Closer: Sex and Love are Two Different Things

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. The beginning was weak, because Natalie Portman is a little obnoxious, but with the help of other good actors and an interesting script everything panned out. Four things i found most interesting:

1) Sex and love, in our modern American culture, do not come hand in hand. Im not sure if they come as a pair in any culture, but this movie shows how sex is a tool of manipulation for trust and deceit. Love is the holy grail or a cloudy destiny for us lone wanderers. There was no instance during this film where the sex was selfless.

2) Strong women fall for men who appear good natured with potential. These two female characters were independent and thoughtful. They used sex but were also used by sex. Maybe I am biased but the females seem more innocent in this intimacy crisis. The men on the other hand clearly desire love, or what they think love might mean, but find themselves in a position of power without asking for it, and then they use it. I like when Julia Robert's character says "why does the sex matter?" and clive Owen says "because im a caveman!" Maybe its cliche but I think it touches on a common difference between the male and the female behavior.

3) Despite her mediocre acting talents, Portman pulls off an great character that is only revealed at the end. Her character's strength, which is doubted at the beginning, is proven to be the most resilient in the end. All the while, Robert's character, when at the start she appears confident and unneedy, by the end, has given up any hope of self-reliance. Jude Law is surprisingly good at acting.

4) People want what they can't have! thats too bad...

I guess there is a fifth point: Natalie is super hot in this move, Julia too. The men, who ordinarily I would find attractive, pale in comparison to these two beauties.

The Namesake: Culture is Beautiful

I think I picked up this movie because I have a name that I consider unique and meaningful. It is not only rare but it carries with it a lot of history about my family and their culture that I do not understand. Watching this film about an Indian man, well he is born in America with two Indian parents, who learns about the meaning of his name and the importance of his parent's culture to his identity. In this country (America), we do not have what other countries have in terms of cultural depth and significance. We are certainly a melting pot but with this comes a loss of cultural identity and traditions. In The Namesake, we see the man's parents marry at the beginning through an arranged marriage. While there are downfalls to this situation, both people end up happy. Their son marries a Bengali woman but one whom he has fallen in love with. This relationship does not last. I am not suggesting that either arrangement is better than the other, it obviously depends on the people involved. But I do believe that there are cultural traditions that exist because they function best in that specific culture. Americans tend to frown upon arranged marriages, or anything that is not led by free will and a person's individual right. However, this is our culture and we see it as best for us and maybe it is and maybe it is just that we, as a country, have developed from a people who sought freedom from a monarchy and became one with capitalism. This film shows us cultural diversity and how beautiful it is.

Whatever Works: The Horror, the Horror!

Whatever works. It may be because I am 38% identical to the main character, but I cannot help but adore this movie. The pleasant aura of New York is as strong as it was in Annie Hall, although who knows if this aura actually exists or is a creation of such a great director. The characters are intricate and well balanced. Even the minor roles are excellently cast and add depth to the film. Larry David is the quintessential Woody Allen replica, yet with a edge of aggravation. His concerns and thoughts are all familiar to me, as is his ego. But in the end, he realizes, as I have, that he is no more right than anyone else because there is no right or wrong. "There is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so" (Shakespeare-not Woody). As with most of Allen's films, it is about how life has no plan except for the one we humans imagine. Life is by chance, 100%. Or at least thats what Allen thinks. Who really knows;)

Invictus: Ah yes, good ole Eastwood

This is more like it. Invictus is representative of Eastwood's other films: powerful emotions and a productive plot that cleans up well in the end- and by this I mean that in the beginning, the hatred between the blacks and whites is palpable and by the end, they are hugging...well, almost. If only the solution was that easy. What I liked best is the reminder that a person, a single human being, can bring hope to millions. Mandela is a person who found resilience and strength in his own mind. In a very bad situation, he remained strict to his plan for peace and his path to a better world. It is amazing what we humans can accomplish with a great leader. While most become tainted (see Citizen Kane), there are the few who have an 'unconquered spirit'. I can't help but think of Obama with a line from the movie, said by Mandela (or Freeman) about how if you are not strong enough to stand up for what you believe is right, you should no longer be a leader. I hope this is a reminder for Obama.

Valentines Day: Capital B A D

I am writing this review purely because I want to warn anyone considering the option to back away. This movie is a really sad attempt at trying to recreate the English movie "Love Actually". They even have a scene where a guy breaks through security at the airport. Seriously, no meaningful characters or plot lines. Just plain boring. The most disappointing thing of all is that I knew this before watching it and still watched it. Anyone with better things to do should take heed and avoid this visual fart.

Mystic River- Violent Blah

Probably the worst Clint Eastwood movie I've seen. Transparent, yet filled with unavoidable violence almost just to fill it. I don't like when they have to show bodies or flashbacks of murders, etc. its so unnecessary. isn't explaining death enough? It was just boring and cliche. If it is like any movie, it is like Matchpoint because it is about twists of fate and randomness of life. Except Matchpoint is 10x better.

Citizen Kane: The Right Stuff

Apparently this is the best film ever...I don't disagree but then again I don't think I could ever say there is one film that is the best of all films. This movie is great. While it is a long one, it is filled with quality acting and exciting cinematography. We are used to a lot of the shots that Welles used in Kane since they are used all the time now but he was the first and it is neat to think about that while watching the movie. You have to wonder where the creative juices are flowing because they aren't running through the Hollywood film ditch. Before I get off on that tangent, I want to mention the importance of the Citizen Kane story. It reminds me of Julius Caesar and the result of accumulating power and the thin skin between wanting people to love you and doing things truly for others. And how this dilemma festers in all of us. Kane knew what he wanted but in the film you see how easy it is to be pulled from your innocence of wanting the best for all people. Or just innocence at all. THe scene where he is pulled from his childhood world: from the playing in the snow on his sled to a life with a power-hungry guardian and his restrictive world- is a sad, sad scene. it happens to everyone at some point, i assume. everyone has their rosebud.

Leap Year: I don't really care, as long as its in Ireland

So really, this movie is cute and reasonably entertaining. The acting is fine, which adds to its watchability. The reason I have watched this movie twice now, yes twice, and may even buy it, if it was for seven dollars or less, is that there is so much of Ireland in it!!! Doo Lough and Glendalough! The Aran Islands and Wickow woods... I can just smell the suntan lotion scent from those beautiful yellow flowered bushes. And the rocky walls, they really are everywhere. It makes me want to go back so much. But back to the movie, really, its just a cute romantic movie, fun, but only worth watching for the landscape!!!

The Blind Side: A Good Start but Still Behind

For the first quarter of the movie, I thought..."maybe this one will be on target with the place we are at today in terms of racial issues in the US". We see the white family begin to understand structural violence, or the oppressive forces of poverty and racism, and how they disrupt human agency. I felt genuine human emotion from the mother and from the boy- concern and compassion from one human being to another: the mother for the boy and the boy for his real mother and family. I even cried, which, lets admit, is not that abnormal. But then things started moving away from the real and more toward audience appeal. I only woke to this fact when the seven year old white brother was 'coaching' his new seventeen year old black brother. It was supposed to be cute, yes, but more than that its undertone was off-putting. This white family new the ways to fix the broken black boy, who was truly brilliant but needed their guidance. I am not saying that this is not possible but why does it have to be the white people doing the teaching and "learning" so much about life and love from the underprivileged black person. I was glad in the end that they asked him what he wanted. I wish they would have made more of a point to say that his intelligence was just different, maybe not what the schools or the sports wanted but just as intelligent. Intelligence is such an abstract idea and comes in all forms, just like humans. Lastly, I think that this shows that our culture is far behind the level of understanding it should be at with respect to structural violence.

On a side note, the acting was good overall. But really, I have had it with football movies. There is nothing interesting about football.

New Moon: Are we seriously buying this?

I happened across the movie, Twilight, on a flight I took. It was somewhat entertaining, but then again I was stuck on a plane. Either way, I rented New Moon in hopes that it would provide some entertainment and excitement. And I won't say that it didn't however it was not the good kind of excitement. Watching this movie made me realize how deep our teenage culture is into the obsession with having a boy/girl friend. The movie was neither a romance or a suspenseful fantasy-action film but a boring look at a boy crazy girl who literally can't function without Mr. Cute Guy #1. That is until Mr. Cute Guy #2 comes along. Of course, it is a nice thought to think of two very good-looking guys (and complete opposites at that) who are committing their undying love to you. But in reality, this is actually not a good thing. Why can't our culture promote self-esteem, resilience, and individual consciousness? Must we encourage young girls to become completely immobile without a partner? Reliance is nice to have around, like dessert, but it should not be what we build our life on, our sustenance. We should build character strength and not dependency.

I love fantasy stories and I am sure the book is somewhat better than this movie, but watching New Moon was overly aggravating. Honestly, its the same crap they pulled with the Harry Potter books. I heard Avatar had the same male dominated plot line. I guess the real question is, why does this stuff sell while a story about a women who is happy and feels she has succeeded in life and does not have a partner would not sell nearly as well.

Summary: some good music but in the end, skip the movie, just listen to the soundtrack.