RIFLE RANGE BOY

Requiem for a Dream (2000) Director: Darren Aronofsky The President of India, a rocket scientist and an overall good soul, once told his audience, "Dream is not that which you see while you sleep, but is that something that does not allow you to sleep." Don't jump about it; put it in action! They also discuss the American dream, which states everyone has equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Yes, we can convince ourselves that we can do it. We should go for it, putting our minds and souls into it. However, the fact is that people win and people lose. Only some people are cut for it. A thin line exists between having the mojo to do it and not. One should recognise their shortcomings and jump on to Plan B, not forever flogging a dead horse. Worse still, when one fails to pick up the telltale signs, one buries oneself deeper and deeper into a cesspool of self-defeating habits, hoping for a miracle to happen. Whe...

AK vs AK Director: Vikramaditya Motwane At first look, it looked promising. The idea was revolutionary. The layout gave the feel of reality TV, an idea that probably arose from the makers of ‘The Blair Witch Project’. This is where the camera person is not stationary but will be running with the actors, how a paparazzi would chase its prey. The characters used their original names, and it looked like the audience would have a peek into their private lives, which they did, to a certain extent. Trouble brews when Anil Kapoor shares the stage with Anurag Kashyap during an interview. In the course of their conversation, Anil (an actor) and Anurag (a director, mostly)  argue about whose role is crucial in the success of a movie. As they defend their respective stands, things start becoming personal. Anurag accuses Anil of being an ageing actor on his decline, while in retaliation, Anil downplays Anurag’s directorial skills and success in the film industry. It leads to a bust-up, much t...

100 humans (Netflix, 2020) This could be one of the series which one can  skim  as he undergoes house arrest during these trying times of combating Covid-19. Even though the show brags of trying to answer all of life's questions on humans and their behaviours through its social experiments, it is, by no means, cerebral.  The Guardian labels it as one of the most worthless reality-experiment-pseudoscience show in history. Perhaps, it is a bit unkind to label it such, but some of the experiments that the show do are quite outlandish and their conclusions simplistic.  Some of the life questions that the show asks include 'What makes Us Attractive', 'Best Age to be Alive', 'about the Battle of the Sexes', 'Biasness of Society', 'Happiness', 'Pain versus Pleasure' and 'Distrusting our Senses'. One of the bizarre assumptions here is that the ability of a male to dance is indicative of attractiveness, hence, potentiall...

The Eyes of Darkness (1981) Author: Dean Koontz (aka Leigh Nichols) This book has been making its rounds recently after the current outbreak of the feared novel coronavirus Covid19. The excitement (paranoia) grew as it was mentioned that the said virus was developed as an experimental bug in a research facility in Wuhan, China. On top of that, the virus in the book is reported to have a 100% mortality rate. The hysteria reached a feverish pitch as more pictures allegedly coming out clandestinely from there dropping like flies after contracting the disease. This story is a simple one narrating the tale of a grieving divorced young mother. She lost her son during his school trip accident. Even a year after his demise, she had not really got over him. She kept seeing him around town. Many unexplained events made her conclude that her child was somehow trying to contact her telepathically or via telekinesis.  With her newfound love interest and a lot of help from her gifte...

A thought flew past me as I was sitting through a lavish wedding dinner in a posh establishment recently. A doctor in the infant years of his career was proudly showcasing his catch to the world to ogle. Set with the high-brow society setting and the ambience to match, we, the mortals were given a sneak peek into the lives and times of the groom and bride through a montage of a roll of photos that was rolling during the function. We gathered that the respective families went through thick and thin, scaling the waves of obstacles to attain the comfort that they had acquired in life.  Well and dandy, all these... But how is a measly paid medical officer in the notoriously underpaid system of Malaysian civil service going to sustain the same type of lifestyle? Is he still going to be that dedicated doctor who will weather all kinds of resistance to put wellbeing above everything else as he chose the profession, not for the glamour but the calling? Is he going through grind t...

A Married Couple ( Canada,  1969) Director: Allan King At one look, this film looks like a tutorial presentation in a class of psychology. It is shot like a documentary show. Apparently, the filming was done in the household of Billy and Antoinette Edwards who were undergoing a rough patch in their one and half years of marriage. All in all they had been a couple for more than 8 years. This movie may not appeal to those who are looking at the silver screen as an outlet to release for their day to day woes as it is quite cerebral. Allan King, a sort of a rebel filmmaker from Canada usually makes quirky non stereotypical flicks, even rubbing the censors on the wrong side. It narrates the day to day life of ad-man Billy (40) and his home-maker wife Antoinette (10 years his junior). The camera moves into their living room and bedroom recording all their intimate moments as well as their tiffs. This movie must be a precursor to today's reality TV. They have a 1year old son and a ...