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Bluey (2018)
Show made for kids that targets adults?!
If you are a parent, this show will make you cry on multiple occasions.
If you have no kids, this show will still make you cry. Its that good.
I discovered this show because we were looking for Peppa Pig alternatives since there are multiple studies that show some kid shows hurt development. One of the consistently suggested shows is Bluey. When I first played this for my kid, I naturally watched it with her since I need to know what kind of content it has. I didn't expect it to hit like a mature, adult drama. Sure, the kids will enjoy it but some of the topics tackled here are meant for the grown-ups watching with the kids.
You have topics like childhood trauma (Space), parent-kid relationship and how fast time flies (Grandad), and motherhood (Baby Race). Those episodes made me cry. For example, even if I am not a Mom, the Baby Race episode hit hard because my wife opens up about how motherhood is so difficult and challenging and yet fulfilling. Right at the end of the episode when another Mom assures Chili (Bluey's Mom) that she is "doing a good job," I just chocked and started to cry.
Of course, there are fun episodes as well that shows parenting is fun as well as episodes that focuses on other aspects such as spending Holidays with the Family, playing cricket with your friends, camping, pretend restaurants and much more. But again, do not be surprised if an episode suddenly makes you tear-up.
Wonka (2023)
A delightful, light-hearted movie that hits hard
Disclaimer: I am a huge Roald Dahl fan so this review might be skewed.
Disclaimer 2: I watched this with my 2-year old who immensely enjoyed it which might have overinflated my own experience.
Disclaimer 3: Since every review is personal and would always appeal on how the individual perceived the film, I will stand by my rating.
Watched the trailer for this and thought to myself "here's another Willy Wonka movie that I might enjoy but would lack an interesting plot." Boy, was I so wrong. Without going into spoilers, the film's plot is consistent. The writers knew what the end game was and therefore, had a consistent feel to it. It didn't have any confusing sub-plots, everything fit together. No character was misplaced. You will care about the major characters and everyone of their plot points were closed in a satisfying manner.
The story in general was so delightful and enjoyable that you would cease to think about the movie. This movie is light-hearted and the plot is simple.
We all know what Willy Wonka will end up being but his struggles and his motivation to be the best chocolatier is highlighted in this movie. It shouldn't have worked but it did owing to the casts' portrayal of each of their characters, the humor that is so seamlessly and naturally integrated into the overall story, the general silliness of the movie and its heart-warming ending.
What I'm trying to say is, if you just want to watch a film that you can enjoy and relax to, this film is for you.
Into the Wild (2007)
A nice travel film at the very least. A reflective film that inspires introspection and thinking at best.
Most of the hate for this film comes from a place where they misjudge the protagonist's action as total selfishness and naivety. An argument can be made why this is true, and it is true, but to reduce the protagonist's struggle and conflict into these two words would be premature at best. I have no intention of glorifying this character nor his motivations because I agree that his actions were selfish and naïve but you should understand that the events that led up to his ultimate fate were brought about by selfishness and the general reality he found himself in.
Let me explain. I watched this at a point when I was struggling with my own issues. I was in dark place and I was alone. This made the film more relatable, at least for me. For the protagonist, the only escape for him, literally and figuratively, is to believe in a world where he can escape what "success" ultimately leads to: selfishness. He went on a journey without any belongings, trying to prove that material wealth isn't needed to live a happy life. He went with no one, proving that he can journey alone and be sufficient. All these are stark comparisons to what his parents deemed important: success through titles and relationships (albeit dysfunctional).
The protagonist journeyed across America and Canada to get to Alaska. He met people whom he had short but impactful and memorable relationships with. He showed that he can make meaningful relationships without committing, without staying put. This is further highlighted when the last person he stayed with for an extended amount of time tried to persuade him to stay and not go on with his fool's errand.
In the end though, even though it was too late, he discovered that happiness is only real when shared. Perhaps this is the most powerful line that has ever stuck with me all throughout my years of watching countless movies. It might be a cliché but that doesn't rob it off with its meaning.
So what's the point of this review? Its to say that this is a good film especially for people who struggled with similar issues the protagonist faced. At the very least, it would make you want to travel and explore. At best, it would make you think about your preconceived notions about society, how overrated it is and yet, how it came up with the necessary definition of success, happiness and relationships.
Eagles: The Farewell 1 Tour - Live from Melbourne (2005)
This concert literally made me quit listening to rock exclusively
Wow! What a title. Let me explain. In 2007, I borrowed a DVD of this from my musically-inclined Uncle thinking I just wanted to listen to Hotel California since I saw this version on TV and loved it. I didn't know I would fall in love with this band. And when I say fall in love with this band, I meant fell hard! It was the first time I heard how a band should sound like. The harmonies are perfect, the musical embellishments they add to their old songs to reinvent it made this concert a must see for music lovers.
As a background, I exclusively listened to Rock before discovering this gem. When I watched this, it made me realize that there is more to music than just rock and roll. This made me realize that music is music no matter what genre you enjoy. The Eagles set that bar for me. From then on, I would watch live sets of bands and artists I am interested in and judge them according to their live performances.
Few final words. If you enjoy smooth harmonies, old rockstars showing off their musical talents, reinvented old songs then this concert is for you. The documentary gives these artists humanity.
If you are still not convinced, check these songs in this concert and compare them to their original, studio version and you'll know what I'm talking about:
Hotel California
Lying Eyes
Heartache Tonight
Already Gone
New Kid in Town.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Came to see a mindless comedy, walked out with my favorite movie
Short Review is the title itself: Came to see a mindless comedy, ended up being my favorite feel-good, travel movie.
Note: I made an IMDB account just to contribute a positive review for this wonderful, underrated movie.
Long Review: I saw trailers of it on TV and saw Ben Stiller's character jumping into a building that's about to explode. I didn't really pay attention to it so I though it is a comedy about a boring, day-dreaming middle-aged man. And that's about it. Never expected anything but another mindless, Ben Stiller comedy. Don't get me wrong, I love Zoolander and Tropic Thunder but this film is different. It has comedy in it but the focus is on emotion and inspiration.
The first part completely threw me off because I didn't expect what would happen in Act 2 of the film. The first part of the movie played right into my expectation of the film. In fact, the first scene where he was contemplating whether he should click send a wink to his coworker's dating profile in a website called e-harmony cemented my expectation that this was another comedy and a bleak one at that since the first joke (when he finally decided to click on "send a wink" but it won't get through) didn't really make me laugh.
Then the intro played after that and somehow, I saw the cinematography and was a little bit confused since I was thinking what is a beautiful cinematography going to do in a comedy? It is unusual and from that moment, I knew this wasn't going to be a comedy.
Then the set-up, introducing us to Walter's world. It is something every introvert would relate to. The movie just completely resonated with me.
Let me explain. When Walter Mitty was released, I was in a job I didn't enjoy. I didn't know what I was doing with my life and everyone my age seemed to be doing better. In short, my outlook in life was bleak and really, I wasn't expecting it to get better. In fact, I didn't look forward to anything. I gave up hope and thought this was all I am ever going to amount to. I was swallowed up by guilt for something I regretted doing. It was a dark time for me. And so, somehow, Walter's character related to me on a personal level. So imagine the range of emotions I felt when he was staring at Sean Penn's poster in his office and he imagined him beckoning him, taunting him to get out and just go.
AND MAN. When he started running and the music started, I knew I would love this film. I was so immersed in that scene up to the moment when he landed in Iceland. It made me feel I want to travel to Iceland as well, to go out of my comfort zone. It gave me something to look forward to. I wanted to have a better life, one where I can afford to travel, go out of my comfort zone and end up finding my own quintessence of life.
So is it a good movie? For me, it is a big yes and looking at the reviews here, so do a lot of people. I have watched it countless times and it made me look for other "travel movies" and those movies surely helped me through my personal struggles. Sure, the "critics" didn't love it but I remember back in College, a friend in a film org I was in told me, "if a film ends up making you tear up or make you feel genuine emotions, it doesn't matter what others say. It is a good movie."
P. S. It also introduced me to Of Monsters and Men, Jose Gonzales and the world of Indie Music in general.