IT Chapter Two - Review

Pennywise is back and so are the Losers. Here are few pointers about the movie: 

- The casting is perfect. The adult versions of the all of the members of Losers club are exactly what you would imagine them to be, may be except Ben, but hey, he worked hard on the bod. Apart from looking the part, they all were phenomenal in acting the part.

- The stand outs for me were, Bill Hader as Richie , James Ransone as Eddie and of course Bill Skarsgard as pennywise. 

- Hader was super funny and had a good character arc too. His chemistry with James Ransone was one of the best part of the movie. James brought out the vulnerability of Eddie. Bill Skarsgard, was amazing once again and one of his scene with a little girl had the tension which I wish was there in more scenes of the movie.

- Hader also had one yippie ki yay moment which was so well acted by him that it became the favorite scene of mine in the whole movie.

- James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Jay Ryan were great too. Isaiah Mustafa as Mike and Andy Bean as Stan didn't get much scope I felt. 

- All the kids were really good too. They were digitally deaged however I didn't feel the difference.

- The movie is almost 3 hrs long. I didn't mind the length but it could have been edited better. However, I feel a longer director's cut with may be a bit more insight on outside Derry adult lives of the Losers and better fleshed out middle portions of the movie would be interesting. 

- Coming back to middle act of the movie , it was a bit disjointed and didn't flow well. 

- The backstory of IT could have been explained better.

- The movie has its heart at the right place and the flashback scenes involving the young cast and then the transitions to present were well executed. 

- There were some good jump scares and also very imaginatively creepy scenes. Well done on those. 

- The movie is really funny and that works a bit against the scare element as the tension either isn't created or goes away quickly. 

- The chapter 1 was definitely better but chapter two is also fun and on the whole IT is very entertaining story of friendship. Part one had a major Stand by Me vibe, which is present in part 2 too, especially towards the end.

- Watch IT

The Movie Quiz - 1

I have been posting few quiz questions (mostly related to Bollywood) on twitter. I have been getting a decent response there (by decent I mean, 4-5 regular people, thank you all, you know who you are) . So now I thought let me post a series of questions on the blog which you can try in your free time and send the replies to me directly. So here is the first series (hopefully not the last too).

1. Complete the series
Moushumi Chatterjee, Dimple Kapadia, Asha Parekh,?

Hint : Find the connect. The 4th movie kind of takes the series to infinity.

2. Find the missing one
First - Pradeep Kumar (1954)
Second - Dara Singh (1964)
Third -?
Fourth - Shahrukh khan (1999)

Hint : The serial number is of utmost importance.

3. There is a French connection between Raj babbar and Ezra Miller (flash in justice league movies). What?

Hint : Srk is involved too

4. Connect kareena kapoor to kabhi haan kabhi na.

Hint : Kareena the singer

5. What unique (most probably) connection does Sunny deol and Poonam dhillon have?

Hint : Focus on names

6. This actor has killed Amitabh Bachchan and has married Aishwarya Rai (in different movies), who?

Hint : Srk involved again

7. A non-Indian mystery/horror movie had this message during the end credits (translated to English)
"Don't be DEVILS! Don't destroy the interest that your friends might have in this movie. Don't tell them what you saw. Thank you, for them." This was an early example of a message to public not to disclose the spoilers to their friends and in general.

Identify this movie and the Indian movie inspired by it.

Hint : Alfred Hitchcock also has some connection.

You can mail the answers to me at Pankaj.257@gmail.com. I will try to post some hints later in the week. The connect questions may not be direct connect (what's the fun in that), so think laterally too. For any queries/hints DM to me on twitter @pankajtalkies or send email. All the best and thanks for playing. 

Gully Boy - Review

I know that I am watching this again soon. It is the kind of movie which you will enjoy more the second time. This year some very exciting movies are lined up, but I am sure this one will be on all top 10 lists at the year end, has the potential to be in top 3 too. 

The story is inspired from the lives of rappers Naezy and Divine, though it isn't a biopic. It is about a young boy living in dharavi, Mumbai who wants to make his mark by expressing himself through is writings. He discovers the rap underbelly of Mumbai and finds that he needs to and can give the voice to those poems of his in a rap form. 

Ranveer Singh is terrific here as Murad and his face does all the work even when he is not mouthing any dialogue or rapping. He is awesome in the rap scenes too and also his chemistry with Alia is natural. 

Alia plays Safeena who is a firebrand girl having her own struggles due to the ultra conservative mindset at her home. She is at her best here and though her role is relatively smaller but she does have many memorable scenes and expressions. 

Another character with whom Murad's chemistry is at best is his small time criminal friend Moeen played by a terrific Vijay verma. He has got some of the best scenes/dialogues of the movie. Then there is Siddhanta Chaturvedi who plays Sher, the mentor of Murad. He is amazing and every bit the character he plays. I am ready to watch his own movie. Do catch him in Inside edge on Amazon prime where he was raw but brilliant. Kalki did her best in a sub plot which was not completely needed. Vijay raaz as Murad's abusive father makes us feel that why don't we get to see him in many more films. Sheeba chadhha and Amruta subhash play alia and ranveer's mother respectively and both of them are competent. 

Vijay maurya as Murad's uncle is good but it is his Dialogue writing which lifts the movie one level up. But what lifts the movie several more levels is its music which deserves a write up of its own. The songs are terrific and the rap battles are immensely enjoyable. My favorite song isn't a rap though but a song which could fit in a Raj kapoor movie too, Jeene mein aaye maza. However, it is the doori poem which is the best lyrical sequence and best scene of the movie. 

The movie is 155 minutes long but you will seldom feel the length. One drawback of the movie for me was that somehow the screenplay could not make me feel the struggle of Murad's life in the way it should have. From the get go it was very predictable that everything will turn out to be good for the protagonist. I know it is what happens in an underdog story but I did not feel anywhere that things might not go well for Murad. This is a small thing though and the movie is filled up with so many terrific scenes that I am thinking of doing a listicle of my favorite scenes.  

Apna time aayega is the song what the movie was working towards throughout and it delivers so well that it will be tough to resist clapping and I would urge you not to do that (resist I mean). Go watch the movie and clap Bohot hard. 

Best TV Shows 2018 - My Favorite 15

Here is the list of my favorite 15 shows of 2018. Have not seen many others, so please recommend which ones I should check out, in the comments.

15. The Detectives 

This is a Canadian show which reenacts true crime cases and also includes the interviews of the real detectives who worked on the case. I have seen the first season and liked it a lot. Each episode is on a different case and all of the cases are very interesting and intriguing. 

14. Sacred Games - Netflix

The show which brought India on the Netflix radar. This one is truly binge worthy and the acting, writing and direction was really good. Saif and Jitender Joshi (Katekar) were my most favorite characters. Nawaz, though acted really well but was repetitive in parts. Also, I felt the purpose of having few characters in the show was not fulfilled. Still, I am eagerly waiting for the next season. 

13. Mirzapur - Amazon Prime

This one is though more cheesy than Sacred Games and also wasn't really a novel concept but the acting was truly top-notch and it is placed higher because of the man who is most prominent in the poster above. How can an actor in a supposedly loud show can be so subtle. Pankaj Triptahi is just awesome. Also, rest of the cast, specially Ali Fazal and Divyendu were superb too. 

12. a) Dynasties 

A nature documentary, narrated by David Attenborough, what else is needed to be said. This BBC docu-feature follows five different species and follow their families or as the show name says, dynasties. I have seen three episodes till now and the penguin one is my most favorite. This clip from the Lion episode has gone viral. The show has a lot more to show. Do watch.

12. b) One Strange Rock - Hotstar

This is a 10 episode documentary about how life thrives on earth. I think i have seen only 2 or 3 episodes from it, but they are enough for it to earn a place in this list. Eight astronauts narrate the episodes and it is hosted by Will Smith. The first episode is named Gasp, and I can say that they could have named the whole documentary the same.

11. Goliath - Amazon Prime

Courtroom drama is one of my most favorite genre and though Goliath in its both seasons follow a court case, it is more of drama than the courtroom. I liked the show a lot and Billy Bob Thornton was very good in it.

10. a) The chilling adventures of Sabrina - Netflix

This is a supernatural horror based on the Archies comic book of the same name. I had my doubts about it, but it is good fun with some good acting and really interesting supernatural elements. I now wish for a crossover with Riverdale (which I stopped watching after first three episodes of second season).

10. b) Charmed 

Another supernatural show with witches at its center. It is a remake of a show of same name which ran from 1998-2006. I haven't seen the original but this one is decent and fun to watch.


9. The Flash Season 5/Elseworlds - Hotstar

I love the flash, it is everything what a comic book show should be, that is, fun. Since it has 22-23 episodes in each season, some of the episodes do drag. The latest season has been good till now and I hope it will continue to be so.
This season's Arrowverse crossover named Elseworlds was very good as it gave us more of Superman, introduced Batwoman and the biggest thing that it teased Crisis on Infinite Earths to be telecast in 2019. Can not wait for that.

8. Unforgotten - Season 3

Season 2 of this show was my most favorite of last year. This year again they have come up with a very interesting mystery which surprises you with each episode. The emotional connect of the finale is not as strong as season 2 but despite that it is one of the better shows of this year. Having only 6 episodes helps in keeping the ongoing interesting too.

7. The Looming Tower - Amazon Prime

This mini series based on the book of same name is one of the best political thrillers. It follows the rivalry between FBI & CIA which may have been one of the reason why the planning of 9/11 went undetected. Jeff Daniels & Tahar Rahim played their parts of FBI officers very well and the show is very fast paced.

6. Bodyguard - Netflix

The best opening 20 minutes of TV this year and may be in many past years. All of the six episodes of this british show are full of action filled thrilling moments. The aforementioned first 20 minutes are what almost all shows will save for the finale, but kudos to the team of bodyguard, they took the risk and it paid off. The show doesn't shy away from taking tough route and the finale is also well done. A definite must watch.

5. The Good Place - Netflix (Season 1 only)

What a fun and innovative show. What happens when a woman dies and wakes up in a utopia like "The Good Place" and realises that she was sent by mistake and now she has to hide her identity to keep staying there. This is one show which has surprised me the most and it has twists and turns which you won't find even in many mystery movies/shows. The cast is great, comedy is hilarious and The Good Place is not what you should miss.

4. Sunderland 'Til I Die - Netflix

This documentary tracks the football club Sunderland A.F.C. during the 2017-18 season when they were got relegated from EFL championship league. It encapsulates the football culture of the town of Sunderland beautifully. One of the reviews by Jack Fox in Metro comments about the show "At times it is more gory than Game of Thrones but it is a series worth binging on". Even if you do not follow football, I am sure you will enjoy this one.

3. Sharp Objects - Hotstar

Who doesn't love a good mystery. And when it is based on a novel of Gillain Flynn and stars Amy Adams, there is no reason to not watch it. The slow pace of the show suits the story and the acting is top notch. The mystery is intriguing and the end is devastating. Great work this show is.

2. The Good Fight (Season 2) - Amazon Prime (Only Season 1)

This spin off of The Good Wife is as good as its predecessor and that is a tough benchmark to achieve. The political commentary and the handling of the contemporary issues is one of the highlights of the show. I can not wait for the next season.



1. The Haunting of Hill House - Netflix

This is the best show of the year definitely. It is full of horror, mystery and a very well done family drama. The acting is superb and the the story moves at such a pace that you are always intrigued about what is going to happen next. The 5th and 6th episodes are really brilliant and some of the twists/reveals are superbly done. The jump scares are great and one of them is easily one of the best all time jump scares, I almost screamed. The direction, background music, mysteries all are brilliant. This show is horror, mystery, thriller, drama and is brilliant in all those fronts. Do not miss it.

Best TV shows 2018 - Special Mentions

2018 is ending. Like most previous years, I watched many TV shows. Netflix/Hotstar/Amazon Prime have made the life easier in term of viewing, but tougher because of all the choice. I wonder how will Chidi (from The Good Place) will ever be able to decide which one to watch. I was not able to catch many popular shows, so do tell me which ones I missed and are must watch. In this post, I will talk about few shows which are not from 2018 but I caught up with them this year only and the Special mentions for 2018 shows.


First, few old shows which I watched this year :

The West Wing - Amazon Prime

I am not sure if I started it this year or the last, but this is easily one of the best shows ever and definitely in my top 10 of all time. Also, the 10th episode of its first season is definitely one of the best TV episodes of all time. Currently I am on season 6 and in two minds if I should finish it soon or not.

Seinfeld - Amazon Prime

This I started last year and instantly loved it. Again, one of the best shows ever and I love George and Kramer. I have always liked Julia Louis-Dreyfus since I watched Veep. Jerry is the weakest of the actors but it looks like he is aware of that and it makes him endearing. A must watch for sure.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Amazon Prime

Season 2 of this premiered few days ago and I haven't caught up with it yet. but watched season 1 at the start of this year and loved it. The first episode was very good , though post that it dragged for a bit but definitely a fun and very interesting show.

Shetland - Netflix (first 3 Seasons)

British Crime Dramas are the best. I love the scenery, the pace, the mystery in them. Shetland is no different and since all the stories take place over 2 episodes of approx 50 mins each, watching them is equivalent to catching a good murder mystery. It has 4 seasons, out of which 3 are there on Netflix. I am currently on Season 2.

Inside Edge - Amazon Prime 

I did not want to watch this, but once I started, I was hooked despite all the over the top scenarios and Viveik Oberoi. If season 2 can get rid of Viveik Oberoi, the show will definitely improve. It is a fun guilty pleasure on the backdrop of IPL. Good production value , decent acting and good twists make it worth a watch.

Now, the Special mentions for the shows that released in 2018. 

Supernatural - Amazon Prime

Supernatural aired its 300th episode this year. Currently into its 14th season, it has disappointed many times but have bounced back always and it is always fun to watch. I hope the Adventures of Winchester brothers do continue for as long as they can. I also hope that in every season we can get few episodes of old school hunting. I have not caught up the latest episodes, will do that soon and hope they are good enough to bounce the show back into the top 10-15 list.

Comicstaan - Amazon Prime

A reality show for comedians, I wasn't sold into the idea but surprisingly it is enough fun. Some of the acts were too good and I am looking forward to the new season.

The Bletchely Circle - San Francisco - Netflix (1st two seasons of original series)

The original series was very interesting and I loved it. For this one I have seen two episodes only, and it is good, though not as good as the original but still worth checking out. those who haven't seen the original, do not wait, go for it.

The Staircase - Netflix

This was a 2004 miniseries of 10 episodes. Netflix released it with three brand new episodes this year and it is very intriguing. It is a documentary on the lines of Making a Murderer and once you start watching, you can not stop.

Safe - Netflix

Dexter is back. Michael C Hall stars as Dr. Tom Delaney and the show is about what happens when one of his daughters go missing. It has only 10 episodes, a good twist, though I feel 6-7 episodes were enough for the story it had to tell. Still a good one to binge.

All or nothing - Manchester City - Amazon Prime

I follow football only during the World Cups. I chanced upon this documentary about the last premier league season of Manchester City. Liked it a lot and now I am following this team. It is an interesting look inside the team and the manager Pep Guardiola's management. the all or nothing series have few other sports too. I am planning to watch them soon. Also, another Football documentary is pretty high on my main list. Do check that out too.

Manifest - Amazon Prime

A plane, "lost" passengers, sort of time travel. Familiar. Right. Lost is one of my favorite shows, and since the premise is somewhat like that, I got interested in it. though the similarities end at the premise and this one isn't anywhere near it, nor in terms of scale or budget or acting, still I am interested in the mystery (till now). Hopefully the second half of the season will be good enough for me to continue it.

So, these are some of the shows that I watched and liked this year. the main list of top 15 shows will be posted soon. Keep watching this space.

Best of 2016 - Movies & TV

Here is a list of the movies & TV Shows that I liked the most this year.

Movies 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 

My most favorite movie of this year. It is a heartwarming adventure drama from New Zealand directed by Takia Wakiki.  Must watch.

Captain America : Civil War 

It was exactly what a superhero movie should be. The airport fight scene was awesome. And what a way to introduce new Spiderman. 

Kapoor & Sons 

Most favorite Bollywood movie of the year. Superb performances and engaging story.

Sairat 

What a movie, commercial, paisa vasool and thought provoking. Zingaat. 

Visaranai 

Heartbreaking thriller. Deserving of being the Oscar entry from India.

Zootopia 

Super fun. Loved the Sloth. 

TV Shows 

The Good Wife 

I have been avoiding it due to its misleading name. But once we (Me & Wife) started watching it, we couldn't stop and binged all 7 seasons in some 40 days. It is one of the best TV shows that I have seen ever. It does so many unique things and does them so right. I could write a whole post about it. Must must watch.

The Missing season 2 

I loved the first season of the show & the second one was even better. Wonderful suspense drama. I love the opening song which is simplistic but haunting. 

Trapped 

Iceland is now on my bucket list due to the amazing visuals of this show. And it not only had the cinematography but also an engaging story & performances. You will love this suspense drama.

Angie Tribeca 

The best spoof show. It is silly, brilliant and hilarious.

Stranger things 

A tribute to 70s & 80s Hollywood movies of Steven Spielberg & others. Wonderfully done. Superb acting by everyone in the cast. Loved the throwback to Stand by Me. It made me watch E. T. & Close encounters of the third kind.

The DC crossover 

Supergirl, Team Flash, Team Arrow, Legends of tomorrow team in a four night crossover. It was the TV event of the year for me. Can't wait for the next one. 

Hoping for a great 2017 for everyone, filled with awesome movies & tv shows.

Cinema, TV & a Travel Bucket List

Have you ever felt while watching a tv show or a movie that "Oh man, I would love to visit this place"?  I have felt this many times. Some of the places are so breathtaking and some are such an integral part of the story that they are automatically added to your travel bucket list. 

Here is a small list of such locations.

Top of The Lake

Top of the lake is a drama miniseries which follows a detective investigating the disappearance of a 12 year old girl. 

The series is worth a watch for its cinematography alone and it also has a good storyline filled with mystery.

It has been shot in Queenstown & Glenorchy in New Zealand. The laketown Glenorchy is gorgeous and the scenes around "paradise" make you visit it as soon as possible.

LOTR, Vertical Limit & X Men: Wolverine were also filmed around this area.

Supernatural

Supernatural is one of my most favorite shows. It is essentially a road trip all around US by a duo of brothers who have a family business of  "Saving People, Hunting Things".

Mythologically, the Crossroads are a site where supernatural spirits can be contacted and supernatural events can take place. 

The crossroads are an integral part of the storyline of Supernatural and one of the Croassroads Demon is the best character on the show (Crowley). The sequences of Crossroads have been shot at different places. If there is one place I want to visit from Supernatural, it is a crossroad alongside a bar. 

May be I can then make a deal with the demon to visit other places in my bucket list.

Stand By Me

One of the best coming of age movies based on the novella "The Body" written by Stephen King.

It is the story of four friends who go on a hike to see the dead body of a missing child. The route they take passes by a railway track where they encounter a locomotive coming towards them with nowhere to go. It is filled with such great moments that you would also want to take such a trip with your friends (though not for the same reason as them, such brilliance can be written by Stephen King only).

Since it is an 1986 movie, the town where it is set and that railway track also have changed a lot. The bridge is closed now as can be seen here .

Broadchurch

It is a British mystery drama series which explores how a young boy's murder affects the small town of Broadchurch. The series have been shot at multiple locations but mainly the cliff at the beach is what I would love to visit. It has been shot at West Bay, Dorset in Britain.

The cinematography again is awesome and the series is superb, till now two seasons have aired and third will be aired next year. This is a perfect series to binge watch on a weekend.

Lost

Lost is arguably the most epic tv series and every fan would have wanted to visit "the island".

The island is integral part of the story and the plot revolves around it. There is too much to write when it comes to Lost but let us stay on the topic.

The series have been shot on the Oahu island of Hawaii and there is no doubt that it is a place worth visiting.

UP

UP - the movie that has the best opening sequence also features a wonderful place named Paradise Falls in the movie. This place exists in reality too by the name of Angel Falls in Venezuela and it is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall. The wikipedia page of Angel Falls says that the trip to the falls is a complicated affair...ok...I am going to see that someday how complicated is it.....do you want to come too???

The Motorcycle Diaries

The whole trip taken by Ernesto & Alberto is worth going for. This Road Trip biopic is one of my most favorite movies and if I have to pick up one place they both visited then without any doubt it would be Machu Picchu in Peru. 

Go watch this movie if you haven't already and then we can plan the Inca Trail (Machu Picchu) visit together.

So, these were a few of the places that I would love to visit, what are your favorite places from the movies or tv shows??