Some movies come along and shock you by undressing the most naked truth in the room and revealing the most banal truths of life. Synecdoche, New York is one such movie. It is about a theatre director, Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), spanning his life from the age of 40 to 80. Caden’s life passes by him like turning a page in a book. Blink. His wife has left him. Blink again. His daughter is a porn star.

Continue reading Synecdoche, New York : A Quiet Meditation on Time and Art at Movierdo.

In an essay titled ‘God’s Little Artist’, art historians Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock propose the concept of the ‘genius artist’ in the popular imagination to be a fairly modern one. Up until the eighteenth century, the artist was seen as a mere craftsman or artisan. But by a modern definition, they have come to acquire a special status: “A mixture of supposed genetic factors and social roles distinguish the artist from the mass of ordinary mortals, creating new myths, those of the prophet and above all the genius, and new social persona, the Bohemian and the pioneer.”

Every artist dreams of achieving greatness in their field keeping in mind the celebrated and revered artists who preceded them.

Continue reading The Anxiety of Influence in ‘The Disciple’ at Movierdo.

It’s late at night and a SUV is driving down the road recklessly. There are three drunk men inside talking about women. The conversation is something like this: there are extremely pretty twin sisters present at a hypothetical party. One is wearing nothing on her face while the other is wearing lipstick. Which one will they take home? The front-seated guy replies he will take the one with the lipstick because she has already come with the intention of ‘wanting’ it.

Continue reading “Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar”: A Dark Comedy That Subverts Gender Identities at Movierdo.

From Natalie Portman in Black Swan to Saoirse Ronan in Ladybird, these are our picks for few of the best acting performances in films that will stay with us forever.

Margot Robbie in I, Tonya (2017)

US Olympic Figure Skater Tonya Harding, known for one of the biggest scandals in US sports history, was abused throughout her life. Robbie plays her as someone with a tough exterior and extremely vulnerable heart.

Continue reading 15 Best Film Performances of the 2010s at Movierdo.

Wes Anderson initially wanted to become an architect and then a writer. Now a filmmaker, the influence of both these professions is apparent in his works. He has managed to cultivate his own style of filmmaking which is laden with an aesthetic vision that sets the mood and tone for the whole film. His production sets are established in the real world but there is some imaginative quality about them that they may as well be out of a cartoon book.

Continue reading A Gang of Misfits in Wes Anderson’s Universe at Movierdo.

At the beginning of season 2, Fleabag’s nose is bleeding incessantly. She tries to control the blood, slyly looks at the camera, and remarks, “It is a love story.” Yes, but it is also a story of her finding faith. Fleabag has been coping with both guilt and grief after her best friend died because of her. She either pushes away or is isolated by each one of her loved ones. The sadness is inexplicable and the only way for her to survive this tortured existence is by assuming a character.

Continue reading Fleabag: The curious case of unexpected theology at Movierdo.

Schitt’s Creek opens up with the climax: The Rose family is tricked and looted by their business manager and has lost everything. Someone is taking their family portrait away, others are removing their expensive statues. The lawyer explains that the Government has allowed them to retain one asset: a town that Johnny Rose bought as a joke for his son. Falling from grace, this town will ultimately become the Rose family’s “saving grace” in more ways than one. 

Continue reading The Utopian Land of ‘Schitt’s Creek’: Like the wine, not the label at Movierdo.

“Sexy is how I try them to see me as after I win them over with my personality.”

 – Miranda Hobbes

Sex and the City aired in 1998 and was revolutionary in portraying the lives of 30-something women in New York City who were candid about their sex lives and had solid friendships. What Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) proclaimed in the pilot season was the main idea of the show itself: “women having sex like men.” It was presenting us with women who were complicated, messy, and human.

Continue reading “We Should All Be Mirandas!”: The Relevancy of Miranda Hobbes from Sex and the City at Movierdo.

The ‘90s in Hollywood was the golden age for romantic comedies. All of us hopeless romantics need to thank them for providing us with a lifetime of unrealistic expectations on romance and love. But also for giving us comfort and hope in gloomy times. We all are well-versed and well-educated in the schools of When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Notting Hill (1999). Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts have owned our hearts and it was a time when everyone fell in love with Hugh Grant.

Continue reading Top 10 Underrated ‘90s Hollywood Rom-Coms Films at Movierdo.

I watched Breakfast Club when I was in 10th grade. Even though the film was set in America and American culture, there was something about five kids coming together in detention, who always felt misunderstood, that really resonated with me. And I admit, in the last scene of the film, when Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) signs off with “Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club,” cutting to the final shot of Bender’s iconic fist pump, I was exhilarated.

Continue reading John Hughes: The Politics of High School and his Movies at Movierdo.