Alai Payuthey (2000) – An Unfinished House Needs a Solid Foundation

I am finally back! I wanted to watch another original vs remake thing, with me now watching the original Tamil version to the Hindi version back to back, though released in separate days. I guess I just needed something light, something good, and this film provided that for me in spades.  Spoilers for the film … Continue reading Alai Payuthey (2000) – An Unfinished House Needs a Solid Foundation

In Flames (2023) – Bleak Spectre of the Patriarchy

I watched this after seeing The Queen of My Dreams (2023), another Pakistani Canadian film, but while that film was filled with diaspora nostalgia, In Flames is rooted more in its place in Pakistan even though the writer-director Zarrar Kahn is Pakistani Canadian. It was even Pakistan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at … Continue reading In Flames (2023) – Bleak Spectre of the Patriarchy

The Queen of My Dreams (2023) – Mother-Daughter Journey to the Past

I discovered this film by chance, and I am so glad I saw it. A film that is both homage and an experience of two lives who once were so similar, yet now are so different. About mothers and daughters; of  Pakistan in the 1960s and 1999; and about how sometimes films may provide neat … Continue reading The Queen of My Dreams (2023) – Mother-Daughter Journey to the Past

Persepolis (2007) – Memoirs of an Iranian Exile

I have always loved graphic novels/comic books, but when reading this story for the first time it truly opened my eyes. Previously, I had seen the world through the eyes of comics like W.I.T.C.H., Disney Princess, Winx Club, Archie and Donald Duck or from mangas. My first graphic novel/comic book which I realized was meant … Continue reading Persepolis (2007) – Memoirs of an Iranian Exile

Padmaavat (2018) – Fascist Aesthetics of a Fantastical Fiction Made into Hindutva History

This is a film which I have put off reviewing for a long time, because I knew what I would say. But now this film is on Netflix, making it once more having a wider audience. All I will say is that this is more of an analytical essay with sources cited at the end, … Continue reading Padmaavat (2018) – Fascist Aesthetics of a Fantastical Fiction Made into Hindutva History

Merlin (1998 TV) – A Compelling Historical Fantasy of Human Faults

A long time ago I watched this miniseries/movie, and it has stayed in my mind ever since. I rediscovered it, and found myself loving this historical fantasy adaptation of the Arthurian mythos through the eyes of its wizard, Merlin.  Spoilers for the film/miniseries below! Set during the various settlements of Britain where warlords rule, and … Continue reading Merlin (1998 TV) – A Compelling Historical Fantasy of Human Faults