Onward (2020)

Post my medical review in February 2020, I got back to Mumbai and wanted to get back to watching movies in the theatre. I didn’t think I was ready for ‘Parasite’ yet, and when the sibling suggested an animated movie, I thought why not. Usually these movies have a feel-good ending and don’t demand too much in terms of thinking. I guess this is the world healthy children live in, and there’s no harm in visiting this world as an adult too. Even if one is unhealthy.

My mother, the sibling and I went to watch ‘Onward’. The theatre had more children than usual, and I felt happy. My mother felt the movie was too kiddish, but I loved it. The story of two elf brothers who set out on a quest related to their dead father was exactly what I needed to kick-start my movie-watching all over again. We went to a theatre close to where I stay with the idea that incase we had to return during the interval, it would be easy to do so. What happened was that I could sit through the movie without any discomfiture.

I notice that Hollywood often makes movies related to magic, and the animation and the art is exceptional in them. It leaves me with the lingering feeling of wanting to watch behind-the-scenes work. I don’t know how to review the quality of such movies as I am usually mesmerised at what I watch. Is there more effort put in the movie? I wouldn’t know.

Such movies usually show the principal character go through the hero’s journey and it makes for exciting viewing. The movie has some special moments. It shows the reaction of the two brothers to their mother’s new boyfriend, the independent mother who makes her own decisions, the low self-confidence in the younger brother, and how much the two brothers miss their father. Watching the younger brother draw up a list of things he wanted to do with his father was bittersweet. I also got to know about the magical and mythical manticore.

Watch the movie. It will be time well-spent. At any rate, it isn’t clear when one can get back to watching movies in the theatre, so this acts as a good way of saying, “The last movie I watched in the theatre before Covid-19”

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

I have not read much of Tintin, and didn't go to watch the movie directed by Steven Spielberg when it released over five years ago. Last night, while surfing channels, we landed on this movie and watched it for a bit.

Despite the circumstances one finds oneself in, movie lines can be motivating.

Captain Haddock: I thought you were an optimist.
Tintin: Well, you were wrong, weren't you? I'm a realist.
Captain Haddock: That's just another name for a quitter.
Tintin: You can call me what you like. Don't you get it? We failed.
Captain Haddock: "Failed", there are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse! Don't you ever say it of yourself. You send the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Do you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you.

I have read elsewhere that people pick up the vibes we send, and yet I have often been able to place the "real" vibe underneath. I expect this to be the case with other people too.

Edited to add: I put this up on facebook, and got to know that the character of Captain Haddock is portrayed differently in the books. The wiki entry informs me that he grew to be a courageous character.

Inside Out (2015)

My colleague recommended this movie to me, and I convinced the sibling to come along to watch it. I have got so used to watching movies on my own now that watching one with company feels increasingly unusual.

Bringing psychology live on the big screen and doing a great job of it isn’t easy. Great books that deal with complex ideas get lost in translation. Experiences that overwhelm in real life don’t come across as convincing. Yet, some movies manage to bridge the gap. Inside Out is one of them.

Set in the world of an 11-year-old girl, Riley, the movie deals with the basic emotions – Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear, and how they affect her. Watch the movie to see how they interplay, how the concept of core memories is shown and how core memories can get affected repeatedly. Watch also how each emotion is given importance, particularly relevant in a world that’s obsessed about finding happiness in everything.

I later took a quiz, and was assessed as ‘Joy’. Not entirely surprising, since I do manage to pick myself up and remain optimistic. Yet, the moments of disgust and anger that I experience also shape me and I am thankful for them.

This is the official trailer. I expect the movie to pick up an Oscar in the first quarter of 2016.

Up (2009)

As a child, I was fond of Enid Blyton’s books, particularly of the Five Find-outers and the Faraway Tree series. The idea of looking for mysteries in everyday life, and solving them appealed immensely to my curious mind. As I grew up, I outgrew the idea of adventure and now find myself happy leading a largely routine life. One that is devoid of action.

This movie appealed immensely to me for it brought back childhood memories. Where idealism got a chance to thrive (the protagonist meets his wife as a child, they marry, find that they cannot have children, find their love grow stronger as the years go by, they grow old, the wife dies, and he leads his life with happy memories for company), where colours are bright and gay, where children speak with courtesy, and it is easy to segregate good and evil – for they are so easily classified.

I found myself cheering for the old man as he literally took off for the adventure of his life, enjoyed his interactions with the characters he met, felt happy seeing his exhilaration when he met his childhood hero, and hoped for a happy ending when I saw him tackle the unexpected situations he found himself in.

This is the official trailer, and I strongly recommend this movie. The child in you might be hugely entertained!