My Science School

We are not the mistakes we make

My favourite documentary among the ones that I have knowledge of is on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt titled To Hell and Back by BBC (1996).

In the documentary, he talks about how his mother Nargis death shook him, his history of drug abuse, alleged involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case and some other issues.

It teaches us a lot of life lessons that are usually not taught in school. It tells us how important it is to differentiate between good and bad people, to identify one's true intention. It shows us how talking to our parents might be the right thing to do even though it is difficult. Most importantly, it teaches us that we are not the mistakes we make. We can always improve and change for the better. It may seem hard but with the right people by our side, right circumstances and our loved ones support, it is always possible.

The longest written constitution

I used to think that documentaries are boring until I saw Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India. It is a ten-part series directed by Shyam Benegal. I saw it recently on YouTube.

This documentary brings out the effort that has gone into framing and drafting the historic document. All Indians must watch Samvidhaan to understand the making of the world's longest written constitution.

The rise of Taylor Swift

Even though I don't like watching documentaries that much, I think a documentary that I liked among the ones I have watched is 'Miss Americana. This is a documentary about the singer Taylor Swift and how she rose up after her big fall in her music career. I think her story is inspiring. I don't know whether everyone will like it, but if you like to hear her songs I am sure you will like it.

To space

My favourite documentary is 'Apollo 11' as it gives importance to space missions. I like space missions and this mission is related to the spaceflight that first landed humans on the moon. It is interesting that the NASA team took the initiative to send their team to the moon for exploration. I like the documentary as most of its facts are beyond our imagination and are extremely interesting. This documentary has made me research more about Space.

Compassion of Satyajit Ray

The documentary Two' by Satyajit Ray was stupendous. On a beautiful day when a boy was playing with his toys, just behind his house he saw a boy who lived in a kutcha house playing with a few toys. The two boys were of the same age but they were completely different from each other. One who was never satisfied with his toys and the other was always happy with the things he had. It shows how a poor boy happily shared his different toys with the rich boy. It was a good experience for both of the two boys and how others can enjoy it too.

From this documentary I understood that we should illuminate our life in any way.

K-pop all the way

My favourite documentary movie would be 'Blackpink: Light up the sky'. These days many people are falling in love with K-pop and one among the famous K-pop girl groups is Blackpink. There are four girls in the group-Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo. The eldest among them is Jisoo. In the movie they speak about auditions and their difficulties during their trainee days. Their fans are called Blinks. Blackpink's concerts have taken place in many countries. Their concerts are very beautiful, just like them.

Redesign my Brain!

My favourite documentary is 'Redesign My Brain hosted by Todd Sampson. The main focus of the documentary is to show brain plasticity, or how anyone can improve their brain for the better. I like the techniques he uses because they help in many different aspects of the brain. These techniques include visualisation, games for focus and reaction speed, juggling and memorisation hacks and can be used by everyone. I was amazed and impressed by how much it has helped Todd do amazing feats. I want to try these tricks myself, now!

Into the wild

My favourite documentary is one by National Geographic titled Serengeti: The adventure. I personally love the African grasslands and the wildlife that inhabits them. The thing that makes the documentary unique and engrossing is the use of a special camera taking videos at 2000 frames per second! The photographers show clips of lions lazing in the sun, the wildebeest's hectic migration, exotic birds and flowers, cheetahs racing through the grasslands, and the ever patient crocodiles and hippos wallowing in the murky water. The documentary informs viewers about the benefits and drawbacks of tourists coming into the reserve. Serengeti: The adventure is a must watch for all animal lovers to dive into the excitement and magnificence of the grasslands.

A shocking documentary

Accidentally I came to watch the documentary named 'One Day in September while I was travelling during the Olympics which was held recently at Tokyo. This documentary is based on the incident of the killing of the Israeli Olympic team of the 1972 Summer Olympics which was hosted at Munich. This took place on 5th September- 6th September by a terrorist group named Black September. The terrorists attacked 11 members of the Israeli team at the Olympic Village. While two of them were killed on the spot, the other nine were taken as hostage and were killed in the shootout between the terrorists and the German police. This documentary was directed by Kevin Macdonald in 1999 and also won the 72nd Academy award for the best documentary feature on 26 March 2000. This racist attack crippled the Israeli team in the summer Olympics. It was a shocking documentary to watch especially during the Olympics for which love and get together was the motto.

A heartfelt documentary on nature

My favourite documentary is A Life on Our Planet, a nature documentary depicting Sir David Attenborough's life, right from his childhood. It was an outstanding documentary, which reveals 95 years of his experience living on the Earth. In the one-and-the-half hour documentary. David Attenborough's narration is accompanied by stunning high-quality visuals. Attenborough gives a vivid picture of how human activities have changed the world since the time when he was a child, till now. After this, he gives us a look into the future. In this section, he says that the Amazon rainforest will turn into a dry savannah, the Arctic will be ice-free during the summers, along with others, if humans continue to follow their destructive habits. After this series of heart-breaking visuals, he shows us the world getting destroyed. There, he says "This is our Garden of Eden." But he does not leave us there. He then shows us "how if we can act now, we can yet put it right." To conclude, 'A Life on Our Planet is a heart-touching documentary, where David Attenborough talks with his clear idea of how humans can act to harmonise with nature.

Picture Credit : Google

The RMS Titanic, a British luxury ship, sank on her maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. It took three years to be constructed and cost a whopping $7.5 million. The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This was one of the first ships to have a telephone system and electric lights in all rooms, with four elevators, a heated swimming pool, a gym, two libraries and two barber shops. The sinking of the ship, which led to over 1500 fatalities, inspired the famous James Cameron film "Titanic' in 1997.

The ship had 16 watertight compartments designed to keep it afloat if damaged. This led to the belief that the ship was unsinkable. However, only four days into its maiden voyage, the Titanic struck an iceberg near Newfoundland, Canada. The collision damaged the ship and its watertight compartments. With a limited number of lifeboats, many passengers could not escape the ship. Only hours after the collision, the Titanic sunk, taking about 1,500 passengers with her.

 The fate of the Titanic led to new international agreements to prevent future disasters, such as the creation of an International Ice Patrol that would alert ships of icebergs. In addition, the first International Convention of Safety of Life at Sea created new lifeboat regulations to protect the safety of passengers.

Credit : National Geographic Society

Picture Credit : Google

The Martian

My favorite sci-fi movie would be the 2015 blockbuster The Martian. Based on the novel by Andy Weir, this is a story about an astronaut who is left stranded on Mars after being detached from his team due to a storm. Mark Watney's team is caught in a storm while exploring Mars. The team, assuming that Watney has been devoured by the storm, leave him behind. Watney is then left with limited resources and absolutely no way of communicating with Earth. On Earth, NASA realises that Watney might be alive, after seeing moved equipment through satellites, and start working on a way to bring him back. The Martian is an absolute thriller and leaves your spine tingling every time you watch it!

Star Wars

My favourite sci-fi movie is 'Star Wars Episode V- Empire Strikes Back. It is the second film in the Star Wars series but the fifth chronological chapter in the Skywalker Saga. It stars Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones and Harrison Ford among others. It is considered by many as one of the greatest movies ever made with the biggest plot twist of the millenium, for who would have thought that ruthless Darth Vader, the greatest villain of all time and kind Luke Skywalker would be bound in a relation as strong as that of father and son. Not only this, there are epic lightsaber duels, entrancing storylines and many other things to watch out for. The best thing about Star Wars is that it tells us that even the worst villain could be a hero if not for certain unfavourable circumstances. In my opinion, this movie and the entire Star Wars franchise is sci-fi at its best.

An attempt to save the world

The Sci-fi movie that enthralled and captivated me the most was 'Life' directed by Daniel Espinosa. The film starts when a crew of six astronauts discover a trace of extraterrestrial life on Mars. But fortuitously the creature escapes into the probe and wreaks havoc among the crew. It kills the members of the unit heinously. The last surviving crew member tries to steer it to deeper space but it goes in vain as he ends up sending it to earth. It is about biology and horror in thrilling scenarios.

My special liking for this film has also been built on the character Rory Adams portrayed by Ryan Reynolds who is the perfect fit for the role. Life is so far my favourite movie.

The dinosaurs are back!

My favourite sci-fi movie is definitely Jurassic Park. In this movie, some people visit a dinosaur park and have a series of adventures.

The animation of the dinosaurs is very convincing. I like the way they've shown information about the way dinosaurs lived, making the movie believable. And the scenes in which the dinosaurs attack the humans give me goosebumps. I also like the way the movie shows how the dinosaurs came back. Jurassic Park is the perfect movie for a dinosaur lover like me.

A heroic adventure

My favourite sci-fi movie is ‘Incredibles’. I love this movie because it is packed with adventures, has a family of brave superheroes, etc. Also, it teaches us important life lessons, such as not being afraid or ashamed to show your true identity, how to value your friendship with others. and that instead of avoiding villains(or bullies), we must stand up to them for what is right Also, when people watch the movie, we can be sure that at some point of the movie people will get excited with suspense. For example, when Mr. Incredible (one of the characters, and the main protagonist in the movie) is being held hostage by the villain and his cronies, I became shocked and excited at the same time. It makes me wonder what is going to happen next to the protagonist. If you watch this movie, you will love it!

Triple monster fight

My favourite sci-fi movie is Godzilla 2014 because Godzilla looks awesome. He fights against two Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MUTO), and the movie's name is amazing. I also like Godzilla's atomic breath. The MUTOS did a good job as villains and their powers were shown in detail.

Spielberg's best

My favorite sci-fi movie is Jurassic Park', one of Steven Spielberg's best films. It is about experts in various fields who are invited to a Dinosaur Theme Park that features real Dinosaurs brought back through technology using DNA. It is well known for its groundbreaking visual effects and brings up philosophical views including the dangers of tampering too much with nature.

This Sci-fi movie is an endlessly thrilling adventure with Spielberg as the master creator. He somehow conjures big screen beasts that still look and feel Incredibly real.

One movie, many lessons

Although I have watched many movies, my favourite is the sci-fi movie Raya and the Last Dragon'. This movie depicts a warrior Princess who sought out for the fabled last dragon with hopes of restoring the dragon gem that would bring her father back and banish the evil spirits from the land of Kumandra. This movie teaches us to help everyone in their difficulties. It tells us that not everyone has good intentions but that doesn't mean you shouldn't trust people. It also shows the importance of learning how to work with people you disagree with, which is invaluable. I got inspired by watching this movie so I suggest everyone should watch this movie.

A scientific reason

I am not a typical avenger fan, but my favourite sci-fi movie is 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'. The main reason is the scientific base on which the movie was based, which according to me is necessary for any good science fiction story or movie. It showed how dangerous a robot with its own thinking capabilities can become if it is not controlled. This is also a major concern raised by scientists nowadays as we are trying to make self-taught robots with special abilities. Plus, the movie also showed how a villain also has logic behind his actions and that everything has dual nature a good side and a bad side.

The Tomorrow War

The science-fiction movie that I consider the best among the ones that I have watched so far is The Tomorrow War of 2021. The title of the movie itself prompts the audience to dive in, watch and know more. It is entirely based on a time travel to the future, where devastating creatures create havoc all around. The protagonist, along with a group of people, goes to the future and tries to resist those wild beings. The hero also sees his own young daughter grown up and being a reputed officer. Finally he realises that the creatures emerged from the past and travels back to the present era and kills them at the early stage. Thus, this movie is my favourite, due to its fictional time travel and emotional clip.

Picture Credit : Google

The Wimpy movie

My favorite movie adapted from a book is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" by Jeff Kinney. This movie opens with Greg's family starting on a road trip to attend Meemaw's birthday, but Greg and Rodrick seem to have other plans of their own. Greg's encounter with the Beardos in the hotel, Manny's win in the country fair, the Heffley family's revenge against the Beardos after their things get stolen are some hilarious incidents that made me laugh out loud.

This movie had a mix of emotions such as happiness, confusion, and sadness. Its blend of comedy and sentiment made it very interesting to watch. This movie has also taught me lots of morals that I should follow in life.

Never give up

My favorite movie adapted from a book is 'The Life of Pi". In the film,  a boy named Pi Patel along with his family sell their zoo and are going to Canada via sea with some of their animals. Due to a shipwreck, Pi and a Bengal Tiger are forced to escape on a lifeboat along with an emergency kit and other small animals. In the end, only Pi and the Bengal tiger remain. They face several adventures and overcome them. Eventually, they become friends. From the movie I learned to never give up.

Tales of friendship

My favorite movie adapted from a book is the Harry Potter series. The first reason for loving the book and the movies is the friendship between Harry, Hermione and Ron. They are so funny and amazing. Hermione and Ron were ready to help Harry even though they knew that their life was in danger. That is real friendship. If they were not with Harry, he may not have been able to win against Voldemort.

And the second reason I love Harry Potter is Hogwarts. When I saw this school, I wished to study there. The teachers, the magic portraits, the sorting hat, and the surroundings all look really good.

What a Wonder!

Auggie from the book Wonder is one of those characters that swiftly drives through the pages to your heart and makes a place forever. R. J. Palacio couldn't have done a better job in accumulating a story of hope, of life, of struggle-turned-into-happiness, and of relationships. Stephen Chobsky didn't fail to do the same on screen. Both the book and the movie are about a 5-year-old boy suffering from a rare facial deformity disease, Treacher Collins syndrome. It isn't easy for him to face daily struggles of people teasing him or getting scared of him. But Auggie is Auggie and I learned a lot from him. He is strong and has a loving personality. His family is the strength behind his journey through this world. Every page of the book and every scene of the movie is filled with optimism and hope, reminding us that darkness will certainly fade away and the sun will shine again.

Mystery solved in an interesting way

My favorite film adaptation of a book is 'Da Vinci Code. The book is written by Dan Brown, and the film was directed by Ron Howard. The film is all about two people Robert Langdon, a symbologist, played by Tom Hanks, and Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist of the Paris Police force - who embark on a journey to find the Sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene. The film portrays their adventures in a dramatic way. I like the film for two reasons. One, I liked the way the actors played their roles to perfection. Every actor had understood what they were supposed to do, and they had all comprehended the inner meaning of the book, which would have been a challenge to them (If it's so hard for us to understand the film, imagine how difficult it would have been to be in it!). Secondly, the film gives a deep insight about the Christian society and its orthodox communities (The 'Opus Dei' and The Priory of Sion, for instance). It gives us a big picture on how sincere and loyal members of these religious communities can be towards their culture and faith. The film was nominated for many awards, and it was internationally acclaimed. As a whole, Da Vinci Code was a well researched, mind capturing film, which everyone will like.

A thrilling adventure

My favorite   movie adaptation is The Adventures of Tintin, the 2011 animated film. This movie was directed by Steven Spielberg. I like this movie because of the near-death escapades, ingenious ways to solve massive problems, and a classic plot. I also loved the historical connections between the hero and the villain.

I also like the movie because of its thrilling suspense and the very vivid clues given to find the treasure. I loved the way Tintin found out the clues successfully. From the movie, I understood that we should be wary of money-minded people. Money is needed, but greediness for too much can cause grief.

An inspiring journey

Journey to a mysterious place would always be my desire and destiny. I venture to be an explorer and an adventurer. I derived this inspiration from two books written by my favorite, Joules Verne - Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'. These are the best books I have read and the best films I have ever watched. Sean Anderson, and the other Andersons, fuelled my imagination and became my inspiration. The stories taught me never to lose hope.

The chocolate factory

Imagine you are so poor that you have to eat cabbage soup for all meals and your father lost his job. But you get a chocolate that changes your life forever. I am talking about 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’. It is adapted from a book by Roald Dahl. This movie is about a poor boy named Charlie who wins one out of five tickets for a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the most renowned chocolate factory. My favorite part was definitely when Charlie got the golden ticket. The look on his face was priceless. Also I loved the parts when Mr. Willy Wonka was touring the chocolate factory. So if you are a fantasy lover, do watch this movie.

Hobbit tales

My favorite book that is adapted into a movie is The Hobbit.: The Desolation of Smaug. It is the story of a young  , unambitious hobbit who is dragged into a journey by a wizard friend and a pack of dwarves. I like it because it is an action, adventure, and super cool movie. The book is a must read and the movie is a must watch because the book shows everything in a detailed way while the movie displays the fight and action amazingly.

A realistic adaptation

My favorite movie adapted from a book is the Harry Potter series. At first I had read the books and by the time I finished half of the first book, I had turned into a potter head. Though the movie didn't have all the scenes which were in the book, they had made sure that they included many parts and it came out wonderfully. All the effort they had put to bring to life the moving portraits, jumbled staircases, interesting classes and most of all  the Hogwarts castle was just exemplary for me. Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson fit perfectly into their roles and enthralled me till the end like my favorite book.

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