Prime

Hmmm... this one is a little too close to home right now, if you know what I mean. But I particularly liked the range of emotions it captured- nervousness, excitement, curiosity, anger, fear, love, confusion, pain, fun, and sadness. But it wasn't over the top. The situations seemed so plausible. I liked that.

A few of my favourite parts:
1. the first kiss between the two main characters- Rafi (Uma Thurman) and Dave (Bryan Greenberg)
2. when Rafi bowls over with laughter after finding out that Dave's roommates are in fact his grandparents. But she still loves him anyway. I still can't stop laughing when I picture that scene when they sneak into his home.
3. all the run-ins Dave has with the concierge of her building, especially the last one.
4. when Dave's mom (played by Meryl Streep) says, "Don't do this," and he says, "I'm DOING it." I just wanted to say, "YES!" or give him a hi-five or something.
5. when Rafi holds Dave's sweater collatoral before he leaves her place, and nuzzles it against her face
6. the smile on Dave's face when he says, "I really like this girl, man. I think I could love her."
7. everything that came immediately after the, "So, how was your trip?" line and Rafi says, "Who cares?" The look in her eyes when she says it... whoohoo!
8. Dave's paintings... and her reaction to them
9. when Rafi and Dave go to the Hamptons and Rafi's friend asks Dave, "Do you care if your kids are Jewish?" and he says, "I care if they're happy," and Rafi says to him proudly, "Good answer."
10. the scene at the elevator- so sweet

Brick Lane

I don't know if I should wait for the tears to stop falling before I actually comment on this movie. I just finished watching Brick Lane on DVD and I'm so glad that the girl at Roger's Video help me choose this one over the other movie I had in my hand at the checkout.

Brick Lane makes me appreciate being female, being a daughter and having a mother who not just endures life, but tries so hard to keep me smiling through it, even when if she is not always happy at every moment. It makes me want to have daughters too and share the same with them. And I have to say that it makes me so grateful for living in a time and place where I am free to make choices in my career, in my words, and in love.

I was hurting for the characters in the movie- the heartache and confusion they felt. Right from the start, the main character - Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi girl- has to face her mother committing suicide only a short distance from where her and her sister were playing. "Nobody talks about my mother's death," she explains. "My mother said that if we wanted to question things, we should have been men."

Not only does Nazneen not ask questions, but she rarely speaks her mind or says what she wants. And the frustration of her silence nearly made me want to scream for her. As I watched her being taken to a run down home in London, living with an overweight, demanding husband, who only seemed to talk about his own education and success, I was outraged. That scene where she was clipping and cleaning his fat, ugly toenails while he lay lazy in bed just disgusted me. I couldn't stand the way she was unable to be herself, to express what she really felt. But I was thinking more about what I want out of my life, rather than considering what this person who is not me might be searching for.

So when the young and and passionate Karim shows up in Nazneen's life, I couldn't help smiling along with her. She looks beautiful in her moments of 'freedom' with him- freedom to feel- and the way he paid attention to her, kissed her so tenderly... I felt this relief that finally someone was caring for and loving her.

But as the movie went on, things became more complicated. What choices would she make? How would she continue to be happy without hurting her family? Would she give up her new found happiness and instead continue to be untrue to herself?

As the movie progressed, I started learning more about what Nazneen really wanted, what happiness was to her.

Though they may not have been the choices I would have made, there was a surprising peace that came about in me from the lessons I learned from Nazneen's choices. Her actions and the thoughts that she shares along the way- whether she sneaks on a sparkly tube top under her sari in the bathroom, or lets her wavy dark hair fall free over her lover's chest, or when she giggles with her daughter over her sister's love affairs, and even later, when she is gentle and honest with her husband- I was given a different perspective on what Nazneen was searching for.

This is definitely a thought provoking movie, especially for you sisters, mothers and daughters out there. Great images, dialogues, pauses and themes in the movie- the idea of being torn between two worlds, being one I, and I'm sure many other people could relate to on varying levels.

And I'm tempted to find the novel Brick House by Monica Ali on which the movie is based. I am curious to know if the descriptions of the Bangladeshi village and Nazneen's emotions are as beautifully written as I imagine them to be.

August Rush

“If you hadn’t found me, I would have found you.” - Something Inside by Johnathan Rhys Meyers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z30EmE5ZY4

I’m sitting here listening to one of the songs from the soundtrack to August Rush, and I’m wondering why I haven’t already included this movie in my blog. Maybe I just didn't know where to start in my description of it, because it has to be one of my most favourite movies of all time. Within five minutes of watching it, I knew I would love it.

The movie touches on many things I value the most in life: music, love, the power of children’s perceptions, family, connections, destiny, and possessing an undying faith in something, no matter how many obstacles seem to come into your way to convince you to give up on it. In this case, Evan (played by Freddie Highmore) is a young boy who is sure that his parents are looking for him, even though he grew up in a foster home and doesn't know why he was given up.

To complicate things further, Lyla (played by Keri Russell) and Louis (played by Johnathan Rhys Meyers) don't even know that this child of theirs- Evan- exists. In fact, Lyla is told her baby died at birth, and Louis and her are forced to separate shortly after their first meeting. And boy, what a meeting that is! Meyer's version of Moondance (from the soundtrack), gives me goosebumps, especially when I picture the sexy, romantic scene between the two characters, in which it is sung. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=461V_BtKvqQ

Evan does not want to give up on his belief that his parents are waiting for him. He ends up going to New York, at eleven years old, to find them. During his time there, he discovers the benefit of his acute sense of hearing. He realizes that he not only picks up sounds well, but that he creates them with such talent. At first, this musical gift of his inspires and drives Evan further. But then things become difficult when a man named Wizard (played by one of my favourite actors-Robin Williams) uses Evan's gift for his own financial benefit.

This is a brilliant movie- a heartfelt story which provides a reminder of what a little hope and a lot of love can produce and give rise to, no matter what the distance. Full of moving music, beautiful scenes, and touching dialogue, August Rush draws me into a world of magic and romance, and is a good example of the simple phrases "everything happens for a reason" and "follow your heart".

And for all you cynics out there...yeah, yeah. I know it's "just" a movie, but there is a little bit of Evan, Lyla and Louis in me. And these characters and the storyline put a smile on my face, and a spark of energy within me, that I can still recall. And THAT, I have to say, is very real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwWvBcOW5G4

What amazing movie makers to be able to tap into that!
Director- Kirsten Sheridan
Writers- Nick Castle and James V. Hart