Apparently, this is what qualifies as a pastoral comedy – one which has a countryside setting, rustic simpletons and displays a clash between the cosmopolitans and the rest. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, AYLI is the most representative of this genre. I understand why this is not rated as among his best. The bard's fascination … Continue reading As You Like It
Sector 36: Watched it with my cousins during my trip to Palakkad. Massey, with his baby face, was a wrong choice to play this real-life monster. Alaipayuthe: When I returned, Sruthi was midway through this with the kids. The pulsing energy of this movie still makes it as refreshing as it was when it came … Continue reading What I Watched – April 2025
I’ve been reading up on the Cold War and the Iron Curtain and naturally ended up shortlisting John le Carre’s Karla Trilogy - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honorable Schoolboy and Smiley’s People – for a reread. While James Bond was dashing, sophisticated, and sensual, le Carre’s George Smiley is a senior retired bureaucrat, cuckolded … Continue reading le Carré’s ‘The Karla Trilogy’
Soon after finishing ‘Twelfth Night’, I watched the 1996 movie adaptation by Trevor Nunn and was better able to appreciate the play. Four hundred years before gender, queerness and homoerotic love became a fad, we have the Bard tackling all these themes in a comedy without breaking a sweat. That said, I found the plot … Continue reading Twelfth Night
The Brutalist: I wonder if this was the longest movie that I’ve ever watched in a cinema. The movie was good but not great. After a month, thinking about it, only Felicity Jones’ character comes to my mind. Day of the Jackal: Undoubtedly, the best thriller that I’ve watched in ages. I just love these … Continue reading What I Watched – March 2025
Mark Twain: After reading Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, this two-part documentary by Ken Burns helped etch Twain’s life in my mind. The discovery that he travelled extensively within India was the high point. Amritham Gamaya: Continuing on the MT diet, watched this classic helmed by Mohanlal on YouTube (subtitles available). The climax, understated yet … Continue reading What I Watched – February 2025
It’s a New Year and probably a good time to get started on some new projects. I decided to be a bit more mindful of the content that I consume. So, here we go with the stuff that I watched this month: Rifle Club: The first movie of the year and that too watched on … Continue reading What I Watched – January 2025
I just finished watching Season 1 of Shtisel—the hit Israeli series. The show revolves around the lives of a large Orthodox Jewish family. The Haredi Jews are an ultra-Orthodox sect that shuns most forms of modernity. Television and the internet are 'prohibited' for them. They spend most of their time immersed in the Torah. Until … Continue reading Shtisel
In no particular order: ChallengersZendaya's energy sizzles throughout in this ménage à trois story Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny:I've been watching all the Indiana Jones' movies with the kids. The time travel scene to the Battle of Syracuse and the appearance of Archimedes in the scene was spellbinding. ConclaveWatched this last week and … Continue reading Best Movies/Series – 2024
Its hard to comprehend the horrors that Europe went through in the early 20th century. The generation that was born in first few years of the century, was the fortunate one. They were too young to fight in the First World War and too old for the Second. Stefan Zweig’s memoir ‘The World of Yesterday’ … Continue reading Zweig’s ‘World of Yesterday’
