My TV Alphabet Blogathon

Hi guys! Look who has emerged from the shadows of laziness and the doldrums of non-creativity to take part in a TV blogathon! My fellow chick with accent, Getter from Mettel Ray Movie Blog has come up with a new blogathon years after her Movie Alphabet Blogathon, something I had participated in when I had first discovered her awesome blog (P.S. Some of the picks have NOT dated well). I felt it was only right to take part in this blogathon as well. 

I have become more of a TV viewer than a film viewer because of very many reasons and this was surprisingly difficult to make. I've tried to include as many of my favourite ever shows in any way possible, whether it be through a character or an episode. Getter has some cool rules in place too (might have not *fully* followed all of them...) which are:

So following the last command, here are my funnnnn picks for the TV Alphabet blogathon. Woooo!

#

30 Rock

One of the most meta comedies I have ever seen, I can't wait to rewatch it and fall in love with it all over again.

A

Agent Carter

My absolute favourite superhero show! Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter is beautiful, brave, vulnerable and kickass and her chemistry with James D'Arcy's Jarvis was just as superb. I really loved the setting and the female badassery that got to shine in this show and it is missed sorely!

B

The Book of Nora (The Leftovers S3x08)

The most perfect series finale I have ever seen- so good that it made the whole show that lead up to it even better in hindsight. Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux were just breathtaking in the episode and it  tied up everything in this maddening and ambitious series so well.

C

Chandler (Friends)

He's simply the best and funniest part of probably the most famous show of our time. I'm rewatching the series again and Matthew Perry just kicks it out of the park with Mr. Bing every episode. Also I HAD to use a Chandler zinger for this, duhhh!

D

Doctor Who

One of my OG favourite shows that I have fangirled about in this blog a lot. I know I've only put two Doctors in the picture but everyone in New Who is lovely and it's a show that is equal parts amazing, hilarious and heartbreaking. Especially the last part. Pretty sure this is one of the reasons I love crying watching shows so much.

E

The Entire History of You (Black Mirror S1x03)

There are some truly epic Black Mirror episodes but for some reason this one has stuck with me the most. I think perhaps because this is the type of technology I most wish existed but then in true Black Mirror fashion, the episode explores how it can completely destroy lives- not because of some dystopian Skynet type world domination thing, but simply because of our flawed humanity. Both Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whitaker are great in it.

F

Fleabag

HOLY MOLY THIS FUCKING SHOW! I get giddy when trying to talk about how amazing and original and devastating and sexy and funny it is! And I tell everyone! Even before the stupendous second season which is one of the most perfect things to ever exist ever, I was a huge fan of goddess Phoebe Waller-Bridge's broken and fourth wall breaking protagonist Fleabag and all the equally flawed characters that inhabit her world. But then second season happened and HOT PRIEST happened and I have no words but to say that WATCH ITTTTTT!!!!!

G (Wild Remote Entry)

Gilmore Girls and The Good Place

Gilmore Girls is one of those personality-developing shows for me. I saw it in my formative years when all I wanted to be was Rory Gilmore and find a Jess Mariano to fall in love it (not gonna lie- still totally do). Of course, every character in this show is lovely (except Dean. I hate Dean) and it's just one of those shows I'll probably be rewatching till I die. 

The Good Place is one of the most ingenious shows of our time. There are so many twists that take place that I've absolutely stopped trying to predict anything and I wait for all the new ways the writers will surprise and floor me. But that's not even the best part. Nor is its fantastic cast (D'arcy Carden, you infinitely talented being). My favourite thing about this show is how it actually cherishes goodness in people. I have started to really love pop culture that is about empathy and kindness and inclusivity and just being nice because that's really not our world anymore and The Good Place is exactly that. It's healing. And hilarious. I love it.

H

Hannibal

Probably my favourite looking show ever. Everything from the sets to Hannibal's suits to the food to the most incredible crime scenes- it was all stunning and singular. Of course the most gorgeous were Hannibal and Will themselves and their twisted romance.

I

Imperfect Harmony (Selfie S1x10)

RIP Selfie. You were gone before your time. The show, that was based on Pygmalion and starred the perfectly cast Karen Gillan and John Cho (put him in more romcoms, you cowards!) as the Eliza Doolitle and Henry Higgins of today, was really funny and sweet and could have been a great romatic sitcom. This episode was the big romance episode or so we had been led to believe but it ends up being something sadder and more beautiful, which is perfectly encapsulated in Gillan's poignant rendition of "Chandelier". 

J

Jane the Virgin

Quite possibly my favourite TV show ever. If Gilmore Girls was crucial for teenage Nikhat, Jane the Virgin was one of the shows that gave adult Nikhat her voice and understanding of the world. Simply put, it is about love- between family, between lovers, between friends and also between a show and its audience. I am incapable of deciding what was the best thing about the show- its mercurial writing that went from comedy to romance to thriller in minutes, its stupendously talented cast lead by the magical Gina Rodriguez, or its gorgeous direction that captured both of its telenovella fantastical elements and real world issues equally and perfectly. The show had twists that would make Game of Thrones blush but it was never twists for twists sake but careful character work and well, character love. I LOVED the characters as if I knew them and was invested in them like they were my own people. It had a brilliant ending too. God, I will miss this show so much!

K

Knockoffs (Broad City S2x04)

Much like Jane the Virgin, Broad City was also a female led and voiced show that changed my perspective of the world and what stories can be about. Which is why I chose THIS episode to elucidate my point. An episode which features a funeral, an underground market for designer knockoff bags, a 'will they or won't they' moment and of course, as seen from the picture above, dildos and pegging- only Broad City could have done it and through it commented not only on modern day dating but also grief and ways people deal with it. It is also a rip-roaringly funny.

L

Late (The Handmaid's Tale S1x03)

Gosh, what a brutal and unforgettable episode. This is THE feel-bad series that shows us a world that could exist very easily today. Alexis Bledel is shattering in "Late", often just emoting with her enormous horrified eyes at every awful thing happening around her. Reed Morano's direction just got under my skin and never truly left. Wherever the series did go after it, this was an hour of terrifying perfection.

M

Mr. Bean

Before I sat down to make this list, I was very sure that I wanted to include one childhood favourite in it. Between Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats and Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson's taciturn comedy hero won. I have many precious memories attached to this show, that still holds up today because of Atkinson's complete immersion into this role of a bumbling, slightly malevolent but ultimately sweet fool. I honestly even love the movies. There's something about Mr. Bean, you know?

N

Ned and Chuck (Pushing Daisies)

I'm sorry but I can't choose just Ned! It HAS to be Ned AND Chuck because they are THE OTP, guys! I don't make the rules (Getter does but I'm sure she'll understand). Pushing Daisies is the most colourful and cute show about death ever and Lee Pace's Ned and Anna Friel's Chuck were the heart of it. Their doomed love story destroyed me many times over but I wish it had even more times because this show and this romance ended far too soon!! #BringItBack

O

Orange is the New Black

However many shows Netflix comes out with, it will never reach the heights of OITNB for me. The show opened up a whole world many of us didn't know about and showed us the inner lives of so many types of women- black, white, old, young, trans, gay, straight. It had its flaws but when it was good, it was the freaking best! It was daring and open and most importantly, constantly empathetic and so very human.

P

Parks and Recreation

Probably my favourite comedy show. I love the characters. I love the actors. Leslie Knope is a goddamn hero. Ron motherfucking Swanson is my dream bestie. Ben Wyatt is everything I want in a man. Jerry is, well, Garry. *in Billy Eichner's style* I JUST LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH, IT MAKES ME SICK!!!

Q

Quite Interesting aka QI

Fun fact: I'm a nerd. So yes, I love a quiz show where I learn facts and also get to laugh a lot. Thank you very much. 

R

Run BTS

Guys, I don't know if you know this about me but I'm oh so slightly obsessed with BTS. Like, in case you still follow me on Twitter, I don't know if you noticed that AT ALL. Btw, thanks everyone who isn't an Army who still follows me. You guys are true friends :)

But anyways, I do really love the band and the members that form it. This is their variety show in which they usually have a topic and they play games or something around it. This is my ultimate comfort show at present. It's funny and sweet and I just love their friendship so much, it actually hurts my heart. 

S (Wild Remote Entry)

Sherlock and Sharp Objects

Sherlock is another show I have written and spoken about a lot. Not counting its last disastrous season, the show was damn near faultless in my eyes. I do want to revisit it as an older, less impressed-by-sociopathic-men person but I couldn't possibly leave it out of this list. I loved all the performances, especially that of the leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It was really stylish fun!

Sharp Objects was my favourite show of last year. I have never seen anything that put us in the headspace of its protagonist like it did. It was a horror show of the mind and the body. The acting across the board is fantastic. There are images from the show that are etched into my mind forever. 

T

True Blood

Oh True Blood, you marvelous mess. I have a special place in my heart for this show, with all its zaniness and camp and nonsense. It was just so entertaining! The first 4 seasons were actually really good and even though it went so spectacularly off the rails in the later seasons, I couldn't stop watching! Also Pam and Eric forever.

U (Wild Remote Entry)

Unbelievable 

This is from 2019 but I had to include it. The most feminist crime show I have ever seen, I was constantly amazed by the littlest details in it that set it apart. It is really infuriating but at the same time, it is hopeful. Merritt Wever is totally the stand out for me but all the performances are excellent.

V

Veep

Oh you acerbic wonder! There was so much to love about comedy-turned-documentary Veep but my absolute favourite thing about it was its insults. The crowning glory in my eyes was the following addressed to, obviously, Jonah: "You're Frankenstein's monster, if his monster was made entirely of dead dicks."

W

The Wedding (Outlander S1x07)

The most romantic and sexiest television episode/piece of art to ever exist. THE FEMALE GAZE, PEOPLE! Fuck me, you almost don't need to watch the rest of the show to watch this episode. It's so good!!

X (Wild Remote Entry)

Crazy EX-Girlfriend

I NEEDED to include this show somehow and I've not watched The X-Files or Xena so this I think was the best compromise. This was such a brilliant show. A musical romcom about mental illness! It was as funny as it was damning. The songs were especially genius, from "You Stupid Bitch" to "Let's Generalize About Men" to "Buttload of Cats". I feel like rewatching all of it right now!

Y

You're the Worst

The anti-romcom about the worst humans who are ultimately just that- human. Hilarious and devastating in equal parts, it reached such heights when it was firing on all cylinders.

Z

The Zeppo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer S3x13)

If you have seen this episode, you know why I chose this still and not of "the Zeppo" Xander. Xander was my least favourite thing about the show and yet I love this episode, which was a great example of Buffy at its finest. The show was so surprisingly experimental and concept driven and its best episodes were just that. OBVIOUSLY my favourite such episode is "Once More With Feeling" but I needed a Z :P

And that is it, folks! I hope you liked the list and please do check all the other entries from this brilliant Blogathon :)

Six Degrees of Separation Blogathon

       The latest blogathon by Nostra of My Filmviews has us linking two actors/directors/movies in a maximum of six steps as per the rules of the Six Degrees of Separation theory. I was tagged by my fellow chick with accent, Sofia from Film Flare who challenged me to link Elle Fanning to Rita Hayworth.

      Now the thing is that I have only watched one Hayworth movie in my life which is obviously Gilda. Therefore, my knowledge of her body of work is v. limited and I didn't want to resort to this being a purely IMDb-based answer, so I *may* be cheating here but it's just so much more interesting like this-

Elle Fanning worked with Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Se7en

Morgan Freeman presents Tim Robbins with Rita Hayworth in The Shawshank Redemption

       Taa daa!

       I now pass the baton on to Getter Trumsi of Mettel Ray and I challenge her to link Rita Hayworth to Ewan McGregor simply because I love him and he's the greatest :)

Spin-off Blogathon- the Poet and the Wife

             For her new blogathon, Sati asked us to choose a character who appears briefly in a movie and who we would like a whole another movie about. I must confess, I had to do a lot of brainstorming for this, partly because my memory is awful and partly because the characters I *did* remember were all amazing and it was pretty difficult to choose from them. As a result, I have two choices (sorry, Sati!) and I hope you like them.

Honourable mentions: Julian from Children of Men, Lt. Archie Hicox from Inglourious Basterds, Wallace Wells (or really anybody) from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

         My first choice is the street poet in Before Sunrise who Celine and Jesse meet by the Danube canal. He was played by Dominik Castell. I am cheating here a bit because I had already written something related to this in a long-forgotten post. I have always been fascinated by him- the way he just appears, the way he writes poems instead of begging, the poem he writes for them, the way he recites it, how it is totally perfect for Jesse's and Celine's situation- it's all so romantic and almost fairytale-like. I think of Before Sunrise as a fairytale because the entire possibility of something happening like that is nothing less than pure magic. And the poet is the most fantastical element in it for me.

          So here's my pitch for the movie about this poet: it is a tale of magic realism. The poet is a man who was cursed by the woman whose heart he had broken after he had wooed her with his words. His curse is that he has to live forever, eternally appearing to lovers and writing poems for them which deepens their affections for each other but he himself can never fall in love. He will witness all kinds of romances and meet all kinds of couples. Being in their company but incapable of feeling the words he writes, he will begin to hate love but it is his burden to keep seeing true love all around him. As in the case of Before Sunrise, there will be a lot of conversation and it could perhaps be called "Fantasy Parade".

         My second choice is Laura Linney's character in The Truman Show, Hannah Gill who plays Truman's wife Meryl Burbank in the show about his life. It is a rare feat that in a movie starring Jim Carrey I find another actor the funniest one in it, but so is the case with Linney's Hannah. All her product placements are so inane and her utter confusion at the change in Truman's character is one of my favourite things about the movie. Agreed, hers is a pretty big role (cheating again! Soz) but I would love a film about her. I know how in the film, the "actors" talk about how it is a privilege to be part of this grand concept and production, but I have always been curious about what kind of lives the people who willingly become a part of this whole fake world might lead. And of course, Meryl is the most fascinating out of all of them- she actually becomes someone's wife and they share a physical and somewhat emotional bond together. Also, this was before the reality TV era so it is doubly fascinating.

        My pitch: The film is set after The Truman Show has come to an end and Hannah is without a job. She is addicted to being on TV and has problems connecting with people because she has relied on scripts for so long. The only acting jobs she gets are those in which she plays characters just like Meryl. People all around her treat her differently. In flashbacks we find out how she started working in The Truman Show and how she fell in love with a woman during its shooting but she had to give her up to become Truman's wife. I can imagine the film having elements of To Die For and Young Adult. Tentatively, let's call it "Product Placement" because why not.

Motifs in Cinema 2013- "Coming of Age"

       I chose the motif of "Coming of Age" for Andrew’s Motifs in Cinema blogathon for a number of reasons: 1) It’s one of my favourite sub-genre of movies, in any year, 2) this year had a really interesting crop of these kind of movies, 3) the other motifs were harder and so on. The biggest reason why I chose it though is because, and I know how profoundly douchebag-y this is probably going to sound, I came of age in 2013. It wasn't after some major traumatic event in my life; it was a truly random moment, the kind I have had thousands of times before, and a thought suddenly came to my mind and I understood what it meant and that was it.

         Don't worry though, I have no intention of going all philosophical on you. I am not going to write about that thought because I feel it’s different for everyone, much like the movies that I have chosen.

      I have a list because I like lists :)

Honourable mentions: The Kings of Summer and The Way, Way Back, both of which were a lot of fun, but they were more stereotypically “coming of age” and I wanted to pick some more unusual films.

Stoker

There has been a lot said about the visuals, acting, Hitchcockian influences, Matthew Goode's oozing sexiness etc. in Park Chan-Wook's Stoker, but ultimately the movie is a "coming of age" tale where India Stoker, played to icy perfection by Mia Wasikowska, comes to a conclusion about her dangerous true self and how embracing it is the only way for her. The film opens with her whispery proclamation, "Just as a flower does not choose its colour, we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only when you realise this do you become free. And to become adult is to become free." Though that may seem almost too in-your-face, the events that lead up to that declaration just validate it even more. One of the things that come with growing up is the understanding of who you are, which in India's case is *SPOILERS* that she's inherently a psychopathic murderer *END SPOILERS* but you know, at least she's happy being who she is. Right? :/

Mud

Immediately after I saw Jeff Nichols' Mud for the first time, one of my professors started her lectures on James Joyce's short story 'Araby'. It was impossible to read the latter without thinking about the former. Both of them are about young adolescent boys who have a romanticized notion of the world and then have to come to terms with reality. Tye Sheridan's Ellis is someone who has such faith in the idea of true love and how it never ends, even in the face of real danger, that the bitterest cynics cannot question his innocent belief. We all know that that moment is coming when his trust will be broken and when it does, it is nothing short of shattering: partly because of the script and the way it is handled, partly because of Sheridan's prodigious ability to show so much pain so sincerely, and partly because I think we have all felt that way at some point in our lives- when the fairytale ends and what is left is much stranger and sadder. It is a cruel realisation that is an element of growing up.

Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers is a great many things, one of which is the "coming of age" of our young heroines. The film starts with the starlets, who play college students, bored with their monotonous life, one which is shot in dull, hospital-like colours. They dream of an escape, the ultimate escape- spring break, and are ready to do anything for it. The spring break is in contrast painted with vivid hues, as though it is life itself for the girls, but of course it is not real. When they get arrested and subsequently "saved" by a gangster named Alien (James Franco's best performance to date), this limitless dream world comes to an end, even if all of them don't realise it. Two stay and two leave, but all of them are changed through their experiences. For Selena Gomez's Faith, the spring break reaffirms her, well, faith and for Rachel Corine's Cotty, it literally wounds her and she has to learn from her mistakes. As for Ashley Benson's Brittany and Vanessa Hudgens' Candy, though they proclaim their slogan "Spring break forever bitches" till the end, they have perhaps come the longest way, accepting their inner criminal, darker selves, much like India above. Spring break may well last forever, but do you stay the same person throughout it?

The To Do List

One of the reasons this is an odd year for films with the "coming of age" theme running through them is because they have focused more on girls. Usually, such movies are about a boy's journey into manhood and that is accompanied by sexual discoveries. In Maggie Carrey's The To Do List, these gender roles are reversed. The ambitious and determined Brandy Klark, played by Aubrey Plaza, wants to be completely sexually proficient before she starts college and so she makes a to-do list, full of various sexual acts and embarks upon achieving all of them during her summer break. Even though the film was uneven as hell, it tackled issues like virginity and female sexuality with a frankness that I have rarely seen before. Much of this is thanks to Plaza's natural deadpan style that is both funny and nonchalant. The "coming of age" element comes when amidst all her sex-capades, Brandy realises that while sex is important, there are more essential things in life that one cannot do without. Sexual maturity is almost always thought if in relation to actual maturity and it was refreshing to see a girl's handled so well.

Frances Ha

All the other movies in my list so far have revolved around teenage characters because ideally, that's when we are supposed to "come into our own" and "become the person we are supposed to be". Frances Ha however shows a 27 year old, "which IS old" as one of her roommates reminds her, as adrift in her life as she is when it comes to finding living arrangements. It was impossible not to connect with Frances, never more than when she says "I am not a real person yet." She is shown as almost regressing in her life in the movie, going from someone with a dream to someone who has to make-do with living in her old college. This is because she is constantly finding someone to hold on to since her previous anchor, her best friend Sophie, has moved on in her own life. Of course, Frances realises that the only person she really needs is herself and the film shows this subtly and beautifully. It is the kind of phase a lot of people go through, especially in this day and age when we are constantly told that anything can be achieved, but life, obviously, has other plans. The way by which we cope with this truth is what helps us to become the person we are supposed to be. 

The World’s End

In contrast to these "coming of age" movies, there are some which show the failure in crossing this threshold of maturity. 2013 gave us the king of all man-children- Gary King. Gary was the coolest guy in town when he was 17, and so he decided to stay that way forever, not realising how lonely that would make him once everyone else grows up. Deceptively sold as a comedy, The World's End is a bleak look at people like Gary, who are ultimately tragic in their inability to accept reality and themselves, giving in to things like alcohol in order to forget that. They hold on to the "good ol' days" and can manage to cause a lot of pain and hurt to themselves and those who care about them. Of course, the end of the movie and of Gary is more hopeful, but the portrayal and ideas are still sad and dark.

Breaking Emotions Blogathon- ALL OF THE EMOTIONS!!

       When Mettel Ray announced her Breaking Emotions blogathon, I commented on her blog with a very enthusiastic “Count me in!” not taking into account the fact that I would be traveling, attending a full-blown film festival and going to college in the meantime, and hence having me no time or brain power to actually write the posts.

      To make amends, I have decided to just tackle the beast once and for all and give you guys a gargantuan Breaking Emotions: ALL OF THE EMOTIONS post. Enjoy!

Note: This post contains SPOLERS. Also, I haven’t seen some of these movies in a while now and I just want to apologise in advance in case I forget some of the details of the scenes. HATE was the hardest emotion to list down as I am not in the habit of remembering scenes I have disliked in the past. Conversely, LOVE was the emotion with the most number of choices for me to choose from because I love films! :)

3) Antichrist- SHE injures herself

The only reason this scene is #3 and not #1 is because I don’t remember when the scene starts and when it ends and I really don’t want to rewatch and find out. That entire last half hour of Antichrist is a hellish experience with this being the creepiest part of them all. Gahhhhhhh!

2) No Country for Old Men- Anton Chigurh visits Llewelyn Moss’s hotel room

I have spoken about how Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh manages to fill me up with fear by just being in a scene. This scene stands out the most for me because of the tension that it builds up and the idea of Chigurh standing outside your door with that damned gun of his is fucking terrifying *squeaks and hides under the bed*.

1) Magnolia- the raining frogs

Never in my life have I been more freaked out by a scene. I was so into the movie and then these gigantic freakin’ amphibians just start crashing onto windscreens of cars and on people and there’s blood everywhere and they’re huge and gross- you get the picture *shudders*.

3) Blue is the Warmest Colour- Adele and Emma have sex for the first time

I know it is a bit controversial including this in my list, but let me explain. I have no actual problems with the scene. Heck, in the whole context of the film and the big fight at the end, I think it makes total sense why the scene is there. But at the same time, the only time I have watched it is next to my friend and an ex-professor and amidst a sea of middle-aged men. Also the fact that it was the only time in the entire film festival when there was total silence in the crowd, and well, all the ass-slapping on screen ended up being kind of deafening. It was a very weird experience.

2) Bridget Jones’s Diary- Bridget makes a speech at her office’s party

It is one of those scenes that you can’t help but relate to and be embarrassed by.

1) Festen- the racist guests

Festen is, on a whole, a very uncomfortable movie. The story, the people, the way it is shot- it just makes you feel awkward. But never more than when a whole room full of white people decide to mock a black man by singing a song about a racial equality. So unpleasant.

3) The Hours- the whole movie really, but the ending specifically

I don’t know what exactly is it about The Hours that makes me so, well, emotional. Even the trailer makes me cry. If I had to choose just one scene though, it will probably be the ending when Clarissa has finally decided to embrace life, with Virginia’s voice-over in which she’s narrating the letter she wrote to her husband. It’s beautiful and uplifting though with the obvious tragic connections.

2) City Lights- the Flower Girl finally realises who the Tramp is

To quote The Dreamers, “You remember the last shot of City Lights? He looks at the Flower Girl. She looks at him. And don’t forget she’d been blind, so she was seeing him for the very first time and it’s as if through her eyes, we’re also seeing him for the very first time. Charlie Chaplin, the most famous man in the world! And it’s as if we’ve never really seen him before.”

How can you not cry?

1) Titanic- Jack Dawson dies

16 years. It’s been 16 years since this film released and I am still a blubbering mess by the end. And to date, even though I must have watched the film at least 30 times, I secretly hope he won’t die but alas, EVERY TIME! *sniffs*

3) Cafe de Flore- the connection

Cafe de Flore is a very beautiful film showing two apparently disconnected stories. The scene that finally reveals why and how they are related is surprising and also very gorgeously shot.

2) Sympathy for Lady Vengeance- the revenge

The way people behave always has the power to surprise us. The whole scene with the guardians taking revenge on the Mr. Baek was not something I expected from this film. It was both satisfying and sickening, and hence kind of awesome.

1) The Shawshank Redemption- Andy escapes

Has any other hole in a wall made your heart skip a beat like this one did? Even if one knows this scene, you can’t quite deny that sudden rush one feels as they realise what Andy has achieved.

3) Midnight in Paris- Gil meets Salvador Dali

“I see a rhinoceros.”

2) The Apartment- the ending

My cheeks actually start hurting by this point. Jack Lemmom and Shirley Temple are the cutest!

1) Moulin Rouge!- the Elephant Medley

Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, all the songs, the elephant- it’s all so perfect and happy and pretty and colourful.

3) Inglourious Basterds- Hans Landa interrogates Monsieur LaPadite

Quentin Tarantino is a god when it comes to words. The way he just builds up this scene, with Christoph Waltz’s unique brand of nastiness and all the tension just heightening till we get that gory conclusion- it’s amazing.

2) Boogie Nights- Dirk, Reed and Todd visit Rahad Jackson

Those bursting firecrackers. I have never been more on edge during a scene. And it works excellently with the pressure escalating as Dirk, Reed and Todd attempt to scam Rahad. And of course, we all know how it all ends.

1) Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix- Dumbledore versus Voldemort

This is my favourite duel from all the Harry Potter movies. It is spectacular, thrilling and then it ends with Harry being possessed by Voldemort and defeating him internally just as how Dumbledore defeats him with his powers.

3) The Amazing Shit-Man Spider-Man- the final climax

Ugh cranes? Really, Spidey? Really? To save everyone from turning into lizard-people? GAH THIS FILM IS SO STUPID!!!

2) Chennai Express- Rahul and Meena try to escape from Thangaballi by communicating through songs.

I could have really chosen any moment from this film to be on this list. It *is* an amazingly idiotic movie. But I was so enraged by Shahrukh Khan using his hit songs from his good movies in all these moronic ways. Why would one mock their own legacy in that way? And then that Tangabali dude sings too. Ugh, no!

1) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- the feast

I love Indiana Jones, like for realz. But even 10 year old me could sense how offensive this scene was. And I usually don’t act all patriotic and whatnot, but didn’t Spielberg and Lucas do any research at all? It’s just shameful.

3) Pulp Fiction- Mia and Vincent enter the Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest

I saw this film on my 16th birthday and for someone who has practically grown up watching dance numbers in movies, this was nothing like I had ever seen before. It was strange and sexy and awesome and it’s still my life’s mission to learn the dance perfectly, for both parts.

2) Before Sunset- Celine sings a waltz.

The whole ending is as perfect as they come but I could really just sit and watch Julie Delpy singing on her guitar and Ethan Hawke reacting to it for my whole life.

1) Fight Club- Jack versus Jack

My most favourite scene of all time. My brain just explodes every time I watch this scene. How did they do it? I don’t even want to know. I just want to bask in its awesomeness. 

        And that’s it. I hope you like my choices. And please check out all the other brilliant entries for the blogathon.