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Creature Commandos: James Gunn's show denies any existence of a superhero fatigue

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There is an opinion amongst the general public that comic book cinema has seen its glory days and is now tumbling down to an unfortunate end. It is a sentiment that finds its origin amongst the myriad of dull and uninspiring films that have recently seen the light of day claiming themselves to be based on popular comic books. These are the films that are structured similarly to and tell the same story as a countless amount of other films. It has become a corner of cinema that merely exists because it is usually a safe bet to rake in box office numbers. However, I believe that it is reductive to claim that superhero or comic book storytelling has reached saturation. There are various distinct and incredible stories that exist between the pages of comic books. Comic books are a visually exaggerated medium of storytelling, and insinuating that the medium is the cause of error is an objectively wrong statement to make. Written by James Gunn, a man who has excelled in this format of cinema,...
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Max: A career-reviving Sudeep and technical excellence help push the star vehicle into success

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Max is Sudeep's much-awaited return to the big screens after about 3 years. It is also Kannada cinema's long-overdue return to a commercial star vehicle that doesn't disappoint fans and general audiences alike. There is a charm in the structure and presentation of Max itself, that serves as a reminder of why this style of filmmaking is popular in Sandalwood to begin with. This is the sort of film that audiences have fallen in love with for years. It gives them the required cinematic highs essential to escape into its world. Once "Max" has successfully gained the viewer's love and trust, it continues to give more such moments while also delivering an engaging experience. One of the major triumphs of Max is that it is made upon the realization that stringing together multiple "mass" sequences will not result in an ultimately satisfying product. All of the moments designed to have fans hooting and cheering are built upon a strong story that serves as th...
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UI: An intense cinematic experience due to the eccentricity of its filmmaking language

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UI is not an easy film to describe. It is its own beast for most of the runtime. The film is a confident display of Upendra's skills at directing a metaphorical and multi layered script. It essentially tries to highlight the downfalls of world politics with a specific focus on Indian politics' unbreakable bond  with caste and religion. However, instead of directly dealing with the issue at hand with a basic level, Upendra's signature style takes the story into a realm 10 or more notches higher.  The universe that he creates is a desolate and concentrated display of mankind's exploitation of the world we live in. Set within this universe is this tale of political uprising. The tale is made interesting by the narrative decision taken to highlight how easy it is to manipulate the public into voting by using the aforementioned weapons. All of the aspects from this point are fantastic versions of a true reality that we see on a daily basis. It never tries to make itself into...
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Anatomy of a fall: A rare courtroom drama which remains ambiguous without losing intensity

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Courtroom dramas are a staple in cinema. Time and time again, viewers have expressed great interest in watching law play out like a game on the screen. However, the most popular courtroom dramas present the set of truths to the audience before they are manipulated to appease the law. Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a fall” is a courtroom drama, which flips this cliché.  The most interesting aspect of the film lies in how it manages to mask the truth throughout the film. The event is placed right at the start and everything that the audience learns about what happened leading up to it is along with the court itself. The evidence is presented for the audience to make judgements along with the court. The trial is a rather sensational one, only if the murder is proved. Thus, the media and the court focuses on the absurd evidence that it is able to find as proof of motive. The rather clever title foreshadows the hare-brained investigation by the judicial system. A man has fallen from the to...
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Laapataa Ladies: Breaking down the war against patriarchy to small triumphant moments of victory

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Kiran Rao’s impressive yet simplistic “Lapaataa Ladies” is an attempt to break down feminist ideas into its most basic principles. The film uses long standing bollywood cliches in an effective manner to convey its central ideas to the audience. These cliches are borrowed from the now overused “small-town film” playbook. This can vary from incompetent policemen, uneducated dwellers of the village, a misogynistic older generation and long shots of agricultural fields. The film never shies away from its familiarity and instead uses it to strengthen its messaging.  The film tells the story of two newlywed women who are accidentally interchanged. The interchange happens due to the “ghoonghat”, a tradition in the country which is used to conceal the identity of women. The interchanged brides are both given polar opposite characteristics. One woman has seen this mishap as an excuse to break free from the patriarchal norms that the society tries to coerce her into. The other woman begi...
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Baby Reindeer: The chronicles from an artist's relationship with fame

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“Because, fame encompasses judgment, right?” A person’s sense of humor is an amalgamation of very personal life experiences. It encompasses life itself and sugarcoats it to be softer to look back on. Hence, to be a comedian is to show the world the biggest part of your personality. To then be rejected as a comedian in front of the world is to be rejected as a person itself. Facing rejection as a comedian can be the most vulnerable moment of an artist’s life. To be looked at with admiration through the person’s humor is mostly what a comedian craves and hence any gaze from that direction is welcomed without any prejudice which can sometimes lead to the most terrible choices.   In this instance, the stand up comic is the show’s leading star Richard Gadd who is also its writer and creator. It is a retelling of his personal experience of being stalked by a woman during his initial days as a comic. The show not only delves deep into this harrowingly fearsome experience but also ...
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Ondanondu Kaladalli: An exploration of the futility of traditional masculinity

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  Toxic ideas of masculinity have always had some elements of violence hidden inside. It is considered that the physical strength of a man is essential to determine his self-worth and the proof comes from acts of violence. In Girish Karnad’s 1979 film, “Ondanondu Kaladalli” he explores the terrifying connection between these two elements of a man’s world. The film is an ode to Japanese Samurai films, while also being a critique of both the ruins that affliction of violence brings and the legacy of destruction that it leaves behind. Two brothers are at loggerheads with each other to claim ownership over a large stretch of land. The protagonist is hired to lead the battle for one of these brothers against a formidable opponent who has created a reign of terror favoring the other side. A violent saga between these two sides ensues leaving one of them to emerge as the stronger side and thus, ownership. The man who expected to be rewarded for his victory is disposed of without even re...
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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