Saturday, April 20, 2013

MIB

I decided to watch Men in Black thinking that it must be good since there was a couple of sequels. I realized that my logic was flawed after thinking about all of the bad movies that ended up getting sequels. Big Mama's House and Dumb and Dumberer for example. Some of the big blockbusters are terrible movies. It often comes down to advertising and how much hype they can create before the movie comes out. But I wouldn't say that MIB was a completely terrible movie, it just wasn't a great movie.

Men in Black was not as horrendous as some movies, but I will admit, it was not my cup of tea. I can see why some people would like the movie. I love Will Smith and all, but occasionally his humor is a little too over-the-top for me. I guess I have a very particular taste in humor.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Memoirs of a Geisha

Learning about different cultures has always been a passion of mine. The various Asian cultures have caught my attention long ago. There is just something about their uniqueness compared to the American culture that intrigues me. Back in high school, I read the book Memoirs of a Geisha and was drawn into the world of a young Japanese girl around the time of World War II. The story enthralled me with the intricate details of the life of a geisha and the rituals they perform. The author painted a wonderful picture in my head with the descriptions of the beautiful silk kimonos and the elegant performances. I was so intrigued that I desperately wanted to watch the movie, and I am pretty sure I did. But that was ages ago and I wanted to be brought back to Kyoto, Japan during the 1940s.

The movie did not fail to grasp my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the more traditional Japanese culture before the Americans had a significant influence. The story was portrayed wonderfully, but as usual, I enjoyed the book more. But I was still inspired by little Chiyo's story of overcoming the devastation of losing her entire family and having her whole world turned upside-down. She managed to create a life for herself despite all the obstacles thrown in her way. This just shows that anyone can overcome the downfalls that may come in life.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Breakfast at Tiffany's

After watching a series of movies with a lot of brutality in them, I wanted to watch something more light-hearted and up-lifting. Breakfast at Tiffany's seemed like a less gruesome choice to watch this time around.

Photo Credit: Imdb
I've always heard of how fabulous Audrey Hepburn was and have seen pictures showcasing her beauty. But after watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, I truly understand why so many were fascination with her. She was absolutely stunning! Her voice was soft and delicate, it just added to her charm.

As far as the movie goes, I felt it was an enjoyable one. I did get a little frustrated with Audrey's character, Holly Golightly, though. She was such a gold digger! She was so afraid of finding true love, that she was willing to marry anyone who had money. And Paul Varjak, the struggling writer who falls madly in love with Holly, has such patients, I don't understand how he could stand it! Talk about being friend zoned! But I was happy that in the end, Paul stood up to Holly and called her shenanigans and she finally came to her senses. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's  was a good choice for lightening my mood.  

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Se7en

Photo credit: Wikipedia
After watching American Psycho, I was in the mood to watch another serial killer crime movie. However, this time, the movie was from the perspective of the "good guys." Seven follows Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), a new transfer, and the soon-to-retire Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) on their quest to find a sadistic serial killer. The serial killer justifies his crimes by claiming to be setting an example for the world by not ignoring people's sins. Each of his victims represents one of the seven deadly sins--gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and wrath.

I was thought Seven was an interesting film that is slightly different than the stereotypical crime thrillers. It was much slower in developing the story line and was not jammed-pack with action sequences like most movies in the genre. However, I felt that this did not subtract from the movie. Was it my favorite crime thriller? No, but I still found it intriguing.

On a slightly different note, it was quite obvious that this movie was from the 90s. Not only were the cars boxier, but the computers were big chunky desktops and the detectives had actual "paperwork" to do. It always amuses me seeing older movies with old technology. It's also somewhat awe-inspiring to see how far we have come technologically in a small span of time.