🎬 ~ Rockstar

rating: 6.25/10

ah yes, i finally watched the indian cult classic after a decade with fresher and more mature eyes. i watched this 10 days ago but i didn't review it so let me remember whatever i can. first of all, this movie probably did some shi back in the day but looking at it now it's a bit overrated imo. jordan's character was bipolar asf he's basically every indian boy irl represented in cinema. nargis fakhri's character has some personality and agency to her in the beginning of the movie until she was delegated to the role of "sidepiece damsel in distress docile lover of the main character" as the movie went on and it pissed me off. the plot itself felt wonky asf and while ranbir kapoor manages a good performance, i failed to understand what the resolution of his character was. it was a very masculine coded movie and maybe other people (xy chromosomes) resonated more w this movie but i definitely did not. the only reason i watched it was because i was making my preference list for delhi university and this movie used hindu college and st. stephen's as sets. it was so long and at times i had to speed up the movie coz i could not wait for it to be over. the editing in the movie was also jarring at times. so yes, overrated. would not recommend.

🎬 ~ Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

rating: 9.25/10

twas a good movie. it did what it needed to do. i liked the different family dynamics, which is definitely what karan johar excels at portraying. it was quite obvious who the target audience for this movie was. the movie tries very hard to be relevant and go the "woke" route. me personally, i feel like bollywood movies needn't become more westernised to appeal to the new gen more, but meh idc i didn't rlly plan on taking this movie too seriously. the cinematography is where this movie shines. it was pretty great: the colors, the lighting, the shift to hand-held cameras in tense moments to convey the shaky state of mind of its characters—wonderful. the humor is also pretty funny. ranveer singh's comedic delivery and timing is great, and alia bhatt does well in bouncing off of him. but there were times where it felt like the movie was addressing the audience instead of the plot (rocky's cancel monologue) which made it very difficult to immerse myself into the film. aside from that junky bit (did the elders rlly have to kiss?) twas a fine movie. i can't say i care much about it (i'm in an odd state of mind rn). didn't expect the movie to be so long tho (but it helped the story to not feel rushed so i don't mind). yea that's my review bye.

🎬 ~ La La Land

rating: 9.5/10

goodness, how do i even begin. just... woah. that piano score and ending scene is gonna stay w me for a long time. "i'm always gonna love you." (yes, i'll never forget you. i wouldn't have been who i am now without you. you were the best part of my life. if i could change it all for you, i would. but this is what we have now, and we're happy. we've got what we always wanted, just not each other. maybe in another life, in another choice, in another time, we could've done it, just not now.) this movie says so much, and i just... man i love this so much. i want to watch it again with my husband, because why wouldn't i? the cinematography, the iconic musical score, the dynamic lighting, explosively vibrant colors: this movie makes me happy, and kinda sad too and i love the mix. absolutely wonderful. the way sebastian is mia's lucky charm, and in a way, maybe mia was his charm too. i love them.