The Revisitation

Someone said that the greatness of the Alien franchise lies in continuous re-invention. Alien Romulus is an installment after some gap - in 2142 a space probe investigates what looks like the abandoned USCSS Nostromo. As expected they run into the xenomorphs at some point - what you perhaps do not expect are a young protagonist (Rain - Cailee Spaeny) who is trying to escape the servitude of her current assignment and escape to the planet Yvaga, a synth (Andy - David Jonsson) with the calmest of demeanors that belies its cold calculating self, and Rook - a synth aboard the spacecraft with an exceedingly conflicted primary directive. I do not recall the Alien franchise - not Gravity - demonstrating the law of conservation of linear momentum to dodge xenomorph acid in zero gravity stasis. Also the last fifteen or so minutes traverse an entirely different genre - perhaps a new strain of sci fi mutant horror in the series. This is no Doom or Quake style FPS through the corridors of a spacecraft. It is less frenetic, more deliberative, no less ruthless and amoral, and in the end also a survival story with a fresh cast, fresh science and a fresh outlook

16.5/20

Mira-cles

The sleeper hit you know nothing about. Lera (Veronica Ustimova) on earth, with her father Valeri (Anatoliy Beliy) in space. A meteor shower gone all wrong in Eastern Siberia. Lera fights for her life instructed by her father from the space station . Mira is a no holds barred massacre on earth, teenage angst, survival and self discovery. On Prime Video and a must watch for sci fi fans. And yes IMDB ratings aren't everything - especially for a Russian movie 🙃

16.5/20

Finding Character

Finding oneself is a journey, and even Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) hides low self-esteem and ADHD behind layers and layers of trash talk. A used car salesman with all of nine people in his life – Deadpool gets transported to a different timeline to find the Anchor Being (Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)) – however the instance of the multiverse where this rather tenuous association between Deadpool and Wolverine is to be is called the Void – a Mad Max-esque (with credits) world where one Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) turns out to be the arch-villain. With many other characters such as X23 (Dafne Keen), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), The Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Gambit (Channing Tatum) in tow. Adequately entertaining, with a reasonable storyline and engaging renditions of 70’s and 80’s music (think Like a Prayer to Time of Your Life), this is saving the hackneyed Marvel franchise – for now. As with the multiverse and our timeline in the story. High marks for energy

15.5/20

Please let Anxiety go

Here I was in the movie hall, overcome with emotion, thinking of how universal a correlation between retaining all your memories - good and bad - and coping skills i.e. not being overwhelmed with anxiety - is. Anxiety is a keeper - its protective instinct is just as strong as joy and/ or anger. But coupled with the other new cast of characters post-puberty - ennui, jealousy, disgust, embarrassment - anxiety is just about the one thing that becomes too much to cope with - whether you are a parent or a child. And sometimes in the face of a lot of new real-world emotions on the way to adulthood, we need to find more of our childhood selves including coming to terms with our failures and the possibilities therein - to learn to cope and to believe that we are not only "good persons" but that we come in many shades and that it is ok. Inside Out 2 is a brilliant watch and Disney hits it out of the park by extending the "sadness" attribute to "anxiety" - and a lot more nuanced and with no loss of universality

17.5/20

Face your Fears

So you want to watch a horror movie. Not all of us are able or willing to commit a few hours, step out to (not exactly family stuff), savour some slow and ominous buildup, and duly get freaked out multiple times. Where is the space for the quick horror fix? the one that looks for the fear that is inherent in daily life? How do you feel when you are the sole person, in the dead of the night, in a train compartment, and alight in a deserted station? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue0sTfVaeTw) How well can you trust in the early days of a relationship? Who is freaking out whom? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wghdBOIH6sA) Who else is the third wheel with amorous roommates? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXQhcKk7Q2c) What if the worst fears over a date came true (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Mpv5QvhIg) ... and what if you cannot even imagine what a "bad date" can be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzVyCuvj1_s)... It is in the mastery of the mundane - the mild fear turning into an unspeakable terror - that creators on Alter (https://www.youtube.com/@WatchALTER) and Screamfest (https://www.youtube.com/@screamfestla) - Youtube channels - excel. Do you scratch when you itch? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toeG9OWeqdU&t=664s) Do you let in trick-or-treating children in hoodies? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zipj8eXcclk). Highly recommend getting out of the comfort zone, making good use of free time as opposed to long essays, and supporting some truly inspired if unknown creators

16.5/20

The Sound of Silence

Lupita Nyongo is a sublime transcendental acting talent in A Quiet Place Day One. The sheer terror of an alien attack, the empathy for a pet (Frodo the cat) and for strangers, the all too human search for pizza in a dying world, the desperate scream with thunder in the background, the acceptance of one's lot and the ultimate sacrifice - she packs it all in in what often appears to be a solo performance. Eric (Joseph Quinn) does no disservice to his role as the harried student who overcomes his fear of water and does the rescue - while Samira (Sam aka Lupita) makes the ultimate sacrifice - to the soundtrack of Feeling Good (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling_Good). It is not a particularly harrowing nor easy watch, but the thespian skills of the lead set it apart

16.5/20

Not so Silent night

Beth (Rebecca Hall) mourns the loss of her husband Owen... and continues a lonely life in a house in the backwoods. Till she comes across Owen's phone - and suspects an affair. But that's not quite it. The women slightly resemble Beth but not quite. And the visions - the increasing supernatural presences in the Night House - are for real. The Night House is a carefully crafted and genuinely eerie movie with a storyline that is not necessarily the easiest to guess - and even if you do, the scares are real

15/20

All the Demons in the World

 "No One Will Save You" - if there was any ambiguity as to the tonality of the movie perish the thought !! The finality in the title is real. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives alone in a suburban home... appears disconnected and ostracized by the community at large. Along comes an alien break-in, with an all-out dash for survival, possessed humans, telekinesis, and - here is the interesting bit - the mind control device that shows Brynn's chequered past with Maude - the girl in her care whom she ended up killing. A tough gritty and anything but a feelgood movie that does not end on any triumphant note - this is quite a find - the demons of our lives are not just aliens who might invade, but perhaps the demons from our past as well

15.5/20