"What kind of a name is 'Stove' anyway? What are you, like a kitchen appliance or something?" - MY FAVOURITE SCENES OF 2011

       My end-of-year lists continue with my favourite scenes of the year. I hope you like them :-)

Honourable Mentions: The "That's Not My Name" scene in Horrible Bosses, the dance in The Artist, Elle Fanning's rehearsal before the train crash in Super 8, Charles and Erik recruiting mutants in X-Men: First Class, the transformation in Captain America.

10) The opening sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Okay I know that "technically" this isn't really a scene in the film, but screw you, this is AWESOME! It's disturbing and dark and cool, and has that incredible Immigrant Song cover by Karen O which makes me want to rewatch this film everytime I hear it.

9) The Burj Khalifa sequence in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol- I guess the Burj is an action film maker’s wet dream, but ex-Pixar director Brad Bird become the first to cash in on its amazing height and look. With the 3D cameras, it is a scene you have to watch with bated breaths because it really is that spectacular. And Tom Cruise does make it all so very believable.

8) The airplane scene in Bridesmaids- So I am not the biggest fan of this film, but even I cannot deny the brilliance of this scene. Kristen Wiig at her funniest, drunk and battling for the rights of all us poor people who have to fly coach, with a guy named Stove/Steve.

7) The creation of the universe in The Tree of Life- I actually prefer the family part of the film, and think that this scene is a little out of place in the grand scheme of the film. However in the grand scheme of everything that ever was, this scene is just so breathtaking and beautiful. There is a Doctor Who quote that comes to mind whenever I see this whole sequence, which is “Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes.” Perfect.

6) The chase in Bagghar in The Adventures of Tintin- Oh so much fun! This whole film was a delightful ride, but this scene was probably the best part. I think Steven Spielberg must have been dying to make a scene like this for ages. Because though it has all the regular elements of the action sequences from films like Indiana Jones, it also has the immense power of animation that makes the whole scene possible.

5) Harry’s walk to death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2- The Snape’s memories scene just before this is really lovely too, but it is when the realization hits Harry on what he is supposed to do and his final good bye to his friends and family is the really poignant and beautiful part.

4) The photoshopped scene in Crazy, Stupid, Love- As I have said before, I really love romcoms, and I genuinely respect the modern ones that make an effort to keep the genre fresh. This scene is a prime example on how to do things a bit differently. Hanna and Jacob little foreplay-y tryst is beyond cute and sexy at the same time. Also Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are a most enigmatic and endearing pair.

3) The Super 8 memories in Submarine- Oliver Tate’s and Jordana Bevan’s fortnight of atavistic lovemaking saved in his memory as a Super 8 movie. Just the whole concept gives me so much joy. This one little scene captures the essence of young love arguably better than entire films that make it all so sappy. With Alex Turner’s Hiding Tonight as the soundtrack to this little memory film, and the super adorable Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige, this scene is unforgettable.

2) The birth of cinema in Hugo- Hugo is a gift to all us cinephiles. Can you imagine being there when it all started? The magic of cinema and that wonder it fills people with, but for the very first time. Through Hugo and Isabelle, we get a glimpse of this enchanted, dream land that we love so much, but it is so inherent in us that we can never imagine a world before it. And Hugo shows us this world and how cinema changed everything. This is the scene I  probably cried most in all year, and it is because while it fills me with a bit of longing for such a time and place, ultimately I am just bubbling with happiness to know that I am blessed to be able to enjoy this magnificent art form in all its glory.

1) The elevator scene in Drive- You know what I just said about cinema being a magnificent art form? Well, this scene is experiencing it in all its glory. Years will go by, but this scene will continue to amaze us. It is why we will thank the invention of cinema, without which such a thing would have never been possible. Starting with the mind-blowing kiss (yes I am foreshadowing), in which the light dims in the way probably only dirty romance novels can describe, to that completely unexpected violent turn within seconds, and a regretful good bye to finish, this scene really is quite something else.

"What are these people watching? People like me."- BEST VILLAINS OF 2011

             I think it is common knowledge that I love my villains like none other. 2011 brought with it some particularly nasty and memorable ones. These were the best (or the worst).


Honourable mentions: Rattlesnake Jake from Rango, Lea Seydoux in MI4, Yorick van Wagingen as a particularly icky Nils Bjurman in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Lindhagen in Crazy, Stupid, Love.

10.

Melancholia in Melancholia

Both the planet and Justine's problem. However beautiful this film was, it was filled with melancholy and it did leave you feeling depressed as hell. 

9.

Sakharine in The Adventures of Tintin

He is the perfect image of a creepy thin man who is up to no good. Even though Tintin was not quite the hero, Sakharine was a pretty spot-on villain. Daniel Craig did a good job of voicing him.

8.

The virus in Contagion

Yes the virus in itself is scary as hell, because it kills people really really fast. But what is scarier is what it brings out in people- fear, violence, anarchy, apathy.

7.

Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

He is the Dark Lord after all. He is most effective in this film. He goes madder than ever, and makes people really afraid of him. Oh and the way his hissing voice makes people scream...

6.

The bosses in Horrible Bosses

You can't choose one. They were all pretty awful. Never want a boss like any of them.

5.

Bernie Rose in Drive

The perfect mobster. Cruel and heartless, but tries to be the nice guy after all. Albert Brooks was so very good as Bernie.

4.

The 'big gorilla-wolf-motherfuckers' aliens in Attack the Block

No explanation required.

3.

Loki in Thor
I do love supervillains so. Loki is probably one of the best ever, and is the sole reason why Thor is quite good. He adds a dimension to the film that otherwise would have been about a big cocky guy with a hammer, with Natalie Portman of course.


2.

Kevin in We Need to Talk About Kevin

All the Kevins are included in this. He was so sinister. As much as his parents were wrong, Kevin was no angel. He was a disturbed child from the get-go, and when he finally does what he does, we should not be scared as we had been expecting it from the start, but it steals manages to shock and startle us.

1.

Robert Ledgard in The Skin I Live In

The top 2 were neck-in-neck for me as both are ideal representations of what is good in the world- a child and a doctor, but are not in these cases. They are very much the opposite. But I could not shake the feeling of just how wrong Antonio Banderas's character was in this. Doctors and surgeons are entrusted with lives, and his character, a true mad man, tries to play god with them. I won't say what he does, because that has to be experienced, but it is so very disturbing and reprehensible. Frankenstein could not have been this crazy and horrible.

"Love, the poet said, is woman’s whole existence." ~ MY FAVOURITE ROMCOMS

Happy Suck-Face Day people!

          Isn't that funny? And I get it now as I have see Star Wars.  Anyways, I had made this list last year but blogger decided to delete most of it and I could not be bothered to redo it until now. Romcoms or romantic comedies are my favourite genre of films after dramedies, and certainly the one I know most about because growing up in the 90s with 90s Bollywood movies, everything was a romcom even if the film was technically from another genre.
           I have decided to put 14 films in my list because of the date obviously (whatever will I think of next?!). Except the first one, everything else is in random order.

Pretty Woman (Dir: Garry Marshall)

It's my ultimate favourite Hollywood romcom: a modern fairytale. True that the female character was a hooker and many of us aren't, but the magic of the film lies in how a poor girl finally finds her prince charming, in the city of angels. But of course more than anything, what makes this film really enchanting is its leading pair. I don't think any other couple in my list look as good as Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in this film. Roberts's contagious radiance and Gere's dapperness, and the way their characters just go so perfectly with each other. *Swoon*

When Harry Met Sally (Dir: Rob Reiner)

"You realize of course that we could never be friends, " and thus one of the greatest romcoms sets in motion. The Billy Crystal and my personal romcom queen Meg Ryan starrer explores the age-old question that can a man and a woman be friends without, you know...it getting weird? It's funny and sweet and the leads are awesome and it has that fake orgasm scene which has to be one of my favourite scenes ever.

Annie Hall (Dir: Woody Allen)

Annie Hall is one of the greatest films ever, with one of the most memorable and beautiful characters ever- Annie Hall played by the divine Diane Keaton. Even Alvy Singer, Woody Allen's character which is almost always the same, has a different adorableness to him. A nervous romance, as its tagline reads, brings to life the quintessential Allen-esque characters- the slightly unsure Annie and the always cynically-upright Alvy and their doomed love story, or maybe a successful modern one, that will entertain us forever.

Bridget Jones's Diary (Dir: Sharon Maguire)

Bridget Jones is somewhat of a role model for me. She shows me that despite being fat and old, someday two British heartthrobs will fall for me and fight over me *sigh*. The book is epic and so is the film. Reneé Zellweger as the clumsy thirty-something Brit whose lovelife is like a modern Pride and Prejudice. Her Mr. Wickham is her flirtatious and unfaithful boss Daniel Cleaver, played by the gorgeous Hugh Grant and her Mr. Darcy is Mark Darcy played by super-suave Colin Firth, whose portrayal of the latter Darcy in the BBC production of P & P led the author Helen Fielding write the book in the first place. Good times.

The Apartment (Dir: Billy Wilder)

It just pains me to think that once upon a time romcoms won Best Picture Oscars. But this really is the best of the best. Only Billy Wilder can make such an endearing and smart romcom so successfully. And the leads- the brilliant Jack Lemmom and the adorable Shirley MacLaine are absolutely perfect and they have an amazing chemistry together that really fuels the film and makes it so great.

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

Yes this film is a great many things, but it is a romcom too. And a bloody adorable one at that. Amelie and Nino are made for each other, and the way our heroine woos him is just genius. This is THE love story for quirky people, those who take pictures of clouds or record different kinds of laughs and so on.

(500) Days of Summer (Dir: Marc Webb)

Many call this a modern-day version of Annie Hall. Isn't that compliment enough? Though there are quite a bit of similarities- the self-doubting guy, the girl on whom the film is named, and ofcourse relationship problems, 500 Days is so very different. It's structurally different with the non-linear storyline. It's more pessimistic from the get-go. Summer is not really a person but more of an idea of a person. But all in all, it is a lovely film which avoided them evil clichés and gave a breath of freshness to this somewhat dying genre.

Harold and Maude (Dir: Hal Ashby)

If you haven't seen this film and just look at a synopsis somewhere, they'll talk about how it is a love story between a young man and an old woman. That may look peculiar, but once you do see it, it all makes sense. This excellent dark comedy is a love story first, with the morbid Harold and the lively Maude obviously falling in love because how can they not? They are like death and life and they belong together. Such a beautiful film, and damn funny too.

It Happened One Night (Dir: Frank Capra)

This was the first film to win the Big 5 at the Oscars and remains one of the only 3 to have done so. The other two deal with lunatics, and this one is a romcom. What does that say people? I found it interesting that I liked it so much because I have seen the Bollywood remake of this so many times and I quite like it, and I have a habit of usually liking the original or the remake or none. And I really really liked this! It had to do with the leads and the script and the story of course. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are such a delightful pair and all the Oscars were very well deserved.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Dir: Peter Sollett)

Come on, you knew this was bound to be there. I keep professing my love for this film and the concept and the leads and the soundtrack and everything. It is a film that I can watch again and again, on an infinite playlist as it were, and never get bored because this is an absolutely darling film.

Sabrina (Dir: Billy Wilder)

I saw this last week and I love it so much. This is another film whose Bollywood remake I had seen but did not like. But I always had a feeling that I would love it. I think it balances the funny parts with the romantic parts exceptionally well. Audrey Hepburn is a dream here. I mean she always is, but something about Sabrina and her innocence and ability to love completely is so captivating.

High Fidelity (Dir: Stephen Frears)

I had to decide between this and another Nick Hornby adaptation, About A Boy, but this one is more romcom-y. It is said to be the romantic comedy for men, and I guess that makes sense. It is funny and sad and cute and John Cusack is at the top of his game in this. The music helps, and so does the supporting cast. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Sleepless in Seattle (Dir: Nora Ephron)

I for one am not a fan of An Affair to Remember. I hated that and its Bollywood remake. Sleepless in Seattle is infinitely better than the film it glorifies. It takes the whole idea of "strangers meeting and falling in love" to another level. Meg Ryan makes her second appearance with this, and her co-star Tom Hanks is equally charming. It's terribly clichéd and I would never do this, but if I had to go meet someone on the top of the Empire State Building, it will be because of this film and not the other.

Something's Gotta Give (Dir: Nancy Meyers)

Aren't old people falling in love just so freaking cute?! Of course if I look half as good as Diane Keaton when I am her age in this, I will be a happy old bunny. Also if I can bag an old fox like Jack Nicholson, won't that be something? They both played lovers in Reds, but as an aging single playwright and a Lothario with a taste for younger women, their relationship in this is far more fun and fascinating.

There you have it. Hope you enjoyed it. Now I will go eat ice cream and watch Casablanca. Yes, do put two and two together.

Thoughts

I seem to be losing track of days. Didn't even realise I should've posted this yesterday. *headdesk*

1) First, a personal note- I have 60 followers now! Woo Hoo!! Totally psyched and thanks everybody for following this silly little blog :D

2) I recently realised that I have to post my "Big End of the Year Bonanza Post!" or something to that effect in which I list my favourite films, performances, scenes and shots of the year and also my "The Social Network Film of the Year". I still haven't started because I wanted to watch Shame and My Week with Marilyn before making it, but I have not gotten any such opportunity yet and chances of me catching them anytime soon look bleak. Hopefully I will post them within a week, and by that I mean the next ten days.

3) When I was in 3rd Grade, I had declared that Daniel Radcliffe was the most perfect and wonderful person ever. A decade later, I am proud of my younger foresightful self. He recently spoke about his support for LGBT rights and also, how he has a man-crush on Ryan Gosling. I mean, is he awesome or is he awesome?! And then he talked about how he is a bit "miffed" about the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Oscar snub. He makes valid points here, about how the awards are snobbish. They are. I really don't think they will invite the golden trio to present any awards, and I shall hate them forever.

4) Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be making his directorial debut this year with a romcom. He will star in it too, along with Scarlett Johannson and another female lead that is yet to be cast. How brilliant! I love JGL and I think he is just bubbling with talent. I mean he has the most impressive roles lined up- in Lincoln, The Dark Knight Rises and Django Unchained. *Swoon* ScarJo is also going to star in Can a Song Save Your Life, which is going to be made by John Carney. Carney had made the wonderful Once and this does sound good. The always excellent Mark Ruffalo will co-star. I am quite looking forward to both these films.

5) The queen of ubiquity, Jessica Chastain, will be starring in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, along with Joel Edgerton. This is fantastic. I have always had this romanticized idea about the character of Eleanor Rigby, from the famous Beatles song. I even wrote a post about it, aeons ago. How lovely that Chastain would play her in a film, even though I think it has more to do with the name than the story in the song. The film will be about a couple, played by Chastain and Edgerton, and I don't think will follow the song so much. Pity, but meh. I like it.

6) Trailers- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World which has Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. I really like the premise and I have thought about things like this. It looks really smart and sweet and I hope it is just that. End of the world is also the theme of the next film, Iron Sky in which space Nazis attack the world after they had been hiding on the dark side of the moon for the past 40 years. It sounds insane, but deliciously so. I don't know anyone from the cast, but I think I will catch this. The Bourne Legacy which has Jeremy Renner taking the helm of the Bourne series from Matt Damon. It looks nice enough and it has Ed Norton, so yaay! I saw The Bourne Identity this week, and I like the whole idea. Red Lights has a pretty solid cast with Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro and Elizabeth Olsen. It looks scary-ish. The king of the trailers this week is *obviously* Miley Cyrus-starrer LOL. LOL jk. Why does it have Douglas Booth? He went from kissing Matt Smith to kissing Miley Cyrus. LOL. Poor Demi Moore though. The real king of the trailer is of course that which stars my other fake husband Andrew Garfield being all sexy and Spidey and spandex-y and stuff- The Amazing Spiderman. I love how vivid it looks and I do like the flashy suit. I am excited for this!!

7) Finally, the Oscar luncheon took place this week (oh the daydreams that followed...). This picture is just gold.

Your argument is invalid.

Tata.

Ooh it's Awards Time for me as well!

The fantastic Diana from Aziza's Picks has honoured this wee blog of mine with the Liebster Blog Award, which is given by fellow bloggers to certain noteworthy blogs that do not have 200 followers yet. I think it's an excellent way to promote blogs one likes and thinks deserve more recognition.

So for me to be a proper recipient, I have to
1) Thank the award-giver- thank you Diana again. You are awesome :D
2) Put the Liebster Blog Logo on their post- done.
3) Pay it forward as it were to 5 other blogs I think deserve this award. So here it goes-

a) Stevee from Cinematic Paradox who is ab fab and her blog is ahmazing, especially with the new look.
b) Andy from Andy Buckle's Film Emporium whose reviews are always excellent.
c) Mette from Lime Reviews and Strawberry Confessions who loves Bollywood more than most Indian people I know.
d) M. Hufstader from The Smoking Pen and Feed Me A Stray Cat! both which are brilliant blogs- one full of badassery and the other with every thing else.
e) Lesya from Eternity of Dream whose blog is just beautiful to look at and her posts are always great.


Who needs the Oscars eh? This makes me happy :)

Boys just wanna have fun.

        After watching Chronicle, one of the many things I said to a friend about it was "Despite being really stupid, teenage boys are such geniuses." I mean as disgusted and sensible I tried to be at the beginning of the film, I could not deny the fact that the three adolescent protagonists, who suddenly find themselves with superhuman powers, were having way too much fun and I could probably not think of half the stuff they did. The most creative thing I came up with (before becoming a superhero obviously) was to spy on my favourite actors in filming locations. Well, that is me, and this is my review of Chronicle.

       Shy and lonely Andrew, who has a sick mother and an alcoholic abusive father, decides to buy a video camera to record his daily life. He goes with his cousin Matt, who is amiable albeit a bit pretentious, to a high school party where popular student Steve tells him that he and Matt have found something and they need it on tape. Whatever this thing is, it provides them with telekinetic powers that grow stronger upon constant use. What first starts out as three teenage boys having fun with their new-found abilities soon turns into something much more sinister than what they bargained for.


            I must admit that I had brushed off this film and any thing related to it. I hadn't even seen the trailer before watching the film, but all that has paid off extremely well in my opinion. It was a superhero film (sort of) unlike anything that I have seen before. The entire film is shot in a "found footage" sort of way though it is never made clear who would look for such footage- one of the few dodgier aspects of the film, but I overlooked all of that on account of all the fun I was having watching this.

             The majority of the film deals with how these three guys learn to use their powers, not in a Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility" way, but rather in the only way they know- scaring little kids with flying soft toys and blowing up skirts of girls. As it is all shot on video, per se, their reactions are often stupid and funny and so very convincing that I couldn't stop grinning. It somewhat follows the same sensibility of a reality tv show for me because it's ridiculous, yet hilarious. As the powers increase, so do their tricks and they are quite cool. Even though I feel the end becomes too special effects-gimmicky and it could have been a bit longer to make it seem less out of control, I like the descent into darkness and the obvious repercussions of fiddling with things that are unknown to us.


          If you would look to your right, I gave the film a 10 out of 10 rating. The reason is simple- it is a bloody ballsy film to make, and that too by mostly first-timers. The director Josh Tank and the writer Max Landis are both 26 years old, which is amazing. The script may have had elements of a lot of different films like Blair Witch Project or Spiderman or even something like Superbad, all together it is quite original and even the contrived parts became compelling due to the genuine performances by the leads. Tank does interesting work here by taking the "found-footage" concept and not giving us something we have grown to expect. I mean for a first-time director it must be extremely tempting to use all the various techniques shown in films and to stay true to this form of film-making, which must be very difficult on a creative level, I thought was quite commendable.

         The cast is made up of relatively-unknown actors with Dane DeHaan as Andrew, Alex Russel as Matt and Michael B. Jordan as Steve. A massive reason why this film works so well is because of their honest portrayal of the three boys. The whole film could have been about the "found-footage" craft, the reason why I usually ignore such films, but instead it focuses on three very different and very realistic characters. While DeHaan has the more weighty role as Andrew is the sad and disturbed member of the trio who is more affected by his power, I think it could not have worked without the slightly pathetic though inherently good Matt and the popular and sincerely nice Steve. The latter part of the film did depend on Andrew the most, but I enjoyed the first part more when all three of them are filled with unadulterated glee and mischief because of their kick-ass abilities. Which is why that even the unbelievable sci-fi aspects of the film end up looking like this may have been real life, for how else would boys react?


        It is interesting to note that my first film of 2011 was also a unlikely superhero film- Green Hornet. Yes that was majorly disappointing, but with the exception of The Dark Knight Rises, I think Chronicle has definitely set the bar for superhero films for me this year. Yes no one really is a superhero in this film, and that is why it is unique because what else do you do with superpowers? The teenage boys know.