TV/Movies Megathread

[The Brain]

Booking tickets and just realised there's a big Savarkar biopic out - which doesn't seem great

3 hours of throat singing in the rain. Yawn.

[Josquius]

I often run across seriously fucked up sounding Indian stuff when trawling Amazon prime and the like.  The rise of the Hindutva shittiness is really concerning.
The rewriting of history to suit they engage in particularly irritates- Indian independence is a great story precisely because it wasn't some big nasty war...but that just doesn't fit the world they want to live in.

[The Brain]

Indian independence is a great story precisely because it wasn't some big nasty war

[Josquius]

Indian independence is a great story precisely because it wasn't some big nasty war

Partition?
That wasn't a war.
IIRC its also something the Hindu nationalists aren't keen on mentioning as it doesn't suit their narrative. They don't seem to like the idea that once communities were a lot more intermixed.

[The Brain]

Indian independence is a great story precisely because it wasn't some big nasty war

Partition?
That wasn't a war.

OK Crocodile Dundee.

[Sheilbh]

I often run across seriously fucked up sounding Indian stuff when trawling Amazon prime and the like.  The rise of the Hindutva shittiness is really concerning.
The rewriting of history to suit they engage in particularly irritates- Indian independence is a great story precisely because it wasn't some big nasty war...but that just doesn't fit the world they want to live in.

Here's the trailer - a few sections that from Western perspective are a little bit "yikes"-y:

But I think it's interesting the way it's pitched because it looks like a lot of Western films/culture. Here's the hidden true story of the real radicals behind indepdendence. Especially the "untold story" bit (which seems implausible) but also the emphasis on the radicals within a movement - the panthers, GLF, Suffragettes - over the ameliorationists.

Inevitably, in a post-imperial society, the radicals will be the harder line nationalists.

On the wider point there is the new massive Bose statue but it's interesting, I listened to the Empire podcast and Anita Anand flagged the huge gulf between Gandhi's perception outside India v in India. The BJP can't disown Gandhi because he is still a national hero and international icon, but he's deeply controversial in India as is satyagraha.

Also totally anecdotally but my experience is that there are lots of "history" accounts on various social media that are Indian focused and basically about: (1) the key importance, achievements etc of Indian Hindu history; (2) erasure of the Mughal and wider Muslim history in India; and (3) lots of spurious conspiracy theories or nonsense about historic figures from Congress. And if you ever say far-right stuff from Europeans or Americans or people cheering on bombs in Gaza etc - look at the comments and there will be a large and very, very vocal group of Indian accounts cheering it on. It's very odd and I think a bit worrying.

Edit: And I think you see it also in Ireland a little bit with the post-financial crash resurgence in a quite assertive Republican identity among younger people, looking at the radicals of the past (especially the martyred dead) rather than the grubby, compromising politicians like Dev. Of course the complication there is that the fulfilment of that Republican identity will require convincing people with a very different historical experience and view of that strand of Republicanism. But see also the leader of Burkina Faso consciously reaching back to Sankara, the incorporation of Mau Mau into more of the "official story" in Kenya.

[viper37]

"To be clear, the prequels got better as they went along. The third one is actually pretty great." LOL hard disagree Rolling Stone.

The Rolling Stone is supposed to be this big cultural reference, but I can never find myself agreeing with them on more than 50% of what they write.

But, if you look at the younger generation and their appreciation of the prequel trilogy, this is their Star Wars, they grew up with it as kids, and somehow, they seem to like it and find some beauty in it (the story).  I don't know what they see that I can't, but they do.

The Mysteries of the Force are impenetrable.    

[viper37]

We'll see if it disappoints me yet again. 

[Eddie Teach]

ok, I do, occasionally watch bad movies.  But at least, I don't do it on purpose. 

Only bad television?

[Admiral Yi]

Shogun started showing on Hulu so I can join the cool kids.

Something really confused me about an event in the first or second episode.  The chick holding a knife to the baby's throat, what was that all about?  I get that the slightly tubby retainer shamed himself and the clan by his outburst at the council meeting, but what was the connection between that and the lady threatening to kill the baby?

[HVC]

It's been a few weeks, so i may be  misremebering,  but she wasn't threatening to kill her baby, but to kill herself

[Admiral Yi]

It's been a few weeks, so i may be  misremebering,  but she wasn't threatening to kill her baby, but to kill herself

Got it.  Out of shame over her husband's conduct?

[HVC]

It's been a few weeks, so i may be  misremebering,  but she wasn't threatening to kill her baby, but to kill herself

Got it.  Out of shame over her husband's conduct?

As a threat/attempt to save the baby. But mostly to die since she didnt want to outlive baby (and maybe she actyally liked hubby), but Toranaga refused her the right to kill herself. She's his right hand guys fav grand daughter. Mirako reminded her of her duty to serve (live).

*edit* she was the overzealous vassals wife. He was ordered, reluctantly, to end himself and his family/line. So baby had to go as that was dudes son.

[Admiral Yi]

As a threat/attempt to save the baby. But mostly to die since she didnt want to outlive baby (and maybe she actyally liked hubby), but Toranaga refused her the right to kill herself. She's his right hand guys fav grand daughter. Mirako reminded her of her duty to serve (live).

*edit* she was the overzealous vassals wife. He was ordered, reluctantly, to end himself and his family/line. So baby had to go as that was dudes son.

Obrigado.

[HVC]

Besides that, how you liking the show. Not seeing a lot  coverage of it online, so don't know if it's got a large following, but it deserves one.