Each day now I can't help thinking my 48th birthday is just around the corner, on 11 September, two days after the presidential election which I am seriously considering to boycott for various reasons. That may be why I am looking for alternative sources of entertainment while living in the Maldives whereas some Maldivians seem to enjoy reveling in dozes and fixes from heated political debates and discussions as their daily entertainment fodder.
So there seems to be a reason for my pondering on where I am to get entertainment from, even as I am psychologically fighting to distance myself from Maldives’ politics despite the Elections Commission’s coercive action in not allowing any Maldivians to remain in a party-less state.
I find that I am gradually morphing into may be a personality I don't understand myself but indicated in the not-so-subtle changes in my interests.
It started last year when I began to lose interest in films and music and instead began to get absorbed in books both fiction and nonfiction. In my teens, I was quite enthusiastic to see movies in clear Laser Discs, and with 5.1 surround sound on my reliable Aiwa speakers' heart thumping bass.
Although I have faithfully watched all the previous four Indiana Jones films, most recently I didn't feel like going to watch the fifth entry, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", not because Harrison Ford was de-aged for certain scenes with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but because I feel I have had enough of that franchise. This, of course, I am assuming is a symptom of the changes that are taking over my life and its interests.
Let's not even mention that I stopped watching "The Fast and the Furious" franchise with the release of "Tokyo Drift". It may be that I don't want to get hijacked by any franchise because I want time to dedicate to things other than just films. And I think I have gracefully said "Goodbye" to the "Star Wars" universe after devotedly watching "Boba Fett" and the three seasons of "The Mandalorian".
And after watching "Avatar: The Way of Water", I am seriously thinking of giving up James Cameron's paracosm. Perhaps I shall continue enjoy watching individual scenes such as the highly dramatized tree felling scene in Avatar part 1 and the equally arresting orchestration of the Titanic sinking.
What else? Yes, seems like I haven't lost interest in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy yet, maybe because like Cameron, Peter Jackson delivered a breathtaking journey through the ultimate fantasy world. But I think I will not venture into the LOTR TV series. I think I have had enough of Tolkien too - with "The Hobbit" trilogy.
I used to enjoy "The Mummy" franchise also, including the standalone – and highly disappointing - one starring Tom Cruise, but I have lost interest in that too, may be because it's somewhat similar to the Indy action adventures.
Though "Mission Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning part 1" was an awesome cinematic experience at Schwack Cinema in Hulhumale, I don't regret not going to Indy 5 and hopefully I can finally say goodbye forever to MI franchise after next year's Dead Reckoning part 2. Enough is enough, as the graffiti around Male’ proclaimed, just before the downfall of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008.
Heck, I haven't even bothered to watch "No Time to Die" because James Bond also has lost my interest. Small wonder I didn't go to Shah Rukh Khan's 007 wannabe "Pathaan". But I just might watch future James Bond films if the title character is played by Tom Hardy, one of my favorite actors, and if, by chance a woman takes over for the first time, as per the rumors that one of my favorite actresses Emily Blunt might, just might, end up taking over the super spy role. And I wouldn’t mind if there is a non-stop action vehicle sequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road” if Hardy and Charlize Theron appear together.
While I understand the importance of no-brainers in order to let my brain enjoy a sense of lightness after watching the weighty stuff, I am now at a juncture where I don't know exactly what films I should watch to give my mind that lightness while not letting go of the weighty stuff either.
I did enjoy watching the two parts of "Extraction" starring Chris Hemsworth, "The Old Guard" starring Theron, and "The Mother" starring Jennifer Lopez. But I am now at a stage where, despite good reviews, I seriously wonder whether I should watch "65" on Netflix when the dinosaur roaming action adventure put me to sleep despite Schwack Cinema's chest shattering 7.1 surround Dolby sound system. And that is a compliment.
As for super hero movies, it was way back when I gave up watching movies in the "X-Men" franchise and I am now at a crossroads where I am seriously considering giving up any future productions of Marvel and DC. Needless to say, I did not regret not watching "Joker", "The Batman", "Ant-man: Quantamania", "Shazam!" and most recently "The Flash" at Schwack.
Which brings me to the question: what else is there for me as far as movies are concerned? I did enjoy the true story Hindi film "Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway", not at Schwack, but on Netflix. Is it then high time that I stick to watching only the weighty movies, TV series, and documentaries?
By weighty I mean serious educative dramas and enlightening documentaries. While I enjoyed films and TV series that don't fall into the "realism" genre, such as "Signs", "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", "28 Days Later", "I Am Legend", "Insidious", "Stranger Things", "A Quiet Place" and such, there were those which were so heavy like "Game of Thrones" and "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" that it now makes me wonder whether they were worth my time at all.
But come to think of it, there are enough good films and documentaries around to last me a lifetime. And I don't need to engage in big time disappointments such as the series "Once Upon A Time" and "The Elfstones of Shannara". Or sadly all those Pakistan, Turkey, South Korea, and Indian TV series to which some Maldivians are hooked now. I did check out some but decided that "polite", "harmless", and "clean" PG rated stuff don't appeal to me anymore.
Of course, I could even now engage in humor such as "Good Omens" or science fiction such as "The Expanse" and "Black Mirror". That's it then, based on a British friend's recommendation that it is "her science", I think I should immediately start engaging in mind-blowing and mind-boggling stuff such as "Black Mirror" – despite my disappointment with “The X-Files” in my younger days. “Black Mirror” and “The Expanse” could give me great satisfaction such as the docuseries "Our Universe" and "Chimp Empire". At least I will be entertained while having something to think about at the same time.
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