Skip to main content

Movies Lately: Spotlight + The Big Short + Dr.Strange + Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. (Mini-Reviews)

Hello!

I've been on a movie watching spree for a while now and so, I thought why not share some reviews and recommendations on here for fellow movie lovers.

Let's get into it (in no particular order)..



1. Spotlight/// Spotlight named after the investigative journalism department at The Boston Globe whose sole focus is to investigate certain big stories and cover them without any interference from the main newspaper or any sponsor, political or other kinds of interference.

In 2001, the Spotlight team started an investigation into claims of sexual harassment of children by priests in the Catholic Church. Over months, the team unearthed horrifying levels of abuse and cover-up. Here is the link to the real story.

The movie is brilliant! The performances are subtle and so realistic. Flawless movie!

Highly recommend watching it!



2. The Big Short/// This movie tells the story of how the Sub-Prime Lending Crisis in the US took place in 2008, leading to a world wide financial depression.

The Big Short has a cast of dreams! You have Christian Bale as a maverick doctor turned investment banker who actuals bets on the housing market collapsing much before anyone else had a clue that the home loans in the US were mostly bad or sub-prime loans. Then you have Ryan Gosling, who inspired by what Bale tells him starts also betting against the housing market. Steve Carell is brilliant as the angry Wall Street professional who is so fed up of the Wall Street bulls*t!

The performances are brilliant, the storyline is taut and what I, especially, love, is how something as complex as the sub-prime crisis is explained so well and so simply.

Highly recommend this movie!



3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them/// If you've read the book and learnt all about magical beasts from Newt Scamander's adventures all over the world, then this is a movie that you simply must watch!

The movie is based in New York, where we get to see the US magical community, who are nowhere nearly as sweet, cute and fun as the UK bunch. The American Wizarding Community is obsessed with keeping their identity secret and so, when an accidental encounter with a NoMag (American for a Muggle) leads to some of the magical creatures escaping from Newt's suitcase, Newt gets into a world of trouble.

Trying to capture Newt and his suitcase of magical creatures is New York Auror Tina Goldstein while Jacob Kowalski (the NoMag) and Queenie (Tina's sister) help Newt to find his lost magical creatures and the movie is about the shenanigans that they get into.

Also, there is a nice little twist and connection with the original Harry Potter books in the form of the original dark wizard *wink wink*.

This is a super-fun movie and the magical creatures and the humans are super fun to follow on their adventures!




4. Doctor Strange/// Okay, so, the biggest reason for watching Doctor Strange is, obviously, Benedict Cumberbatch! And he does not disappoint. He is the only shining star in this otherwise pretty MEH Marvel movie!

The whole magical dimensions thing is not very well explained or done as a plot device, though the VFX is stunning and out-of-this-world good! The villain's motivations for whatever he does lacks a lot of context and he just seems like an evil, crazy dude, which most of Marvel villains don't seem like.

So, like I said, watch it for The 'Batch! He is good and fun, though I wish they'd built up his 'before' life a bit much. We're constantly told that Doctor Strange is an arrogant tool but there are like 1.5 scenes where he is super-mild and not at all arrogant! So, yeah.

Still, worth a watch. Also, the mid and end-credit scenes are fun.

What have you been watching?
And what would you recommend I watch?
Do tell!
Weekends are the best time to settle down and watch some movies!
Have a lovely weekend folks :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a