#mass action

[zebracandle]

[neengareadynaaready]

Mandela and Maaveeran

I finally finally saw director Madonne Ashwin’s Mandela (2021) and Maaveeran (2023).

These are fantastic! Mandela is his first full-length feature film, followed by Maaveeran, and I am now a fan of this director.

Mandela (2021)

Here, famous comedian Yogi Babu stars as Smiles, a barber from the Dalit caste. Smiles isn’t his actual name. It’s what the villagers call him - if not Jackass. He doesn’t remember his name. His parents are gone. His only family is this boy named Side Burns who isn’t even related to him. They live under a banyan tree. Sometimes, they’re given money for their services - sometimes they get a share of rice after Smiles gets their ration.

And then one guy steals Smiles’ money from the tree, so he goes to the post office, and the officer, Thenmozhi, recommends he get a bank account. To do that, he would need an official ID. And to get that, he would need an actual name.

With the help of Side Burns and Thenmozhi’s help, they landed on the name Nelson Mandela after the historical figure who, as Thenmozhi says, also fought for his identity.

The main conflict of the movie is that two political parties tied for number of voters. When Mandela’s voter ID arrived, they start fighting over him.

It’s definitely a great film to watch, with a Dalit as the main character. It doesn’t ask the audience to break the caste system though. It does talk about vote-buying as a very “normal” custom that people are used to doing or take for granted. It presents the issues to the viewer and leaves you to think.

Trigger Warning: there is a short scene where Mandela contemplates suicide but he gets interrupted and has a conversation with a younger woman who opens his eyes to see his situation through a different perspective

Maaveeran (2023)

What a truly fun film! Madonne Ashwin brought a smart and unique take to the table of masala action hero movies. It’s a very meta film. It places the action hero formula and elements in a fun new angle. I suggest it to anyone who loves to watch action hero films. I say “action hero” films instead of just action films because this movie focuses on The Hero, The Great Warrior aka Maaveeran. It’s about how one person (usually a man) or two (if it’s a dual hero movie) fights for his people and beats up bad guys while looking cool. They’re a superhero without the powers.

Sivakarthikeyan is in amazing form in this movie - and I don’t just mean his physique. He looks cool in the action scenes, as both someone who doesn’t really know how to fight and later as someone who fully embraces his “role” in the story.

Cinematography is slick, action sequences are quick and largely more grounded than in the usual masala movies.

The main story revolves around Sathya who is a comic artist. He draws the story The Great Warrior, which has been running in the papers for decades. He and his family were forced out of their home by the river and into a shabbily-done apartment complex with other families. Sathya, the opposite of most masala action heroes, does not want to complain. Unlike his mother (and the heroic father who died when he was young), Sathya isn’t confrontational, not even after his sister were assaulted (off-screen) by a neighbor.

He then hears his mother complain about him being a coward.

Cue TRIGGER WARNING: attempted suicide

Sathya, when he hears this, tries to take his own life. He gets stopped when his sister calls him via phone. He tries to get down but falls instead because of the substandard construction. This accident leads to him hearing a voice (by Vijay Sethupathi 🥰) that narrates the story of The Great Warrior, with Sathya as The Hero.

It is honestly a fun film. This might be my favorite SK film. Sathya is a great character. Despite him constantly resisting the Voice, we get hilarious masala action hero movie elements. It is SO FUN. I don’t know what else I can say — this movie is just a fun and enjoyable one.

If you’ve seen many mass action hero movies, you will recognize the elements in Maaveeran and how they wove it into the story in a very smart way.

Oh and THERE IS A POST-CREDIT SCENE! I found it very very satisfying and wrapped up the story in a good way.

I will be rewatching this with my family because it’s a truly enjoyable flick.

(One of these days I swear I will write a paper on this, just you wait, world)

[paranoid-confident]

CT New Haven protest at Yale during alumni reunion fundraiser

[djedukenya]

Jogoo Road Huge Crowd heading to Nairobi for Demonstration

Raila Odinga’s call for Mass Action is gaining shape after several parts of Nairobi City have been hit with protests and demonstrations.   Supporters from various parts of the city have been reported to be making their way to the meeting point, KICC, where they will be directed on the next place to head to.   Along Jogoo Road, a huge caravan has been reported heading towards the CBD. From the…

[hellafluff]

Garrus' interactions with Shepard post-Thessia are so fucking well written. Everyone else is telling Shepard they're sorry or doing a soft sad voice asking if she's okay but Garrus has this moving little speech about how losing a fight isn't the end of the war and I just. He's so fucking good. He knows what Shepard needs to hear and has the experience to back up the things he says. He's so good to her

[politijohn]

Source

Source

[sliceoflasagna]

I will never get how people here aren’t losing their minds more over that pathetic little priest from midnight mass. He is either mumbling incomprehensibly or screaming like a lunatic. He is constantly covered in blood. He’s a manic pixie dream girl. He’s a poor little meow meow. He ate a guy

[by-the-dreadwolfs-tits]

in my silly little post-canon happy ending au, i like to imagine that shepard has the tony hawk curse. why? its funny

i didn't SEE anyone else having done this, but if they have uh.... two cakes

og tweets under the cut

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

[diss-track]

Not once have I seen anyone mention/bring up that Arthur Fleck is one of the few fictional men we have had that is not racist, misogynistic, sexist, feels his emotions, and is kind and respectful to women in his fantasies and in his reality

[fictionisthebetterreality]

Me: Yeah I like Mass Effect a normal amount.

Also Me: Did EDI know that she was going to die? Did she see the possibility, one of a thousand simulations, subroutines running like dreams in the back of her mind? Did she tell Jeff? Or did she feel the Crucible wave catching up to the ship as it was happening, feel its hungry claws reaching for her synthetic synapses, her circuitboard heart? Did they get to say goodbye? Was there time for her to give him a message? Say Thank You, Jeff, I'll always remember you, Jeff, Jeff, I love you- Or did he look over, start calling her name, only to see the blank shell of what used to be his love? Did they hold a funeral for her? Bury her body in the foreign earth of a planet scorched by the heat of their crashing ship (her true form)? Did he ask Shepard afterwards? Did he ask her if she knew, knew what would happen when she made that choice? Did she reply? Did she tell the truth, or lie, her tongue burning like a thousand suns because she is too far broken, too cracked with guilt and grief, to force herself to risk another? Kaiden, Ashley, Mordin, Thane, Miranda, Anderson, EDI - surely another would destroy her beyond repair, so does she lie? Does she crush yet more bodies beneath her boots, saying No Jeff, I would never-

[kawaimoonshine]

MY GARRUS FIGURE ARRIVED AAAAAAAA

EXPECT PICTURES

Le space husbando is safely home :3

[lunargazing-png]

i couldn't stop thinking about this. liara plays dressup with shepard (he is having a blast)

[starscreamingg]

Detroit Become Human and why does this game decide that the problem in society is individual people treating androids poorly because those androids are choking them out of the workforce and NOT the corporations and governments who deliberately designed the androids to do this

[gayvampyr]

leftist: kamala said she would continue aiding israel and allow the “war” (genocide) in gaza to continue. she also promised to be harsher on border policing and immigration, and to make the american military the most lethal globally to further american influence and imperialism. these are all things she admitted and made key parts of her campaign

online liberals: so you wanted trump to win? you’re a russian bot aren’t you. this is a psyop. election interference. you’re puritanical . [slur]

[gethprime]