Star Wars: The Force Awakens- Review

                                                                                               

“For a while there, force was real” and believe me there is nothing like that. “If the word nostalgia could have a physical form then this movie embodies it perfectly”.

Welcome to the review of the movie of the decade- Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It isn't star rated because 'I had a bad feeling about it' (couldn't be helped). Now I’ll try my best to not reveal much, no matter how tempting that might be and also just review the movie without going much into the universe of the land far, far away.

Sequels carry the heavy burden of living up to the hype and how it remains relevant to the source material. With a franchise of this stature it was almost impossible to make something which could be true to its philosophical roots and still gives an enthralling experience of spectacular action and adventure. But JJ Abrams delivers and does so in the most remarkable way. The movie will surprise you, make you cry and will take away your heart. The word nostalgia can’t do the movie justice. There is so much to look out for without anything in being excess. But seriously, can anything related to star wars will ever be considered too much? I guess not. The movie will be appreciated by purist fans and new audiences alike. If you’re a hardcore fan then this movie is the thing you should walk down the aisle with.

Just the first screen when the customary back story appears on the screen sliding upwards with the magnificent score by maestro John Williams playing in the background, you know what you’re in for. If you’re dreaming about it since the announcement, your dream is about to come true. It’s right in front of you, a legacy 38 years old. In 1977, what once amazed the audiences all around the world and now back once again to make more money amaze us, once again.

Adam Driver and John Boyega in a still from the movie

The movie begins with the search for master Luke who’s disappeared after causing Anakin 2.0 aka Kylo Ren, a promising force sensitive kid who turned to the dark side. There enters two great characters and one whose greatness is debatable at best. Lor San Tekka who’s got a piece of map to Luke’s location and to retrieve it the rebellion has sent Poe Dameron, best rebellion pilot and a very charming character played by Oscar Isaac. Now enters the ‘First Order’ into the picture. The new name of evil after The Sith and The empire. Thus, begins a tale of acquiring a precious find. On the way we are introduced to some old and some new characters all of whom are equally endearing and fit very well into the whole scenario as the ones with us from as early as episode IV. The exception here being maybe the most important character, Kylo Ren played by Adam Driver. He starts out as a great villain with a lot of anger and copious amounts of depravity but as the movie progresses we discover him to be not as powerful as he should’ve been. And this is sometimes frustrating because someone aspiring to fill Darth Vader’s shoes can’t be defeated by a novice force user.

Now the aesthetics of the movie feel very much like the original trilogy. There are few scenes which feel like directly taken from the original trilogy footage which does imply slightly old but in the most astonishing way. The movie has sufficient style and a great momentum, top notch writing by Lawrence Kasdan who also co-wrote episode V and VI. There is nothing new about the plot nor do they try to step into uncharted territory but what works is that its exactly like it should’ve been. The old rusty flying machines and space battles which we’ve seen plenty but isn’t that what we all wanted? More of exactly what we had.

Star Wars never was about a much visceral plot anyway. Star Wars is about character development. Star Wars is about HAN SOLO!! (or should I say Han Yolo). That moment when they stepped again into the Millennium Falcon or more so when Rey first put it into flight to escape stormtroopers were a total bliss. There are quite a few scenes which will make you go ‘woohoo’ or ‘aah’ and also enough ‘blimey’s’. The first half of the movie is at the top of its game. The second half stumbles a bit in between but triumphantly finds its true path (through the force).

"The Millennium Falcon *sobs*" 

This movie like all movies which are remade from really old source material are about particular moments just as this one. The trick is having to show the right moment at the right time without having too much of old stuff. But with this exception where too much old stuff is actually a good thing. There would be times where you’ll feel ecstasy and absolute happiness over how JJ Abrams brought this spectacle of Dark Vs Light to life. There are Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie and our very old duo C3P0 & R2D2 *nerdgasm*. Like seriously, I had goosebumps and my heart was racing during the movie, all the while thinking “this must be how it feels to be in love”. C3PO which was according to me just introduced as a comic relief in the earlier films is now a very very integral part of the whole emotional balance of the movie. The moment he speaks with the same old eccentricity and innocence, it will bring whale size tears from your eyes. Add to that the adorable new droid BB-8 which rolls its way into your psyche as not just another droid but something as essential as the lead pair itself.

The action is particularly thrilling. All the chase sequences and battle scenes are very well arranged. TIE Fighters, X-wing Fighters they’re all here, running smoother that ever, swinging better that ever with lasers delightful as ever. Here cinematographer Dan Mindel and JJ Abrams are at their visual best doing a real commendable job by bringing to life every blast, every shot fired and every tailspin enhanced beautifully by the 3D format. Speaking of lethal weapons, we also have another Death Star, though it is only known as ‘The Weapon’ throughout the film. If you ask me, then using a weapon of mass destruction again as a threat to the galaxy was a big risk because the same formula has already been used twice in the original trilogy itself. But as it turns out, it can be recycled for a third time use as well. The difference this time is, as Han puts it “Its bigger so what”. But this weapon is truly terrifying in the way it annihilates whole systems from the galaxy. Its modus operandi is equally sinister as it drains a whole sun for a single charge but that isn’t a hefty price to pay, in the eyes of the First Order, to wield a power so destructive.

Now coming back to the characters. All new introductions are very well placed, from Lupita Nyongo’s Maz Kanata to the emperor’s  replacement- Snoke about whom not yet much is known except that he seduced young Kylo to the dark side. As a bonus we have Gwendoline Christie (aka Brienne of Tarth) playing Phasma. Finn and Poe are the standout stars of the movie and also Rey with whom there’s a connection to the force. The movie begins with Poe’s magnanimous spirit and heroic nature and Finn’s moral conflict while being a stormtrooper. Not much time is given for Finn to explore his loath for evil before turning against all and becoming a rebel in the process but its alright as it would’ve been hard to imagine Finn as a bad person ever. Another major character was Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights of Ren and grandson of Darth Vader. His backstory is tragic. He is angry, cruel and supposedly the last force sensitive person. What is there not to love? He starts out as a very promising character. He feels like the dark conscience of Darth Vader. He performs all of Anakin’s fantastic gimmicks while also crafting his appearance as somewhat similar to Darth Vader, right down to the voice. And he also looks cool with that red lightsaber (well, let’s admit it, who wouldn’t). What brings him down is that one scene which turns him into a deplorable monster right on the level of Joffery Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton which is an achievement in itself for a universe which only has cartoony or conventional forms of villainy. But another irritating thing as it turns out is his weakness in the ways of the force.( I mean, c’mon, Rey defeating Anakin’s heir, that’s silly)

But, truly, that’s just the only thing I can complain about in the whole movie and that too is a very mild annoyance. Maybe not even that because the whole plot is woven around it or maybe I just expected too much from Kylo. Our lead pair, Rey and Finn does a fantastic job as being the catalyst agents in the events that take place in the movie with keeping up the tradition of young good hearted people who’re yet to discover their full potential being the ones who save the galaxy much like Luke Skywalker.

The Verdict

So we finally have what we wanted. We’ll always want more but I wish more looks just the same as what we have. This was what JJ Abrams kept in mind while making episode VII. Star Wars proves once again to be a truly timeless masterpiece which continues to astound us and make us go gaga through its innocent acts of decency and perpetual fight between polar opposites while exploring the duality of creation. Perfectly blending elements of love, loss, darkness, destruction, uprising and spiritualism. Also throw in breathtaking space dives, humongous weapons and cute robotic companions and skadoosh! You got  Chewbacca's next adventure. I suggest go for it. Go for it as many times as possible. There is no better way to end and remember 2015 by. What we have in front of ourselves is a movie which is fresh yet keeps the aesthetics and sentimental value of the original trilogy intact. And yes that funny stormtrooper is Daniel Craig.

"If true love can be surmised into a single endless rapture, then I have felt the force run through me"

-by the revered author himself 

"Where we'd be today without Akira Kurosawa?"

-the same author being a silly Kurosawa fanboy 

TVF Pitchers Review: Episode Five “Where Magic Happens”

Whoa! What an episode. I must say this was one of the greatest things to ever appear on any media, let alone internet shows. I doubt anyone could ever make a series like TVF Pitchers and execute it so beautifully. This was even better than Permanent Rommates finale or any other episode of Pitchers itself. So lo and behold, the best episode yet. And that’s when we’re talking about a series whose each and every episode is crafted with so much heart and hardwork that all of them are standalone masterpieces in their own right. TVF Pitchers is the perfect example of how one show can get better and better as more and more of it unfolds.

This time we found Mandal as the star of the episode and saw a never seen before side of Jeetu (a much much more fun side). The episode started with how things were left with the previous episode with the guy securing a meeting with Puneet, who works for a venture capitalist firm. Now we see how Puneet is now tied with our guys as his own promotion depends on their success. He likes the idea and everyone else at the firm also likes it but funding needs the final approval of Ankit Bhardawaj, a senior partner at a firm. A man who is known to have the Midas touch when it comes to investments and has a reputation to pick up the most successful startups and those who get rejected by him don’t usually get funding from anywhere else around. Despite all this, Ankit is quite a calm and rational person though teensy bit arrogant but yeah he’s no villain. He’s a neutral character who just wants to get the worth of his investment and maximize his gain like any other investor but unlike many others he sees the potential in Naveen and the gang’s product. But the dilemma he faces is whether to invest in these guys or the one’s who presented the same, exact same thing to him few days ago. Now deep within he might also know that the guys who pitched earlier were fraud yet he wishes to make the most profitable investment regardless of where he’s investing in. Now this was a really unexpected twist which brings back one of the craziest characters to be introduced in the show, The Dungeon Master aka Jeetu’s replacement coder. Now he stole their idea, their sales pitch and revenue model and presented it before them. But to start with he wasn’t the only suspect.

To explain this we need to go into the beginning. The episode starts with Mandal feeling very low over his status in the startup and how others treat him disrespectfully. He was venting all this with his new friend Ravi Ram Rastogi over a few drinks. But, unintentionally, Mandal reveals that all their work is stored in a single flash drive which he always carry. This ignites the diabolical mind of Ravi Ram and he gets Mandal drunk and steals the flash drive. When our heroes get to know what had happened, Ravi becomes their prime suspect but naturally he’s out of reach now. This makes Yogi to snap at Mandal and he leaves them. But soon a call from Puneet confirms that Bhardwaj met someone with an email ID- dungeon_master a few days back. This proves beyond all doubt that it was none other than Yogi’s contact who cheated them in the end. Oh how should I describe the scene when they re-enter the Dungeon Master’s evil lair. Through that eerie hallway to that single door which opens into an oblivion of malicious darkness with 17 year geeks laughing at Jeetu and Yogi after stealing the idea of a lifetime and saying it to their faces that there isn’t anything that they could do about it. This scene, which was so remarkably shot is both visually exciting and solid in terms of character development. After they tease Jeetu enough, he decides enough is enough. Jeetu who is always shown a mild mannered and peaceful human being who avoids any conflict whatsoever at any point and puts his family over everything else suddenly turns into this violent and terrifying beast who destroys the kids toys and leaves them shivering in their shorts. I must say, of all the magnificent things achieved in this show, this one scene got me the most excited. The adrenaline rush while watching Jeetu smash the computer screens was overwhelming.

Another major arc in this episode which was closed was the relationship of Shreya and Naveen. Shreya faces the difficult decision of choosing between Naveen and a dream job in London. But on Naveen’s advice, she chooses the latter. Their chemistry and the loss of separation is really quite apparent in the very convincing performance of Manvi Gagroo. If these two don’t make you cry then I don’t know what else will. Talking about emotional scenes, Mandal rises from the ashes he left behind as the savior of the team when Ankit Bhardwaj refuses to invest as the other team his offering him a much better deal. Mandal swooshes in with his metaphorical cape and very literal Band-Aid on the neck. Here, he presents a very touching presentation about all the things these four have done and the sacrifices they made in order to make progress with their dream project. And at the end when Mandal tries to strong-arm Ankit Bhardwaj, that was very impressive display of confidence from someone like Mandal.

So this was it. They did it. TVF made a show which was inspiring, fun and really thoughtful which successfully completed its first ever season. A season which redefined everything. Now next year if the hype for season 2 is not as much as the next season of Game Of Thrones itself, then frankly I’d be disappointed in the audience. This time they delivered an episode which was so emotionally compelling yet visually exhilarating. The stakes were high, ties were tested, things were broken but all in a very light, realistic and thus convincing tone. What makes Pitchers unique is this very fact- showing hardships in the lightest way. Making the viewers believe that persistence is power and is no easy task, believe me but TVF Pitchers succeed eloquently in doing so and that too almost effortlessly through the subtle emotions and fluid background score and above all, flawless writing. If this isn’t a smart series in the urban tongue then the phrase holds no meaning. 

TVF Pitchers Review: Episode Four- “Bulb Jalega Boss”

This episode was equal parts entertaining and brilliant. This time the Pitchers attended another event which would help them find potential investors for their startup. The difference this time being nothing except not having any offer lurking on their heads now. This was their only chance of getting funds. Jeetu struggled with problems at home and was still unavailable to help his friends out but finally saw light at the end. Naveen’s vengeful boss resurfaces adding to their plight and they try to execute an ocean’s eleven like plan to gain entry into the event to pitch their idea.

So it goes with turbulence at Jeetu’s home. His father is still at home and he is facing the dilemma of whether or not to tell his father. Just like most Indian kids Jeetu lives in perpetual fear of his father. His father, like most parents, believe in a firm approach just because they care about their children so much and can’t bear to allow them to take risks in life that could potentially harm them. Although the right thing to do is to tell him all about his startup but Jeetu somehow couldn’t get his head around how to muster the courage to tell him. That’s where the wise wife Saumya steps in. Though it might be intentional to come clean in front of Jeetu’s father but she never wanted to reveal anything or say anything which would even slightly hurt anyone’s feelings or their relationship. But when she sees that Jeetu won’t be able to do it himself even in a thousand years, she tells his father. Even though very true to reality it was still hard to believe how long can Jeetu dance around the topic. It’s been already two episodes which is like a lot for a show which had to run only five episodes in this season. Naturally Saumya had to do something. And as expected, it infuriates his father who warns him about this decision and commands to look for another job in the same industry but this time Jeetu keeps the nerve to stand resolute and his father angrily leaves the home. Saumya blames herself for all this but Jeetu consoles her because deep down he knows that without her none of this would be possible and he’d still be stuck in his old job.

A still from "Bulb Jalega Boss"

On the other hand, things seem rather bleak for the remaining three Co-Founders as they are still unable to gain entry into the event without their complete team. This event also introduces some more funny characters like the other startup guys, Apoorva and Anitesh (the delightful freeloading founder of petpuja.com). One big blow to Naveen in this event was that one of the judges was his ex-boss Rajat Khanna. Now first they try to duck him but eventually figure out that he might be their only ticket to get on the train to bag investors. Though in the process they device an amazing Ocean’s Eleven style plan to enter by changing Jeetu’s photo ID in the computer with someone else’s who they can bring along easily (in this case ChaCha). However, when they actually try it, things don’t really go their way. Infact, things don’t really go anywhere as the plan is thwarted in the first stage itself but it leads to their encounter with Rajat. Now Rajat can easily allow them in and to a point one is also lead to believe that he might actually be good person afterall but he puts forth an impossible to fulfill condition infront of our protagonists. They must get written approval of each and every team before presenting their idea. Now those of you who are a little unaware of the corporate societal hierarchy, let me just say it, each and every one related to the business world in any way is a vengeful, vindictive and vile self-centered prick with almost no regard for anyone else’s interest especially if they intersect with their own. Maybe the whole world’s crazy. Don’t know what went wrong and where I decided to be left behind. So coming back to the show, essentially, no one accepts to allow them to present. Not even Anitesh, who’s a college friend to our boys and is in no way interested in any investor. But what can I say, that’s just how it works.

Now Naveen, Yogi and Mandal made their way to the stage but cannot present their idea. So Naveen comes up with a heartfelt idea to market his own self instead of his idea. In his words,” Maybe I cannot present my idea but I still have my 5 minutes, don’t I? ”. Those five minutes turn out to be the most inspiring five minutes as yet of the whole show. And at the end a surprise cameo of Biswapati Sarkar as Puneet surfaces as knocking opportunity in front of our lead pack. So in the end, things do kinda have a way of finding a way out themselves.

A still from "Bulb Jalega Boss"

One of the key strengths of the show is that how inspiring it is without being explicitly trying to be that way. But this time it did, for a short while though, but that only added to the glow of the already brightest star in the sky.TVF Pitchers delivered another solid episode with a great mix of music, fun and characters. But now things are took more of a streamlined shape as except the funding there’s no major hurdle left. Jeetu is fully on their side and all villains are out of the way. It would be really interesting to see where things go from here in the finale because except the meeting with Puneet, there’s nothing much that could happen but still Pitchers have a way of surprising its audience with simple but utterly refreshing and witty scenarios. So keep your fingers crossed and wait eagerly for the season finale and hope our heroes finally land a deal. "Bulb toh jala hai boss, bulb toh jala hi hai."

TVF Pitchers Review: Episode Three- “The Jury Room”

This episode was comparably more serious than any of the episodes we’ve seen yet. We finally saw Jeetu’s scary Dad and quite easily I can empathize with him for not being too bold in front of his father. Maybe the best thing about this episode was the emotional gravity it carried. This one had less funny moments, fewer weird camera angles and maybe even lacked more experimental music but none of this can be counted as the cons for a show which redefines its core values and almost shape-shifts with not only each episode but even when encircling every individual characters' life style; their fears, ambitions and responsibilities.

Like every episode, more brilliant characters were introduced this time around like Jeetu’s dad who had a screen presence without being physically on screen but through Jeetu’s frightened expressions which were embodied in this episode in the firm and arrogant Sunil Sinha who played Jitu’s father. He wasn’t really like the abusive father in Udaan but was a more believable and generally normal father who had a daunting control over his son. Yeah one can’t mistake him for being a villain or a negative presence but simply a figure who instills fear in his son so much so that he refuses to communicate with him in matters of his life decisions and often requires his wife to support him or intervene in a way. His wife by the way is just as cool as ever, just like when she was introduced. She’s like Jitu’s partner in crime and always has his back. But we didn’t see much of her in this episode though it was enough to forever etch her in our minds as a likable character.

Maanvi Gagroo as Shreya in "The Jury Room"

Infact, both the female companions of our leads are strong, independent and equally awesome characters. Shreya played by the charming Maanvi Gagroo is also a very significant part of the story as Naveen’s oasis in the deserted world of start-ups. When he’s feeling really really upset about the status of their company and the lack of funding or investors then she doesn’t flips everything around nor comes over-dramatically to the rescue of her depressed boyfriend but calmly reminds him that no matter what happens, she’ll always believe in him and even he doesn’t have too much leisure time these days he still should entertain the possibility of a clichéd vacation. But Naveen, as much as he loves her, advises her to focus on her career instead of thinking about indulging in frivolous activities just because he’s caught up in something tedious. Their relationship is both playful and heartwarming. One moment you admire them for being so well connected with each other and just the next instant you’ll be crying over how adorable this couple actually is. At moments like these when you see those two, you can’t help but miss your own significant other (and the other single fans out there, share in the lamenting with me).

Many more great minor characters were seen this time like Ravi Ram Rastogi, the start-up veteran currently working on securing funding for his 8^th consecutive start-up (last 7 were failures).  He was introduced to show our boys their future if their idea doesn’t works. How miserable their lives could turn out to be if they end up like Ravi, a superstitious divorced and financially unstable man who shares his 2-bhk apartment with 8 more roommates. He is like the physical form of all their worries related to their future. He’s the answer to the banging question they ask themselves every few hours-“What if this doesn’t work out?”. His position is uncannily similar to theirs as well. He explains how he was about to get funding for a startup years earlier but how his CEO didn’t want to share control over their company. The same dilemma Naveen, Jitu, Yogi and Mandal are facing right now as Gary Bhujiawala, another great addition, who wants 51% equity as against 10 times their asking price for fueling their startup.

Gary Bhujiawala, played by Rajesh Sharma, The Mahabharata obsessed opulent businessman who projects himself as their savior and wants to diversify his operations thus willing to invest in their business idea. The man whose offer lingers as a sword on our entrepreneurs' head. He is what one may call a villain. Well not necessarily a Dr.Dang type person but still a guy who comes in disguise of a rescuer but is just looking for self-interest like a symbiotic plant and won’t hesitate in causing harm to the host once his purpose is fulfilled. Nevertheless, he still is offering a lot (10 times) of money which is too great an offer to reject without thought.

Other great minor characters were the other investors, including the NRI investor, the angry disobedient one, and the stingy ones. Also the feminist entrepreneur and the sarcastic registration desk girl were pretty neat inclusions as well.

The eponymous jury room was also a great reveal as a place where Naveen listens to his heart and has resulted in great choices in the past. Even though the decision made in the jury room is to a certain extent a matter of chance but Naveen's interesting theory of hearing the voice of intuition at the time of a toss was a nice turnaround which surprised the viewers as much as it did his friends. 

A still from "The Jury Room"

The story progressed very well on emotional level in this episode. We saw the characters grow with each hurdle and emerging victorious not in the way of accomplishments but learning lessons in self-worth without losing even a pinch of passion. So our heroes successfully swayed through another challenge without bowing down to anyone, though without securing funding which is a major problem now but as Churchill famously said,” Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”. As for the show, success is going from episode to episode without losing quality which is exactly what the TVF team is doing with this brilliant show.

Ant-Man (2015): Review

Marvel’s tiniest hero’s adventure turned out to be quite a distinct, refreshing yet completely filled with all the elements every marvel productions are known for. If compared against other cinematic marvel heroes then Ant- Man might be the smallest and even the least powerful but he sure got to get his own story forward in a dazzling and humorous tale of redemption and heist.

First off, the cast did a great job in bringing every character to life with Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Antman and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym/ Antman giving particularly commendable performances. Paul Rudd might seem like an odd choice for playing a superhero but then again Ant-Man is not anyone’s buffed up and righteously all powerful superhero. He brings a sense of responsibility to the character as an out of jail convict who wants to do something else in his life and wants to become a hero in the eyes of his daughter. Along with his dilemma to lead a straight life with adequate funds to support himself and provide child support he also provides equally hilarious take on the character’s nature because by default this superhero is someone who hasn’t gone through any kind of tragedy and delightfully enjoys his role as the mini- savior of the world. Though he understands the fact the he might not be as important to the Ant-Man experiment as he’s chosen only as a person whose loss is bearable.

Paul Rudd in "Ant-man"

Michael Douglas at most times feels like the real star of the whole thing. He’s awesome to watch in the role of Dr. Hank Pym, the founder of a corporation which might now be selling the destructive Ant-Man tech to hydra against his wishes. He’s quite elegant as the previous Ant-Man who lost the love of life during an assignment and earned his daughter’s scorn. The lovely Evangeline Lilly looks convincing as Hope, Dr. Pym’s daughter who gradually learns to forgive her father for pushing her away.

What distinguishes the movie from other marvel cinematic adaptations is the fact that being the tiniest hero, the level of destruction is quite contained except at a few circumstances when things become too big. The fact that the movie’s deciding battle between Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket takes place in a toy train set is both uplifting and entertaining.

All the action sequences are very well shot and special kudos to the director and the cinematographer for such masterful rendering of the small universe as seen by eyes of ant man. No insect at any point looks disgusting but are displayed as an organized army of nature itself. The scenes when Ant-Man leads the army of ants and fly on them to places are particularly breathtaking and joyous.

The music of the movie though sounds a bit dated. There isn’t much to talk about in the music department as it all feels like some same old conventional tunes over typical emotions. Suspense, terror, sentiments are all just dependent on the actor performance and not much on the background score which is at times too loud or too unnoticeable and downright unsatisfactory. But then again, marvel movies were never known for their melodies. What makes them unique is the perfect blend of comic action , humour and palpable tension with a promise for entertainment for all.

Corey Stoll in "Ant-Man"

The Verdict

This time marvel delivers big in a very small package with Ant-Man coming out as completely new kind of a superhero and bringing a wave of speculation as to what more Marvel cinematic universe has to offer. In comparison with movies like hulk, thor, captain America and iron man; Ant-Man certainly stands out of the crowd and proves itself to better than any of them without a character with even half a decent fan following as the other avengers. But nevertheless, Ant-Man certainly proves to be an interesting addition to the avengers team which is now almost completely revamped. So, my recommendation would be to catch this summertime flick and experience the joy of watching a 2-inch guy fighting on a flying ant.

True Detective Season 2 Episode 5: Review

The lives of our heroes changed in this episode. We saw the aftermath of last week’s daylight massacre where a police raid went awry and turned into the biggest bloody mess the city has ever seen. It was understood that this will have consequences and understandably enough the trio were supposed to make some kind of regression but not this much. This time we saw everyone in their new lives which though they find unfulfilling but were seemingly fitting for them. And as this season is progressing so frustratingly, we saw some threads tied but still nowhere near the main antagonist.

The problem I think we have this time is that the evil represented in this show is not taking any shape. Except one murder, we don’t have anything to identify the killer or the organization in association with it. It has no face, no blame takers and ultimately they haven’t even showed or created any mystery around the monstrosity surrounding the event. Although they did literally show the person supposedly behind all this twice till now and once very clearly when he attacked Ray in that bird mask and strangely normal clothes (not really that psychopathic) but they still don’t measure up to the horror of Reggie Ledoux or The Yellow King.

Now moving on to the changing fortunes of our leads- Frank moved into a smaller house, Ray got an eviction notice and Ani got a duty in the evidence control for a few months. Paul although technically got promoted to a detective in tax fraud but still wants to work in the field which looks like he won’t get another chance to; even though his expertise lies in field work or more precisely combat. Frank paid a visit to mayor Chessani who now seems like a very monotonous character displaying similar irreverence every time. It feels like he’s just kept there on the screen to show the corruptibility of the whole city and put a face on the spoilt wealthy people. But this also makes for an interesting thread about how all the leads are so closely knitted together. They have more in common with each other whether they know it themselves or not.

At this time only Ray is aware of Frank’s involvement and it still looks like very difficult if all four will ever willingly work together. But truly, I don’t think they need to as of now but who knows what the future might entail. My guess would be that the bug is on Frank’s side and sooner or later he will have to meet Ani and gang for help. And again Frank’s moral compass his wife, who might not be a strong character but still never becomes the object of contempt. Everyone knows she’s right, even Frank, but we all just collectively decide to ignore her. Other than Frank’s poverty, frustration and cynicism there isn’t much going on in his life. Maybe he should seriously speculate that farming idea.

Another noticeable thing is Ray’s chemistry with every character. Paul finds similarly miserable colleague in Ray and he too admires Paul’s courage and combat skills. With Ani, Ray maintains a completely platonic, strictly work relationship with a pinch of hopeful trust and understand between them which is quite difficult given Ray’s reputation and the pressure on Ani to find something against him. Frank sees an old friend in Ray for whom he did a favour years ago and still Ray feels indebted to him. Well its kind of funny actually as the characteristics of Ray’s nature makes him a terrible father, a disloyal officer and a menace to the society yet of all the character’s, he’s the one who manages to keep everyone happy (well not exactly happy). Though according to the ending of this episode the relationship between Frank and Ray is just about to be strained and most likely will rupture their little arrangement.

Paul also had an understandable fallout with his mother who spent all of his savings or salvage which he’d hidden with her. I mean why would he trust her with that, maybe its her first time. Ani also had a heated exchange of words with her former partner who is still willing to help. She also had some bonding time with her sister.

Towards the end, we got what we all were really looking forward to, tough not so directly. Our trio got back their case in a secret investigation with a promise of absolution and getting back what they all desire, including majorly Ray’s son’s custody. This resulted in into few of this episode most exciting moments like when Ray confronts Dr. Pitlor and Ani/Paul discover the shed in the woods.

A still from "Other Lives"

So this week we got another not-so-awesome episode with more conversations and same old emotional conflicts and all. Though one interesting twist was finding out that Frank’s been lying to Ray this whole time and Ray accidently killed the wrong person years ago believing him to be his wife’s rapist. What will happen between him and Frank will be seen in next week’s episode. Though this time the season didn’t turn out to be so great but is good enough to give you reasons to revisit the previous season. Oh yes, how we miss the spaghetti monster and carcosa. The mafia and a whole corrupt city with questionable underground cults aren’t just cutting it this time.

True Detective Season 2 Episode 4: Review

Whoa! This was the bomb (literally). This week’s episode felt a bit of a drag just before they pulled out the big guns. This time we saw a massacre on the road involving many citizens, crooks and police officers alike. As against the nature of the show we saw explosions, guns blazing, bullets flying and many people dying in the face-off. The episode might be reminiscent of last season’s action packed fourth episode. But even with action, that episode had so much more drama, gritty scenes and one absolutely amazing run with a great final shot with the radiant night lights and sirens adding to the thrill. Albeit in this season’s fourth episode, there wasn’t much buildup towards the end, it came as a shock and resulted in a bloodbath with the protagonists narrowly escaping alive though unharmed.

The episode began with Frank Semyon’s avocados. His problems seem to have no end in sight, even after all his efforts he just keeps sinking down and down into the same pit from where he crawled up but with more at stake this time and with higher risk. Frank is throwing pebbles in the lake, much to all the fishes’ exasperation but he almost every time manages to establish a terrifying precedent which ,to some extent, works and restrains people from defying him. Alongwith all this chaos at work, his personal life seems to be on the rocks as well. His wife is not really getting along with him amongst these tensions, not that one can blame her given Frank’s behaviour. The stork is elusive of Frank as well. Till now we only had the idea of Frank’s underpants issues but now as it seems his wife also has women troubles (similar to Adriana La Cerva in Sopranos) and as a result it might be difficult to conceive. On the allegedly good guys side, all our doubts were cleared about the sexual orientation of Paul Woodrugh (like there were any in the first place). He was then mobbed by paparazzi and later met his ex at a dine –in where she declared her pregnancy and he proposed to her. This whole baby thing is really starting to get tiring now. Everyone wants a baby, everyone wished they had their own baby and amidst all the pregnancies and parent child bonds and failed relationships, there is no sign of the man who killed Caspere and chopped of his privates. I mean no one is even bothered except Ani who once in a while when she says “ I want to solve this thing”.  Ani also questioned The Mayor’s daughter who had something to share but opted to keep it under wraps and was overall very vague. Ani is also having troubles at the office due to her past relationships as her ex/subordinate lodged an official complaint against her claiming ‘coercion’. Yeah right, that guy claims his superior officer, a woman as hot as Ani forced him to sleep with her through her work seniority. Plus her past relationship with her partner is also questioned. Well as Ani suspects, from one point of view this all seems like The Mayor’s doing throw mud at her, defame her. Although her conjoined activities with Ray still seem to be alright. Ray at this point seems like the wisest person among his peers (well he does carry medicine for every ailment). Ray and Ani discovered this week the strange connection between the victim, Caspere, and the mayor and Caspere’s therapist. All these people come together in the strange coincidence and are somehow connected to her father’s meditation center. Ray again shared an awkward bonding moment with his son as he gave him his father’s badge to remember him by because as we all witnessed there wasn’t much of a chance that Ray would make it alive after the end’s bust and probably he had an idea too. I say awkward because everytime Ray’s son makes an appearance it feels just plain weird as its clear as day that Ray’s not the biological father and thus it becomes hard to accept that there’s a bond. The kid gives really ambiguous signals of whether he likes Ray or not. Ray’s ex wife and the child represents the lie of Ray’s life. A life which he imagines himself to have led but holds no truth at all. He desperately tries to believe that he’s that father but the truth can shatter his whole world, so he prefers to believe in a lie, maybe that’s the reason he wants to end his life before a situation arises where he needs to accept reality.  

But the real surprise this episode packed was the shootout in the end. Yeah, the setting might be the same as in last season’s episode five when Martin and Rust go to apprehend Reggie Ledoux in his hideout and then stage a gunfight as Martin kills Reggie in a fit of rage. Only this time we get to see a real shootout.

When Ani gets information about the pimp of one of the girls Caspere met, they presume him to be their prime suspect and zero in on his location where they are engaged in a firefight with the crew. There is also an explosion which feels strikingly similar to the Walter White’s famous “This is not meth” aftermath. But the goons had enough firepower to hold off all police personnel and kill all of them except our trio of heroes. Yeah it also resulted in the deaths of some innocent bystanders, so from this point on things should start taking some serious turns due to such massacre in broad daylight.

A still from "Down Will Come"

So, in conclusion, except the shootout in the end this episode felt like a bit of a drag with same issues going on and on. The theme of fatherhood seems to be prevalent in the show at almost all times with different characters perceiving and tackling their own fatherhood issues. Basically, Frank wants a kid, Ray’s not the father of his kid, Ani hates her father and Paul’s about to become a father. So yeah, I guess it is a tad too much. But from this moment on things should start to become seriously twisted and interesting if our trio is taken off the investigation. And among all this chaos, no-one has any idea who they’re looking for and where is the real demon. But as mentioned earlier things should come into focus now.

True Detective Season 2 Episode 3: Review

So its time to call their bluff. Last time we saw how Ray Velcoro was shot with a shotgun and left for dead. Just like many viewers I was also convinced that this is the end for him. But the showrunners played a dirty trick here. Yeah, they disappointingly saved Velcoro against everybody’s expectations. I know the show’s better off with him alive but still it would’ve been a real jolt, just the type which the show needed to go into overdrive. So this week we just got an extended version of the things already happening. And some neatly done references to David Lynch and a little too apparent homage to that magnificent long shot by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the series director from last season.

This week we started off immediately after last week’s horrifyingly amazing attack which left Ray severely wounded and presumably dead. Now we found out that the attacker used harmless bullets which are used by police during riot control suggesting he might related to the police in some way. One weird thing we saw this week was the first scene of the episode which was made in somewhat a David Lynch-ian style. So no complains there as Lynch’s style was always mesmerizing. This gave the show an eccentric opening with Ray talking to his father while still unconscious from the wound. Frankly the David Lynch undertones worked very well with the show’s overall fantastical realism with intersection of the non-related yet some fun scenes. Other mentionable thing in the episode which was inspired from another director was the chase sequence when Ani runs to catch someone seemingly the prime suspect. The way it was shot was strikingly similar to the widely acclaimed long shot in fourth episode of the last season. It wasn’t as great as its inspiration but I think its purpose was to just a tribute to the original one.

Back in the story we found out more about Woodrugh and how his bedroom problems might just not related to stress. He met a former lover (yeah, he was) who tried to rekindle their relationship but instead was just punched and deserted by Woodrugh. All signs read right then he’s most probably a closet homosexual, if not bi. He himself denies the truth about his sexuality and tries to lead life as straight person or maybe he knows but wants to keep the truth as deep as possible due to his fears. Speaking of bedroom troubles, Frank Semyon also looks like is running out of luck. All things considered, he’s not merely having below the belt troubles but is now sure that somebody is trying to get him for something as he founds another body of one of his men which forces him into taking drastic measures to raise more funds and find out the person or group responsible. He had a pretty serious talk with the capo(s) of his organization who work for him or ever worked for him. Here he sensed a slight uprising which he suppressed in a surprisingly gruesome and exhilarating manner (“how do you face the world with those”). Like I said before, Frank Semyon is another character to keep looking out for beside Velcoro as he’s the one taking the most damage due the murders and is the most desperate to find the culprit, although he can’t officially take the help of police. On the other hand, the state department sounded a little too interested in Velcoro and compelling Ani to find something on him which might help convict him. Well, besides that, both of them visited the bizarre home of the Mayor which houses some ,maybe common in Vinci, yet peculiar people for general standards and showed how tangled and even potentially scandalous the Mayor could be. This naturally infuriated the Mayor who then swore retribution on Ani. Trying to take advantage of the scenario, Ray tried again to get himself off this detail but to no relief. We also saw the relationship between Ray and his father which despite some questionable exchange of substances seemed almost okay. I mean his father might also be a deranged addict with anger issues (he likes to throw away his badge) but there’s no bad blood between him and Ray and both seem to get along alright. As for Ani’s personal life, we saw a very insignificant break up. In the end, we caught a glimpse of the personal possibly responsible for all this who seems to be proficient athlete as he somehow manages to outrun Ray and Ani more than just by chance. Just the final scenes showed how Frank doesn’t share much with his wife despite all his worries and prefers to keep his emotions bottled up.

A still from "Maybe Tomorrow"

So as of now, this is the time the show must do something to keep the audience for coming back for more. Being only an eight part series, despite the great pacing and few memorable sequences, the show still lacks the sheer brilliance and haunting mystery of the previous season. But love it or hate it, this is what we have and whether people agree with me or not, I like it for the great shots, development of the protagonists, David Lynch-ian undertones and the overall cinematography which always suggests a sense of depth to the otherwise dull environments. Though there is still room for improvement in the story and the furtive identity of the killer. So the show is still fun and enough gory but can be a bit more subtle and dark in its approach which it needs to be.

Rashomon Effect

Part-I

“I don’t understand it”, cried the poor cobbler. The wind rustled through, heavy rain pouring all over. “This must be a mistake”, “It has to be”, the monk mumbled. Thunder blazed and the rain continued. The two men were sheltered in the decrepit, old lounge. In its time it must have been a famous hotel by the road for travellers and tourists who passed by this road to visit the nearby mountain but now it was reduced to nothing but few pillars, torn down roofs with water running through and walls of wood not holding by much. Since the new road opened with a shorter passage to the mountain, people slowly stopped going by this road and due to lack of business activity the owner ultimately abandoned this building and left. This was Rashomon- The corpse of a resort which was now sheltering these two stray men from the storm. Then came running another man seemingly to find a hideaway from the rain. “Ah! Looks like the rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon”, the man said. “I don’t understand it”, “I don’t understand it”, kept on saying the cobbler. “Aye baka, what are you crying about?”, asked the man. “I don’t understand it, it doesn’t make sense” “what don’t you understand? Tell me maybe I can help”. “Oh no, no one can. It’s us the humans, what have we done?”, the monk intervened. “See we have a very wise and enlightened man among us” “come on both of us can surely help you”, the man said. “It is about a story. A story no one has ever heard before. A story of lies. A story of murder.”, said the monk. “Then it shouldn’t be such a surprise. Murders happen all the time here. You know they bombed an entire town not too far away from here, you know how many died there?” “But this is different. I’ve been through wars. I’ve seen assassinations, witnessed countless heinous crimes but this one is different. How can the humans become like this? I have lost faith in humanity. ”, replied the monk to the man. “Oh begin already, I want to hear this extraordinary story of yours”.

The monk went on, “A human’s existence on this planet is limited. In the afterlife he has to pay for all the crimes he has done in this life and in the past lives. He must pay for his crimes only then he will be free of this cycle of life and death, of hate and suffering, or greed and malevolence. Yet in his lifetime, humans commit all kinds of sins, lives his life without sincerity or devotion for God. Humans have become so self-centred, the human soul has decayed…” “oh stop with the preaching.” , interrupted the man. ”I did not come here for a preaching session. It was just this rain so I thought it might be good to kill time by hearing your story. Tell me the story, only the story.”

“Yesterday when I was walking to the monastery after a preaching session at an old man’s home who used to be a postmaster and just retired from 40 long years of service. He called me to hold a sermon with his family members on the occasion of his retirement and new life.” “oh no not another religious propaganda”, said the man. The monk looked at the man with sharp eyes, gesturing that he’s coming to the point. “when I was returning from there, on my way, I saw a man and a child in a car, race past me. I could not get a clear view but I saw the child was tied with a rope to the seat and his mouth was taped. I tried to follow them but they were too fast but I noted the car’s number with which the police tracked that person down and caught him. We were called in to testify this morning.” “I, I was there”, murmured the cobbler. “It was in the evening, in a ditch few kilometres away from the road where they maybe passed the monk. That ditch is a desert like landmass through which only a single solitary road passes by. There is no other settlement or even a street light around there. I was dragging my cycle home from my shop where I mend shoes. That day I received a special order from a regular customer to replace the heel and outsole of a pair of shoes which he needed the next morning for a job interview. So I decided to take them home. There after walking a few minutes into the ditch, I saw a red car crashed on the right side of the road, there was still smoke coming out of the bonnet. Somehow it crashed with the single elephant tree there was in that ditch, which even after five years of going from that way, I never really paid attention to. There was no one in the car, just a wallet in the back seat. There was a rope lying there and a few feet away from the car there was a corpse of a man. I had never seen a dead body before in my life. I screamed and ran away from it as quickly as possible. I was so terrified, I even dropped the shoes I was carrying in the bag when I grabbed my bicycle and headed towards the nearest police station.” “So that’s it? Who was that man? Who killed him? What happened to the kid?”, said the man. The monk took over, “then we saw the whole thing unfold at the trial. The dead man was allegedly the kidnapper but there was another person involved except the kid. They caught him through a call from a doctor’s clinic nearby, who told the police that a suspicious looking man was waiting there with a gunshot wound and arrested him. What happened after at the trial is still unbelievable. It was so horrible, my heart refuses to believe that. “What? What did he say? Did he admit it?”, again asked the man. “He and the kid both were present at the trial. The kid ran away and collapsed near our monastery. We reported about him to the police. We heard both their testimonies and it doesn't make sense. Its baffling really. They all gave different accounts of what happened. All were repugnant, crying aloud the vile nature of humanity. It was hard believing anything after that. My faith is shaken …...”

"This time the story is inspired from Akira Kurosawa's masterful morality tale- Rashomon"

True Detective Season 2 Episode 2: Review

The episode that ended with a bang. This week we delved deeper into the story with some strong character performances. This time we experienced the characters’ perspectives and how their behaviour turned out to be so. Not just their backstories but their demeanour and more was explored about their relationships and the most unexpected twist in the series which came as a bang in the end.

The episode started with officials arguing about who should handle the case as the man, Caspere (the first corpse), was a resident of the city of Vinci but found by Woodrugh and was also a part of an ongoing state investigation. So it was decided that Detective Ani Bezzerides lead the investigation while being assisted by Detective Ray Velcoro and Paul Woodrugh. Appointing these people to this investigation raises the fundamental question that whether the state or the officials want this solved or not (as pointed out dubiously by Ray Velcoro). Really one can question the sincerity of the whole detail, if one carefully speculated that are these people even the right choice for the job? Paul Woodrugh, who isn’t even a detective and Ray Velcoro who accepts that dualities might be affected for public interests (in other words, he is compromised or bent to the other side of the law). Most people realise that Ray might be too inclined towards making everyone happy and have wobbly ideals and yet he’s assigned to investigate a murder with direct ties to underground dealings with some major developments projects. The murder of a man who was in hold of Frank Semyon’s money who is now pressing Ray to find the culprit. Ani Bezzerides is the only one in the whole bunch who’s got nothing to gain nor anything to lose from this investigation and is straight up and firm about it like any other case. She is quite unswerving from her beliefs and is candidly working to solve this thing despite being linked up with a corrupt officer and a rookie, though very enthusiastically participating Woodrugh (and also Ray’s lethargic partner who is not so much relevant as of now).

This time we had displayed to us the inner turmoil of our characters more vividly than the previous episode (except Ray Velcoro). Paul Woodrugh met with his creepy mother and most likely broke it off with his girlfriend as soon she discovered about his scandal and realised the emptiness and lack of communication and sharing in their relationship. So yeah one could say things are a little rocky for Paul but he’ll steer clear of it. He’s more of a lone ranger kind of a person. Independent, hardworking and not so much holding onto feelings. One could say he’s not bothered by the personal front and does his work faithfully. We also had a subtle insight into the brutality of the murder which is a core element of the show besides the emotional chaos of the characters and that one scene was turned out to be a powerful though short one. Ani along with Ray explored the victim’s lifestyle and became familiar with Caspere’s obsession with sex. Ani and ray visited the place where the victim was in therapy for dealing with his painful past and his addiction to escort services with a strong liking towards young women. There the therapist recognised Ani as he was once a friend of her father who as Ani revealed was apathetic and a miserable failure at parenting. From these visits and dialoguing we picked up on a strange but interesting chemistry between detectives Ray and Ani. They aren’t interested in each other, neither are they looking for some kind of a salvation with overlapping paths. What they want from each other is just complete transparency regarding the case and whether they accept it or not, there is a certain palpable trust present as Ani despite being told by people still asks to confirm from Ray where his heart lies and Ray knowing everything yet tries to steer clear of her suspicions. On the other hand, Frank Semyon is fighting tooth and nail to raise funds and trying to uncover the secret of the killer by helping Ray providing tips. As more of Frank is revealed, we are being familiarised with Frank’s own dark trade and a horrible past which is unsettling but a treat to watch as Semyon is working nice in giving the show another sinister angle besides the killer. One such tip though leads to the surprising attack on Ray scene. This was a nice play on the viewers. Was Colin Ferrel just cast to mislead us? That however was a very nice and audacious twist.

A still from "Night Finds You"

But at this point, there’s a fair chance we might be seeing the last of Ray due to the shocking scene at the end. One thing about the show mentioned even earlier by me is that the show is shot beautifully. The music, the cinematography is amazing, bringing a sense of mystical eeriness to the screen. The way Ray entered into the house, the way the attacker moved and the whole shot with props and all was quite impressive and terrifyingly exciting. Though the structure at points seem a little similar at times, like that flyover shot (the director might really love it), the meeting of Ray and Frank in that same bar towards the end of the episode with that girl's melancholic singing and a little more but avoidable stuff.

This show isn't what it had in its previous season, an edge of the seat thriller with everything surrounding the big mystery and the ambiance built around it with the quarrels and qualms of the leads. But slowly though, building on emotions and relationships rather than a straight “who did it” thing, the show is picking up pace with some serious suspense and intense situations with the cast doing a tremendous job playing characters with a gritty sense of reality which otherwise might seem impossible.