[MOVIE REVIEW] MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

          AN EASY MAZE OF PREDICTABILITY


   The 3rd installment of T. S. Nowlin's Maze Runner series packs quite a punch with Patricia Clarkson's nearly expressive face. While the storyline is predictable, the live action pieces stitched together bears an uncanny resemblance to Steven Spielberg's Minority Report. While 20th Century Fox did its best to up the popularity factor by casting Lord Baelish from Game of Thrones, there is hardly any espionage or mind games being notably played.

   Though the crux doesn't deviate from the James Dashner's book The Death Cure, it is quite referential to the current times of unrest between superpowered countries today. The film does take you on a quest of Gladers trying to get inside the Last City and barring a few action sequences, there isn't much other to experience.

   A must for the die-hard Maze Runner fans. A one-time watchable film for the ones who got stood on a date and wish to pass their boring Sunday.




   Conclusion: A must-watch for Maze Runner fans only.

Oriental Passion Redefined

Musk is an Oriental Woody Eau de Parfum by All Good Scents. After trying the tester for 4 days at various times of the day, I bought this to play. 

The top note of Mandarin brings an explosive freshness with every breath. This amplified energy soon gets you drunk with Rum at its heart. Though the middle notes also has Ylang-Ylang, I had trouble smelling due to the dominant sensation of Musk. 

The warm woodiness of Oud and Patchouli formally settles in after a hour and remains crisp till 90 minutes. The EDP exudes a flair of masculinity best when the temperature is low and survives for a good 2.30 hours. 

Great for everyday wear and casual gatherings. For formal parties, I'd suggest No. 10 White Oud by Argonist which is stronger.

Man Made in Italy

Some call him a gentleman. Some call him a Khal Drogo. Within the embers of sensual woods, lives a man who chases boundaries and spits fire. His rugged scent transforms ashen winters into tempting summers. As the air slowly makes everyone green with envy, he awakens his inner Mandarin moves only to re-ignite those virile senses. His velvety skin makes even that long-lost cousin with a visible thigh gap rise and gulp the surrounding air like Hemingway's whiskey.

Warm, smooth and bulimic.

As the hormones settle like the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke at the legendary library of Biblioteca Ambrosiana, there is a penetration of English-style Sempione Park's lavender and violet blooms complimenting the waterfront winds of Mediterranean Sea. A man among men, he captures the intense stare by the lady wearing a rose print crepe de chine Miu Miu dress and even her secretary's side-eyed glances hidden by those Aviator Ray-Bans.

Simply classic.

As much as their Libeskind Toweresque curves are impressive, he plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons on his iPod and progresses to get abused by the Anchovies Fillet from Cantabrico and Buffalo Mozzarella at L'Antico Ristorante Boeucc.    

Leather, vetiver and Tonka Bean style.

Indulge in this exquisite depository of pret-a-porter lifestyle with a My Land.

Truly Milanese. Truly Trussardi.  

Love at First Moonlight

The Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue adaption is a queer trauma in a straight drama. Emerging from the distressed boroughs of Miami, Moonlight shines bright as a coming-of-age story and highlights emotions and identity issues within inverted commas. A violent meditation breathing life through childhood, adolescence and adulthood of the protagonist, the movie unravels like a quasi-Brutalist work of art. So severe but so brilliant.

            “Am I a Faggot?”

If a pregnant pause could be more pregnant then this moment would be it. When the innocent Little asks the Cuban drug dealer Juan, the whole world comes to a full stop. Perhaps it is not the waning Little who cannot play football, fight back against bullies or being a nobody but Juan teaching him how to swim, go back to his abusive crack-addict mother and an advice to go on a path of self-discovery that makes Little big.

“Who is you, Chiron?”

The repeated daggers thrown by everyone only adds 50 shades of grey into Little’s adolescent avatar. Ashton Sanders has inquisitive eyes that takes you into 120 Days of Sodom where the sons and daughters of libertines only seem to see every surviving hope in defeat. It is perhaps the kiss with Kevin that spews moonlight over a breath of weed. Immersive yet momentary.

“Who is you, man?”

Punctuating tough moments with tougher moments of silence, Chiron’s metamorphosis into hip-hop grunge seems softcore with the occasional visit to his mother weaved by Nicholas Britell’s pieces of orchestral music. If Mozart could appear like Hotline Bling then Vesperae Solennes de Confessore does the complementing trick. Maybe worthy of B J Thomas’ I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry during the anarchic scene of Black coming to meet a remorseful Kevin and rekindling love to moonlight and back. 

          If your love fell into the mists of Moonlight then which song would be playing? Write in the comments below:

Trump Ain't The Word

I find the ain't word hard to believe. Just like the way Donald J. Trump believes he can make America great again. While the world questions his passion, I am still thinking why has the ain't word being called the most stigmatised word in English caption. As Wikipedia says that it appears in all nonstandard English dialects, I find a distinct flair of Trump's equivalence. Used by many cultivated speakers from artificial clans, doesn't the Presidential nominee's classist comments ring a controversial bell? If you ain't seen nothing yet then perhaps his contender's popular phrases will surely help in satirising his rhetorical hard-to-believe spell. But if you are still rigid as his hardened hairline then doing just a quick #ElectionDay Twitter search would work wonders in equating his usage with a sense of informal farewell.

Sands of Phygital Times

Camel being used in the Ad
Pic courtesy: content.indiainfoline.com 

Just when you thought that the physical and digital marketing space has seen it all, TataCLIQ.com came up with an actual camel focused #SureThing campaign! From apparel and electronics to footwear, it showcases the authenticity of original products with a quirky C.A.M.E.L. (Certified Authentic Merchandise Everybody Loves) signage.

TataCLIQ.com's SureThing logo unit
Pic courtesy: indiantelevision.com

To generate a buzz, TataCLIQ.com released announcer films in 3 stages:

1. Unwrapping A Story: Centred around Real Good Brands at Feel Good Prices tagline, this 10 second film features a woman placing a bubble wrap over a sitting camel. The homely background contrasted with the presence of an actual camel creates a striking contrast in the minds of consumers. The introduction of Get The Oont song complements the buzzing curiosity and has managed to generate 206,448+ views since 30 May, 2016!

2. A Clickworthy Sight: To build momentum on the buzz, the camel takes us from his humble human home to a photographer's studio! Resonating with the glamorous life of celebrities and camel's evident ignorance, the 155,67+ viewed video acts as an antithesis of sensational products being easily available on TataCLIQ.com! 

Pic courtesy: pbs.twimg.com

3. Made To Perfection: The nature of providing only selective C.A.M.E.L. products can best be highlighted through the Get The Oont backed 20 second video. Having a tester measure the various angles and sides of our by now famous camel, TataCLIQ.com's #SureThing campaign highlights the dedication that goes behind premiering its products.

Unveiling The C.A.M.E.L.: It wasn't long before TataCLIQ.com released its maiden 1 minute #SureThing film. Right from skirt and suit, sneaker and boot to HD television, grinder and earphones, the camel replaces them all in various situations to signify the availability of only Certified Authentic Merchandise Everybody Loves products in a smart and yet cool way!

Overall, the 2 day campaign managed to receive more than 1 million views on its main advertisement and #SureThing hashtag remained a trending topic of Twitter for more than 6 hours! 

Make sure to check TataCLIQ.com's various C.A.M.E.L. certified apparel, electronics and footwear products for experiencing that #SureThing feeling!

-siddheshgarg

KASHISH 2016 | Movie Review

Movie: Trade Queen | 7 min

pic courtesy: madisz.ro 

Country: Germany (2015)

Director: David Wagner

Ordinary sales men by day, extraordinary excitement by night! Mr. Jonas and Mr. Schmidt have boring and normal day jobs and go to every door selling pots. They add life to their lives by Mr. Jonas spending his evening drinking whiskey and in pubs whereas Mr. Schmidt turns himself into a drag queen!

Shot in black and white format with no dialogues, this 7 minutes film will certainly keep you awake and make you do some soul-searching.

Movie: No Matter Who (A Qui La Faute) | 19 minutes

pic courtsey: prod3.agileticketing.net

Country: France (2015)
Director: Anne-Claire Jaulin
Cast:
Ilys Barillot as Marie (Alpha female/Bully)
Louisiane Gouverneur as Lise

A Kiss That Changed Everything! When a French girls scout go on a trail, Lise who is a lesbian becomes the centre of attraction as the alpha girl of the group kisses her in the woods. Being docile and sweet, Lise soon finds herself being ridiculed and outcasted from the troop.

Adding to the severity of the abuse, Lise is awakened in the middle of the night and taken deep into the forest, tied to a tree and her long mane chopped as a sign of punishment.

When the movie ends with the ring leader finding herself facing Lise's intense glare, the movie brilliantly portrays the juxtaposition of the abuse being fought with confidence and silencing hatred by doing what defines you!

Awards:
Festival du Film de Cabourg
Best Actresses: Ilys Barillot & Louisiane Gouverneur

North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Women’s International Short Film

Movie: He Who Has Two Souls (Celui Qui A Deux Âmes) | 17 minutes

pic courtesy: studio-wasia.com

Country: France (2015)
Director: Fabrice Luang-Vija
Music: Terje Isungset 

Fantasising on men and women, Fabrice Luang-Vija's He Who Has Two Souls gives life to a man's dilemma. Living in a snowy wonderland, the hero is beautiful as a woman and handsome as a man. The interludes of repeated animated stills of his confusion adds volumes to his gender fluid mindset.

His desire of being with someone who understands that sometimes he wishes to sow or sometimes go out in the cold and hunt for fishes resonates with the feeling of being accepted that lingers in the minds of each and every one.

Awards:
Yoram Gross Award for Best International Short Animation (Academy® Accredited) at Flicker Fest

More to come for Sunday's movies at Kashish Film Festival 2016! Stay tuned. 

-siddheshgarg