Month: February 2011

Even in the midst of all the intellectual stimulation and gay partying, there may lie an emptiness that cries out to be filled– viciously sometimes.

In the end, all one really wants is to be loved. To love and to be loved singularly and steadfastly is the one universal human emotion that transcends all intellectual boundaries. The search for this may take a lifetime, and still leave you wanting, as was the case with Dorothy Parker. But Mrs. Parker used her losses to channel her humor and wit into creative writing, a far superior exercise than attempting suicide (at which she failed many a time). I can't help but smile at one of her famous lines:

Four be the things I'd have been better without: Love, curiosity, freckles and doubt. Or even this one: Razors pain you; Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give;
Gas smells awful; You might as well live.

Hitchcockian all the way! Luck is everything, or so it seems…

Mismatched expectations and broken dreams happen all the time, only, when they take place in the lives of seemingly happy, well-adjusted, accomplished and beautiful young people in glorious suburbia, you can't help but wonder how and why, and inadvertently begin to make comparisons and contrasts to one's own circumstances.

Winslet and DiCaprio give fabulous performances. The kids needed to have a more prominent role because relationships are complicated as they are, and even more so when there are children in the mix.

Grim story. But then again, such is life.

Disturbing and poignantly shocking, this is another excellent movie by the great Clint Eastwood. Big on drama, with superb performances by Jolie and Malkovich, this movie offers stunning color, cinematography and a haunting musical score that captures the 1920s of Los Angeles.

A grief-stricken single mother looking for her missing nine-year old son is forced to accept a stranger as her missing son, and when she resists, incurs the wrath of the corrupt LAPD. Although discredited by the LAPD and thrown into a women's psychopathic institution, hope stays alive in the mind, heart and body of this young woman who continues to fight to look for her child. What she finds is a horrifying saga that involves encountering a serial killer who may or may not have murdered her son. Although no clear and fast ending here, the larger impact of her case is the restoration of public confidence in the city's administration, the improvement of women's rights, and thanks in no small measure to the diligence of a local presbyter who uses his pulpit to highlight the inept state of affairs of the LAPD, an eventual overhauling of this law-enforcement agency, and eventually, bringing justice and closure by way of capture and termination of the serial killer.

On a less insightful note, I daresay one of the most memorable lines of the movie are uttered by a calm Jolie to her doctor-captor when she takes the advice of her inmate to stand up for her rights in refusing to sign off her sanity on a piece of paper when she tells him: F*** you, and the horse that you rode in on! Viva, Christine Collins!

Outrageously vacuous extremism in unabashed and unapologetic display on tap, courtesy Bruno.

This is not to be filed in the ‘funny’ category; it is beyond funny to the point of forcing you to pause and wonder about what the appropriate reaction ought to be to such mindlessly shocking behavior. But the barrage of stupidity that comes flying right into your face leaves you wanting for an appropriate reaction, whatever that might be– which results in succumbing to the only crutch that is available: laughter.

That is the only thing that explains the large and impressive number of celebrities– from Ron Paul, the once-Presidential candidate to Bono, the rock star– who indulge Bruno with his shenanigans, and provide a semblance of normalcy to an otherwise ridiculous satire on the depravity of humankind.

If this is the best comedy of the year, I'd be disappointed. But having said that, you do get your money's worth for the laughs.

This is a story of stereotypical adult male behavior in full display in response to a life-altering event such as impending marriage the next day. Predictable storyline with lots of slapstick comedy along the way. One unexpected (only just a little bit) outcome is when that one dude finds himself toward the very end even as he is looking for the missing bachelor-buddy.

Reinforces the post-modern adage literally of 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.

Run out and watch it if you absolutely cannot wait for the DVD.

A complex commentary on the politics and social landscape of Los Angeles in the 1930s.

A beautiful movie with brilliant performances especially by the dashing Nicholson and exquisite Dunaway.  But it needs more than one viewing to fully understand all the sub-plots and references throughout the course of the movie.

Suspense, glamor, drama, great cinematography– it has all this and more.