"Smart People" (2008); "English Vinglish" (2012); "20 Feet From Stardom" (2013); "Bonsái" (2011); "Rise of the Guardians" (2012); "Ghost Dad" (1990); "Agora" (2009)

Smart People (2008)

Director:

Noam Murro

Writer:

Mark Poirier

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church | See full cast and crew

I enjoyed the cast, the characters were interesting, and I enjoy a bit of high brow humor now and again. So pretty decent, I'd say. 

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 English Vinglish (2012)

Director: Gauri Shinde

Writer:

Gauri Shinde

Stars:

Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou | See full cast and crew

If any of you has ever had to be in a country in which you don't speak the language, you can understand how challenging it is to learn a language. Of course this film is far-fetched in that the character has 4 weeks to learn, but I think it does a pretty good job of showing the intelligence of non-English-speaking people who are trying to learn English. This is a hot-button issue for me as I lived in South America for five months. Any time an American gets mad at foreigners and wants them to "learn English" I assume that person has never attempted to learn another language or they would know just how hard it really is.

Anyway, as far as the movie goes, there were definitely some stereotypical characters and some stuff that didn't come across right, but I enjoyed the film, more or less. I had wanted to see it for a while so was happy to find it at my library. The main issue is whether a mother is allowed to have a life outside her children or can she find independence. I, of course, have my own take on that, but the film is what it is. Of note is the actress Sridevi who has appeared in more than 200 films in India from 1967 to current day. "Sridevi was the highest paid Hindi actress from 1985-1992 and the 2nd highest paid Hindi actress from 1993-1996."  She had returned from a hiatus to make this film and did a smashing job.

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 20 Feet From Stardom (2013)

Director:

Morgan Neville

Stars:

Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill | See full cast and crew 

This concept/movie was first brought to my attention on my vacation for Fourth of July weekend. I then found out it was playing in my town, so of course I had to see it. I also saw in the credits that I knew the DP Nicola Marsh. I'd worked with her on a film. This film was great. The concept was amazing: the backup singers that make music memorable. Get ready for a lot of music history (easily presented) and the impulse to tap your feet, bob your head and dance in your seat! I always love music documentaries... combines my love of music and cinema for maximum results. Definitely check this movie out!

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 Bonsái (2011)

Director:

Cristián Jiménez

Writers:

Cristián Jiménez, Alejandro Zambra (novel)

Stars:

Diego Noguera, Nathalia Galgani, Gabriela Arancibia | See full cast and crew

I was very happy to find a Chilean movie, as I lived in Chile for 5 months. I enjoy the fact that is has content that is 'navel-gazing' but a character makes fun of that very fact. There are plenty of humorous moments and to me they were very Chilean, so I enjoyed the brief step back into another part of my life. Of course, one can relate to it without having spent time in Chile. ;) The other thing to note is that at the beginning, we are told exactly how the story will end, but it is still a surprise anyway. It was nominated at several festivals and took home some awards. Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le! ;)

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 Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Director:

Peter Ramsey

Writers:

David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), William Joyce (book)

Stars:

Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher | See full cast and crew

One of my nephews chose this movie. I remember thinking when it came out that it looked less than good, but it was actually a nice movie. Seemed quite original to me. I enjoyed the characters and the concept. Something new in a land of remakes. I see it was a book first, but that's okay. ;) 

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Ghost Dad (1990)

Director:

Sidney Poitier

Writers:

Brent Maddock (story), S.S. Wilson (story), 3 more credits »

Stars:

Bill Cosby, Kimberly Russell, Denise Nicholas | See full cast and crew

 This came along in a four-pack I bought and Bill Cosby is pretty awesome, so I watched it while I scanned family photos. Pretty fun movie. I think the film still holds up today too, so introduce it to your youngin's... or your old'un's... good fun for everybody. :) 

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 Agora (2009)

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac | See full cast and crew

I'd been wanting to see this movie since I saw the stained glass image of Hypatia in a library in Burlington, Iowa in June. This film is upsetting because of the accuracy of the historical content, or what I assume to be accurate with different religious groups slaughtering each other in the name of their gods. And the subjugation of women thanks. Left a bitter taste in my mouth just because it's upsetting that this is so much of humanity's history and to an extent, the present day. This film was very good, don't get me wrong, but it was heavy content for me. I'm glad I watched it because it gave me some things to process. It also made me want to learn a lot more about many topics. I do recommend this film for sure because it's quite the eye-opener. On a picky note, a couple camera shots were gimmicky for my taste and some of the white historical text was too hard for me to read (partially background colors and partially my screen size/quality). Good film.