My First Blog

Since I love to write, a few of my friends suggested that I should start blogging.  So I started thinking about it but couldn't decide what I should a blog about.  Just yesterday, a friend suggested that I should blog about movies. And I thought to myself - why didn't I think of that! After all, it is my favorite topic as I am an avid moviegoer. I go to the movies almost every weekend. I guess you can say that I am following a family tradition - when I was a child, I remember that my dad would take me to the movie store and we would watch movies every Friday night. So I guess that's how I became so fond of movies. Why do I love movies so much? Because movies allow me to forget about the daily stresses of life for a few hours, enter into a new world, and take a journey with the characters. But man, the ticket prices have gone up! So I have made a new year's resolution - instead of Friday night, Tuesday night will be my new movie night! Centreville and Reston Multiplex Cinemas have $6 Tuesdays so I am going to try to refrain myself and stop paying $11 for a movie ticket. Let's hope I can keep this resolution!

So speaking of movies, I must say that I was extremely disappointed with most of the movies that came out in December 2009. I was very excited about all the movies to be released that month but there was only one movie that I really liked. Can you guess which one? Avatar ofcourse!  When I first saw the trailer for Avatar, I thought to myself - how can a movie that has blue people be any good?  But I decided to give it a chance because of all the hype.  My first instinct about that movie was most definitely wrong. Avatar was the most amazing and visually stunning movie I have ever seen! Kudos to James Cameron for such a vivid imagination. Just like when I read Breaking Dawn, my favorite in the Twilight series, I was awed by Stephenie Meyer's imagination, I was amazed by JC's creativity in Avatar.  The story was so fresh and innovative, it was nothing like I had ever seen before. It truly reflected the selfishness of the human race. It transported the viewers into a completely different world, the non-materialistic and free of stress world of the Na'avi. I didn't even realize that the movie was so long and wanted to watch even more after it ended. I even wanted to become a Na'avi even if it meant becoming blue and growing a tail!

Other movies that I watched in December including Up in the Air, It's Complicated, and Sherlock Holmes were disappointing and did not fully meet my expectations.  When I saw these movies, I did not come out of the theaters saying, "Man, I loved this movie and I would love to watch it again!" That's how I reacted when I saw The Proposal and The Ugly Truth, two of my favorite romantic comedies that released in 2009.

Indeed George Clooney and the leading ladies acted very well and though it was realistic and relatable, Up in the Air was not a feel-good movie. I prefer happy endings because the main reason I watch movies is so I can forget how stressful life can be sometimes and come out of the theater, smiling and happy, not depressed. Up in the Air showed that when we make certain choices in life, we have to live with the consequences even though we may later change our mind and want something else because we don't live in a perfect world.  

It's Complicated was indeed funny. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin were great in the movie but again, I did not agree with the movie ending. I wish that she had made a different choice.

Sherlock Holmes was the second worst movie I have ever seen, Bruno being the first.  Just like in the case of Bruno, sitting through this two hour movie felt like torture. The movie was poorly scripted and was too long. The story dragged and could've easily been told in less than two hours. It was sometimes hard to understand Robert Downing Jr.'s British accent and the movie was just too boring!

And now for the first movie I saw in the theaters in 2010 - Leap Year, yet another disappointment! I didn't think the movie would be that good because except for Amy Adams, none of the cast members are well-known. However, the trailer grew on me and my expectations about the movie became higher. But the movie was slow and hence, my first instinct about this movie was absolutely right! The story had potential but it was poorly scripted. I was just glad that I only spent $6 on the movie and did not waste $11 on it.

So I guess I am just disappointed with the start this year has taken in terms of movies.  Next on my list are The Lovely Bones, Extraordinary Measures, and When in Rome, all releasing this month.  I have a feeling for sure that When in Rome will not be that good. But I still want to watch it because it is a romantic comedy, my favorite genre.  I have high hopes for The Lovely Bones and Extraordinary Measures, let's hope both of them can live up to my expectations.

The movie that I am most excited about is Valentine's Day, which is releasing in February of course! It has an ensemble cast consisting of some of the most good-looking and well-known actors and actresses in Hollywood. So this movie better be good! I hope it doesn't disappoint like the last movie I saw with an ensemble cast: New York, I Love You.


Other movies that I am looking forward to this year include Alice in Wonderland, releasing on March 5,  Sex and the City 2, releasing on May 28, and Eclipse (the third in the Twilight series), releasing on June 30.