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Chai with Christie

A podcast where Christie tells stories about her life

07/26/2024

Alright, kids, gather ‘round because Deadpool’s got a story to tell. Picture this: a cinematic bromance that’s bloodier than a Quentin Tarantino fever dream and funnier than Ryan Reynolds' Twitter feed. Yep, I’m talking about "Deadpool and Wolverine," a movie so epic it makes the Avengers look like a middle school talent show.

Let’s start with the obvious: Hugh Jackman is back, and he’s grumpier than a cat at bath time. Wolverine, our favorite hairy Canadian with anger issues, does what he does best—growls, slashes, and generally looks like he’s one stubbed toe away from going full berserker. But who’s there to keep him in check? Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth. That’s right, folks, Deadpool is here to balance out the brooding with some much-needed sarcasm and fourth-wall-breaking antics. It’s like peanut butter and jelly, if peanut butter had knives for hands and jelly had a propensity for crude humor.

The plot? Oh, who cares about the plot! Something about time travel, evil corporations, and an obligatory world-ending threat. But honestly, you’re not here for the plot. You’re here to watch two of Marvel’s most beloved anti-heroes punch bad guys in the face while delivering one-liners sharper than Wolverine’s claws. And boy, do they deliver. The banter is top-notch, the action scenes are jaw-dropping, and the cameos—oh, the cameos!—are enough to make even the most jaded comic book fan squeal with delight.

Director? Yeah, I guess they had one. Probably someone who knows a thing or two about wrangling egos the size of, well, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Kudos to them for keeping this chaotic masterpiece on track. The special effects are glorious, the soundtrack is killer, and the pacing is tighter than Deadpool’s pumpkin smuggling spandex.

In conclusion, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is the cinematic equivalent of a chimichanga: messy, indulgent, and utterly satisfying. If you’re looking for a movie that combines heart, humor, and a whole lot of hack-and-slash, look no further. Just remember to leave the kids at home—unless you’re ready to explain why that man in red keeps making jokes about his “swords” and white powder.

So grab your popcorn, your mouthy popcorn bucket too, strap in, and get ready for a wild ride. This movie is a mutant miracle, a love letter to fans, and a middle finger to anyone who thinks superheroes should be serious all the time.

12/03/2023

Bollywood Movie Review: Animal
Disclaimers:
Spoilers will be included
I'm a Ranbir Kapoor fan
I was born and raised in America and married to a sweet Telugu guy and my views and opinions are my own and don't reflect my company or my husband.

I went into Animal knowing Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol were starring in it. I saw the trailer once or twice, and maybe heard it on in the background as my husband was getting hyped up for it. I also knew it was directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who is notorious for Arjun Reddy / Kabir Singh.

I've been a fan of Ranbir from the first time I ever saw him in Bollywood circa Rockstar, Barfi, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Besharam. Some of hits happened within a few years of my endeavor into Indian Cinema. I know he has the potential for a lot of range but other than that I was a bit of a blank slate. I avoid spoilers as much as I can so I consume movies like a sweet - a high calorie treat that you don't think about too much about and just enjoy the experience.

My fandom and bias aside, a large part of me feels very positive about this film, while the rest of me is divided between twangs of my modern feminism and the trends Bollywood goes through. Sure, lets finally get with the pan-India trend and connect northern and southern Indian styles instead of making fun of them for tropes, and sure, lets make heroes take off their shirts to be objectified and portray older/younger versions of themselves. I guess some common sense and tried and true strategies will revive the box office from its struggles. Could you guess the last film I saw before this was Jawaan? I'd give Animal a solid 7 cups of chai out of 10.

Overall, Animal clocks in at a thicc 3 hours and 22 minutes. Sandeep garu has mentioned that he sat for much time trying to cut it down but this is essentially as distilled as it can be. In America our capitalist overlords would chop this into 2 films and thrive on the profits, but I appreciated the length in a comfy theater in my recliner chair. The plot is simple, and yet the details are complex, so I can see where if some scenes were cut from this length some things wouldn't quite make sense. I came away from Animal thinking "okay this is the desi John Wick, with a splash of humor the way comedy feels in Marvel movies."

Back to the fangirl in me - seeing Ranbir was a thrill. I have a watchlist on my streaming apps that include Brahmastra and Shamshera so the last solid flick I saw him in was Jagga Jasoos and wow, what a departure from that! I enjoy the intensity he brings to the screen. The plot started with him being a typical little boy doting on his Father (who is endowed as the richest man of India to help explain away any plot holes) because of course Papa is his hero! Then it quickly picks up where his dad is clearly absent due to being a toxic workaholic and he steps up to protect his sister from ragging (and perhaps more) by bringing a semi automatic bandook to the classroom looking for the as****es who harassed her and fires it to get attention. After chasing down the goons in a car without a driver's license and giving them an absolute scare things come to a head where his father confronts him as a criminal. Ranbir defends himself for doing the right thing but ultimately the conflict between him and his dad leads to him jetting off to America for 20 years.

Now Ranbir's character Vijay has returned to India as its his dad's 60th birthday and Anil Kapoor has always excelled at such serious roles so Balbir Singh was a really good fit for me. Vijay also just happened to show up for the engagement of his school love and shot through that arrangement like a wrecking ball. After another fight with dad and a further 8 year estrangement, he returns to India again with his wife and kids in tow because Papa was shot.

At this point in the movie is really where I felt the John Wick coming through because attacking Papa was basically like goons killing John's dog. It wasn't just an attack it was a declaration of war. Vijay clearly learned a lot having to fend for himself and brought intelligence with him to strategize going to war so we get to enjoy a lot of gratuitous gun fu, many well placed thappads and conversations that I've not heard carried out in a lot of Hindi cinema. Don't forget a sprinkling of that hyper aggressive South Indian fighting along with an unwitting body double to protect Papa.

The dialogue brought a lot of comedy to smooth out scenes that would simply be too violent otherwise, and the entrance of Bobby Deol brought the whole theater back to the nostalgia because it feels like we've missed him and he's evolved quite a bit. As a side note I've had the pleasure of talking to Bobby on the phone once about coming to the USA to do some DJ work, but it didn't quite work out. I hope he reads this because I don't think I have his whatsapp number anymore but I'd just love to say he rose to the occasion so well portraying a traumatized man who hasn't spoken since a family member passed. Acting without speaking parts is always a challenge, and in this case he has to be a complete psychopath without speaking and pulled it of brilliantly.

At this point the movie got into a "who is going to f**k up who's family the worst and who will do it first" and with gusto. Vijay hires a local goonda to provide an array of weapons to his family who is now a well equipped army. They fight video game style against hundreds of armed men wearing Squid Game helmets which was actually a fun ex*****on. We also learn this feud is due to an argument among the elders of the family because one was a real jackass and was kicked out of the family company so he moved away with his family and apparently taught his sons nothing but revenge. One son lived intland and another in Turkey. There is mention that the one in Istanbul decided to get plastic surgery to look like Vijay so he could kill the Balbir Singh family looking like their son. This only becomes important at the end of the film.

I do want to call out a scene where Vijay knows his family still isn't safe so he's called his cousins over to protect everyone and mend a family rift. He got beaten into heart failure in the Squid Game Masked Army encounter and by some stroke of luck gets a heart transplant. A woman shows up to hear her deceased fiancé's heart beat one more time and we learn she was a mole but caught feelings for Vijay. So yes after promising his wife he'd always be true to her, he lets her down by sleeping with this woman and earning the new woman's trust to find out who's behind this war on his family. He then goes home to his wife to come clean about what he did. "I only slept with her because it was for my dad" and the subsequent scenes of Vijay nearly shooting his wife, some vague forgiveness, s*x, and sadness made me throw up in my mouth a little. My husband told me that in interviews with Ranbir he warns the audience that if they suffer from trauma or abuse that they should not watch this. I agree. I'd also add Bollywood needs more female writers in these blockbuster films. Sure this show is a testament to what generational trauma looks like even in the richest of houses, but f**king yikes yaar.

Animal concludes with a twist that even M. Night Shyamalan would be okay with as we see the visage of this wayward son looking like Vijay who may or may not have also knocked up the gal who was sent to seduce Vijay. After that we see a sassy Ranbir looking like his elder version from the opening scene of the movie with an invitation to come visit Animal Park denoting a sequel and leaving a lot of ambiguity of which character this version of Ranbir is playing.

So yes Animal gets 7 out of 10 cups of chai thanks to a great cast, a plot that is non nutritious but still tasty like a gulab jamon, edgy humor, and creative action. It could have gotten an 8-10 cups if it handled some of the characterization of Vijay's wife (Rashmika Mandanna) better (I've already forgotten her name) to make her motivations and actions more than just decoration.

12/03/2023

Welcome to the story telling portion of my life. My experiences and reviews will be told from my personal point of view and don't represent any company or people in my life other than me. Topics can include anything from movie reviews, experiences being married to someone from another country, growing up in quaint South Florida and more. Media may be written or podcasted. Frequency may be up to when my brain reminds me to create.

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