Just add Popcorn

Good-bye, Lenin!

2010-10-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

Almost everyone has had a class where they got stuck watching a lame movie that would end with you asking yourself why you wasted your time coming to class that day! My sophomore year of college I got stuck watching "Good-Bye, Lenin!" in my German class, HOWEVER, it turned out to be a pretty good movie and I (surprisingly) enjoyed watching what our professor picked for us to watch.

The movie was made in 2003, but is based on a story during the late 1980's when east and west Germany were separated. In the movie, Alex Kerner lives with his sister Ariane, his mother Christiane, and his young niece Paula. The family was left beind by the father who fled to west Germany when they were younger. I don't want to give the whole movie away, but I will go over some parts so you at least get the idea (and hopefully will watch it!). After seeing her son get arrested, Christiane suffers of a serious heart attack and falls into a coma. She finally wakes up after 8 months and is both physically and mentally weakened. Alex and his sister Ariane are warned by the doctor that their mother needs to rest and under no circumstances can she be upset or stressed in anyway. Well, they face a huge problem, because during her time in the hospital, the Berlin wall fell - which of course is a big deal and could be fatal to their fatal if it's too much for her to handle. They manage to get her home and try their best to keep her on bed rest for as long as possible. Alex ends up going to great lengths in order to make sure that his mother doesn't have the slighest clue that things have changed A LOT since she had her heart attack. For example, he picks trhough trash barrels to find the original pickle jars of the pickles that his mother ate before the wall fell (they didn't sell them anymore afterwards). He also gets together with a friend who pretends to be a news reporter and films him reporting "news" from a year ago...

It's a good movie to watch whether you're trying to learn German (it does come with subtitles), or if you just enjoy a "laid-back", definitely "worth-your-time" kind of movie. And plus, you obviously want to know what happens at the end, don't you?!.. Let's just say that Christiane eventually becomes a little suspicious of what is really going on around her..

Enjoy! :)

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi .

2010-10-09T16:57:00.000-04:00

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi .

This is one of the best Israeli movies i have seen(the other good Israeli movie which i liked was Summer of Aviya). This is one of those low-key gem that will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart with very little effort.
This is a movie about a teenage boy Shlomi(Oshri Cohen), who lives with his family who are nothing but a bunch of retards. His mother is an iron fisted lady and likes to shout at everybody and anybody and harbors resentment against her husband who slept with her closest friend. He keeps coming back trying to reconcile. His soldier brother is as bratty as can be, his ill grandfather keeps hallucinating about World War II, and then there is Shlomi's sister with her own problems with her husband, so she continually comes over, bringing her twins. He spends his days trying to solve problems of his dysfunctional family or cooking. He loves cooking and is a fabulous cook, everybody loves his food, especially his cakes.
Things begin to look better when a beautiful girl moves next door and expresses interest in him. Soon, Shlomi is forced to choose between the way things have always been and the way they could be. What will he do? Find out yourself.
The Film is not a groundbreaking one but it is competent and entertaining enough to be a pleasant 90 minutes spent on some weekend evening.
Enjoy this weekend with popcorn and this movie and don't forget to tell us about it.
P.S: the movie is in hebrew with english subtitles.

Curse of the golden flower—Luxuriant Curse (2006)

2010-10-08T09:56:00.000-04:00

Curse of the Golden Flower (满城尽带黄金甲) is a story that takes place in China, Tang Dynasty, during the 10th Century. Prince Jie returns to the Palace unexpectedly on the evening of the Chong Yang Festival. He then receives the mission to host the celebration of the holiday with his family. However, given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress, everything seems insincere.

For many years, the Empress had an illegitimate affair with her stepson, Crown Prince Wan. However, Prince Wan had a plan of escaping the palace with his secret lover Chan so they could be together forever.

The Emperor, on the other hand, had secret plans as well. He first sent assassins to attack the family of his personal doctor which is the father of Chan. Then, he sets off a tumultuous sequence of dark surprises. Amid the glamour and grandeur of the festival, ugly secrets are revealed. Between love and desire, there is no final winner after all…

This film is a marvelous piece of work in the Chinese Commercial films industry. Director Zhang Yimou spent $60 million making this movie. Brilliant scenes, luxurious costume, and exquisite acting are definitely the focal point for this movie.

* Full English version of this movie available on Youtube.

Iron Man Movie vs. Iron Man Cartoon

2010-10-07T08:49:00.000-04:00

Some of the greatest movies have been adapted from novels or cartoons. Iron Man is a prime example of this and is one of the most popular superheroes that have come to life on the screen. The first film Irong Man 1, played by Robert Downey Jr., was brought to the movie theaters in 2008. Then in 2010, Iron Man 2, was released.

        I recently watched the cartoon version of Iron Man, and to me the story seems a little different. Maybe it seems different because the visual effects of the cartoon of course don’t even compare to the effects in the movies. But even so, without the enhancement of the visual aspect of the movie, I feel that the cartoon version is more appealing to me.
        To give you an idea of the story of Iron man, if you haven’t seen it already, four legendary Chinese elementals appear; Fire, water, wind and ground. And instead of fighting with terrorists and competitor, this time Tony Stark is more challenging.

        This is a movie you absolutely can’t miss if you like cartoons and/or Iron Man.

Pretty in Pink

2010-10-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

Pretty in Pink came out in 1986 and was directed by Howard Deutch, and written by John Hughes (who also produced other must see movies like: Ferris Bueller’s day off, the Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles to name a few). It’s one of the most known movies of the eighties, but if you didn’t grow up in America, or haven’t happened to see it on TV – then you’re definitely missing out. That is if you enjoy watching teen romantic/comedy drama type movies!

The main character, Andie Walsh (played by Molly Ringwald), is a lower class girl who has a strong sense of individuality. She falls for a young “richie” man who is so far from Andie’s social circle, that it seems next to impossible for them to actually be together. The two struggle trying to figure out if being together is worth it because they face criticism from each other’s friends. After almost calling it quits, the two realize that they are madly in love and could care less about what the rest of the world thinks of them.

The movie has talented actors and also great music, including songs like “If you leave” (the movie’s soundtrack), “Wouldn’t it be good”, and also “Pretty in Pink”. It’s the perfect movie to watch with your girlfriends while having a sleepover, or watching it with your boyfriend or even alone on a lazy day. If you haven’t seen this movie you should rent/buy it and let us know how you liked it! :)

Bombay! Based on true incidents.

2010-09-26T18:40:00.001-04:00

This movie is about Hindu-Muslim conflicts back in 1990s and the director (Mani Ratnam) used the backdrop of romeo-juliet love story.

Bombay is the story of Shekhar (Arvind Swamy) and Shaila (Manisha Koirala). A south indian hindu man falls for a simple beautiful muslim girl. Their traditional conservative family decline their request to get married.They marry against family wishes and move to Mumbai. The man starts to work as a reporter for a large daily newspaper. Eventually, the couple has twin boys, Kabir Narayan and Kamal Basheer. The twins are raised in both religions. For six years, the family live in Bombay, settling in well, and begin the process of repairing relations with their respective families.

Meanwhile, in India, religious extremism launches each community against the other, causing a wave of Hindu/Muslim riots that leave hundreds dead in Bombay. The rest of the film is set during the December 1992-January 1993 period when the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy raised religious tension in Mumbai and other parts of India, which sparked rioting and violence.Targets of violence from both sides, Shaila and Shekhar worry increasingly over the safety of their children, who do not have a fixed religion. They are constantly under threat. The growing tension threatens to bring tragedy to the family and during this tensed situation, they lose their children in the city and the parents of Shekhar and Shaila get burnt in their house.

SAW 3D - Official Trailer [HD]

2010-09-21T18:23:00.000-04:00

Since last year’s phenomenon with the movie “Avatar”, 3D effects have become more common and more intriguing than ever before.

These effects may vary from person to person, but to really appreciate 3D, it would have to be in either action or scary movies. You may ask yourself why… it’s because it allows the audience to participate and feel like they’re a part of the movie, which can be the desire of your average audience member.
Halloween is around the corner, are you ready to join the new experience of scary movies in 3D? Saw VII definitely will be the best choice for this fall.

The Saw series are the type of movies that even people who aren’t interested in scary movies may enjoy. The gruesomeness in the Saw movies is much more enhanced with the abilities of 3D. You can tell by viewing the trailer of the movie, that the director Kevin Greutert really wants his audience to become a part of his movie (look for adjective…Ex.adventure). He does this in many different ways, one of which includes his ability to draw the audience in and make them think hard about what may happen next in the movie.

The Saw series may not be the kind of movie that you’ll be able to recall each scene, but it will sure be a movie that you will always remember.

Saw 3D also called Saw 7, will be release on October 29th, 2010.

"To Live”--A Banned Movie in Chinese History

2010-09-16T03:07:00.000-04:00

To Live (Chinese: 活着) is a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou in 1994, it is based on the novel of the same name by Yu Hua. It is the first Chinese film that had its foreign distribution rights pre-sold.

Zhang Yimou is one of the most famous directors who had achieved international success with his films. But he really risked his career to produce this movie. Due to its critical portrayal of various policies and campaigns of the Communist government, the film was banned in mainland China by the Chinese State Administration of RFT, and Zhang Yimou was also banned from filmmaking for two years.

The story begins sometime in the 1940s. It describes the struggles endured by Xu Fugui, the son of a wealthy land-owner, after the Revolution fundamentally alters the nature of Chinese society. Addicted to gambling, Fugui loses everything. In the years that follow he is pressed into both the nationalist and communist armies, while Jiazhen is forced into menial work. They raise a family and survive, managing "to live" from the 40's to the 70's in this epic, but personal, story of life through an amazing period. The contrast between his pre-revolutionary status as a selfish fool who literally travels on the shoulders of the downtrodden and his post-revolutionary status as a persecuted peasant are stark.

The movie is great not only for telling a classic story of an Chinese family, but also for showing some traditional Chinese culture such as “shadowgraph”, “Chinese tea party”, “Beijing opera” and “quadrangle”. If you are interested in Chinese history, this film definitely is a good choice for you. It gives you the taste of the “Old China”, totally different form today's China, it's the Special and Dark period for billions of Chinese people in the history.

*You will find a full version of the film on Youtube, with English Translation!

The BIG SCREEN!!!

2010-09-07T15:21:00.000-04:00

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

This has been one of my all time favorite lines and am sure most of you know which movie is it from. MOVIES, for some its a source of entertainment and for some its a form of an art. At times movies are more specific to the culture, its a cultural artifact. According to wikipedia: a movie is "a story conveyed with moving images"

We all remember different movies for different reasons, we have started this blog to write about some famous, some non-famous, some dark, some not-so dark, some documentaries, basically all kinds of movies which have affected us in more than one way. This blog would be a mixed bag of random observations on the movies we watch. Our intention is not to make this as a news site rather a place for thoughts (all kinds) and opinions on movies.
Discussions and comments are expected.