Temeraire Book 1 His Majesty's Dragon

Temeraire Book 1 His Majesty's Dragon is not a novel I'd pick up if written by someone else since the plot and the AU do not appeal to me in the least. I'm not that much into dragons either. I mean I like them and all but they are not a factor when I choose what to read/watch. The reason I have chosen this one (and the reason I have already purchased the rest of the series) is Ms. Naomi Novik whose prose and storytelling appealed to me so much so in the two other novels of her I have read that I have decided to give these a go.

And happily this first novel turned out to be fantastic (tears flowed twice). Looking forward to reading the rest. 

Silent Lies

Silent Lies did not work for me. I only liked hearing the accents of the two readers. 

Dhoom:2

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Dhoom:2 turned out to be as fun to watch as I remember. There are three Dhoom films now and all of them have entertainment value (may not be intentional though). 

Pari

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Pari is a film I thought I'd watch because I watched a roundtable interview with the lead actress Anushka Sharma (I don't mind her, neither love, nor hate) and the parts about the film there were interesting. And I know Pari is not a very scary thing. Ok here is something about me, I'm not easily scared by horror films anymore and usually fall asleep during many of them, however when it comes to jinns then I'm so scared that I can't even watch the film (jinn turned out to be a gold mine for Turkish horror cinema and I have not watched even one because I got so scared even while watching the trailer). So I soon realised that this one is a jinn film. I couldn't turn it off though since I was hooked on it. The way they handled the well known story (a jinn falling for and/or seducing a human) in a different manner. It is kind of a little bit scary love story. The lead character Ruhksana is the daughter of an Ifrit (very bad level of jinn, like the nazis of humans) and a human (ifrit raped the poor woman but it is not explicitly shown with a good excuse that ifrits can not be seen by the humans so it was not very very scary in that regard).  And there is a cult of people (the lead guy is a muslim) who murder the children of the ifrit. Well in this film we get to know and like Rukhsana (very good performance by Ms. Sharma here) and she falls for the guy who give her shelter and care. Of course things go very bad in the end but it is a hopeful end, not for Rukhsana but for the remaining good humans.

The Upside

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The Upside turned out to be alright but I like Kevin Hart so I didn't mind the whole thing probably being not as good as the French original (and I have not even watched the French original) 

The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies turned out to be a much better novel. I have purchased this one from a bargain sale and didn't expect much out of it but I liked it a lot. It has a vicious sense of humour that normally would not have worked on me but it did and I have actually laughed out loud during this historical fiction about the trials of a gay man. Starting from his birth in 1945 (just after the end of the war) and until 2015 I guess. It was engaging and I'm happy that I had already purchased another novel of this guy (without being aware, ooopss). 

Distorted (aka Falsify, Jojak)

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Distorted (aka Falsify, Jojak) it took me a lot of time to finish this drama. I didn't like it that much but I liked the costumes (especially of the two lead protagonist men, all linen shirts and cotton t-shirts). This is a story about corruption and how a bunch of people stand up for it. It is a good show and the actors all did a good job but it didn't work for me (still I have finished it). 

The World's End

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The World's End well this is the second time I watch this film. The first time was at my first night in San Francisco and I slept through the most of it (jet lag). But I have a new found appreciation for Edgar Wright and this time around I enjoyed this film much much more. Still my fave is Shaun of The Dead. 

Dororo 2019 (Season I)

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Dororo (2019) Season I  I chose because the animation style reminded me of Inuyasha only more somber which I really really like. And the plot seemed very interseting too. And I LOVED especially the first 12 episodes. It became a bit different in the last two episodes though I can't quite point my finger on how. Anyway this is a crazy anime in which one of our heroes is a man whose body is taken away by demons upon his father's request in exchange for prosperity and power. He is found by a samurai who has redempted after killing innocents and starts to make prosthetics for the needy (ok these are from wood since we are in an AU which is similar to the warring states times of Japan) and he finds this hideous looking baby and makes prosthetics for the missing organs and parts of his body and teaches and trains him to be a good fighter. Despite his lack of organs he is a very good demon hunter and sometimes if he kills the right demon he gets a part of his body back. At the end of season I he was still blind (only being able to see the aura of things) but he got his spine, nose, one of his legs, both ears and his face back. The titular Dororo is a teenager whose parents are good rebels. his father is killed upon a betrayal and his mother died from hunger (much later). She pretends to be a boy and very street smart but totally kind hearted. They meet and go on the journey together.

I really liked this one and wish to continue. 

K.G.F: Chapter 1

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K.G.F: Chapter 1 turned out to be a very interesting film. Firstly I really liked Rocking Star Yash. Liking him is a must I'm afraid since he is built up to be almost a demi God by everyone in the film (friends and foes alike). It is a very long film but it was interesting and Rocky (played by Rocking Star Yash) beats EVERYONE in interesting ways. And he is something of a funny guy, the first thing he says to his would be sweetheart is "Congratulations" and when she asks why he says "I'm in love with you". This one got a laugh out loud from me. Anyway, we watch Rocky to be born and grow up to be a gangster/assassin but he is made into such a big deal that I have had some unintentional laughs. He is lauded a villain but also a protector of the weak. Yeah he has heroic tendencies but he doesn't give up his ambition (to own the world). Anyway the last we see Rocky is when he goes undercover as a slave in a gold mine and then kills the owner's son (owner is bed ridden and appointed his son as the successor) and before you feel sorry for the son, Rocky kills him while he is sacrificing people to Kali, he has already cut two heads but unlucky for him Rocky went undercover undercover as the slave chosen as a sacrifice and cut the son's head rising up from a bloodsoaked lake in a huge cave. Yep and the production values were very good too. Now I'm going to check what other films Rocking Star Yash has been in. 

The Night Manager

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The Night Manager turned out to be as good as everyone said it was then. Not a weak link among the cast, the production values excellent and direction just perfectly suited to my taste. Hugh Laurie was so good as the antagonist (villain really) that I chose not to put his character's photo here. Highly recommended. I wish there were more of these shows. 

Goodachari

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Goodachari is a South Indian film I have chosen by seeking out lists of good South Indian films on Youtube. This one did not suit my taste despite the great melodramatic plot and fun action scenes, I actually fallen asleep and had to rewind. And no tears (which is a big deal since I cry at everything). I don't know what happened here but sadly this one didn't work for me.

Sanju

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Sanju  I only watched because Rajkumar Hirani directed it. He may be a good actor but I don't like Ranbir Kapoor. The film was intersting to watch though I think a bit biased. I don't dislike Sanjay Dutt, especially after Munnabahi MBBS and I love Sunil Dutt. So the film making papa Dutt almost a saint did not bother me as much as it would have otherwise. 

Dil Dhadakne Do

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Dil Dhadakne Do I have watched only because of my recent liking of Ranveer Singh (a late discovery) but I have forgotten how much I like Zoya Akhtar's films. I was Anushka had not done plastic surgery (or is it just the lip collagen or whatever) something's wrong with her face. Priyanka I like a lot and she is very good in this role (but not because she is very talented or anything, this role suits her) and I like her chemistry with Farhan Akhtar. All in all I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would. 

Bridget Jones's Diary

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Bridget Jones's Diary  I remember more than twenty years ago a guest at the Golf and Country Resort I was working then has lent me the novel thinking that I'd like it and I certainly did. The film is not as good but still works in a nice way (if I had not read the novel I'd have liked the film more) 

Chennai Express

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Chennai Express I only watched because of my recent liking for Deepika Padukone and I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. It was funny and SRK despite being old for the part still carries his magic but his character was very very annoying. Deepika is amazing in this and got a lot of good scenes. She can be funny too :) 

We'll Meet Again

We'll Meet Again  and here I was thinking that I have read all Mary Higgins Clark novels. Apparently I have not and this one turned out to be a classic Clark. I like this lady's look on life and emphasis on tidiness etc. It got a bit stale but still delicious. 

Gully Boy

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Gully Boy surprised me when I was actually looking for Simmba on AP and I decided to give it a go since I'm on a Indian film wave right now and heavily crushing on Ranveer Singh. I failed to see the gem he turned out to be in Band Baaja Baarat and I was not impressed with him enough to seek other films of his. But at Padmaavat I was completely sold and this one cemented it. He stopped being Ranveer Singh, the superstar but became Murad a Muslim who lives in a getto and tries to get out. I also loved Alia Bhatt (both actress and the character) seen below in character.

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Everything seemed organic and the story very engaging. My favorite scene was when Murad confesses that he wants to pursue rap despite not being sure of how successfull he maybe, Saafina says "you do what you want, I'm going to be surgeon, we'll have the good life" and he is happy with that. I love it when men are happy with women being the bread winners.

The Late Show

The Late Show was not that good but still it is a decent mystery written by a good genre novelist so I definitely enjoyed it. Best for during short travel and/or airports etc. 

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...

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Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is an Indian modern day fairy tale. And I love it to bits. Last night was I think my fourth viewing and 5 tissues were sacrificed only in the last half hour. This one is one of those rare beasts that has a great cast with no weak points, melodrama to the max working because of the performances and deft direction (Karan Johar is not that bad I suppose) and even scenes that should have been cringeworthy somehow makes me laugh good naturedly rather than make fun of them. God I missed this one and had a ball last night. 

Padmaavat

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Padmaavat is a film I have been interested in watching for quite some time. I like Sanjay Leela Bansali's visual profundity (although thematically my favorite of his is still HDDCS). And I'm on some sort of an Indian film kick nowadays. So finally I got Amazon Prime because I have found out that SLB sold the film to Amazon, so it was not a certainty but I was thinking of trying it anyway so I got it and right away I watched Padmaavat.

The film is typical SLB, fantastic visuals and loads of visual stimulation, not enough character and emotion. I really liked it though. So I'll write about it with the photos of the characters

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This is Padmaavati, a princess who fell in love with a Rajput King and married to him and moved to the deserts of Rajastan with him to his small fiefdom (country??). She is not only gorgeous but also intelligent and a fighter. Deepika Padukone is great looking and SLB's current muse. I really like her and she is very good in this. She actually is a good actress who got a lot better from her Om Shanti Om days.

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This is the Rajput king Padmaavati falls in love with. Shahid Kapoor is a good actor but physically he is a lover not a fighter and no amount of six pack is going to change that. He looks even slighter than Deepika although he obviously buffed up for the part. His acting was very good but his type of acting best suits to arty films (such as Kaminey, man he was fantastic in it) and I just can't see him as a filmi hero (if he is to be filmi then he is suited to the role of the lover - Jab We Met) He has zero chemistry with Deepika despite the fact that she convinced me that she is into him.

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Aaaaand for me the star of the film, our antagonist Mr. evil Muslim Alauddin Khijli, who hears of Padmaavati from a banished Hindu priest (whose crime was trying to watch Padma and Rajput King getting it on) who said that he'll have many conquests if only he could have her. This character is hillarious in many ways and horrible in many others. Ranveer Singh, normally too hyper for my taste excels here. He is not very handsome but looks so sexy (and there are hints of bisexuality) and normally this much evil is a turn off but he is so over the top that for some reason none of it seems real and you get the best entertainment when he is on screen.

SPOILER:

In the end Padmaavati commits jauhar which is to walk into a holy fire because Rajput king is murdered by the muslims (despite winning the one on one fight with Alauddin) and she doesn't want this evil man to get what he wants (he is her husband in real life).

Despite its length I was totally entertained by the visuals, the songs and the art direction. Ranveer Singh totally turned me over to his side.

Andhadhun

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Andhadhun only get my attention because I watched the lead actress (who is a very very good actress but not one of my faves, not due to lack of acting talent though) at a discussion on youtube and liked what she said about the film. I like Ayushman Khurana (again not in films just on interviews etc.) The film though was not really to my taste. I mean the twist was alright but the whole thing went on and on and on. The acting was great from everyone in the cast though and I have watched it till the end. That is something I guess.



And Radika Apte was there (she is in all films on Netflix I suppose). Bae Doo Na of India in that regard.

Climax

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Climax is a film I was kind of interested in watching since I really liked the last film I have watched from this director (Love) This one, although categorized as horror, was not as horrific as Irreversable. Still it was pretty bad. I liked the acting and the dancing was alright too (although not an expert on that). 

Red Sister

Red Sister turned out to be a lot better than I expected. Actually I remember that I didn't really like The Prince of Thorns and decided to skip the other novels by this author but a reviewer I follow on youtube raved about it and we have similar tastes so I gave it a try and liked it. I decided to follow these series. 

Life After Life

Life After Life is a novel I purchased from an online second hand book shop (to read a certain amount so the delivery will be free). And it turned out to be a great read. I love British literature and this has all that delicious Britishness to it. Not only it sets the mood perfectly but the science fiction aspect of it is secondary to literary. So I highly recommend for the lovers of literature. 

Snatch

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Snatch was not as good this third time. I still like Lock, Stock and Smoking Barrels the best I suppose. 

The Highwaymen

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The Highwaymen brought to you by Ford. Other than that I liked very much. There is a certain delight in watching a team gather up and perform and complete the task on hand. And I like it that Bonnie and Clyde were shown as the vicious criminals they were (rather than a romantic couple who stands up agains the system). 

Fated To Love You

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Fated To Love You  is a drama whose original Taiwanese made me fall for the story but this second viewing I liked the Korean remake a lot better. I love Jang Hyuk, I like Jang Nara and I love them together. This one was funny at first and sweetly melodramatic in the last - the way Korean dramas know how to balance very well. 

Upgrade

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Upgrade turned out to be not my type of film. I actually fell asleep and had to rewind. 

A Star Is Born (2018)

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A Star Is Born is a story I like. I have watched the 70s version when I was too young to do so, and I love the Turkish version. And the odd thing is that this film was not very good (apart from the cinematography, I love the many many close ups on the faces of the actors) but I liked it and cried rivers (yes not the silent tears, I actually bowled and needed the tissue box). This is probably due to director Bradley Cooper honing his already there melodrama skill from Clint Eastwood. Mr. Eastwood whose political opinions never appeal to me, knows the type of melodrama I love and this film has that certain trait. As for the acting, Bradley Cooper is a competent actor I don't really care for. I love Lady Gaga as a musician and think her very nice. Her performance was a bit uneven in the film but I can see that she has talent and if she ever finds a director to channel it properly then she'll be a good actress too. The songs were nice (I don't like Shallow but the rest of the songs were very good) and contributed to the tears.

How Green Was My Valley

How Green Was My Valley was in my mind as a film very much liked by my father. I think it was on sale or something so I got it and not surprisingly liked it very much. The most interesting thing for me (and it shouldn't have been really, at my age, but it was) that how history repeats itself and how stupid and ungrateful human beings are. 

Arif V 216

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Arif V 216 Sinemalara geldiği zaman hiç gidesim yoktu bu filme. Büyük ihtimal 216 karakterini fazla sevmediğim için bir de eski Türk sinemasına göndermeler falan çok ilgilenmemiştim ama izleyince çok beğendim. Bir kere gerçekten güldüm, komikti bana göre. Sonra duygulandım filan, iyi geldi. En çok güldüğüm şeylerden biri ise bir anda görünüp kaybolan Seden Gürel kıyafetli haliydi. Başka şeylere de güldüm ama o baya kopardı beni. 

Money Flower

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Money Flower is a drama I started only because I like Jang Hyuk (very much) and it is a revenge drama so works for me. It ended up being very entertaining in a classy makjangy sort of way. The visuals were very high quality and I loved the acting (the great Lee Mi Sok was in it as the main antagonist) it kind of dragged in the middle but ended with a bang (SPOILER :    And Jang Hyuk didn't die in this one so it was definitely a surprise). 

Suspiria (2018 Remake)

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Suspiria remake actually surprised me in how much I liked it. Not only the working of the themes and acting but also the visuals. I think I'm going to give up and watch Call Me By Your Name, (I just don't like Armie Hammer).