Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, 28 years after the demolition of Babri Masjid at the same spot. The wait of centuries has ended and India is creating a golden chapter in Ayodhya, he said in a speech following the ground-breaking ceremony.

Mr. Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, among others. The Prime Minister also unveiled a plaque and released a commemorative postal stamp to mark the occassion.

Here are the updates:

7.40 p.m. | Uttar Pradesh

Hailing Lord Ram as Imam-e-Hind (prelate of India), some Muslim devotees of Lord Ram watched the entire bhoomi pujan ceremony in Ayodhya on Wednesday live on their TV sets as they could not go there due to the coronavirus health protocols.

Underlining the countrys tradition of syncretic co-existence, they said once the coronavirus situation improves they would visit the temple site and offer their services in its construction.

It is a moment of joy for us. We are kar sevaks and consider Lord Ram as Imam-e-Hind, Raja Raees, the president of Sunni Social Forum (an organisation working for the Muslims) told PTI on Wednesday.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the bhoomi pujan at Ayodhya Ram Janambhoomi site, Mr. Raees said, "We celebrated the occasion by beating drums and playing harmonium. Shri Ram is our Paigambar. There is a feeling of happiness among the Muslims in the country. Members of our organisation watched the event live on TV.

Sunny Abbas, who lives in Lucknow, railed against those who identified the Ram temple movement as a Hindus-Muslim issue.

The bhoomi pujan is a tight slap on their faces. Most Muslims have agreed for the construction of a Ram temple respecting the sentiments of Hindus. Now the grand Ram temple will become a symbol of brotherhood, he told PTI over phone.

7.15 p.m. | Madhya Pradesh

The construction of the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, whose bhoomi pujan was performed on Wednesday, is expected to be completed in the next three years, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said.

VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said there is enthusiasm among Hindus across the world over the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Ram temple. He blamed the Congress for the delay in the temples construction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ground-breaking ceremony in Ayodhya for the temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, marking the beginning of its construction.

Mr. Kokje told PTI, The smooth manner in which the work of temple construction has been going on after the formation of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra by the Central government is amazing. We hope that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed in three years.

6.30 p.m. | West Bengal

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed bhoomi pujan for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called for preserving brotherhood between communities and the age-old legacy of unity in diversity.

Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai; Aapas mein hain Bhai Bhai! Mera Bharat Mahaan, Mahaan Hamara Hindustan." Our country has always upheld the age-old legacy of unity in diversity, and we must preserve this to our last breath! Ms. Banerjee tweeted.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, meanwhile, accused the TMC government in the State of disregarding Hindu sentiments by clamping a lockdown on a day when bhoomi pujan ceremony was being organised in Ayodhya.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had announced that he would light earthen lamps at the Raj Bhavan on August 5 to mark the ground-breaking ceremony in Ayodhya, said the silence of the Chief Minister was due to her appeasement politics.

5.40 p.m. | Haryana

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday described the laying of foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as a happy and historic moment for every Indian.

He also said that with the laying of the foundation stone, the dreams of crores of Lord Rams devotees have come true.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed the bhoomi pujan of a Supreme Court-mandated Ram temple in Ayodhya, bringing to fruition the BJPs mandir movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.

In a series of tweets on the occasion, Mr. Khattar said, This happy moment is historic for every Indian.

Moments before the Prime Minister was to perform the bhoomi pujan of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Mr. Khattar urged people to light a lamp in the courtyard of their homes and give a message of brotherhood.

5.35 p.m. | Jharkhand

Union Minister Arjun Munda and former Chief Ministers, Babulal Marandi and Raghubar Das, on Wednesday greeted people over foundation laying of Ram temple in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr. Munda said the historic shrine in Uttar Pradesh has been a symbol of faith for Hindus worldover and starting the construction work of a grand temple by the Prime Minister has given respect to their faith.

Ram devotees have struggled for a long time for construction of Ram temple and even sacrificed their lives. This day is also to remember them, Mr. Munda, who is Union Tribal Affairs Minister, said in a statement.

Babulal Marandi said a golden and proud age began with the bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking rituals) for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

August 5 will be scripted in the pages of history after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji laid the foundation stone for construction of a grand Ram temple, Marandi said in a statement.

He said with this historic event, a new chapter of national unity and harmony has also begun.

5.00 pm | New Delhi

The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya is much more than a religious affair and the structure will stand as a tribute to the best of timeless human values, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu said.

He also said that Lord Rams conduct and values constitute the core of the consciousness of India, cutting across all kinds of divisions and barriers, and they are still relevant today.

In a Facebook post marking the foundation laying ceremony of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir on Wednesday, he said the construction of a temple for Lord Ram at his birthplace is more a re-coronation of the highest human values of truth, morality and ideals that the maryada purushottam epitomised during his life.

As the King of Ayodhya, he led an exemplary life, worthy of emulation by the common men and other nobles, he said.

Mr. Naidu and his wife Usha on Wednesday also recited Ramayana at the Vice-Presidents House to mark the bhoomi punjan ceremony at Ayodhya.

The family members of the Vice-President donated 5 lakh each for the fight against COVID-19 and for the construction of Ram temple, an official statement said.

In his social media post, Mr. Naidu expressed happiness at the ceremony, saying the Ram temple will continue to remind and reinforce the ethos of the motherland which is universal in application without any discrimination.

Mr. Naidu also lauded Iqbal Ansari, son of late Hashim Ansari, one of the parties to the land title dispute, for urging the people to forget the past and move on in the true spirit of India.

His words of wisdom offer useful guidance for all, he said.

The Vice-President termed this day the beginning of a new era of mutual respect for all faiths and harmonious co-existence that should spur the building of an India of the dreams of every aspiring citizen of the country. PTI

4.45 pm | Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh congratulated the people of the country on the foundation laying of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying it fulfills the long cherished desire of every Indian.

My heartiest congratulations to the people of India on the historic foundation laying of #RamMandir in #Ayodhya, which fulfills the long cherished desire of every Indian. Lord Rams universal message of Dharma remains the guiding light not just for India but for the world," the Chief Minister said in a tweet.

4.40 pm | Chennai

The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in neighbouring Kancheepuram has sent gold and silver coins, holy soil collected from the Kamakshi temple and the mutt, besides Vasthu (traditional Indian system of architecture) materials to be used in the bhoomi pujan for constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

The soil specially obtained from the temples like Ekambranathar Swamy, Kamakshi and other Vishnu temples in the town have been sent by flight to Ayodhya ahead of the bhoomi pujan, said Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamy, the 70th Acharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

4.00 pm | New Delhi

Terming the foundation laying of Ram temple in Ayodhya as a historic and proud day for India, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said it heralds the beginning of a new era.

He said by starting the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a golden chapter in the history of the great Indian civilisation, and asserted that the government remains committed to the preservation of Indian culture and its values.

Today is a historic and proud day for India. The consecration of the grand Ram temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Lord Rams birthplace has written a golden chapter in the history of great Indian culture and civilisation and heralded the beginning of a new era, Mr. Shah, who is recuperating at a private hospital in Gurgaon after contracting COVID-19, said. PTI

3.30 pm | Ahmedabad

Jay Shree Ram! August 5 will be written in golden letters in the history books of 21st century. Five decades, 500 years of penance and struggle materialised today with the bhoomi pujan of Ram Lallas temple, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said in a video message.

The slogan - We swear by Ram that temple will surely be built there at Ayodhya - has been realised today. A Diwali like celebration has gripped the entire nation. Many Gujaratis made a contribution in the kar seva for building this temple, the BJP leader said.

He credited the two sons of Gujarats soil Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the harmonious atmosphere in which the bhoomi pujan was held at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on August 5.

We always do what we promise. This is BJPs commitment. If coronavirus was not there, todays event would have become the biggest religious congregation. I am sure the construction of Ram temple would lead to nation-building and take India ahead with pride, Mr. Rupani said. PTI

2.30 pm

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday congratulated the entire country on the occasion of the bhoomi poojan of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Congratulations to the entire country on the occasion of bhoomi poojan. May we continue to receive Lord Rams blessings. With his blessings, our country will get rid of hunger, illiteracy and poverty, and India becomes the most powerful nation in the world. May India show the path to the world in times to come. Jai Shri Ram! Jai Bajrang Bali, Mr. Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

2.20 pm

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Lord Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values and can never appear in cruelty, hatred or injustice.

In a tweet in Hindi, the former Congress president said, Maryada Purshottam Lord Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values. He is the core of humanism embedded deep in our hearts.

Ram is love, he can never appear in hatred. Ram is compassion, he can never appear in cruelty. Ram is justice, he can never appear in injustice, he said. - PTI

2.10 pm

Ram temple will be the harbinger of a prosperous India, said PM Narendra Modi.

"Our scriptures says there has been no ruler like Lord Ram. Lord Ram's policy was that motherland is bigger than heaven. It is also Lord Ram's policy that as a nation gets powerful, it also becomes better at living peacefully. We have to ensure that fraternity and friendship cements the bricks of this temple. We have to respect the sentiments of everyone," he said, adding that the temple will continue to inspire generations to come.

PM Modi winded up his speech by talking about the importance of social distancing and using masks to control the coronavirus pandemic. - Sandeep Phukan

2 pm

Continuing his speech after the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram temple, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that just as every section of the society, including Dalits and tribals, extended support to Gandhi ji during the freedom struggle, today every section has supported the Ram temple.

"India's faith, the collective of the people and the strength of this collective, has been a subject of research by many across the world," he said.

PM Modi speaks at the Ayodhya Ram temple ground-breaking ceremony.

"Ram is the thread of India's unity in diversity," PM Modi said, commenting on the different traditions and names of Ram and Ramayan in different languages like Tamil, Telugu, Odiya, Bengali, Kashmiri, Malayalam etc.

"Indonesia, which has the maximum Muslim population in the world, has unique Ramayan. Lord Ram is still worshipped there," he said, mentioning the different traditions of Ramayan in Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. He added that references to Ramayan can be found in Iran and China, and that Srilanka has it's own Ramayan while Nepal's tradition is attached to Mother Janaki.

Ram belongs to everyone and Ram is in everyone, said PM Modi. - Sandeep Phukan

1.50 pm

Just as August 15 symbolises the end of our struggle for freedom, today symbolises the culmination of the fight for a Ram Mandir for centuries, said PM Modi, continuing his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

On behalf of 130 crore people, I bow my head and pay respect to all those who were associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he said. "Whenever we have to do something, we have looked towards Ram ji. Efforts were made to destroy Lord Ram's identity, but he still reigns in our hearts," he said, adding that the temple will be a symbol of national sentiment and collective faith.

After the temple is constructed, Ayodhya will not gain importance but the entire economy will be transformed as people from all over the world will come here, said PM Modi.

"This is an opportunity to connect people with faith, connect present with the past. It is a gift to justice-loving India," he said, adding that the event has displayed the same dignity that was shown the day the Supreme Court order regarding the temple came out. - Sandeep Phukan

1.40 pm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his speech with a chant hailing Lord Ram and "Jai Siya Ram".

"Today this celebration and victory call is not restricted to Ayodhya but all over the world. Congratulations to Ram devotes across the world," he said.

"It is my fortune that Shri Ram janma Bhoomi Teertha Trust invited me and allowed me to part of this event. I express my heartfelt tribute," he said, adding that it was natural for him to come.

"India Today is creating a golden chapter. Today, the entire country is immersed in Ram. Today, the entire nation is emotional as the wait that went on for centuries ended. Crores of people may not believe that they are witnessing this event. For years, Ram Lalla who has been under a tent will see a grand temple," he added.

The tradition of breaking down and rising up again will end today, he said. - Sandeep Phukan

1.35 pm

Before he begins addressing those gathered, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

He also released a commemorative postage stamp on the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir.

1.30 pm

The construction of the Ram temple is equivalent to the construction of India, said Mahant Nrityagopal Das, head of the Trust in charge of building the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Mahant Nrityagopal Das, head of the Trust in charge of building the Ram temple in Ayodhya

"We request Modi ji and Yogi ji to start construction immediately to respect the sentiments of the devotees," he added. - Sandeep Phukan

1.20 pm

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, speaking at the ceremony, hailed the ground-breaking ceremony as the result of 20-30 years of work. "RSS, like-minded organisations worked for 20-30 years RSS, like-minded organisations worked nearly 30 years for fulfilment of temple construction resolve," he said, adding that many people have made sacrifices for this day.

See original here:

Ram temple bhoomi poojan live updates | Grand temple will be built for Ram Lalla who lived in temporary tent for years, says PM Modi - The Hindu

They all happened almost simultaneously, as if in a choreography. On February 9, 2011, a huge crowd of protesters had gathered at the Tahir Square in Cairo, Egypt. Unruly, eyes dilating like pellets of ice immersed in mug-full Campari liquor, it was obvious that this was a crowd determined to change thestatus quo.They shouted anti-government slogans, calling for an end to oppression, economic adversities and collapse of the Arabian spirit in the Arab world.

A couple of weeks before then, specifically on January 14, 2001, at the Habib Bourguiba Boulevard in Tunis, Tunisia, it was the same huge crowd, mobilized to end the decadent order. Similarly on February 3, 2011, a mammoth crowd of dissidents gathered at the Sanaa in Yemen, calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullahi Saleh. A couple of months after, specifically on a cold morning of April 29, 2011, hundreds of thousands of people at Baniyas, Syria, gathered to upturn the ruling order.

The overall goal of the protesters was similar: Bring down oppressive regimes that manifested in low standard of living in the Arab world. Dubbed Arab Spring, an allusion to the 1848 Revolution and the Prague Spring of 1968 by Political Scientist, Marc Lynch in an article he did for the AmericanForeign Policymagazine on January 6, 2011, the upheavals were a series of anti-government protests sparked off in early 2010s in Tunisia that eventually culminated in uprisings and armed rebellion that became widespread across the Arab World.

In a twinkle of an eye, they spread to five other Arab countries, namely Libya, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, leading to the deposition of the second President of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali; Egyptian Hosni Mubarak; Muammar Gaddafi and Yemeni first President, Ali Abdullah Saleh. In places where such upturns were not achieved, major social dislocations, riots, civil wars and insurgencies followed. In all of this social violence, the demonstrators catchphrase was, translated from Arab, the people want to bring down the regime.

So, did the#RevolutionNowconveners actually want to bring down the Muhammadu Buhari government last week and if yes, were they representative of the people of Nigeria? I asked this question because, if the Arab Spring upheavals were what they sought to clone, we must place it side by side the gloat of the Buhari presidency which likened their own version to a childs tantrum and a poor imitation of the original.Femi Adesina, Buharis spokesman, articulated the Buhari governments disdain for and scant belief in the possibility of a rehash of an Arab Spring-like revolution in Nigeria. My reading of this mockery of the protests was that Buhari, like the ruling class elite now and before him, was persuaded that the internal contradictions in Nigeria can never allow for a peoples revolt against governmental oppressors.

A revolution is always a mass thing, not a sprinkle of young boys and girls you saw yesterday in different parts of the country. I think it was just a funny thing to call it a revolution protest. In a country of 200 million people and if you see a sprinkle of people saying they are doing a revolution, it was a childs play. Revolution is something that turns the normal order. What happened yesterday, would you call it a revolution? It was just an irritation, just an irritation and some people want to cause irritation in the country and what I will say is when things boil over, they boil over because you continue to heat them, the Buhari publicist said.

I am persuaded that the social condition of the 200 million people Adesina literally venerated for staying aloof to the#RevolutionNowis far worse thanthose of the Arab countries. Like them, a tiny clique too has held the jugular of power for decades, continuously riding roughshod over their suffering people and believing that a violent upturn was a mirage. This ruling elites lethargy, in Nigeria, has resulted in apathy to the worsening fates of society and breeding a teeming agonizing majority.

However, my reading of the presidencys dismissive appraisal of the#RevolutionNowprotests shows that that mockery is situated on a wonky pedestal. Buharis basis for dismissing the protest includes its scant attendance, absence of belligerence of the protesters and the fact that things have not yet boiled over. Of a truth, on the outward, Omoyele Sowores#RevolutionNow, which provoked that disdainful appraisal of the Nigerian presidency, may look too sparse to qualify for a peoples revolt. However, proclaiming it a failure may be a fatal mis-reading of the temperature of revolts.

Though Buhari must have been buoyed into lethargy by the many contradictions of the Nigerian state that might not have allowed Nigerians to troop out in their millions to convince government that Buhari is sitting on a keg of gunpowder, things are actually fast boiling over from within.It is apparent that government has failed to see the success of the protest as a symbolism for perforation of the veneer of governmental resistance. Since it could not see this implication, government then dangerously lapsed into a couple of false assumptions which show it as incapable to properly read what people dont say.

In his weeklyFacebookepistle, Adesina was further lionized to make further fatal fallacious blunders. Citing the viral call of a 4-year old boy who urged his mum to calm down, entitledWhy We Need to Calm Down, the presidents spokesman made same ruling elite mistake of equating infrastructural projects with development and imagining that the people are happy. He regaled Nigerians with construction projects which he said were unprecedented in Nigerias history. Does he know that development is mental and not merely physical structures?

While Nigeria may indeed have witnessed a flurry of Chinese loan-funded, ostensibly corruption-ridden infrastructural projects, Nigerians joy level has sunk considerably under Buhari. Development is in the peace that has eluded Nigerians in the last five years, in the widespread belief that Nigeria is rudderless under Buhari and the fear that Boko Haram, ISWAP, ISIS and bandits are presiding over the Nigerian affairs, rather than the elected political elite.

By definition, a revolution is a fundamental, sudden change in political power and political organization. It is propelled when a people revolt against an oppressive government run by generally perceived incompetent people. In human history, there have been an array of revolutions which significantly changed thestatus quo. While notable revolutions are the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783, the French Revolution of 1789 to 1799and the Russian Revolution of 1917, Africa has had its ownexperiences, ranging from the Angolan Revolution of 1961 1974, the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 and the Zanzibar Revolution of 1964. The most recent in this league in Africa is the Arab Spring. So, what gave#RevolutionNowconveners the impression that Nigeria is ready for a revolt?

Successful revolutions have been known to succumb to some indices.James DeFronzosRevolutions and Revolutionary Movements, which can be regarded as a handbook for revolution, provided some insights. Mass frustration resulting in local uprisings, dissident elites, powerfulunifying motivations, a severe crisis paralyzing state administrative and coercive power and a permissive or tolerant world context are some of the indices DeFronzo suggested cannot but be present if a revolt against an existing order must sail through.

A critical look at the Nigerian situation reveals the following: Whereas there is mass frustration in the country, this has seldom resulted in local uprisings, except the June 12 riots. In the same vein, the Nigerian elites, being part and parcel of the maggots that lace the Nigerian decadence, are literally having a saturnalia inside the Nigerian sewage and are far from being dissident against thestatus quo. Again, whereas there are motivations for revolt in virtually all parts of Nigeria, the complexities in diversities of tribe, religion and culture have compelled divisive motivations. The Nigerian ruling elites are coercive, reckless and feckless in their rule but the contradictory indices earlier provided have restrained massive and widespread paralysis of governments. Allied to these is the fact that while there is indeed asidon lookof the international system against the slide in the affairs of Nigeria, this has lionized the ruling elite into further tightening the screw of their misrule.

Only a surface analysis would conclude that Nigeria is not ripe for a revolution. A combination of an incompetent ruling class and a gale of hopelessness is oscillating in the Nigerian sky. A conservative estimate will show that, at least 90 per cent Nigerians, from all the geopolitical zones, are miserable, hopeless and perceiving life as worthless. At every point, those purportedly elected to provide succor daily advertise confounding helplessness.

Look at the Bauchi State governor who recently appointed a Special Assistant on Unmarried Women Affairs; or the systemic chaos that is the order of the day in Nigeria. Check out the symbolism of Edo State where the unrivalled lawlessness of Adams Oshiomhole is jamming the arrogance of power of Godwin Obaseki. And of course, the massive theft of Nigerias inheritance and full-blown wretchedness of Nigerians, both of which are tribal-blind and religion-jaundiced.

What are those contradictions that made the#RevolutionNowlook like a failure and which have made Adesina and his ilk gloat at the possibility of an overturn of the system? One is the structural default that Nigeria sits upon. No successful revolt can happen, in the words of DeFronzo, without unifying motivations. Though there is mass frustration, the motivations for revolt are not unifying. This necessitated what happened recently in Katsina, Buharis home state. Tired of their massive killing by bandits with a corresponding incapability of their son, Buhari and his sidekick governor, Aminu Masari, Katsina people blocked the roads and asked for their twin resignation.

Also, persuaded that the unprecedented heists in government and Buharis cancerous cronyism are offshoots of a systemic imbalance, Southern Nigeria has consistently called for restructuring. In the ears of a feudal North used to kowtowing, however, that singsong is absolute bunkum. Again, while bandits who come from a seeming culture that justifies slaughtering have butchered more Southern Kaduna people than the number of rams they probably slaughtered in their lifetime, the rest of Nigerias consternation at this bloodletting sounds strange to the sons of perdition whose DNA is violence and bloodshed. So where can there be one voice against systemic disorder as to propel people to massively gather to upturn a decadentstatus-quolike Buharis?

The above are ills resulting from the calamitous dalliance of Flora Shaw and her British soldier liaison, Lord Lugard. Unfazed by the fact that Nigeria is not a nation but a concentration of nations, with different persuasions, worldviews, cultures, social foundations, human excitements and expectations, this duo soldered the nations into a fractious whole, with dangers for their forcefully welded existence. This resulted in last weeks sprinkle of young boys and girls,a lathe presidencys gloat, as against a mass uprising, even though the indices of revolution, the hopelessness, the frustrations, are present everywhere. The truth is, there is no difference between the widespread despondency in Katsina-Ala, the frustration in Nkalagu or the massive disdain with Nigerian ruling class in Igboho but motivations for dissent are not the same.

Femi Adesina and the ruling class as a whole may however not have too long to gloat. To gloat at the impracticability of a revolution is a fallacious appeal to authority. It can also pass as a fallacy of the straw man. This is because it is not unlikely that the Nigerian ruling class might have been holding on to weak, phony and ridiculous beliefs that have no basis in science. The collapse of current world order, especially in this world of Coronavirus, may have underscored this.

It is in the enlightened self interest of the Nigerian ruling class to flatten the curves of inequalities and gross lack and want, otherwise, its thinking that Nigerians are incapable of rising against it will collapse.

This was the thinking of the runners of George OrwellsAnimal Farm. The lyrics of OrwellianBeasts of Englandsay this much and are a pointer to the fact that, if the oppression and frustration in Nigeria continue unabated, it may be a push for a surge of the adrenaline of the Nigerian oppressed.

Orwell had enjoined the suffering oppressed, the Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland the corollary inside the Nigerian Animal Farm cage, the, Beasts of every land and climenot to be downcast asSoon or late the day is coming,//Tyrant Man shall be oerthrown//And the fruitful fields of England//Shall be trod by beasts alone. Rejoicing in a future of conquest of the system, Orwell also enjoined that, Rings shall vanish from our noses//And the harness from our back//Bit and spur shall rust forever//Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Are the Nigerian ruling elite who believe that the decadent order would continuead infinitumlistening?

Mimiko: A withered Iroko tree

The sagging consequence and worth of the name of Olusegun Mimiko, the former governor of Ondo State, received some boost in political discourse recently. It was buoyed by the coming October governorship election of his Ondo home state. Since leaving office in 2016, Mimiko, the man who prided self as Iroko tree of Ondo politics, seemed to have been felled from reckoning and became the butt of jokes. You could summarize his tumble in a Yoruba wise-saying thatogbon a ma pa ologbon at the juncture of fate, the Smart Alec will certainly meet their waterloo.

Mimiko received the push of destiny in his political sojourn, from being a commissioner, Secretary to the State Government, Minister of the Federal Republic, to an eight-year reign as governor. His was an unexampled case of an underdog disdained by the powers-that-be who upturned power equation in Ondo State and ran for, as well as won governorship on the platform of an unknown Labour Party. Thereafter, for eight years, he built a power base that he unfortunately wove round himself as theFuhrer. A student of the power of symbolism, Mimiko appeared almost everywhere in austereadireattire, projecting the image of an ascetic who deliberately shunned wealth and the good things of life.

But that was just a faade! It covered Mimikos reification of self above every other consideration. A few months before the 2015 election, the Smart Alec jumped ship again, from the LP to the PDP. There was thus no wonder that almost immediately he left office, with no power grip, he suffered a huge casualty of erstwhile followers who made an about-turn from a Smart Alec who thought he was the only wisdom base of power. The icing on the case of his fall was when the Iroko ran for Senate and was thoroughly humiliated by a man who could not dare the majesty of his power as theFuhrer.

Thereafter, Mimiko tumbled down politically and with resounding ignominy. His major cusp of fall was his decision to trade off the candidacy of his Attorney General for almost eight years, Eyitayo Jegede. Those in the know claimed that while Mimiko stood like an Iroko behind him by the day, he traded in the Jegede merchandize at night, smiling away with the booty of the barter. When the consignment was weighed down by the shenanigan of another merchant of politics, Jimoh Ibrahim, the former governor easily meshed into the midst of those who bore the pall of that dream. He only began to harvest the seeds of political Karma, post-office. Not only did followers migrate from him, the erstwhile Iroko became the sole inhabitant of a political party whose total membership could hardly fill a tiny living room. More instructively, all his harvests of office have vapourized into the hands of a band of smarter Smart Alecs and the Iroko is now as dry as a morsel swallowed without stew.

But, not to worry, political capital and reckoning are returning to the withered Iroko tree. A fellow political inhabitant of the hovel of the oldest profession in the world, who in less than a month, had traversed two political parties and is being careered into a third by an inordinate ambition that has no place for morality, wants to share political harlotry with the once famous Iroko. He is Agboola Ajayi, Ondo deputy governor, whose vaulting ambition is pushing to be the most notorious political harlot in recent time. And Mimikos solo political hovel Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) is the shack to harbor their co-habitation. Irokos political odyssey has over the years taken him on a merry-go-round from AD to PDP, to LP, PDP and to ZLP, barring any further political peregrination. He is likened now to a huge Iroko tree shunned of its Irokoness.

The ZLP misadventure of Agboola and Mimiko would be the last total withering of the Iroko tree. By the foot of the tree would be left this epitaph: Here are the ruins of a once domineering tree, withered by a personal belief that he is smarter than all.

Olukoya and ill-logics of the Pentecostal Republic

General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Pastor Daniel Olukoya, polluted Nigerias religio-political waters last week. Apparently swimming in the pool of what my friend, Ebenezer Obadare, labeled Nigerias incestuous interplay of religion and politics in what he tags a Nigerian Pentecostal Republic, the pastor took liberty on the pulpit to spew illogicalities that have become the preserve of so-called men of God.

The Olukoya epistle contained so many other cants. Speaking under the immunity of this Pentecostal Republic and a narrative from the pulpit that Nigerian politicians must have operated under a demonic spell, Olukoya highlighted what made Awolowo one of the most unique minds of the last century. From his prosecution of the war with zero borrowing as Yakubu Gowons Minister of Finance, to his ascetic lifestyle and how he mesmerized the Gowon cabinet with Simple Primary Economics, Awolowo, in the words of Olukoya, was simply a genius.

And when they were going to do FESTAC 77, they asked for Awos opinion. Awo said, This Festac 77 is a show of our primitivity and that the white man will be quite happy to see us exhibit our primitivity. He said that the money that would be used for Festac 77 should be spent on technology for education, for things that will move people forward, not going back to the idols that dragged us to where we were, and the man had this uncanny attribute of being right, said Olukoya.

However, rather than those alluring superlatives being held as qualifications for eternal life, both in the hearts of the people and the Kingdom of God which admits only the purest of hearts, Olukoya punctured all those attributes he ascribed to Awolowo with what I call the irreverent logic of the pulpit. It is a logic which Pentecostal overlords have deployed to hoodwink their congregants and the public.

Olukoya then magisterially proclaimed that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo never fulfilled his destiny because he did not give his life to Christ. Despite Awolowos greatness and exploits on the political scene, Olukoya said the sage denied Christ even against the prodding of great Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, who allegedly once visited his house.

Some writers have brought out the lie of that Babalola reference so it wont detain me here. It however occurred to me that Olukoya, as said earlier, must have been operating under that general and global belief of politicians being evil and their Nigerian variants, archetype of the thief on the left cross, totally submerged in evil. It was that global tar-brush that the Pentecostal overlord apparently applied on Immortal Awo. This narrative wont wash with Awolowo.

In the history of Nigerian politics, not many of the political elite approximate Christlike attributes as Awolowo did. If the refrain in Christendom is for worshippers to fervently yearn to be like Christ, in character and humility, virtually all politicians since Awolowos earthly departure, pray to be like him in forthrightness and devotion to humanity. Awolowo made life and living worthwhile for the people of Western region, through his developmental strides.

Methinks Olukoya and his Pentecostal overlords have over the years sunk into the arbitrariness zBorn Again-ism as a classification, mis-perceiving it as literal. Born Again, in my reading, isnt only, or isnt strictly, a mouth confession to be like Christ. Born Again is found in the philosophy of humanism which Awolowo epitomized. Humanism isnt all about the metaphysics of religion or the physical service to God since no one can see Him. To be born again is to put humanity first in any earthly engagement. That was Awos creed and it supersedes any metaphysics of religion or in Born Again-ism which Pentecostal pastors have deployed for ages to mesmerize their congregants, preparatory to erecting drain pipes into their hearts which then mint cash into their pockets.

It was that same literal interpretation that Christ disdained in Mathew 25: 35:For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,Iwas naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.When asked when they did these to him, He replied, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.

Awolowo, in serving humanity, served God affectionately.

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Why the colour of #RevolutionNow was not Arab Spring-red - TheCable

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Photo: Elizabeth Viggiano/Netflix

This post is updated frequently as movies leave and enter Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.

As the world continues to fall apart, dont you just want to something to make you laugh? Netflix is becoming the countrys biggest source for a laughter after a long week at work, but it can be hard to find exactly what youre in the mood for when you log on to the service. So were here to help. (And for more public service announcements, check out our regularly updated lists of the 100 Best Movies on Netflix and the 50 Best TV Series on Netflix.)

The romantic comedy genre has been in a dire state for many years now, but Hollywood occasionally produces a clever twist on the stale formula. Take this Richard Curtis (Yesterday) movie that features Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams at their most charming. Gleeson plays a man who can travel back in time, and uses that ability to alter his romantic future, learning that its better to accept life one day at a time with all of its imperfections.

The movie that made Jim Carrey a superstar is over 25 years old already, but its stars fearless physical comedy style doesnt really age. Carrey plays the title character, who gets caught up in a case involving the kidnapping of the Miami Dolphins mascot. Its just an excuse for Carrey to act as goofy as possible. He would do anything to get a laugh.

Movies just dont get much funnier than this 1980 classic from David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams. Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, and Leslie Nielsen star in a parody of the disaster flicks of the 70s, but Airplane! has far transcended its roots to become one of the most quotable and beloved comedies of all time.

Believe it or not, this is the last movie to win both the Oscar for Best Actor (Jack Nicholson) and Best Actress (Helen Hunt). James L. Brooks romantic comedy is a perfect example of a movie that caught its cast at just the right moment, getting one of the last Nicholson performances that could be called charming and supporting it with great work from Hunt and Greg Kinnear. Some of it is a bit dated, but it catches just enough lightning in a bottle in terms of casting to justify another look.

Mike Myers never could have imagined that his goofy superspy parody would launch a franchise, but all three films about the inimitable Austin Powers are on Netflix, just waiting for a rainy-day marathon. The reason these movies work is Myers complete fearlessness hell do anything to make you laugh.

Another family movie! This adaptation of the famous kids book by Judi and Ron Barrett completely expands on the world of its source material to tell the story of an inventor (voiced wonderfully by Bill Hader) who unleashes a storm of food. The character design here is clever and the script is very smart, written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who went from this to make a little flick called The LEGO Movie and produce Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. They know a thing or two about great cartoons.

Its hard to believe that its been a quarter-century since Amy Heckerlings brilliant reimagining of Jane Austens Emma hit the pop culture landscape, but its even more remarkable how well this films humor has held up. The fashion and music may be dated, but the progressive sense of humor and perfect comic timing mean it will work even for the generations born after it was released.

InThe Death of Stalin, Armando Iannuccis acid dramatization of the days in October 1953 when the Soviet Union lost its paranoid-psychotic totalitarian leader of three decades, the characters accents are Cockney, Brit-twit, and Yank no Russian is spoken while tortures and mass murders are ordered in tones of crisp English understatement. It takes some time to adjust to the mix of silly, peevish bureaucrats and the serious atrocities they inflict. But thats the beauty of the thing. Iannucci gets that grotesque horrors often emanate from egotists, clowns, and stumblebums, from small-minded people with vast and unchecked powers.

Eddie Murphy is back! Its been a long time since we saw this version of Eddie, who reminds us how funny and charismatic he can be with the right part. That part is the flashy personality that was Rudy Ray Moore, a washed-up musician who transformed himself into the character of Dolemite. Like The Disaster Artist and Ed Wood, this is an ode to DIY filmmaking with not just a great performance from Murphy, but Wesley Snipes and Keegan Michael Key too.

One of the most delightful surprises of the dumpster fire that is Summer 2020 has been Eurovision Song Contest, an unexpectedly sweet and clever flick and Will Ferrells best comedy in a decade. The Anchorman star plays half of an Icelandic duo who stumble their way through the Eurovision singing contest, but the movie really belongs to Rachel McAdams, who gives a performance that joyfully reminds everyone that she has absolutely perfect comic timing.

Greta Gerwig got a lot of deserved attention for Lady Bird but it wasnt her first semi-biographical screenplay, and maybe wasnt even her best. She co-wrote this quarter-life crisis comedy with director Noah Baumbach, in which she stars 27-year-old New Yorker Frances Halladay. Its one of those films that doesnt have much of a plot but works because of the genuine, empathetic way it approaches its leading lady, a character who feels both incredibly specific and yet universally relatable at the same time.

Remember when Russell Brand was a star? Riding the fame from his supporting role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, he headlined this spin-off as Aldous Snow, an obnoxious rock star who takes a talent scout played by Jonah Hill along for the ride of his personal meltdown. Brand and Hill are funny, and you may have forgotten that Rose Byrne and Elisabeth Moss pop up in funny supporting roles too.

Michael Dowses 2011 hockey comedy is a great sports movie about finding your ideal role in life. It made hardly anything in theaters but found an audience at home (so much so that theyve already made an inferior sequel). Seann William Scott stars as Doug Glatt, a sweet but kinda dumb guy who becomes the tough guy on a hockey team. You know, the one who starts and finishes most of the fights. Its funny and surprisingly sweet with Scotts career-best work.

Relive one of the best comedies of all time over and over again on Netflix. Believe it or not, this 1993 Bill Murray vehicle wasnt that rapturously received critically or commercially when it came out, but its become a beloved genre classic. Murray stars as a weatherman forced to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right. Its not just the clever premise but how much co-writer/director Harold Ramis and Murray inject humanism and truth into it. And its held up so much better than most early 90s comedies.

The Coen brothers wrote and directed this divisive 2016 comedy about the film industry in the 1950s. Forget Ryan Murphys Hollywood and stick with this razor sharp gem with a great Coen ensemble that includes Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, and many more.

Long before Popstar and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Andy Samberg starred in his first Lonely Island project and first major film after Saturday Night Live. Relatively ignored and critically derided at the time, Hot Rod has developed a loyal cult following over the years. Its easy to see the Lonely Island comedy voice developing in this story of a goofy stuntman trying to perform the biggest stunt of his career to save the life of his irascible father.

There are not a lot of great Netflix Original comedies (sorry, Adam Sandler fans) as the company has focused more on sci-fi and drama in its first few years of nonstop production. One of the exceptions is this Sundance hit, a great vehicle for Jessica Williams. The former Daily Show correspondent stars as the title character, someone trying to find happiness and love. Shes charming and delightful in a movie that not enough people have seen.

One of Cameron Crowes best films became something of a punchline with its heavily quoted lines (Show me the money, You had me at hello, everything that cute kid says) but its actually a wonderful romantic comedy that has held up incredibly well in the quarter-century since its release. Tom Cruise plays the title character, a sports agent who is pushed into starting his own agency while he falls in love with a single mother, played by Renee Zellweger. Its sweet, smart, and funny.

Long before he was Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds was a fat kid named Chris Brander. Ignoring the arguably offensive fat jokes, this is an underrated laugher about a guy who is stuck in the friend zone with his best friend (played by Amy Smart) but gets a chance to make his dreams come true a decade later. Its far from perfect but features very likable performances from Reynolds, Smart, and Anna Faris.

You have likely never seen a movie quite like this 2004 martial arts comedy, Stephen Chows masterpiece. Set in 1940s China, this worldwide hit features some of the best stunt work you can find on Netflix, all in service of a movie that often plays like a live-action cartoon. Its ridiculous and unforgettable.

Greta Gerwigs Oscar nominee is one of the most personal and striking coming-of-age films of the 2010s. Saoirse Ronan stars as a young Californian who longs for someplace cooler than her own hometown. Its a heartfelt and very smart film, buoyed by great performances throughout, including Ronan, Tracy Letts, Timothee Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, Beanie Feldstein, and Laurie Metcalf, who was robbed of that Oscar.

Nicole Holofcener is one of the most underappreciated writer-directors alive, even if she did just earn an Oscar nod for co-writing Can You Ever Forgive Me? You simply have to see Enough Said, Lovely and Amazing, and Please Give. Her latest stars Ben Mendelsohn as a man deep in a mid-life crisis that comes from the realization that hes not as important as he thought that he was his whole life. Its not as good as some of her best work, but minor Holofcener is still worth a look.

Theres a movie on Netflix that features Aubrey Plaza as a profanity-spewing nun and you havent watched it yet? Jeff Baenas Sundance hit also stars Alison Brie, Dave Franco, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, and Fred Armisen in a ridiculous, raunchy retelling of The Decameron. Its reminiscent of classic Mel Brooks in the way it skewers classical storytelling structures with modern comic sensibilities.

Comedy doesnt get much darker than this 2015 offering from the 2019 Oscar-nominated Yorgos Lanthimos. The Greek director co-wrote and directs the story of a place where single people go to hook up with others looking for love. The catch? If they dont find a partner within 45 days, they are turned into animals. As dry and deadpan as comedy gets, there are still some very funny beats in Lanthimoss exaggerated look at the folly of human connection.

Its hard to say that youll laugh out loud at this look at marital dysfunction, but Azazel Jacobs indie critical darling has enough black humor to qualify. The wonderful Tracy Letts and Debra Winger star as an estranged, middle-age couple who are both having relatively open affairs. As their lovers insist that they end the marriage, the couple is surprised to fall back in love with each other.

Tom Hanks and Shelley Long star in this 1986 hit about a couple who end up with a disastrous home and try to renovate it with hysterical results. A whole generation of 80s kids love this movie, which has a nice blend of physical comedy for the little ones and the kind of nightmarish situation to which their parents can relate.

Theres a bunch of Monty Python specials and movies on Netflix, but this remains arguably the career peak of one of the most beloved comedy troupes of all time. A parody of tales like those of the Knights of the Round Table, Holy Grail is one of the most heavily quoted movies of all time, a comedy that feels like its playing in some theater somewhere in the world, probably at midnight, every single day. Its popularity simply never recedes.

Holy Grail may be laugh-out-loud funnier, but its arguable that Life of Brian is actually smarter. Monty Pythons most controversial movie stars Graham Chapman as Brian Cohen, the neighbor of Jesus Christ. Its an incredibly smart film that caused quite an uproar when it was released due to accusations of blasphemy. Modern comedy could use a little more blasphemy every now and then.

Pair this up with Uncut Gems for a little bit of Sandler whiplash. Years before his most acclaimed role, Sandler was the biggest comedy box office star in the world, as evidenced by his remake of Frank Capras Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, the story of an average guy who becomes an unexpected billionaire. Its all an excuse for Sandlers trademark man-child humor, but its got a big heart in some of the right places and certainly outshines some of the recent Happy Madison Netflix Originals.

Not every movie on a list like this should be a smash hit, so were digging a little deeper for this South by Southwest hit starring the delightful Nol Wells of Master of None and Saturday Night Live. She also wrote and directed this story of a young lady returning to her hometown and dealing with some unresolved issues regarding her ex-boyfriend, now with a new partner. Wells is charming and funny.

Jared Hess and Jack Blacks goofy senses of humor meshed well in this 2006 comedy hit. Black plays a cook at a Oaxacan monastery who unexpectedly becomes a famous luchador, but thats just the skeleton of a plot on which to hang physical humor and silly behavior. Its the kind of comedy thats easy to put on in the background while youre doing other things. Sometimes thats all you want from Netflix.

No one ever could have guessed that the unsuccessful TV series Police Squad! would turn into the wildly successful film series The Naked Gun, which was such a hit on its 1988 release that it turned Leslie Nielsen into a massive star and produced two sequels. The first film is still a best, a gloriously ridiculous spoof of cop shows/films in which Nielsens Frank Drebin stumbles upon a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth II that involves Reggie Jackson. Its too bad they dont make movies this gloriously stupid (in a good way) as often as they did in the 80s and 90s. The second film is also on Netflix (but not the third.)

The timing may not seem right for a movie about violent cops, but Jody Hills pitch-black comedy gets at something about corrupt power and the kind of personality drawn to the force, and people seem more drawn to it than ever during Summer 2020 for that reason. Its vicious and hysterical.

Jenny Slate should be a household name. Shes always charming, has great comic timing, and seems to find new dramatic registers with each outing. This remains her best overall film and performance, the story of a stand-up comedian who has to deal with a few of lifes unexpected curveballs. Shorthanded as the abortion comedy, theres more to Obvious Child than just that brief description allows. Its smart and genuinely likable things that arent often said about what could be called a rom-com.

For some reason, the Steven Soderbergh remake of the classic heist film, Oceans Eleven, is not on Netflix, but its two very different sequels are. The meta approach of Oceans Twelve earned the film something of a loyal following on Film Twitter, whereas the looser, more mainstream final film in the trilogy was underrated then and now. Both are worth a look when you feel like hanging out with some cool, beautiful people.

Is this Will Ferrells last great comedy? Capping off a decade that included Anchorman, Old School, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights, the SNL alum co-stars with Mark Wahlberg as two cops forced to step into the spotlight after the hysterical death of the two most popular officers on the force. Ferrell and Wahlberg are great in one of Adam McKays funnier comedies. He should reunite with his best leading man and make another one.

Stephen Chbosky adapted his own book into this tender and moving coming-of-age comedy starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. Its a remarkably smart film when it comes to teen issues that are rarely reflected accurately like depression and anxiety. And Chbosky directs his ensemble to beautiful, nuanced performances.

Andrew Bujalskis Support the Girls got a lot of buzz last year, even winning some awards for its great central performance from Regina Hall. If you liked it, check out Bujalskis last film, another movie about a very unique working environment. Cobie Smulders, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Corrigan star in this quirky rom-com set in the high-pressure world of personal trainers.

Michael Cera stars in Edgar Wrights vibrant adaptation of Bryan Lee OMalleys graphic novel, a movie that feels like it could come out exactly the same way today, almost a decade after its release. Wrights style is perfect for this material, capturing the tone and structure of the source material with his razor-sharp editing and wit.

When Set It Up hit Netflix in the Summer of 2018, it felt like a splash of cold water for one reason: the rom-com is in a dire state. They barely get released in theaters at all any more, and theyre typically awful when they do. So to see an old-fashioned, charming romantic comedy felt like something new again. It also helps that Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell have future stars written all over them. Theyre charming and delightful two things we wish we could say about more rom-coms in the past decade.

If you love Russian Doll (and really who doesnt) then you should dig into the history of its creator, Leslye Headland. She wrote and directed this clever 2015 comedy starring Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Adam Scott, Jason Mantzoukas, and, of course, Natasha Lyonne.

We could all use a little romance every now and then, and it doesnt get much sweeter than this 1993 blockbuster that made Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan one of the most beloved movie couples of all time. Nora Ephron directs this story of a widower who moves to Seattle and tries to raise his 8-year-old son, and the Baltimore woman who hears his tragic tale and falls in love. They dont make many films like this one anymore.

Mel Brooks last great parody is this hysterical spoof of the world of Star Wars, filtered in a comedic style that is distinctively that of one of movie historys greatest writers. Spaceballs takes most of its direct aim at the Lucas trilogy (yes, there were only three back in 1987), but Brooks tackles other sci-fi properties too, and he does it all with his wicked sense of timing and hysterical wordplay.

There are a lot of movies on Netflix. There are not a lot of movies like this Sundance hit. Just when you think youve seen it all, along comes Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse. The former Boy Who Lived stars with Paul Dano in a film that cant really be captured in a tiny list entry. Just watch it and report back.

It may not be accepted in 2020, but Sydney Pollacks comedy about a man who dresses as a woman to finally make it in his career was a blockbuster hit when it was released almost four decades ago. Watch it now for the incredible comic timing of Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, and Bill Murray, among others. Its one of those 80s comedies that really shattered all expectations, making over $175 million (in 1982 movie) and even winning an Oscar for Lange. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards! That just doesnt happen for comedies anymore.

If a studio had released this delightful romantic dramedy in theaters, even just in major cities, people would have noticed. Its smart, funny, and contains a pair of wonderful young performances. Its the story of Danny (Callum Turner) and Ellie (Grace Van Patten), two struggling New Yorkers drawn together over a mysterious briefcase.

This horror/comedy made hardly an impact when it was released in 2010 but has become a true cult hit in the decade since on DVD and streaming services. The main reason is that Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk have perfect comic timing as a pair of lovable hillbillies who get caught up in a crazy horror movie situation that leads to a lot of laughs and buckets of blood. Now give us a sequel!

After John C. Reillys pitch perfect spoof of the rock biopic, one would think that the tropes skewered in this laugh-out-loud comedy would go away but watching this now after the success of films like Bohemian Rhapsody makes its genius seem even sharper.

Look, another Noah Baumbach movie! When Netflix launches movies by auteurs, they often include a lot of their older films in the catalogue, and so the inclusion of The Meyerowitz Stories means a lot of old Baumbach. This 2014 comedy may not be his deepest work, but its one of his funniest, with likable, perfectly tuned performances from Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, and Adam Driver.

Jason Reitman directs the always-great Charlize Theron in this 2011 dark comedy about a writer of young adult novels who returns to her hometown to wreak havoc. The movie is a bit inconsistent at times but Theron (and Patton Oswalt) is simply great, especially in the way she allows her character to be genuinely unlikable. Its a smart movie about someone who thinks shes superior to those around her and learns maybe shes not.

Sometimes its fun to watch what could be a mediocre movie get totally carried by the charms of its two stars. Thats the case here. Is this a great comedy? Not really, but Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are so delightful and fun to watch that you just dont care.

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The 50 Best Comedies on Netflix Right Now - Vulture