My wife and I enjoy to watch movies together. This being the case, I decided to start my own movie review blog. As a note, we almost never go to the theater to see movies, so most of the movies will be at least 3 months old.
Release Date: 17 October 2008 Time: 1 hr 50 min Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Rating: PG-13 My Rating: PG-13 Starring: Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Paul Bettany, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys Grade: A-
Synopsis: Haunted by memories of her late mother, 14-year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) runs away with her friend and caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) to the South Carolina town that holds the key to her mother's past. There, Lily meets the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo), who take her in and teach her about beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna.
My Review: I was very impressed by this film. Very rarely do I find a film better than the book it is based on, but this is one of those rare exceptions. I think the main reason is because of the excellent cast and acting in this film. They truly brought the story to life of Lily trying to find herself. The film follows the book almost exactly with only one small derivation that doesn't affect a whole lot. I really enjoyed this movie.
Recommend: Date night film. Children won't be interested, but this is truly a great film to watch with someone else. Definitely check this movie out.
Release Date: 23 December 2005 Time: 2 hr 25 min Distributor: Columbia Pictures Rating: PG-13 My Rating: PG-13 Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe Grade: B-
Synopsis: Arthur Golden's blockbuster bestseller, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, has been brilliantly brought to the big screen by Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall (CHICAGO). The film opens in a remote Japanese fishing village in 1929, where two sisters, Chiyo and Satsu, are sold by their troubled father to people who place Chiyo in a classy geisha house known as an okiya in Gion and Satsu in a much more vulgar and dangerous district. Chiyo becomes a maid to Hatsumomo, a cold, controlling, and calculating geisha who is instantly jealous of Chiyo's unusual, beautiful eyes and childish innocence. Chiyo is befriended by Pumpkin, another maid at the okiya, but the two are soon driven apart. Chiyo is shown compassion by the Chairman and another, more successful geisha, Mameha, who takes her under her wing as her "little sister," furthering the battle between Chiyo, now called Sayuri, and Hatsumomo. As Sayuri is trained in the art of being a geisha, learning how to walk, talk, dance, and serve (up to a point) in order to please and honor her distinguished male clients, World War II looms on the horizon, threatening to upend Japan and its old ways. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is a lush, sweeping historical and romantic epic, featuring gorgeous period costumes, primarily the exquisite kimono worn by the geisha. Ziyi Zhang (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) is outstanding as Sayuri, who stands up to the oppressive Hatsumomo (the effervescent Gong Li), while Michelle Yeoh, who starred with Zhang in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, is splendid as the wise and elegant Mameha. Ken Watanabe (THE LAST SAMURAI), Koji Yakusho (SHALL WE DANCE?), and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (ELEKTRA) are among the men who take an interest in Sayuri, who is continually faced with difficult choices that will shape her destiny, just as Japan's destiny is changing shape with the coming of the West. John Williams's soaring score is enhanced by solos from virtuosos Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman
My Review: This film was too long. It was just too slow for all of the content that it covered. It is based off of the book by Arthur Golden that was an international bestseller. The film follows the book to a degree but there are a lot of things that have changed. The acting was pretty good in the film and the overall storyline was interesting. It is certainly interesting to learn more about other cultures.
Recommend: If you are interested in learning more about the Japanese culture and what a Geisha is then check this film out. Not really a good one for the kids so plan on just the adults for this one.
Release Date: 14 December 2007 Time: 2 hr 8 min Distributor: DreamWorks Rating: PG-13 My Rating: PG-13 Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Zekeria Ebrahimi Grade: B+
Synopsis: Finding Neverland director Marc Forster adapts author Khaled Hosseini's critically acclaimed novel about two childhood best friends forever torn apart as their country is ravaged by endless war and bitter strife. As children, Amir (Khalid Abdalla) and Hassan were inseparable; their long days under azure Kabul skies often spent getting into innocent mischief or preparing for the highly anticipated kite-fighting tournament. When the day of the tournament arrives, however, a glorious victory is quickly offset by a timorous act of betrayal that ultimately serves as the catalyst for catastrophe. Not long after that fateful day, Amir moves away to America, leaving his old friend behind just as the ominous specter of war turns tragically tangible. Two decades later, Amir returns to Afghanistan to find his beloved homeland has now fallen under the iron-fisted rule of the Taliban. Still, all hope for redemption hasn't been lost just yet, because now that Amir stands face to face with the irrepressible secrets that he struggled so vigilantly to bury, he will receive one last chance to make peace with the past, and lay the groundwork for a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
My Review: This was a good film about a young man from Afghanistan. The film is based on the book by Khaled Hosseini and follows it pretty closely. The reason for me watching the film was to see how closely it actually followed the book. The film was pretty well done, but I felt like it was a little slow at some points, but that is probably because I had read the book. The film is pretty moving as the book is. If you are going to read the book then do so before watching the movie. Otherwise, the film is a decent substitute for the book. The acting was pretty good. It was interesting to learn more about Afghanistan and its history.
Recommend: Adults, maybe a date night. There are some more advanced themes in the film that are probably not as appropriated for younger children and they won't be interested. Note that most of the movies is subtitled so be prepared to read.