Year in movies - 2024

 2024 - Movies watched, my favorites and some stats

Notable movies yet to watch - Inside Out 2, Anora, Conclave, The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, Vaazhai, Meiyazhagan, Garudan, Premalu, Bramayugam, Maidaan, Stree 2

2024 Favorites (So far)

Year in movies - 2023

2023 - Movies watched, my favorites, and stats

Year end list yet to watch: Barbie, The boy and the heron, Jigarthanda 2X, Good Night, Dada, Chithha, 12th Fail

Year in movies - 2022

Movies watched in 2022, my favorites and stats

Movies yet to be watched but are likely to be Favorites - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Top Gun: Maverick, The Woman King, The Banshees of Inisherin, Fall, Thirteen Lives, Bullet Train, Lightyear

Movies watched in 2022

Different language movies watched

Year in movies - 2021

 My watchlist and favorite movies from 2021. Missed posting this last year.

Probably my most productive year for movies, watched 130 in following languages

English - 78

Tamil - 12

Malayalam, Korean - 9

Hindi, French, Indonesian - 4

Telugu - 3

Thai - 2

Spanish, Danish, Italian, German, Greek - 1

Year in movies - 2020

(A delayed post ~ 2 years late) 

It was a good year at the movies (or rather movies at home). Watched close to 120 movies in 2020 largely thanks to Lockdown

The day I was blessed

The magician and his wand

Bless my holy angel! Was i really watching this!? I jus CAN NOT BELIEVE!! I felt like I was blessed 175 times today! Its an innings of a life time and something which u can very proudly say to ur kids n grand children that "I was alive when that happened and I watched it live!!"
And for this first time in my life i shud say n am guilty to accept that today something was more important for me than India winning. I was madly hoping that he wud cross 194 n reach whr any ODI player has never been, the magic 200. However it was dreadful that it could not be a fairy tale ending and had to end that way..
Most of us have read about One man show, single man army n all those stuff where an individual brilliance overshadows anything n everything that happened that day. This was that day and Sachin was the man. The Man of the match award for a man from the losing side stands as a little testimony.
Am damn excited and emotions are running high. Penning them all down is a pretty tough ask. I wud have written a blog for every shot he played today, that wud have been lot easier. It had his class written all over, again n again.

I guess am sounding a little lunatic. So, I wud better take a break here n go back to enjoying one of the finest moments in the history of Indian cricket.

The answer was pretty obvious when he was asked post-match as what keeps motivating him all these years. "I care about playing for India, it's a passion and I have been absoloutely honoured to play for India so long" This is why we love u!

I cant imagine hw things wud b, once this guy retires!! I just cant digest that it might happen some day.. Sachin, Do u really need to retire!? U jus keep playing till eternity. Hope the God gives him a long life and in someway an ability to play till his very very end for the simplest of reason that the law of aging just doesn't apply for this man.

- A Sachin Fanatic

Time to fantasize

The IPL II comes to an exciting end today. It being a Sunday of underdogs in South Africa, with two retired war horses in Gilly and Jumbo leading their pack to the finals. No one would have expected them to pull this off given they were the wooden spoon holders last time around finishing 8^th and 7^th respectively.

One of the best things about this season’s IPL has been the Fantasy cricket, I have been playing throughout. It was really exciting to take a manager/captain’s role and pick the best 11 for your fantasy team.

So as a finishing touch, here is my hand-picked fantasy team with the best in this season so far.

[caption id="attachment_316" align="aligncenter" width="382" caption="Ram's 11 - My Fantasy team"][/caption]

Icon player [1]

It was a tough choice. Other contenders were Sachin and Dravid, but Yuvi has been good in parts with both bat and the ball, if not consistent. He has scored 346 runs and picked 6 wickets including double whammy of hat-tricks. His bowling and powerful hitting made him edge over Sachin. Dravid has been sort of in and out of the team, so he had an unsettled look. Sorry Viru, VVS and Saurav, better luck next time. But one small change, the icon player doesn't get to be my captain.

Foreign players [4]

Orange capped Haydos and his good old team mate Gilly were automatic choices. Mr. Priest, the walker gets to be my captain for his ability to lead from the front. Bowling slot was sweeped by Malinga given his consistent performance thru out the series. I couldn’t make a quick decision reg the 4^th slot. Should it be a bowler or a batsman? If a batsman then, ABD or Dilshan or Duminy. Else Nannes / Abdulla / Murali. I would love to have Abdulla in my team. This guy was amazing picking 14 wickets in 9 matches. He was unlucky to have Lee back in the side and he automatically fell out of favour. But inorder to maintain a balance, I have to go with a batsmen. And it’s the first centurion of this season ABD.

Indian under-22 [2]

Blore’s Kohli, Chennai’s Tyagi, Deccan’s Rohit n Suman, Delhi’s Sangwan, Punjab’s Sohal n Chawla, Kolkata’s Ishant, Mumbai’s Abishek, Rajasthan’s Kamran Khan n Jadeja have been really impressive and outstanding. I was really happy to see these kids perform well in the big stage, after all, IPL is all about identifying new talents like these. Now coming back to my pick, Rohit Sharma goes straight through. He has even been named the ‘Citi under-23 success of the tournament’. He rightfully deserves it. 2^nd slot was a tough fight between Ishant, Sangwan and Chawla. Sangwan gets picked for his wicket taking ability (He is 8^th in the top 10 wicket takers of this tourney) He bowls good left-arm medium-pace like his idol Wasim Akram.

Indian over-22 [4]

Purple cap holder RP Singh, the underdog and revelation of this season Ashish Nehra (I never expected him to be this successful) and namma Chennai’s very own super king Raina pick themselves up. The only remaining slot had the Pathan brothers from Baroda in a tussle. But, Yusuf lost it to his younger brother Irfan for his exceptional all-round abilities picking 17 wickets at an avg of 22.94 and scoring 196 runs @ a strike rate of 124.05.

All said and done, if there were no restrictions like Icon/Under-22/4 Foreigners etc., then the one below would have been my dream team.. Looks sexy na :)

[caption id="attachment_321" align="aligncenter" width="260" caption="My dream team"][/caption]

Aham Brahmasmi

Well.. atlast Bala's most awaited work is out! And I should thank my cousin for getting a ticket at Sathyam in the opening weekend.

An off-beat (yet again), different and a moving work by Bala. I felt that it needs user discretion, as a few scenes though not very explicit, were quite disturbing. By the way, I liked it. I always like people who dare to think different. With Kollywood rolling out so many crappy movies in recent times, this one for sure stands tall.

It had Bala's trademark style written all over it and all the way through. His usual mix of timely comedy and drama were present. I was really surprised that this movie could have had so many lighter moments.

The dark realities of our lives, which we have never bothered to know until now, have been pictured realistically by Bala. The life among 'Agori' Sadhus, the troubled life of blind beggars controlled by the mafia and the lives of mentally-challenged people have been narrated in a way that is new to Tamil cinema.

I have to make a special mention of few outstanding performances. You might be a little shocked to know that Arya's performance was a little over shadowed by the leading lady. Pooja has done herself some good by accepting this role. Surely this movie will be a turning point for both the lead pair.  One of those bold beggar kids with his timely comedy gave us a good laugh more than once. The cast was almost perfect.

Maestro's songs were not really that memorable except a couple. But in general the background score was neat and was really helpful in letting the story flow smoothly. I happen to hear that all those specially-abled people in this movie were actually so and were trained to act in this movie. The only misfit character was probably Arya's dad. He could hardly emote!

Technically rich visuals, splendid re-recording apart from top-notch performances by the artistes makes 'Naan Kadavul' a very memorable one.

All said and done, I bet this movie will not be a darling of the masses, but if you want to watch something that's worth your money, then this might be the best bet.

P.S. Also we got a chance to meet Gautham Menon and Vishal at the movie hall!

Last year at Hollywood - My recco!

Not to be missed

Vantage Point - More | Trailer

8 Strangers. 8 Points of View. 1 Truth.

The attempted assassination of the American President is told and re-told from several different perspective

Iron Man - More | Trailer

Fully Charged.

When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil

Kung Fu Panda - More | Trailer

Prepare for awesomeness.

Po the Panda is the laziest of all the animals in the Valley of Peace, but unwittingly becomes the chosen one when enemies threaten their way of life

WALL•E - More | Trailer

An Adventure Beyond the Ordinar-E.

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind

The Dark Knight - More | Trailer

Why So Serious?

Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the Joker, as it drives each of them to their limits.

Slumdog Millionaire - More | Trailer

Who Wants to be A Millionaire?

The story of the life of an impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik, who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?", wins, and is then suspected of cheating

CJ7 - More | Trailer

It's out of this world.

A poor Chinese laborer learns important lessons after his son gets a strange new toy.

Made a good watch

Cloverfield | Seven Pounds | Quantum of Solace | Bolt | Horton Hears a Who! | Pathology | Doomsday | The Incredible Hulk | Henry Poole Is Here | Wanted | Hellboy II - The Golden Army |
The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian | Ghost Town | Eagle Eye | Passengers | Alien Raiders | Yes man | Body of lies | Changeling

Were just 'ok'

Forbidden Kingdom | Tale of Despereaux | The Eye | The Spiderwick Chronicles | The Ruins | 21 | The Happening | Hancock | Journey To The Center Of The Earth | Tropic Thunder | Pineapple Express | Fly Me To The Moon

Better avoid them

Drillbit Taylor | Superhero Movie | Meet Dave | The Mummy - Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor | Open Season 2

Toonz all de way!

Toons n animations av never ceased to impress me, may it be the good old Popeye or the Tom n Jerry duo

So I thot I ll pay my tribute to these ever lasting characters, by listing down a few of them who will always find a place close to my heart!

Tom n Jerry

Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical short subjects created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that centered on a never-ending rivalry between a housecat (Tom) and a brown mouse (Jerry) whose chases and battles often involved comic violence. Hanna and Barbera ultimately wrote and directed one hundred and fourteen Tom and Jerry cartoons at the MGM cartoon studio in Hollywood, California between 1940 and 1957, when the animation unit was closed down. The original series is notable for having won the Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) seven times, tying it with Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies as the most-awarded theatrical animated series. (Thanks Wiki)

They sort of changed the toon genre. When animators made the toons talk, this cute little pair brought smiles upon us with their action. Its slapstick comedy, and pretty good at that, but surely is within limits. I never missed out any of their episodes when this wretched CAS was not in place. Even now whenever I could lay my eyes on them, I just don't bother to look away. In simple words, always have been n will be my all time favorite.

Tintin

Tintin and Snowy (original French language names: Tintin et Milou), a journalist and his canine companion, are a pair of adventurers who travel around the world in The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic books drawn and written by the Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé. The series is one of the most popular comic book series in Europe and the world, especially in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.

Tintin was kind of a role model to me. I always wanted to be someone like him. His curiosity for adventure and tendency to go way out to help others always landed him in a messy soup. Yet he intelligently manages to creep out free of trouble with his amazing common sense n presence of mind. It all started when my sister used to bring the illustrated version (Hergé) from the school library. I even used to photocopy the books so that I can have them forever. Then came the animated series. But it used to be a shortened version trying to cover an entire book in about half n hour. But it was a wonderful experience to c my frnd Tintin n the cute snowy alive n kicking ;). My favourite adventures are ‘Destination moon’ and its sequel ‘Explorers on the moon’.. Good sci-fi adventures. Soon we ll get to see him in big screens. Steven Spielberg has already acquired the rights for the movie. Its set to release sometime in 2009.. Awaitin eagerly :D

Mickey

Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks^[1] and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie.^[2] The anthropomorphic mouse has evolved from being simply a character in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.

Can u find me one person who doesn’t like this tiny weeny mouse :) ?!? It’s the oldest and the most adorable masterpiece of Walt Disney. All his adventures have been enjoyable. He is usually accompanied by his close knit of friends Goofy, Minnie mouse, Donald and Daisy duck. His part in Fantasia is sweet as the magician’s assistant where so many things go wrong, yet he escapes them all with his sheer innocence. Hats off Walt Disney for giving us such a wonderful friend.

Pingu

Pingu is a Swiss animated television series created by Otmar Gutman, about a family of penguins who live at the South Pole. The main character is their son and title character, Pingu.

The programme is set in Antarctica, where the penguin families and businesses live and work in igloos.

One reason for Pingu's international success is its lack of dialogue per se. All dialogue is in a honking "penguin language" (called Penguinese), and was initially performed without script by Carlo Bonomi.

This was one of the most addictive series I have ever seen. It had only a few episodes (of course I av them all in my private collection). Penguins are always cute particularly if they are as naughty and witty like this little Pingu. He s very playful and his usual partners in crime are ‘Pinga’ (his little sister) and Robby the seal (Pingu’s best friend). Pingu maybe playful but often helps his mom with pancakes and his father in delivering his posts. I never used to miss them as a kid. Whenever u feel bored or got nothing to do, jus watch this n allow Pingu to take u on a wonderful trip to a world of snow. U av my word that it ll b one unforgettable journey. I honestly hope that some day the series will b continued n that we get to see more of this naughty brat.

Noddy

Noddy is a character created by British children's author Enid Blyton, originally published between 1949 and 1963. The television show based on the character is the longest running show in British television since 1955, and continues to appear to this day. Noddy is a little wooden toy who lives in his own little House-for-One in Toyland.

Noddy is that sweet little boy next door, always providing u a wonderful company. He s really sweet, kind n helpful. He gets his name from his unusual head which starts nodding (with the jingle of the bell on his blue hat) when someone bumps into him and he needs help to stop it. He s so funny and a few toys like the Goblins (sly and Gobo) take advantage and lands him in trouble (usually with the pot-bellied local policeman ‘Mr. Plod’). But he usually has his good friend God fatherly like ‘Big Ears’ who advises him often on the way the things to be done.

Noddy loves driving his friends around Toyland in his little red and yellow taxi. The other toys can hear him coming by the distinctive "Parp, Parp" sound of his taxi's horn.

I used to regularly watch his adventures during my college days (ya.. u read it correct. nt school but college :P) When I used to return home early during the semester exams and other holidays, he used to be my lunch time partner :). I always used to have a good laugh and it was so relaxing. Av not watched any of his episodes for a long time now. Hope to catch up with it soooooon….

There are many more memorable ones. May b I’l come back some day n continue..

so long..