50 years on, it is the SAME Queen!

Pistol (Disney +, miniseries; 2022)

Director: Danny Boyle

Thanks to my English language in Form 1, my friends and I were exposed to this British punk band. That, I think, is the role of a teacher - to expose the young minds to the real world, not just what is in the syllabus. Most teachers just wanted to finish their teaching plan and ensure that students were prepared for the public exams; KSG (Kiss Some Girls, he boasts) went that extra mile. He would tell us quickly excitable 13 and 14-year-old pubescents about the birds and bees. Somewhere along the way came the story of 'The Sex Pistols'. That was my first exposure to the Pistols, but only in name. The fact it was banned by the British Broadcasting Corporation made it even more fascinating. The jester of class JL used to croak out 'God save the Queen' with an obvious sexual connotation, much to the annoyance of KSG. At that juncture, I wonder if KSG thought that he should have stuck on to the syllabus. To this and much related non-academic exposure to the real world, I thank KSG.

Looking back, I understand that the late 70s were watershed years for the then not-so-great Britain. After the Sun decided to set on the British Empire, Britain was in the doldrums. The century of the English had ended. One by one, the colonial subjects had broken free. It was more about economics. Actually, the East Indian Company and the Colonial Offices had brokered deals that finally made it ever so expensive to maintain the colonies. The final straw came when the Indian Navy mutinied against the Masters.

With a bleak future to look for, with no job opportunities and the baby boomers basking in the glory of the past, the youngsters were filled with pent-up emotions waiting to explode. Against this background came a punk band composed of boys from dysfunctional families. 

Punk rules OK!

The story tells the tale of a shoplifting teenager caught redhanded at a boutique in King's Road in London. From there started a foul-mouthed band with an eccentric manager and a fashion designer who just wanted to showcase her creation. The punk group, Sex Pistols became the mouthpiece of the new generation. They had no filter and were forthcoming with what they thought of the Queen, what they felt inside, and the social pressure the average Joe or Jane was going through. They speak frankly about unwanted pregnancies, anarchy and destruction. Their version of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' is just their way of saying this is our way, take it or leave it!

The miniseries narrates the decadent descent of the band of boys into alcoholism, drugs and depression. A good collection of 70s songs would jog our memories of the past when our chests were filled with hope for a more fantastic future, and politicians were honest.

(P.S. Thanks DA for introducing)

50 years later, it is the same Queen!

Prophetic or what, ask dwellers of Luton!

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Unleashing unabated feminine powers!

Cruella (2021)

We were introduced to Cruella de Vil in Disney's '101 Dalmations' (1996). At that time, it appeared as a comedy a weirdo lady with a funny flamboyant sense of dressing and two fumbling henchmen with their disastrous attempt at dognapping dalmations for their skin.

This 2021 offering is a prequel of sorts, tracing Cruella (as her previous alter-ego Estella) to her birth, her subsequent loss of her mother and growing up in the streets of London as a petty thief. Estella was born with a half depigmented scalp of hair. Brought up by her single mother, he harboured ambitions of being a fashion designer. Fate had other plans. Her mother died while meeting someone in a big mansion, and Estella had to run for her life. 

The story then goes on to show how Estella starts off as a cleaning lady in a high-end boutique, impressing a particular cranky fashionista Baroness von Hellman and being employed as her assistant in typical rags to riches story. After discovering that the Baroness is her mother's killer, Estella morphs into her alter-ego, Cruella de Vil, a vengeful no-holds-barred perpetrator of evil. 

One particular highlight of this offering is its background music score. It is a repository of pop songs of the 70s, the timeline when this story is set. London, at that time, was at the tail-end of its place as the world's fashion centre. So, it is pretty logical to cast London as its location for a fashion crazed malicious supervillainess.

It is a far cry for the wholesome family offering that Disney intended in 1961 and 1996. In 1961, the animated Perdita and Pongo were talking dalmations trying to save their litter from Cruella. Both versions were more like romantic comedies. Perhaps, in the 21st century, there is no fun in life anymore, and romance has vanished. Life carries a dark undertone with a sombre soundtrack in the background.

Just watch 'Jerry Springer Show'. It kind of shows the thinking of an Average Joe. Nothing is sacred; nothing is taboo. There is nothing to look forward to in life anymore. The mysterious things that used to remain unmentioned in public spaces are no more. There is neither anything sacred nor sacrilegious anymore. There is no filter. One says what he feels and does what he wants. There are no biological differences anymore.

The patient, all-embracing, calm Mother Earth is supposed to reflect feminine beauty. What we see in Cruella, especially between her and her nemesis, Baroness von Hellman, is an example of what happens to unabated feminine power when it is unleashed with no restraints. There can only be mayhem and Hell on Earth.

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Only for the die-hard!

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

It may be a thrilling experience for a diehard MCU fan. For an average viewer, however, it may just be another a superhero movie of a young boy with too much raw power in his hands. How many times have we been confronted with a superhero with the dilemma of doing the correct thing with the unique ability that he had been conferred? And in how many outings have we seen Spidey's wooing of his beau, Mary Jane? This time around, the story writers had taken us to a time when Peter Parker was still in school before his stint as a part-time journalist with the Daily Bugle and his daily tiff with his editor J. Jonah Jameson. 

In keeping with the sensitivities of the times, MJ is no more the blue-eyed, high cheek-boned orthodontist-treated wannabe blonde actress but a fellow classmate of the member of the minority group. For good measure, the producers had resorted to race-swapping to pacify all quarter. A hijab-clad fellow student and an Oriental-looking sidekick are the cast.

To spur comic enthusiasts, in every little part of the movie, the possible sequelae of the story is slowly teased. The writers try to put its timeline as happening after Avengers: Endgame, with Iron Man dead. After Stark's demise, Parker is honoured with the possession of his glasses - a Google-glass-like contraption with AI capacities (EDITH) which controls Iron Man's satellite and weaponry. Along come Nick Fury and Maria Hill (whom we later realise maybe appearance-altering Krulls who could have fallen to the ploy of Mysterio, the villain), to hint that Spiderman may be taking over as the head of MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Now that Disney has acquired the rights of Marvel Studio, it looks like Disney is trying to incorporate an earthy character like Spiderman into their intergalactic superheroes adventure. To get the interest going, the studio seems to tease its fanbase with clues of what may be in store for the next MCU adventure. The shrewd devotee picks up these cues like they were matters of fact. He sees licence plates that appear on the screen as references to the specific comic editions where information about that scene can be found. These Easter Eggs include #616 (where Mysterio appears), #883 (Earth proper where Marvel adventures happen), #199996 (the fictional Marvel Cinematic Universe) and many more.

One confusing thing that is obvious in this film is that Peter Parker does not need to hide his identity. It seems that everybody knows him, including Mary Jane. Perhaps the writers are just want to keep with the trend these days. Nobody can hide anything from anybody anymore. Nobody reads newspapers anymore; hence, the daily bugle has a webpage as seen on an advertisement banner. J. Jonah Jameson is seen here like an Alex Jones type of a filthy loudmouth rather than a cigar-chomping one. In another city-ad bill, there is a suggestion that maybe Fanstatic-4 may join the next line-up in the upcoming movie. 

I miss Uncle Ben. Apparently, Aunt May is an eye-turning hottie who is still in the market for companionship. She had been widowed sometime now. But wait! What happened to the previous outings where Uncle Ben departed the highly emotional scene after being mortally wounded by robbers? - The one after famously uttering pearls of wisdom about how 'with great powers come great responsibilities'? All is not lost. There is a reference to him in a scene. A briefcase is shown with initials B.F.P. - who else but Ben Jefferson Parker!

Verdict: Nothing new. It is just a tale of teenyboppers of the 21st century with raging hormones caught in a psychedelic display of make-believe illusions. Only the die-hards would appreciate... 

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