Nusraat

I believe this is the first time Jackie Chan and Jet Li have done a movie together.  I thought Jet Li was younger.  There’s a lot of bad hair in this movie.  I’m still a little confused why Chan’s character has like dread locks.  The evil woman’s hair was all good except right next to her scalp.  The part/separation of hair at the top of her head was unconvincing.  The movie was Lord of Rings meets Wizard of Oz.  The fighting scenes were lengthy and impressive.  I would wait until it gets to the cheap theaters for this one.

I think that’s the title anyway.  Don’t watch that many Hindi films but Tipu does and every now and then I get sucked in.  Saw this at Garden City theater.  They usually do play Hindi films there.  Hindi films are far too long.  They need to edit some of that crap out.  This movie needed better camera/lighting work.  Some of the scenes showed imperfections in actors’ skin and I find that unprofessional.  Some of the makeup was bad.  I’m not a makeup expert but isn’t lip liner supposed to match the rest of the lips?  It’s to provide definition not create contrast.

I’ve been sick at home with the flu this past week.  Last night I went out.  I figured since my energy was low anyways and I couldn’t possibly get anything useful done why not be driven all the way to Garden City for a three hour plus movie.

Hindi films may be incredibly cheesy.  This one is no different.  They do however effectively pull at those heart strings.  You know… those ones.  There are things in Bollywood that frustrate me.  What the hell is with all the sensual dancing?  It’s not fun kick it up hip hop stuff.  It’s not artistic cultural stuff that takes years to master.  It’s look at my boobs go crap.  Watch me gyrate by this pole for you crap.  I understand they’re fulfilling a market but you can’t really take it as serious art when there’s random choreographed whore dances that have nothing to do with the plot lines.  One thing I think is kind of cool is that songs are not necessarily in the same language as the rest of the movie.  I think that’s sophisticated oddly enough… it shows depth of culture to be able to use different languages like that.  Like this film was in Hindi and English.  However there were songs in other languages.  Punjabi… etc.

Ok, so the film itself.  The first half was meaningless.  Relied on my snuck in food to get through at all.  Second half was meaningful.  I always did like Kajol.  Expressive and likeable.  Her husband in real life plays her husband in this film.  Husband’s name is too complicated.  Besides, I’m kind of embarrassed about writing a Hindi film post and need some distance.  Acting was reasonable.  Characters were likeable.

I had to see this film b/c Julia Roberts is my favourite. I am indifferent to Tom Hanks. I think he’s a really good actor but I won’t watch films just b/c he’s in them.  This movie takes place in the early 80s.  It’s about how a congressman who has made questionable life choices gets involved in helping to defeat the Communists in Afghanistan.

I became a little reflective after watching this movie.  I fought the urge to write a post immediately which was probably a good decision.  Charlie Wilson was a womanizer, a drunk and did recreational drugs and yada yada yada… but he did know right from wrong.  He knew when he was being bad and it didn’t stop him.  He knew when he was being good and proceeded if he felt like it.  The problem with those who are strongly motivated by faith or politics is that they can’t tell right from wrong anymore.  They spin and spin and rationalize until everything is sufficiently blurred enough to do what ever it is that suits them.

It’s my new favourite movie.  My previous favourite is My Best Friend’s Wedding.  My God this movie is good.  It held my attention like velcro.  I couldn’t write a better movie for my own enjoyment even if I tried.  It’s about a spirited young girls’ ordeals with teen pregnancy.  It’s a drama as expected but it’s also a brilliant comedy and has the most pixie perfect music.  I want to own this movie and watch it bi-weekly.  The Oscar for best screenplay is well deserved.

To be fair some might hate it but I tenderly enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this movie.  I like movies with scenes where there are only two characters in a room talking for a long time. That’s the kind of acting I enjoy most.  Explosions don’t always make a good movie.

Two terminally ill cancer patients from very different walks of life befriend each other in their common hospital room.  When both elderly men realize they have less than a year to live, they compile a list of things to do before they “kick the bucket”.  Some things on the list are simple like “reconnect with people” and some are adventurous like “jump off a plane”.  Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman do a really good job.

I guess I liked the movie because it showed the dangers of just walking through the motions of life without experiencing it.  Morgan Freeman’s character was very loved and respected but too many things became routine for him and he had lost the ability to appreciate.  Jack Nicholson’s character was so busy being successful in his business he didn’t mind he had lost touch with family and friends.