RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Graduate 1963 novella by Charles Webb 1967 film directed by Mike Nichols In the past, existential crises typically arose after a certain age of maturity. Following a prescribed path, an adolescent would transition into adulthood. One must work diligently, persevere, and slog through challenges to realise his true potential. As the Peter Principle states, "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties," they may attain the highest position for which they are ill-suited, leading to subsequent brooding. Only then do they begin to question the meaning of it all. What is the purpose of existence? What is one good for? What is their contribution to humanity, and what will be their legacy?  In the days when seeking knowledge was laborious, one had to be content with passive diffusion. Learning intimate biological know-how was peer-driven. Rightly or wrongly, that remained a go-to source for quick references. In the spring of y...

Winter Sleep (Kis uykusu, Turkish; 2014) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan https://www.amazon.com.au/Winter-Sleep-Movie/ dp/B00PULVVWU This is a lengthy film, prompting one to ponder what message it aims to convey. Is it the strained relationship between the protagonist and his much younger wife? The main character is Aydin, a retired (failed) actor who has retreated to a bitterly cold part of the country to manage a small hotel that is predominantly out of business during winter. He also owns a few rental properties in the area. He regularly writes in an online column, sharing his observations of the world around him and offering veiled sarcasm to no one in particular.  Since he examines everything critically, much like an outsider would, is he being a snob? Is he condescending towards the poor or to those who believe in God? At least, that is how the young wife, Nihal, perceives it. She is exasperated by the fact that she is toiling away in the cold rather than in Istanbul, where thing...

  This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

A Complete Unknown (2024) Director: James Mangold Clip from Youtube One of my earliest memories from the late 1960s is of my uncle spending weekends at my house. He was a university student, a rare sight in Malaysia then. I was fascinated by the shaving cream he and his friend, who accompanied him, applied to their faces and skillfully shaved off. What intrigued me even more was the fragrant aftershave lotion they put on afterwards. I was captivated by the lovely containers it came in. I later discovered it was 'Old Spice'. Its logo, a pirate ship, left a lasting impression on me. They spoke a great deal in English, and I often wonder what they discussed—perhaps the societal changes about which Bob Dylan wrote in his songs? I could not comprehend the messages as they were mainly in English, the lingua franca of the educated lot in the country. As we know, the 1960s were tumultuous times. The Americans were the de facto leaders of the free world, whilst developing countries stru...

Viduthalai, Part 2 (Tamil; 2024) Director: Vetrimaaran https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/tamil/ viduthalai-part-2-movie-review/ Continuing from Part 1 of the 2023 film, Perumal/Vathiyar is apprehended by the police. In Part 1, the conscientious policeman Kumaresan is the protagonist, providing his perspective on how the police force operates. Now, we discover how Perumal transformed into the person he ultimately became. Perumal is portrayed as a compassionate individual who goes out of his way to assist the oppressed. His struggle against injustice began during his time at a sugar factory, where the profit-driven owners prioritised profits over the welfare of their workers. The feudalistic bosses maintained control through oppressive tactics. Mysterious disappearances and deaths of dissenters were common occurrences, and the local police colluded with the mill owners. The division between the labourers, primarily tribal individuals and members of the scheduled castes, and the cap...

Queen of Hearts (Dronnigen, Swedish; 2019) Director: May el-Toukhy https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film115292.html This tale reveals two truths: defenders of justice are not exempt from breaching the very laws they ardently uphold, and one cannot put a price on the matters of the heart. A lawyer, Anne, who champions the plight of an abused teenager, is herself embroiled in an affair with her young adult stepson. Anne is married to a physician, Peter, and has twin daughters. Peter's troubled son, Gustav, from his first marriage, appears at their doorstep. Gustav has never liked Anne for taking his father away from his mother. The relationship between Gustav and Peter is not fantastic, and his academic performance appears poor. For amusement, Gustav stages a break-in at Peter and Anne's house. Although the police could not identify the culprit, Anne confronted Gustav to reveal his recklessness. Anne and Peter's marriage had lost its spark over the years due to their respectiv...

Anora (2024) Director: Sean Baker https://thefutureoftheforce.com/2024/10/31/review-anora-2024/ I was nearly knocked off my socks when I heard that 'Anora' won five Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Director. However, receiving the Best Film award is beyond any rational justification.   My first impression of it when I viewed it was that it seemed like rubbish. It reminded me of the numerous B-grade films that excited teenagers in the 1980s when they gathered around their friends' VHS players to watch Koo Stark in 'Emily'. The plot is thin and predictable, and the storytelling fails to present anything new. The storyline has been told and retold in numerous other films, though it serves more as a subplot. For context, this narrative follows a pole dancer who also works as a prostitute and finds herself infatuated with the debauched son of a Russian oligarch. According to her, the correct job title is exotic dancer. They dive into a whirlwin...