Director: Jon Kasdan
Writer: Jon Kasdan
Stars: Adam Brody, Kristen Stewart and Meg Ryan
I haven’t been writing about films lately but it doesn’t mean I haven’t watched anything. I will catch up with the reviews in the next few days. This movie was recommended to me by my friend.
I can’t really say I liked it a lot. It was nice but at the same time only nice. Every bit of it is built on cliche’s that are too clear to be interesting and/or authentic.
I have a really sick grandmother so I kind of expected the relationship between her and her Grandson to be deeper and more meaningful. Although I love the scene when she lies down in bed in new linen. I have this overall feeling that the emotions weren’t explored deeply. The themes raised in the movie include: recovering from ended realtionship, relationship between granchildren and grandparents in the face of death, relationship between mother and daughter, dealing with breast cancer, friendship/relation between a lot younger man and older woman, small town American high school problems, dealing with husband’s affair and probably a couple more.
I’m not really sure where the title comes from. I didn’t feel like this movie was all about women, they relationships, emotions or feelings. But it’s a pleasant movie to watch anyway.
The world is always changing. Every day it’s changing. Everything in life is changing. We have to look inside ourselves to find what stays the same, such as loyalty, our shared history and love for each other. In them, the truth of the past lives on.
Deeply touched
Director: Wayne Wang
Stars: Bingbing Li, Gianna Jun, Hugh Jackman and Vivian Wu
Today, just quickly, two movies. First Corpse Bride directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson.
Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson.
This film impresses not only with an intelligent script, but above all a fantastic, original and unique world created by the director. Human world is populated by residents with unnaturally thin legs and grotesquely large heads. Their opposites are dead – cheerful and colorful.
The world of living in comparison with the world of the dead in general is quite pale. Washed off bright colors, dark and gloomy “up” and in the background the dancing, multi-colored and crazy after – life (“the bottom”) in which Burton’s fascination with Mexican folklore is evident.
It reminds me of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (story by Tim Burton, directed by Henry Selick)
So yest this is a naive romantic comedy, shot in a fabulous location (Hawaii, Oahu island among others) with actors who always play the same characters. It’s not even that funny. But the idea, an outcome of mixing “Memento” with “Happy Gilmore”, is new and surprising. You can expect the happy ending but you are not really sure if it’s coming or not.
So if you don’t know what to do with your time and are looking for warm romantic comedy you can give it a shot.
My favourite is Jocko the walrus. It was played by Sivuqaq one of 4 walruses living in Marine World in Vallejo, Kalifornia. In Sea Life Park in Hawaii there are no walruses.
and Btw Goldfield syndrom doesn’t exist.
Directed by Peter Segal, staring Adam Sandler and drew Barrymore.
Directed by Joann Sfar
Staring: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Anna Mouglalis, Kacey Mottet Klein
Where to begin…
For those who don’t know Serge Gainsbourg (real name Lucien) was a French singer, songwriter, poet, composer, artist, actor and director. And he also was Jewish what may matter at least for some critics and the beginning of the movie which takes place during Nazi occupaction of France. The film is a semi biography, rather a personal statement of the director than historical facts put together. Which makes it so good in my opinion. Much more interesting than movie about Coco Chanel, Margaret Thatcher or even Edith Piaf.
It’s a drama film written and directed by Joann Sfar, based on his graphic novel. And you can clearly see the influence of author comic style in the movie. To be honest it reminds me a bit of “Maus”, a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, I read it a couple years back. But if you can’t see the connection I won’t blame you, this is just the way my brain works.
In a pre-credit sequence the young child Serge (born Lucien) is rejected as “too ugly” by a little girl on a summer beach. I was just talking about this with my friend on Tuesday, how being ugly or fat influences the lives of people and how others judge them. Nothing that wasn’t said before, but I do tend to like not obviously beautiful people more. Yes this might be a discrimination towards beutiful people, but well World is not black & white.
I’m tempted to describe all my favourite moments in the movie but I let you watch it for yourselves. Let me just say I loved when my Mum, Dad and me were laying the LEGO bricks in the middle of the night creating houses or pirat’s islands…
At the end of the movie we are left with the final words from the director “I prefer his lies to his truth,” his dreams to his reality.
It’s a full of imagination tale with intriguing figure of Gainsbourg caricature (La Gueule) being a cartoon and his demon at the same time. Love him or hate him. I love him.
Beautiful pictures, women, great music, including the very famous song “Je T’aime,…Moi Non Plus “.
At the end I just want to say I love men in well-tailored suits.
I’ve chosen the least reaviling trailer for you. P.S. You might also want to visit a review in The Guardian by Philip French but you may want to do it after seeing the movie first.
I haven’t seen many movies by Woody Allen. Yes I know surprising. I guess this is because when I was young my mother didn’t like his movies and I didn’t really have a chance to come across them. I know still weird.
Recently I’ve seen Manhattan 1979. Starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep and Mariel Hemingway.
I have to say I liked it. Won’t be something that I will recommend to anyone who I meet, but if you don’t have anything to do you will enjoy it probably.
Curiosity:
The film is filled with autobiographical elements. Woody Allen is emotionally involved with the Manhattan. Observant viewers will see the mention of Allen’s favorite director – Bergman and interest in history, as well as Europe, expressed in valuable discussions. Undoubtedly, Allen wanted to fascinate viewers with New York. The place and people living there have been for him for years an endless source of inspiration.
Just finished watching The Fountainhead with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. It’s black and white (1949) but worth seeing nonetheless. If you ever wondered what the mechianism of manipulating public is you will find the answer.
I was never obsessed with power, I can’t say I have such an integrity as Howard Rourke (the main character) but can’t feel the desire to rule others. I suppose I’m among those people who give in, who are too scared like Dominique Francon.
Funny romance among those two by the way. In this context I always had problem with deferred gratification. Always wanted a man who knows what he wants. There is something like this in woman that they want to be defeated, broken.
There are so many quotes I noticed, I’ll paste some of them, first trailer. from what I read on-line if you intend to read the book the film will be a disappointment. And I do agree acting is rough.
Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people! Your own work, not any possible object of your charity. I’ll be glad if men who need it find a better method of living in the house I built, but that’s not the motive of my work, nor my reason, nor my reward! My reward, my purpose, my life, is the work itself – my work done my way! Nothing else matters to me!
Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. But the mind is an attribute of the individual, there is no such thing as a collective brain. The man who thinks must think and act on his own. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot not be subordinated to the needs, opinions, or wishes of others. It is not an object of sacrifice.
Every form has its own meaning. Every man creates his meaning and form and goal. Why is it so important–what others have done? Why does it become sacred by the mere fact of not being your own? Why is anyone and everyone right–so long as it’s not yourself? Why does the number of those others take the place of truth? Why is truth made a mere matter of arithmetic–and only of addition at that? Why is everything twisted out of all sense to fit everything else? There must be some reason. I don’t know. I’ve never known it. I’d like to understand.
We never need to say anything to each other when we’re together. This is- for the time when we won’t be together. I love you, Dominique. As selfishly as the fact that I exist. As selfishly as my lungs breath air. I breathe for my own necessity, for the fuel of my body, for my survival. I’ve given you not my sacrifice or my pity, but my ego and my naked need. This is the only way you can wish to be loved. This is the only way I can want you to love me. If you married me now, I would become your whole existence. But I would not want you then. You would not want yourself-and so you would not love me long. To say ‘I love you’ one must first know how to say the ‘I’. The kind of surrender I could have from you now would give me nothing but an empty hulk. If I demanded it, I’d destroy you. That’s why I won’t stop you. I’ll let you go to your husband. I don’t know how I’ll live through tonight, but I will. I want you whole, as I am, as you’ll remain in the battle you’ve chosen. A battle is never selfless.
You must learn not to be afraid of the world. Not to be held by it as you are now. Never to be hurt by it as you were in that courtroom. I must let you learn it. I can’t help you. You must find your own way. When you have, you’ll come back to me. They won’t destroy me, Dominique. And they won’t destroy you. You’ll win, because you’ve chosen the hardest way of fighting for your freedom from the world. I’ll wait for you. I love you. I’m saying this now for all the years we’ll have to wait.
And what, incidentally, do you think integrity is? The ability not to pick a watch out of your neighbor’s pocket? No, it’s not as easy as that. If that were all, I’d say ninety-five percent of humanity were honest, upright men. Only, as you can see, they aren’t. Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea. That presupposes the ability to think. Thinking is something one doesn’t borrow or pawn.
You know how people long to be eternal. But they die with every day that passes. When you meet them, they’re not what you met last. In any given hour, they kill some part of themselves. They change, they deny, they contradict—and they call it growth. At the end there’s nothing left, nothing unreversed or unbetrayed; as if there had never been an entity, only a succession of adjectives fading in and out on an unformed mass.
If you learn how to rule one single man’s soul, you can get the rest of mankind. It’s the soul, Peter, the soul. Not whips or swords or fire or guns. That’s why the Caesars, the Attilas, the Napoleons were fools and did not last. We will. The soul, Peter, is that which can’t be ruled. It must be broken. Drive a wedge in, get your fingers on it–and the man is yours.
Silly but nice movie. If you liked the last Karate Kid you will like this one as well, I suppose.
Plot: A young American woman goes to her boyfriend working in Japan. To her surprise, she shall be abandoned. Distraught does not leave Tokyo, but decides to master the complex art of cooking traditional Japanese broth called “ramen”. Daily difficult and tiresome job in a restaurant poses new challenges and new situations. Seemingly silly and spoiled blonde between acquisition and learning the culinary skills of Tokyo’s colorful little world spins reflections on her current fate, emotions and love.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin
Nice romantic comedy, touching as well. A little glimpse into professional kitchen, worth seeing if only for the warmth of the trio of above mentioned actors.
Director: Jon Kasdan
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