Binge watching of "Game of Thrones" (4/4)

Season 5 of Game of Thrones is starting next Sunday. I know I have been late on the bus, but I finally finished my BINGE watching of this amazing show, and I have to say, it's just AWESOME. If you're fan of fantasy, drama, adventure, action or just plain TV watching, this is the show for you! 

It's a show about too many things. Lots of story-lines & plots intertwined in each other but beautifully executed. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels. HBO has the brilliant show-runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, running the show and they do an amazing job of it. The cast is one of the best on TV today, the production value is truly cinematic and the experience is mind-blowing.

Among the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance as Tyrion Lannister. And he truly deserves it. He is funny, he's fierce, he's strong, he's harsh, he's pathetic, he's kind, he's lovable; all at the same time. Few of my other favorite characters are Lord Varys, Peter Baylish, The Hound, Jaime Lannister, Margery Tyrell & her grandmother, Sam, Ser Jorah, Ser Davos amongst many others. Not my favorite characters but some amazing performances in the characters of Cersei Lannister, King Joffrey, Theon/Reek, Ramsay Snow, Catelyn Stark, Khal Drogo. The show is filled with amazing actors and great performances.

There has been 4 seasons and 40 episodes of the show already, so there's not much to tell, except to watch it. And it's a delight for binge watching. Yes, 40 hrs of Binge watching, or split it it in few days or weeks, like I did (it took me almost 4 weeks). And by the time you finish it, you may be caught up to catch up on current season. That would mean you're not left behind and part of the world where every true TV lover has seen Game of Thrones!

Chappie (3/4)

Chappie unlike many other sci-fi movies about Artificial Intelligence and robots, is little more than that. It's a study of human emotions, conscience and to what extent we may go to preserve what we believe in and what we love. It's filled with humor, great action sequences, good casting and stunning visual effects.

Although it could be little surprising to see Hugh Jackman as a "bad boy" willing to destroy the city for his purpose, he does a damn good job of it. Dev Patel is good as the nerdy "maker", conflicted between following the norms, saving his life and doing something new & unconventional. Who really manages to amaze you again is Shalrto Copley as the robot Chappie. Signoury Weaver is almost wasted in the movie. Action sequences look good, the robots look from cute & sweet to menacing and cruel and the HERO, where needed. The movie definitely has a stamp of director Neil Blomkamp, who brought us District 9 and Elysium earlier.

**Spoilers**

It's a movie about a city in South Africa, trying an AI Robot police "scouts" created by a company run by Signoury Weaver. Deon (Dev Patel) is the engineer behind these robots who has his own plans to create a fully AI robot with his own conscience like humans. Vincent (Hugh Jackman) is also an engineer and ex-soldier who does not believe in AI robots. He has his own war machine, which is controlled by human operator. Although, he's losing funding because the city prefers the scouts.

When Deon gets kidnapped by thugs (well played by Watkin Tudor, Yolandi Wisser and Jose Pablo) to get a remote to turn off the robots, he ends up creating a new robot with true conscience, Chappie (Sharlto Copley). From there starts the journey of Chappie, learning human ways, being a gangster, being lied to and deceived. And finally, Chappie has to take the fight to not only protect himself, but protect his maker.

**Spoiler ends**

Movie does have some weak spots in terms of plot holes. It lacks to explain some basic elements of robot design, manufacturing being controlled by a company and all that. But nothing to think too hard about in a sci-fi movie.

If you are a fan of robot action movies or AI based movies, this is definitely your kind of film. If you're an analytical science person or just not into sci-fi, this may not be it. Although, this is a sci-fi movie which has a conscience, which has a soul!