Red Dog – True Blue

This prequel of the funny Red Dog disappoints. It has a very weak story. The original Red Dog was based on an amazing true story written up in a book that even the best fiction would have difficulty matching. So the screenplay writer, Daniel Taplitz, had a relatively easy time. But in this prequel [Read More]

LaLa Land

Unlike in the case of Sully, I knew very little about Lala Land except that it is a musical. Lala Land feels very fresh. It resurrects the musical genre but does it in a way that our current sensibilities are not offended. The most interesting part of the film is how it vi- sually told [Read More]

Sully

Sully has been nominated by many critics as a top film of the year. I knew why many critics loved the film. Sully rejects landing a plane that lost both engines safely on the Hudson River and saving the lives of all 155 passengers makes him a hero. He insists that he was [Read More]

Departures

Christmas 2016. This wonderful film from Japan landed in my house during the holidays. It has been circling the airwaves since 2008. I am glad it finally reached me. The film won an Oscar for best foreign film and it is a treat fitting the holiday spirit. At the center of Depatures [Read More]

Hacksaw Ridge

I saw this film on the weekend after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. The Donald as the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military in the world is not a comforting thought. I guess we just need to get used to sleeping a bit less soundly when Obama steps down and the Donald [Read More]

Boy

Enchanted by The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, I rented Taika Waititi’s earlier film Boy. It is not as mesmerizing as the The Hunt but it still a tour de force of creativity. The film focuses on childhood and growing up. More specifically it traces how we as children turn our parents into heroes and gradually come boy_1 [Read More]

Girl on the train

I did not jump onto this train voluntarily. I was dragged on it. After watching it, I can at least confirm that the low IMDB rating is right on target. Now the most interesting question is why would this book become a bestseller? I suspect because it allows women to feel victims of their [Read More]

Miles Ahead

A couple of months ago, I watched the documentary on Jimi Hendrix Hear my Train Coming. Starting in his teenage years, Jimi was only interested in two things: his guitar and women with music clearly in first place. The film draws much on live performances where the genius of Hendrix becomes very clear. At [Read More]

Purple Rain

Prince’s premature death prompted me to see Purple Rain for the first time. The film feels a bit like Flashdance. Incidentally, Jennifer Beals, the star of Flashdance was asked to play lead female role but declined. The plot is apparently based on Prince’s life but the main story is Prince’s talent. No plot [Read More]