Fan Art : Mystique

Comic : Golden Ratio

Movie Review : X-Men Days of Future Past

The seventh movie in the X-Men Film Series is a well-paced thrill ride alternating between two timelines with their fates connected. Two ensembles of cast play different versions of the same characters in the two timelines. While the time-travel and its consequences are on a shaky ground and hence hinder the suspension of disbelief, the performances, action set-pieces and the overall pacing of the movie make it an immensely enjoyable experience. Clearly it is the best movie of 2014 so far.

Fan Art : Quicksilver

Inspired from the spectacular Quicksilver scene in 'X-Men : Days of Future Past' (2014) and the Jim Croce song 'Time in a Bottle' that plays during that scene. 

Fan Art : Mystique

Movie Review : Godzilla

Hollywood’s second attempt at making a Godzilla movie did not have to try a lot to perform because whatever it would do, it would still be better than the first attempt. Godzilla 2014 is more faithful to the original Japanese movies and treats Godzilla as a force of nature that awakens to restore balance to the force …I mean restore balance to nature. He is an alpha predator, a god to us mere humans, who awakens when he feels his territory, the planet, is threatened when two other predators arrive to mate.

Memes : Godzilla vs Breaking Bad

Fan Art : Godzilla

Ooga! Ooga! Ooga Chaka! : ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Trailer Talk.

How can a 2-minute trailer for a movie about some unknown characters set in a different part of the galaxy inspire excitement and anticipation when I should know better than to trust a trailer? Trailers can be misleading even when they are for movies whose characters are familiar. Just look at the trailers for ‘Green Lantern’, ’The Last Airbender’,’Indiana Jones 4’, ‘The Phantom Menace’ etc. 

But something is so right about this trailer.

Meme : One Does Not Simply Leave A Marvel Movie

Meme : Marvel vs. DC

Movie Review : This Is The End

The fact that you are reading this is proof that the world did not end on 21 December 2012. No annihilating planetary alignments, compass-reversing polar shifts, unending blackouts, deadly meteor strikes, blinding solar storms, autocratic alien invasion or any other cataclysmic events. The internet spurred the hype for “the end of the world” and Hollywood cashed-in on it by churning out apocalyptic-themed movies. ‘This Is The End’ is one such movie.

Movie Review : The Conjuring

Let me begin by saying that I'm not a huge fan of the horror genre. After the initial spooky set-ups and a few jump-scares, I start losing interest as these movies progress and start offering explanations for the events. In the genre's defense, I have seen only few horror movies. So, maybe there are some great horror movies out there. For me the genre is like using Google+ : I happen to open it very occasionally but I am not impressed by what I see.

Movie Review : The Great Gatsby

'The Great Gatsby' is like watching a poorly made music video. When the lyrics say, "I came in like a wrecking ball.", the lead singer literally comes in sitting atop a wrecking ball. No subtlety.

So, old sport, before I begin I must tell you I've neither read the original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald nor seen any other adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby'. I think that is the reason why I was able to enjoy this movie as the story was unknown to me. Apart from the story, everything in this movie is excessive to the point that it is a distraction from what is going on in the story. The visuals are in-your-face and the performances in many parts are over-dramatic and animated. I thought the movie was trying to portray how hollow people of the aristocracy and those enjoying the profits of the economic boom of the 1920s were. There is some attempt at social commentary here as the rich at lavish parties are contrasted with poor masses. But in its portrayal the movie gets carried away and gives preference to style over substance.

References in 'Gravity'

'Gravity' is essentially a survival movie in space. The main character has to battle an unforgiving environment in order to survive at the same time deal with some personal issues. Gravity is a roller coaster ride with elaborate and intense action scenes alternated by quiet moments for reflection. 'Gravity' has been hailed as the intellectual successor to '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968). Though 'Gravity' references 2001 several times, this movie refrains from dealing with the larger questions put forth by 2001. Rather it is more about the human condition, more specifically, about resilience, letting go, growth, sacrifice and the basic primal instinct in all of us to survive no matter how bleak a situation is.

Apart from '2001 : A Space Odyssey' , 'Gravity' also references many other movies. Here are the references that I picked up. Comment below if you think I missed out on something.

Movie Review : Gravity

'Gravity' is essentially a survival movie in space. The main character has to battle an unforgiving environment in order to survive at the same time deal with some personal issues. Gravity is a roller coaster ride with elaborate and intense action scenes alternated by quiet moments for reflection. 'Gravity' has been hailed as the intellectual successor to '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968). Though 'Gravity' references 2001 several times, this movie refrains from dealing with the larger questions put forth by 2001. Rather it is more about the human condition, more specifically, about resilience, letting go, growth, sacrifice and the basic primal instinct in all of us to survive no matter how bleak a situation is.

Meme : Not sure if 'Gravity' or 'Life of Pi'

Why "Now You See Me"'s magic doesn't work.

An important aspect why movies or magic shows or any work of fiction like stories and poems succeed in entertaining us  is the idea of "Suspension of Disbelief". It is expected from the audience that they would let go of their perception of reality in order to enter and appreciate a fictional world and connect with characters in that world. We know that fictional worlds of ,say, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars are a figment of someone's imagination but we are willing to accept that these worlds are real for the time we are watching or reading about them in order to be entertained.

Diving into an imaginary world.

Movie Review : Now You See Me

In spite of having a wonderful cast of actors and a great premise about four magicians robbing banks and distributing their spoils with their audience, leaving the FBI dumbfounded, the movie fails to create what is called 'movie magic'. It is a plot-driven movie as opposed to a character-driven movie. The cast give a fine performance but never gel together or work together as a unit. The plot twists and turns and in the end gives you a twist that makes you feel like finding an empty table, standing at one side and then flipping it out of dismay at how lazily the plot is written.  

Movie Review : World War Z

World War Z is like a hastily made pizza. It is flat, cheesy in some parts with different portions of it tasting different. It will fulfill your hunger for the time being but will leave you wanting for something that is more complete. The movie plays out like a series of distinct scenarios that are loosely connected into a story. Each scenario involves some people who have to complete some task by going from point A to point B with obstacles presented in their path by (you guessed it!) zombies. There is no overall theme of the movie ,except that it's a zombie apocalypse movie, nor is there any emotional core or driving force to the movie. The special effects are great and some of the visuals are stunning ,but no amount of seasoning and ketchup would hide the fact that you have a poorly made pizza.