My Science School

With a deadly virus bringing the entire world to a standstill, the year 2020 had all the elements of a Hollywood potboiler. While we can pat ourselves on the back for getting through the ordeal, the New Year promises to be a lot more entertaining. From "The Matrix" to "Mission Impossible", there are a variety of new releases to look forward to in 2021...

“The Matrix 4"

Directed by Lana Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson. Neo (Reeves) and Trinity (Moss) return to the world of 'The Matrix' - the digital world Wachowski helped create way back in 1999.

"Black Widow"

Directed by Cate Shortland, starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Marvel's prequel focussing on Johansson's Natasha Romanoff in her quests between "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War'.

"Dune"

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson. Adaptation of Frank Herbert's sprawling sci-fi epic about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.

"Top Gun: Maverick"

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, starring Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Jay Ellis, Miles Teller. We've had to wait 31 years for a Top Gun sequel. It will again feature Cruise riding motorcycles, playing volleyball and flying jets like a madman.

"The Last Duel"

Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer. A true story of knights and maidens in which King Charles VI (Affleck) declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges (Damon) settle his dispute with his squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver) by challenging him to a duel.

"Sherlock Holmes 3"

Directed by Dexter Fletcher, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams. The long-awaited Sherlock Holmes sequel screens a decade after "RDJ" and "Law” last brought their mischievous friendship to Victorian England.

"No Time To Die"

Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, starring Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear. The 25th James Bond" film, with Craig returning for his fifth and possibly final turn as 007. Bond comes out of retirement when his old CIA friend Felix Leiter persuades him to perform one last mission.

"Death on the Nile"

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie. Branagh returns as detective Hercule Poirot following the surprise success of 2017's "Murder on the Orient Express", which Branagh also directed.

"Mission: Impossible 7"

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is back in action for the seventh instalment of the franchise that showcased his willingness to engage in death defying stunts. McQuarrie returns as writer and director.

"Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway"

Directed by Will Gluc, starring James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo. A sequel based on the work of Beatrix Potter sees the rabbit going to the big city, where he meets troublemakers and ends up creating chaos.

"Cruella"

Directed by Alex Timbers and Craig Gillespie, starring Emma Stone, Joel Fry, Kirby Howell Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Emma Thompson. Disney's prequel to the classic with Cruella De Vil (Stone) becoming obsessed with Dalmatian fur.

 

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From jasper and Jinx to Tom and Jerry

One of the most beloved rivalries in history is back! Wamer Bros, has released the first trailer of the upcoming "Tom & Jerry" film. It is the first movie to feature the legendary cat and mouse duo in almost three decades, and the setting is at a wedding in New York!

The film will be an eye-popping blend of classic animation and live action. While Tom and Jerry will retain their cartoon avatars, the rest of the world around them will be in live-action mode. In director Tim Story's "Tom & Jerry", the eternal frenemies will have to do the unthinkable... work together to save the day.

The cat and mouse duo was dreamt up by creators William(Bill) Hanna and Joseph (Joe) Barbera, who worked with MGM’s animation department. The studio was desperate while their competitors were coming up with hit characters like Porky Pig and Mickey Mouse.

Both the animators began brainstorming. Barbera wanted to create a simple cat and mouse cartoon, with conflict and chase, even though it had been done countless times before. So, Jasper and Jinx, who later became Tom and Jerry, were born.

The first episode featuring Jasper and Jinx Titled “Puss Gets the Boot” released in 1940 and won the studio and Oscar nomination for best animated short. But Hanna and barbera were not given any credit for it.

Scripting success

Buoyed by the success of “Puss gets the Boot”, the creators continued to develop the cat-and-mouse these on their own, even though their supervisor Fred Quimby didn’t want any more cat and mouse cartoons. And, the result was “Tom and Jerry”. The characters first appeared in 1941’s ‘The Midnight Snack.”

Modelled after the “Puss Gets the Boot” characters with minor alterations, the series followed Jerry, the rodent who continually outwitted his feline foe, Tom. Having grown up watching silent films starring Charlie Chaplin, the creators knew their cartoons could be funny without dialogue. Music composed by Scott Bradley underscored the action and Tom's trademark human-like scream was voiced by Hanna himself

Two decades later, their department at MGM was closed down in 1957 when the studio realised they could make money simply through re-runs of the shorts already created by Hanna and Barbera.

So the duo went on to set up their own production company, creating legendary characters such as Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear and hit shows like 'The Flintstones", "Top Cat", "Scooby Doo", "The Smurfs" and even "Charlotte's Web".

A new direction

Meanwhile, the production of "Tom and Jerry" was taken over by Chuck Jones, best known for his work on Looney Tunes at Warner Brothers. Jones gave Tom a new avatar with thicker eyebrows and a twisted face resembling the Grinch, one of Dr. Seuss's characters.

 

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Stories of divine beings with supernatural powers, and of epic clashes between good and evil forces have been a source of entertainment for generations. Rooted in religion and mythology, these tales were often narrated by doting grandmother to their grandchildren over multiple cups of afternoon tea. Today, these folk tales and lores have donned new avatars with modern twists and an international flavour.

Welcome to mythopoeia. It is a world ruled by mighty Greek gods, fierce Viking warriors, and brave witches and wizards. Mythopoeia is a genre in which a fictional mythology is created by the author. If you like reading stories about fantastical creatures and imaginary worlds, you will love it here.

New universes

Books written under this genre contains entirely unique fictional universes, which may have elements of existing mythology. Writers create complex worlds with well-detailed histories chronicling the past and intricate geographies along with the unique laws of nature that govern their fictional worlds.

Who coined the term?

The term is derived from Greek words 'muthos and 'poein', which means "myth making." R. R. Tolkien was the first to use the word as the title of a poem dedicated to C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1931.

Books and films

• J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarillion" series.


• C. S. Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia"


• Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" series, "Trials of the Apollo" and "The Kane Chronicles".


• J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter' series and "The Ickabog"


• Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series,


• Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series and "The Book of Dust" trilogy.


• Cornelia Funke "Inkheart" trilogy.


• Christopher Paolini "The Inheritance Cycle".


• Marvel's comics and films - "Thor", "Avengers" and "Doctor Strange".

 

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A cliffhanger is a literacy device used to create an element of suspense in the story. When the plotline ends suddenly or is left unresolved. It leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.

Origin

The phrase comes from the idea of “hanging off a cliff”. Cliffhangers were first popularized in the serials of the 1920s and 30s, and were often accompanied by the text “To be continued.”

Binge watching

Today, cliffhangers are widely used in television, web, and book series. They encourage people to come back for each new segment or episode. Usually, a cliffhanger doesn’t lend itself well to standalone films. But with the popularity of franchises and sequels, the use of cliffhanger endings in films has increased over the years.

The suspense maker

A cliffhanger is a great technique to use in a thriller because it builds up the action and then leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Authors frequently build suspense throughout their stories to keep their reader’s attention and increase anticipation for what is to come.

Popular cliffhangers

• ‘Harry Potter’ series: Author J.K. Rowling is a master of cliffhangers, and she has employed them cleverly throughout all seven books in the “Harry Potter” series. One of the biggest cliffhangers in the series is the ending of the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” – in the graveyard, Voldemort rises again with the help of peter Pettigrew, and summons his fearsome Death’s Eaters.


• “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018): The penultimate “Avengers” film packed quite a punch towards the end. Having acquired all six infinity Stones, Thanos uses his newfound powers to snap his fingers and wipe out half of all life in the universe. Half of their team turns to dust and vanishes from existence, including fan-favourite characters such as Drax, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. The last scene shows Thanos sitting peacefully on a rock with a satisfying look on his face as he has fulfilled his dream.


• “The Dark Knight” (2008): Though Batman defeats the Joker, he is unable to save Harvey Dent, who dies in the aftermath of his kidnapping of James Gordon’s family. Seeking to spare the people of Gotham City from learning the horrible truth about Dent’s crimes, Batman takes the fall for Dent and becomes a wanted fugitive, with the film’s final scene showing him on run from the police.

 

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Black revolves around a deaf-blind girl, and her relationship with her teacher who himself later develops Alzheimer's disease. The film draws inspiration from the life of Helen Keller, the blind academic and activist. 

The film was screened at the Casablanca Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India. It won the Filmfare Award for best film. Time Magazine (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from around the globe. The movie was positioned at number five. Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films. The film was premiered in the Marché du Film section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Amitabh Bachchan received his second National Film Award for Best Actor at the 53rd National Film Awards, his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actor and his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance and Rani Mukerji won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and her second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Black was originally scheduled to be released on 10 December 2004, but Bhansali decided to postpone its release. Black was released on 4 February 2005 in 170 different towns in India, a small number compared to most large-budget Bollywood films. Black was also screened at several international film festivals like the Casablanca Film Festival. The film released in South Korea on 27 August 2009.

 

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Tamil filmmaker M Manikandan’s Kaakkaa Muttai is about aspiration, the food chain and a kind of hunger that is unique to the process of globalisation.

Kaaka Muttai's story revolves around two slum children of Chennai, Tamil Nadu whose desire is to taste a pizza. The film had its world premiere on 5 September 2014 at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival, and was released worldwide on 5 June 2015, and received widespread acclaim for its story and cast performances. It went on to win two National Film Awards at the 2015 ceremony - Best Children's Film and Best Child Artist (Ramesh and Vignesh).

The first look of the project was announced to the media by Padma on 26 January 2014, coinciding with Republic Day, with Dhanush and Vetrimaaran announcing that they would be making a children's film to be directed by M. Manikandan, a former wedding photographer, who had earlier directed the short film, Wind (2010), with music by G V Prakash Kumar. Filming for the project began at the end of May 2013, with the maker suggesting that the film would be complete in one schedule. Silambarasan accepted to make a cameo appearance in the film. He joined the team in September 2013 to film scenes alongside Babu Antony who plays a landlord. Two newcomers, Ramesh and Vignesh, had been selected to play the lead roles along with Iyshwarya Rajesh and Ramesh Thilak. In August 2014, it was reported that the film had been completed four months before.

 

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Keshu is a 2009 Indian Malayalam children's film directed by Sivan. The film won by Best Children's Film award at the 57th National Film Awards. It also won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Children's Film of 2009.

Directed by Sivan, Keshu had Navneeth Krishnan in the lead, and told the tale of a deaf and dumb orphan who lives with his uncle and aunt. It narrates how the naughty, unruly kid develops a friendship with an art teacher, which leads to him finding his true potential in painting.

It was alleged that Sanjeev Sivan, son of director Sivan, was part of the regional jury of the film award and had allegedly recommended his father's film for the award and hence it was illegal and inappropriate to give the award to 'Keshu'. The Kerala High court stayed the presentation of the National award to the film following the complaint. Filmmaker and jury member Harikumar alleged that it was a remake of his 2001 film Pularvettom. The petition was dismissed finally by the Highcourt of Kerala, observing that Santosh Sivan was not part of the regional jury while Keshu was nominated for contesting for the national award.

 

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Baanaadi is a 2014 Indian Kannada language children's film written and directed by debutant Nagaraj Kote, based on the novel Usiru he wrote.  It stars Praful Vishwakarma, H. G. Dattatreya and Rajesh Nataranga in the lead roles. The supporting cast features Dhruthi, Abhinaya, Sringeri Ramanna, Jayashree Raj, Venkatachala, T. S. Nagabharana, Mimicry Gopi and Yashwanth Kote. Music for five of the six soundtracks in the film were composed by Karthik Sharma, who, with the film became the youngest composer in the history of Kannada cinema.

 Usiru, a novel written by Nagaraj Kote in the 1990s, deals with the upbringing of children in the current era. Deciding to direct a film based on the novel, Kote launched the film in April 2014, having signed Praful Vishwakarma, Rajesh Nataranga and H. G. Dattatreya to play characters of three generations; a young boy, his father and grandfather. The role of Praful's mother was played by Anubhava, who was pregnant during the filming stages. Filming completed in July 2014.

 

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Aamir Khan's debut directorial venture Taare Zameen Par, a sensitive story of an eight-year-old dyslexia child, has been selected as India's entry to the foreign language category for Oscars at the 81st annual Academy awards.

Taare Zameen Par written by Amole Gupte was released in 2007 and has received critical and Box Office acclaim. Aamir had said that the film did business of Rs 131 crore at the box-office world-wide.

The film made its theatrical debut in India on 21 December 2007, and UTV Home Entertainment released a DVD for Indian audiences in 2008. Disney's later release of the international edition DVD marked the first purchase of distribution rights for an Indian film by a global company.

Taare Zameen Par has received numerous awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film for 2008 and the 2008 National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film, but did not progress to the short-list.

 

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Sahaj Paather Gappo is a Bengali film directed by Manas Mukul Pal and produced by Avijit Saha. The film depicts the story of two brothers, Chhotu and Gopal from a poor family of a Bengal village.

10-year-old Gopal’s carefree childhood is disrupted when his father meets with an accident. It becomes difficult for his mother to feed him and his little brother Chottu. Gopal starts devising ways to earn money. With a little assistance from Chottu he takes up odd jobs from cleaning wells to selling laboriously plucked fruits in the local village market. Emboldened by his initial success, Gopal fancies himself as the breadwinner of the family. Meanwhile, a grand Janmashtami feast is being planned in the Brahmin household where the pulao will be served. Hearing this both the brothers hatch plans of their own. Gopal would like to make a quick buck by selling palmyras for the feast, while Chottu starts dreaming of this fancy dish that he has never seen or tasted. After all he has heard that the whole village will be invited. But as a disheartening reality Gopal and Chhotu were not chosen to be invited. It shattered Chhotu's dream world.

This film made its entry to Mumbai Film Festival 2016 in two categories and is selected for Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India 2016. It is also one of the two movies from India that competed in the international section of International Film Festival of India. Noor Islam and Samiul Alam jointly won the National Film Awards, India (2016) in the best child actor category.

 

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Village Rockstars is a 2017 Indian Assamese language coming-of-age film written, edited, co-produced, and directed by Rima Das, who is a self-taught filmmaker.

 The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Rockstars was Das's second film after Antardrishti (2016). Her 2018 film, Bulbul Can Sing, was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2019, she directed her first documentary fiction ‘Sunshine Dreamers’. This is a result of her collaboration with BRICS co-production Kids & Glory for which she worked with Producer Lu Chuan and fellow BRICS Directors Tiago Arakilian, Nastia Tarasova, Shen Zhao Qing, Shane Vermooten and Lu Chuan.

‘Village Rockstars’ which tells the story of a 10 year old girl and her dream of owning a guitar and forming a band, the Rockstars, with a group of local boys, has also won awards in three other categories.

Village Rockstars also won awards in three other categories: Best Child Artist, Best Location Sound Recordist and Best Editing. The film was selected as India's official entry to the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated for top nine films from 87.

 

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Smile Pinki (2008) is a 39-minute documentary directed by Megan Mylan. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. 

"Nomination of Smile Pinki for an Oscar is bound to bring awareness about this congenital anomaly among the general public and health agencies and therefore it is a good news for all cleft patients whose life can change," said an elated Singh.



Produced in Hindi (with English subtitles), Smile Pinki was also a 2008 nominee for best documentary short by the International Documentary Association.



Others in race with Smile Pinki are The Conscience of Nhem En, The Final Inch, and The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306.

 

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Ever since the trailer of Nagesh Kukunoor's 'Dhanak' was released, it managed to tug at the deepest corners of the heart. Starring Hetal Gadda and Krrish Chhabria as the two children, the film revolves around the lives of eight-year-old visually impaired boy Chotu and his 10-year-old sister Pari.

 

Pari, who had promised her younger brother that he'll be able to see before he turns 9, sets out on a magical journey with Chotu to meet their reel-life hero Shah Rukh Khan who is apparently promoting an eyes donation campaign.

The film was premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Crystal Bear Grand Prix for Best Children's Film, and Special Mention for the Best Feature Film by The Children's Jury for Generation Kplus.

The film has also garnered the Best Film Award in the main category-Children's Feature Film Competition-Cinema in Sneakers (film festival), and the Best Film Award - at the Montreal International Children's Film Festival (FIFEM). Dhanak was also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film has garnered Best Children's Film at the 64th National Film Awards.

 

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The Blue Umbrella is a 2005 Indian drama film based on the novel The Blue Umbrella (1980) by Ruskin Bond. It was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starred Shreya Sharma and Pankaj Kapur in lead roles. The music was by Bhardwaj and lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The story is about a conflict between a young girl and a mean old man in a small hill town in Himachal Pradesh.

In a small village of Himachal Pradesh, a little girl Binya trades her lucky leopard’s claw pendant for a pretty, frilly blue umbrella.

There were many who envied Binya her treasured possession, and the most envious of them all was old Ram Bharosa, the shopkeeper, who decided that he must own the blue umbrella, by means fair or foul.

The Blue Umbrella received positive reviews, including Hindustan Times writer Khalid Mohamed who describes it as a child's confection 'with passages of charm, visual aplomb and lively performances.' The acting of Pankaj Kapur is noted in particular.

 

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From award winning director Santosh Sivan, TAHAAN is a stunningly shot, fable-like story set in scenic but strife-ridden Kashmir. The conflict is used as backdrop for the story of an eight-year-old boy, Tahaan, who tries to gain back his beloved pet donkey that has been sold to pay the family debt.

After major commercial releases such as The Terrorist (1999), Asoka (2001), Anandabhadram (2005) and Before the Rains (2007), award-winning director Santosh Sivan got the idea for this film after reading a newspaper report. He formed a fable-like story from the report.

Since Kashmir is a strife-torn area, films are rarely picturised there. However, in the case of this film, Sivan thought that audiences can relate it to the film well. It was only after 18 years that a film was filmed in Kashmir.

While filming in Pahalgam, Sivan realised to his surprise that children were comfortable with guns. It seemed to him that it was a part of everyday life for them. The film makes eloquent use of Quranic verses or azaan, for which the director took help from research scholars in Kashmir.

 

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