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A hero with killer looks. A decent plot. Good acting. Clever VFX effects. Combine all this with a comparably fresh superhero who has never before featured in a lead role. The result? A blockbuster that has already grossed over $1 billion worldwide. For the same reasons, at no point does the 2h 23m ‘Aquaman’ feels dull. Deservedly, the movie is well on its way to becoming the biggest blockbuster from the DC Comics universe, dethroning two earlier Batman movies. Again, the biggest strength of ‘Aquaman’ is its novelty on the big screen. The super-talented Jason Momoa debuted as Aquaman in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016), followed by anoth­er cameo role in ‘Justice League’ (2017). In both the films, even when appearing alongside other Holly­wood superstars, Momoa was able to dominate the screen with his larger-than-life presence. In ‘Aqua­man’ Momoa proves he can keep the audience hooked for as long as he wants.

The plot is simple enough. Aquaman aka Arthur Curry is the son of Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse keeper, and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Arthur is a curious being: half-human, half Atlantian. As the first son of the Queen of Atlantis, Arthur has a legitimate claim to the throne of Atlantis. But Arthur seems satisfied with his bohemian life on the ‘surface’ and ruling Atlantis is the last thing on his mind.

 Who should watch it?

If you like superhero movies, there are unlikely to be many better than ‘Aquaman’. If the only thing that turns you on about a movie is its rich, subtle plot, then (and only then) will Aquaman not be to your taste.

Yet he is one day forced to descend to the water world. If he does not, his half-brother Orm Mar­ius (Patrick Wilson), who is the king of Atlantis, and who endlessly mocks Arthur as ‘half-breed’, will destroy the surface-world Arthur calls home. In order to kill Arthur and conquer the world, Orm seeks the services of Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a pirate and mer­cenary who at one time lost his father because of Aquaman. The rest of the movie revolves around Aquaman’s quest to defeat his half-brother, regain his kingdom and to save the world.

It’s a masterly performance by Momoa, who has just about the perfect physique, tattoos and per­sona to portray Aquaman. He does not disappoint. The softer shade of Temuera Morrison as Aquaman’s father and Atlanna’s doting hus­band is convincing; Nicole Kidman shines in her cameo appearances; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Panther carries the hatred of Aqua­man as his father’s killer with some aplomb. The rest of the underwater characters are also given enough screen-time to make the audience care about them.

There is action, there is (some) romance and, there is nifty VFX work. Yet even with the best VFX work, the underwater world would not have been easy to show. Direc­tor James Wan (of ‘The Conjuring’ fame) gets full credit for making a good fist of it. All in all, it’s a com­plete family package. This mov­ie has been able to capture the world’s attention for a reason. You don’t want to miss out.

Movie: Aquaman

Genre: ACTION, SCI-FI

CAST: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe

DIRECTION:James Wan

 Kathmandu’s favorite breakfast joint is back, after a forced hiatus. Moving from its iconic location in Naxal to an obscure lane in Baluwatar, Mike’s Breakfast is now right where you want it—the Lazim­pat road, near Standard Chartered Bank. Apart from the change in its premises, not much has changed about Mike’s. You still get the same wel­coming smell of fresh coffee, fried eggs and bacon and soft pancakes as you enter. Consistency has been the key to Mike’s success since its opening in 1988.

The prices at Mike’s Breakfast have always been a touch above average and they continue to be so. But, again, quality and consistency comes at a cost. Since it’s re-opening in 2018, Mike’s has brought back its lost customers and gained many new ones, all those who are looking to break their fast like royalty. Lunch and dinner are also served.

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Huevos Rancheros

- Eggs Florentine

- Country Breakfast

Location: Lazimpat road

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,000

Reservations: 01-4424303

There is no denying that Twin­kle Khanna is smart and witty. Her fortnightly column in The Times of India is fun and the senti­ments hit home. It almost feels like she is in your head and is voicing out the very things you could never put into words and doing so quite eloquently to boot. Her first book, Mrs Funnybones, which came out in 2015 and was modeled on her wildly popular aforementioned col­umn of the same name, made her India’s highest-selling female writer of 2015. Her confession—that she is a way better writer than she was an actor—seems to be quite true indeed. Khanna’s third published work and her first fiction book, Pyjamas are Forgiving, is a drama that revolves around love, loss and longing, with marriage and infidelity thrown in the mix. It’s entertaining while it lasts, though it does have a few boring bits and pieces where Khanna goes off on some preachy rant of sorts. It’s definitely not Khanna at her best but it’s the same unpretentious writing that is her trademark that makes you want to keep reading.

The story is set in Kerala’s Shan­thamaaya Sthalam, a spa where peo­ple are supposed to live a simple life (clad in white cotton kurta and trou­sers) and consume copious amount of ghee to purge their systems of all the toxins they have accumulated in their day-to-day lives. The protago­nist is a middle-aged woman named Anshu who comes to the spa when­ever she’s feeling a bit unsettled. This time around, Anshu runs into her ex-husband, Jay, and his dim-witted young wife, Shalini, and it is this premise that makes most of the sto­ry. The backdrop—Dr Menon curing people of their doshas or imbalanced energies at the spa—makes for an interesting read as you watch Ans­hu’s life unfurl before you.

There are also other amusing char­acters that add an element of spunk to what could have otherwise been a monotonous narrative. The set­ting and mood are just right. You can almost smell the incense and hear the rustle of the leaves. It’s the metaphors, the forced clichés, and all the advice you have heard before and don’t want to hear anymore that weigh you down. Also, with her sharp comebacks, Anshu comes off as Mrs Funnybones and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Khanna, in one of her interviews, admitted that she doesn’t want to be a dreary writer but, in her quest to be witty and entertaining, she runs the risk of being repetitive and crafting characters that will never feel wholly new. What Khanna lacks in insight and literary expertise, she makes up with her cynical tone and humor but that can only stretch a narrative so much. Pyjamas are Forgiving would have been a rather tedious read had it been any longer.

Book: Pyjamas are forgiving

Genre: Fiction

Author: Twinkle Khanna

Publisher: Juggernaut

Published: September 7, 2018

Language: English

Pages: 256, paperback

Disclosure: This review is being written by someone who has seen not one of the previous five ‘Transformers’ movies. This, he is finding out, can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he can judge the sixth movie of the series, ‘Bumble­bee’, based solely on its cinematic merits. On the other, the review risks coming out as a little (or a lot) short-sighted.Anyway, let us jump right into it. First, it’s a storyline of a typical sci-fi movie: a tale of ‘good’ and weak­er creations of science triumphing over ‘bad’ and superior ones. On the planet of Cybertron, the good guys are the ‘Autobots’ who are in a civil war against the evil ‘Decep­ticons’. If the Autobots lose, the planet is doomed. But then they are losing the war.

They need time to regroup. Opti­mus Prime, the leader of the Auto­bots, sends B-127 to planet Earth where he will prospect the land for an Autobot base. If B-127 fails, that will be the end of the Auto­bots. Once on Earth, B-127, which can take the shape of any car in its view, opts for the body of a yellow Volkswagen Beetle.

Who should watch it?

If you are a die-hard fan of sci-fi action movies, and have loved previous Transformers flicks, you may like this one too. If you are not, you can skip it.

To cut a long story short, one day, teenager Charlie Watson (Hail­ee Steinfeld) finds this car in an old garage. She repairs the car and makes it come to life.

Watson finds that instead of an old car she has invited into her garage a good-hearted human­oid robot. Since the robot cannot speak, she names him Bumblebee. Unbeknown to Watson, when she starts the car, Watson also inad­vertently signals the Decepticons in Cybertron. They now know the Autobots are trying to regroup on planet Earth and resolve to destroy both the Autobots and the planet that could be their potential refuge. Without giving away the plot, what happens next should be familiar to any fan of a superhero movie.

 On planet Cybertron, the good guys are the ‘Autobots’ who are in a civil war against the evil ‘Decepticons’

Steinfeld’s performance as a fatherless 18-year-old rebel living with a stepfather she does not con­nect with is nearly faultless. She is that all-important human touch in a movie packed with metallic char­acters. There then is John Cena, the wrestler who plays an agent of Sector 7, a government agen­cy that monitors extra-terrestrial activities on Earth. He is a hard-noised former US Army Ranger who finds himself embroiled in the fight on Earth between the Autobots and Decepticons. Cena is perhaps the only wrestler in the WWE history who has been consistently projected as a ‘good guy’—an image that ‘Bumblebee’ amply exploits.

Based in 1987, ‘Bumblebee’ might offer those who grew up in the US at the time a sense of nostalgia. But for the rest the nei­ther-here-nor-there timeline can be hard to relate to. Moreover, the instant bonding between Watson and Bumblebee appears forced, as does the depiction of Watson’s love for her deceased father.

There are great action sequenc­es, especially the ones showing physical combat between the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ robots. And there are some hilarious moments when Watson is teaching the bungling Bumblebee disguise technics. Yet the film feels far too metallic and far too less humane. Not a bad movie at all. But it may not be to the taste of everyone.

Movie:  Bumblebee

Genre:  ACTION, SCI-FI

CAST:  Hailee Steinfeld, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Cena

DIRECTION: Travis Knight