Category: Videos, TV Shows & Movies
People are waves
Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it – its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through – and it’s there, and you can see it, and you know what it is: it’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be for a little while. That’s one conception of death for a Buddhist: the wave returns to the ocean, where it came from, where it’s supposed to be.
– Chidi, The Good Place
The marrow of life
I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.
– taken from Dead Poets Society (1989)
In the stairs
Unselfishly
“You were speaking of the meaning of our life, of the unselfishness of art… take music, for instance. Less than anything else, it is connected to reality, or if connected at all, it’s done mechanically, not by way of ideas, just by a sheer sound, devoid of… any associations. And yet, music, as if by some miracle, gets through to our heart. What is it that resonates in us in response to noise brought to harmony, making it the source of the greatest delight, which stuns us and brings us together? What’s all this needed for? And most important, who needs it? You would say, “No one. And for no reason”. Unselfishly. No. I don’t think so. After all, everything has some sense. Sense and reason.”
– Stalker, Stalker (1979)
A man writes…
A distant world
A ribbon of dream – a 2021 movie wrap (a terribly long one)
The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dream.
I’ve loved movies even before I knew I loved movies. I’ve always attached film with mystery, treated them collectively as an enigma, maybe because I remember watching a movie on TV once, and the only thing I remember about it was that a beautiful lady transformed into a thousand butterflies in the end. That was all I remembered. For a young child, who probably didn’t even know how to talk or read very well, that scene was a complete mystery, but it filled me with an endless curiosity. That movie, I later found out, was Corpse Bride, now one of my favorite movies of all time. So the mystery was solved, but I can still recall that feeling of wonder, of that fantasy, of belonging to a different world…
I romanticize movies, which is funny, because movies are already romanticed viewpoints of the real world. And I do realize, maybe it would be a lot better for me if I got out of that fantasy world in my head and explored the tangible world more often. But reality is often harsh, and movies always stay there as a comfort for me. Even when the world seems like it’s out to get me, on days I cannot find a reason to get out of bed, watching a movie helps. Every time I begin a new movie, I get this tingling feeling in my chest and bones, that anticipation and joy of getting to immerse myself in a world created by a stranger’s mind. It’s unpredictable, but unlike the actual world, where I HAVE to have a plan where I’ve explored all the possible outcomes of a situation before I go ahead, the unpredictability in movies doesn’t faze me. And when I’m done, I feel strangely optimistic. The world outside is cruel, and life can be grey and dull, but movies remind me that the world can be beautiful even in all its grayness and dullness. It’s ok for life to be mundane. A slow, introspective movie helps me take a moment and think about the smaller details in life we often miss out on, which hide little beauties. An epic, grandeur movie teaches me how to appreciate the bigger picture, and how our actions can mold the future to be even the tiniest bit better, even centuries after our time. I don’t struggle to find little lessons in each movie, and those are the things that helps me get through a life that sometimes seems impossible to maneuver. Every little thing can have an impact. Every insignificant thing you could care less about can have an impact.
However, just loving movies wasn’t enough, atleast for me. It should be, but I couldn’t help but want some tangible thing to measure my love for movies. Yes, you may think it’s a little shallow and breaks the point of why I love movies in the first place, but in my mind that always seeks to organize my thoughts, and which is always filled with overflowing, overwhelming appreciation for all that I’d seen on the big screen, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Maybe organizing my thoughts would help me understand them a little better. So I began recording all the movies I’d been watching, writing little reviews, which were more of my thoughts on how it made me feel rather than objective criticism. And then I kept finding all these hidden gems and adding them to my watchlist, only to end up procrastinating on watching them. So I thought, why not challenge myself to watch 100 movies this year? That would motivate me to clear off my watch list and make me sit down and actually watch the movies I said I would instead of letting them cruelly gather dust in a digital database. Also, making lists and checking them off gives me immense satisfaction, so this challenge was right up my alley. And so I began the watch, flitting between fanatically watching 20-25 movies a month, to being extremely picky and settling for 4-6 movies a month. One thing I was right about was that it helped me clear up all the movies I’d been sitting out on, and I ended up finding some of the best films I’d ever seen, taking up places in my heart that I didn’t know could give away space so generously.
Here are a few films that gave my heart a terribly hard time, mercilessly showering it with beautiful scenes and dialogue and music and visuals that made my poor chest muscle beat incessantly with indescribable emotions that lasted hours (but in truth, forever) after it was all over.
[minor spoilers ahead]
If the art is taken away from the artist, what does he have left? A story that shows how cruel and out of control life can be, how helpless one can feel when the one thing they love most is stolen from them, yet hope is always there. You just need to pause for a moment… embrace that silence, and you’ll find that hope.
The world does keep moving and it can be a damn cruel place, but for me those moments of stillness, that place, that’s the kingdom of God. And that place will never abandon you.
A love story and a story about love. Is love enough? If you knew all the pain that love would cause you, would you still dive in head first? Maybe I would… just like I believe Joel and Clementine would. Maybe love needs both the beautiful and the ugly. And maybe it’s alright to give it another chance.
I wish I’d stayed, too. Now I wish I’d stayed. I wish I’d done a lot of things. I wish I’d… I wish I’d stayed… I do.
Christopher Nolan never disappoints. A masterpiece, a movie filled with schemes, betrayal and murder, the obsession to execute the one perfect trick. But after the climax, what remains? What makes up for all the sacrifices? With so many layers, you will never feel bored exploring and uncasing the secret of the magic trick for yourself.
I love, you today. I don’t love you today.
I won’t lie, I thought this was a horror flick at first. Was I in for a sweet surprise! A whimsical romantic view of life in Paris, with an endearing protagonist, quirky set of characters and mysteries that aren’t really mysteries, but they add to the magic of mundane things. A movie that exists in its own little world despite taking place in a city that is very much real. Then again, when is Paris not its own little world? Amélie makes me believe life can be a bit more magical and romantic, without needing to be grand and loud. Magic exists in every little corner.
Amélie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It’s a perfect moment. soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. She breathes deeply. Life is simple and clear.
A film that needs to be seen. Cassie is one of the most admirable characters I’ve seen on screen, because she isn’t some unbreakable, untouchable superhero. She’s real, and thinking about her fills me with sadness and anger, because life is unjust. In no way is this movie hopeful, at least in my opinion. If most other movies filled me with child-like wonder and hope, this one splashed a bucket of cold water over my head. It’s reality and it’s horrible. But it needs to be heard. An important, unforgettable movie that, sadly, is not just a piece of fiction.
You know, I was affected by it too, okay? I mean, it’s every guy’s worst nightmare, getting accused like that.
Can you guess what every woman’s worst nightmare is?
One of the most beautiful movies I’ve seen this year, maybe of all time. Brimming with emotion and symbolism, this was an enthralling trip to another world I’m glad I took. Both grounded and magical, something about this movie made me feel so connected to nature and the universe, in all its harshness and beauty. Also, the music throughout was absolutely incredible, especially during the scene with Hushpuppy and her mother when she tells her she needs to go back to her father. An overwhelmingly emotional and deep film, making my heart feel both heavy and light for many more hours after the watch.
When it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see everything that made me flying around in invisible pieces. When I look too hard it goes away. And when it all goes quiet, I see they are right here. I see that I’m a little piece of a big, big universe and that makes things right. When I die, the scientists of the future, they’re gonna find it all. They’re gonna know, once there was a Hushpuppy and she lived with her daddy in the bathtub.
I always had good memories of watching LoTR when I was a child, but hardly remembered much of the plot so I decided to give the trilogy a go once more. And I have to say, every second of the 10+ hours runtime was worth it. A grand journey about power, greed, good and evil, fate, the loss of innocence, with unforgettable characters, breathtaking shots and beautiful music. What I feel about this story is summed up perfectly by this redditor’s comment : “I’ve thought about this a lot recently, actually, and I think that to me it’s that the fundamental message of the book is one of hope; the Shadow is only a small and passing thing, and there is light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” The Lord of the Rings is pure emotion.
“I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something.”
“What are we holding on to, Sam?”
“That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
From the get-go, I knew this was going to be an entertaining watch. It’s hilarious and engaging, with rapid-fire conversations, some surrealist humor, and the witty dialogue is what carries this movie. I daresay there isn’t more than 5 seconds of continuous silence in this movie! The movie is a charmer with the main leads having so much chemistry and natural flow. A classic screwball rom-com that made my day, taking me to another time without making me feel lost in an unfamiliar century.
Walter, you’re wonderful, in a loathsome sort of way.
Do we talk about Vincent Van Gogh’s tragic life depicted in this biography, or the utterly amazing piece of art this film is in itself? Hand-painted using the same techniques used by Van Gogh, every frame of this movie needs to be savored and appreciated. The colours popped out on screen, emphasizing the characters’ emotions, and the black-and-white scenes represented the melancholy and tragedy that lurked behind. A tear-jerker that tries to understand the last days of Vincent Van Gogh from a different angle, but being nonetheless an emotional watch and a visual delight.
What am I in the eyes of most people – a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person – somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then – even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart.
Oh what a refreshing movie of pure, innocent love. My heart was swollen with love and smiles. This movie I feel, was a love story of two things – one of first love, and the purest kind, and two, of New York city. It’s like a love letter to New York and I love how you are put in this world, experiencing it with little Gabe. Poor love-struck Gabe – he’s going through every up and down of first love and it’s the sweetest thing. The beauty of innocent love and the turmoil you go through – everyone can find a piece of themselves in Gabe, tossing and turning at night trying to make sense of this tortuous thing called love. First love rarely works out for most of us. And yes, that’s alright, we’ll find love in plenty of other places, and plenty of other people, until we find the one who’s perfect for us. But we’re never gonna find another first love; that one’s special, “that one’s always gonna be her”.
Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn’t even know was there.
A sweet, short film that has the same freshness as an April shower. It feels more like the prelude of a movie, the part no one really wants to follow, because nothing really happens. It’s slow, with little to no plot, but the atmosphere is captivating, and the one thing that seeps through like the April rain, is the magic of first love, new beginnings and the tingling feeling that bigger things are awaiting, but in the meantime, the uneventful “now” is just as beautiful.
The image of him in an open field strumming his guitar was fixed in my mind, like a picture in a frame that was screwed to the wall and wouldn’t come off.
This is a very touching movie – the kind that really makes you question things. Theodore is a protagonist you really feel for and he is a true empath who, like he said himself, is just “always confused”, and haven’t we all been there? It’s the kind of film that really makes you question your own existence, and what these kind of hypothetical relationships can really be labeled as. The movie captures loneliness, a judgment-free friendship and the tumultuous relationship of two people really well. While it may seem like a bleak dystopian story, I think the ending is full of hope – the hope of new relationships with the newfound knowledge that we’ve learnt from our past experiences. But for me, what the film is really about, is of our already existing relationships that we are capable of understanding, and treasuring that, because after everything else that was always out of our reach is gone, that’s really all we have left.
It’s like I’m reading a book and it’s a book I deeply love. But I’m reading it slowly now. So the words are really far apart and the spaces between the words are almost infinite. I can still feel you, and the words of our story … but it’s in this endless space between the words that I’m finding myself now.
Laugh out loud and genuinely feel-good, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the epitome of an 80’s classic. I see Ferris as someone I’d love to be, but in reality I really am more of a Cameron. We all need a friend like Ferris… or we can try and incorporate him in ourselves instead. Take one day off and live it with not one care in the world. Even if it’s just for one day, break the rules (do it smartly like Ferris), slack off, enjoy yourself, because as he himself so wisely said, life does move pretty fast!
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Mind you, there are plenty more films that I fell in love with, that struck a chord in my heart, which I didn’t mention in this list, but then this post would only go on endlessly. And so I end this year, with a 120 movies on my “watched list”. You may think of me as a little crazy for doing this (my friends and family certainly did) but I honestly cannot think of a single moment that I regretted spending on a film. I cannot wait to start a similar challenge in 2022. Who knows, maybe I’ll be more ambitious, aim for a higher number. Maybe I’ll challenge myself to watch genres I wouldn’t normally invest too much time in. Maybe I’ll challenge myself to watch a horror movie alone…(highly improbable).
Whatever I end up doing, I know it’s only going to inflate my love for cinema. Not once did I think this challenge was tedious, or a chore. I’m glad I went through hours and hours of tears and laughter and horror and other emotions that I wouldn’t be able to describe with one word, and hundreds of scenarios that I couldn’t possibly actually live through even if I had a hundred lives. And maybe that is okay. Maybe I can’t live a playful romance like Amelié, or be part of something as grand as scouring forests and mountains to destroy the One Ring to save Middle Earth. That’s okay, because although I can pout a little about how such grandness is rarely found in the real world, magic does exist in little things. I just need to look harder for them. In the end, I found films that I not only loved, but which also gave me a hundred more reasons why life is so beautiful, whether it be because of how life and fantasy was portrayed in these movies, or simply because of the fact that I live in a world where such beautiful imagination can exist, and can be shared among individuals through such wonderful mediums. And I know I said earlier that maybe just loving movies wasn’t enough for me. But looking back, organizing and categorizing all the movies I’d watched, all the genres I’d explored, all the ratings I’d given, only made the thoughts I already knew of even clearer. Yes, it is enough for me. Loving movies is enough.
Click here if you’d like to check out my entire list of watched movies and more favourites!
The Red Balloon, the universal memory
Nostalgia – something I’ve always known to be my biggest weakness. It’s this feeling that keeps me up at night in a bittersweet pool, thinking about the kid I used to be, how different life was then. When I think of what life used to be like then, the “now” seems dreadfully dull. It’s not just the world that changed, but it was me as well.
But there are a few things that never change. It’s like those moments in life, when you get a whif of a smell that instantly transports you back into a memory of the past, frozen in time. You may have forgotten those memories, but as you go on in life, some random things remind you of them. I’ve never really been someone who remembers the events of a memory. I can’t always tell what happened and in what sequence, who all exactly were there, and what exactly I did. But one thing that I can never forget about the strongest memories is the way they made me feel. My memories and dreams are very similar. I wake up in the morning, unable to explain it in words, but I can never forget the lasting feeling that stays with me.
Which is why memories mean so much more to me than what actually happened. To me, they are more of a feeling, an emotion, something so strong and strange that no words can fully explain the essence of it. There are many things that make me feel this nostalgia. Music, art, nature, movies…
This short French film, “Le Ballon Rouge”, took me back. Not to a physical place. I’ve never set foot in France. I’ve seen pictures of it plenty of times, but photographs and your imagination can only do so much. Nothing can compare to actually physically being someplace. But sometimes, tangibility doesn’t seem to matter. Because there exists little things that feel so familiar, so near, that even if it never happened to you, it feels like you’re there. Not in a place, but in a state of mind. You feel like you’ve been there.
Through the eyes of a little boy, I see myself in a neighbourhood of Paris. I run through the cobbled streets, climb the trams and spend my pennies in little bakeries for sweet treats.
One of the most charming films I’ve ever seen, it made me feel. Feel many different things. Most of them are difficult to write down. It’s true, I have never existed as a little boy, running through the streets of Paris, chasing a red balloon that teases me, plays with me, wants to be my friend. But when I say how familiar it feels… I can’t express how this film feels like home. I don’t look at this film through a critical eye, trying to grasp the symbolism and metaphors, cross-checking the absurdity and silliness of fantasy. How can a balloon, a piece of rubber, so fragile, so disposable, so temporary, so forgettable, be given a personality? Characters of a sentient being? But although I could’ve spent hours trying to dissect the story, kill off all its charm, leaving behind a mess, like the poor old balloon’s fate at the end, I was surprised how the fantasy never bothered me at all. I never felt the need to watch this film as a “logical adult”; as “me” in the present. It was a strange experience, but it feel like the little kid in me was watching the film instead.
But that was the whole point. Art isn’t always meant to be analyzed. It’s meant to be experienced. And how strange isn’t it, that a person who lived a completely different life in a completely different world can relate to this protagonist. But I did. I may not have been there, but I also was there. I felt like I was there. I felt every little emotion the little boy felt, because I’ve lived through those emotions before. I saw life through the purest lens, with innocence and trust in the world. It was a magical experience… and the most magical part was tinged with a little bit of nostalgia that was oddly comforting… Because although I knew I could never go back, I felt like I wasn’t alone, trapped in this “adult” body and mind that consumes most of my days. I felt closer to the kid I used to be.
Free
No matter how childish it seems, Barbie movies hold so much wisdom and inspiration, even till today, and they deserve much respect. As a child, they influenced me in the best way possible; taught me to be brave and kind, and to dream, no matter how impossible it may seem ✨.
LOST ON MY OWN PLANET 