Shall We Dance? Tuesday, Sep 29 2009

John Clark is a lawyer who writes Wills. He has a humdrum existence but a loving family that he seems happy with. One day on his home from work, he spots a beautiful woman gazing out of the window of a dance school. On a whim he gets off at the stop, and decides to take dancing lessons.

What follows is a very sweet and heart-warming journey about following your heart and finding happiness wherever you can.

What I LOVED about this movie is that he doesn’t leave his wife or family for this woman. In fact, she actively discourages him from pursuing her. But John finds something fulfilling and something he’s good at.

And the scene where he’s coming up the stairs to his wife with the rose, one of the most romantic scenes ever! You can tell he’s crazy about her even after 20 years of marriage!

A lovely heart warming film about dance, life and love.

5 out of 5 stars.

Random fact: About $4,000 worth of jewelry worn by Susan Sarandon during the filming of the movie was stolen and recovered at murder scene in Winnipeg on 4 July 2003. According to news sources, the jewelry was stolen from a vehicle on the movie set and found in a downtown hotel room.

Shall We Dance? [DVD] [2004]

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Fashion Sunday, Sep 27 2009

This is one of the best Bollywood movies I’ve seen in a while.

Meghna Mathur is a small town girl with big city dreams. She wants to become a Supermodel, and after winning the local beauty pageant is determined to do so. With the help of her friend Rohit, she struggles to get auditions and make her mark in the fashion world. Eventually she gets a step on the ladder, but is competing against Shonali, the biggest supermodel of the time.

Meghna goes up the dizzying heights of success, crashes and then resurfaces in a fascinating world of Fashion.

At that start I liked Meghna, she’s spunky and ambitious, but is also so cute when she gets excited over the smallest things. But when she starts becoming more popular that’s where the story gets interesting and you’re not sue whether you want to keep rooting for her or not.

Shonali is addicted to drugs which eventually lead to her downfall until she’s flat on her face, and through Shonali we see the down sides of modelling.

Priyanka Chopra is amazing in this film. She really delivers in this high octane film about the fashion world. Arbaaz Khan is also a surprise in a more serious and very cold role.

All in all, a great film to watch if you’re interested in fashion.

5 out of 5 stars.

Fashion

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Easy Virtue Tuesday, Sep 22 2009

I’d been looking forward to this film since I found out Ben Barnes of Prince Caspian fame was in it – not that I’ve seen the second Narnia movie.

Set in the 1920s, John Whittaker has married an American Racing Car Driver who is a widow. This is her second marriage. He takes her home to meet his eccentric English family, who all immediately hate her. She finds an ally in her father in law, Jim. John thinks Larita is imagining things when she tells him his family doesn’t like her, but Larita tries her hardest to fit in – in her own unique way of course.

This film is a funny period film. I haven’t had this much fun with a period film since Mrs Pettigrew Lives for a Day! The dialogue is fascinating and sharp. Larita is sassy, beautiful, funny but also sad and steely. John is fun loving but slowly realises his responsibilities once a few home truths hit him.

But its Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Whittaker who steals the film. Her firm dislike of her daughter in law is fun, but also the sadness, desperation and the way she tries to keep a crumbling family and house together is touching.

I’d recommend this film if you’re in the mood for a fun period piece with an edge and a bite.

5 out of 5 stars.

Easy Virtue [DVD] [2008]

Random Fact: In the vintage Monte Carlo scene which opens the movie, when Larita first sees John both her and John’s movements are slowed down while the rest of the cast play at ‘normal’ (i.e newsreel) speed. This was accomplished by filming the crowd, Larita, John, the background and the foreground mechanics separately against green screen and compositing them together at different speeds.

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Mad Men – Season 1 Friday, Aug 28 2009

I don’t think I’ve liked a show this much since I became addicted to The West Wing. Slick dialogue, a 1960s setting and to die for fashion, yep, that’s my kinda show.

Mad Men is set in the 1960s and follows Donald Draper, an Ad Man working in Manhattan who is the Creative Director for Sterling Cooper, an ad agency. Donald is married with two children, a beautiful young wife in the suburbs and the perfect life. But its all a lie. Don is an assumed name he stole from another soldier who died in the war, his real name being Dick Whitman. Don is everything that a man of the time supposedly was. Successful, handsome and a hit with the ladies.

The show also follows Peggy Olsen, Don’s secretary who’s new to the organisation. Mentored by Joan Hollins, a veteran and with curves and a dress sense to die for. Peggy goes from secretary to Junior Copywriter and also deals with a huge revelation at the end of the season.

The show does deal with stereotypes and a lot of the dialogue and situations are politically incorrect, but the slick dialogue and storyline more than make up for it. Don, Peggy, Joan and the rest of the Mad Men cast makes this an extremely engaging show to watch.

5 out of 5 stars.

Mad Men – Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007]

Random fact: Glen, the neighbor’s young son who forms a connection with Betty, is portrayed by Marten Holden Weiner, the son of series creator Matthew Weiner.

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Does My Head Look Big In This? – Randa Abdel-Fattah Monday, Aug 17 2009

16 year old Amal is like any other girl in Australia. She hangs out with her friends, she crushes on boys and she does what every other normal teenager does. But Amal chooses this year to wear the head scarf, the piece of cloth that instantly makes a woman recognisable as a muslim.

Amal battles prejudices both from outside and from within, racism and some horrific events. But she also makes some surprising friendships and learns the limits of the male/female relationship when she finds that words and actions need to match or someone will get hurt.

I didn’t think I could get into this book, because its been a while since I’ve read a Young Adult book, but after the first few pages I was totally hooked.

Amal is easy to get to know, likeable and funny. She also uses a lot of Australian slang, which might be difficult to understand, but I grew up watching Australian soaps, so words like Daggy make sense to me. But don’t let this put you off.

This book is funny, light hearted with a serious message and touches on some difficult issues that rarely get addressed in this kind of fiction – forced marriage, culture vs religion, national identity, racism etc.

It seems heavy stuff, but within the context of the book its well handled.

A fascinating read for all ages.

5 out of 5 stars.

Does My Head Look Big in This?

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St Trinians Saturday, Aug 15 2009

A film about an anarchic girls school sounds a little over done, but this one is actually funny.

A remake of the original St. Trinian’s movies, updated with the brightest and best of British, this movie will make you laugh.

From the slightly insane Headmistress, Miss Fritton, to her more deranged pupils, this film will make you giggle. It has not only slap stick humor and funny situations, but a credible storyline.

New girl Anabelle, who also happens to be Miss. Fritton’s niece is landed in the school from hell. The Head Girl is a smart and street wise, Kelly who keeps the girls in order. The anarchic twins who are good at explosives, the posh totty girls who will do anything, the Chavs always willing to pick a fight and the Emos.

The girls have to save the school by finding £50,000 to stop it from closing. They also have to win School Challenge against their arch nemesis.

Of course the girls do save the school, in their own unique way of course.

This is a delicious comedy for a lazy sunday afternoon.

5 out of 5 stars.

Random fact: The movie was inspired by the original drawings of the girls of St. Trinians by Ronald Searle.

St Trinian’s [DVD] [2007]

My friend Gill has also reviewed this at Kiss my Sass. Check it out here.

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Pushing Daisies – Season 2 Thursday, Aug 13 2009

Pushing Daisies Season 2 is much more mature, funnier and has more of an interesting plotline.

A lot of the humour comes from Olive and Emmerson this season. We see a lot of the Chuck/Ned relationship and how that’s impacted.

Also, Aunt Vivian gets a love interest this season, and Aunt Lily’s big secret makes its way to Chuck.

In terms of character growth, Emmerson and Chuck have a lot more this season, and have a bigger role to play in the storyline. I loved their dialougues which are just a delight to hear because the show is very smart, as well as funny.

The ending was a bit a of a cop-out because it did sadly, get cancelled, but I wish they could have gone another few seasons with this delightful show.

All in all, really enjoyed it and its well worth watching this delightful and refreshing take on death, mystery and life.

5 out of 5 stars.

Pushing Daisies – Complete Season 2 [DVD] [2008]

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The Interpreter of Maladies – Jhumpa Lahiri Saturday, Jul 25 2009

The Interpreter of Maladies is a series of 9 short stories which deal with different aspects of life as an Indian, both in America and in India.

A Temporary Matter deals with a couple who have lost a child and are on the last edges of their marriage, when a power cut gives them some time to assess their relationship and be honest with each other. I found this story touching, and the ending gut wrenching.

When Mr Pirzada Comes to Dine deals with the sense of being exiled, through the eyes of a child who talks about Mr Pirzada who comes to dine with their family.

Interpreter of Maladies deals with a tour guide who works part time as a translator who is guiding an American Indian family around India.

A real Durwain deals with a woman who complains about all she lost in the partition between India and Pakistan as she guards an apartment building.

Sexy shows a woman having an affair with a married man.

Mrs. Sen’s is about a babysitter looking after a young boy.

This Blessed House is about a newly married couple and the house they purchase.

The treatment of Bibi Haldar is about a young woman with a mystery illness.

The third and final continent is about a man coming to America.

All of the stories are richly written, well described and make you think.

In some of them, they’re gut wrenching but because of the shortness of the narrative and the subject matter dealt with, really make you think.

All in all, 5 out of 5 stars.

Interpreter of Maladies

My friend Kris over at Bookheart has review both Interpreter of Maladies, and Lahiri’s other short story collection, Unaccustomed Earth. Check out her review here.

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The Colour of Magic Wednesday, Jun 24 2009

If you’ve never picked up a Terry Pratchett book but wondered what all the fuss was about then try this wonderful film out.

The Colour of Magic is about the world’s worst wizard, Rincewind and a tourist, Twoflower who find themselves embroiled in a strange and funny adventure. Its basically like every fantasy film that you’ve ever seen and pokes fun at it.

You also get to see Terry Pratchett’s amazing world visually, the great Discworld which is on a huge turtle which houses 4 elephants and the discworld which is a flat world.

Rincewind has been at the Unseen University for decades but is still a student as he can never remember any spells. When he was young, on a bet he opened the Ocatvo, the world’s great spellbook which houses the 8 great spells. But one escaped into his brain and ever since then he can remember no other spell.

He finally gets expelled and meets Twoflower, the Discworld’s first tourist who he’s charged with protecting and making sure gets to see all the sights and sounds of the Capital City. Twoflower is a cheerful soul who sees the world through rose tinted spectacles, but who is also funny and compassionate.

Together they encounter Trolls, Dragons, Wizards and the end of the Discworld and also Death which follows Rincewind impatiently as he refuses to die.

I laughed, I cried and I wondered at this fantastically funny series which is split into two episodes.

Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings is hilarious as the clueless Twoflower and David Jason is just genius as Rincewind. But the star of the series is the Luggage which follows its Master Twoflower wherever he is and travels on legs!

5 out of 5 stars.

Random fact: Both Sean Astin (Twoflower) and Sir David Jason (Rincewind) are long-term Pratchett fans. Jason named The Colour of Magic as his choice of favourite book of all time in the BBC’s Big Read survey.

The Colour Of Magic [DVD] [2008]

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Twilight Monday, Jun 15 2009

Twilight as a book has already had a review, but I resisted for so long seeing the movie because every time I see a book to movie adaptation I am not happy.

This was one of the few times the film was better than the book, or better than I had anticipated at least!

Twilight follows Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her police Chief father, Charlie. When she goes to the High School, she is instantly attracted to Edward Cullen of the mysterious Cullen family. Along with his foster brothers and sisters, they keep themselves to themselves.

When Edwards saves Bella from a van which almost kills her, Bella starts getting suspicious and after pestering Edward and through her own research, she finds out he and his family are vampires. However, there’s a threat in Forks as people keep mysteriously dying through supposed animal attacks and it all points to the work of a vampire.

OK, speaking objectively of the film, I loved it! Bella is not as sappy and annoying as in the book. Yeah she’s sappy and can’t seem to save herself, but Kristen Stewart does something amazing with Bella’s character, she makes her likeable which I had a hard time doing in the books.

And Edward is as always amazingly played by Robert Pattinson, his American accent is flawless, only slipping once or twice into British.

And I even liked Taylor Lautner’s character of Jacob. NOW I see why there are so many Jacob fans, he’s mesmerising even more so than Edward at times.

They even made Charlie more 3D than he is in the books, which makes it more interesting.

My favourite scenes were with the Cullen family, they should have done more with them because I find them fascinating. The vampire baseball scene was even more than I imagined it was THAT good!

LOVED the film!

5 out of 5 stars.

Random fact: When Carlisle bit Edward, he whispered something into his ear. The first time it was “I’m sorry” then “My son”. On about the fifth take he said, “You’re sexy”.

Twilight – 2 Disc Special Edition [DVD] [2008]

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