Across the Universe Podcast: Episode 4

Episode 4: Trapped in a Box

This week, Mette, Sofia and your truly list our favourite TV shows. Now I must warn you, this episode is quite long. The actual recording went on for about 2 and a half hours, but thanks to Mette's awesome editing skills, we have made it as short as possible. I promise you though, it is a lot of fun. If you are still not convinced, here are some of the things you can expect from this episode:

1) What is Michael Buble's favourite movie?

2) How to correctly pronounce Mads Mikkelsen's name?

3) A German song!

4) Loads of giggling :)

Content:

0:11- Chick chatter

2:46- Trailers

3:21- Interesting Movie of the Fortnight

20:15- General discussion on each of our top 4 TV shows

1:33:46- Plugs and Goodbyes

Music:

The National "The Rains Of Castamere"

No Doubt "Trapped In A Box"

Theme songs from our favourite TV shows +

John Barrowman, Catherine Tate and David Tennant "The Ballad of Russel and Julie"

The Beatles "Across The Universe"

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Thoughts

          Hello everyone! So guess what? My exams have been postponed for another month which is great news except that they are starting the same day as the new ANTM cycle which is the Guys and Girls cycle AKA my most anticipated thing on TV ever! Gahhhhhhh.
           Don't judge me.

1) Gary Oldman is eyeing Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes for his second directorial feature, Flying Horse. It will be about a photographer who murders a theatre critic who is having an affair with his wife. I think this will be excellent. All of them should definitely act together, even though Oldman has separately costarred with both the actors- with Cumberbatch in Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy and with Fiennes in the Harry Potter movies. Honestly though, if the Harry Potter films were still being made, Cumberbatch would have definitely made it into its gargantuan British cast. He could have been a Death Eater, or maybe a younger version of Snape. Yes! They should actually make a Snape spin-off with Cumberbatch- I will not mind one bit. Anyways, I want Flying Horse now!

2) Speaking of other Hogwarts alumni, Emma Watson is going to reteam with Harry Potter producer David Heyman in Queen of the Tearling, the adaptation of the first book in a trilogy. The story is "set three centuries after an environmental catastrophe when a malevolent Red Queen holds considerable power". People are calling it the Game of Thrones for women, which makes no actual sense if you watch the show- the women are the biggest badasses in Westeros. Like duhhh. Still, I am really happy that Watson is going places, though I don't know if another blockbuster series is a good idea. Having said that, she has already played one of the most inspiring female role models in recent times so she is an apt choice for this.

3) This news came out on the morning of the day Matt Smith announced his retirement which was when my world ended. Anyhoo, Karen Gillan, Smith's ex-costar and companion on Doctor Who, is going to play a lead villain in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is brilliant! She will be a baddie alongside another beautiful tall person, Lee Pace, and Michael Rooker. Rumours suggest that she will play a bounty-hunter named Angela but we will see if that's true or not. The film will also star Chris Pratt, John C. Reily, Zoe Saldana and Glenn Close. So happy for Gillan- redheads FTW!

4) Other casting news- Eddie Redmayne is going to play Stephen Hawking in Theory of Everything. The film will chronicle that period of Hawking's life when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and was told he has a couple of years to live, causing him to go into depression and have problems with his to-be wife. It sounds like a very demanding, dramatic role and it will be interesting to see what Redmayne does with it. It will be directed by Man on Wire director, James Marsh. Next, Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play Rasputin and Jason Hall, the screenwriter who wrote the upcoming Steven Spielberg-Bradley Cooper movie American Sniper, is going to pen the script. It's still very much in early development but it sounds cool and weird and I'm glad to see that Leo is still after that Oscar. GIVE HIM THAT OSCAR, YOU BASTARDS! Finally, the dude who did win the Oscar, Christoph Waltz might be starring in Roman Polanski's True Crimes which is based on a New Yorker article about a Polish detective solving a cold case that leads him into Poland's underworld. Waltz has worked with Polanski on the delightful Carnage, where he outshone everyone else, and it would be very cool to see Waltz do something subdued and grim like this.

5) Oh btw, are you guys listening to our podcast? You can click on the page above named "Across the Universe Podcast" to listen :)

6) I am on such a Bollywood music binge right now, all because of Yeh Jawaan Hai Deewani. This song in particular-

Yes I am plugging a song in a language most of you don't understand about a festival most of you don't celebrate but imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do etcetera etcetera. THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!

7) Posters- Well, not actual posters but discarded ones in fact. Spike Lee's Oldboy remake starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley didn't use these 4 posters but I think they're pretty cool, especially the trunk one.

8) Trailers- Touchy Feely made by Lynn Shelton who direcred the wonderful Your Sister's Sister, looks just as sweet and touching (haha get it?). This too stars Rosemary DeWitt, along with Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy and Allison Janney. Filth has another awesomely disgusting red-band trailer out. I really want to watch this. The Way, Way Back looks very good too. Loving Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell in it. 300: Rise of an Empire looks as over the top as one would expect. It kind of sucks that the main guy isn't hot but hey, Eva Green is one gorgeous lady. The trailer to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has me concerned as it somehow features more Legolas than Bilbo. Also I disapprove of us not hearing Benedict Cumberbatch's voice in it. Thank god for all the Lee Pace though. Pretty elf is pretty. Naomi Watts-starrer Diana has a teaser out and it looks very boring, though I have faith in her. Aside from her exciting new project, Karen Gillan is also the star of Not Another Happy Ending which looks cute albeit predictable but I love her so I will watch it. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star in gangster-family-comedy The Family, erstwhile known as the v. exotic Malavita, and I might watch it. Might. The trailer of the week/fortnight is *obviously* Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. It looks amazing and I'm really loving Cate Blanchett losing her mind and Sally Hawkins being just awesome. Two Oscars please.

9) Finally, how awesome is Hannibal? And Mads Mikkelsen? I give you-

Mads Mikkelsen

Sads Mikkelsen

Glads Mikkelsen

Bads Mikkelsen

Knee-pads Mikkelsen

Rads Mikkelsen

Plaids Mikkelsen

Cool-dads Mikkelsen

Honestly, I just wanted a lot of Mads Mikkelsen on my blog. Muahahahahaa.

Be careful of what or who you are eating. Good bye!

"What's the S stand for?"

            SERIOUS it seems. When the first trailers of Man of Steel hit the net, I was a little concerned about it looking too grim. And well, it really really was.

           Man of Steel (2013) takes us back to the origins of the famed son of Krypton (a very accurate description actually), when Jor-El sends his only son Kal-El to Earth as their home planet is on the verge of destruction due to natural factors and the rebellious General Zod. Kal grows up as Clark Kent, raised by human parents who believe that the world isn't ready for his superhuman powers and his extraterrestrial truth. When he departs to look for answers about himself, Clark constantly, though discreetly, helps people around him. This grabs the attention of Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Lois Lane who tries to find out who this guardian angel is. When finally Clark finds out the truth, the fact that he is a child of two worlds, he has to make the choice about what kind of man he wants to be. In the midst of all this, an old enemy resurfaces.

              Let me start with what I really loved about Man of Steel, and that are its beginning and its ending. The film starts off in Krypton, but unlike the slightly bland planet shown in the first Superman movie, this is a wondrous alien world with all sorts of structures and creatures. One can understand why it is considered advanced. Here we meet Jor-El, played remarkably well by Javert Russell Crowe, trying to drill some sense into the Kryptonian bureaucrats and then kicking ass once Zod attacks. We see the kind of sacrifices made in order for Kal-El to live. It's a spectacular retelling of a story we're all familiar with. Then there is the ending, which after some two hours of oh so seriousness, shows us another well-known facet of this tale- Superman as Clark Kent, and also gives us much-needed levity and cause for hope. It is interesting to note that in a film all about hope and whatnot, it is this part that succeeds best.

        Now for the really big chunk in the middle. Right before I saw Man of Steel, I revisited Superman (1978) and properly watched for the first time, Superman II (1980), and I really enjoyed myself. I thought it was a good idea to remind myself of the tale and the man before watching the latest installment of this saga. In retrospect, that hasn't worked out for the best as we should really not compare them. If anything, people should now start weighing all superhero movies against Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. And this precisely was my biggest issue with Man of Steel. As much as I loved the trilogy, I hate that all superhero movies now think that they too need to get all deep and serious (except my beloved The Avengers of course). That formula worked with Batman, but it just feels off with something as fun and, well, slightly silly (you can try and make us forget the red underpants as much as you want) as Superman. Now I am not a comic book person so maybe I am getting this all wrong, but I really wish Man of Steel was a little more lighthearted than that.

            I understand that they were trying to make us more familiar with who Superman is, and I appreciate it as well, but it could have been done with a little humour, no? And I felt that the film had the right elements for it too. I really admired what Henry Cavill was doing when he was being slightly condescending to humans. Christopher Reeves's Superman too had that smirky endearing quality to him. Coming to the villain though, I was really saddened by how they made Michael Shannon's Zod kind of dull. Okay, he's bad and he has different motivations than Terrence Stamp's megalomaniacal one, but then? My favourite part of a superhero movie is always the supervillain (unless you are Tony Stark of course), and that's because they are entertaining. He didn't even say "Kneel before Zod" which is an awesome catchphrase! And honestly, where were the catchphrases? He was just evil. Meh. Before watching the movie, I was certain that I would get to see Shannon bring his special brand of zany villainy to the game (see: Premium Rush) but he didn't, and that was really disappointing.

          Next, the love interest. I was most excited for Amy Adams's casting as Lois Lane. I personally like Superman Returns, but even I can't defend Kate Bosworth who was terribly miscast as the feisty lady love of the man of steel. Adams seemed perfect, but alas, she caught the serious bug too. Again, I was intrigued by the film showing Adams's Lois as a proper, determined, intelligent, investigative journalist who is actually able to find out who Superman really was and who does not fall for that completely idiotic glasses on-and-off schtick of his. However, somehow in all of that, all her charm was lost which is insane because when I think of Amy Adams, I picture sunshine and rainbows. Sadly, none of that made it into the movie. Margot Kidder was absolutely adorable as Lois Lane in the original Superman movies and I really believed that they would get this right with Adams.

          And then there was the romance. I think I prefer Superman II a little over Superman except for two sequences in the latter, both of which had to do with Superman's and Lois's relationship. The first was when Superman took Lois on a flight (that's literally what it was) and it is simply one of the most magical scenes in film history. And then when, spoilers for those who haven't watched the film yet, he turns back time to save her. I mean, god that's romantic and where can I find a guy who can do that for me?! But I digress. Of course the ending gives us hope for such things in the definite sequels, but my problem here was that Man of Steel lacked that magic that their relationship brought to the other films. And I didn't understand why, spoilers again, they even had that romantic moment. They had this mutual respect thing going on that I could get behind, but then that happened and I was left very confused.

            My final issue with the film is the fight sequences in the climax. They just went on and on and on. I was completely desensitised by the end of it, and somehow I think so was Superman. The amount of destruction that this film shows possibly surpasses those in any other such films. It just felt really pointless and counter-productive, to be honest. And it was so weird to see Superman really not caring about any of it and just going on fighting and probably destroying more things than the villains would have done themselves. I think if they had cut out one of the three major action sequences at the end, probably the first one in Smallville, it would have been so much more effective and less brain-hammering. The seriousness followed by all the chaos and noise became too much for me at times.

             Even though all this makes it sound like I hated the movie, I assure you I did not. I liked it actually, just not too much. I praise the overall look of the film. Most of the wide shots were absolutely breathtaking, and the effects with Krypton and their very unique-looking technology were really cool. Some of the fight scenes, especially the hand-to-hand ones did look video game-y at times, but that can be ignored.

         As I touched upon earlier, I thought that Henry Cavill was quite commendable as our hero. He fits the role as snugly as the new suit fits him ^^ He was just really believable as this extraordinary man, both physically and emotionally. And as the female soldier says in the end, he's hot and that does not hurt one bit (all the chiseled jaw-ness *sighs*). Again, Russell Crowe did a pretty good job too, even though I laughed the loudest when his character died. Well, no one else actually laughed but that's because their sense of humour sucks. Kevin Costner, who played Papa Kent, was also good, although admittedly I did not like the character a lot till we saw what he did for Clark in a really fantastic scene that resonates with me more than that entire cacophony of a climax. My favourite supporting character in the film however was Martha Kent played by Diane Lane. I absolutely loved her. She was so wonderful and caring and her relationship with Clark was perfect. I have nothing to say about Lawrence Fishburne's Perry White except that he was boring and forgettable.

          Zack Snyder, who directed the film, was an interesting choice for it. It must be noted that he *has* made one of the best superhero movies ever, Watchmen. As I said, even though I liked that he showed us how Superman came to be, properly and in detail, I just wish he had been less heavy-handed with the material. He got the tone so right with Watchmen, it is a shame that he got side-tracked with the Nolanisation in this. Of course Nolan is a producer and though that will bring audiences into the theatre, I don't know how happy it will make them once in there.

             I went to watch this with my little brother and my mother. My brother absolutely enjoyed every second of it and my mother got a headache and therefore hated it (thank god, we didn't go for 3D. I would not have heard the end of it). Though I am more on the side of my twelve-year-old-going-through-a-weirdly-aggressive-preteen-phase sibling, I can understand my mother's viewpoint too.

         If I were to make an equation for Man of Steel it would be Snyder's Superman + Nolan - Charm. If you are up for it, do go and watch it.

Across the Universe Podcast: Episode 3

Episode 3: A Girl Like You

In this episode, Mette, Sofia and yours truly discuss our female role models in films. We have quite a varied list so I hope you enjoy. Once again, my internet had problems so please bear with us.

Content:
00:38- Chick-Chatter
02:02- Introduction
02:43- Trailer Time
03:32- Interesting Movie of the Fortnight
19:00- General Discussion on Our Top 5 Female Role Models
1:10:22- Plugs and Goodbyes

Music:
The Troggs "With A Girl Like You"
Laura Marling "Master Hunter"
The Beatles "Across the Universe"



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Write to us at: acrosstheuniversepodcast@gmail.com
Find us on iTunes: search for Across the Universe Podcast

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I cannot deal with this. Here I was happily rewatching series 7 and thinking about how fabulous 50th Anniversary will be and how lovely River Song Day is and then this happened. Judases. How the fuck am I going to watch it now knowing that this was, yes "was", his last series? How the fuck am I going to watch anything? I am so heartbroken and annoyed right now. At BBC. At Doctor Who. At Matt Smith. At Ryan Gosling even. At myself because I have let a stupid television show run my life. Stupid and wonderful.

Matt Smith is my Doctor and I am very very sad.

The Month that was May

       It's Marilyn Monroe's birthday!

        She was a beauty. Unfortunately, May as a film-watching month wasn't. I think ever since I decided at the beginning of this year that I will not be focusing so much on watching films in 2013, I really let myself go. Plus, I've become a TV show nut but thankfully (maybe) all my shows are ending or have ended. Hence, I will get back into the movie-watching in about 2 months. Why 2 months? Exams. I am royally screwed for them and I really need to focus on changing that. As a result of which, this blog is going to become a barren wasteland soon. I have a few reviews and posts planned which I will post, but I have decided not even to be bothered with the Thoughts posts. I will however keep doing the Across the Universe Podcasts. Also, my laptop is gone a bit mental, so I might have made a mistake in the films I saw this month.

Firsts:

1) Iron Man 3- Yep, I loved it alright.

2) Side Effects- I thought it was alright, nothing very spectacular.

3) Taste of Cherry- I keep appreciating it more and more when I think about it.

4) Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters- It was the in-flight movie so do not judge. Awful, plain awful.

5) The Place Beyond the Pines- I liked the story, the look and the performances, but I think because of the structure, it did not make the kind of impact it had aimed to make.

6) Eraserhead- I think starting "Crazy Nikhat Month!" with this was a bad idea. It has basically turned into a year long syllabus now. This film was crazy as fuck. Most disgusting ending I have ever seen.

7) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes- It was cute. "Ain't There Anybody Here For Love" was male objectification 101. Loved it.

8) Dogtooth- Another one for "Crazy Nikhat Month". I actually liked this one.

9) Anatomy of a Murder- Excellent film. James Stewart is probably my favourite classic actor.

10) Star Trek Into Darkness- My best friend kind of ruined it for me, but it was still fun.

11) The Great Gatsby- I really liked it. You can hear my thoughts about it on the podcast.

12) Dead Ringers- Again, quite fucked-up though Jeremy Irons was fantastic.

13) Berberian Sound Studio- So so perfectly eerie.

14) Salaam Bombay- I have never seen an Indian film like this. Quite blown away.

15) Behind the Candelabra- I am sad that Steven Soderbergh is retiring, but this was quite a wonderful way to go, wasn't it? That ending especially.


Rewatched:

1) Dil Se- For Mette :) I really liked it.
2) Star Trek Into Darkness- Watched it alone this time. Loved it :P
3) Clueless- Showed it to my friends in a sleepover, 'cuz Cher Horowitz is a legend.


TV shows-

1) New Girl, season 2- I lurved this season. The gags, the relationships, all the :O :O moments. Even an Indian wedding! So much brilliance. a) Favourite episode- "Cooler". Not only because of the big kiss, but it was just a hilarious episode all around. b) MVP- Jake Johnson as Nick Miller. He has slowly becoming the angry, irresponsible, failure-in-life but still a total softy dream man. c) Favourite quote-

Schmidt: "I had only sari related sexual ideas. Monsoon Bedding, Best Erotic Maribone Hotel,Slumdoggy Style Millionaire!"

I will never wear a sari with a straight-face again.

2) The Vampire Diaries, season 4- I am getting at the end of my tether with the whole love triangle. The season finale ended with all the right things and I kind of wish that the show ends now before it begins to suck. a) Favourite episode- "My Brother's Keeper" and "The Originals". The former because it had a number of "FINALLY!" moments and the latter because I am loving the idea of a sexy show about vampire politics. b) MVP- Joseph Morgan as Klaus. He is becoming quite the favourite. He is v.v.v. bad, which is why his more vulnerable moments work. Plus, his romance with Caroline is adorable. c) Favourite quotes- 

Elena [to Bonnie]: "I thought you were gonna bring Jeremy back, but turns out you were just a brain-washed crazy person."

Sometimes bitchy Elena had really fun lines.

Klaus [to Caroline]: "He's your first love. I intend to be your last. However long it takes."

Because awwwwwwww.

3) Doctor Who, series 7- I will do a full post on this but basically I loved it. You can read my other posts on it here.

4) Elementary, season 1- I liked it, but it's no Sherlock. Will do a post on this too.

5) Broadchurch, series 1- Again, I liked it. I had a number of issues with it though, mostly that it was too slow in places and the visuals reminded me too much of Terrence Malick, which isn't really that appealing or necessary in a crime drama. However, by the end, I was quite involved in the mystery and the performances across the board were top-notch.

Final tally:
                                  Firsts- 71                Rewatched- 30                Shorts- 1
                                                                   Total- 102
           

      So that's it. Wish me well as I attempt to finish all the stuff for the blog and go into nerd mode.