Tag: Movies

Kolkata – Durga Puja Festival!

Four Years ago… The First time we visited Kolkata for a Bengali wedding….In the heart of kolkata Park Street. We spent two days doing the most obvious kolkata things… Having the Kolkata Paan, Puchka and visiting the tourist attraction like Victoria museum besides attending the Punjabi- Bengali wedding… we visited Flurys one of the oldest Cafes in Kolkata almost 100 years old today.
To visiting a Chinese restaurant and having Indian Chinese since … Hakka Noodles we’re first discovered here in Kolkata. We also had the Rolls from Kusum .. Kolkata is popularly known for their Rolls!
While we had meals! How could we miss out on the desserts… Misthi Doi from Balaram Mullick one of the oldest sweet shop now has multiple outlets across kolkata. To having the Nolen Gur Ice cream & Paan ice cream from Pabrai to enjoying an Bengali-French meal at 6th Ballygunge restaurant.
Four years later…
We tried most of these things again … But visited places that we had missed Peter Cat & Mocambo known for their Chelo Kebab & Crab meat In Mustard Sauce & Pork Nuggets Both of these places are owned by the same owners, have same interiors but both offer a different menu… Besides the regular meal break we took.. we visited the Roastery House Cafe in Hindustan Park… A cafe done in an old bungalow with mustard colour walls and simple interiors.. Any place we visited Kolkata without booking we had a waiting for about forty minutes… but, Wait!
We did not just Eat & Sleep.
We also attended grand Bengali ceremony Durga Puja! One day we toured across the city visiting Durga Puja Pandal, that were beautifully designed keeping a theme & idea behind and with such creativity and deadlines…From Library, to the lockdown life to Football & Bollywood were some of the pandal we visited.
You keep wondering why isn’t Kolkata visited by Tourist or why don’t people from other states come here!! And why don’t travel magazines promote Kolkata as a destination… why just Rajasthan, Goa, Mumbai and Bangalore?
The visit couldn’t be more kolkata, when we met the Superstar of Bengali Cinema Parambrata Chatterjee who is a very popular face in Bengali Cinema and someone who acted in a Bollywood movie Kahaani! The film made me first want to visit Kolkata….

So Yes! I believe I have been lucky to have seen Kolkata like a local both times!!

Durga puja Pandal

What Does a Television mean today?

What does television mean today?
When was the last time, you watched television?
Has a television just becomes another screen today?
You have started watching a new series, that everybody has been talking about.
But you don’t want to miss out!
Do you start watching it on your phone first, then continue watching on the tablet and if it’s something binge-worthy do you continue watching it on your television screen to make the most of( The Sound, The effects and the distraction to a minimum) considering the notification from social media have been distracting you now and then to the work emails.
With the Television becoming our new “Big Screen” for movies and series!
Where do the cinema theatres go?
Is going for the movies to the theatres dead? How will the cinemas survive? Will a subscription model be applied to the cinemas as well?
A subscription that allows you to watch an X number of movies in a month with some F&B to go with it.
Since we haven’t had any good films make it on the Over The OTT platform.
All the interesting looking ones are waiting for cinemas to reopen to launch it
But compared to ₹900 a Year, ₹1500 Year and ₹400 a month for mobile devices on a certain platform for family viewing.
Where do the cinemas go?
Will one be spending on the movies.
Mind you even the television seems like a dull experience with the Advertisement coming up frequently.
Where does that leave advertising? Only on News broadcasting channels? Since most of the channels have been playing older episodes today, And more new content coming up on OTT platforms with a wider range of genres and stories available.
Are we all just streaming on different screens?

Best Movies of 2020: 

This Year was very different in many ways. 
Even for streaming movies. 
And since many of us did not have the opportunity to go to the cinemas to watch movies! We Watched the ones that were on our Bucket list for a long time. So here are the best of movies I watched. 
Two Popes: The World Trade Centre: A Film based on a true story about two cops who survived the 9/11 and this is a film you should watch. To know how a western country was completely taken by surprise and how the two survive to tell their story.  
Parasite: The Huge difference between the Rich and Poor is shown here. And Once the Greed is unstoppable. They can go to any limits to make sure their plan is successful. And We humans are just like Parasites!! 
Contagion: This film gave us a little teaser of what was to come about five years ago. But very few of us thought about something like this would ever happen! We rarely take the film as reality. But always think about it as a fictitious medium. But This film was so accurate with what we have all gone through this year in the same/Similar Ways. 
Just Mercy: With The Black Lives Matter Movements being one of the most talked-about global issues. This film talks about the way ‘Blacks’ are being treated and how one Black Lawyer helps to get his accused justice. This is a must-watch. 
Rocketman: An Autobiography on Elton John one of the greatest pianist and the film is about how he came to be known as Elton John. on Amazon prime Video 
Richard Jewell: An innocent man who initially a hero to save lives when he finds bombs in a live event. But later is accused as a culprit and how he has to prove his innocence by Clint Eastwood a must watch on Amazon prime Video 
Jojo Rabbit: This is a sarcastic film about a Hitler Fanatic and his relationship with his mother. This was a very entertaining film on Disney Hotstar.
Ford vs Ferrari: A Story about Carroll Shelby ( Matt Demon)  an automotive designer, and Ken Miles(Christian Bale) a race car driver who come together to build a trailblazing vehicle and compete against the Ferrari race cars.Available to watch on Disney hot star. 
Best Bollywood Movies 2020: 
This Year! There haven’t been many Bollywood movies as such that have been a memorable watch. But Surprisingly all the best movies! I watched this year were based on Woman. Right from Shakuntala Devi who was known as the Human-Computer to Gunjan Saxena or for that matter Thappad. 
Thappad: Why Should one remain Quiet if one’s isn’t respected? 
Gunjan Saxena:  A Story about India’s first Woman Air Force Officer/Pilot, The Story is about how Ggunjan’s father pursued her daughter to fulfil her dream of being a pilot. The story also highlights how the academy was open to having a woman in their academy but did not have all the basic services like a restroom and changing room. This film was also controversial as the Air Force academy refused and accused the filmmaker of making the film slightly fictional.on  Amazon Prime Video 
Shakuntala Devi: An Autobiographical/Biographical film about Shakuntala Devi who was India’s best mathematicians and this is her story as told by her Daughter. This is a must-watch everybody to know about one of the greatest minds and her struggle and achievements. The Film stars Vidya Balan as a lead! Who completely did justice to the role. On Amazon Prime Video 

2020 Thoughts!

Ever since 2020 began! 
It’s been setting up new challenges every day. 
Two months into the year and we were all dealing with a pandemic that even more than six months later doesn’t seem to end. 
As the year moved ahead! We lost a legend and one of the best actors in our Hindi Film Industry. Just when we were coming out of these two shocking deaths. We were thrown a mysterious death of another actor. Which was cited as a suicide, but reports were pointing to murder, three months later we still aren’t sure whether it’s a suicide or a murder. 
While there was just a hand full of those who questioned and wanted justice to be served for the late actor as it was strongly pointing towards a murder 
But, Things started to change when we were forced to pick up a side as one of the prime suspects in the investigation was arrested for Drugs and also used PR tactic’s to defend herself exclusively with two Broadcasting channels without first being questioned by The CBI. 
Weeks later, An Actor who began the fight of justice for the late actor, who had also being vocals and her ”Nepotism” Conversation took an ugly turn for. Leaving her with no movies offers. Plans to come to Mumbai and is not only threatened for her remarks a couple of days ago for comparing the city and situation with an enemy territory but just a few hours before her arrival to The City of Dreams! Her Office is tarnished citing reasons, illegal construction work. 
Mind you all these series of events are taking place while India is at its peak on the Coronavirus. 
The economy has hit it’s lowest since we had our independence and our in the middle of a war with another neighbour of ours. 
And what hurts the most is people who are considered role models, people who are looked up by Millions and Billions not just from our country, but from around the world. 
Haven’t spoken about anything at all from the injustice or justice for a late actor whose death remains a mystery, For an actor who’s office has been attacked wrongly. 
Or for the matter of where our country is headed in terms of our economic mess, How one should be tackling the pandemic or for that matter about the tensions amongst the borders, Are they all scared to open their mouths, Are these the people we aspire to be like? 
Where is the Freedom, If our well-known celebrities themselves can’t speak about anything? 
Is this the country we want to live in? Where there isn’t any democracy any more, but just dictatorship from all sides… Where power is also being misused by the powerful and not used the way it should be used. 
Where we speak up in minutes and condemn the West, but can’t really address and speak about the issues that are taking place in your motherland. 

Some of The Best Movies Now Streaming

  • Jojo Rabbit

    • A Movie I missed watching in the cinema theatres and wasn’t sure until how long would I have wait to watch this film, But a few months later It released on another streaming platform. And so I watched the film.

    A story about a boy who is nicknamed Jojo Rabbit after a summer camp weekend and a story set during the conflict of German-Jews and during a period where Hitler was hailed by Some of his Fanatics and how one had to be careful in the communication.

    But this film is a hilariously funny and slightly emotional film worth watching and When you have The director himself portraying Hitler it just can’t better.

    The movie is actually based on the novel “Caging Skies” by Christine Leunens.

    The novel centres on a young Hitler Youth who discovers a Jewish girl hidden in his house by his mother.

    Hitler in the movie is Jojo’s imaginary friend thus he is the Hitler that a young boy would imagine.

    He also pointed out that Hitler is an amalgamation of different people in his life, such as his father, the Nazis in town and even his friend Yorki.

    One of the tensest scenes finds Gestapo officers (led by Stephen Merchant) searching Jojo’s home. However, the scene is also hilarious with the Gestapo doing little more than greeting one another with the “Heil Hitler” salute which is made 31 times in the scene

    1. At the 92nd Academy Awards, the film received six nominations
    2. Including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Johansson, and Best Adapted Screenplay

    Johansson earned both her first and second Oscar nominations this year.

    In addition to being up for best supporting actress, she also nabbed the best actress nod for her work in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

    Contagion 

    Just Imagine have written, Directed a film almost a decade ago on the exact same way we have all been struck by the pandemic. It’s surprisingly an exact replica of the way the Coronavirus has come about. The Imagination of such accuracy is unbelievable.

    The last five minutes of the story – The way it has been shot & directed is the best explanation of the full film. You have to watch this film. The star cast has lived the story once already while filming, But today we are all living this in reality.

    Marriage Story  By Noah Baumbach

    Marriage Story is a true story based on Noah Baumbach relationship and separation of his marriage with actress Jennifer Jason Leigh as well as his parent’s divorce. 

    Marriage Story is about a relationship of an artist couple Charlie Barber played by Adam Driver and Nicole Played by Scarlett Scarlett Johansson While Charlie Barber runs a theatre company in New York City, Nicole was a teen film actress and they both are going through marital troubles. 

    At the same Time Nicole is offered a role in Television Pilot in LA and soon decides to live in NYC and live with her mother  Henry her son and follow her dream of being a Hollywood actress. 

    While Charlie stays back in New York and works on his play that he would like to showcase at the Broadway. 

    The Story then follows the couple mutually decide to divorce. However one day Nicole hires a family Nora lawyer and tells him the full story of their relationship and mentions a  few speculations of Charlie’s relationship with his stage manager in the theatre company.   In the meantime, Charlie flies to LA to Nicole to share his happiness of winning a prestigious Fellowship grant But instead has divorce papers handed over. 

    Charlie lawyer believes they should play dirty, but rather Charlie doesn’t want things to go bad. 

    While the movie moves ahead with both coming to a common conclusion for their separation while living on a different coast, they have different laws for the same. 

    The film brings out a lot of emotional and realistic feel as the story is based on true events  And  Since Scarlett Jhonasson too had a divorce just a few months before the filming of the film. The Acting too was very real. The movie was very well made and a well- deserved nomination for the film and Scarlett Johnson