2012: A year end list

2012 was not an ideal year for me as far as movie watching went. As opposed to last year no major film festivals were attended by me & neither was I able to completely engross myself in the passionate fervour of dedicated film watching. Other things came calling in life & sadly this one aspect got left behind a bit. My bad. I'll try & make up for it in the year to come.

Never the less, here are the films that made a resounding impact on my heart & mind & made 2012 a much more tolerable year. They're in no particular order really, because again, my list isn't as meticulously worked out as they have been in previous years.

Looper

Time travel is one of my favourite genres & Looper is as good a time travel film as they come. Avoiding all the frivolous razzle-dazzle & complicated time-space continuum collisions that are often associated with time travel stories, director Rian Johnson's film primarily concentrated on the character of Joe Simmons, a hired assassin who is faced with the daunting task of killing a futuristic version of himself.

Looper forces us to think about the predicaments of whether we would really like a see what becomes of us in the future? How the machinations of life turn us into something we never thought we would become, & how does a man stick to his job when his entire being is held into account. Aided by some cleverly executed action sequences Looper proved you don't need to spend a gazillion dollars to make a good, potent sci-fi film.




To Rome With Love

I don't believe there's any such thing as a "bad" Woody Allen film, & although I admit TRWL might not be as spectacular as last year's 'Midnight in Paris' it still had enough gumption within itself to make me fall in love (yeah I know) with it.

Following 4 interspersed yet unrelated story lines TRWL gives you characters that live in your imagination long after the end credits roll out. The film has its fair share of comedic misunderstandings, magical realist meanderings. & a sense of uninhibited pleasure. Not to mention a dream cast for a Woody Allen film if there ever was one. This film was such a delight for the sheer quirky Woody Allen-ness of it all.







The Hobbit

For anyone who has seen even one of the 'Lord Of The RIngs' films (& if you reside on planet earth & have even a fleeting interest in the world of cinema it's highly unlikely that you haven't) it is no secret that director Peter Jackson likes to remain religiously faithful to the source material. Hence it was no surprise to know that Jackson would be splitting up the much loved prequel to LOTR into another trilogy. What one did wonder though was if he'd be able to recreate the same magic?

The good news is yes, he does. So off we went once again into this glorious, larger than life, grand world of Tolkein's middle earth, met some familiar faces & got introduced to plenty of new ones & an unforgettable adventure was had. Never mind the slightly bloated mid section & the slightly overplayed climax, for it's all forgiven because of the sheer magnificence of it, Hey, YOU look at that awe-inspiring waterfall in the city of Rivendell & tell me you weren't spell bound.


21 Jump Street

Hands down the funniest film of the year for me. 21 Jump Street is the ideal screwball comedy that's as funny on repeated viewings as it was on the first one. Mad props to Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum for pulling off this hilarious feat.

The film had the ideal comedic premise of 2 police officers who're forced to relive high school as they go undercover for a case, & by exploiting this premise from every nook & corner directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller gave birth to this laugh-a-minute gem. Equal parts raunchy, loud, affectionate & satirical 21 Jump Street was an absolute rib-tickler.









Prometheus

Though it polarized audiences across the board I for one simply loved Prometheus. Maybe it's just the affection I have for stories that end with an open interpretation, that DON'T answer all the questions raised through the tale that made me appreciate Prometheus all the more. Or maybe it was scribe Damon Lindelof's treatment of the script, after all Lindelof was the head writer on the TV show 'Lost' which remains my most  favourite show of all time.

At face value Prometheus is brilliaint science fiction. Space ships, aliens, mystery, horror it's got it all. But then there's a slightly deeper more introverted aspect of the film which begs to ask us where exactly we came from, & where do we go? It's a seamless blend of story, special effects & pitch perfect casting. I honestly believe Michael Fassbender's performance as the android David was one of the most compelling performances of the year. In my view Sir Ridley Scott's return to science fiction was a winner all the way & I cannot wait for the sequel.

The Dark Knight Rises

Let's be fair. Probably no movie ever would've been able to live up to the hype that TDKR had to live up to. No other film this year elicited a response from fanboys across the globe as TDKR did. And despite such huge expectations the average fanboy/movie lover/film enthusiast/Nolan-worshipper came out of the movie halls fairly satisfied. Now I would count that as an achievement.

I personally though see TDKR as the "anti-Batman" movie, and here's why- for a major chunk in the middle of the film Batman is absent. The running theme throughout is how things would be WITHOUT the Batman, that's the starting point & that also turns out to be the end point of the film. Hence it makes Batman's character all the more relevant & heroic.

The most challenging task faced was probably by the bad guys as they were filling up the mighty shoes left behind by Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal of the Joker, & though Tom Hardy did a fairly good job as Bane the surprise package was Anne Hathaway's Machiavellian turn as Catwoman. And of course not to mention Joseph Gordon Levitt's pleasantly surprising kick in the side (apologies for the horrible pun). 

The best super hero trilogy ever made. Period.

The Avengers

I love comic books. I love super heroes. I love popcorn flicks. And I love Joss Whedon. So how in the blue hell can I not bestow my unconditional love upon The Avengers?

Eeeverything fell RIGHT into place with The Avengers. Rarely does one come across an instance where a film gives everything you expected out of it & then some. 

Heck, this movie is the definition of pure unadulterated FUN! It completely does justice to all the characters who've come to life from the vibrant action packed panels of comic books bursting on to the screen, you get 6 superheroes (+ 1 Nick Fury) in one single movie, you get a giant ass ship in the sky going BOOM! you get flying inter dimensional beings taken out like pithy tin soldiers by a big green monster. OMG WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE??? 

The 2 key elements to take away though are the humour, unlike TDKR The Avengers celebrates the fact that it doesn't take itself very seriously almost holding up that quality like a shield & the other of course is balance, where each hero's voice is so distinct that it stands out in a crowd.  

Yes, The Avengers is every comic book geek's wet dream come to life.

Argo

Argo was by far the most gripping film I saw all year. No other film kept me at the edge of my seat like Argo did. Tense, thrilling, nail biting, Argo's one of those rare films that's so good that you're energized after watching it. 

In order to extract six fugitive American diplomat personnel out of revolutionary Iran CIA agent Tony Mendez (played excellently by Ben Affleck who also directed the film) goes in with the cover of making a fake science fiction movie called 'Argo'. Yes, the movie is based on a real life incident which blows my mind even further.

There is never a dull moment & the film is both spellbinding & at certain instances rip-roaringly funny. The supporting cast is pure gold. The tale is wonderfully woven & told through the language of cinema. I especially loved the prologue which is played out in the form of a motion comic & how real life images have been recreated in detail to give the film the gritty realistic look it deserves.

It's fairly convenient to incorporate gunfire & chase sequences to give shape to a thriller, but to manufacture a thriller out of such exquisite craft is a tremendous achievement. Kudos Ben Affleck, you're one ace director. 

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So that was that. Here's hoping 2013 will bring another bagful of interesting films along with it. Till then have fun & Happy New Year!

Deceptive Paradise

Sometimes you put out the fire you nurtured with your own hands,

Pluck out the petals from the grasps of the harsh sand

Turn away from your own deceptive paradise,

Solemnly bury the reveries, they suffered a sad demise

Stranded and lost your utopia diminished,

Phrases unsaid desires unfinished

Once again you try and take solace in the mundane,

One step closer and the hypocrites call you insane

Shun reality to pursue the make believe,
Plenty to rejoice. aplenty to grieve

Lovingly build sand castles in the air,
Waiting till the next time life decides to be unfair.

-Abbas

Essential Batman Reading

Very soon we shall all be under the Bat fervour as Chris Nolan's 3rd & final film in the Batman trilogy 'The Dark Knight Rises' nears release. The trilogy, which is undoubtedly the most 'faithful' & gritty portrayal of the Batman universe owes a lot to the comic books that it originated from & in hindsight is really an amalgamation of all the elements that have eternalized the Batman mythos over the years.

Here then are my picks for what I believe are the definitive Batman comic books that've helped create & seamlessly imprint the gothic, gloomy, beastly & yet all the more heroic image of the Dark Knight in our minds & imaginations for a lifetime. These are books that I believe even a non-comic book or a non-superhero fan should read because simply put they're storytelling at its purest. I've given them numbers just for the sake of chronology, all the five books listed here can in my opinion vie for the 'Best Batman Comic' title.

1. The Long Halloween

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Art: Tim Sale

Personally my favourite Batman comic book of all time, The Long Halloween is equal parts murder mystery & intense mob drama (It takes a lot of cues & pays equal number of homages to The Godfather). Setting up the gang war between the two crime families of Sal Maroni & Carmine Falcone as the backdrop, it deals with a mysterious serial killer who seems to have invaded Gotham city & leaves the caped crusader to get to the bottom of it.

Brilliantly paced & magnificently drawn (the comic maintains an eery dark feel with occasional bursts of colour) TLH is full of enchanting twists & turns including a final clincher which fanboys debate about till today.

TLH also serves as an origin story for Two-Face & is notable for exploring themes about family, loneliness & the trustworthy relationship that Batman forms with Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Dent.

[Also check out other Loeb/Sale collaborations 'Batman: Dark Victory' which is a direct sequel to TLH & 'Batman: Haunted Knight']

2. Year One

Writer: Frank Miller
Art: David Mazzucchelli

If there's one book that can be accredited for giving Batman the tenebrous image that he maintains today it has to be Frank Miller's Year One. The revamped Batman origin story that delved into the emotional innards of Bruce Wayne & made the Batman story more 'real'. This authenticity is achieved by portraying a loathsome picture of Gotham city whose streets are overflowing with crime, filth & corruption. One instantly feels while reading that if there's one city which needs a hero to clean it up, it's this one.

Of course a city so far deep in muck does not need a goody-two shoes hero to bring the guilty to justice, it needs a hero who shall strike fear in the hearts of criminals & Miller builds an audacious masterpiece to give Batman the story he deserves.




3. The Killing Joke

Writer: Alan Moore
Art: Brian Bollard

Written by the "God of comic book writers" Alan Moore, The Killing Joke takes the madness & chaos of Batman's greatest foe The Joker to a whole new level. No other comic book has probably taken his lunacy to such extremes. In TKJ the Joker is depicted as a killer, a sick tormentor & a possible child molester. This sociopathic behaviour is contrasted by giving us glimpses from his (possible) tragic backstory.

TKJ digs into the constant tug-of-war between "sanity" & "insanity" of the good guys & bad guys & tosses up the question of whether the two would interchange places if given just the right push?

The Killing Joke is the Joker at his psychopathic best. No wonder it served as an inspiration for Heath Ledger to base his on screen Joker upon for The Dark Knight.




4. The Dark Knight Returns

Story & Art: Frank Miller

Often considered as the best comic book ever written, this is Frank Miller's pièce de rèsistance. Set in a dystopian future 10 years since Batman retired, we meet a Bruce Wayne who's pushing 50. The state of affairs of the already corrupt & notorious Gotham city are multiplied 5-folds in this bleak future. The inherent cacophony & pandemonium forces Bruce to don the costume one more time. This time though the stakes are much much higher & he faces more than what he bargained for.

Incorporating path breaking, unique methods of story telling Miller weaves a tale unlike any other, with layers upon layers of subtext & an unforgettable ending (yup, a Batman vs. Superman bout).

Keeping all the fantastical elements of a superhero story intact Miller infuses them with dirty politics & an ominous atmosphere which makes for a deadly cocktail giving birth to phenomenal fiction. 

[At least the first half of  'The Dark Knight Rises' will be heavily inspired by this book as it deals with Batman coming out of an 8 year hiatus & the trailers also show a few sequences directly taken from the book]

5. Arkham Asylum

Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Dave McKean

Just like Moore anything written by Grant Morrison in the comics medium is also pure gold, & this one especially is right up there among his best works. The inmates of Arkham have taken over the facility & threaten to kill the staff until Batman agrees to meet with them. Arkham Asylum features the who's who of Batman villains & takes you through the minds of each of these criminally insane.

Among all the Batman graphic novels this is probably the most "psychological" & mind bending. Do not expect a 'good-will-triumph-over-evil' feel good story when you pick this one up. 

The real hero of this book though is undoubtedly artist Dave Mckean. One can feel the scruffy walls of Arkham on their fingertips as clearly as you can see the raw scars on the Joker's face. Each panel can be framed & displayed as brilliant work of abstract art.

Also worth Reading :-

Knightfall:- One of the more famous story arcs in the mainstream Batman continuity, the first half of Knightfall deals with the ferocious Bane wreaking havoc on Gotham & breaking Batman's back as well as his spirit, It is highly expected that TDKR will be heavily influenced by this book.

Hush:- Known primarily for the uber cool artwork by Jim Lee, this nifty little comic book is a joyride. It's everything you'd expect from a big budget blockbuster captured within the panels of a comic book. There's a LOT happening in each issue with a bevy of Batman villains showing up & making him confront his past. Oh yeah, & there's also the smokin' siren Catwoman heating up the proceedings.

Gotham Central:- This is a slightly different comic book as compared to other Batman comics as in it almost relegates the Bat to a secondary character status. GC is a first rate police procedural series but sadly it's also criminally underrated & does not have a huge fan following. I though, very very highly recommend it. It takes a look at Gotham city's crimes & misdemeanors from a side of the law we're not very used to seeing it from. The side of the cops.





Of course these are all my choices. There are plenty more Batman comics that are absolutely magnificent. Do leave a comment & tell me what according to you are the best Batman comics of all time. Till then, happy reading.

A Butterfly of Memory

A raging storm
A stifled scream
A peace within chaos
A flowing soul's stream

A depraved mind
A pristine heart
An abrupt middle
Another start

A jocular madness
A sensitive blow
A butterfly of memory
A jagged flow

A love that's ruthless
Glittering diamonds that pierce
A semblance of sanity
A rawness that's fierce

A road less travelled
An imprint too deep
Sight at the peak
A hill too steep

-Abbas

The Vice of the 'Verses'

"I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write" - Voltaire

'The Satanic Verses' came out in 1988 which means it's as old as I am. In the 23 and a half years since it was released (and subsequently banned in India) I have learnt to crawl, walk, talk, speak, eat, read, write, finished all of my school education, completed most of my college education, developed a taste in music & film, learnt to play a musical instrument, started to freelance, got my articles published, had crushes, gotten crushed on & got a semblance of right & wrong in life (okay, so maybe the last part is questionable) but unfortunately the issue that the powers that be of our country are still cribbing over is something that made waves TWENTY THREE years ago.

I haven't read the controversial book so I'm not the best judge to comment about its content but as an enthusiast of literature, I did pick up a Rushdie novel in my teens from a public library & after a few pages put it back as I didn't find it interesting enough. But let's say I had read The Satanic verses & had been offended by its content, what would be my reaction then? Would I want Rushdie beheaded? Exiled? Ostracized? Beaten to Pulp? Sent to jail? No. The best form of "protest" on my behalf would be to never read a Salman Rushdie book ever again.

Think I'm making a "radical" statement? Let me put it this way, I don't like the smell or taste of fish, but my mother, father & sister find it to be quite a delicacy & hence every now & then when my mother cooks fish I make it a point to avoid entering the kitchen & not instead break the crockery & set the kitchen on fire just because what's being cooked is not up to my taste.

The point I'm trying to drive at is that there's a whole generation that has grown up since the ban was imposed, and I proudly belong to that generation which by & large believes in the ideology of "Live & let live" contrary to the other dreary image that is portrayed of the fringe who believe what they say is "free speech" & the rest shall be terminated.

On the day the Rushdie issue erupted it was on the first page of most of the leading dailies whereas a much more pressing & grave issue like this was relegated to the second page.

This tweet by popular columnist & stand up comedian Rohan Joshi sums it up quite perfectly - " If they'd let Rushdie come, speak & leave, four people would have cared. And now look. How self defeating is your outrage?"

Come my 24th birthday & as always I shall get my cheeks pulled & hair ruffled whereas all the while I hear them say "My my! how much you've grown". Sigh! I wish I could say the same about the authoritative powers of our country.