RIFLE RANGE BOY

Civil War (2024) Director:  Alex Garland The world thought the USA's second Civil War was about to start when Donald Trump lost his second term in office. The Capital Building ambush by Trump's far-right supporters on 6th January 2021 was forever enshrined as the biggest desecration of the American democracy. In this movie version, it is sometime in the future when America is in a civil war. America is divided into areas controlled by regional militias and other extreme factions. The President is re-elected for a third term, and people are unhappy. There is mayhem in the country. Local vigilantes have taken control of most areas. In essence, it is like a war zone. Amidst this chaos, two photojournalists have to travel by road across the country to Washington, DC, to interview the President. The film is about their experience of seeing America in a civil war. I was intrigued by the special privileges and status that journalists hold when they carry out their jobs in high-risk ar...

Old Charm of Prague @ Praha Unlike common assumption, Jews have been everyone’s bogeyman since time immemorial. They did not only endure torture under the hands of the Nazis alone. Throughout their existence, they have been subjected to much humiliation and suppression. Even as early as the 10th century, the Jewish community was prominent in Czech lands. At one time, 20 per cent of the population of the land were Jewish and a good thing going. They were laborious, wealthy and could fend for themselves. Unfortunately the stigmata of practicing Moses’ teachings made them an outcast. They were confined to a fenced quarter, picked from the most treacherous part of Prague. This was the most frequently flooded area that people kept away. They had to be identified with a yellow star badge of shame stashed on their tunics or to wear a yellow conical dunce hat for identification. Even though some had become rich and one, at one instant, had become a federal minister and a philanthropist, he had...

Society of the Snow (La sociedad de la nieve, Spanish; 2023) Director: J.A. Bayona We have discussed this movie before. Check here . This is yet another version depicting one of the greatest human stories about survival. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 flew over the Andes from Uruguay to Chile. It was carrying 45 passengers on board, mostly Uruguayan rugby players. It crashed into the most inaccessible part of the mountain. Presumed to be dead by the authorities after failing to find them in their search-and-rescue, the 29 initial survivors were left to fend for themselves. A few died due to their injury, and some in an avalanche that ensued. Exposed to the element and having no food to eat, they had to use the last of their survival skills, teamwork, and spiritual faith to hang on to their dear lives. When food became non-existent, somebody suggested that they eat the remains of the dead. Initially, the passengers thought a rescue mission would ensue. After seeing ...

I have always wondered whether one should take sides in an argument when he is not the actually affected party. Being quite aware of Rashomon's effect of different perspectives on what actually transpired during an event, should anyone go all four barrels against the other just because one side is related to us? We know we sometimes make our decisions rather prejudicially, guided by personal appearance, gender, common ethnicity or overt display of emotions by one aggrieved party, and the affected party is related to us. Still, when the push comes to the shove when our own kind is under the spotlight, where do you stand? Is blood thicker than water, and do we support our flesh and blood no matter what? Do we drone down in support of loved ones, or do we go against the grain and take the side of where we think the truth lies? What if the scandal happened within the family fold? Do we hush everything and sweep it under the rug? Still, there will come a time when a definite decision n...

Silence 1: Can You Hear It? Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout Written & Directed:  Aban Bharucha Deohans It is not easy to catch many whodunnit mystery dramas in Indian cinema. Most stories are too convoluted to follow or too outlandish to believe. Sometimes, the investigative officers are given superhuman capabilities and have to single-handedly swashbuckler or chase the villains to the conclusion. That is history.  With more exposure to police procedural TV shows and Hollywood offerings, audiences can no longer be fooled by this dated production. They are demanding more. With the advent of OTT platforms, it seems that newer, bolder, and more realistic scripts, sticking to real investigative police work, are on the menu these days. Many real-life crime dramas are shown as docuseries and movies. These two films with the same cast are fine examples. In Silence #1, a young lady is found dead with a gaping wound on her head by hikers at a popular hiking site. Novice sleut...

Baby Reindeer (Miniseries, E1-7; 2024) Director:  Weronika Tofilska & Josephine Bornebusch (Based on the autobiography of Richard Ladd)  I learned a new term today: main character syndrome. In a world where only I, me and myself, which people really care about, it is logical for people to think that they are indeed at the centre of the Universe. The sun and all the planets revolve around them. They naturally become the main characters in a story they narrate. Even though the story is their point of view, it looks like the other characters are just there to fill up space without giving any substance to the story. This is what the other characters in this true story are saying. This story is about a shy Scottish lad, Donny, who wants to be a comedian. It is an autobiography, actually. To sustain himself, he works as a bartender. In the course of his work, he meets a friendly lawyer whom he finds interesting. He is not much of a comedian, really. He is not funny. Nobody ...