Charming and Romantic

After watching two bad movies in a row, it was refreshing to watch Anjaana Anjaani (Male Stranger, Female Stranger), a Bollywood movie starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. The film has been written and directed by Siddharth Anand, whose directorial ventures include Salaam Namaste, Ta Ra Rum Pum, and Bachna Ae Haseeno. The plot revolves around Aakash (Kapoor) and Kiara (Chopra), who meet when both of them are attempting to commit suicide. After several failed suicide attempts, they decide to live life to the fullest for 20 more days. Why do they want to commit suicide so desperately? Will they be successful in their attempt to commit suicide together again after 20 days or will they find a reason to live? Watch and find out.



I really enjoyed the film as it was charming and romantic. The plot was fresh and interesting and the screenplay was well-written. The soundtrack by Vishal-Shekhar was also fun and melodious. Kapoor and Chopra had great onscreen chemistry and performed their roles well. I highly recommend this movie to all Bollywood movie lovers; go check it out on DVD.

Unusual Romantic Comedy

Written, directed, and produced by James L. Brooks, How Do You Know revolves around a softball player, Lisa Jorgenson (Reese Witherspoon), who gets kicked off her team as she crosses the age of 30. Her boyfriend is a baseball player, Matty Reynolds (Owen Wilson), who is a peculiar man. She befriends a corporate executive, George Madison (Paul Rudd), who is being indicted for fraudulent financial reporting to the SEC and finds himself falling in love with her. Will George be able to save himself from the criminal charges? Will he be able to win Lisa's heart? Watch and find out.



I appreciated that this film was not a stereotypical romantic comedy. The movie did not have the typical romantic dialogues - the romance was shown more with actions than words, which was refreshing. But I didn't like it as much because the plot was unusual and it seemed to be missing something. I would have liked to see more romance between the leading characters. I don't know if it was Owen Wilson himself or his character that was annoying - I am just so tired of seeing him doing the same type of roles again and again. On the other hand, Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon were charming as usual.

I wouldn't recommend wasting $12 on this movie. Just wait for the DVD or skip the film all together; believe me you won't be missing much.

Extremely Disappointing!

Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts is based on Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir titled "Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia." This is the story of Gilbert, who had everything a woman dreams of: a house, a husband, and a successful career but was lost and confused, causing her to be unhappy, and therefore, decided to get divorced. After her divorce, she developed a relationship with an actor, but was still searching to find herself and therefore, ended that relationship as well. In order to find herself, she decided to travel for a year to eat fine foods in Italy, to pray and get in touch with her spiritual side in India, and to find inner peace and love in Bali.



I have not read the memoir so I am not sure how close the movie is to the book. Nonetheless, director Ryan Murphy delivered an extremely disappointing, slow, and boring film that fails to captivate the audience. I am so glad I didn't waste $12 on this one by watching it in the theater. If you haven't seen it yet in the theater or on DVD, don't bother as it is a sheer waste of time.

Yet Another One Based on a Book!

Based on Ben Sherwood's fictional novel, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, the romantic drama film Charlie St. Cloud stars Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, and Amanda Crew as the leading cast. Directed by Burr Steers, this film tells the moving story of Charlie St. Cloud, who has to choose between keeping a promise to his dead brother or to go after the woman he loves. Watch and find out what choice he ends up making.

This movie is not only about grief and dealing with the loss of someone you love but also about second chances. Even though Charlie's brother dies in the car  accident, he survives and gets a second chance at life. It takes him a long time to realize why he was given a second chance at life. Watch and find out why.



Not at all depressing, this is a touching and well made film about the strong bond of love between two brothers. Efron did a really good job of portraying the lead role of Charlie St. Cloud. I highly recommend this movie for those of you who didn't see it in the theaters. Go check out the DVD.

Dark and Creepy

Black Swan is a psychological thriller about a ballerina, Nina, who is selected to play the lead roles of the innocent White Swan and the seductive Black Swan in the ballet production of Swan Lake. The undue pressure and stress to perfect the portrayal of these roles lead her to get in touch with her dark side and to hallucinate, which proves to be quite dangerous and self destructive for her.



Except for Natalie Portman's commendable and award-worthy performance in the lead role of Nina, this film is just as dark and creepy as it appears to be in the trailer. I would not recommend wasting $12 on this one, just wait for the DVD to come out or avoid it completely unless you like watching disturbing sexual content. Director Darren Aronofsky, I want my money back!