RIFLE RANGE BOY

Fleabag (Comedy, Miniseries, 2016 -2019) Created, Directed and Starred: Phoebe Waller-Bridge Fleabag is a dark comedy about a 30-something single lady who is trying to make it her life mission to fall in love and settle down. But it is not easy. In the background are the memories of her business partner who committed suicide (or is it an accident?), her high achieving neurotic sister, her alcoholic brother-in-law, her widowed father who is sort of arm-twisted to remarry with a conniving and eccentric painter and the plethora of suitors who are equally clueless about their purpose in life. Society has evolved over the generations to educate the fairer sex to give an equal place in the sun. Sometimes we wonder if this empowerment makes things more difficult for them to decide what is best for them. Entitlement, not wanting to be shortchanged in their choices of life partners, brings them to the brink of insanity. The options are too many, and nothing satisfies them any more. So why...

Opening Night (1977) Another John Cassavetes' movie with the vivacious Gena Rowlands with yet the same topic of mental illness. Here, Gena Rowlands appears as a prima donna stage actress, Myrtle Gordon. She can be described as immature, uncertain of her abilities and easily swayed by external factors. She is no doubt a talented actress who wants to give her best in her roles. At the same time, the current role that she is acting, about an older lady with marital problem makes her reflect on her own life. She was not getting any younger, with no partners to share her life.  At the same time, Myrtle witnesses a fan get hit by a car just after she had signed an autograph. This tends to be her tipping point that pushes her over to a problematic quagmire. Her promiscuous relationship with her producer and failure to perform at rehearsals give quite a headache to the cast and crew. As the dates get closer to her opening night, everyone gets hot under their collar. Ever...

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Written and Directed: John Cassavetes Just recently, I was introduced to yet another great director. John Cassavetes is said to be a pioneer in indie production movies and has his own way of bringing out social issues. This particular film is quite intense an dwells with the issue of depression in a family member,  how the family dynamics influences and deals with the disease. For the first time I see Peter Falk acts in a cast different from his usual stereotype - a cranky detective ala- Det. Colombo in a trench coat. Here he is Nick, a hot headed overworked construction worker who tries to juggle a life between his colleagues, his well knitted Italian descendent family, his three young kids and a cranky wife (Mabel, Gena Rowlands) who is breaking under the pressures of playing her role as a good mother, a good wife and running her own life. She is an attention seeking woman who gets little attention from his busy other half. She is ...

Like a line of falling domino tiles, one by one, they all fall. Yet another one fell prey to the black dog. Even the outwardly strong minded ones with barrage of ammunition to shoot you down if you were to cross their paths, go into fetal position like a helpless infant when the final straw of hay broke their back. Like an epitome of patience, like a turtle she went on her duty on earth with diligence without complaining. Then came the challenges, one, another and another and poof she went all jello. Young and old alike, they seem to be swept by this epidermic. Coming mostly from humble backgrounds, one would have think that after enduring the uncertainties of life for a square meal and other comforts in life, enduring uncertainties by now would literally be a walk in the park. The general consensus is that one could not buy himself out of all troubles. Crying in a BMW, however, certainly looks less pathetic then crouching over a pavement but then the hopelessness are the same. It...

Sometimes you feel that an elephantine memory is an asset. Remembering all those remotely insignificant events which may occasionally stir up emotions that were better buried in the crypts of time is no trait one like to possess. But then it does have its merits, however.... In a meeting of an old schoolboys' reunion, he could be the star who could rekindle old situations and pranks that would have been forgotten by all. Everybody would be happy that that suspended moment of time can be painstakingly reenacted in minute detail to savour. In the wise words of Spidey granddad, "with great powers comes great responsibility", this God-given ablility is not all boon but a bane. The reason the brain is wired in the way it is is to prune and rewire the thought processes so that potentially painful thoughts are kept at bay. Life and the joy of looking forward to potential good times can be enjoyed. If one to have recurring thoughts of the painful past, living can be painful a...

Of late, I have across people who have indulged in some activities which would frowned upon. Nobody in the sane mind would ever, even in their wildest dream, consider some of things that these people would do. The more you interact with these people, the more you will realise that they have a tale to tell, and a sad one too! One guy was happily married to university sweetheart till she was diagnosed with the big C. Her health deteriorated as quickly as the news sinked in into the family. Even before the family could come in terms with her impending demise, she left Mother Earth. The guy, devastated with the whole turn of events, was a flicker away from being engulfed by the black dog. He did what most sane people do in situations like this. He ran. Like Forrest Gump he ran and he ran like he had never ran before. At the age of 50, he completed his first marathon and there was no stopping him. The euphoria  of the post run high appears to be the only thing that conserved his sanit...

Silver Lining Playbook 2012 Another Hollywood movie with a predictably happy ending like the title suggests. It depicts a bipolar patient who is removed by his mother from a mental institution and how his family and his friend's wife sister, a depressive patient, try to go against all the negativity and hostilities around them to focus on a dance competition and indirectly fight the black dog together. Of course, in the process, they fall in love, bla,bla,bla... Haven't we heard this story before? The other subplots in the movie makes it different, though. After checking out the mental facilty, Pat (Bradley Cooper) plans to turn over a new leaf, focus on his life and try to win back his wife's heart. She had a restraining order against Pat after he bashed and morbidly wounded his wife's lover when he made an unscheduled entrance before his incarceration. Pat has a hot tempered baseball bookie father and a mother who tries to ease the tension in the hous...