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The Days (2023)
Poignant, authentic and compels you to question nuclear energy
The biggest problem I have with many of the series based on true events is that they are overly dramaztized to the point that they appear more like hollywood thrillers than a theatrical account of true events.
This is where The Days shines. This series is credible. One can totally imagine that that's how the real situation must have unfolded. Of course, the events have been stitched together to create a narrative that the vieweres can follow but it doesn't betray the authenticity of the events.
We see the characters only within the confines of the Fukushima station but the characters develop nicely even within this limited space and situation. As a viewer, you start to feel their frustrations, fears and trepidations.
The only notable shortcoming that I can point out is that some sequences are unnecessarily long because of which the time urgency of the situation may either be lost on the viewers or may lead to a disconnect for the viewers between time urgency and the actions of the characters.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a break from unrealistic, incredible and untrue stories based on true events.
Ludo (2020)
A masterpiece of good direction and excellent acting
A good movie is like a good dish which requires fresh ingredients, perfect recipe which blends those ingredients together in just the right way, right amount of cooking and above all a good chef. If this movie were a dish, it would be the perfect dish with excellent cast, intricate story line which weaves the cast together, awesome screenplay and amazing direction.
The movie is about four different stories which are bound together by the lynchpin character of Pankaj Tripathi. The movie starts with introduction of the four story lines which then go through a tangled web of their backstories and intersecting events ultimately coming together in the end.
Though the entire cast has done excellent in this movie, Pankaj Tripathi stands tall on his stellar acting. Rajkumar Rao has also outdone himself and you can't just help but laugh at his lovelorn character. Abhishek Bachchan has proven that it takes a good director to bring out the best in you. He doesn't disappoint at all in his character as a rowdy with a heart as soft as a teddy. Some of the moments betwen him and the little girl Minni make the time stop even in this fast paced crime comedy. Sanya Malhotra and Aditya Roy Kapur take you through a love story sans any of the regular bollywood cheesy and cringy romantic dialogues.
This review would be incomplete without a few words about the direction. Anurag Basu has a quintessential style of direction which can be clearly spotted in his earlier work as well. He is adept at advancing the story by leaps through quick yet impactful visuals without even any dialogues. You can see this in movies like Barfi and Jagaa Jasoos and Ludo is no exception. If anything, he has taken this art to next level in Ludo. It required his genius to make a profound point by means of four different stories - that good or bad is only a matter of point of view.
The Discovery (2017)
A very good sci-fi movie despite average acting and screenplay
I am a die hard science fiction fan and love it when a movie stretches the limits of imagination and though this movie is not the best science fiction movie that I have watched, it is a very good attempt.
If science fiction for you means futuristic gadgets, star ships, aliens and super cool visual effects, this is not a movie for you. However, if you are like me who loves sci-fi movies for their plots, imaginations and creativity then you would find this movie highly nourishing to your grey matter.
The Discovery starts off with an interesting idea of scientific proof of after life and how it is leading to an epidemic level suicide rate across the globe. After that the story is about two lead characters - Will and Isla. The threads of their lives intertwine amidst more revelations about after life.
The climax of the movie is really mind bending and that's when one realizes that every scene up to the point of climax was a great build up to the mystery of after life especially from the point of view of Will.
Of course, there are things that could have been better in the movie for example - the acting by lead actors does leave you wanting for more and the screenplay could also have been much better but in my view a sci-fi movie with average acting and average screenplay is also a must watch as long as it leaves you wondering about the possibilities that science can one day open up and the answers we may find.
Sons of Anarchy (2008)
A show which is much more than just bikes and guns
If somebody were to ask you if you could ever feel yourself to be part of a gang which ruthlessly murders & tortures people and feeds guns to organized crime, you answer would probably be an outraged 'No'. However, when you are watching this series, not only do you feel yourself to be there among these outlaws, witnessing their every good or bad action, laughing with them, riding with them, drinking with them and crying with them, you also start understanding them. You understand the outlaw code, why they do what they do, why it is so important for them to make it right with those who wrong them, why a club is at least as important to them as their families.
I believe that any show or movie is successful only if, at any point in the show, you feel exactly what the director wants you to feel. While watching this series, there were times when I was filled with revulsion for Gemma Teller and there were other moments when I sympathized with that very same character and at some level I even understood why she did what she did. That's the power of characterization in a show and it manifests itself when the viewers start understanding the characters at such level that they don't need any rationalizations for the actions of the characters. The character of the protagonist Jax Teller has been portrayed beautifully and successfully shows a man tormented by his internal conflicts in doing justice to both his family and his outlaw organization. He understands everything and tries to set things right but in the end has to embrace his destiny.
Throughout the series, and especially in the last season, the plot was wonderfully set such that everything comes together and fits nicely and snugly.
On the acting front both Charlie Hunnam and Katy Segal have done an excellent job of bringing to life a highly conflicted and a highly resolute characters respectively.
Overall, loved this show.
Black Swan (2010)
Simply Awesome
I am not someone who is very fond of writing reviews but if I don't write something about this movie, it would be nothing less than sacrilege. A master piece like Black Swan deserves all the praise in the world. I have enjoyed watching other movies also from director Darren Aronofsky but Black Swan is a notch higher than the rest. He has clearly outperformed himself.
Credit is also due to him for his cast selection. Natalie Portman was the perfect choice for this role which she carried off flawlessly. The metamorphosis of her character has been described beautifully. It seems like she were a picture, the director a painter and with every brush stroke the picture radiates darker and darker hues. The whole experience of watching this movie is so intense that it lingers on in your mind much beyond those 2 hours.