#spontaneously watched this movie some days ago when it released on netflix and now it’s one of my favorites ever

[jezyan]

this movie obliterated me in the best way possible, so here are some doodles! ❤️‍🩹

[desivision]

The Desi Guide to Binge-Watching in the Holiday Season

I remember going to watch the comedy “Luv Shuv Te Chicken Khurana” at AMC Mercado in Santa Clara California a few years back. There were 3 people in the theater that afternoon. My girlfriend and I, both die-hard Bollywood first day first show fanatics. And a white guy. The movie was a slow disappointment, but the white guy loved it. He told us that he came for the color, the song, and the dance and didn't mind if the experience may be marred by badly contexed sub-titles.

Bollywood forgets that the greater audience may be beyond the desi crowd. Some filmmakers need to start thinking about that paradigm. Every time a bhangra song plays in a club, the white people love swinging into action. Holi at Stanford is mostly white and most technology companies are hotbeds of Indian culture, led by Bollywood styling.

 As Desis, Bollywood is our expression, whether we were born in the sub-continent or not, whether we moved out of India decades ago or are fresh off the boat; we know the songs, we dance to the tunes, we dress influenced by the stars, we follow their Instagram feeds, our karaoke sessions are Bollywood the theme, our conversations are lined with famous dialogues from Bollywood movies, we line up for miles outside theaters when a Rajni movie releases, we turn up in thousands when the stars visit to perform, we represent our Desiness through a lot of nuances borrowed from Bollywood. Bollywood is a big expression. Almost 2 billion people around the world get it.

Here is our recommendation list for the Christmas holidays. Whether you are a Bollywood fan or not, the quality and expression of this content will warm you this season.

  Number 10   Haq Se

Loosely based on  Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, the depiction of the lives of 4 sisters in Kashmir during the conditions it is in is a beautifully poignant story about the aspirations and ambitions of women and the society. A must watch for beautiful scenery and excellent performances by all actors. Starring Rajiv Khandelwal. Surveen Chawla, Simone Singh, directed by Ken Ghosh, Set in the turbulent terrorist infested Kashmir, the story revolves around the Mirza sisters. In Kashmir, where the society is conditioned to be very misogynistic and patriarchal. Women are suppressed and they can't voice their opinion or create their paths. This is the story of the women who dare to. Warm Kashmir colors are perfect for your holiday binge watching. View Trailer  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orP_-9rWWy8

 Streaming on Alt Balaji

  Number 9 Inside Edge

Inside Edge is the story of the Mumbai Mavericks, a T20 cricket franchise playing in the Powerplay League. ... almost a virtue, where sex, money, and power are mere means to an end, 2 seasons of this series are a treat to watch. Created by Pawan Anshuman, starring Richa Chadha, Vivek Oberoi, Angad Bedi and Aamir Bashir, it's a perfect holiday watch for cricket fans.

Watch promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es_cjyjeYbc

Streaming on Amazon Prime

   Number 8 Vir Das Jestination Unknown

Vir Das and his friends travel across India to find what out what India finds funny and inoffensive. It is a beautifully unscripted portrayal of the immense diversity of India through the lens of what is the most spontaneous script and reactions.

Though a short season, the entire narrative is binge-worthy and engaging. Perfect for a family binge.

View Promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-gb-rOVLaU

Streaming on Amazon Prime

  Number 7 Sacred Games

The hair-raising plot of India's first Netflix Original is one of the highly-raved shows. The riveting cat-and-mouse game is a mixture of amazing storytelling, a fluent narrative, and brilliant acting. Sacred Games has the brilliant Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing an evil gangster and Saif Ali Khan as a troubled cop and Radhika Apte plays an intelligence officer, SG is directed by the impeccable Anurag Kashyap. PS : Not a family watch though but bingable for the holidays.

View Promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfPJfBeDBtE

Streaming on Netflix

   Number 6 Powder

Powder is one of those underrated show which more than nine years old and a bit ahead of its time. The show aired on Sony TV in 2010 and went off the air due to poor ratings. Thankfully, Netflix resurrected it from the dusty corners and now offers it to everyone. The show follows a team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers as they team up to arrest a group of drug traffickers, peddlers, and smugglers. Sure, it's nothing like Narcos, but if you like those kinds of drug crime dramas, then it might be the one for you. Interestingly, this show premiered about five years before Narcos went on air.

The show brings together an amazing cast comprising of Pankaj Tripathi, Rasika Dugal, Manish Choudhary, and Geetika Tyagi.

Quite Bingable for the holidays

Promo is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7aL1FrEg14&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=KaranSingh

Streaming on Netflix

 Number 5 Mirzapur

Starring starring Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Shweta Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Gaur, Divyendu Sharma,  Kulbhushan Kharband and Amit Sial, this is a brilliant crime thriller directed by Karan Anshuman and Gurmmeet Singh. With the rivetting fast paced story of the nine episodes of Season 1, this is a sure shor binge watch for the holidays for thriller buffs.

 View Promo here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeGF-PvRHY&ab_channel=AmazonPrimeVideoIndia

Streaming on Amazon Prime

 Number 4  Yeh Rishtey hain Pyar Ke

Out of all the sitcoms airing on Indian Television, we love and recommend this show for holiday binge-watching. Its young, uninhibited and has a surprising storyline of a young couple and an evil mom, yet there is no regular drama in dealing with the situation. The actors are well-chosen and a few episodes into the show, you will fall in love with the characters and believe their love story. You will cry with them, you will laugh with them and put on loop their beautiful moments. This is not your traditional desi serial so be prepared for a genuine breath of fresh air.

In short, you will want to fall into the love they share. Directed by Ashish Shrivastava, produced by Rajan Shahi at Directorskutproduction; the almost 200 episodes already streaming on hotstar could be your romantic holiday season binge. The actors Shaheer Sheikh, Rhea Sharma and Ritvick Arora are well cast and carry the show on their able shoulders. A must romantic see.

View promos here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQBDIonjD1k&ab_channel=StarPlus

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=vENv9EC10W4&feature=emb_logo

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD4uqqRkU2M&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=StarPlus

 Streaming on Hotstar

 Number 3 Breathe

Breathe has undoubtedly taken the Indian storytelling to another level. The plot revolves around the lives of ordinary men who are faced with unexpected situations.

Kabir Sawant, a talented officer of the criminal division, assembles the missing pieces of unrelated deaths, all of which lead him to a common suspect. It is exciting to watch how the drama unfolds between the suspect who is trying to save his dying son and the officer who is adamant to impart justice. Starring R. Madhavan, Amit Sadh, Sapna Pabbi

 Produced by Vikram Malhotra .  Completely Bingable.

View promo : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=OstwwYcz8nI&feature=emb_logo

Streaming on Amazon Prime, An Amazon Prime Original . Watch with VPN since it is not available for USA audiences. ( for some reason)

  Number 2 Delhi Crime

Depicting the most notorious rape case in India, Delhi Crime has won major critical acclaim since it aired the first season. Its second season has also been announced after the success of the first.

It stars Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, and many other brilliant actors. The series is based on the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, which is widely known as the Nirbhaya case. A 23-year-old girl and her male friend were beaten up and brutally assaulted in a running bus near Munirka in New Delhi while they were going home after catching a movie.

The girl was gang-raped and assaulted with an iron rod, following which the pair was thrown naked and injured on the road, after which the culprits tried to run them over with the bus. Delhi Crime tells the story from the perspective of the Delhi Police and how they dealt with what emerged as the most brutal rape case ever seen in India.

This is the most riveting depiction of the horror of rape and the aftermath.

 View Promo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNuKwlKJx2E&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=Netflix

 Streaming on Netflix. A Netflix original.

Number 1 The Family Man

Srikant Tiwari is a middle-class man who also serves as a world-class spy. Srikant tries to balance his familial responsibilities with the demands of the highly secretive special cell of the National Intelligence  Agency that he is working for. While he tries to protect the nation from terrorists, he also has to protect his family from the impact of his secretive, high-pressure, and low paying job.

Gripping Screenplay, dark humor, middle-class frame of reference, Enthralling, engrossing, riveting narrative. All of what makes this Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Gul Panag web series such a top of the list for holidays binge. Notably, this is directed by Raj and DJ, the guys behind Stree and Bala.

 View Promo here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XatRGut65VI&ab_channel=AmazonPrimeVideoIndia

 Streaming on Amazon Prime, An Amazon Prime Original.

[odanurr87]

Let’s talk... TRON, Part 1: Legacy

Let me preface by saying I have not watched the original 1982 TRON movie. I was introduced to the world of TRON in 2010 with the release of TRON: Legacy, a sequel that tried to reboot, or rather re-energize, the franchise, starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, Garrett Hedlund as his son, Sam, and the mesmerizing Olivia Wilde as Quorra (admit it, she’s gorgeous!). Neither the critics nor the public were too thrilled by it at the time, arguing it was more spectacle than substance. To this day, the movie stands at a 51% critic score and a 63% audience score on RT. IMDb puts it slightly higher at a 68% audience score. I recently re-watched it on Netflix so I decided to share my thoughts on it. You may have noticed this blog post isn’t titled, “My thoughts on...” as I usually do for reviews. That’s because I’m not just going to talk about TRON: Legacy but also its, arguably superior, animated spin-off, TRON: Uprising, released between 2012 and 2013, starring an amazing voice cast that I will mention in due course. It remains one of my favourite animated series after Avatar: The Last Airbender. But let’s get to it, shall we?

Spoilers for TRON: Legacy naturally follow. You’ve been warned.

Legacy follows the character of Sam Flynn, the son of Kevin Flynn, an employee and eventually CEO of ENCOM corporation, who has been missing for the past 20 years (the father, not the son, obviously). The opening of the movie showcases that Sam has apparently inherited some of his father’s programming genius (even though he never gets to use it again afterwards) but he also has trouble accepting his father’s disappearance and moving on, pulling off reckless stunts for the sake of it. We’re also briefly introduced to Bruce Boxleitner, reprising his role as Adam Bradley, Kevin’s friend and business partner, a return I have no doubt fans of the original appreciated but he’s sadly underused, either as Bradley or in his much juicier role as Tron (for reasons that will become apparent soon). ENCOM is portrayed in a bad light because... they want to sell their products? I know what they’re trying to do here, and certainly parallels can be drawn to corporations like Microsoft or EA (”This year we put a 12 on the box”), even to this day, but it’s rather flimsy. No matter, since it isn’t long before Sam, having received a strange message, goes back to his father’s arcade shop and finds and activates a curious machine that transports him to the Grid.

The Sirens outfit Sam for the games. It doesn’t hurt these women are gorgeous to boot.

The Grid is a vast digital sandbox populated by programs who take on the shape of human beings. From the start, I loved the look and feel of it, with its mixture of black, blue, cyan, and white colours, and the incredible technology on display, from light cycles to light jets, all of these rendered from a baton that is most certainly not used as a sword. The outfits used by programs are also really cool to look at and while I’m partial to black myself, those sirens wearing white almost convinced me otherwise. TRON: Legacy takes advantage of the outfits to distinguish friend from foe: programs with red lights are on the side of the bad guys while programs with cyan or white lights are, mostly, free and can go either way. That’s the short version anyway. The long version is that all programs on the Grid should wear black (or white) outfits with cyan/white lights and stripes. However, those programs that have been repurposed by the enemy change their lights and stripes to red. In any case, it’s a simple way for the audience to tell who the bad guys are. Last but not least, every program on the Grid is equipped with an identity disc that serves both as a storage device, containing a program’s code and its “memories,” and a melee/ranged weapon for combat, as Sam soon finds out.

As you might have guessed,TRON: Legacy is, indeed, a beautiful movie to look at, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering it was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who who would later direct Oblivion, a movie with outstanding cinematography and, incidentally, a great soundtrack. Because, let’s face it, as visually stunning as this movie is, it wouldn’t be half as good were it not for its amazing soundtrack, composed by none other than Daft Punk, who curiously make an appearance and feel right at home on the Grid, and arranged and orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese (keep his name in mind ‘cause you’ll see it again). The combination of orchestral and electronic music imbue the world of TRON with a sense of wonder and strangeness, of having been transported to a world that works under a different set of rules. I can safely say without a shred of doubt that this movie’s soundtrack is excellent from beginning to end, with some of my favourite pieces being, “The Son of Flynn,” “Outlands,” “Solar Sailer,” “Disc Wars,” and, of course, “Flynn Lives.” Hey, I did say this soundtrack was awesome all the way through! It is definitely one of the best movie soundtracks I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to and it’s definitely worth a purchase.

Just knocking on the sky and listening to the sound, man.

What about the story? It starts out as a tragedy. A long time ago, when Flynn created the Grid, he brought over Bradley’s creation, Tron, to protect it, and also created a new program in his image named Clu. Together they were going to create the perfect system, whatever that was supposed to mean. Over time, and with their discovery of ISOs or isomorphic algorithms, programs that spontaneously came into existence, Kevin’s outlook on perfection was radically altered, but Clu’s remained the same and he regarded ISOs as a threat to his goal of creating the perfect system. This eventually devolved into insurrection as Clu turned on Flynn and Tron, killing the latter and forcing the former into exile. Fast forward 20 years to Sam’s arrival and Clu reigns supreme as dictator, repurposing programs to either fight in the Arena for entertainment or join his massive army. Having achieved the perfect system in his eyes, Clu has now turned his attention to Earth and has thus engineered Sam’s arrival on the Grid to force his father, Kevin (whom I’ll simply call Flynn from this point onwards), out of hiding and claim his disc, the key to the portal that links both worlds.

The movie initially plays around with Clu’s likeness to Flynn in order to trick Sam into trusting him, but it quickly dashes any and all potential it might’ve had by revealing the truth. It really is a shame as had Clu actually put some effort into recruiting Sam it would’ve made for a much more interesting movie, maybe echoing some of Jack’s conflict in Robin Williams’ Hook. Instead, the movie elects to follow up with a light cycle confrontation between Clu and Sam and the latter’s subsequent rescue by another program named Quorra. It’s a cool sequence to be sure and a badass way to introduce Wilde’s Quorra, not to mention it was supposedly part of Clu’s plan to ensure Flynn would know he had his son. Unfortunately, it turns out it’s mostly by coincidence that Flynn learns of this as he’s practically a recluse. Had it not been for Quorra’s curiosity and timely intervention, Clu’s plan would’ve ended almost as soon as it began.

An awkward reunion between father and son with Quorra caught in the middle.

Father and son are soon reunited but it’s a rather uncomfortable reunion. After all, how do you explain to your son why you’ve been absent for a large chunk of his life? It’s true Flynn tried to go back repeatedly and failed but it’s still a difficult thing to take in, more so when his father stubbornly refuses to play into Clu’s game and make a run for the portal. Quorra is also placed in a tough spot, immediately picking up on the tension between the two. As Flynn’s protégé sle clearly looks up to him for guidance and would give her life to protect him but she’s also persuaded by Sam’s argument, which is why she helps him get in touch with Zeus, comically played by Michael Sheen, a program who can allegedly arrange for safe passage to the portal. These three, together with Clu, are the core of the movie. How do they fare? 

Jeff Bridges delivers the best performance all around, even if it sometimes lacks the emotional outbursts you’d expect from being reunited with his son after all these years. Even so, he pours a lot of enthusiasm into some of his scenes, such as when he’s describing the ISOs, and he’s a little bit of a matchmaker if you pay close attention to the solar sailer scene. To my mind, Olivia Wilde comes second in the acting department, playing the somewhat naïve but totally badass Quorra. To be fair though, her best moments occur when she interacts with Garrett Hedlund’s character, Sam, so maybe they’re something of a packaged deal. I feel like Hedlund delivered a mostly solid performance across the board but probably not one that will turn any heads. Save for Quorra, the two Flynns appear quite stoic for a good chunk of the movie, or at least that’s how they came across to me. Things change a little when Flynn decides to play Clu’s game and rescue Sam from Zeus’ trap, losing his disc in the process, giving all three some time to bond during the beautiful solar sailer scene. It is then that we learn that Quorra is the last of the ISOs, and that Flynn has been protecting her for all these years.

Sam and Quorra share a moment aboard the solar sailer.

Of course, all good things must come to an end so it isn’t long before Clu’s top lieutenant, Rinzler, catches up to our heroes and captures Quorra. I have somehow managed to avoid talking about him for a while now and it’s decidedly unfair seeing as he’s probably more of a menace than Clu. Rinzler speaks very little in this movie but his mere presence is imposing, backed up by his incredible combat prowess as he proves to Sam during their fight in the Arena. With good reason, as it turns out Rinzler is none other than Tron, reprogrammed by Clu to become his loyal servant. In hindsight, it’s surprising I didn’t pick up on this sooner considering his outfit practically screams this. On the other hand, since I knew nothing about him before this movie, let alone his symbol, it would’ve been nothing short of a miracle had I done so (although the movie sets this up during the flashback sequence of Tron buying Flynn time to escape Clu). It is such a shame then that we don’t see Tron make a comeback, even though the movie hints that he was able to overcome Clu’s programming when he fell into the Sea of Simulation. If a sequel to Legacy is still in the works, it must include Bruce Boxleitner’s return as Tron. If not for his role in this, then most assuredly for his role in TRON: Uprising.

Rinzler is to Clu what Darth Vader is to Palpatine, except he doesn’t even need to speak.

Events now converge. As Clu prepares to lead his army through the portal to conquer Earth, Sam cooks up an intrepid plan to rescue Quorra and retrieve his father’s disc. It’s a great scene made more awesome by Daft Punk’s “Disc Wars” playing in the background. Don’t ask me why but it reminded me of the movie Flash Gordon, with Flash making his triumphant return, or at the very least a most daring entrance (ah, now I know why, it’s because I’m reminded of the drones in Flash Gordon!). I’m in two minds about this scene as it does speak volumes to see Jarvis’ reaction to the ensuing fight rather than the fight itself (it’s certainly more foreboding that way), but it’s still a pity that we don’t get a chance to see how Sam’s disc skills have improved since entering the Grid (probably not a lot going by his performance at the night club). And that moment when Sam takes the disc and alerts Clu to what’s going on... Damn, this song’s good!

Not one to give up easily, Clu follows our intrepid trio of heroes in a light jet chase to the portal for the inevitable showdown with his creator. Props to Jeff Bridges here again, as one does feel for Clu, to some extent, when he argues he was only doing what Flynn programmed him to do, trying to bring about the perfect system they had both dreamed about. Clu is a staunch proponent of order over chaos, he’s the Yin to Flynn’s Yang (Wenli!), something that is referenced several times in the movie through Clu’s baoding balls and Flynn’s Bits (that sounded better in my head). Perhaps if Flynn had spent some time explaining the Second Law of Thermodynamics to Clu all of this could’ve been avoided. Alas, Clu’s not looking for a reconciliation and is tricked by Flynn into letting Quorra and Sam go, or at least ignore them, thinking Flynn has the portal key. As Quorra struggles to push Sam into the portal, Clu realizes the truth and tries to get to them, forcing Flynn to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the pair’s escape. It’s a beautiful scene all in all, again greatly enhanced by Daft Punk’s music, that recreates the poster of the original movie. The movie ends with Sam back in the real world, ready to take over his father’s company and change the world, aided by Bradley and the incomparable beauty that is Quorra.

Kiss her, you fool! I mean, I’m half-glad they didn’t kiss but this is Olivia Wilde we’re talking about! Allowances must be made.

From a technical standpoint, TRON: Legacy is a great movie in my book, combining amazing visuals with an outstanding soundtrack, though the use of CGI to rejuvenise Clu and a young Flynn is indeed noticeable and may be somewhat bothersome (though it didn’t bother me at the time). This technology has however, come a long way as we were able to see in Disney’s Rogue One or even in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, so it’s not unlikely that a possible sequel could make use of the same, updated, technology, to bring back, say, a young Bruce Boxleitner as Tron (that would be awesome!). The story is perhaps more by the numbers (it certainly doesn’t tread new ground but why should it?) and it’s certainly not a character piece but I found it to be entertaining with a measured pace, carefully balancing the action with the more quiet scenes and executing both rather well. Nevertheless, if I had to come down hard on this movie for one thing and one thing only, it would have to be how underdeveloped the world feels. Beyond the Arena and Zeus’ night club, we don’t see a whole lot of how programs live on the Grid. Do they work? Do they have friends? Do they hang out? Are there (more) cities out there? The movie also hints at the possibility of some rebel movement forming against Clu but it’s pretty short-lived. These are all aspects that a sequel should definitely try to explore and, indeed, one eventually did.

Unfortunately, the year is 2018 and there’s currently no light at the end of the tunnel for a future TRON 3. It’s possible Disney dismissed its attempt to reboot the franchise as a failure considering the movie was only able to gross $400 million worldwide with a production budget of $170 million, and that’s not counting marketing expenses. Of course, if one considers Legacy was a sequel to a rather niche 1982 movie, maybe it didn’t do half as bad. Not having watched the original, I do believe Legacy managed to bring back some of the old cast of characters and do them justice, unlike a certain other franchise that shall not be named. It saddens me that Disney has apparently abandoned this property, and that the likelihood of seeing Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund, Bruce Boxleitner, and why not Cillian Murphy as well (he was seriously underused in this movie), return for one last chapter seems like a pipe dream right now. Yet two years after the release of TRON: Legacy, Disney would give the franchise another chance to prove its worth with the release of the animated series, TRON: Uprising. Did it succeed at this? Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out. Why not watch TRON: Legacy in the meantime?

[daleisgreat]

Merry Friggin’ Christmas

Happy December everyone and do you know what that means? It is time for the annual Christmas blog entry here. This year I am covering a 2014 film I discovered via snail mail Netflix a couple years ago that I enjoyed so much I tracked down the BluRay online and busted it out again this fine yuletide season. I am covering 2014’s Merry Friggin’ Christmas (trailer) which will also go down as one of Robin Williams’ final films as it released a few months after his tragic passing. Boyd (Joel McHale) wants to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in his family and wants just one last Christmas season for his son to maintain his innocent youthful love of believing in Santa. His Christmas cheer is challenged to new heights when his brother Nelson (Clark Duke) invites him back home to the family for Christmas in time for his son’s baptism. Boyd dreads the trip there because he has kept a distant relationship with his father, Virgil (Robin Williams) and the two waste no time at squabbling away throughout Christmas Eve but must put their differences aside when Boyd realizes he forgot his son’s presents back home a few hours away and now must do an all-night overnight drive to get back in time Christmas morning with the precious cargo.

I immediately fell in love with this film for telling the dysfunctional family story of trying to get everyone under one roof, rivalries and everything, all in the name of Christmas. I identified with many elements in Merry Friggin’ Christmas for having the chaotic family holidays and throughout it I could not help but resonate with many themes for parents going out of their way to make sure their children get their ‘Santa’ gift. In my GameBoy retrospective earlier this year I lamented how I accidentally broke my GameBoy a few days after getting it for Christmas and how my folks did not have to, but they went above and beyond and bought another GameBoy despite my 10-year old goofball mistake. Merry Friggin’ Christmas has plenty of entertaining bickering throughout with all members of the family. Even when Boyd and his father have to drive back home to get Boyd’s gifts for his son the two do not skip a beat at taking potshots at each other. There are some fleeting moments of hope after a kind exchange with Boyd and his dad while taking a pit stop at the gas station, but quicker than a bathroom break they are right back breathing down each other’s necks. Eventually Nelson gets in the mix too, and I have to admit until this film I was never a huge fan of Clark Duke, but the way he was written and how Duke pulled off Nelson’s bouts of PTSD acting up whenever the family succumbed to discourse resulted in Clark winning me over! Bravo to Phil Johnston for the wonderful script! There were a few clips I wanted to link to throughout this entry, but the only clip I can find on YouTube is Nelson phoning home during the road trip in not-so-desirable quality, so enjoy!

Throughout Boyd & Virgil’s drive there are a couple other subplots with the rest of the family back home. Both Boyd & Virgil’s wives (Candice Bergen & Lauren Graham) spend the night worrying about their spouses until progressively drinking their troubles away reminiscing about the past. I found this angle both hilarious and worrisome because Merry Friggin’ Christmas points out several times Virgil’s past problems with alcoholi-ism. Another alcohol related theme throughout the movie that has a delightful payoff was how Virgil encouraged his grandkids to leave Bourbon out for Santa instead of milk. The grandkids have their own subplot too getting into all kinds of mischief in the wee hours of the night with the highlight being trippy nightmares from eating a whole jar of pickles canned in 1973. There are not that many extras on the BluRay, though that may be due to a third party Amazon seller not disclosing they were selling the Canadian version to me that does not even have subtitles. It does however have nearly a half hour of cast interviews going over the bullet points of the film with a lot of them also agreeing with the natural family discourse that transpires at Christmas gatherings. The highlight of the interviews though is when McHale & Williams are both interviewed and go on a five minute spontaneous improve bit mixing in their one-of-a-kind comedy while somehow keeping it related to hyping up the film.

This re-watch marked the first time mixing in Merry Friggin’ Christmas in my rotation of Christmas movie to watch during the season. It is a bittersweet watch knowing it is one of Williams’ final films, but also simultaneously wonderful with Williams still being on top of his game here, especially in some powerful moments where Boyd & Virgil are at their zenith of their bickering and when they eventually reconcile. A few days ago I caught Christmas Vacation at our local theater that will occasionally showcase older films and Merry Friggin’ Christmas is the perfect contemporary take of that film and is essential holiday viewing for everyone! For more past Christmas film coverage, click here! Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hercules: Reborn Hitman Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[queenofnerdom]

My Weekly Must List

Entertainment Weekly, aka my favorite magazine, has The Must List in every issue–a rundown of the top 10 things EW loves that week. Here’s my version!

1. My bike

Right before visiting my family for the Fourth of July, I went out to Herndon with some friends to test ride a 2015 Yamaha SR400--a fuel injected kickstart only motorcycle. Aka, a hipster’s dream. I immediately loved it, but was worried about learning to ride on a kickstart only bike and the seller was asking for a bit more than I wanted to spend. 

Fast forward two weeks and a bad test ride later, I was still thinking about the Yamaha SR400. I texted the seller, it was still for sale, we made a deal, and two weeks ago, she became mine!

My first weekend with her was a bit of a challenge (so much stalling, a battery death, being a general giant scaredy cat on the throttle), but after lots of hours in the parking lot and cruising in my friend’s neighborhood, I’ve become much more confident. So much so, that last weekend I rode the GW Parkway into Old Town to my second favorite coffee shop without stalling a single time. 

My goal is to ride five days every week to continue learning and building up confidence, but I can’t wait to see what adventures we have together.

2. Mad Men

Mad Men premiered on AMC in 2007 and while I was late to the show (college had a habit of interrupting my TV viewing), one of my favorite humans recommended I check it out on Netflix to get caught up in time for season three’s premiere. It quickly became my favorite show of all time, and Sunday nights were devoted to watching it and analyzing each episode with my fellow Mad Men lovers. In honor of its 10-year anniversary this week, I’ve been rewatching the first season and it’s just as magical now as it was then.

Photo by Alessio Lin

3. The Last Mile Works

One out of ever 140 U.S. adults is in prison or jail. Ninety-five percent of those inmates will be released at some point. And two-thirds of those released will be back in prison within three years. Those are horrifying statistics, which is why The Last Mile Works and programs like it are incredibly important. 

The Last Mile is a program that teaches inmates to code; The Last Mile Works is an offshoot of this program, which hires inmates as part of a web development startup to create websites for real businesses and organizations. The program is designed to give inmates work experience to help them find employment once released from prison, key to successfully reentering society and staying out of prison. WIRED recently did a short write-up of the program. It’s highly worth a read.

“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” - Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 1940

4. Dunkirk

I’d heard about the evacuation at Dunkirk, of course. It was briefly mentioned in my history classes in middle school and high school. But just that, briefly. There was no explanation of what it must have been like to be one of the 400,000 men on a beach in France, waiting to be evacuated back to England and wondering if they would ever make it home. Which is why when I heard that Christopher Nolan was writing and directing a movie about the evacuation, I immediately put it on my Must See List. I decided to splurge and see it in IMAX over the weekend, and it was, without a doubt, completely worth it. If you haven’t watched it already, make plans to do so. You’ll understand what I mean afterwards.

A post shared by Megan Gates (@queenofnerdom) on Jul 23, 2017 at 6:32pm PDT

5. Spontaneous Sundays

Sunday morning after I finished my ride on the GW Parkway, my friend Jason texted me and invited me to go to brunch and a winery with him, his girlfriend, and another mutual friend. Without hesitation, I said yes, which is how I ended up in Leesburg, Virginia, for the afternoon looking at this gorgeous view with some of my favorite humans. 

“Late in the evening, feeling the wind blow Tall through the treetops, warm in the sun Lying beside you, watching the moon rise That’s all there is babe, ain’t it enough?”

6. “Ain’t it Enough”

While I was in Iowa, this song came on the radio in the car while my mom and I were driving around town. Since then, it keeps coming back to me when I’m feeling stressed out or confused, reminding me to be present and thankful for the moment just as it is, because it is enough.

"You’re asking the wrong question. It’s not about getting over and letting go. It’s about honoring what happened,” she said. “You met a person who awoke something in you. A fire ignited. The work is to be grateful. Grateful every day that someone crossed your path and left a mark on you.”

7. “The 12-Hour Goodbye That Started Everything”

I’m a religious reader of The New York Times’ Modern Love column, and this week’s essay by Miriam Johnson was especially poignant. It’s about her breakup with a man she loved and how she learned to move forward with her life. And how moving forward doesn’t mean that she will never think about him; it means she will be grateful for that connection and the way it changed her for the better.