Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nikhat- 100 FILM FACTS ABOUT ME

         I never thought I'll be able to do this when I first saw Stevee Taylor's amazing list. But little by little, inspired other such lists by Tyler, Lesya, Sati, asrap virtuoso, Alex and finally Ruth, I have made my list. It's a bit rambly, but I guess one expects that from me now. I had hoped that these little facts and anecdotes about me would have been revealed to the world at large when I get famous and was invited onto a lot of talk shows, but meh, I like talking about me on my blog. Here are 100 film facts about me.

1) Even though my original introduction to films has been through Bollywood, I realise now that I don't usually watch Bollywood films with the same care and attention to detail like how I watch other films. I would like to change that.

2) Not just Bollywood, but my knowledge of Indian films in general is pretty deplorable. Despite being from Calcutta, I have never seen a Satyajit Ray film in my life. But that's because I am adamant that I will watch them on a big screen only, and not on my laptop.

3) My favourite actor in fact is Shah Rukh Khan, though he is a bigger star (often called the King of Bollywood) than an actor. But when he acts, he is pretty amazing.

4) My Hollywood equivalent of SRK is Johnny Depp of course, but in his case, it is all about the acting. I am sure of this now because it was only very recently that I noticed how good-looking he is.

5) To put that into perspective, you must know that I have watched, and will probably continue to watch, a lot of crappy movies because I find someone attractive in it.

6) I mean, Pearly Harbour used to be one of my most favourite movies when I was younger, because I was so in love with Josh Hartnett and his looks (mini-me was an idiot).

7) My first Depp film was Edward Scissorhands, though I didn't know who he was back then. I loved him still.

8) My first Depp film in which I knew who he was was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I actually screamed when Barbossa stabbed him. I was never the same.

9) I didn't know who Brad Pitt was until Troy. After that, for quite a while, he was "that blonde man... in a metal skirt".

10) Adrien Brody in The Pianist is my favourite male performance of all time.

11) Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns is my favourite female performance of all time.

12) I once got into shit with my parents for watching The Pianist the day before an English exam. In the exam, they asked us to review a film. I reviewed The Pianist.

13) I have explained Politics using Mean Girls, natural selection using Happy Feet, Economics using Confession of a Shopaholic and given an impromptu lecture on the environment using Avatar.

14) I like Avatar more than I like The Hurt Locker, but nothing beats Inglourious Basterds for me in that year (2009).

15) I like mainstream, indie and foreign movies equally. They just have to be good.

16) Having said that, I do not like westerns as a genre. I get v. bored.

17) It's not that I don't like long movies, but I am a pretty impatient and easily-distracted person, and if a film  is long, it has to keep me interested every friggin' second.

18) A brilliant example would be The Seven Samurai.

19) I don't like watching two similar movies one after another. Therefore my double/triple/occasionally quadruple and even quintuple features are always a mixed bag.

20) The first thing I did when I turned 16 was watch Pulp Fiction, for the first time.

21) The first thing I said when I turned 17 was, "Now I'll never get to be Juno."

22) I saw Avatar in IMAX on my 18th birthday because my parents had not watched it. They loved it.

23) I can't decide which is the funniest film that I have seen, but the funniest quote ever is "No fighting in the War Room!" Tears of laughter everytime.

24) The sexiest film that I have seen is Sex, Lies and Videotape *fans herself*.

25) When I was little, I used to think that Indiana Jones was some sort of a political movie. This is even before I knew Indiana was a place, and based my theory on the "India" part of the name.
26) The earliest, almost full-formed memory of me watching a film in a theatre is when I saw Titanic, when I was about 5. I say almost because I may have over-glorified it in my mind as I remember huge crowds and red curtains etc. But then again, it was massive here so my memory of it might not be that far off from the truth.
27) Even though now I think that Leo Di Caprio was at his Adonis-best in Romeo + Juliet, his Jack Dawson in Titanic was my first love and will always remain so.
28) Titanic too was responsible for my starting v.v.v. early obsession with redheads.
29) If I could look like any character in any film, I would look like Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada.
30) No screw that- I want to look like EVERYONE in The Devil Wears Prada, and own their wardrobes too! That's all.

31) I can get really excited after watching films, but I guess I was the most motivated after I saw Dead Poets Society for the first time. Tried to start one in my school. Failed miserably :/
32) I also tried and almost succeeded in starting a Film Club in my school. Originally, I was going to inaugurate it with Land Gold Women, which was made by an ex-alumni and for which she had won the National Award, but when that didn't work out, I was going to show Pan's Labyrinth because I felt it had something for everyone.
33) I have come to accept that I have quite an analytical mind, due to which films that abandon basic form and structure and concepts frustrate me. Like Certified Copy.
34) Also weird stuff like Mulholland Drive and The Naked Lunch, though I like them a little better now.
35) Also because of this, I really like clever movies and especially movies where all the clues and  twists and whatnot get tied up in a nice little bow at the end. That is why I really enjoy films made by Christopher Nolan.
36) One of my worse cinema experiences was when I went to see The Dark Knight. The hall was shit and I couldn't hear a word being said and then my father kept mocking it. Gahhh!
37) One of my best cinema experiences was when I saw The Social Network. Okay story time- the day it released, I woke up with a swollen eye for whatever reason. I went to school wearing my giant bug-eyed sunglasses and got permission to come home early, after which I went to watch it with my little brother. Apart from us there were a bunch of annoying kids in the row behind us and a couple. I saw the whole film with a crazy grin plastered across my face, except in the 0.03% scene of course, and when it ended I noticed that my brother and I were the only people in the hall. Apparently the kids were caught filming and were banished from the place and a lot of other shit went down, and I knew nothing of it even though they were JUST BEHIND us. Ah, cinematic bliss :D
38) The day the 83rd Academy Awards took place was also the day the most important examinations of my school career started and I am not exaggerating when I say that I prayed for The Social Network as much as I had prayed for marks...
39) ... And I consider Brian the brain from The Breakfast Club to be my alter ego, so you can imagine.
40) As much as I hate the Oscars for TSN and ignoring Harry Potter, I will always watch them and will always want one.

41) The Harry Potter films were hugely responsible for making me the film fanatic I am today, and if I do ever win any award, I will always thank them.
42) Also, I find it really sad that Brian the brain is the only member of The Breakfast Club who doesn't get anyone. The only flaw in that film for me.
43) As much as I love Audrey Hepburn, I think my favourite classic actress is Bette Davis. Quoting All About Eve, "What a body. What a voice."
44) Still, Vivien Leigh's performance in A Streetcar Named Desire just blows my mind.
45) My favourite character and performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is Honey, played by Sandy Dennis.
46) For a very long time I refused to believe that Pierce Brosnan's name was Pierce Brosnan. He was James Bond, of course.
47) I love villains and anti-heroes. My favourite villains are Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter and my favourite anti-heroes are Alex DeLarge and Travis Bickle.
48) When I get scared in a movie, and it doesn't need to be a horror movie, I hit the pause button a lot and then try to calm myself down.
49) In this respect, No Country for Old Men is the scariest film that I have ever seen. Bloody Anton Chigurh- why couldn't he just die!
50) I paused a lot in Funny Games (2007) too, but then giggled uncontrollably every time Michael Pitt broke the fourth wall and spoke to um... me. It was a bit sickening.

51) My favourite movie kiss is between Amélie and Nino in Amélie, followed closely by Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in Notorious.
52) I am not much of a scores person, but I can live on "Yumeji's Theme" from In the Mood for Love, "Married Life" from Up, "Hours" from The Hours, "Medieval Waters" from In Bruges, "Comptine d'un autre été" from Amélie and "A Familiar Taste" from The Social Network.
53) I am, however, a soundtrack person and my favourite soundtracks are from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Marie Antoinette.
54) I absolutely love the part The Strokes start playing in Marie Antoinette.
55) Across the Universe officially started my Beatlemania, and I do think some of the songs from it are better than the original versions. Like "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
56) Speaking of, my favourite scene in The Boat that Rocked is not one from the movie, but a cut-out scene instead in which Philip Seymour Hoffman pays homage to the Fab Four- "The glories of our age, the bringers of joy, for our and future generations. Because there will always be poverty and pain and war and injustice in this world but there will, thank the lord, also always be The Beatles."
57) My formal introduction to "Sounds of Silence" was not in The Graduate but in Watchmen.
58) I don't need depressing movies to get depressed. I have gotten really sad after watching (500) Days of Summer, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and most recently, This Means War.
59) I do tend to rewatch happy movies a lot more than sad ones, because movies do affect me quite a bit.
60) Which is why Michael Cera is one of my most favourite leading men as his films make me very happy.

61) The oddest film, I feel, that affected me personally was In Bruges, not because I kill priests and children and midgets, but because at the time I was at a place that was a fairytale come true for everyone but me,
62) The first film that I cried in was Stuart Little, when Snowbell tells Stuart that the Littles never loved him.
63) The film that I have cried the most in was Never Let Me Go. I would watch it again, but I live with people now and they will get scared if they see me in such a state.
64) I still cry everytime I watch Titanic, even though I have seen it more than 30 times. Oddly, I never cried the first time. Now, I need one year gaps between two viewings.
65) Basically, I cry a lot in movies.
66) The worst film I have cried in was The Notebook. I didn't even want to cry. It was Nicholas Sparks's evil plan to wrench the tears out of me because he needs to live on people's misplaced pity. Gahh.
67) The only thing that was good about The Notebook was Ryan Gosling's flawless jawline *sigh*.
68) The first time I saw Ryan Gosling was in Murder by Numbers and I have been attracted to him ever since he tries to sexually harass Sandra Bullock in it. And yes, I do know that I have a problem.
69) Since I don't do sports and cannot fathom the need for them, I can never truly like sports movies. My favourite Hollywood sports movie is actually Wimbledon because despite having been explained the rules of tennis a million times, I still don't get them and as a result I always get excited for the ending,
70) My favourite sports movie ever is Lagaan. And I fucking hate cricket!

71) My favourite trailers of all time are Blue Valentine, The Social Network, Black Swan, Inglourious Basterds and the teaser for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
72) It pains me that Bill Murray did not win the Oscar for his brilliantly subtle performance in Lost in Translation.
73) My favourite film maker of all time is Woody Allen because his films really speak to me.
74) I have a quote that I made up to show their impact on me: what came first- Woody Allen or the neuroses? I think it is rather clever.
75) I have noticed that when I really like a filmmaker's work, I end up fancying the filmmaker. Example- Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright, Sofia Coppola, Roman Polanski, Wes Anderson, and of course my ultimate dreamboat, David Fincher. Hell, I would fancy Woody if I were 15-20 years older.
76) The first time I saw Fight Club, it was because it was coming on the tv and I was bored. I connected to it when the Narrator says "This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time" because I was going through like a paranoid phase at the time. When the Jack vs Jack scene happened, I knew I was in for something extraordinary.
77) Btw, the Jack vs Jack scene is one of my most favourite scenes ever. I still don't know how the hell did they do it.
78) For me Fight Club will always be, first and foremost, a romance between the Narrator and Marla.
79) My favourite part of Fight Club is not any scene or performance, but the fact that there is a single frame of pornography spliced in towards the end of the film and it is too fast for all these censor boards to cut out. David Fincher IS Tyler Durden.
80) The closest I have come to meeting a celebrity is when a B-list Bollywood actress was eating ice cream across me, years ago, when I had gone to watch Stepmom at a theatre. I was still too flabbergasted! I'll probably melt if/when I meet Depp and Gosling.

81) After watching Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" video, I am determined that if I do ever make films, I will make one in which I will shamelessly objectify men.
82) Unlike most Indians I know, I really like the remake of Devdas because it is so extravagant and beautiful. Except for one scene: when Devdas, played by SRK, sees the grown-up Parrow, played by Aishwarya Rai, for the first time and she is in full make-up and sleeping under the moonlight in this courtyard or something- NO ONE DOES THAT! EVER!! Makes my blood boil, that part.
83) The two times that I have seen Fargo, I went around saying "yeah" like Frances McDormand's character for weeks after that.
84) After I saw The Princess Bride, I said "My name is Inigo Montaya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." to nearly everyone I met. And I was in my teens.
85) The film quote that my life follows most closely, through no fault or will of my own, is one from Fight Club- "Losing all hope was freedom."
86) The film quote I use the most of course is "Boo you whore" from Mean Girls. Like I can never say or write or type "Boo" without following it with "you whore". However discreetly.
87) When I was younger, I could recite all of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I can still say most of it, but not that well.
88) I saw Godfather 2 and Scarface one after the other and I still get muddled up about certain elements between the two.
89) With the exception of Harry Potter of course, the films I would like to live in the most are Marie Antoinette and Rushmore. Go Jason Schwartzman!
90) If I could choose any actor at any point in their career to be with, I would choose Harrison Ford in the late 70s, early 80s. FUCK YEAH!

91) I really really really love Ewan McGregor.
92) Chicago is one of my most favourite musicals because I love the music and also the fact that in it, the good get punished and the wicked put on a show.
93) The true villain of Wizard of Oz was Glinda. I really hate her.
94) I love it whenever Calcutta gets mentioned in movies. They always have such weird and well, foreign ideas about it.
95) My favourite literary hero is Mr. Darcy. Sadly no adaptation that I have seen of Pride and Prejudice has done him proper justice. In fact the closest thing to him was when Colin Firth played Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary.
96) My favourite song in a movie is "A Waltz for a Night" in Before Sunset.
97) I will kill to see a Gilmore Girls movie. Please make it happen.
98) I love it when people ask me for recommendations or whether or not a film is good. I usually recommend films according to what I know of their taste. And Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
99) No matter what I do with my life, it will definitely have something to do with films. It can be writing or directing or owning a small independent cinema or being employed in a DVD store or working in the cafeterias of Pixar or dressing up as a character in an amusement park or whatever. This is it for me.
100) If I had to die watching a film, I would die watching Casablanca.


Okay on that happily morbid note, I end this. Hope you enjoyed it :)

Thoughts

I swear it was Tuesday yesterday. What the hell?!

1) Paramount is celebrating its 100 Years and it put together a gargantuan group of film royalty (plus Beiber), 116 to be exact, in an unbelievable photo. And if you think that maybe some of them look Photoshopped (I did :/ ), I assure you they weren't. God what a place to be!

2) I love big casts, and Steve McQueen's next, Twelve Years a Slave is going to have just that. Headlining of course is Michael Fassbender. Then there will be Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Taram Killam, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Alfre Woodard, Adepero Odeyu etc. This film is going to be nuts! And by that, I do mean amazing. Gah Fassy and Cumberbatch in one movie-  music to my ears, literally.

3) Other major casting news is that Jean Dujardin maybe joining Leo Di Caprio in Martin Scorsese's next, The Wolf of Wall Street. As excited as I am about this, all I can think of are the Leo and Oscar jokes (which should be a genre of jokes on their own). Poor Leo. This will be his year though.

4) Also there is a lot of talk about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie adaptation. Bret Easton Ellis is writing it and wants Ryan Gosling to star as Christian Grey and David Cronenberg to direct it. Just typing out that sentence is making my ovaries explode and if this film does happen, I will spontaneously combust while watching it! But it will be worth it. This Christian Grey role is like the Lisbeth Salander casting all over again. Everyone's jumping at the opportunity. Ian Somerhalder and Alexander Skarsgård have spoken about their interest in playing the titular character. I would watch it for them too, but gah if Gosling stars, and with all this talk about maybe getting Rooney Mara to star as the female protagonist, Anastasia Steele- I will explode or implode or something!

5) Another casting choice that has everyone talking is of Finnick Odair in Catching Fire. Why are people even considering Taylor Kitsch? He is made out of a block of stone. I cannot decide who is a worse actor, he or Taylor Lautner? And I don't really like Garrett Hedlund as a choice either- he just isn't charismatic enough. I honestly pictured Armie Hammer while reading the book and I really hope he gets the part. Also I like how the studios have asked Philip Seymour Hoffman to play Plutarch Heavensbee. Dream big people!

6) I saw Prometheus! I missed the first 8 minutes, but I read about it in Wikipedia. It was a gorgeous looking film, and what was wonderful was that however spectacular everything was, it looked believable. Also Fassy as David was amazing! The story jumped around a bit in the middle, which is what I didn't like. Also THE Noomi Rapace scene- I saw that with my hands covering my glasses, in paralyzing fear. One thing that helped me get my thoughts set about this movie was The Matineecast.

7) Stevee's started a meme! Here are a 100/50 Film Facts about Sati, Lesya and Tyler. Love Lesya's #100.

8) Oh btw, has everyone seen my amazing banner?! Who got the Fight Club joke in it?

9) Trailers- Django Unchained's International Trailer. I'm not even going to talk about it, lest I burst into tears because of how awesome it is. I need clothes which are the same colour as Django's blue suit. Resident Evil Retribution has a terrible trailer out. Seriously it needs to get over. Also how many times can Milla Jovovovich wake up and still not realise that zombies have taken over this world? Magic Mike's butt galore red band trailer. I don't think I need to write anything more about that. Life of Pi's footage from its site. Oh god it looks brilliant!

10) Finally, I miss Tyrion already-

ALL THE MEMES!

Tata!

Fairy Tale Fight Club- Mirror Mirror VS Snow White and the Huntsman

            I guess there must have been a million of these posts already, but I still want to do one. With Hollywood's sudden love for fairy tales and making them all current and cool, the first half of 2012 saw two Snow Whites battling it out in two very very different movies. But which one is better?

Rupert Sanders's Snow White and the Huntsman (SWATH) is a dark take on the fairy tale where the Evil Queen Ravenna has taken over the kingdom and let it fall to the ruins, while keeping the true heir of its throne, Snow White, imprisoned. However, Snow escapes into the Dark Forest and Ravenna has to take the help of a huntsman, Eric, to capture her as she needs her heart to stay immortal and unchanged forever. But captivated by Snow's beauty and strength, Eric decides to help Snow fight Ravenna and regain her throne.

Tarsem Singh's Mirror Mirror (MM) is a happy Disney-loving film about Snow White. The Queen wants to marry the Prince to keep her income flowing, but is threatened by the beauty of her step-daughter Snow and orders her to be killed in the forest. However, the killer isn't able to do so and tells her to run away, which is when she meets a band of seven dwarves. The rest, as we say, is fairy tale history.

I saw both of them only a couple of days apart. Because of the afore-mentioned Hollywood fairy tale craze, I did have a lot of preconceived notions before seeing the films, which worked both for and against these two films. 

This post is a bit spoilerific, so you have been warned.

The Snow Whites

I have always believed that Snow White is the stupidest princess/fairy tale heroine of all time, with the exception Goldilocks, maybe. I mean her entire story revolves around how white she is. Also she has the most idiotic name ever. It is commendable to both these movies that they try to make her more than just a half-a-dimension character. 

Lily Collins in MM was sweet, but she is incredibly dull and occasionally irritating. They do try the whole "princess saving the prince" thing, and her one fight with the Prince is a lot of fun. But as the Queen says, "her skin has never seen the sun, so of course it's good" and so she has to do nothing there, really. She was one of the weakest links of the movie because she was just so blah.

Kristen Stewart in SWATH however has the fulfilling-destiny storyline going for her. One of the smartest things about this film is that they make "fairest of them all" about her heart and her purity and not her looks since anyone with eyes will know that KStew is not more beautiful than Charlize Theron. The film revolves around  her Snow White in such a way that it benefits her role a great deal. But then it sort of fails to achieve the whole underdog-destiny aspect of it because she suddenly becomes this warrior out of nowhere. I had thought throughout most of the film that she would have some sort of naturalist powers or something that will help her defeat the Evil Queen, but that never happens. She never gets a chance to stem out properly, but still KStew does a decent job. Also her Snow does avoid a major cliche at the end, for which she has to applauded. She definitely is the better Snow White.

The Prince and the Huntsman

'Cuz the Prince in SWATH isn't really a prince at all (sorry Sam Claflin!). I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked these two characters.

Chris Hemsworth as Eric, the Hunstman, is Snow's companion and guide in SWATH. He is the person who is used to show Snow's greatness and purity as he discovers it along with us. I really liked Hemsworth as the Huntsman, perhaps even more than his Thor. He gives a lot of heart, humour and well, brawn to such a character which makes him very likeable and human.

However, Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott in MM steals the show completely. He is easily the best part of this film. Already the most inspired casting choice here (yes, even more than Theron as the Evil Queen), Hammer's Alcott shines in every scene he is in. He is such a bimbo, but an honourable and lovable one, which I think all the quintessential Prince Charming-types are. He is uproariously funny, which comes as a bit of a shock because I did not really expect it out of him. It is a delight to watch him be such a fun character, and one cannot help but smile (and swoon) whenever he is in the shot. He wins this round by a landslide.

The Evil Queens

These two were my sole reasons for watching the film. Like Alvy Singer, I tend to fall for the Wicked Queen.

I thought Julia Roberts as the Queen was really humorous. I have read reviews in which people talk about not being able to believe Roberts as someone who is evil because of her persona so far, but that is exactly what makes it all the more funny for me. She is the pretty woman trying to stay pretty or the queen in front of a (shirtless) prince, asking him to love her using a puppy love potion! Genius! I love the moments her iconic smile seeped through or when she's excited about getting married for the fifth time. She wasn't "evil" evil, but she was exactly what I would imagine a a real Wicked Queen to be like.

Now Charlize Theron's Queen Ravenna had pretty much been on the forefront ever since the first teaser came out. She had this wonderful narration in it about how seeing people in pain used to break her heart before and now it gives her pleasure, along with the total glamdoll bitch look that made this a completely scrumptious role. This is also what is the biggest flaw of the movie for me, because we only ever get teasers to such a character and never the whole story. Theron is amazing in her relatively brief role, and there is this sense of tragedy around her that is so captivating and intriguing. But we are never told why she is the way she is. I really wish the film was about her, not because I hate KStew or any of the other popular rants, but because I was genuinely invested in this seriously complex person that is not used or shown properly at all. I mean making a film about the Evil Queen- how is that for a darker tone?

I give them equal points.

The Dwarves

or

Real Dwarves vs Fake Ones

I nearly jumped out of my seat during SWATH when I saw that Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Nick Frost (!!) as the part of the band of dwarves. I had no idea at all that they were there in this film. They had some moments, but this film introduces them as an arbitrary measure because they are such an integral part of the original tale. I barely remember them, which is big thing seeing the talent involved. They were there, that is it.

In MM, the dwarves have their true role, as friends and sort-of protectors of Snow White. Famous dwarf actors like Jordan Prentice, Danny Woodburn and Martin Klebba are part of the band. They are quite funny, and very likeable. The humour did tend to go a bit slapstick with them, which completely missed the mark most of the time, but these seven dwarves are very much an important part of the film. I really liked that. So they win.

The Look

Now along with the story, what really sets these two films apart from each other is their very singular looks.

Tarsem Singh has made a name for his vibrant and gorgeous films, and MM is no different. I loved the colours in this film- the rich tones of golds and yellows and reds. The castle was beautiful inside and out. As said in the narration at the beginning of the film, this is a fantastical place where everybody sang and danced all the time, which isn't a realistic thing. So the look had to show that, and it does. Nothing like this exists in the real world, and Tarsem captures this fairy tale quality in the visuals perfectly.

Now what SWATH does is borrow heavily from other films in terms of visuals. The Miyazaki elements were obvious as hell, and the whole film had a LOTR quality about it, finishing with a stereotypical battle scene at the end. So while none of the matter is original on its own, the fact that it is in a Snow White movie is what makes it original. It was a stunning looking film. The only thing I can nitpick about is the excessive overhead wide shots- that started to get old very quickly.

This too is an equal point for both of them.

The Costumes

Now this was the true battle of masters- the late Eiko Ishioka vs Colleen Atwood.

Colleen Atwood is arguably the most famous costume designer around. Her cool, dark and majestic designs are reknowned, and she does a splendid job in SWATH too. Ravenna's clothes are to die for- from the mirror dress to porcupine dress, all of it is just too awesome. However, I felt that her character was the only one who was focused on in this aspect, and everyone else falls short for me.

Eiko Ishioka passed away earlier this year, making MM her last collaboration with Tarsem Singh, as she has worked in all his films. I loved the clothes in this film. I mean they were extravagant as hell, but they were just big and gorgeous and kooky and colourful and fun! It was so gleeful and I felt that the costumes complimented the story very well. Like when Alcott's squire is dressed up like a "pink profiterole" it looks both funny and gives us a sense of the Queen's slightly mean brand of humour. Also I loved Snow's dress at the end that follows the footsteps of the Disney Snow White's attire so closely and yet manages to be unique. Ishioka wins this point for MM.

The Effects

Since there is bound to be some magic.

MM is an individually ravishing looking film, but when it comes to the special effects, it fails miserably. The big use of effects is when the Queen uses her mirror to kill Snow White with giant voodoo doll puppets or whatever the hell they were. On paper I guess it is a novel idea, but on screen, it just did not translate. It looked like something out of a Scooby Doo episode and not even from the main plot, but something that "those meddling kids" solve at the beginning which no one really talks about. Also the dreaded Beast is super lame.

SWATH has really nice effects in this aspect. From Ravenna's phantom armies that break into little pieces when you strike them, to the magical creatures in the Dark Forest- everything looks topnotch and believable. I really enjoyed the effects in this film, which like the costumes in MM, enhance SWATH and its story. SWATH wins this point.

Others

 For me, the third act of both these films are sort of their downfall. I felt that MM dragged on for too long, and that SWATH got over too soon and it felt like important scenes had been skipped. The story of the latter would have been so much more powerful if that unnecessarily necessary battle sequence would have been stretched out. The final confrontation between Ravenna and Snow is really stupidly executed except for a few moments when they can finally speak their minds. The former could have ended sooner, and would have again benefited from a less dragged-out ending, where though all the loose ends do get tied up, but then no one cared about them anyways.

Also for SWATH, the trailers were a huge reason why the film was a bit of a letdown. This makes me think about whether or not it's a good thing to make awesome trailers for relatively average films. Many of the elements from the trailers did not even make it into the movie. Here MM triumphed because it had one measly little trailer, but the film was quite enjoyable.

Conceptually however, I really liked the whole "beauty is your weapon" aspect of SWATH. MM did not really sway from the true roots of the fairy tale, but SWATH does try to do things differently. I do admire their boldness in this aspect, but again it is kind of sad that they are not able to go satisfactorily through with the idea.

Then music-wise, I actually noticed bits of score here and there in SWATH, which I liked. I can't say the same about MM. Also I love the Florence and the Machine song for SWATH- "Breath of Life". MM however chose to do a Bollywood-ified version of "I Believe in Love", sung by Collins at the end, which was for me, the weirdest part of the film. I mean I get it Tarsem- you are Indian and proud. I am too. That doesn't mean you need to put a random Bollywood number in a freaking Snow White movie! Such a dumb ending!!

I must also tell you that MM gets half a point because the Sean Bean character in it doesn't die. I know it's a weird criteria to give points for, but this is just how I roll. The poor man always dies!!

Final Decision

SWATH was a terrible cinematic experience for me because of the level of idiocy among the people sitting around me in the theatre. Still, I was invested enough in the movie to be able to almost block them out. But now, thinking back on it, I think it is not a very memorable film at all. The one thing that could have made it truly memorable was Theron's Ravenna but the filmmakers overlooked that because of, and this is what I believe, the name of the film that required them to focus on the eponymous characters. Ravenna could have been a tragic and even more magnificent villain for the ages, but sadly, it did not happen. There is apparently a sequel in the making- maybe it will be about Ravenna *fingers crossed*.

Contrarily, in retrospect, I find myself liking MM more and more. Yes there were stupid elements in it, especially the Bollywood-esque song, and the Snow White was kind of terrible, but it was really entertaining. It looked dazzling, and it was pretty funny thanks to Armie Hammer, Julia Roberts and the dwarves. It was fluff, but the good kind.

So in the end I find myself, most unexpectedly, leaning towards Mirror Mirror for the Snow White movie I liked better.

THEREFORE, MIRROR MIRROR IS FAIREST OF THE TWO! WOO HOO!!

Now I wait for Maleficient.

Thoughts

Helloo one and all! I know I'm late but I was internet-less for the past few days. I had declared my "blogging hiatus" on Twitter before this, but then I figured that's just my own blogging pattern.

1) So the reason I was internet-less was because I had gone to New Delhi to give an entrance exam which must be a foreign concept for most of you, but yeah- Indian education system is gaga. But then one of the GK questions was:
Which of the following is not a cult film- a) Hugo; b) Enter the Dragon; c) Star Wars; d) The Godfather
AKA- Best. Question. In. An. Academic. Exam. Ever.
Yes the answer is pretty obvious for someone with the most basic amount of film knowledge, but still, the little evil film nerd in me did do a secret maniacal laugh for all those who wouldn't get this :D Oh joys.

2) Even though I was away for 3 days, my dashboard is full of amazing blogposts. Here are my three most favourite- Southern Vision's 25 Most Important Films of the Last 25 Years, Eternity of Dream's Paris in Genres and Cinematic Paradox's 100 Films Facts about Stevee.

3) I am pretty sure that if I were to write a 100 Film Facts About Me list, 95 of those facts will focus on Johnny Depp and Ryan Gosling. Just today, during my flight when I was going through my usual Fight Club-esque "mid-air collision" fantasies, I started thinking about what would be my last thought before my brain explodes or whatever and I first decided on "Ryan Gosling" but then I thought that would be wayy to shallow so then my thought process was like "Films- Woody Allen- New York- Buildings- The Tree of Life- Emmanuel Lubezki- okay no I don't want my dying thought to be Emmanuel Lubezki. Ryan Gosling it is!" So sad, but true. Imagine if I actually articulate this thought (unlike you know, all of this), and "Ryan Gosling" will become my last words and if I'm a nobody then, it's sort of fine though v. odd, but if I do get famous somehow, this is what will be on my IMDb Trivia page and what authors like John Green would know. Gah I really need to borrow someone's brain!

4) I am sorry if I am making no sense. Which I probably am not. I just really need to blog all of a sudden!

5) So the MTV Movie Awards happened. It has officially become my most favourite award show ever because it gave Johnny Depp the Generation Award, after which he played with The Black Keys. FUCK YEAH!! Other things I liked: Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield presenting- they are oh so cute, Jennifer Lawrence's acceptance speech- [referring to the popcorn shaped statuette] "I can't eat this", Joseph Gordon-Levitt fangirling over Gary Oldman and Christian Bale, Bale remembering Heath Ledger, Fasstheron and all the Fassdong jokes which will NEVER get old, Shailene Woodley winning Best Newcomer, Harry Potter winning Best Cast because obviously *in an Alan Rickman voice*, and finally Emma Stone winning The Trailblazer Award. The presentation video was hilarious but then Stone's heartfelt acceptance speech was absolutely lovely and makes me hungry for her Oscar speech, whenever that will happen. What wasn't so lovely was Russel Brand, Twilight still winning everything and Kristen Stewart's desperate attempts at being funny.

6) Logan Lerman and Douglas Booth are joining the Darren Aronofsky Noah project, and Emma Watson is also in talks. Apart from the lead, my anti-Depp, Russel Crowe, I love everyone else connected with this film. And my god- what a role for Watson if she joins the cast! Definitely watching this now (ah damnit!).

7) So I had considered doing a separate post on this, but as soon as the Django Unchained trailer came out, my dash was full of posts about it and then I became lazy. As usual. But OHMYGAWDIAMSOFRIGGINEXCITEDICOULDDIE!!! It is so fucking amazing! Quentin Tarantino is one of my most favourite film makers ever and the first one in whose mind I'd like to go all "Being John Malkovich" if I could because it is a wondrous place. CLEARLY! I love the music and Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz and the look and the guns and the slavery and the "D is silent" and everything. I especially love Leonardo Di Caprio with his southern drawl and yellow teeth and kooky smile. I really especially love the blood on the cotton plant. So pretty! Oh this film cannot come soon enough!!

8) Other less important and infinitely less awesome trailers- The Bourne Legacy. It looks fun, though I really need to get cracking with the other two sequels. Edward Norton is going to be the baddie! Flight, which looks really random. It is made by Robert Zemeckis and stars Denzel Washington, but I don't know. Not really sold on the trailer, though I do love it when people play "Gimme Shelter" in films. Wreck It Ralph, which looks really sweet and fun. Unfortunately I am the furthest thing from a gaming nerd on this planet, so I am not geeking out on it like everyone else. The Perks of Being a Wallflower has my second most favourite trailer of this week. I don't know whether it's the upcoming big 2-0 birthday or what, but I'm suddenly obsessed with teenage angst and stuff. So this is perfect. I really like Logan Lerman, and Watson looks really pretty and quite alright. Ezra Miller has made me a fan ever since last year's We Need to Talk About Kevin, so I really like him too. A great trailer, all in all.

9) Finally, I swear I snorted really loudly when I saw this-

Obviously

Byeee!!!

So it's International Whores Day...

Um I don't know what to say anymore.

I will say that my favourite cinematic hooker (using the semantics as used in the film) is Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman, played by the effervescent Julia Roberts.

Also, possibly my most favourite movie quote of all time-

Well this post is a bit of an inside joke with a friend of mine, but I hope you enjoyed it (?) nonetheless.

The Month that was- May

So May was all right. I blogged even less, and June won't get any better in all probability since it's crucial for my attempt-at-having-a-normal-college-life 2.0. And currently the universe is being a bitch. As usual.
Anyhow I kept my one film a day average for this month too. Yaay for that.


Firsts:

1) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind- As much as I liked Sam Rockwell in it, it was just too frenzied for me.

2) Strictly Ballroom- Oh this was splendid! It's so Bollywood in many aspects. I love the mother.

3) Dirty Harry- Yeah it's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun. Also, I really liked the character of Harry Callahan, much to my own surprise.

4) Volver- It was nice, but all in all, the least impactful Almodóvar that I have seen so far. Penélope Cruz was incredible though.

5) Alice- This film has led to an inspiration behind a blogpost, but more on that later. I loved it. Mia Farrow is such a wonderful actress, and as always, no one understands me better than Woody. Perfectly complimented whatever I was feeling when I watched it.

6) Notorious- Oh those kisses. As much as I am a Bogart and Bergman person, the sheer beauty of Grant and Bergman in each other's arms cannot be denied. I did not exactly expect this film from Hitchcock, but was pleasantly surprised.

7) Naked Lunch- Er... There were elements of it that I liked, especially Peter Weller. But not my cup of tea.

8) The Seventh Seal- So beautiful and thoughtful and engaging. Also, that Dance of Death just kept haunting my thoughts.

9) In the Mood for Love- Oh this film just devastated me. Cried for like hours after this. Not just because it's a beautiful and sad film, but because I could never make anything like it. Must watch again, when I have convalesced.

10) Ronin- Thanks to the Matineecast. I liked it, but my god, I couldn't help but notice all random "civilians" dying around the main characters. So many!! Cool car chases though.

11) Raging Bull- I liked it but a) it's a sports movie; b) yeah no I don't care if it shows other stuff, it has a sport in it, hence making it a sports movie; c) I don't do sports; d) so friggin' loud; e) Taxi Driver is better. De Niro and Pesci were brilliant though, and some of the scenes were just breathtaking.

12) Dark Shadows- So messed up. Apart from the way it looked and the pretty women, there was nothing to it. Depp really tried, and Green was the best part with Pfeiffer and Carter being robbed of proper roles, but then Moretz crazy hooker shit was mental. Burton needs to buck up.

13) Point Break- I love Hot Fuzz even more now. It was a very enjoyable movie all together, albeit a bit ridiculous. There is nothing quite like it. Can't believe a woman made it (hats off to you, Kathryn Bigelow).

14) Suspiria- The colours in this movie are absolutely incredible. Also that music- I could not sleep comfortably for two days after watching it. Yes the ending was a bit underwhelming, but as the poster advertises, the first 92 minutes were wayyy more terrifying than the last 12 minutes.

15) Dead Man- I had a mini Depp-marathon after this post. It looked gorgeous and Depp was ab fab, but I was so bored by the end of it. Westerns, acid or not, are just not for me.

16) Cry-Baby- Haha, Depp was such a pretty boy. It is strange, but rather fun too.

17) Donnie Brasco- I had never seen it completely. It was really brilliant. I mean Depp's performance was excellent, but that last Pacino scene was the most heart-rendering scene ever. What an actor!

18) Fear and Loathing Las Vegas- Ha I remember trying to watch this when I was twelve. Not that I understood all of it this time 'round, but enough to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reaffirm my faith in Johnny Depp's acting abilities.

19) Bottle Rocket- Finally finished it! The DVD stopped working midway last time. It was sweet and fun, though the lack of Bill Murray in a Wes Anderson was a weird thing to digest. Loved Owen Wilson.

20) King Kong- This is the Peter Jackson version. I saw it solely for Adrien Brody, because I love him. It was okay-ish. I cannot really approve of a film in which a woman chooses a giant ape over Adrien Brody, you know...

21) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane- I love the fact that after watching it, it made me really think about who was the actual villain in the story. Bette Davis was just sensational.

22) This Means War- Which led to this gorgeous post. I have been watching random scenes ever since- especially those with Chris Pine shirtless and stuff.

Rewatched:

1) Moulin Rouge!- My most favourite film of all time. This time around it was Nicole Kidman who blew me away the most. It was always a Ewan McGregor fest for me, but it has taken time for me to truly appreciate Kidman's performance in this.

2) William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet- Okay I love the leads and the soundtrack and what Luhrmann did with the film etc. But honestly- what a stupid story. 

3) The Breakfast Club- Due to The Extraterrestrial Blogathon. After talking about it so much, I just needed to watch it again. I really think that no film could ever represent youth better. You cry, you laugh, you feel- brilliance!

4) The Muppets- "Life's A Happy Song!" Oh this film and the joy it brings :D

5) Edward Scissorhands- I know I had rewatched it only a while back, but it had to be done for this post.

6) Easy A- It had been too long. I needed some Stone-Clarkson-Tucci awesomeness to brighten up my life.

7) Dog Day Afternoon- I don't know what I had not rewatched it in soo long. I mean this film just needs to go on my top 100 and Pacino's performance in my top 5 or 10 or whatever. Basically, it is mindblowing!

8) Ed Wood- To think Tim Burton and Johnny Depp once made films like this. It is such a lovely film.

9 The Departed- Man, this film for me is all about how awesome Mark Wahlberg is. Which is a lot!

10) Red Dragon- The cast in this- Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman- wowsers! I have always really enjoyed this film and consider this the true sequel/prequel to The Silence of the Lambs.

Shorts-

Lick the Star- I had to rewatch it for the Sofia Coppola list. It's weird and alluring and I love how the protagonist is introduced. 

TV Shows:

So I didn't actually watch anything separately, but many of my shows did end. I'll just talk a bit about them-

1) Vampire Diaries (Season 3)- Yes I watch this, sue me! Anyways this season went on for like a year with all their breaks, but it wasn't that terrible. Okay so a) Favourite Episode- The Departed, which was the season finale and was a lot of fun; b) MVP- Ian Somerhalder as Damon of course, the sole reason I watch this show, more or less (look above); c) Favourite Quote- Damon: [doing a Stefan impression] "Dear diary, a chipmunk asked me my name today. I told him it was Joe. That lie will haunt me forever."

2) Parks and Recreation (Season 4)- I cried when this got over, but that was because fulfilled dreams make me happy and weepy. I didn't realise that it was over until the next week. a) Favourite Episode- The Trial of Leslie Knope, which was all sorts of funny and adorableness; b) MVP- Amy Poehler as Leslie and Rob Lowe as Chris because as much as I love everyone else, these two really shone for me this season; c) Favourite Quote- Chris: "If I had to have anybody tell me that I have cancer, I would want it to be me."

3) New Girl (Season 1)- This started out slightly painful, but actually became rather fun. a) Favourite Episode- Jess and Julie, because people who don't like desserts freak me out too; b) MVP- Max Greenfield as Schmidt, because nice douches are actually really nice; c) Favourite Quote- Jess: "Rich people are always giving you their cars. It’s like, ‘Let them eat cars.’”

Books:

1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- I finally read it! And rather liked it too. A lot of things made more sense to me in this.

2) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins- I liked it better than the first, though it may be because I knew nothing about this at all. I must say one thing though- these books don't end very well. Still, I love Finnick and am a Peeta person- confirmed!

3) An Abundance of Katherines by John Green- It's hard to believe that for a Looking for Alaska lover like me, this was my second John Green book. I really liked it, though didn't love it as much as Alaska.

Final tally:

                                     Firsts- 136             Rewatched- 62           Shorts- 4

                                                                     Total- 202

Bye all.