Palette Tiles
#phm#ryland grace#rocky the eridian#project hail mary spoilers




seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Czechia
seen from United States

seen from Malaysia

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from Thailand

seen from Qatar
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Somalia

seen from United States
seen from Somalia
seen from United Kingdom

seen from Sweden
seen from South Africa

seen from Malaysia

seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
Palette Tiles
As published on my Substack
I have a soft spot for movies set in the cold, dank snow. Cinematically, the vast, stark, sparkling white-scape of snowy mountains leaves a distinctive, memorable imprint. Just last week I watched four films where the winter landscape served as a frosty foreground for wildly different stories to play out, and thatās not even counting the ones I watched while researching for todayās article.
The week kicked off with me finally catchingĀ Black Phone 2Ā in a cinema hall. The only show playing nearby was a 10:20 am show, but I got seats immediately because Iād been really looking forward to this one. Itās set in this forbidding winter camp deep in Coloradoās snow-capped wilderness. The next day, I settled in for a matinee ofĀ The Age of InnocenceĀ on Netflix. The filmās late 19th century New York snow scenes hit a different kind of chill after being stuck indoors, I was in Delhi last week and stepping outside in the 390 AQI felt hazardous.
One night I curled up with a bowl of ramen for a night-time viewing of the Korean-French filmĀ Winter in Sokcho.Ā It didnāt inspire me as much as the first two, but the wintry landscapes and cozy food shots were screenshot worthy. Finally, I watched Netflixās disappointing take onĀ Frankenstein,Ā where the nature-vs-nurture drama unfolds on the icy, shattered terrain of the Arctic Ocean.
I noticed a pattern. Against those bleached vistas the characters stand out, and not just as silhouettes but as full-fledged people. Their clothes, each deep, meaningful hue, really pops against the white.
In Hindi cinema, the mist-shrouded hills of Shimla and Darjeeling or even the Alps have always been a favourite haunt of film-makers, a stage where stories unfold, like a romantic escape inĀ An Evening in Paris,Ā tragic love triangle inĀ Humraaz,Ā thriller-ish meet-cute inĀ Blackmail,Ā suspense-adventure likeĀ Chailla Babu,Ā or family melodrama likeĀ Aa Gale Lag Jaa.Ā The blank canvas of snow-capped mountains lets almost anything shine against its pristine whiteness.
A lot of these films have song-and-dance sequences where the actors prance across snowy dunes, tumble down them with wild joy, and embrace each other as their feet sink into that thick, styrofoam-like landscape. It makes me wonder- shooting in the cold must have been brutal, especially in the ā50s and ā60s when equipment was heavy and amenities were scarce.
I stumbled upon a 1960Ā FilmfareĀ article written by Nadira which gives a solid glimpse into the massive effort of shooting on snowy locations. Before I drop some excerpts from her candid tell-all article where she shares āher impressions of outdoor shooting in Shimla,ā a quick peek into her story. Nadira, born in Baghdad, started acting when she was just ten or eleven and quickly became a legend, known for her fierce screen presence and bold choices. And, fun fact, she was one of the first Indian actresses to roll around in a Rolls-Royce.
I loved these bits from the article where Nadira gets all real about shooting in the snow in freezing temperatures,
When we went on location, we were swathed in leggings, socks, warm vests, a few sweaters, muffler, head-gear, gloves, boots and overcoats. Some time later, the sun would condescend to shine. Off would come our warm garments, and weād breathe easy until after lunch. Then the cold winds would start blowing and weād proceed to don our woolies all over again. You should have seen us. We looked like over-stuffed sausagesā¦. Shooting outdoors in Simla is a pleasant chore for only one reason. Make-up does not need to be retouched. The pores are securely blocked up. There is no sweat, no grease. And natureās No. 31 powder comes flying to the face all the time. I remember, my colleague Sheri Mohan once decided to sport rosy cheeks. He rubbed ice on his face and was horrified when it started bleeding. At one stage of our outdoor session we were at Kufri. since ākufriā means āblasphemy,ā we decided that āKufriā could rightly be termed āLady Blasphemy.ā The snow was very deep here. As it was, with those awful 15-lb boots, you had to lift your leg, balance it in the air and throw it down, just to take a step. By the time you had taken your first step you were buried to the waist in the snow. It happened to me. Some Galahad in the unit came to pull me out. I warned him to be careful. He wasnāt. Out I came. But he was in! It was as if there was a hidden see-saw underneath the snow.
Now that weāve covered the behind-the-scenes bit, letās dive into this dream mood board that Iāve put together which is freezing, cozy chic all at once. Itās just a bunch of screen grabs from a mixed bag of movies and magazine clippings of winter wear that made me wishful, looks I would love to wear in an alternate universe. In my current reality these looks arenāt really my style; Iām more into minimalist, abstract silhouettes in low-key shades. Still I canāt help admiring the ponchos, cable-knits, cloaks, furry collars, leopard prints and leather jacket, there is this understated flamboyance to them.
All of this makes me seriously appreciate the grind behind these movies. Iāve never actually walked through a field thickly blanketed with snow, feeling my feet freeze beneath it- and maybe thatās why I am so fascinated with these frosty settings. But Iām not going to be fooled by the dreamy and romantic look of these getaways; I simply canāt stand the cold. Iād rather watch snow on screen than deal with it in real life š„¶
āPortrait of a Hindu Womanā, Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India, c. 1930. Photo by Paul Coze.
I embarked on revenge tourism to alleviate the impact of Covid-19and the destination was Simla .It was a cold winter evening , my family an...
Hi guys ! I am Aakanksha Garg currently in 12th Standard . I have recently started Food blogging . Visit my blog I post interesting, new and healthy recipes along with Cafe and Restarunt reviews . Share , comment and follow my blogs . I needĀ your support to make my blogs a success so that I can kick off 1 thing from my bucketlist . Enjoy this excellent experience of Cafe Shimla Times through my eyes !!
#Puzzle in Simla
Can you spot the painted building in these photos?
One of the building is actually a painting and not a real building. Try to spot it.
If you can or cannot and are curious about the answer, leave a comment here. I will send you the real painting of the building then.
One thing you can be guaranteed of in India: if thereās a hill, thereās a temple on it...
Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, glares out over Shimla and the surrounding hills. Itās an incredibly steep mile-long walk up to Jakhoo Temple...made even more difficult if youāre a moron like me and tackle it in the midday sun. Idiot.
The views from the top are definitely worth it, though youāll have to take my word for it, I didnāt manage to take any pics - all the best viewpoints were patrolled by monkey bastards! Theyāre pretty notorious there, too. A guy from my hostel had one jump on his back and steal his frigging spectacles! Terrorists!
The Billiard Marker at the Cecil Hotel in Ā Simla, 1924 (Onslow Ford).
Urbanization anywhere should be well thought and sensitive enough towards the geographical as well as the cultural context along with the obvious requirements of us users. While settling in a context like Himalayas, we are more vulnerable and exposed to the natural elements and still most of our interventions are complicated enough to leave a massive impact on the surroundings.Ā
The lights look cool in the night though!