Thoughts on… Up in the air
February 19th, 2010
How much does your life weigh?
Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack.
Thoughts on… Nine
February 10th, 2010
Some men sell stocks,
some men punch clocks,
some leap where others fear to trade.
My husband, as author and director,
makes up stories in his head.
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Thoughts on… Charlotte Gainsbourg’s IRM
January 6th, 2010
Thoughts on… Extremely loud and incredibly close
December 8th, 2009
(from amazon.com)
Two years before the story begins, Oskar loses his father on 9/11. In the story, Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father (from wikipedia)
This is the starting point of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the second novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. A book that turns out to be more than a book with its almost interactive qualities in the shape of photographs, nearly-blank pages, colourful scribbling and more than anything that honest and raw narration by a nine year old boy.
Thougths on… Wuthering Heights
December 2nd, 2009
Thoughts on… Jane Eyre
November 18th, 2009
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre narrates the story of the title character throughout the years and along the most important stages of her life2. Since it’s written in first-person, we manage to witness the events through Jane’s eyes, something I considered very important in such a unordinary book as this.
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- This isn’t the edition I read, but I found this one and can’t get over how beautiful it is
[↩] - Childhood at Gateshead and Lowood and adult years in Thornfield Hall and with the Rivers family [↩]
Thoughts on… Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
August 3rd, 2009I think I can sum up my feelings about the movie in one phrase: ‘the wait was worth it’. I’m still not sure if this is my favorite movie of the saga (it gets more difficult to choose with every film), but I think it was the best adaptation from the books. Of course they left out things that I feel should have been there, while others left me wonder where they came from, but all in all, I think they made an excellent job.
(since this is the first time I do a ‘Thoughts on…’ post, here’s the warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!)
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Thoughts on… The Reader
April 26th, 2009I actually had in mind to review a different movie, but since Alice asked me in her comment I’m going to talk about The Reader today. Besides, it makes more sense to talk about the movies in the order I saw them, that way I may even catch up with all the ones I’ve got pending (XD)
I didn’t really know much about the story beforehand. The two reasons I wanted to see the movie were Kate Winslet and the director Stephen Daldry. I love both Billy Elliot and The hours, his previous films, and I’m always keen on keeping an eye on interesting directors. And this time, he didn’t disappointed me. Overall, I liked the movie, I can’t say that I loved it as much as the two I just mentioned, but luckily I don’t need to absolutely adore a movie to be satisfied with it. In this case, I think it’s better to know as little about the story as possible. The movie is full of bizarre little moments, sometimes awkward, sometimes crude, and I think that going to see the movie without a previous idea of what you’re going to see, makes you ‘enter’ those moments and discover them, slowly, with the wonder of what’s going to happen next instead of being a spectator. So here goes the cut:
The movie starts with a young teenage boy, Michael who meets Hanna, a mysterious woman with whom he starts an affair. Their encounters alternates a physical relationship and the moments when Michael reads to Hanna, who loves being read to. Hanna disappears one day and Michael won’t see her again until almost a decade later, when he is a Law student who attends a Nazi war crime trial as an observant. Much to his surprise, Hanna is one of the defendants and he might have the key to save Hanna from going to prison.
More than why Michael wouldn’t say what he knew about Hanna (that she was illiterate) in order to save her, what was more shocking to me was that not even herself wanted to admit it, therefore paying for the crime of many more people. Thinking about it later, I’m not sure that she accepted the punishment just because she didn’t want to confess she was illiterate, although of course, that was a very big part of the reason. I also think that her pragmatical way of thinking had a lot to do with it. She was a very “black and white” person, there was no place for gray in her life. The way she saw it, she had committed a crime. Why? That was her job. As simple as that. So now she had to accept the consequences of what for her was ‘doing the right thing’ at the time. Of course, for us this is something simply unimaginable, but we’re not always supposed to agree with or even understand the characters.
Negative aspect: I would have cut down a few minutes of the movie, not just because it felt a bit long in general, but because I didn’t really get the whole scenes of Michael visiting the concentration camps. I really didn’t want the movie to turn into a Holocaust movie, that was not what I was expecting to see. Luckily the movie gets back in track quickly, but did he really need to go see the place to understand the horror? Nah.
And of course, the brightest aspect of the movie was (as usual, I might add) Kate Winslet. Wow, just wow. When an actor can make you feel compassion and rage towards their character in the same movie, and almost in the same scene and can make it seem completely believable, that’s a good performance. That’s a great performance. One of the many great performances Kate Winslet has. I’m really happy she got the Oscar for this movie. It’s not often that a non very likable character gets so much praise.
Thoughts on… Slumdog Millionaire
April 15th, 2009I watched Slumdog Millionaire after all the hype of the Awards season, not really knowing what it was about and without and without really no expectations. Danny Boyle is not one of those directors whose movies will catch my interest just because they’re theirs. While I did like Trainspotting quite a lot (thought I should have to re-watch it, it’s been a long time), both his next films A life less ordinary and The beach were less than interesting for me, so I never bothered following his career. Well, after Slumdog Millionaire I might wanna rethink that, because I absolutely loved it. Of course, a big part of the credit goes to the story itself, but I have to admit, a huge part of the film’s essence leans on its dynamism, its contrast between the fast-paced scenes to the tension of the show scenes and the parts with the policemen, and that goes to the director. The same story told differently would have been such a different (and probably worse) movie. Spoilers ahead:
I have to admit that before watching the movie I did think it was about a boy who cheated in ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ and that was it x.x So when, at the beginning he says that he was winning because he knew the answers, I thought he knew them because someone had told him. Of course, I soon realised that he meant he knew them because of the experiences in his life and I though that it was such an original way of telling someone’s story.
If you think about it, the plot is a well-known one: the adventures of a boy while he looks for a girl. However, it’s those adventures that make it an extraordinary story. Starting with the fact that the movie is set up in India, it is bound to have a different twist, if only for the cultural shock.
There are three main characters who we see grow up, starting like little kids until they’re around 18 years old, and one of the things that got me thinking the most was how little they change along the years. Of course, their lifes change, but in essence, they’re the same: Jamal is, at 18 years of age, quite similar the little version of him we first meet – hopeful, energetic, determined and kind-hearted, in his 18 years of age he goes through most that others in a life time, same as Latika, who seems weak at first, but hides a remarkable strength in herself that allows her to mantain a pure soul when she reunites with Jamal years later. Salim is the one that I didn’t like that much: of course, he’s a character you’re supposed to dislike: already bossy when they’re kids, ambitious and agressive. True, he saved Jamal when they were little and he eventually saves Latika letting her go, but his redemption act at the end didn’t seem entirely believable to me and that’s what I really didn’t like about him. Anyhow, I guess that if that’s the only negative thing I can say about a movie it means that I really really liked the movie.
Kudos to the whole casting, especially Dev Patel as Jamal. He’s was brilliant.
Watch this movie if: you want to see an original life story of someone who overcomes obstacles in his search of love. A classic topic set up to the modern background of a popular quiz show.
Thoughts on… Oscars 2009
February 23rd, 2009I’m talking about the Oscars and Sean Penn winning Best Actor I really though Mickey Rourke would win, he was the clear favorite, but I didn’t (still don’t) have an opinion about his performance so I can’t really comment whether or not he deserved it over Penn. I just know that I’m really happy Penn won, because he’s brilliant in Milk, as he is in everything he does
Kate Winslet, baby! It was a given, I know, but you never know what will happen. I loved her speech, she seemed so genuinely happy and nervous.
I have not much to say about the supporting categories, other that I disagree with both of them. The fact that in the same year we have these two great leading actors we get Ledger and Cruz, irks me a little especially the latter. At least Heath Ledger could act. As for her, now that she’s got her Oscar, hopefully she can focus on trying to act a little o.O God, her speech was so rehearsed.
And I definitely need to watch Slumdog Millionaire now, it’s been on my list for a while, is it that good?
I absolutely loved Hugh Jackman’s opening, I couldn’t stop laughing. His scream of ‘I’m wolverine’ was priceless.
And now our fashion report 
In general not many great stuff. Kate Winslet, as elegant as always, love the color and the design of her dress. I think she was my favorite. Up there with her in my list is Marion Cotillard, absolutely gorgeous. In Anne Hathaway’s case I think I liked her better in the dress she wore for her part in the opening song than her red carpet one. Penélope Cruz’s dress had one main problem for me: the color. The design was ok but being white-ish made it look like a wedding dress – not good at all. For instance Marisa Tomei wore white too and I have to say that I kinda like her dress, it’s a bit weird, but there’s something in it that I like. Or Taraji P. Henson, which wore white too, looked pretty good. I liked Diane Lane as usual, she’s always so classy, as is Meryl Streep. Natalie Portman’s gown was pretty, but I really don’t think pink is her color. Jessica Biel looked as if she just woke up and wrapped a towel around her body. Angelina Jolie was ok, not too good, not too bad, I think I like pretty much everything by Elie Saab (except Halle Berry’s when she got the Oscar, her dress this year was pretty, though), so a pretty enough dress. Did anyone tell Sarah Jessica Parker that she was about to lose at least one of her boobs? Seriously. The biggest no-no of the red carpet was Beyonce, did she really think that looked good on her? Others I liked: Evan Rachel Wood and Jennifer Aniston.
And what’s with that Miley girl, the Disney kids and the guy from Twilight? Were they trying to catch a teenage audience? Enjoy it, my dears, that’s probably the closest you will get unless you improve way way way way way much.
I liked the way the acting awards were given this year, with all the past winners saying nice things, it was very original, and a note of difference from the usual stuff.
All in all, just another Academy Awards, which won’t really be remembered for anything in particular, except in my case, for Kate Winslet’s winning and for the freaking TV programs in Spain as the year a Spanish actress got an Oscar, which apparently is really huge *rolls eyes*
And I just realized that I have to go and see if I won the poll I did with my friend. Go me!
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