cruella

cozy watch

after having sat with it for a good 3-4 days, this is all i can say: as an adaptation, i have massive respect for the path chris nolan chose to take - it almost seemed as if he was debating with the source material. he definitely achieved what he set out to - his peculiar filming style, costumes and set designs aiding his vision. a hero's journey converted into one of utmost human regret and the trickle effects of war. HOWEVER, even after understanding what he wanted to achieve, it just didn't move me as much. the first half felt like a succession of the same scene - odysseus's crew reach a shore where they encounter something strange, they fight it and run back to their ship, finally rowing away from the danger. the highly anticipated polyphemous scene in the cave was misinterpreted to a fault, because adding a little humor won't detract from the message. also, it would've shown odysseus's smarts instead of just having it repeated again and again. the heart of the film definitely lay in the last scene between odysseus and penelope, it was basically oppenheimer's "i have destroyed the world". the scene itself was so well acted by all three actors, it was the only one to move me. zendaya's character being revealed to not be athena, but a manifestation of odysseus's guilt after having killed her mercilessly in troy brought tears to my eyes. penelope's scenes were brilliant - anne hathaway perfectly slipping in and out of the robes of a mother and a wife to rightfully position herself as the queen was amazing to see. circe's arc being cut down like that made my heart hurt a little, but it was in the favor of the runtime, i suppose. lupita was fantastic not only as the helen of troy, but also as clymnestra. the women jumped leaps and bounds for the few minutes of screentime they were given! tom holland's performance was inoffensive and diffident, he was just there. matt damon, too, for example - the scene where father and son reunite after the dog recognises his master was so abrupt and barely made me feel anything. pattinson did what he does best - playing a little freak that inconveniences everyone :) lastly, the cyclops and circe scenes were done amazingly - he should probably look into making a horror next. although it feels as if he has closed the loop of his filmography with this one.

"people of the world, those whom you consider the messiahs of peace and prophets of democracy - first recognize their truth, and then tell us who are the terrorists and who are the righteous." what a heartbreakingly important and unfortunately relevant account. even digressing from the urgent need of such a movie - it was so well made! the scene where the police force arrive at satnam's was perfectly tension-inducing and had my spine straight the whole time. furthermore, what strong acting performances. i had tears in my eyes and rage in my heart throughout. however, the fight that was started by martyr jaswant singh has continued in the way of this movie's release. the censorship proves that the echoes of his shout will manage to stoke the embers of dormant fires in people's hearts even today, and that is a testament to his determination. the organized crime depicted here is a microcosm of a system that's still being upheld all over the world, be it against kashmiri's by the army or against american immigrants by ICE. the allure of power and greed is woven into this country's fabric very intricately and no matter the government or era - unraveling it will require a million, billion bravehearts like the protagonist of this film.

the religious motif throughout the film was so delicious! the extensive runtime wasn't felt at all, thanks to the strong performances from all the involved actors. the claustrophobia and anxiety felt all-encompassing through the sound and lighting, watching this would've been a blast in the cinema hall. hugh jackman, though, is at his career best here. his portrayal of a grief-stricken father choosing the more difficult path out of love for his daughter, only to slowly begin deriving a perverse thrill from the revenge, then feeling guilty and seeking penance for the same, was SO GOOD! also, the last 15-30 minutes had me at the edge of me seat. the aunt's relevatory speech sent a chill down my spine - because she had succeeded - she had turned loki and keller into demons of sorts. i also loved how this tied back to the first scene where keller is teaching his son to hunt. finally, the scene where loki is driving a drugged-up anna to the hospital was executed so well. the surroundings becoming progressively blurrier, the rash driving - it had my stomach rolling the whole time!