Articles by Debopriyaa Dutta

Technology

Matt Damon Had To Record The Best Part Of This Oscar-Nominated Performance Alone

This isn't the first time Damon has played a scientist stranded on an unknown planet, as he also played the treacherous Dr. Mann in "Interstellar." However, these roles are significantly different, as Watney's altruistic outlook is in stark contrast with Mann's nihilistic view on humanity, and these differences directly influence their eventual fates. While Mann's narrow-minded selfishness dooms him, Watney's faith in humanity pushes him to achieve the impossible, including the fact that he manages to grow potatoes on Martian soil. Moreover, the failed Mars mission leaves us completely alone with Watney for extended sequences, which are used to painstakingly document his game plan for survival. Video logs are used to take note of every triumph and failure, where Watney uses a mix of technical jargon and easy-to-understand metaphors to convey the complexity of the situation at hand. Some of the science might feel a bit inaccessible at times, but Watney's enthusiasm shines through and makes his efforts feel deeply human. So when Watney makes use of a convoluted hexadecimal system to contact NASA, we are not too caught up in the science, as the focus is on the human responses, which underline how we tend to react as a species when asked to take accountability for our unintended actions. None of these emotional aspects would've been as prominent without Damon's measured performance as Watney, who uses wit, humor, and vulnerability to push through acute loneliness. He is able to endure such misery because he hopes to be reunited with his loved ones on Earth someday, which fuels his decision to do everything he can to survive. Seeing his crew take major risks and return just for his sake has a major emotional effect on him — in this moment, he knows that he's in good hands, and that they will make sure that he comes home.

Technology

It: Welcome To Derry's Horrifying Opening Scene Sets The Tone Of The Series

This post contains major spoilers for "It: Welcome to Derry." A child sneaks into the local theater to watch Morton DaCosta's "The Music Man" in "It: Welcome to Derry." This child, Matty (Miles Eckhardt), tragically goes missing that night, where he's last seen fleeing the theater. Of course, we are privy to the insanely bizarre chain of events that Matty experienced that night, right after hitching a ride out of Derry, Maine, a place he wanted to desperately escape. While Stephen King's "It" is chockfull of gruesome moments involving children, Andy and Barbara Muschietti's new prequel series makes it clear that no one is safe here, as there are no limits to It's monstrosity. Later on in the episode, we learn that Matty used to be friends with three other kids — Lilly (Clara Stack), Phil (Jack Molloy Legault), and Teddie (Mikkal Karim Fidler) — who gradually realize that there's more to Matty's disappearance than meets the eye. There's real grief and regret here, as some of them realize that they could've been kinder to the boy, who seems disturbed by something even during these flashbacks. After Lilly hears Matty singing through the pipes in her bathroom, the hauntings begin, all of which carry Pennywise's signature tendency to exploit deep-rooted fears. We do not see the dancing clown in the flesh yet, which adds to the anxiety of battling something that cannot be explained. Going back to Matty's attempt to leave Derry, we see him hitch a ride with a family of four (parents and two kids), who gently assure him that he will be safe with them. "Anywhere but Derry," Matty whispers, when asked where he wishes to go. But what ensues is pure nightmare fuel, setting the tone for a very dark show about the cyclical evil that haunts Derry.

Technology

Stargate Universe's David Blue Has A Fascinating Eli Wallace Pitch For Season 3

Blue's abovementioned joke pitch makes sense in the context of the preparation he had been doing for the character since season 1. In the same interview, the actor mentions how he had "intentionally lost weight" to convey that Eli lives in a world where survival is the primary goal. Keeping this in mind, Eli's dramatic fog reveal idea acts as a fun subversion of expectations, as Blue gets pretty colorful with the details informing us what the character has been up to during the three-year wait period: "I wasn't even remotely fit at the time [...] [the idea of Eli] doing pull-ups, and then [he] drops down and turns with like a peg leg, a gun, maybe an alien on his shoulder, a patch, and he goes, 'It's been a long three years.' I liked this idea that you see him and he's different. What happened? We never had to do that, which was funny. But that's why that hiatus between what would have been [Seasons] Two and Three, I started working out even harder, because I just liked the idea of, 'Ooh, what now?'" Now, this does sound fun, as it undercuts the anxiety surrounding Eli's doomed circumstances, but it doesn't quite fit the tone of the series. Sure, Eli is the only comedic relief in a show brimming with melodramatic stakes, but such an elaborate gag reveal wouldn't have worked at all. Anyhow, Blue's humorous idea is intertwined with a real dedication to Eli's growth as a character, which is emblematic of his love for "Stargate" as a whole. Sadly, Eli's fate is currently confined to the comics, and we will never know what really happened to him or the crew aboard Destiny.