The Not-So Christmasy Movie Guide

Here’s your guide to watch the wonders of the Suble Pop Culture genre while everyone is watching Christmas Movies on end. Let’s go!

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Set in L. A, Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The movie was a blockbuster when it was released for the masses which left a great impact on the viewers making it one of the most established movies representing Pop Culture. After Tarantino’s success in 1992 for his film “Reservoir Dogs”, Pulp Fiction created an aura that left the viewers spellbound by Tarantino’s style and adaptation of pop culture in his films.

This film has a very strong and engaging plot that caught people’s attention through its cinematographic detail and controversial characters which depicted the urbanized culture of the 90s Pop Culture. Tarantino nailed every inch of his film with detail and perfected it with a strong cast, starring John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson who became an iconic duo after their role in the film. Pulp Fiction operates in Hicksville between reality and movie reality. The film revolves around the realms of the underworld during the 90s era in the city of Los Angeles. It shows the life of two mobsters who were appointed the job to kill a boxer (Bruce Willis) by their boss Marsellus Wallace, the head of a dangerous crime wave. Through its tricky plot structure, Tarantino manages to capture and create a rich aura of an interconnected crime society.

Pulp Fiction takes delight in obscure film genres with numerous references and Easter eggs, keeping the viewer engaged throughout the film. From witty humor, connoisseur soundtracks to brutal violent themes, this film has it all.

VERDICT: Pulp Fiction is pop culture’s one true obsession. Tarantino’s thunderclap of thriller and abstruseness is just as brilliant as it was two decades ago, and it still remains to win the hearts of the viewers through its unique style of direction and the playful yet mischievous characters making it a visually stimulating experience.

IMDb: 8.9/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

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Set in the bustling city of New York, Uncut Gems is a 2019 American crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. The A24 production was an immense success and it

prominently showcased its glamour and charismatic charm throughout the course of the film. The film features a twisted caper plotline; a subgenre of crime fiction and thriller.

Uncut gems depict series of chaotic events taking place in the life of “Howard Ratner”, a Jewish jeweler living in New York running “KMH”, a jewelry store in the diamond district. The film’s protagonist is played by Adam Sandler who has been called “Hollywood’s biggest contradiction”; his performance in this film is extraordinary and nothing like we’ve ever seen before.

Howard is a compulsive gambler, a gluttonous man who is never satisfied with what he has. His bijou world of gambling takes a major and considerable toll on his professional life. The Jew has great ambitions and his enterprising lifestyle makes him extremely vulnerable. From placing bets on basketball games to wagering opals from Ethiopia, Howard goes to every extent to pay off his debts.

The film starts with a sequence where the camera is zoomed inside a black opal, whizzing into the face of the viewer the opal opens up, giving an insight to the viewer its importance in Howard’s life. The black opal was Howard’s only hope to reed himself and make amends with Arno, his loan shark brother-in-law. Amidst all these problems, Howard illegally smuggles the rare and robust “Black Opal” to New York, dug out of the Welo opal mines in northern Ethiopia. However, the gemstone he thinks may earn him a million dollars causes more trouble than it’s worth.

VERDICT: A wild ride of breathless hustle in the deranged cacophonous world of a charismatic jeweler caught up in the wagering world, trying to make amends with life-threatening hoodlums by paying off his debts.

IMDb: 7.5/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

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Set in London, The Gentlemen is a 2020 action comedy film written, directed, and produced by Guy Ritchie. Ritchie’s 11th feature film returns back to its roots; back in London where it all started. The great British director is known for his dramedies and his popular crime-based milieu’s inspired by the infamous streets in London. The Gentlemen was Ritchie’s comeback to his authentic and unique style of the direction of films belonging to the crime/comedy genre. With similarities to his previous blockbusters, “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, this film also manages to find its way into the hearts of the viewers.

The film is packed with action sequences that are flawless and the dialogue deliveries by the actors are as sound as a bell. The story revolves around Mickey Pearson (Mathew McConaughey) an American émigré and Rhodes scholar who graduates from Oxford; on the side-line selling marijuana to posh students; eventually building a marijuana empire on the turf of London, under Britain’s filthy rich associates. Mickey had his great share in the empire for a prolonged period of time. Now wealthy and prosperous, Mickey wants a retired life with his beautiful wife Rosalind. Soon the word gets out that Mickey wants to sell off his business for a fair share, well the share is colossal.

Mickey’s associates and enemies are interested and the only way they can catch hold of his empire is by destroying him. We learn about Mickey’s plan and the predestined unraveling of events through a screenplay written by the sordid and immoral yet witty private investigator “Fletcher” (Hugh Grant). But self-made Mickey Pearson being the “King of the Jungle”, roars his way through them all, starting a bloody turf war between London drug barons.

VERDICT: Welcome home, Ritchie! This signature action comic platter with a plethora of twists and British lingo makes it as authentic as it gets. When it comes to Ritchie, “The enfant terrible of British theatre”.

IMDb: 8/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

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Set in the 1960s, London was changing and it was on the brink of a youth-driven cultural revolution emphasizing modernity and avarice. London was known as the Swinging Sixties. With the legalization of casinos in 1960, London began swinging with aristos and crooks drinking up a storm.Ronnie and Reggie Kray, famously known as “The Kray Twins” were London’s notorious crime lords.

The Krays were as much as the Brit Icons of The 60s who ruled the East End of London. The two brothers are significantly different from each other. Reggie Kray is a cheeky- chappie scoundrel, a man of his word, and firm about his business. Reg is widely liked by people in his neighborhood for his generous nature. He owns a club in Birmingham and is highly respected by corrupt officials of the government and the state; amongst them were wealthy businessmen and low-lying thugs running the streets of London. However, Reggie’s character in the film has been sugar-coated for the viewers; sources state that Reggie was a vehement crime boss held accountable for several cases of battery and assault. On the other hand, Ronnie Kray is a bottled brouhaha with bonafide

psychological problems, dealing with schizophrenia. His strange and unconventional charisma makes him a very attractive lad. Unfortunately, Ron is unable to find the balance between his thoughts and actions; ends up making irrational decisions that bite him in the ass later.

The Kray Twins’ main rivals were the Richardson’s of South London, known as the “Torture Gang”, Reggie and Ron were able to put an end to their rivals through gang warfare and street violence and took over the casino business, creating an empire. But due to their differences, it slowly led to the end of their reign on the East end.

VERDICT: Brian Helgeland’s highly underrated biographic film gives insights and sounds into London’s swinging 60s, portraying the journey of the “Kray Twins”, crime lords of the East. There was blood on their hands which resulted in tabloid notoriety. With Hardy playing the twin brothers, he is a show all by himself.

IMDb: 6.9/10 Rotten Tomatoes: 61%