The Months that were June, July, August and September + Life Update

          Hellooooo everyone! How have you been? It's been forever (or well, four months). Much has happened.

Life update: So I moved out of my house in Calcutta and I'm currently living in Noida. WOOOO ADULTING! Or well, sorta adulting 'cuz I am living in a hostel where I get my meals (pure vegetarian ones though- yuck!) and get my room cleaned once in a while. But like, baby steps. I have a roommate and a poster of Fight Club on my wall- total college experience! My post-graduation has begun. I'm learning cinema which is like woahhh! It's been slightly difficult because my college is very Bollywood oriented as most of the students here plan on working there after they've graduated. All of these years of neglecting Bollywood has come to bite me in the ass. Everyone also talks in Hindi a lot which is strange for me, and my brand of humour tends to fall flat here a bit. Oh well. C'est la vie. People are still nice though. There's a lot of casual sexism so I'm basically turning into a feminazi. In my batch of 52 people, there are only 5 girls, which is a) sad, b) weird because I just spent three years in an all-girls college. Noida itself is really boring and bland and suburban and a ghost town, especially after having lived in places like the UAE and Calcutta. I hope I move to Delhi by next semester. Oh, I've made two shorts already. The first one was absolutely goddamn awful and I've disowned it. The second one was nicer. I may link it at some point in the future when I am more secure with my own talent or whatever. So yeah. That's more or less it. College hours are insane which is why I am too tired to blog (or start blogging, whatevs) usually. I am really going to try though. Promise! OH and I'm also 23 now. Woo! This is the year, people. I'm going to meet my Jesse/Celine (personality-wise, I mean). I know it.

            Also, it's been a shitty bunch of months in regards to my movie-watching. I keep trying to take out time for it but sleep. It's the best. What to doos? I don't even remember what all TV shows I have watched in these months. There's a good chance I've missed out on some below.

Firsts:

1) Pitch Perfect 2- Not remotely as good or funny as the first. I really liked the German team though.
2) Bottle Rocket (short)- I finally started reading The Wes Anderson Collection and so I decided to watch each movie before its section in the book. This is the only one I hadn't watched before. It was fun.
3) The Second Best Marigold Hotel- Plane movie. I thought it was cute. I like these films.
4) The Lost World: Jurassic Park- What rubbish. Bleh af.
5) Jurassic World- It was fun but like why did it make so much money? Also, depressingly sexist. Also those kids were the worst. Something should have eaten them.
6) From Russia With Love- I liked how sort of low-key it was.
7) Dark Places- It was such a boring adaptation even though they put everything from the book in it.
8) Goldfinger- Funnnnn. I enjoy this kind of Bond more.
9) Don't Look Back- It was my Blind spot of some month, I don't even remember. I have been really bad with respect to the Blind spot series but I will hopefully watch and do a mini review on them soon.
10) Inside Out- How beautiful and profound and touching and brilliant. Pixar at its best.
11) Terminator: Genysis- The shit I watch for Matt Smith.
12) Far From the Madding Crowd- It was lovely and Matthias Schoenaerts is the sun *fans self*.
13) Cars 2- It was for the Pixar episode. The only film I hadn't seen so far. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would but like why would you make a movie about the Lightning McQueen's tow truck friend?
14) Ant-Man- It was fun but fuuuucccckkkk I swear on Chris Evans's perfect pecs, I have never been more attracted to a Marvel leading man before. Goddamn, Paul Rudd. Goddamn!
15) Chinatown- I had always watched it in parts but never together and good god, this is one brilliant fucking movie. I loved it!
16) The Sting- I really liked it but it's already sort of faded from my mind. I do remember how much Robert Redford looked like Brad Pitt in it though.
17) Trainwreck- It started out really fun but it sort of fizzled out towards the end, but I still really liked it. Amy Schumer is God.
18) I Love You Man- I was craving a bit more Paul Rudd. It was really fun. He's so cute.
19) About Elly- Another excellent Asghar Farhadi film. I especially liked the way this showed men "taking charge".
20) Paris in the North- My college hosted a tiny Icelandic film festival and this was one of the films they screened. I liked the way it looked but I thought it was meh otherwise.
21) Metalhead- Also part of the festival. I found it a bit dull in spite of its subject. I fell asleep in the middle.
22) Tomboy- I am trying to make a conscious effort of watching more female-directed movies and this was the first. I loved it. Beautiful.
23) Queen of Earth- Elizabeth Moss is a powerhouse. That is all. I really really liked Katherine Waterston too. That face-poking scene still haunts me.
24) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation- My first theatre experience in Noida! I really liked it and I am in love with Rebecca Ferguson. Make her the next Bond. Please.
25) The Man from U.N.C.L.E.- It was not good but it definitely looked good. Especially the cast. Especially Cavill. Also, Elizabeth Debicki is too stunning.
26) Magic Mike XXL- Bless this film. So feminist and hot and fun. LOVE!
27) Heaven Knows What- I loved how raw yet sort of poetic it was. I don't even know how Arielle Holmes did it.
28) A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence- I loved the way it looked and how absurd it was but it really tested my sleep-deprived self's patience by the end.
29) Love & Mercy- It was really good. I especially loved Elizabeth Banks.
30) The Night Porter- It was so much tamer than I thought it would be and it just stretches on forever. But good god, Charlotte Rampling was one of the most beautiful women ever, wasn't she?
31) I Know Where I'm Going- I would call it a lesser Powell-Pressburger film because it felt so common, unlike everything else I have seen of theirs. The Scottishness was fun though.
32) American Ultra- I thought it would be so much more fun. Meh.
33) The Overnight- Now THIS was fun. And very unpredictable. I enjoyed it a lot.
34) The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials- I actually liked it. It wasn't as good as the first one but it was entertaining enough.
35) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl- I just didn't love it. I couldn't even tell you why. It had a lot in it I loved but somehow the movie just didn't do it for me the way I expected it to.
36) 21 Grams- For the film club. OH BTW GUYS, did I tell you I'm in the core committee of the film club in my college? My chief aim in life currently is to get them to screen movies made by women. It will happen. Yes. Also, I loved the movie.
37) Everest- I found it a bit bland. Like it looked good and all but I didn't really care about any of the characters.


Rewatches:

1) Bottle Rocket- For the Wes Anderson Collection. I liked it more this time.
2) White Chicks- I suddenly really needed to rewatch this but it's not as funny as I remembered.
3) Rushmore- For the Collection. Still perfect.
4) The Royal Tenenbaums- I *finally* love this movie. I get it now guys. Also for the Collection.
5) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou- For the Collection and much better this time 'round too.
6) Mad Max: Fury Road- Rewatched it twice in the theatre. Favourite movie of the year still.
8) The Hours- For Stephen Dillane. Perfect tearjerker is perfect.
9) Hotel Chevalier- I have been obsessed with "Where Do You Go To My Lovely" ever since.
10) The Darjeeling Limited- I was most excited about this section in the Collection 'cuz of the Indian setting and I wanted to see what made Wes Anderson choose it.
11) Fantastic Mr. Fox- I really think it's underrated as hell. So good.
12) Moonrise Kingdom- The last film in the collection (I bought it before The Grand Budapest Hotel was released). Lovely as always.
13) Jurassic Park- So effing great. Simple and effective and timeless.
14) Whiplash- I had to make my brother watch it.
15) Spy- Because it's hilarious.
16) Thelma and Louise- For the Road Trip episode. Best. Road. Trip. Movie. Ever.
17) Y Tu Mama Tambien- For the same episode. Sexy af.
18) The Graduate- Watched it the day I became a graduate because I am cliched like that.
19) What We Do in the Shadows- Still insanely funny.
20) The Avengers: Age of Ultron- I think it was an in-flight movie. Can't remember. I still enjoy it like hell.
21) Toy Story- For the Pixar episode (same for below). Love.
22) A Bug's Life- Really like.
23) Toy Story 2- Love + underrated.
24) Monsters Inc.- Love and all of the tears.
25) The Incredibles- Love. Especially Mrs. Incredible. She's the real hero of the story.
26) Wall-E- I loved it sooooooooo much this time.
27) Cars- Enjoyable and better than I remember.
28) Brave- Love. Especially Merida's hair.
29) The Boat that Rocked- Was showing it to my brother. It's wayyy more sexist than I remember but I still enjoy it a lot.
30) Toy Story 3- Love. All of my creys.
31) Up- That first 10 minutes, man.
32) Monsters University- Also underrated.
33) The Deep- It was screened in the Icelandic Film Festival. I really liked it this time.
34) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist- Started my 23rd birthday with it. It was a great idea.
35) The Dreamers- Ugh this film. Too beautiful with too many beautiful people.
36) Cinema Paradiso- First film screening of the film club. That ending #neverendingtears

37) Amores Perros- Film club. The third story isn't the greatest.
38) Marie Antoinette- I felt like rewatching it. It's so beautiful and great.
39) Pushpak- Watched it in class. It's quite good, although I did fall asleep a little bit in the middle.


TV shows: (I'm just giving a brief overview of what I thought and not the extra stuff because of the number of shows)

1) Hannibal, season 3- Oh Hannibal, you were too beautiful to live in this world/our television screens. It's one of my favourite shows of all time and I was very, very sad to see it go but god did it end incredibly! Obviously, a part of me hopes it's not the end but the ride was glorious nonetheless. I will almost definitely write more on it when I make my end-of-the-year lists.
2) Game of Thrones, season 5- This was a more problematic season but it had its moments. Season 5 will go down as the season I finally started rooting for Jon Snow only to *SPOILER ALERT THOUGH LET'S BE HONEST YOU ALL KIND OF ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS* watch him be repeatedly stabbed and left for dead in the end *END SPOILERS*.
3) Twin Peaks, season 1- I really, really like it. Not everything works for me (I'm looking at you James-Donna, Big Ed and his woman problems), but what does, really, truly does.
4) Orange is the New Black, season 3- I thought it was the best season so far. I love how much it focused on everyone, even the smaller characters. The ending was great. Special shout out to how hot Ruby Rose is.
5) Penny Dreadful, season 2- What a fantastic season! I don't know what I loved the most- Vanessa and Ethan's romance, a proper formidable villain played by the excellent Helen McRory or the character arc of Brona/Lily played by the most surprising Billie Piper.
6) True Detective, season 2- Well, everything can't be great, can it? I mean, it wasn't totally terrible thanks to Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams but it really was a pretty tedious season except for those annoyingly enticing cliffhangers.
7) Inside Amy Schumer, season 3- SO. GOOD. I highly doubt any episode this year is going to beat "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer" for me simply because it is one of the greatest television episodes I have ever seen and I am going to make it my personal funny feminazi Bible.
8) Mr. Robot, season 1- It was such a surprisingly good show. I especially love the way it looks and its title card. Rami Malek is unsettling and fascinating.
9) Silicon Valley, seasons 1-2- I like it a lot and its sort of understated comedy. It's very clever.
10) Orphan Black, season 3- I think the show became really good this season again. Tatiana Maslany is God (okay, yes I did write that Amy Schumer was God before but Maslany could actually be playing Schumer for all I know. Think about it).
11) Queer as Folk, series 1-2- Holy fucking cow, this show! Aidan Gillen! I mean WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!! I loved it and him and how hot and fun everything was. Also, I can never look at Littlefinger the same way again.
12) You're the Worst, season 1- You all know how much I love romcoms and how much I love things that play with the romcom genre even more. So yeah, I adored this. Horrible people in love- yay!
13) Agent Carter, season 1- Rewatched it because Peggy is the greatest.
14) Broad City, seasons 1-2- Well, I continuously rewatch episodes from this. I've lost count how many times I've done that.


Books:

1) The Wes Anderson Collection by Matt Zoler Seitz- Oh this book is lovely. I really enjoyed reading it and I love looking at all the pictures. It makes me feel like a little kid :)
2) V for Vendetta by Alan Moore- Really great. I need to read more graphic novels (and like novels in general).
3) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick- My brother had bought this book for me ages ago but I *had* to read it after I heard that Todd Haynes is adapting it. It's beautiful and poignant.
4) The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry- Oh he's such a fun writer. The way he forms sentences- god, I wish I was that clever! Also, this book had the most detailed description of bestiality I have ever read (also the only description of bestiality I have ever read). Wowsers.
5) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins- I read it while I was on a train :P It was good but the book has been over-hyped.


Final tally:
                                     Firsts-120                                             Rewatched- 75
                                                                    Total- 195


And I'm done! Phew! I am determined not to let another four months go by without any posts. I don't think I will post a lot but I do miss blogging a lot so I want to come back to it.

The Month that was May

          Sorry for being so late again, guys. This month has been a hectic/anxiety-inducing/avoiding any type of work kind of month so far. I've finally chosen where I'm going to do my masters. It's in a place called Noida which is near New Delhi. I'll be living on my own for the first time in my life- it's really exciting and scary. I don't know what's going to happen to the blog when college starts. We'll see when the time comes, I guess.

          Anyway, May was a fairly good month in terms of movies and books. Not *as* much TV because I took a vow to give it up for two weeks if my flight from Delhi which was experiencing loads of turbulence would stop shaking so fucking much... and it did. Honestly though, I just wanted to see if I could do it. The number of TV shows below appears large but they were shows I was following weekly. No binging apart from Mad Men. This gave me time to read more, although I hardly read anymore so it's still not that much. Also, I caught up on some older movies that I had been meaning to watch for a long time but had been putting off to watch more recent stuff/TV.

Firsts:

1) While We're Young- It was funny but it's probably my least favourite Noah Baumbach film I saw.
2) Wake Up Sid- It's been on my watchlist for the longest time. I quite liked it. Konkana Sen Sharma is so pretty.
3) Ex Machina- It's my favourite film of the year so far. It's really smart, and the kind whose brilliance dawns on you after you think about it. I loved its gender commentary and subversion. It's gorgeous to look at and fantastically acted and goddamn, that dancing scene!
4) Piku- It was very sweet although I did think that constipation as a theme was pretty weird. Irrfan Khan is so attractive.
5) Slow West- I liked it although I think you need to be familiar with/actually like the western genre to understand what it does differently, and I don't qualify for either of that so I don't really get the acclaim apart from how stunning it looked. Plus, Fassy in long-johns *adds infinite points to rating*
6) Mad Max: Fury Road- Excellent. Amazing. Gorgeous. Everything everyone said about it was spot on. Second favourite of the year currently.
7) Girlhood- Joining the ranks of all the people who said this is better than Boyhood. I especially loved the "Diamonds" scene (and I've been listening to that song non-stop ever since).
8) Fire- Super late blind spot. Pretty good, weird tantric porn music in the sex scenes notwithstanding, of course.
9) All That Jazz- Blind spot- Quite brilliant, especially Roy Schneider's performance.
10) The Age of Adaline- I watched it for the insanely hot Michiel Huisman and in that regard, I wasn't disappointed. Everything else in the movie is meh.
11) The Verdict- I read "Making Movies" so I thought I should watch a Sidney Lumet film after that.
12) Million Dollar Baby- I really expected to hate it but it was fine. I really did not like the score though.
13) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!- Stockholm syndrome brought to you by Technicolor! I liked it :P
14) A Prophet- After Jacques Audiard won the Palme d'Or for Dheepan, I had to check this out and lo and behold, I absolutely LOVED it! So, so good.
15) Spartacus- It was good but god, it went on forever.
16) Safe- Getting ready for Carol. It was terrifying and incredible.
17) Tomorrowland- Don't get the hate for it. I thought it was lovely and uplifting and beautiful to look at.
18) Alphaville- The story was interesting but god, the voice of Alpha 60 was painful.
19) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- I really thought I had watched it but apparently not. I was surprised at how sexy it was. I prefer the play slightly more but good lord, how attractive were Liz Taylor and Paul Newman?!
20) Killer's Kiss- So I thought that I have finally finished Kubrick's filmography with this but turns out there's another feature he made before it. Anyhoo, I quite liked it. The acting wasn't the greatest but it was shot really well and the kisses were indeed great.
21) Results- It started out well but I think it lost its way in the middle. Guy Pearce is so fit in it.
22) Kramer vs Kramer- I'm also consciously trying to slowly make my way through the Best Picture Oscar winners. I thought this was great and very affecting.
23) La Jetée- Fantastic. Never seen anything like it but I absolutely loved it.
24) Much Ado About Nothing- Very fun especially because of Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. Although, dafuq Keanu Reeves?


Rewatched:

1) Black Swan- My friend went a little nuts over Vincent Cassel and that rubbed off on me so I *obviously* had to rewatch this.

2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron- Better the second time 'round imo. The excitement has settled down and one can focus on the script better.

3) Kingsman: The Secret Service- Fun! Fun! Fun!

4) Spring Breakers- I made my Lambcast debut! Woo hoo! Love this film.

5) The Usual Suspects- I'm also trying to rewatch old favourites that I've only watched once. The movie is as excellent as I remember.

TV shows: (skipping quotes because of the number of shows)

1)Parks and Recreation, season 7- Like the fucking idiot I am, I forgot to include this in my last monthly round-up. I love this show, forever and always. It was an excellent season with beautiful and hilarious episodes and great acting all around. I can't choose an MVP because all these characters were so special. My favourite episode, if I had to choose one, was probably "Ron and Leslie" because I loved the emphasis on the friendship of these two wonderful characters.

2) Mad Men, season 6 and 7- AAAAAA I finished watching the episodes just in time! I saw the last two episodes ever of this show with everyone else and it was awesome. I just wish I had started the show sooner. Again, it's difficult to choose a favourite season 7 episode because of the way I watched the show but it's probably "The Strategy" because of the Don and Peggy dance. Uhh MVP is hrd as well. I love Peggy, Sally, Roger, Joan and Meredith but everyone's acting is excellent. I suppose Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss and January Jones gave my favourite performances over all.

3) Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 2- It had a lot of breaks so I am not sure whether this season was better than the last but I loved it all the same. a) Favourite episode- One image from this season that has forever been burned in my mind in the room with all the dolls. So I guess "The Road Trip" wins this title. I liked Sophia. b) MVP- Everyone in the main cast is great but I'm going to choose Kyra Sedgwick's Madeline Wunch. She's such a worthy opponent to Captain Holt.

4) Outlander, season 1- I LOVE this show. It's become one of my favourite shows of all time already. I love the characters and the central love story and how the female lead is placed up and centre of it all. a) Favourite episode- Well, "The Wedding" topped my favourite episodes list of last year. It's still probably my favourite but one also has to mention the most brutal episode of television I have ever seen, the season finale "To Ransom A Man's Soul" which is the flip side to "The Wedding" in regards to the way sex and intimacy is dealt in both. b) MVP- Both Sam Heughan and Tobias Menzies are excellent but Caitriona Balfe's Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser is the show's heart and soul. Even in the last two episodes where the men have more memorable scenes, Balfe manages to equal them through her own subtlety.

5) Jane the Virgin, season 1- This has become one of my favourite shows of all time as well. I can't choose a favourite episode. I know I chose the first one in my year-end list but that's only because it needed to be represented. Every episode is great in its own way. I love all the actors, the Latin Lover Narrator, the visuals, the music, the telenovela elements mixed with the real emotional relationships in the show- ugh, everything is beautiful. Though I must give a special shout out to Jamie Camil who plays Rogelio, a character that would have been a caricature in lesser hands, and Anthony Mendez whose Latin Lover Narrator is a character in his own rights, the show would be nothing without the absolutely lovely and luminescent Gina Rodriguez. Her comic timing is matched by her ability to find new emotional depths in the crazy life that her character leads, and her chemistry with each and every actor on the show is top-notch. She can and she did, you guys.

6) The Flash, season 1- Heyyy this was fun! I don't love it as much as Agent Carter or Daredevil but I like the actors and the characters and the visuals are pretty good too. a) Favourite episode- "Out of Time". Just like, SO much happens! It's probably the most excited I was all season. b) MVP- Grant Gustin's Barry Allen is adorable but I have a soft spot for Tom Cavanagh's Harrison Wells. He's so deliciously evil. Love supervillains.

7) New Girl, season 4- This was a weird but a pretty good season. I liked that everyone was friends this season again. Much like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, this had wayyy too many breaks for me to judge it properly. a) Favourite episode- "Clean Break". It's a great episode but it would be here on the basis of that proposal alone. DAWWWW! b) MVP- I think this was a pretty good season for Damon Wayans' Coach. He will be missed.

Books:

1) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides- I thought the ending was rushed but I loved everything else about it. It's so fantastically written.

2) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn- Ooo this one was scary. I love the way Flynn's mind works. Also, I don't know how she imagines such awful women but it's fascinating.

3) Making Movies by Sidney Lumet- I have had this book for about two years now and I was done with hating myself for not reading it already. It's really good and informative and I have a lot of stuff underlined for hopefully the future.

4) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams- I was getting desperate to catch up on my Goodreads Reading Challenge (which is only 30. Please don't judge) so I decided to read the thinnest books I own. I know it's a play but I own it as a book so... :P I really liked it.

5) The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde- Trivial but so much fun!

6) Incest by Marquis de Sade- It was intriguing but I could have done without all the judgment throughout the book. Let me judge on my own! I know incest is bad ffs!

Final tally:

                                                          Firsts- 83                                                Rewatched-: 36

                                                                                          Total- 119        

      And that's it. No promises for what's to come this month :(

Thoughts

1) Hi guys? Wassup blah blah blah, cutting right to the chase here- TILDA SWINTON JUST JOINED THE DOCTOR STRANGE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this is the movie which has Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead. This is already the most alien-looking cast of all time. Swinton is going to play, get this, a Tibetan mystic called the Ancient One who mentors Strange (is that his real name?). I mean, duh! Also, it seems that this character was male in the comic but like why would you cast some man when you can get Tilda? I knew there was a reason I loved MCU. Now all I really, really, *really* need is for Loki to somehow find his way into this film.

2) Video- I didn't get to watch this until today and I actually cried laughing. I am starting to really like Kit Harrington, the weirdo sketch dude, now.

Everyone is great in it but I especially loved Harrington, Leslie, Rheon and Clarke. And, man, does Peter Dinklage have charisma!

3) Trailers- The Crimson Peak trailer nearly killed me. This film is going to be so fucking awesome. And goodness gracious, Hiddles in THAT scene *fans herself*. The Point Break remake looks sooo meh. The main guy is even more expressionless than Keanu Reeves (who seriously works his expressionless-ness). Also, why anyone would remake Point Break when Hot Fuzz exists is beyond me. I got teary-eyed just watching Diary of a Teenage Girl. I just know that I will love it. The End of the Tour looks pretty good too. I haven't read any of David Foster Wallace's books but I aim to before watching the movie. Love the cast. Speaking of, I thought the Steve Jobs trailer was fairly decent and I don't know how but I missed the announcement that Kate Winslet is in it. It feels like forever since I've seen her in anything. Pan looks pretty. That's it, really. All I could think of during The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials trailer was how Aiden Gillen has transformed into Littlefinger and he seems to be that character in everything he does. But also, heyyyyy Dylan O'Brien! Missed you and your incredible arms #objectifyallmen. I am dying to watch Macbeth now and its clips are just fueling that fire. God, this movie is going to be amazeballs. Cooties looks hilarious. I generally don't like it when kids die in movies but hey, zombie children sound terrifying. The A Very Murray Christmas trailer has a lot of Bill Murray in it so that's, um, fair. Are you guys watching the Hannibal teasers? This is only one of them but I love all the happy music they're playing in them. I so can't wait for that show. Finally, Scream Queens kind of makes me think of Drop Dead Gorgeous and I love that. Emma Roberts can play such a great, posh bitch.

4) Finally, someone needs to release footage of the interactions between these two, in a non-creepy way of course-

And to put this into perspective-

Now I want both of them to make a movie together. Not just that, seeing how much Dolan hung out with Sienna Miller during the festival, I want him to meet Tom Sturridge (Miller's baby-daddy and my 16 year old-self's dream man) and put him in his movies because Sturridge is practically custom-made to be in them.

      Yes, this was random. I honestly didn't care for any other news items that much. Okay byeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Mini Reviews- Blind Spot Edition

      Yes, I know I am terrible. All I can say is that it is actually a real shame that I haven't been able to write about (or even watch) my Blind spots in the past three months because I had a lot to say about them (or for at least three of them). Enjoy, I guess.

February- A Matter of Life and Death (Dir: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1947)

Basic plot: Before his plane crashes, British Air Force pilot Peter Carter contacts an American radio operator June and talks to her for a few minutes. This crash was meant to take his life but Conductor 71, who was supposed to take him to the "Other World", missed him due to a fog and Peter washes up on the shore where June finds him and they fall in love. This causes a great deal of confusion in the "Other World" and they try to get Peter back but he refuses because he now has a reason to live for. His "hallucinations" get treated by a friend of June's, Dr. Reeves, who becomes Peter's attorney in the appeal for his life.

          Oh I loved this film! I wanted to write about it on Valentine's Day but yeah, that didn't really happen. I love movies in which something as conceptual as love being stronger than death is explored not only in terms of drama but intellectually as well. It was beautiful to look at- the "Other World" was black and white, with huge halls and never-ending stairs and colossal statues, and earth was in Technicolour and as vibrant as other Powell-Pressburger films. I just felt so moved while watching it. The film also explores trauma suffered by soldiers and it keeps the visions Peter has ambiguous so we don't actually know if they happened or not. I think it depends on the person watching and I like to believe that they weren't simply hallucinations of a damaged mind but something real- that a person's soul matters so much that there is a humongous trial held for it and that a genuine tear born out of love can save that very soul.

          It wasn't perfect however. For most of its running time, I was sure that I will put this film in my top 100 but then something really odd happened. During the trial, there is a huge argument about which country is greater- England or USA. I can see how this would have worked when the film came out but it just made it tedious to watch now. It's the only thing in the film that makes it seem dated and it's especially jarring because everything else about it is so timeless.

           Coming to the actors, I thought David Niven as Peter and Roger Livesey as Dr. Reeves were both the best. I saw Tilda Swinton of all people praise Livesey in an interview a few months ago and I can see why. He was really wonderful in the movie. 

           This is my third Powell-Pressburger film and it's my favourite so far. 

March- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Dir: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2000)

Basic plot- Based on Homer's The Odyssey, the film follows three escaped convicts in 1930s Mississippi who try to find their hidden treasure and in their journey, they record a hit song, meet a bank robber, have one of them turned into a toad, save their black friend from a KKK meeting, reunite another one of them with his family, and stay out of the clutches of a relentless devil-like policeman who is after them.

           While I wouldn't call it a dud exactly, this is my least favourite Blind spot entry so far. Maybe it's due to that fact that I haven't read The Odyssey, or watched Sullivan's Travels (which is another of its inspirations), or how much I hate country music, or probably a combination of all of this that made the film kind of a blah watch for me. This film is more or less a musical so the songs played a huge part in it and also in how I felt about it. Sure, it was funny seeing George Clooney sing and dance, or just the faces that John Turturro makes, but it wasn't enough. I just didn't care for it.

           One thing I will say is that the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and even though I didn't appreciate the story, I thought it was very well-made.

            The Coen brothers are a sort of hit and miss for me. I do however tend to like their films more upon a rewatch and that might happen with O Brother Where Art Thou? in the future, though I have a feeling that the country music is going to be a real obstacle even then.

April- Fire (Dir: Deepa Mehta, 1996)

Basic plot- For 13 years, Radha has lived with a husband who has purged desire from his life, calling it the root of evil. His younger brother, who is in love with someone else, is forced to marry Sita, a free-spirited girl who wants love but finds none in her marriage. Living together in a house, neglected by their husbands, Radha and Sita find love and desire in each other.

          While watching this film, all I could think of was the Whitman quote Robin Williams' character quotes in Dead Poets Society: "most men live lives of quite desperation." Watching it, I could see that most women, especially those bound in heavily patriarchal and tradition-filled communities like those in India, really do live lives of quite desperation. But to be fair, I feel like each and every character in this movie was restricted in their own way. It's just that Radha and Sita, played so wonderfully by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Basu respectively, had their restrictions put upon them and they finally rebelled. I like how the film slowly questions the ways women are oppressed in Indian societies, through religion, traditions and patriarchy. A woman's desire seems bound to that of her husband and the film shows how that is not true and that to desire for things is what living actually is.

            Again, it is not a perfect film. I had never watched an Indian lesbian drama. In fact, I thought of it more as a love story than a lesbian story, sort of like Brokeback Mountain was when it came to men. This is because, as many gay activists pointed out, to see it simply as a lesbian story makes it appear like lesbianism is caused due to marital neglect by women's husbands, which gives out a terrible message. For me personally, it was odd watching all of them converse in English because of the setting. Also, I thought that the music in the sex scenes was something out of one of those tantric porn videos which made them kind of pervy.

            I wanted to watch a film directed by a woman for my Blind spot series. This is the first film by Deepa Mehta that I have watched and I am definitely keeping an eye out for her. I like the way she mixed the Indian culture, often showing us the stories that birthed it, and the way it has Westernized. I hope more people make movies like this.

May- All That Jazz (Dir: Bob Fosse, 1979)

Basic plot- Joe Gideon, a musical theatre director and choreographer, lives a life of excess- whether it is his smoking, his women, his medication or his work. Starting everyday with an "It's showtime!", jazz hands and all, he immerses himself in this elaborate life, creating a huge musical and editing a film on a stand up, until this excess catches up with him.

         There are many things to love in this film. Obviously, there are the musical aspects. I could see how this film gave rise to things like Chicago- where the musical elements are a sort of commentary on someone's life. In this case it's Gideon, whether it is his beginnings, his illness, the five stages of grief or his end. The songs are from different genres, the set-ups are spectacular and they all look great. There is also the musical Gideon is working on and oh my god, this film had the sexiest musical number I have ever seen. "Take Off With Us" turns into basically an orgy and it is completely amazing. The other musical numbers are fantastic too but this one is sticking with me forever.

         Another reason I loved this film was Roy Schneider. I never, ever, ever, ever thought he could do a role like this. He was sexy and mean and cool and conflicted and damaged and cocky- gaahhh, so good! I mean, he was quite an asshole but he still managed to make him heartbreaking. Such an inspired casting choice.

         The film is based on Fosse's own life and though occasionally it is a bit indulgent, I like it when filmmakers reflect on their own experiences through their art. I did think that Cabaret, the only other film of his that I have seen, had a better story and a perfectly matched style, but this was more ambitious and, obviously, I respect that. I can also see myself liking it more and more as time goes by.

The Months that were February, March and April

          Welcome to another unnecessarily massive post because I was too lazy/busy with stupid exams to do one each month! All I want to say is that I watched an obscene amount of TV for someone giving her final college exams.


Firsts:

1) Beyond the Lights- I really liked it. It could've been totally cliched but it felt very raw and real.

2) The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him- God, James McAvoy is so underrated.
3) The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her- The best one and I really liked this order.
4) The Voices- It's kind of quirky but then it gets too depressing. Ryan Reynools is really good.
5) Chariots of Fire- I liked it a lot, surprisingly. I'm not one for sports movies generally.
6) Ordinary People- I really liked it although it's annoying that Timothy Hutton got an Oscar for this role and Logan Lerman got nothing whatsoever for Perks of Being a Wallflower.
7) Bananas- Super fun.
8) The Liability- Watched it for Jack O'Connell. It was pretty okay.
9) Roy- Worst 2015 movie so far.
10) Spanking the Monkey- Cannot believe that David O'Russell made this. Loved it.
11) A Matter of Life and Death- This was my February Blind spot which I didn't write on... yet. I loved it.
12) In the Heat of the Night- I don't think it's aged very well even though its message still applies, sadly.
13) Fifty Shades of Grey- Unintentionally hilarious. Johnson's pretty decent.
14) 3 Women- I didn't know this was going to be so surreal.
15) Wild Tales- Awesome. Best kind of humour ever.
16) Kingsman: The Secret Service- So much fun! The weird princess bit at the end notwithstanding, it's my favourite 2015 film so far.
17) Ugly- So unnecessarily bleak.
18) Charade- Fun!
19) Zero Motivation- I loved it. More films like this, please.
20) The United States of Leland- It was kind of terrible. Not all Gosling movies are good :/
21) The DUFF- I liked it a lot. Mae Whitman rules!
22) Romy and Michele's High School Reunion- I don't know why it took me so long to watch it. It's fucking brilliant!
23) All Good Things- All the talk about The Jinx got me to check it out. Both the Gos and Kirsten Dunst were v. good.
24) Focus- The leads were great. The film, not so much.
25) Cinderella- Absolutely lovely.
26) Thirteen- Wowsers, that was dark.
27) A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night- It got a bit slow in parts but I really liked it. Totes dressing up as the Girl at some costume party.
28) Office Space- Meh.
29) Dum Laga Ke Haisha- A really sweet and simple Bollywood film.
30) Mad Max- It's like a lame origin story.
31) Mad Max: Road Warrior- THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! SO GOOOOD!
32) The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover- I don't know why but I thought this was going to be a "light" comedy. Yikes!
33) Step Brothers- Laughed a lot.
34) It Follows- It wasn't that scary. I actually went with my dad and he fell asleep during the movie and he hated it. I liked it, especially the music and the way it's shot.
35) Fast and Furious 7- It's fun as long as no one talks.
36) A History of Violence- I've watched it in parts but never completely. Really good.
37) O Brother Where Art Thou?- I'm not the biggest fan of country music so that got a bit annoying but I liked it.
38) The Avengers: Age of Ultron- First day, first show! I was going to review it as soon as I came back home but my brother forbade me till he had watched it and now I kinda don't want to anymore... I still might but in short, I liked it a lot but it had issues.
39) Adult Beginners- I thought it was like a lesser The Skeleton Twins.
40) Lost River- Weird as fuck but not completely terrible. Never going to forget Ben Mendehlson dancing ever.

Rewatched:

1) Stoker- Margaret went Goode crazy and so I had to rewatch this *fans herself*
2) Run Lola Run- For our 90s episode. Still one of the craziest, coolest films I have ever seen.
3) La Haine- 90s episode. Cute, adorable Nino Quincampoix from Amelie made this. Like WOAH!!
4) Can’t Hardly Wait- 90s episode. Fun!
5) Election- Tracy Flick is such a fascinating character. I kinda hate her but I also have mad respect for how passionate she is.
6) Casablanca- Valentine's Day tradition.
7) Bridget Jones’ Diary- Ditto.
8) Chungking Express- New addition to Valentine's Day tradition.
9) The Breakfast Club- For it's 30th anniversary. I'm so scared that one day I will start identifying with Vernon :/
10) Kill Bill vol. 1- It's been too long since I had watched this. I should make a Withrow-esque "__ Things I Love About Kill Bill that No One Talks About" list because god, I adore this film.
11) Kill Bill vol. 2- Same.
12) Captain America: First Avenger- After watching Agent Carter, I got really thirsty for my favourite Avenger (if we don't count Peggy Carter herself)
13) The Avengers- See.
14) Captain America: Winter Soldier- Seeeeee.
15) Drive- It's been forever since I watched this too. I think it's kind of a perfect movie.
16) Zoolander- After the Zoolander 2 announcement, this had to be revisited.
17) Selma- Amazing
18) Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope- I think a huge reason why I can't ever love Star Wars (or the original movies at least) is because Luke bores the living shit out of me.
19) Star Wars episode V: Return of the Jedi- I kind of really like Lando.
20) Mommy- I cried so much this time. It broke me all over again.
21) The Heartbeats- There is maybe too much slo-mo but who cares if it all looks so gorgeous?
22) I Killed My Mother- Anne Dorval is aging like fine wine, isn't she?
23) Scott Pilgrim vs the World- Another one I hadn't watched in forever. I will never get bored of this film
24) (500) Days of Summer- Is the ending a happy one? Like really?

TV shows: (I'm skipping favourite quotes because there are so many)

1) Mad Men, seasons 1-6- I started watching this the day before my exams started because, duh. It's fantastic, of course. I am sorry that I waited so long to start it.

2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 6 and 7- These aren't the greatest seasons but I love this show so much. For one thing, it has one of the best episodes of all time, "Once More With Feeling".

3) Grantchester, series 1- Anna lured me in by sending me links of the hot James Norton. He plays a priest in this show. What priest looks like that? (he's the one in the 2nd pic on the 1st row).

4) Daredevil, season 1- Really, really good. I especially loved the fight scenes (the hallway fight, amirite?) and the way the hero and the villain are so similar. a) Favourite episode: "Speak of the Devil". I liked how much we could feel Matt's mortality in this. Also, the two meetings between Matt and Fisk were both brilliantly handled. b) MVP- Though both Charlie Cox and Vincent d'Onofrio are excellent, I have a soft spot for Rosario Dawson's Claire. I wish we had more of her (one of the biggest flaws of the show for me).

5) The Mindy Project, seasons 1-3- They cancelled it, those assholes! Anyways, I really enjoyed it. An Indian woman who eats a lot and has a thing for hot, white guys and romcoms? It sure does sound familiar... Also, Chris Messina dancing is my sexual orientation from now on.

6) Agent Carter, season 1- SO FUCKING AWESOMESAUCE! I love it. I love the setting, the action, the banter and of course Peggy. Peggy is the badass goddess of my dreams. a) Favourite episode: "A Sin to Err" because we finally get Peggy showing those misogynistic assholes in SSR what a badass goddess she is. b) MVP: I loved James D'Arcy's Jarvis but this show belongs to Hayley Atwell's Peggy. She was already one of my favourite parts of Captain America: The First Avenger and in this show, she balances the action, the comedy and the emotions equally well.

7) Inside Amy Schumer, season 1 and 2- This show is the bestest thing ever and Amy Schumer is my god.

8) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, season 1- Really really fun. "Pinot Noir" is actually my ringtone. a) Favourite episode: "Kimmy Goes to Court" simply because who would have thought that *that* person is the father. b) MVP: As enjoyable as Titus Burgess and Jane Krakowski are, Ellie Kemper's Kimmy is my favourite. Her optimism is infectious even though my cheeks hurt just looking at her smiling so much.

9) Pushing Daisies, season 1- I suddenly had the urge to rewatch it. Watching season 2 is too painful because of how the show just ended after that :'(

10) The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst- After seeing the way people were losing their shit over this on social media, I had to check it out. That ending, man. WOW!

11) Broad City, Season 2- The show that is my life. Season 2 was actually better than 1. How did they do that? a) Favourite episode: "Knockoffs". We meet Ilana's mom, go underground designer knockoff bags shopping with them, deal with loss of a loved one, finally have Abbi and Jeremy go on a date, have Abbi and Jeremy do "pegging", see two people have a serious conversation about relationships while one of them has a dildo strapped on to their crotch the entire time- all of this in like a half-hour episode. It's incredible. b) MVP: I can't choose between Ilana and Abbi so this one is for Paul Downs' complete devotion to both Trey and his porn star alter ego Kirk Steele.

12) Fresh of the Boat, season 1- This is such a fun show too. I especially like the 90s aspects of it. And how totally adorbs Evan is. a) Favourite episode: "Very Superstitious" Jessica is my favourite part of the show so seeing her go nuts over the number 4 is hilarious. Also the freak out Louis has after removing his jade locket. b) MVP: Constance Wu is killing it as Jessica. I can watch her all day.

13) Better Call Saul, season 1- I have a weird feeling I might end up loving this more than Breaking Bad. Mostly because I feel so much worse for poor Saul/Jimmy. Really excellent show in its own right. a) Favourite episode: "Pimento" because of that long time coming confrontation between Jimmy and Chuck. Heartbreaking stuff. b) MVP: In Breaking Bad, I always thought of Saul Goodman as someone really sleazy but now I just feel the pathos of the character which is so beautifully brought out by Bob Odenkirk. He's doing truly wonderful work.

Books:

1) Tampa by Alissa Nuting- Oh this book is so filthy but so fun! I enjoyed it to bits. It's a blast being in the head of someone so heinous.

2) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes- Ironically, it's the ending I didn't like. Really beautifully written otherwise.


Final tally: 
                                                   Firsts- 59                                    Rewatched- 31
                                                                             Total- 90

Here's hoping I'm better this month onwards.

The One Where I List Men With Hot Beards Because Of Reasons

        So I'm going to preface this post by saying that this has nothing to do with films or TV or things that aren't hot, bearded actors. It's just a random post that I have made for my satisfaction and it's dedicated to my friend Anna. 

        If you guys follow us on Twitter, you would have come across the almost daily conversations between us about attractive, male actors, 'cuz that's how we roll. Buzzfeed made an idiotic list a few weeks back and Anna suggested I should make something in response to it and this is it- equally idiotic but more accurate imo. 

         So the first 20 actors here look infinitely better with some sort of beardy-scruffy-stachey (actual term that exists) thing going on and I have photographic evidence to prove it!

Chris Evans

This whole list is because Buzzfeed had the balls to put him in that list. LIKE ARE YOU BLIND, BUZZFEED?! (I realize that Buzzfeed is not an actual person but come on!!)

Jamie Dornan

As awful as Fifty Shades of Grey was, my biggest issue with it was that Chistian Grey was clean-shaven (yeah okay, I have issues. Whatevs). I mean, half of Dornan's sex appeal lies in his beard.

Chris Pine

The man who single-handedly/beardedly started my obsession with hot beards. #scruffygod

Ryan Gosling

I find every Ryan Gosling hot- even the one in Lars and the Real Girl or when he's balding in Blue Valentine- but the hottest Gosling is scruffy Gosling,

Michiel Huisman

I don't know how else to describe it but I find his beard romantic. I mean, he's good-looking or whatever clean-shaven but with a beard, it makes me think of being whisked away on a horse

Tom Hardy

Hardy himself said that he looks cuter with a beard. I would go with hotter/sexier/everythinger but yeah, okay.

James McAvoy

Right?

Jake Gyllenhaal

He was originally on the other list but no, he looks better with a scruff.

Idris Elba

Classic example.

Daniel Radcliffe

I look at the first one and I go "Awww." I look at the second one and I'm like "DAYUM!"

Mark Ruffalo

Classic example #2.

Chris Hemsworth

The second one looks like he could be the sexiest man alive. The first one, not so much.

Jean Dujardin

Sexy Frenchman beard.

Chris Pratt

Yes, all the Chrises are in this list.

Ranbir Kapoor

He was on the other list too but again, he fits better here.

Michael B. Jordan

I think he looks kinda terrible as Johnny Storm tbh. So much cuter with facial hair.

Hugh Dancy

He just looks like such a child in the first picture.

Steve Carell

I realized in the middle of award season how attractive Carell looks with a scruff. Wit and scruff, amirite ladies?

Ben Affleck

No, I don't really find Ben Affleck hot but the beard hides his stupid butt chin! It makes all the difference in the world.

Ranvir Singh

Ew I feel gross just including him but in spite of myself, I am attracted to the second picture. Ew ew ew!

       And now for 5 actors who are equally hot no matter what. Bastards.

Michael Fassbender

He is never not hot.

Vincent Cassel

He was in the first list originally but then I rewatched Black Swan and goddamnit, this man can get it! Also, a bit of Lea Seydoux for additional hotness!

Henry Cavill

He's easily one of the most beautiful men on this earth, facial hair or no facial hair.

Tom Hiddleston

I can't choose.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Nope.

AND I'm done! Please don't unfollow me because of my shallowness!!