• Coming to the biggest problem of the entire spectacle - Time travel or rather time heists, as they are called. Travelling back and forth from the past while passing through the Quantum realm is an easy way to explain things if you ignore the complications it can generate. The movie makes fun of every time travel movie ever made. Yet, it creates its own time travelling loopholes. Like a character from killing off their past self in their present, Or someone choosing to stay back in time, somebody going into the future after they have already been killed! Let’s say it’s a discussion best not entered! [After all it is a comicbook storyline]
• The movie is funny and serious and knows some self-deprecating humor. Also, it can shock you. Like killing off Thanos in the very first scene and realizing there is no remedy left to the situation. 
• Special mentions
• Thor adding weight to his role 
• Captain America wielding Mjolnir after previously pretending to be unable to lift it! 
• The Avengers Assemble battle-cry 
• Captain fighting himself 
• Professor Hulk 
• The ultimate line - "I Am Inevitable"

More Questions 

• So if you need currently inaccessible, trace its history, jump into the past, take it, use it in the present and then go back and restore it into its original timeline? This is just creating big trouble!
• What exactly happened in Budapest? 
• Does the Soul Stone consider self-sacrifice? 
• What about Gamora? Died in previous movie. And is currently in the future where she is already dead? And does it leave a loophole to bring Black Widow back?
• If you kill your past self, what happens to you? 
• Also, what if you slip into a different era and live your life accordingly! 
• Where do the unsnapped people reappear? 
• How do people deal with half the populace reappearing after a gap of 5 years?
• There is a New Asgard created on Earth – Is it a note to the world politicians about how they handle the global refugee crisis? 

What Next… 

• After this hell of a ride, what next for the series? Pretty sure, they might not be able to pull off another saga like this one. Certainly, cross-references will continue. Some going on their own way, some combining, just like in different comic-books 
• What I would definitely like to see – Luis explaining the events with Rocket and Drax in the audience, adding their comments!

Rating: 9/10. For a satisfying conclusion to a saga. One mark taken off because they used time travel as a plot device which just leaves plot holes! 

Previously on MovieNotes: Kissa Kursi Ka

MovieNotes - Kissa Kursi Ka

Title: Kissa Kursi Ka (IMDB) 

Released: 1977

*ing: Manohar Singh, Shabana Azmi, Raj Kiran, Surekha Sikri

Director: Amrit Nahata

Language: Hindi

Genre: Politics, Satire

Basic Premise

The story of a politician’s corrupt rise to power and how he turns it into a dictatorship.

MovieNotes

Its election time. And this old political satire becomes a must-watch. How politicians manipulate the common man and then play their own games in their lust for power. All this while professing to work for the Common Man, who is personified as a mute woman in the movie. 

The movie depicts how politicians cling onto power - manipulating elections, horse-trading, corrupt practices in government agencies from top-down, coverting with self-proclaimed godmen and industrialists, indulging in hyper-nationalistic banter with the neighbouring countries, even having a façade of war, manipulating and censoring media and resorting to all sorts of constitutional and under-hand tricks. Meanwhile the janta is exploited while the rich becomes richer. It also shows how people are expendable in this race for power!

The movie maybe four decades old but the message still resonates. No wonder the then government burnt the prints of the movie and banned it! And yes, in this politically charged up times, it is a grim reminder to the common man to make a learned choice and see through the façade of promises and fake news floating all around!

Rating: 8/10. A movie which stands the tests of time.

Previously on MovieNotes: The 15:17 To Paris 

MovieNotes: The 15:17 to Paris

Title: The 15:17 to Paris (IMDB)

Released: 2018 

*ing: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone 

Director: Clint Eastwood 

Language: English 

Genre: Drama, Based on real events 

Basic Premise 

Three friends save a train full of people from a terrorist loaded with guns.

MovieNotes 

The main lead protagonists are played by the real persons themselves. This was certainly the most interesting bit abo ut the movie. This has its pros and cons - the acting looks terrible and yet has a real-world feel to it! e.g. the protagonists doing touristy things like taking Instagram-worthy selfies! 

There is more time spent on the background of the heroes than the actual action. The main event on which the movie is based on hardly lasts a few minutes. So there is hardly any build-up in that. Which in itself is not a bad thing. As the New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said recently, the killer was a terrorist and need not be named. The movie depicts the life of the heroes only. How they ended up at that moment. The terrorist is just incidental. 

The message is clear. In times of crisis one must act! 

Rating: 6/10. Nothing to remember by though. 

Previously on MovieNotes: Stree

MovieNotes: Stree

Title: Stree (IMDB)

*ing: Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee

Director: Amar Kaushik

Language: Hindi

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Basic Premise

A small town is haunted by a woman’s ghost who abducts the town’s men.

MovieNotes

There is horror and the scare element involved, but more importantly the makers have kept the focus on comedy making it more watchable than if it had been out and out horror film.

The acting is brilliant. Rajkumar Rao and his gang are fun to watch but Pankaj Tripathi simply steals the show with his deadpan delivery and the habit of breaking into old songs at every opportunity. The analysis of what-we-know about the ghost is simply brilliant. From Hello Mr. “Falana dhimkana” onwards!

Best Jokes 

• How does the ghost know everybody’s name? Well everything is Aadhar linked. 
• The town’s men staying scared at home while the women move around freely!

The unanswered questions – Who or rather what exactly is the girl (whose name we never learn), and what happens just before the end. And who is Shama? And is Vicky's mother the Stree? The ending just spoils a bit of fun. Although it also sets up enough material for a sequel.

Rating: 8/10. An unusual film which is scary and funny with good acting. Only the ending spoiled it a tad bit.

Previously on MovieNotes: Hachi 

MovieNotes: Hachi

Title: Hachi: A Dog's Tale (IMDB)

*ing: Leyla, Chico & Forrest (playing Hachi) + Richard Gere, Joan Allen

Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Language: English

Genre: Animal Kingdom

Basic Premise

A tale of a dog who keeps waiting for his human friend, even after the latter's death.

MovieNotes

It is a beautiful tale of friendship and loyalty all amalgamating into a perfect emotional tearjerker. A tale which brings life to the phrase "dog is man's best friend". And like the best of stories, it is based on a real-life incident. The real Hachi belonged to a professor in Japan. The setting has been made American but the story's essence remains the same.

Just a couple of days earlier had seen a documentary on Animal Planet on how dogs have evolved over time to become better human companions. Especially those puppy eyes, which no human can seem to resist. And thats what our star Hachi does. One look at his eyes and all humans become his friends. Cats are a different matter though, as Hachi learns very early in his life, and so are skunks!

The makers transported the setting to USA, but retained the dog's origin. This movie must have set Akita breed sales skyrocketing in USA.

India connect - The local hot dog seller at the station is Jasjit, played by Erick Avari, who is India born!

Rating - 9/10. One of the perfect movies for a weekend watch!

Previously on MovieNotes - Raazi

The real-life Hachiko on whom this movie is based.

MovieNotes: Raazi

Title: Raazi (IMDB) 

*ing: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Language: Urdu

Genre: Spy Thriller

Basic Premise

A Kashmiri girl is married into a Pakistani military family, to serve as a spy, during the Bangladeshi liberation movement.

MovieNotes

Except for the very end, the story is depicted in a very believable fashion. And why not, given that the book on which it is sourced is claimed to be based on real events. The book, Calling Sehmat’s author has never revealed his source, citing safety concerns to the subject.

Good performances all around and a taut script make for a good viewing. Songs are used to hasten the narration. Although, the makers love of using flashbacks as a narrative device does get a bit jarring after some time. 

Pakistanis are not depicted as villains of the piece but just as an opposing side. They are not demonized, just shown as someone operating on a different set of beliefs. The movie depicts patriotism without engaging in jingoism and chest-thumping one liners – the real achievement of the movie.

The events depicted in the movie, set up the context for Pakistan’s submarine Ghazi’s failed attempt to destroy INS Vikrant. And thus setting up context to watch the movie Ghazi Attack!

Rating – 8/10. An engaging watch.

Previously on MovieNotes – Deadpool 2 

MovieNotes: Deadpool 2

Title: Deadpool 2

*ing: Deadpool, Thanos & others

Director: David Leitch

Language: English

Genre: Comicbook

Preamble

Sequel to the ultra-fun superhero movie Deadpool. A man with superpowers who does not take himself too seriously.

Basic Premise

Deadpool attempts to save a young mutant from a time travelling soldier. 

MovieNotes [Spoilers Alert]

What do we love about Deadpool? He doesn’t take himself too seriously, is funny and witty, often breaks the fourth wall, and keeps reminding the viewers that this is just a movie like other movies. Yet, for all the nonsense spouted by Wade Wilson a.k.a Deadpool, the movie actually turns out to be an emotional roller-coaster with a grieving Wilson tries to figure out his life post his wife’s murder. 

The opening credits are all over the place, again seem to be the work of Honest Trailers team. Yet, they manage to open with a gun barrel sequence, with Celine Dion singing Ashes. The Deadpool team have here outsmarted James Bond as well!

The stand-out aspect of the movie is its self-deprecating humor – e.g. calling Cable as Thanos, not seeing the other X-Men in the mansion. All this enabling to keep up the fun quotient despite the tragic background.

The movie is a near non-stop torrent of cultural references – James Bond, Star Wars, MCU, DC Universe, X-Men, Wolverine, Stranger Things – nothing seems to have been spared. For all I know, I may have missed a thousand others as well.

During the last two decades, over the course of multiple movies, we have seen myriad abilities as superpowers, some physical, some of the mind, some simply extra-terrestrial, yet it turns out being lucky is the biggest superpower one can have. Sometimes plain luck (and some pluck) is what works when all else fails.

The Cameos – Vanisher is amazing & just when you though he was all CGI, it turns out he was Brad Pitt. Meanwhile, Matt Damon is just unrecognizable. Is doing cameos becoming a habit for him? (Remember Thor: Ragnarok – with the play inside the film)

Important Question – Which timeline is this movie set in? The X-Men shown are the younger versions (e.g. James MacAvoy plays Professor X, not Patrick Stewart), yet Deadpool references the later versions comparing and contrasting his movie to Logan, which is set much further in the future. Ah, mixed timelines! That’s why he is not appearing with the mainstream X-Men!

Finally, on time travel as a story element. Again, it’s too easy and too lazy. But Deadpool uses even this to more comic affect like killing Ryan Reynolds before he can sign Green Lantern!

India Connect – Deadpool’s friendly taxi driver Dopinder is now playing “Yunhi chala chal rahi”. He was listening to “mera joota hai japani” last time around!

And lastly, what next for Deadpool – teaming up with the remaining Avengers to stop Thanos? With his regenerative abilities (btw that leg growing scene is hilarious!!!), he should have certainly survived Thanos’ snap. 

Rating – 9/10. For just bringing back the fun element in superhero films.

Previously on MovieNotes – Avengers: Infinity Wars 

MovieNotes: Avengers : Infinity Wars

Title: Avengers: Infinity Wars (IMDB) 

*ing: Thanos, The Avengers, The Guardians of the Galaxy, The Black Force, Peter Dinklage (the king of dwarves) and many more

Directed By: The Russo Brothers

Language: English, with a dash of Groot.

Genre: Fantasy, Comic Books, MCU

Preamble

The most ambitious movie crossover ever with the largest assembly of superheroes coming together culminating 10 years of development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Basic Premise

Thanos seeks to bring together all six Infinity Stones, to enable fulfilling his mission to reduce the universe’s population to half, so that the other half can sustain on the remaining resources. The superhero team from across the universe joins forces in an attempt to stop him.

MovieNotes

(Alert: Spoilers Galore – Not that it should matter anymore, after all it has been weeks since the movie released)

First, take a deep breath

Comicbooks are supposed to be fun with the heroes prevailing over the villains and everyone living happily ever after. But our bunch of Avengers just can't seem to catch a break!

What a story and what a movie (yes these are two different things). A movie full of familiar superheroes and yet the villain is the protagonist. Thanos has a motivation greater than from creating havoc or personal gain. He wants to make the world a better place! Believing that the universe is overcrowded [Aside - a belief shared by everyone who spends considerable time in their commute], he wants to take drastic measures, which involves removing every other living thing from the universe at the snap of his fingers! Whether one survived the snap was a totally random event without any bias or prejudice. And thus we have the stunning end (no one saw that coming) where Thanos actually achieves his objective and every other living creature just fades away! Even the end-credits say “Thanos will return”

Questions, and more Questions 

Are they really dead? If they are, this is a bigger carnage than the Red Wedding. Seems unlikely, given the other announced films (unless they cover events prior to Infinity Wars). If they are not dead, where have they disappeared to? How will they return (as seems likely)? Is time travel involved? If yes, as it is likely to be, it is a lazy way out and always unsatisfactory way of closing things out (Honest exception – Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Now that he has achieved his mission of “removing” half of the universe’s population, what does Thanos do next? Does he sit on his throne, wait for the population to grow back to a certain level and snap again? Or does he use the soul stone to resurrect his loved one (if resurrection is possible, that is, and the sacrifice can be undone?)

Does the Snap destroy all living creatures (including trees and animals) or just human beings and related ones (it does affect Groot)? If yes, then we have half the population left with half the living resources, but with more individual space!

The missing ones – Where were Hawkeye, Antman, Wasp, Valkyrie, Mordo, Hela, the Ravagers? Did they survive the carnage? Will they have a role in the next installment? How convenient for the Marvel producers, any Contract dispute, and the character is just “snapped” off!

Why did Dr. Strange not use his power? After all, he managed to bore Doramammu to submission. He envisaged only one scenario of stopping Thanos. But just handing over the stone seems quite a convoluted way of stopping him.

Why can’t Dr. Bruce Banner change into Hulk? Is it a new trick from the master of trickery, Loki himself. After all, Loki dying in the opening minute of a movie, just doesn’t seem right.

Where did the fighting rhinos of Wakanda disappear? And could they not have closed the gap in the dome after a while?

Learnings (or not)

• Groot is a full-fledged language in itself. And the University of Asgard has an elective course in it, which has been taken by Thor! Does it imply that there are more Groots in the universe?
• Thor is 1,500 years old. Quite a long life. But the last 10 years have been terrible for him. That’s why should not have come to Earth.
• What happens when superheroes are brought face-to-face? Bring two males face-to-face, a huge ego battle follows – Thor/Star-Lord or Iron Man/Dr. Strange. While the heroines show immediate camaraderie – a la Battle of Wakanda.

Others 

• So, the country of Wakanda opened up to the world and became the battleground for an inter-galactic war! Wonder what the citizens must be thinking of these turn of events.
• Vision is an android, i.e. a programmed robot. Not a human being or a living species. And is in a relationship with the Scarlet Witch! Conclusion - Westworld folks have infilitrated the MCU!
• Nobody sees Rocket as a raccoon. Poor fellow is called a rabbit here!
• The biggest cheer from the audience came when Captain America makes his first appearance on-screen. And to think Chris Evans has been shunted down in the end-credits to 5th now!
• Have to give credit to the MCU folks. They show Hulk running in Wakanda, in the trailers but in the movie he doesn’t appear in Hulk form! Now that’s an anti-spoiler there!
• The older ones survive, while the newer ones fade away. Just when we expected the opposite to happen. Remember reading Alistair Maclean's Force 10 from Navarone, where the new recruits die, while the old hands are left standing!
• Captain Marvel – she is coming, but is she the destroyer of Thanos and savior of half of the universe’s populace? Will have to wait this one out.

And now for the long wait…

2019 can’t come soon enough. The Game of Thrones will come to its epic conclusion and so will the Avengers! Hmmm… it’s a long year’s wait for the fandoms.

Rating – 9/10. For delivering on the hype. And making you eagerly await the next installment.

Previously on MovieNotes: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Misssouri 

MovieNotes: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Title: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (IMDB) 

*ing: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

Directed By: Martin McDonagh

Language: English

Genre: Drama, Crime

Basic Premise

A mother puts up billboards to try to force the authorities to solve her daughter’s murder.

MovieNotes

(Spoilers Ahead)

The movie has interesting character sketches, all in varying shades of grey. Some of them who don’t even let death get in the way of throwing a few punches at their adversaries. And people can and do change with circumstances.

The open ending and its unresolved issues. The movie ends, while the story does not. And we, the audience, still do not know who the culprit(s) is (are). While the characters will figure out their path forward on the ride, we are left hanging and not taken on their journey!

The movie has its underlying themes of racism, class divide and homophobia. Is it a political comment on Trump's voter base?

It is difficult to set the time period of the movie – characters communicate via landlines or in person, news is disseminated through radio and television broadcasts. Although we do see a cellphone at the end! Internet is certainly not visible. So could be 80s or 90s!

Peter Dinklage seems to be playing a modernized version of Tyrion Lannister again. Getting typecast here!

Real life impact – protests in USA have taken up the format of using three signs to deliver personalized messages to the targeted politicians.

Rating: 9/10. Brilliant acting and a good storyline.

Previously on MovieNotes: Fukrey Returns 

MovieNotes: Fukrey Returns

Title: Fukrey Returns (IMDB)

*ing: Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Ali Fazal, Manjot Singh, Richa Chadda, Pankaj Tripathi

Director: Mrighdeep Singh Lamba

Languange: Hindi

Genre: Comedy

Preamble

Sequel to the surprise hit Fukrey. And made while retaining the entire cast and crew.

Basic Premise

Story picks up one year after the adventures of the first part. Bholi Punjaban is out of jail and seeking revenge. Matters get complicated as politicians get involved. Meanwhile Chucha’s lottery dreams have been replaced by premonitions.

MovieNotes

Fukrey was better. Fukrey Returns tries hard, but doesn’t quite live up to its prequel.

The story is more disjointed and outlandish this time. Why the CM would be involved in carrying out a raid himself? How is a zoo closed for renovation have so much easy access? Many plot-holes abound. Yet, Choocha manages to salvage the movie from being a total disaster and bringing a sense of “deja chu” to the proceedings.

And they should stop thinking of making any more sequels.

Rating - 6/10. Funny in bits, but doesn’t match Fukrey.

Previously on MovieNotes: Black Panther 

MovieNotes: Black Panther

Title: Black Panther (IMDB) 

*ing: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira

Director: Ryan Coogler

Language: English, mixed with some Wakandian

Genre: Comic Books, Fantasy, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Basic Premise

Wakanda - a tiny nation, in the heart of Africa, masquerading as a poor third world country, but in reality a vibranium-powered technologically advanced civilization. Wakanda, faces leadership challenges and questions its own place in the world.

MovieNotes

Another good origins story from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel producers do know how to bring in new characters, bringing fresh air to the increasingly bloated Marvel Universe, while simultaneously linking it to the main chain of events. 

A good storyline, with a dash of humor, a worthy antagonist, a setting which is a visual delight (even though it’s all CGI), slickly shot action pieces (who wouldn’t love a battle scene featuring charging rhinos) and all of it backed by good acting. All the ingredients in the right proportions making for a fun ride for the viewers. If the story has a larger message playing out in the real world context, even better. And, this is where Black Panther succeeds.

First, about our villain. If told from Killmonger’s perspective, it would make an even better story (with minor changes). Young boy, grows up far away from his home, seeks vengeance for his father’s murder at his uncle’s hands, returns and takes over the throne and then puts out the kingdom’s hidden technology to greater use for benefiting the cause of all African origin people across the globe! That would make for a hell of a story! But, unfortunately, he shows lots of villainous tendencies, so Prince T’Challa is our righteous hero.

Which also brings us the key question? Who is the real villain in the story? In my opinion, that’s King T’Chaka. Kills his brother (partially justified) and abandons his nephew (not justified), trying to keep all of Wakanda’s vibranium fuelled technology to themselves (very questionable) and not taking in refugees (that’s a contemporary thorny issue). Certainly the real villain of the story.

Probably, the reason why no one in Wakanda seems to be grieving his sudden demise! Except for his son, and that too very briefly. Otherwise, all of Wakanda seems to be very excited about crowning of a new king!

Which brings to the crowning. When taken at face value, it seems a very democratic process. After the passing away of the previous king, his son is anointed the new king. However, there is an open-to-all invite for any interested candidate to challenge for the crown in a winner-takes-all one-on-one combat. However, the challenger has a major handicap, the crown prince receives a booster vibranium dose just before the battle while the challenger does not! And our friend Killmonger, overcame this handicap as well. Again, why is he not the hero of the story?

In today’s times, cinema has become more than just a visual story-telling medium. And here lies Black Panther’s biggest success. It is a politically charged film, talks about slavery and Black Power, the refugee crisis, world with less borders, inclusion in sharing technology and resources, while painting a vision of a brighter future for the whole world! All this without going into a preaching mode and ensuring that it stays a comic book film at its core. The reason why #WakandaForever is fast becoming a rallying cry across the world. 

Overall, there are very few links to main cinematic universe, although end-credits suggest that the action will now shift to Wakanda. Now eagerly waiting for Infinity Wars to hit the screens.

Rating – 9/10: A fun ride and a visual delight.

Previously on MovieNotes: Thor: Ragnarok 

MovieNotes: Thor: Ragnarok

Title: Thor: Ragnarok (IMDB)

*ing: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson et al

Director: Taika Watiti

Language: English

Genre: Comic Books, Fantasy

Basic Premise

Thor finds a new claimant for the Asgardian crown, his older sister Hela, whom he was not aware of.

MovieNotes

Just when the Marvel movies were getting a tad repetitive and boring, comes Thor: Ragnarok, a great mixture of action and humor.

Loki has moved over to the right side (he can switch back anytime, though). So the good folks at Marvel found a better villain in Hela. Biggest hamstring of Marvel movies has been weak villains, but this one certainly was not. Also, less screen time, limited dialogue and strong action for Hela helped in building up the right menace. Hela even threw in some management jargon for her "executioner" to be an executioner of her vision!

Special highlight was the background music while Thor, Valkyior and Hulk take up the fight. Fight sequences should be entertaining.  As should the one-line exchanges between the major characters. After all this is a comic book adaptation.

Enough material to build on the Universe. And lots of questions. Did Hela die? Why does the Grandmaster look uncannily like the Collector, although played by different actors? What about the Infinity Stones? Does Thor get a new Mjolnir? Will Hulk change back into Dr. Banner again? Did they land up in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" planet?

Many new questions. And they did not answer how Loki was still alive?

And finally, about the play within the film. A pretty strong starcast for such an insignificant scene! Was that an Easter Egg or do we just take it at face value of some big names having fun?

Rating - 8/10. A fun watch.

Previously on MovieNotes: Newton

MovieNotes: Newton

Title: Newton (IMDB) 

*ing: Rajkumar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav, Anjali Patil

Director: Amit Masurkar

Language: Hindi & Gond

Genre: Satire

Basic Premise

An idealistic young man is appointed as the presiding officer to conduct elections in a region disturbed by Naxalism.

MovieNotes

A great insight into what goes behind the massive exercise that is conducting elections in India. We hear tales from the political rallies, see the voters on TV, but rarely hear the story from the perspective of the men and women conducting the election.

Highlight - Brilliant acting by the “star” cast. Also, the fact that the story doesn’t go over the top in preaching mode.

Each character presents their side, sometimes seriously sometimes in jest. Seemingly there is no right or wrong side. Each have their own shades of grey. The story also doesn’t take anyone’s side openly. Empathy is shown for the ordinary local residents, who are caught in between the wars of the Naxals and the Armed forces and are then showcased to the foreign media as "champions of Indian democracy".

I don’t think, anyone has ever explained Newton’s law of gravity with so much eloquence and simplicity as Sanjay Mishra’s character does to Newton.

A misplaced sense of idealism leads nowhere. Probably that explains the feeling of happiness on seeing Newton getting thrashed by the Army team supposed to be protecting him.

The movie seemed a bit incomplete (just my opinion). Guess not closing things out helps in keeping it more real.

Random Thought – Nothing better than English movies to learn the English language.

Rating – 9/10. Fun to watch. A light-hearted satire on one of the key elements which make "Incredible India"

Previously on Movienotes: Spiderman Homecoming 

MovieNotes: Spider-man: Homecoming

Title: Spider-Man: Homecoming (IMDB)

*ing: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr.

Director: Jon Watts

Language: English

Genre: Superhero, Comics

Preamble

And here comes one more superhero movie. And this one is about the rebooting the Superhero which launched the superhero craze of the last 15 years. 

Basic Premise

Peter Parker, fresh from his adventures with the Avengers is back at school. Trying to save the world while also attempting to survive growing up in the real world.

MovieNotes

• Given Spider-man’s age (he is 15), the movie seems a cross of superhero and teen movie genres. And providing the best of both worlds at the same time. 
• Spiderman: Homecoming is set well within the Marvel Cinematic Universe with multiple references to the previous ones, while setting a platform for the future ones as well.
• The Acting – Tom Holland is superb as the boy who would be Spider-man. Reducing the protagonist's age was the best thing done by the makers. (Apart from not killing Uncle Ben again in the reboot).
• Finally we get to see a decent villain in the Marvel Universe with Michael Keaton putting in a good turn as the Vulture [Aside – from Batman to Birdman to Vulture, interesting turn of roles]
• Plot Hole Alert – How does Spider-man survive the flight and its landing?
• 15 year old Spider-man tries to tell the world about the evil forces, yet nobody seemingly takes him seriously. Reminds one of Harry Potter in the Half-Blood Prince.
• The use of Captain America to provide Public Service Announcements is hilarious to say the least. Especially the post-credits one, which does test your “patience”.
• Pepper Potts appears for a few seconds and yet Gwyneth Paltrow makes it fourth on the Credits List!
• Random India Connect – Tony Stark attends a wedding in India while at the same time “remotely” rescuing his mentee from the evil forces.

Rating – 8/10. Fun to watch. A light-hearted affair instead of the brooding superheroes that we are getting increasingly accustomed to.

Previously on Movienotes: Bahubali 2 

MovieNotes: Bahubali 2 The Conclusion

Title: Bahubali 2: The Conclusion (IMDB)

*ing: Prabhas, Rana Dagubatti, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj

Director: SS Rajamouli

Language: Telugu (seen in Hindi)

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Preamble

Why did Katappa kill Bahubali? A question which has vexed everyone since the release of the first movie. And after a wait of nearly two years, we get the answer.

Basic Premise

Katappa continues his tale of Amarendra Bahubali’s life and ultimate demise and Devasena’s imprisonment. Mahendra Bahubali decides to take his revenge for his father’s killing and take back his rightful kingdom.

MovieNotes

The movie continues the grand scale and opulence of its predecessor. The VFX quality has also improved. However, the grandness doesn’t stand out as much second time around, probably because we have seen it all before.

If it is a battle for the crown (or a game of thrones, as is now said), there has to be plots and sub-plots mixed with kitchen politics, loyalties won and lost, and all this accompanied by bloated sense of ego – all of which make the movie a perfect pot-boiler. However, there are too many sudden appearances of characters from nowhere, which is a bit difficult to absorb at times.

Last time it was a rampaging bull, this time it is a rampaging elephant which has to be taken care off. Also we see newer innovations in the battle-field – multiple arrows fired at once, bulls with flaming horns, soldiers being catapulted into a fortress.

While Mahismati maybe fictional, there is a reference to Pataliputra. (me liked that)

Harry Potter has owls, Westeros has ravens, and Mahismati uses kites (cheel). Whatever happened to the good, old pigeon message delivery system?

Is Bahubali 3 on cards? The voice-over in the end-credits does keep the possibility open.

And finally to answer the question, which the nation wanted to know – “Katappa was following orders”. In the end a very anti-climatic and simple solution to the question which had vexed the nation and had generated thousands of memes over the last two years.

Rating: 9/10. An entertaining watch.

Previously on MovieNotes: The Fate of the Furious

MovieNotes: The Fate of the Furious

Title: The Fate of the Furious (a.k.a. Fast & Furious 8) (2017) (IMDB)

*ing: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Kurt Russel, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood

Director: F. Gary Gray

Language: English

Genre: Action

Preamble

Another Movie from the Fast & Furious stable vrooms in. Even though the makers keep saying, they have had their "one last ride".

Basic Premise

Dominic Toretto is blackmailed into turning his back onto his "family" by a cyber-terrorist Cipher. His team tries to figure out a way to get Toretto back as well spoil Cipher's plans. To their aid, comes a former adversary, who has his own axe to grind with Cipher.

MovieNotes

16 years ago, there came a movie about a cop investigating a bunch of drag racers who were involved in stealing electronic items from truckers. And now over eight movies, they are stealing nuclear codes and EMPs and chasing down submarines and fighting cyber-terrorism. Now thats, what you call growth.

Living true to its name, the movie has a lot of furious characters, moving up across continents at a frenetic pace. Action keeps shifting from one location to another. Add a plane which never seems to land anywhere! The fast paced action also ensures that plot-holes are just jumped across. And too many characters from the previous films just manage to conveniently appear at just the right time.

A sequel certainly seems to be in the offing, with the way the lead villain conveniently disappears. Wonder what they will chase next. Maybe a satellite?

With Paul Walker gone, all the talk of family, seems quite forced now. The crew cracking jokes just after close shaves with death just doesn't gel.

Best Performer - Baby Toretto! It takes in a lot of guts to do such intense scenes while ever smiling. And easily outshining the co-stars sharing screen space with them.

Most Outrageous Scene - The Rock pushing away a torpedo with his bare hands while sliding along a car!!!

Best Scene - The Haka performed by the "Red Dragons"

The Quote - "It doesn't matter what is under the hood. It matters who is behind the wheel" - says Dominic Toretto. I guess the likes of Fernando Alonso will certainly disagree !!!

Rating: 7/10. Paisa vasool. But a a bit of a letdown after the emotional ending of Fast & Furious 7. Where the series should have ended. But guess we will go back for Fast & Furious 9!

Previously on MovieNotes - The Boss Baby

MovieNotes: The Boss Baby

Title: The Boss Baby (2017) (IMDB)

*ing: Alec Baldwin, Miles Bakshi

Director: Tom McGrath

Language: English

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Basic Premise

Tim finds out that his younger brother is much more than just an infant. But is actually an undercover agent from BabyCorp who has come to find out the latest product from PuppyCorp, so that they ensure that puppies do not take up all the love from babies.

MovieNotes

The animated movie is based on a weird premise of an ongoing battle between puppies and babies who are tussling it out for their share of human love. And babies are manufactured in a factory with some of them assigned "management" roles. 

The highlight of the movie is Alec Baldwin's corporate speak (pie charts, promotions. memos) while having the physical appearance of a baby. Add Tim's imagination which sets up the brotherly ride. 

We have lots of adult references for a cartoon movie. Elvis, Gandalf et al - aren't they too far remove from the target audience. Tim's room has a Gandalf alarm clock. Isn't seven too young for Lord of the Rings?

Finally, the most important question. Tim is shown to have a hyper-active imagination. So, did the entire story play out in his head? A point which could have been elaborated further.

And why does the villain have Trump like hair?

Rating: 7/10. Jokes are funny. Only if they could have fleshed out Tim's imagination a bit more.

Previously on MovieNotes: Logan

MovieNotes: Logan

Title: Logan (2017) (IMDB)

*ing: Hgh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen

Director: James Mangold

Language: English

Genre: Superhero, ComicBooks

Basic Premise

In the year 2029, the mutants are on verge of extinction with only an ageing Wolverine (Logan) taking care of Professor X, whose powers are no longer under his control. Meanwhile, a new set of mutant children have been created to be taken for military operations. However, as they are difficult to control, they are being exterminated. Logan is assigned the task of taking a young mutant kid, Laura, to safety.

MovieNotes

The first X-Men movie is generally credited for being the pioneer for the current superhero universes. Logan seems to be the culmination of that journey. Yes, there will be spin-offs and other superheroes in the different cinematic universes, but Logan completes the journey of the very first ones, Professor Charles Xavier's X-Men and Wolverine. It is poignant that the one mutant who stays with Professor X till the very end is Wolverine, the one who refused to be recruited by him.

The X-Men may have created the superhero genre but Logan does not feel like it belongs. Although Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart reprise their roles, Logan is quite different. We do not see them as invincible superheroes but as two world-weary men who have weathered many storms and are now coming to the end of their journeys. Even superheroes need to hang up their boots.

There is no big saving-the-world theme. The opponents are just ordinary men. All they seek is to protect the child who has been unwillingly placed in their custody and take her to safety. Although Logan has his own doubts.

Meta-theme: The mutant kids reading X-Men comics! Comic-books shown in the movie showing the path ahead for a story which is based out of comic-book characters!

The all-round acting provides the real high of the movie. Add the poignant ending, and it seems like a perfect culmination to a 17-year journey.

Not to be missed - The Deadpool trailer at the beginning. That's another superhero movie trying to redefine the genre.

Rating - 9/10. The Superb acting and for being a different superhero film!

Previously on MovieNotes - Schindler's List

MovieNotes: Schindler's List

Title: Schindler's List (1993) (IMDB)

*ing: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

Director: Steven Spielberg

Language: English

Genre: History

Basic Premise

It is the story of a German industrialist during World War II, who employed thousands of Jews in his factories in Krakow, thus preventing their deportation to concentration camps and saving their lives.

MovieNotes

Schindler's List is one of those rare movies which can shake you up to the core. It is an intense tale of survival in some of the most harrowing circumstances in human history. A story of how one man tried to fight the system in order to save other human beings, whose only crime was being born a different religion. It is also a reminder of the atrocities inflicted on one community by another under the banner of some cause.

The movie brings out the darkest horrors of holocaust. There is a sense of constant fear throughout this film. One can feel the fear of being caught, deported and even killed for just being of a different community. One scene depicts a whole group of women being put together inside a room. One can feel their fear as they look at the showers with  rising apprehension. Their sense of relief when water comes out of the showers and not gas is quite disturbing. And yet, you keep watching.

The horrors of war bring out varied reactions in different men. Some become beasts enjoying the unlimited power they have, some are plain greedy, making a profit out of war, some are just trying to survive, and then there were men like Oskar Schindler who saved others fully aware of the dangers they were putting themselves in.

The movie is almost entirely in black and white. A little girl's red coat is the only bit of colour which stands out as she makes an unsuccessful attempt to survive the massacre. The black and white frames add to the grim picture making one focus on the story with no distractions.

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral during the times of moral crisis". Dante in the Divine Comedy.
The movie hits hard. Released over 20 years ago, its message is even more relevant in today's times. There are quite a few signs that the modern world could be heading towards a similar catastrophe again. Xenophobia and the rise of extremists across the world is happening again. And if we (yes all of us) do not act and resist, we could be soon heading for another round of mass atrocities across the world. And then the only ones to be blamed would be us the people who chose not to take a stand!

Schindler's List was released over twenty years ago. And it is only now that I finally to watch it. It was a grim and depressing watch. And I had quite a disturbed sleep after watching the movie.

Rating - 10/10. A movie whose message is loud and clear.

Previously on MovieNotes - Jolly LLB 2