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Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Stakeout (2014)
Turn the other cheek!
This episode, for me, has the best cold open of them all. And this in a show that has some truly legendary cold openings - Santiago being late for work, babushka, marshmallows, Backstreet Boys, and so many more. But this one has, in my opinion, Captain Holt (Andre Braugher, RIP) at his absolute best. It is the kind of cold opening that the writers reach for only when they've seen what a performer they've got on their hands, and Holt is an absolute riot here (as are Jake with the cheek comment and Rosa with the subtle smiling and Wunch as her usual nemesis self).
The rest of the episode is decent too, though not a classic admittedly. Worth a rewatch for the opening alone!
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Magnificent. But don't watch it if you're suffering from Depression
Watched it a bit later than everyone else (the week after Colin Farrell failed to win the Oscar), but it still lived up to the months of talking up that it had received. Really, really thought-provoking and heart-rending.
Reminded me of the Hindustani Classical Raag Marwa. Melancholy and signifying loss and bereavement and the emotions one tends to experience at sundown. Very important to be in touch with those feelings, sure, but perhaps not for those who are suffering from depression. Like almost all the people on Inisherin. And all of them are unaware of it of course. As is often the case.
Be sure to not recommend to anyone in your life who is suffering so, then. But definitely recommend it to everyone else!
Talvar (2015)
Scariest Hindi movie..
Apart from the storyline, the performances of the director, scriptwriter and actors, what stayed with me was how scary this entire matter was. The incompetence of government officials is not something that we are unaware of, but when it results in incorrect convictions of innocent individuals that are already suffering from the horrifying manner of the death of their only child, it generates a disturbed feeling that stays with you longer than any silly movie that calls itself horror.
Move aside, Conjuring and Insidious and Ring and Fridays and slashers and zombies. *This* is genuinely terrifying, in the "it could so easly happen to me" mould. Congratulations to everyone involved in the making of this gem.
Bandish Bandits (2020)
Uneven, overlong, but a terrific payoff
Came into this a little late, once the hype died down. And much of the popularity seems to be based on said hype, especially the groan-inducing unnecessary over-crude aimed-to-shock language of one or two characters. Could have also been a couple of episodes shorter, and it got really tough to stay with it, especially with the non-musical portions of the lengthy midgame (episodes 3-8). But if you manage to plough through those, thanks to believable performances and despite some grating dialog, a magical payoff awaits at the end. Not the jugalbandi - we know which character has the "plot-armour" - but the virah. That composition will stay with you much longer than anything else in this show, and those three minutes are (almost) well worth the rest of it.
The Big Bang Theory: The Barbarian Sublimation (2008)
By far the best episode of all 12 seasons
Much of this show is 2 or 3 jokes over and over again, but this episode really is genuinely funny. I dropped off 5-6 seasons in, but somehow always caught this episode on reruns and that made me return to the show and endure through the rest of the 12 seasons. It really is that good, this episode.
Many tropes come together, much of the laughter-track is appropriate, and not thrown in to convince the inattentive viewer that a joke actually happened, and none of the characters behave out of character. And there's a cameo by a cat too.
Impromptu (1991)
Unexpectedly Hilarious and Touching too
I came to this movie looking for a glimpse into the lives of the four artists: Chopin, Sand, Delacroix and my favourite Liszt and got much more than I bargained for.
The setting is Paris of the 1830s, where the kids play "Cowboys & Indians" as "Revolutionaries & Noblemen", where hysterical aristocrats are back to hosting soirees and honourable men are fighting the last of the duels. Obviously no possibility of spoilers, with the narrative based on actual events, so most of the entertainment arrives in the form of fabulous performances, a terrific cast and of course gorgeous piano notes.
But the biggest surprise is the humour. Ranging from subtle to farcical, it serves to gulp down the dose of human emotions and failings nicely. Watch it if you like literature or art or classical music or history, but watch it if you like subtle entertainment on a Sunday afternoon.
Game of Thrones: Hardhome (2015)
Now *that* was special
This is my second GoT review, and the first one came from a place of disappointment at how tame Blackwater actually seemed. Thankfully, the overall quality of the show meant that budgets kept on rising and we were treated to this spectacle, that I return to every once in a while to - and I can't quite believe I'm admitting this - psych myself up when I am need of something to focus the old noggin for an unexpected night-out at work.
I've also returned to this episode after every other major battle episode that the show has done since, and this one still does it for me. If Jon could somehow bottle the dread of this hour and show it to the southrons, they'd forget their fighting and join him at the Wall for sure.
Tremendous, truly outstanding work. Thank you everyone involved, right from GRRM - who actually didn't write the battle in his books but definitely created the setting - to Sapochnik and his crew and of course the creators. Really, really well done.
Downton Abbey: Episode #2.6 (2011)
A rather silly episode
Only recently acquired the DVDs of this show and was looking forward to it after hearing plenty of positive reviews. A bit surprised to find then that Downton Abbey often flirts with soap opera territory, especially so far in season two. This particular episode is where the flirting ends and soap opera-hood is embraced wholeheartedly.
Really disappointed, but they tell me that the show returns to its Season One territory soon, especially with the Christmas Special at the end of this season. Will plod on, but a bit more warily, and certainly with less expectations now...
Adding a few lines, since apparently I need at least ten to submit a valid review. I can see what the show-runners have been going through with this season. I can see it is quite a task to come up with content. But then.. I don't have the backdrop of the Great War to work with, and I daresay the show-runners simply don't care that they have descended into some hackneyed stuff.
Asoka (2001)
NOT the epic tale of Ashoka's life... but somewhat watchable
inane dialogue delivery.. most actors barely touch the surface of the characters they play.. song and dance (though some of the songs are very enjoyable and melodious).. nowhere close to the story of the greatest emperor to rule the largest area ever ruled by a subcontinental power - an empire larger than that of Aurangzeb, or the British, or present-day India.. a rather tame tribute this movie is, to the man honoured prolifically by the Republic of India, that chose his symbol as its national symbol after independence.. disappointing movie really.. still, there are some redeeming features - shahrukh khan isn't too bad.. the battle sequences aren't ridiculous.. and the music is probably Anu Malik's best work.. and of course we get gripped by the tale despite it sticking very loosely to the actual historical narrative.. maybe I was expecting too much
Die Hard (1988)
Perfect! Perfect perfect perfect!!!
What a movie.. what a ride.. I caught it on cable tonight for the umpteenth time and was still shaking my head in wonder and amazement at the creation that this movie is. Twenty five years later, Die Hard still entertains.
Everything is just fabulous. John McTiernan.. sir, you have our utmost gratitude for this outstanding piece of cinema. Having watched it close to a hundred times now, and the admiration just keeps on increasing for the utter perfection of it all. Not a moment is out of place.. not a single line delivered by someone who is not deeply involved with their character and the situation s/he finds themselves in.. not a single instance of narration that grates or is cheesy or corny or inappropriate.. The action looks real.. the fights are brilliant.. the plot has negligible loopholes.. and absolutely everyone's performance is unbelievably good for an action movie..
I could go on and on about how well the key scenes are executed and how accomplished the entire production is, but I promised myself that this one would be without spoilers. Which is why I also can't reveal why I have knocked off that last star. Probably pedantic anyway.
A last word for Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman. Can we have them together in another movie please? Any movie. Any absolutely any movie. Please!
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Why so serious?
at the outset, let me be clear that I am not a fan of action movies. I have enjoyed some from that genre once in a while, the first Die Hard, the first two Terminators, the first Matrix, The Avengers.. and that's that. I hated the second Die Hard, the third Terminator, the later Matrix movies, was bored with the Spiderman movies etc etc. But I loved Salvation.
Having proverbially been living on Mars for the past few years, I have missed the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I haven't seen any of the Transformer movies (wanted to note this, since some reviewers have compared the giant robots to those from that universe. With that background, let me reiterate - I loved this one.
Maybe I haven't been exposed to many of the other technically slick recent movies, and maybe that's why I enjoyed the action sequences in this one so much. Perhaps I found the giant machine bots in this one a massive improvement over the last time I had seen their ilk on screen (that was in that ridiculous third Matrix movie). The moto-terminators were a joy too. I enjoyed the chase sequences, the camera inside the crashing helicopter when John Connor tries to take off with it, and the finale too. The signature homages to the previous Terminator movies showed up at the right times too. I was thoroughly impressed with the post-apocalypse ("dystopian" I think is what I want to say) depiction. I found the performances of especially the two leads - Christian Bale and Sam Worthington - quite appropriate. Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, Common and of course Jadagrace also left an impression. Some of the subtle notions and character building scenes were artfully done - I particular enjoyed the early relationship development between Marcus and Kyle+Star..
In short, I don't know why so many people hate this movie so much. I didn't even get to watch it on the big screen and still was thoroughly entertained, having happened upon a late nighter on a movie channel here, and was planning to watch while testing some programs that would have taken an hour or so to run. They ran, and were forgotten. Salvation kept me hooked, and I always stop surfing to this day when I hit upon it being telecast somewhere.
Thanks McG. Hope you get to do the next in this franchise.
Game of Thrones: Blackwater (2012)
Now that I've read it in the book...
... this episode has become my least favourite of the series. I had read all about how one of the reasons the makers of the show decided to adapt the books in the first place was sequences such as the battle depicted in this episode, and how grand and epic it was going to be.. and then post-telecast how there was some sort of cover-your-backside disclaimers about this after all being a TV show and not a movie and therefore constrained in terms of budget etc.. While all that is understandable, what really was a let down was the flow of the episode.. constantly shifting between the battle and the comparatively tame happenings inside the castle.. not to mention the prelude to the battle, with the soldiers finding themselves their last lay etc and the completely unnecessary confrontation between Bronn and the Hound.. disappointing, especially given that GRRM wrote the episode too.. and now that my reading has finally caught up till the events of this episode, I am sufficiently aghast to have written this review.. my first of this show, and rather unfortunately, not a positive one