Nope, 2022, English

Horror and Sci-Fi, is it a western as well?

Nope is a big YEP.

I loved Nope.

Nope is hope that there is no limit to how creative filmmakers can be.

The storytelling is top-notch with a complete absence of clutter. The simplicity of the story adds so much to the elegance.

There is so much to smile about in the movie. I am not sure whether horror movies have been set in wide open spaces. The long-drawn brilliant climax is set in broad daylight!!!.

While all along you feel that the movie may be an ode to JAWS, there comes a spectacular climax that makes you think if it is a western.

I just checked the conventions of a western genre

The Western/Eastern genre has five necessary conventions:

1. Harsh, hostile, wide-open landscape.

2. Features hero, victim, and villain.

3. A MacGuffin. ...an object or device in a film or a book that serves merely as a trigger for the plot.

4. The hero's object of desire is to stop the villain and save the victim.

5. The hero operates outside the law (selectively or as a matter of course).

If you are film lover, catch up with this lovely flick on IMAX, you will certainly not be disappointed!!!

PS: As I continue to think, I am pretty sure that this is an adaptation of Jaws as there is a stunning similarity in the climax as Atomic Number 8 is replaced by Atomic Number 2!!! Go figure it out!!!

Lal Singh Chaddha

Labour of Love

In the past, my complaint about Aamir Khan has been the rampant plagiarism in his movies, like PK

This time around he has taken the pains to properly adapt Forrest Gump. 

I found the adaptation not only agreeable but there are several portions better than the original.

By including a terrorist in the scheme of things, Gump or Chaddha gets another layer of goodness.

The finishing stretches are exquisite. I simply loved the scene where Lal Singh Chaddha ties his 'Pagadi'/Turban to the strains of Gurbani( I suppose) immaculately. Spiritual and Divine. The ending is as poetic as it can be. 

The political backdrop that runs parallelly is captured perfectly and interestingly the makers are very non-committal about it.

The major disappointment is the miscalculation by Aamir in arriving at the body language of the clean-shaven Chaddha. His mannerisms tend to irritate. The clean-shaven Aamir's performance  is a definite distraction.

Having said that, that should still not be show stopper for you to watch this movie which has been made with a lot of heart.

Your endorsement will encourage film makers to make films with minimal violence and movies which are suitable for all audiences.

Sita Ramam

An Instant Classic

We are so good at making love stories. Everything about Sita Ramam is unoriginal, yet the product is absolutely fresh and enjoyable. I would expect people to watch this over and over again. This should be a blockbuster.

Mercifully the violence is minimal.

It takes about 40 minutes to warm up. But from the moment  Dulquer meets Mrunal, it is magic.

Savour this gorgeously shot movie with some great music (amply borrowed), amped up by some extraordinary performances and definitely some story, IN THEATRES!!

Mrunal Thakur's feminine grace and expressive eyes make this SITA very very special.