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Writings

Here, I've organized all of my collection of written thoughts. Most of them are from my time at MIT's student newspaper, The Tech, although I may add more later.

Feb 27, 2020

Saying something new about Pixar studios is hard — what have critics not analyzed about this studio whose cumulative movie repertoire boasts ten Academy Awards? read more

Oct 31, 2019

As I walked into the theater hall in the Boch Center to enjoy The SpongeBob Musical, the first thing to catch my eye was the contrast between the stage and the rest of the hall. read more

Oct 31, 2019

You may not notice the entrance to Shore Leave as you walk right past it on the street. Nestled between an apartment complex and an office building in Boston’s bustling South End, the restaurant exists in its own tucked-away corner read more

Sep 26, 2019

Have you ever thought about suing yourself? If you knew the story of Tony’s Chocolonely, you will know sometimes that’s necessary to make a point. read more

Apr 18, 2019

The first superhero movie I remember watching was the Spiderman trilogy by Sam Raimi, starring Tobey Maguire as the eponymous character. The then-six-year-old me still remembers the goofy dances read more

Jan 20, 2019

Aquaman follows Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) on his journey to settle his relationship with Atlantis. Through flashbacks that explain his origins, as well as many other side plots, he aims to stop his misguided brother from using his power to wage war. read more

Jun 07, 2018

Even before you enter Randall’s Island Park, from the bridges entering the island, you will see the giant arcs in the sky, made of balloons. read more

Jun 07, 2018

“You are our people,” a sign reads. Boston Calling invites Boston and Cambridge to join a weekend music celebration with incredible headliners each night and numerous performing artists throughout the day. read more

May 03, 2018

The first feature of Calderwood hall at the Isabella Gardner museum that you will notice is that it’s a perfect cube with a ground-level stage and seatings on four sides of almost all four stories. read more

May 03, 2018

I have always loved live music much more than the recorded variant. For me, watching the people who make music is an important part of the experience read more

May 03, 2018

Infinity War isn’t a movie like the other movies you might watch at a theater — it is the culmination of the past 10 years’ worth of work by Marvel Studios. read more

Apr 26, 2018

[This review contains spoilers from Westworld season one. If you haven’t watched it yet, proceed with caution.]

What is real?

That which is irreplaceable. read more

Apr 19, 2018

What do you do when your heart is broken?

It’s a hard question, with perhaps a different and an unclear answer for everyone. read more

Apr 03, 2018

If you watch a movie based on a book (or, worse yet, a book you’ve read and loved), an easy trap you may fall into is comparing the two scene-by-scene. read more

Mar 22, 2018

Lara Croft has lived a long life, starting from a polygonal mesh in 1996 that was part teenage fantasy and part reality. But, the 2018 reboot falls short of being either. read more

Mar 15, 2018

We didn’t know how to write this.

We were still in shock after leaving the cozy, arena-style theatre for the imposing wideness of Tremont Street. read more

Feb 15, 2018

Superhero — the word comes with concomitants hard to escape. The image of a sure-footed lone wolf is something Hollywood has only recently started ditching in favor of the superhuman characters who are, paradoxically, more human than ever. read more

Dec 10, 2017

The Christmas tree grows right in front of your eyes. First, it’s six feet, then 12, and then 40 by the time you blink next. read more

Nov 21, 2017

Please be advised that this book contains necessary descriptions of violence, some of which has been paraphrased in this article.

Since the publication of God of Small Things nearly twenty years ago, critics and fans have been waiting for the next big thing that Arundhati Roy comes up with. With Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy makes the wait worthwhile read more

Nov 21, 2017

Zach Snyder’s Justice League gathers together the old and the new superheroes to save the world, and on some level, the future of the DC cinematic universe. read more

Nov 15, 2017

This isn’t your typical ballet.

You get this feeling as soon as you hear the sound of feet hitting the ground. read more

Nov 09, 2017

If there is one thing you can take home from Thor: Ragnarok, it’s this: identity crisis is not unique to human beings. Sometimes, gods suffer from it as well. read more

Nov 09, 2017

Wellington has died. Everyone suspects Christopher of committing the crime. read more

Oct 26, 2017

Her voice rose like a whistle, rushing up and down through the gallery, before it rested into a rich, steady pitch. read more

Oct 05, 2017

A light blue interior, divided cleanly into two by a row of booths in the middle, welcomes you as you walk in. The music perplexes your ears for a while even if you are caught up with the latest pop music trends. An open bar counter crowns the walkway on one side. read more

Sep 27, 2017

One by one, the rings left Jonah Greenhouse’s hand. They cut the air, and rushed towards the ground a split second later. Greenhouse picked each one out of the air with the confidence of a professional while the hypnotized audience watched on. read more

Mar 25, 2016

Today, I went to watch a play, and it was fantastic!

The production was the world premiere of the play “Can You Forgive Her”, by Huntington Theater Company. It was written by playwright Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Peter DuBois. read more

A professional headshot photo of Nur Muhammad Mahi Shafiullah

Nur Muhammad "Mahi" Shafiullah

I am trying to teach robots to do all my chores at @NYU-robot-learning Previously @facebookresearch