📅 Monday 15th to Sunday 28th
An even shorter update this fortnight - thought I would have more free time after exams ended, but then I started really digging into work and also, well... just relaxing! Consuming content without having to write about it (for a brief while) was fun. However, this ended up creating a backlog of film reviews, something for me to sort out before the next fortnight's (nearly the last one of the year!) update.
Missing content this time includes Books, Music and TV - I simply haven't read/ watched enough new stuff to justify writing about them - but it has been great just slowing things down a bit.
Jump to sections below:🙋♂️ Volunteering
- Started SYA's Summer Camp marketing. Looking forward to this flagship face-to-face event once again being marked in my Summer calendar!
✍️ University Studies
- Completed my hectic exam schedule! 9am Monday, 9am Tuesday, 5pm Tuesday, 9am Wednesday. Glad to be done for the year slightly earlier than expected.
🤵 Work
- Started working 4 days a week with uni finished, and it has been great to establish proper working rhythms and flows. Also presented my first piece of work which was exciting.
🎥 Movies
Free Guy
I really did not expect to like this movie but actually came out enjoying the script and action from this Ryan Reynolds flick. Free Guy takes the concept of a video game world and doesn't just have base-level humour but actually builds a beautiful story about the digital world from it's GTA-like base. The trio of Reynolds, Comer and Keery provide equal parts laughter and emotion in an above-average story that is unfortunately hampered by some uncreative camerawork/ cinematography. However, most young people will love this movie and it made for an entertaining two hours, especially that third act - I recommend it as a good watch for a more relaxed/ social setting!
The Big Sick
Based on Kumail Nanjiani's real love story, The Big Sick is a heartfelt if brief recount of modern love struggles. Kumail is a novice comedian/ Uber driver who meets and begins dating white student Emily while his Pakistani family keeps trying to set him up for an arranged marriage. The story makes some use of its Chicago setting, but what initially seems to be an inter-cultural dating story actually becomes an emotional struggle and more focused on the white side of in-law families, to my surprise. It was an enjoyable watch, if only to get to see more of Kumail's comedic/ drama acting chops, but didn't really explore enough substance for my interest or recommendation. Unless you're a brown person looking to date a white one, you can safely skip The Big Sick.
SPOILER: this movie can help if you are going through the experience of/ want to see a movie about getting through difficult hospital times with an unconscious almost comatose partner.
Meenakshi Sundarewshwar
Meenakshi Sundareshwar had a lot of great elements from early in its script - authentic portrayals of Tamil culture, an arranged marriage that goes wrong in a novel way via long-distance, and two capable leads. However, it doesn't develop beyond these elements, even as the plot pushes ahead with a dull bachelors-only technology company and terrible communication between the newly-weds and their families. There is some great cinematography throughout, including smart usages of technology and some genuinely funny scenes. Unfortunately, it becomes tiresome to witness these same character tropes continue without growth, or really anything of note happening. Gone was the interesting love origin story based on the Meenakshi-Sundareshwar temple, and instead there is a padded presentation of living with your arranged marriage in-laws/ balancing work-life responsibilities. Unless you are in a long-distance relationship or really curious about South Indian culture on screen, skip this one.
Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2
Rewatched Nov 21, 2021 and Nov 24, 2021
In the lead-up to Tom Holland's 3rd Spider-Man solo film, No Way Home, I decided to re-watch the classic Spider-man movies from my childhood - and surprisingly, they don't just hold up but exceeded my expectations. Full article on the Spider-Man movies coming out soon!
Rockstar
Surprisingly, I realised this was the same director as two previous Bollywood films I have watched and one I was partly through - Imtiaz Ali! Will chuck up an article on this collection together in the future.
🎵 Bonus: Music
Been listening to some great film scores recently - Hollywood above, Bollywood below!
😅 Phew! You've reached the end of this fortnight, thank you for reading.
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👍 Hope you have a fantastic fortnight ahead.
