Coco - Pixar's Wizardry in Full Force

As soon as the first few scenes of Coco brightly lit up the screens, you have a terrible sense of disbelief "Is this going to be like The Book Of Life?" particularly with the uncanny resemblance of the lead's love to strum the guitar and the soul of the movie based upon the Day of the Dead.

Was it?

Heavens' No.

Coco is 25000 ft heads and shoulders above The Book of Life - in terms of narration, screen richness and lively moments. I'm not going to horribly spoil your viewing experience by playing out the details of this visual paradise. Yes. It's a must watch in the theatres else you are missing out on something good and upbeat in your life. 

You can speculate the core story in the beginning itself. Nope. This is not Hindsight Bias. When Miguel goes to the Land of the Dead, he finds his entire family there. But, none of them were celebrating Ernesto as their own member, it clearly indicates that something is logically awry which leaves you to take an educated guess to the main essentials of Coco excluding the whys and wherefores to the specific situational events. If you didn't surmise it, then you may find yourself engaged with smart plot twists and the reasons for the happenings.

Either way, Coco is a deeply-moving and fully-flavored film that has the right mix of songs, actions, and sentiments without being too melodramatic in the eking out of the strong message of the immense importance of familial ties and relational bonds to be balanced with one's dreams. 

Coco is highly spirited, pun intended, and breath-takingly sucks you into a resplendent vortex of warm and vibrant colors that are a complete feast for the eyes especially the scene-stealer where you are shown the entire townscape of the Dead in one single shot. That. Was. Magnificent.

Like many of positively tear-jerking and multi-hued Pixar films as Up, Inside Out, Wall-E, Toy Story etc, Coco also makes your eyes wet with their intensely emotional narration and heavily emphasizing on the attachment to family and thus, it easily occupies the one-of-the-best positions in the ranking of Pixar's reels. 

Oscars?

Oscar Nomination guaranteed. 

But, will it go all the way?

IMHO, Yes. As of now since there are no tough contenders to Coco. Nope. Despicable Me 3 cannot even come close to this yet-again Pixar Dazzler. 

Summarizing, Pixar has time and again understood the right emotional touch points of their target audience extremely well to churn out high-quality films that are thoroughly enjoyable and memorable to be watched not only by kids but also by adults.

What are you waiting for?

Get immersed into the Spirited, pun again intended, Mexican Wave of Colors.

PS:

Please be on time so that your attention is equally grabbed by Olaf's Frozen Adventure - a short animation based on the mind-blowing 'Frozen' that is screened before the actual movie.

Did I say short?  It was a mini-movie by itself.

Still, you don't want to see here and there but keep our eyes glued to the screen especially when Elsa creates a gorgeous and stunning icy Christmas Tree with her trademark hand-waving magic. 

Origin - The Source Becoming Clearer

Dan Brown (DB). 

Other than Digital Fortress and Deception Point, when you plunge into most of his other works, there is a clear set pattern and theme in his writings.

A high-profile person is dead. Someone calls up Robert Langdon (RL). He is taken through the serpentine and numerous streets, roads, districts, and countries along with a blonde or no blonde girl decoding one clue and puzzle after another until RL comes inches close to death but doesn't die. Distraction is thrown on some other person with clever writing. In the end, the antagonist is either apprehended or dead and RL saves the day.

Origin is no different.

It follows the same fate as its predecessors. But, what makes it a compelling read is that not only due to the sheer fusillade of information but also how AI can be notoriously and nefariously used when left unchecked.

I'm not going to deep dive into the story. It's left to your interest.

Here, you will see what's hot and what's rot in his new outing.

DB has brilliantly explored the ethical issues of AI taking full charge of the situation. When RL learns the truth in the fading pages of the novel, he is shell-shocked and stops in his tracks bewildered to completely understand the truth in its entirety. 

In this case, Edmond's brainchild thoroughly understands his master's wishes and comes up with an ingenious plan to ensure that his creator gets what he wanted. In the real world, the elephantine problem arises if the AI overrides their inventor's commands and performs things on its own with their superior abilities and skills. 

Even imagining it is a catastrophic scenario when the AIs become sentient beings or those machines which go outside the purview of human interference. 

To put things into perspective, Westworld Season 1 Episode 10. If you haven't watched this episode, then you will have no idea as to what I'm talking here. 

But, for those who have witnessed the carnage that the robots had unleashed on humankind in the season finale, this is where eminent personalities like Elon Musk is at the forefront and vociferously banging their fists on their table to regulate the rules so that such future situations doesn't spiral out of control and the fire is within our firm grip. 

IMHO, I am also with Elon Musk on this one as blind optimism towards unknown futuristic technologies could make us literally blind one day due to the advanced and sophisticated thinking capabilities endowed within their systems. By saying this, I'm not a Luddite. All I'm advocating is that prevention is better than cure. Then, there is no use in crying once the milk is spilled. 

This wafer-thin line between ethicality and unethicality is superbly captured and beautifully written by DB in Origin. In fact, he also gives a free advertisement and indirectly gives a wonderful product recommendation to Tesla! 

The inherent issues arise within the framework of the story. Before the cat was out of the bag, there were 2 instances where Edmond hermetically secures himself from any data leak and his AI uses another voice to divert the troops from the building. When you put two and two together, it doesn't take an Einstein or Newton to figure out who is the real bad guy in the narration. 

Also, DB explicitly cites that physics is responsible for the creation of our life on Earth. But, when you look at it from all angles, the process is not only restricted to physics alone but also the right chemistry, biology, and geography that are essentially needed for any life to sustain on any Planet. 

In all, Origin is a completely satisfying read especially when you visualize Christian Bale donning the role of the pioneer Edmond Kirsch if at all the book is made into a movie. Considering the mind-blowing transformation that he has achieved for his upcoming film, it will be highly unlikely that he would get signed into the Origin movie supposing the producers decide to hit the floors in this year.

PS :

Just like how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle bumped off Sherlock and revived him back, it would be good for DB as well to either give RL a fitting farewell or a shocking cliffhanger in his next book as DB has become extremely predictable, repetitive and monotonous in his way of piecing out the breadcrumbs to his readers. Maybe like Robin in Batman or Watson to Sherlock Holmes, RL could also have an assistant or intern to unravel the mystery of history side-by-side!

  

Tying up this entire blog with one of my favorite hard-hitting messages in the book,

“Which would you choose? A world without religion? Or a world without science?” 

My take is that science and religion can be good friends and help out each other. 

The rationale behind it is actually pretty simple as - be it science, religion, birds, animals or even us: human beings - we are all products and by-products of thousands of billions of years of evolution in nature by slowly and steadily coming up with solutions to problems to survive, extend our lives and our descendants. So, instead of seeing a strict and severe demarcation between science and religion, it's better that both the streams put one hand over the other and go for a long walk together for humanity's welfare.  

Spiderman: Homecoming - A Good Slinging Welcome!

And finally. I had the faint inkling of dread that Spiderman: Homecoming (S: H) would be telecasted either in Star Movies or HBO before I wrote, Okay typed!, down its review.

Just like how the Marvel Universe began the trend of having the post-credit scenes, there is a small surprise at the end of the blog as well.

Why are you so in a hurry to scroll down and peep into the surprise? Naughty. Naughty.

If you aren't that impatient, which you aren't, the rest of the blog will not take that much time.

That's the sum up of S: H also.

It was joyous and bubbling with innocent humor that you cannot say it's an outright slam-slam superhero flick. Tom Holland was the picture-perfect cast to this reboot after the catastrophic Amazing Spiderman series. Kudos to the Casting Director for giving us such a memorable and effervescent unseen spidy character - the likes of which we didn't see even during the times of Toby Maguire. 

Instead of the ram-rod straight, authoritative, controlling, egoistic, powerful and all-knowing dominant superheroes that we have been familiar with, this spidy was floundering and fumbling that wasn't awkward for the eyes but it gave a cheerfully cute, adorable and buoyant feel throughout the film despite the spidy's lack of worldly experience in dealing with hardened criminals or negotiating with a caretaker as Tony Stark or his aunt. 

The biggest strength is that S: H had a fine human touch to this fun and funny spidy which was actually refreshing like a hot cup of coffee/tea when you have a headache though there was an instance which reminded me of how Toby Maguire uses his steely flexible webs to stop a fast-running train from falling over a broken track. In this case, we had the new spidy using his ultimate superpower to hold together the two halves of a ship. Maybe, in the next reboot, they will have the spidy ensuring that a rocket is bound together! 

As I touched upon "hold together", it was an extremely intelligent choice to project Michael Keaton as the Vulture for he had already reprised the roles of Batman and Birdman in his illustrious career. He was really the perfect cohesive agent to bind the movie together with his protective and dark performance as the Anti-hero.

Tony Stark was, as usual, in his own element but this time as a micro-managing boss who sees to it that his protegee doesn't cross the line. However, the line is not just broken but simply thrown away by our friendly neighborhood guy with timely help from his friend.

When I said friend, if one person who says that the MJ character is as dull as ditchwater, you need to recalibrate your neural wiring a bit. Did I say "a bit"? It's actually "wholly". Man! And Woman! What attitude. Yes. It's all an act. Still to pull it off such a kickass portrayal was a show-stealer even in scenes where spidy was present.

I don't have to say anything about May as Tony Stark had already clearly described his aunt in Cap Am 3 when he went to recruit Peter Parker.  

Speaking of recruitment, did anyone else notice that Bruce Wayne went on a hiring spree in Justice League (JL) just like Iron Man in Cap Am 3? 

Also, Flash's seemingly exuberant nature in JL resembled more like Tom Holland's Spiderman in S: H. At least, I got such a feeling.

Condensing everything in a nutshell, S: H is a highly enjoyable, entertaining, upbeat and lively movie that has struck, Sorry spun!, gold for the MCU's creative web.

PS:

Ah! See. You had the patience to read through the full blog before you came to this surprise section. I knew you had it in you.

Without further delay and ado,

As 2017 is drawing to a close, we have had plenty of releases in the superhero genre - Logan, Wonder Woman (WW), Thor, S: H, GotG 2 and finally - Justice League. 

No. Lego Batman or Transformers cannot be technically called a hardcore superhero movie as they are not from the DC and Marvel kitty even though one can persistently insist that Batman was utilized in Lego Batman.

IMHO, revenues do not reflect the exact nature of a movie's caliber as some hyped films can hit the silver screen during the festival seasons or long weekends and make staggering money in the first few days but then evaporate due to the void of substance and quality of the movie itself. 

Thus, I decided to rank the 2017 superhero movies not based on the ROI or the revenue generated but solely on the basis of pure class and deserved merits of the films. 

1) Logan

2) Wonder Woman

3) Spiderman: HomeComing

4) Thor: Ragnarok

5) GoTG 2

6) Justice League

And with more movies in the pipeline like the monumentally much-awaited Avengers: Infinity War, depraved Deadpool 2, watery Aquaman, 2018 is going to be an incredible fest for all superhero lovers especially if you love watching both Marvel & DC with an unbiased eye for the sheer joy of characters on the screen.

PS 2:
Thanks to Thor's team for proving me wrong that the actual movie was as good as the teasers and trailers. Waiting for more such action-packed and humor-infused show stealers, pun intended. 

Justice League - Justice Served Lukewarm!

Just when you think that the DC Universe has got their basics on the money, pun intended, with "Wonder Woman"(WW), you are left wondering how Justice League (JL) may have left their league of fans with such injustice.

Is it not good? Yes.

Could it have been better? Yes.

Should Batman improve and hone up his acting skills? Yes.

Have the makers forgotten to add the secret sauce? Yes.

So, what went right in JL?

Humor is intermittently interspersed here and there like scattered sheep on a big tract of land. As many of the scenes were already shown in the lengthy trailers, the only note-worthy scene was when Aquaman was telling the truth under the influence of WW's lasso and he didn't realize it until it was too late. Just imagine for a moment what could probably happen if WW uses her Truth Lasso on the politicians across the world. You never know how many skeletons will tumble down from the closet, metaphorically and literally!

As we are on the lines of WW, OMG! Gal Gadot is increasingly becoming hotter and her darling quotient is exponentially on the upward trajectory with her daring stunts and child-like smiles. That one scene where she confidently steps on her sword and it effortlessly lands in her hand in one shot. Awwww. You go, Gal! ,pun intended. 

Since I've said 'go', just like QuickSilver in the Marvel Universe, Flash is a breath-taking revelation in the DC Universe. It was fresh and appealing. In fact, in certain places like how Flash uses his inhuman capabilities to tip the sword, pun intended, in WW's favor was way better than QuickSilver's rush for speed in slo-mo. 

Aquaman, Cyborg, Superman, and Batman fill up their respective roles - due credits to the scriptwriters for giving equal weight to all the characters instead of merely present in the background and play second fiddle to the Super and Bat.

Now, the negatives.

If you had watched 'The Departed', the word 'f**k' would have been used more than 200 times in the total run time of the movie. Similarly,  'unity' was a taedium vitae as the term was incessantly used by Steephen Wolfe (SW) and others. Nope. I am not going to count the number of times that 'unity' occurs in the movie! 

Speaking of SW, he was neither menacing nor ruthless. He was more like "Guys, I'm the villain. I am going to be terribly smacked by Superman in the end". 

How did I reach this conclusion as I was watching the movie? As simple as ABC since none of the others could actually tackle him heads on. That leaves only Superman to bash down the bad guy in the climax.

Likewise, the editing was more like the discrete blocks of rocks that were used to build the Pyramids! You could actually feel that it was distinct and separate and that there was no smooth transitioning from one scene to another especially during the narrative arcs when it switched from Amazon island to Iceland where the Bat meets Aquaman.

But, the biggest of all is the logical crevasse that is inherently in the storyline itself. Take for example. Cyborg goes out to bring one of the unity to revive Superman and he returns unscathed when the entire swarm of SW's army is out looking for it. If this scene completely makes any sense to you, then you are a genius. Sorry, I'm not one. 

You can possibly argue that movies are for entertainment. And why do we need to look out for logic in it? You are correct. No denials. As long as the logic fails for minor and frivolous issues. If it's a major one, you think it's right? Even you do think it's right, is it really right? 

To put things into perspective, what does a software developer first fix when there is a bug in the code? Critical or Cosmetic? For argument's sake, if you still say that latter defects should be addressed first, I don't know what to say.

All said and done, JL is a definite one-time watch even though it's enmeshed and entangled with its flaws. 

Go. Watch. Laugh. Howl when Superman rises. Forget. 

PS:
A special mention to the superb in-product placement by Mercedes of their freaking awesome prototype futuristic car. 

Thor:Ragnarok - A Hilarious THORny affair between the siblings

Thor (T) is taken as a captive and imprisoned by Ragnarok (R). T prods R by casual banter. The deliverance and style indicated that this movie was going to be different from the erstwhile T films. The final nail in the coffin was when T addressed his skeletal companion in the cage and you knew 100% sure that Thor: Ragnarok (T:R) is going to be something special in the Marvel Universe. 

Is it better than CapAm? No. 

The Avengers? Nope. 

Antman? Nada. 

GoTG 1? Anti-Yes.

Deadpool? Certainly Zilch.

Logan? Hell No.

Then, how is T:R special?

The previous 2 stand-alone installments of Thor were only mediocre. But, what makes T:R a really enjoyable ride is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Take for example the scene where the One-Eyed Thor sits on the chair in the spaceship and his friends address him as the King. Chris Hemsworth simply turns and gives his fellow Asgardians an unceremonious and easy-going wave to them instead of being stiff, affected and formal.

As far as the story is concerned, you know that Thor will defeat his sister by the end. There is no surprise in that inevitability. However, the real party is in the narration which is richly filled with sparkling fun and scintillating colors.

When Loki says "I'm Loki and not Lackey", it's a scream of a dialogue. I will do great injustice to the witty script-writers who made use of the "Rock-Scissors" joke to such a brilliant effect. Freaking fantastic. Likewise, the way T checks whether he is the real Loki or not was gut-busting. It was a good thing that the Grandmaster didn't give the moniker "Sparkles" instead of "Lord of Thunder" when T was introduced in the fighting den with Hulk!

Speaking of Hulk, it will be extremely interesting to see whether the Green Monster would turn into the 7-PhD Mark Ruffalo again in the forthcoming films. Hulk had a decent enough screen space and time alongside Thor and Loki. The entire sequence of Thor and Hulk in the kingdom of the GrandMaster was simply superb especially the gladiator-ish physical show of strength between the "Strongest Avenger" and Strongest Avenger.

Loki was up to his own usual self without which T:R may have been a bit boring despite its raving funniness. As ever, he's the central component on whom the movie makes its twists and turns although T is the hero. In the end, Loki stops for a moment when he sees the Tesseract in the vault before he brings back Ragnarok to life again to destroy Hela. We have to patiently wait and watch to know as to whether he couldn't resist its temptation though knowing Loki's shady character, we know what he would have done.

As we are on the topic of Hela, the screenwriters ensured that she didn't have a dragged and extended backdrop but a crisp and brief story of her life. The way she stopped Mjolnir and crushed it to pieces was the highlight that even left T in a state of shock and suspension of astonishment. She had quite a Wonder Woman-esque stunts but being the Goddess of Death, her character could have been utilized much more.

Nevertheless, there were no unnecessary quips and ripostes when the last remaining Valkyrie meets Hela in the climax portions. I had the foreboding sense of intuition that these two would lock themselves in a verbal torpedo and stretch the movie's time. Luckily, sanity prevailed and everyone got down to actual business by fighting each other.

That said and done, T:R totally belonged to T for the way in which he transformed himself from being dependent on his unliftable hammer by others to realizing his true potential as the God of Thunder. It was electrifying, pun intended, when he has a drastic changeover as soon as he is able to put to best use of his powers with the banshee-screaming music of Wonder Woman playing the background. Besides his terrific bod, Thor was as handsome as a Greek God, though he is Norse, with his hair-cut.

Worthy mentions to the cinematographer for the way they captured the lush fields and peaceful oceans of Norway. Also, the straight view of the Rainbow Bridge connecting it to other realms was spectacular as a glittering platter under the shiny sun. There was also one scene where Hela's horns' shadow was shown where the cinematographer's skills were put to great effect. It really created a feeling of ominousness.

The only problem which was there in the entire film was the lack of emotional depth. It took itself a little too relaxed than striking a balance between fun and seriousness. Similarly, the movie also seems to have been tremendously inspired by GoTG 2 like the way Mjolnir flies and trashes others akin to Yondu's arrow. In the same way, the amazeballs of a grand send-off with fireworks for Yondu which we saw in GoTG 2 was also replicated in T:R as the Valkyrie alighted the spaceship with the pyrotechnics ablaze behind her.

With all its flaws, T:R is still a thoroughly entertaining humor fest that will make you smile with all its jokes like referring Stan Lee as "a creepy man"

PS:
Moving from objectivity to subjectivity, my personal favorite scene is where Loki screams with full vehemence "THAT'S how it feels" when Thor was bashed by Hulk from side to side in the ring. It was an incredible touch of ingenuity on the part of the director and script-writers for having made wise use of the plot shown in The Avengers where Loki was smashed by the Hulk. That complete scene was transpiring in front of my eyes when Loki uttered the to-be famous words.