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.