It's been nearly a month and I've only watched 6 movies. I have been pretty busy though with 3 jobs, volunteering and all my artistic endeavors so you'll have to excuse me. Well you don't have to but it would be nice if you did.
Director: Rohit Dhawan
Writers: Rohit Dhawan, Renuka Kunzru, Milap Zaveri
Starring: John Abraham, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone
So this was my Bollywood flick of the batch. I've got to tell you, Bollywood is constantly pushing the limits. This movie is about two guys who end up being male escorts. Of course, B-wood manages to make it mostly clean. They set limits. And they have to because one of them is engaged. Of course, the only reason they do it is because it's 2009 and the economy is really bad and they can't find regular jobs. HA! Of course it's a little far-fetched but that's typical of this industry. The music was good and it was fun to see the different themes the guys used to make women happy. And of course see them shirtless. Rawr.
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4 and a Half Terrorists (2008)
Writer and Director: Kenneth Nilsson
This short film was campy and fun and left me wanting a bit more (in a good way). It was done as if it was an episode for a TV show. It was a farcical look at the stereotypes that Americans have of people from the Middle East. I thought it was clever and well-done. (After searching for the video below, it looks like it was released as a series of webisodes.)
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Tortilla Soup (2001)
Directed by: María Ripoll
Written by: 6 different writers!
This movie was very much a love affair with cooking. And caring for one's family as well. It has a strong cast and was a pretty laid-back movie. It was mostly predictable but had a few parts that threw me for a loop (as did the ages the sisters were supposed to be). If you love food and are often frustrated by your family or if you have an affinity for the Mexican-American culture, you'll enjoy this movie as I did. Oh and the music is pretty good too. :)
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Hugo (2011)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter:
John Logan
Based on the book by: Brian Selznick
I first heard about the book that has wonderful illustrations done by the author. I then heard that this movie was amazing and had to see it for myself. It was. SPOILER ALERT: This movie was a love note to the invention of cinema. It made me cry to see old movies back on the screen where they deserved to be. Originally when I went to see this movie, I thought it was going to be all animation, but it was mostly live action. The cast was fantastic of course. Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Helen McCrory, and Chloë Grace Moretz, who I now recognize from Kick-Ass (2010) which I reviewed here. I am interested to read more in depth about the factual information that was probably altered for story's sake.
After watching the trailer, I am reminded how it bothered me that even though the film took place in Paris, all the characters spoke English with British accents. That and the music in the trailer belies the actual tone of the movie which is a little slower and darker.
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The Muppets (2011)
Directed by: James Bobin
Written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
I absolutely love the Muppets so there was no doubt that I was going to see this movie. It lived up to the old legacy of the other movies with the humor, the situations and the cameos. It was truly a feel good movie. I've heard that Fox News thinks it promotes a message to children to not trust big corporations. Well, even if it does, I think that's a fine message for children to learn because corporations aren't people. People are people. And Muppets are people too! ;) Now the hardest part will be choosing which of the many trailers to showcase here. Let's just say, the Muppets were VERY good about their marketing campaign!
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The Descendants (2011)
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Novel by: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Payne is a local hero so of course this movie was big in our town. And for good reason. Payne really knows how to tell a story through emotion, character and humor. I'm told the novel is very good to begin with and will have to read that before too long. The presentation of the story was very nice. Of course the people and the scenery were easy on the eyes too. It was quite the tease to watch it in December in the cold Midwest. :( The movie was very well done and did get at your emotions, whether you wanted them to or not. The sense of empathy for the characters was very tangible.
So there you have it folks (and spammers). Real people, please leave me comments about these movies. Have you seen them? What'd you think? Any similar movies you would recommend to me or other reader? Okay, I'm peacing out now!
