The Tender Bar 2021 - Film Review

What is it about coming-of-age movies that we just can’t seem to get enough? We’ve seen so many of them and we still keep coming back for more.

Boyhood, Reality Bites, Juno, Scent of a Woman, Dead Poet’s Society, Almost Famous, Dil Chahta Hai, Wake up Sid, and at some level, even our obsession with Spiderman, the super-hero version of the same genre, that has outlived the entire Avengers MCU!

It’s probably because these stories capture that one beautiful life stage in all of our personal histories that is filled with possibilities. At that magical time of our lives when the restrictions of being a child are just being unshackled, and the realities of adult life haven’t dawned on us. We no longer feel the powerlessness of childhood and we are just beginning to taste the independence of adulthood, and still without a care for responsibilities. That one time in our lives, when the world is ours to take, define, create, make, build and imagine. That one brief time in our lives when we are truly free. Free from time and space. Free from the burden of the past, or the expectations of the future. Free from our society, our relationships, and even ourselves. Free to define our identities in the way we want. Free to shape the future.

#TheTenderBar is a film about all this and more. And if you’re a sucker for these stories or if maybe you’re still living in this life stage in your minds, then this film is for you.

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning writer J.R. Moerhinger’s memoir by the same name, set through the 70s and 80s, the film tells the story about coming of age of JR, an introverted child in a broken family, where after the father leaves them, moves with his mother to their grandfather’s home with the extended family. Despite getting love and all the craziness of the new family set up, he continues to grow under the shadow of the missing father, continuously haunting in his life as ‘the voice’ on the radio. The two most significant influences in his life then become the deep love and ambition of his mother (who wants him to become a lawyer from Yale) on one side, and more importantly, his uncle Charlie (brilliantly played by Ben Affleck), who runs their family-owned local pub, Dickens, in Long Island. This ‘tender bar’ then becomes the avenue for shaping his journey of growing up and transitioning to becoming a man, under the inspirational-yet-pragmatic guidance of his favorite ‘bar tender’. As he makes it to Yale, through his unrequited love story, and his career ups and downs, towards finally finding his calling in becoming a writer.

The story is not new. But, as always with films like this, it is how the story is told that makes an impact, once again reminding us of the power of good movie-making and impactful story-telling. Kudos George Clooney, the director. We can feel his touch of lightness, style, beauty, flow, emotions, and an understated optimism throughout the film. Ben Affleck does a great job of playing the key influence that shapes JR’s life, enough for us to forgive (though not forget) his Batman disaster. Daniel Ranieri as the young boy JR is brilliant in his innocent-yet-observant portrayal. And Tye Sheridan (seen in X-Men Apocalypse and Ready Player One) also does a really good job of playing the difficult role of young JR, an insecure and under-confident youth, trying to balance his talent, his calling, his reality, and his emotions. Christopher Lloyd (of Back to the Future scientist fame)  as the grumpy old grandfather and the talented Lily Rabe (of TV fame) as the victim-yet-hopeful mother deliver memorable and poignant moments in the film. And finally, the soundtrack of the 70s and 80s throughout the film is a key player in the film, adding to the emotions and Clooney is a genius for using it well, as an aide to making us feel more with the film, more than what the words and the story could have ever done. 

At the end of the day, we can analyze till we paralyze, but a good film is one that makes you feel something and that stays with you after you’ve walked out of the room. And this film hits the spot. What stays with us is JR’s emotional journey to becoming a writer. What stays with us is the life lessons of progressive masculinity that Uncle Charlie flawlessly delivers. The mood of the NY State of the 70s and 80s. The dysfunctional-yet-optimistic families of America. The rooting for the underdog. The kindness of friends and strangers. And most of all what stays with us is how the film makes us feel, and our own re-immersion into the coming-of-age of our own lives.  

Watch it with a glass of wine in your hand, or your favorite Scotch, or maybe Dickens’ favorite gin martini, or watch it neat, but watch it when you have the space and time to feel once again that one time in your life when you felt free.

Time to order the book, because I think want some more of this…

The Nutmeg’s Curse, Parables for a Planet in Crisis - Amitav Ghosh, 2021

Every now and then comes a book that brings mind-changing perspectives that we hadn’t seen before. Not because they weren’t there, but simply because we’re all consumed by the lives we lead in our own narrow, confined bubbles, and because we’re all blinded by the truths and conditioning of what is fed to us over the years. 

The Nutmeg’s Curse, by Amitav Ghosh, is one such book, that aims to burst our bubbles just enough for us to see beyond our post-modern, neo-liberal, capitalist lives, that we’ve all not only taken for granted as the only way to function in countries and in societies but that we also defend and propagate as the only ‘right’ way for the future. Amitav Ghosh takes us into a journey of the past, as a means to find the answers to our collective future. And puts in words beautifully, what many of us already feel in our bones every day - the way the world functions today does not work for the world and the people living in it, and will continue to not work in the future.

This book is extremely ‘timely’, because we can get all the help we need if we are to save the world, and because it offers an alternative way to do it, beyond delegations, promises, COP26, and activism. But more importantly, the book is ‘timeless’, because it takes a deeper and longer time perspective that shows us a more human, a more fundamental, and a more holistic re-orientation that has always existed and can perhaps show us the way into the future.

Amitav Ghosh makes a few simple but deeply powerful reflections, towards finding answers to our planet crisis

One, that history is always seen as an idea of ‘time’. Events that happened against a timeline in the past. And because our understanding of history is what conditions us on how we think about the world and where we came from, this narrow idea of history as ‘time’ leaves an essential aspect of history that is equally, if not more important. And that is history as an idea of ‘space’ - of how the people, the flora, the fauna, and the environment all existed inter-dependently at a moment in time. And what these memories give us in our understanding of the world. And therefore, what lessons does that give for the future.

Two, the neo-liberal capitalist systems that we all function within today, is a legacy of only the last 400 years of imperialism, from Portuguese to the Dutch to the British, and across most of the world from the Americas in the west to the Indonesian end in the East and everywhere in between. It is the fundamental belief system and the entire conscious strategy of self-proclaimed civilized-and-therefore-superior colonial-settlers conquering lands for exploiting their resources for the benefit of the empires, at the expense of local people, animal-plant ecosystems, and the environment. And it is this colonial-settler mindset that is being repeated over and over again (including an acceleration in the last 50 years), much after the end of ‘formal’ imperialism, and being practiced also by the same countries in modern times, that were the victims earlier. 

Three, the entire language and approach to sustainability and environment today, is steeped in logic and science, and jargon and morality and politics and activism. But, what moves people and societies are stories, not facts. And what’s missing in the world today is these stories of the plants, and the animals, and the air and the water, and the wind and the sun. Stories that we can all feel and therefore connect with, enough to save it. 

A skill and a way of life, and the answers, that today live with the one section of humanity (the farmers, the indigenous population, the tribals) that itself has been marginalized in society by the same capitalist forces that are responsible for our current planet crisis. The one set of people that can save us is the one people who have no say in the environmental discourse. The irony is painful. Ghosh calls to storytellers of all kinds to take this mantle on.

Four, one of the fundamental reasons for our planet crisis is our conditioned world view of seeing the earth and its elements as ‘resources’. The language and the ethos of a resource imply something that needs to be used for the benefit of humans. Couple that with the incessant ‘growth obsession’ of the capitalist world (which inherently is in contradiction with planet Earth), and is it any surprise that we find ourselves in the situation we are in. The solution lies in what Ghosh calls thinking of the earth as ‘Gaia’, a living entity and that we need to live in harmony with, and not as a ’resource’ to manage.

Finally, Ghosh argues that all of this has shaped the geopolitics of energy and all other resources of the earth. The power and politics of different countries around oil, fossil fuels, renewables, materials that make greedy-growing modern human life possible, will continue to be the biggest barrier to the reality of any meaningful action ever being taken towards a more sustainable future. And therefore, any real future solution to the planetary crisis needs to take into account not only dismantling some of these existing structures across countries, working together, but also including ground level, people-planet-poverty solutions. 

Immersing into this brilliant narrative, it becomes clear to us that our current preoccupation with the science of environment sustainability (for example, preventing carbon footprint to keep the temperature increase to under 2 degrees) is too simplistic, and therefore not, the only answer. Which one-sided relationship ever works? No wonder then, the earth as a one-way resource for human beings is a self-fulfilling disaster we are now living in. Consequently, a one-sided solution of reducing greenhouse gases or carbon footprint or any of those will also not be a sustainable answer. 

The real solution lies in a socio-economic-political-environmental approach that starts from the stories of plants and animals and people, living interdependently, with a harmonious multi-way relationship of give-and-take and balance. What Ghosh calls a ‘Vitalist’ approach. 

Here’s hoping more people read this book, for all of us to make a collective impact to save the future of our planet together. So that many years from now, we and our children can tell the stories of how the world shed its divisiveness and came together to ’pivot’ towards building a vitalist, sustainable, monstrous, beautiful, and thriving Gaia. 

Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc - Wine Review

Ah! The sheer joy of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Nothing comes close. This one hits the spot. Refreshing first sip, just right lemon sourness, lip-smacking spiciness, and a full flavor mouthful that flows down the throat and rises up the nose as a bouquet (pun intended) of fresh spring. By itself, have it nice and chilled. And extremely delicious with a nice flavourful vegetarian Indian dish. (preferably neither too bland nor too spicy)

@brancottestate @vivino #wine #whitewine #sauvignonblanc #foodpairing #wineforvegetarians #winewithvegfood #winewithindianfood @wine_promotion_ @wineenthusiast @winelibrary @foodandwine #brancottestate

Rosemount Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

A lovely Cab Sauv. Deep, full bodied and flavourful, the way we want it to be. Starting with a slightly sour (a little bit more than I like) first sip that transforms quickly into a dry berry dark chocolate taste that is a delicious mouthful. Followed by a mildly dry (in a nice way) after taste that makes us go for the next sip. A great glass by itself. And amazingly delicious with a nice meal of roti and palak paneer. Yummmmm 

#rosemountwine @vivino #wine #redwine #vivino #cabernetsauvignon #foodpairing #wineforvegetarians #winewithvegfood #winewithindianfood @wine_promotion_ @wineenthusiast @winelibrary @foodandwine

The Matrix Resurrections - Film Review

One of the most awaited movies of the year, well, at least for a very small group of Gen X Matrix nerds (like me!), released perfectly at a time between Wave 2 and Wave 3, allowing us to make it that one big-screen movie experience to totally immerse in.

And?

Well, if you’re one of that very-small-group-of-GenX-Matrix-nerds-like-me, then it’s not like you have a "choice", right? Your destiny is written. You have to watch it, no matter how it is. And that’s exactly the audience that the film is made for. 

The rest of the world can give it a pass, and stay plugged into the matrix. It’s not like you’re going to miss anything :) 

Ok, now for the review, seriously.

The Matrix, created by the hitherto unknown Wachowski brothers, released in 1999, was instantly an iconic film, bringing together a wholly new idea with never-seen-before special effects and killer martial art action, creating a transcendental experience, that literally moved us from our own realities into a fictional world that felt infinitely more real. The moment we took the red pill, we were on one of the most thrilling adventures of our lives, down the rabbit hole, with heightened senses and re-invigorated brain cells. And, remember, this was before Nolan’s Memento (2000), so we hadn’t yet discovered these mind-bending films that rewire our brains. 

Simply put The Matrix was literally and figuratively mind-blowing. Hell, my handle on the blog is Neo, for it!

The sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, took the original idea further, and though (pun intended) less revolutionary (like all sequels), they were still powerful stories that messed with your mind, pushed the boundaries more, added new dimensions to our alternate reality, took us deeper into the maze, and finally led us to the inevitable almost-happy ending.

But apart from the special effects and the action, the reason why Matrix really blew us away was because of the central idea. That we are all living in a make-believe world created by centers of power (machines) to control us, so that they can use us, humans, to serve their interest of generating enough electric power resources to keep the world and the machines running, preserving current structures of the world order and power. 

Sound familiar? Let me write the last sentence again, but this time omitting a few words linked to machines and humans:
We are all living in a world created by centers of power to control us, so that they can serve their interest of generating enough resources to keep the world running, preserving current structures of the world order and power.

Does that sound any different from our own realities today, or in 1999?

That is the brilliance of the Matrix.

We are trapped in our minds, reacting to the programs running around us, living our everyday lives blissfully unaware of the truth, even though many of us feel it in our bones every day. Not being able to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not, then becomes the central plot of the Matrix. 

Then there are the two crucial sub-ideas that the series weaves the story-telling around, which keeps us thinking and breathlessly hooked. 

The first idea is the “choice vs. control” paradigm. On one side is the argument that we all have a choice. And it is these choices which we make in our lives that deliver the consequences that we live with (The Merovingian school of thought). The counter-idea, of course, is: are we really in control of the choices we make, or are we just playing our role in a narrative that is already written for us (The Architect school of thought). 

The second idea is around “purpose vs love”. We are all here to discover and fulfill our purpose, our destiny, no matter how noble or evil that might be (Neo vs Agent Smith, Ram vs. Ravan paradigm). And this requires grit, strife, and sacrifice. While on the other hand, is our human selves, consumed by our desires and  emotions that push us in a direction that is not always in sync with our purpose (The Neo-Trinity paradigm) 

Thus, with the central idea of the truth vs. the matrix, enmeshed with two sub-ideas of choice vs control, and purpose vs. love, the Matrix series transcends from being just a kick-ass movie to an entire philosophy for our modern lives.

#TheMatrixResurrections starts off well, with the makings of what a 2021 version could look like. It picks up 60 years after Matrix Revolutions (the aging visibly seen in all our loved actors), where we find Neo and Trinity plugged back into the matrix, their entire history coded as part of a really popular video game named (guess) ‘The Matrix’, created by the famous programmer (guess again) Thomas Andersen. This part, actually, is really cool. In 2021, using the now-massive gaming world as the ultimate metaphor for the blurred lines between what’s real and what’s not, is a stroke of genius. 

But after this, the film only does a nostalgic replay of once again rescuing Neo (and Trinity, now a happily-married-with-kids Tiffany in the matrix), to find their true selves, their true love (each other), and their true nemesis (The Analyst, reminiscent of the earlier Architect, played by the loved Neil Patrick Harris). With a lot of help from a cast of humans and machines inside and outside the matrix (Io, the new Zion) - the old captain Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), Bugs (Jessica Henwick), the new Morpheus (he is a program this time, Yahya Abdul Mateen) and a grown-up Sati (Priyanka Chopra, rolled-eyes).

At best, the movie is a big-time nostalgic hit for us Matrix fans, with all the right words, dialogues, and characters thrown in. In fact, there literally are scenes from the original films that are played for us again and again, making sure our own memories of the matrix are part of this 2021 experience. Even an old Merovingian makes a cameo mumbling in his French accent, something about the evil of social media (in a desperate attempt to build some relevance for today). And while all of this brings a smile to us fans, it also makes it very clear that apart from this blast-from-the-past good feeling, there is very little else that the film has to offer. 

And this itself becomes the most disappointing thing about the movie. The nostalgia. 

The very essence of the Matrix philosophy is anti-nostalgia. It is about the future and visioning a world that we want to live in. 

This is where The Matrix Resurrections misses a huge golden opportunity. Coming at the end of 2021, after almost two years of a world-in-crisis, the film had a unique platform to tell THE story of our generation. To re-interpret the original philosophy for our current times, while simultaneously showing a glimpse into the future. But alas, the film misses this completely and becomes a mere fading memory of its original self, much like the characters in the film themselves. 

In many ways, it is perhaps exactly how The Matrix would be if it were made in 2021 - a few Google searches and a few short social media posts, that shows the cleverness of the words and the visuals, but scratch a little deeper and there is complete emptiness and lack of any knowledge or understanding or meaning. Sigh!

So, for the very-small-group-of-GenX-Matrix-nerds-like-me, you know you’re going to watch it and get disappointed. So might as well get the pain over with quickly.

And for the rest of the world, you have a choice, you can either go watch the original Matrix Trilogy, which still feels extremely relevant 22 years later. Or, “you take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed, and believe whatever you want to believe” 

The choice is yours.

Or is it?