My Name is Khan ... and I am not a terrorist.

It does not happen very often, but I am at a loss for words when it comes to talking about this movie. Based on a true story of a couple living in Los Angeles, CA and directed by Bollywood's Karan Johar, this movie is hitting nerves around the world. Reuniting Sharukh Khan and his leading lady Kajol the dream team made it 'easy on the eyes' for almost 3 hours. (Their last film together was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001).

Encompassing themes of Love, Autism and Islam it was definitely a loaded gun, and if you go to see this with your friends do not be surprised if you all walk out of the theater with totally different interpretations.

The early part of the movie tells the story of a mothers love for her autistic child. There are several moments of tenderness that every mother will relate too. There is a scene where Khan's mother sits down with her son and explains to him that there are good and bad people in the world. It does not matter what religious background you come from. 

The young Khan (Tanay Chheda - Slumdog Millionaire), a genius, receives extra tutoring from a reclusive professor. This puts strain on the relationship Khan has with his younger brother as jealousy saunters in. The brother leaves to go to University in America and subsequently sponsors Khan to come live with him when their Mother dies. 

I have never had any contact with an Autistic child so this movie taught me what it would be like to have a child with a disability (like Autism). The adult Khan (played by Shahrukh Khan) settles in to the American dream as he works for his brother selling beauty products. 

He displays obvious signs of Autism and is re-diagnosed by his brothers wife as having Asperger syndrome. Khan meets and falls in-love with Madira (a divorced hairdresser) and her son Sam. Although they have a rocky courtship he eventually convinces her to marry him and both she and Sam take his last (Muslim) name.

The scene of the wedding was one of my favourites. It brought back memories of another great flick Monsoon Wedding. The colour of their traditional dress, the music (amazing) and the looks of love exchanged  between both actors made this perfect. 

The house in the white picket-fence San Francisco neighbourhood followed and life was great for the Khan's. That is, until the September 11th attacks on America. This is where the movie really started to rope me in and it was hard to not get emotional from here right to the bitter end. I do not want to go into anymore detail on the movie because I really want y'all to go see it or at least rent the DVD when it comes out in July (2010).

We have, what I like to refer to, a blended family unit. A husband with no religion but an amazing 'centre of belief in mother-earth', two bi-racial children also not any religion on paper - but exposed to many, and me a mother-wife with a firm faith but serious *dislike* for most organised religious institutions.  

 

Watching this movie re-invigorated my 'Irish by birth/American by choice' mantra because it reminded me how hard it was to live in 'a country at war'. After the September 11th attacks, everyones lives changed. We were lucky that we lived in middle-America and did not loose any friends or family, but we have friends that did loose family members. Although this part of the movie initially portrays 'Americans' in a very negative light, it was a very real portrayal of 'how things were' at the time. We were scared. Scared for our lives and for our families.

This movie is loaded. You will laugh, and you will cry. You will feel a serious disdain towards America/ans and Muslims. But, by the end of the movie you will have a much better understanding of both and certainly will become more accepting of the fact that there are bad people everywhere in the world and it really has very little to do with their religious persuasion. 

A scene half way through the movie where they sing the song 'We Shall Overcome' a key anthem song of the US civil rights movement, is still sliding around in my head this morning. 

Snippets from the last line of each verse of 

'We Shall Overcome' ( ... ) 

We shall overcome some day

We'll walk hand in hand some day

We shall all be free some day

We are not afraid some day

We are not alone some day

The whole wide world around some day

We shall overcome some day 

I hope you enjoy the movie, let me know!

Those are all the WiseWords I have managed to string together for this rainy Sunday morning,

WiseMóna 

Sunday double-bill movie reviews...spolier alert!

I love graffiti. Mostly bathroom wall graffiti. I usually read all the messages written in the loo's thinking I will find some profound message.  Nine times out of ten I do not, but occasionally there is something 'snapshot'  worthy.

I hate WAR. I try to steer clear of thinking about war (let alone sharing my thoughts in writing) because it depresses the hell outta me and I can't stand the backlash of reasoning from the folks that support the war.

I know (all to well) why war has to happen but I am at the stage now where I think that people are really starting to capitalize on it and that makes me MAD and very sad. The reason that I hate war so much is because I cannot stand the loss of life. I feel that it has gone on long enough. Being a conversationalist I would (dreamily) love to think that we have come to the stage where we could make serious head way if we just sat down over a nice pint and talked it out. 

With exams looming this week I have tried just about everything to avoid studying at all costs. I have filled my time nicely watching as many movies as possible to keep my brain numbed. This is my way of procrastinating. I am very good at this.

I will warn you there are spoilers in this blog relating to The Hurt Locker and Dear John. So, if you want to see either of them, read no further and make up your own mind about the movies.

Let's open up the can of worms by dissecting the well awarded 'The Hurt Locker'. I know this won six Oscars, and it was directed by James Cameron's ex wife Kathryn Bigelow, and that must make it a really fantastic movie. Right. Well, I guess that all depends on what you are looking for.

Jeremy Renner played a hot shot soldier that liked to dress up in a safe-suit and disarm bombs. He had successfully disarmed 800+ bombs at the early stages of his career and it seemed that he could not live without the rush and excitement that brought him.

The images of war are all to real in this flick and it just wore me down. I wanted to see it because of all the awards it had received. It was supposed to be an excellent example of screenplay 'writing'. 

Soldier disarms bomb. Soldier disarms next bomb. Soldier does not follow protocol. Soldier disarms next bomb. Soldier does not do what he is told thereby inducing conflict into story. Soldier keeps disarming bombs. Yes, there was suspense in the sense that each time he suited up to disarm the bombs you kind of thought even with that protective gear on, his head might get blown off. Sadly, he continued right to the bitter end of the movie and for all we know he is still out there disarming bombs.

There was a few fleeting minutes of hope in the movie. The horrific psychological side effects war has on soldiers is clearly portrayed. Renner's character returned home for a few minutes of the movie and it showed him living normally with his wife and baby. But, disastrously, even he figured out pretty darn fast that this was not the life for him. Unless he was within a few seconds of possibly loosing his life every day, then life at home was just not thrilling enough for him. 

Funny, but my husband has never felt that way - he walks around our place pushing my buttons every day waiting for me to go off!

That said and I am sure you can gather from my tone, I did not care for the movie at all. I am glad that they did not paint the 'American soldiers are evil drunk idiots' picture as quite a few movies have done in the past. AND on a side note here I will say that I have the world of respect for all those soldiers out there, I just question the judgement of the parents that not only allow but encourage their barely-legal children to enlist and go fight the 'war on terror' whilst they stay at home. 

The Hurt Locker did not get the thumbs up from me.

Moving on to my next movie selection and still sticking to the war hero theme I bring you 'Dear John'. 

Cuddling up on the couch with my hubby I was  looking forward to this one because one of the lead actors is a favourite of mine. Amanda Seyfried is most known for her work on the uber-popular and much loved Showtime series Big Love. Long-time addicts of that show, both the Chef and I were interested in seeing how Seyfried played out on the big screen. 

She is young, the script was ok. She has time to grow into a bigger and better role. The story (even the cover of the movie) might lead you to think that this is a love story. And it kind of is, but that is the secondary story line. It is a classic (kind of dull) boy meets girl in the first scene, boy falls in love with girl. Boy goes back to war. Twin Towers are blown to smithereens and boy re-enlists for a lifetime. Girl cries. They pledge undying love for each other. Boy goes back to fight the war. Girl dumps him and marries someone else and sends him a 'Dear John' to fill him in on her exciting news. 

Given the fact that Channing Tatum was shirtless for the first few minutes of the movie might have had something to do with the fact that I stayed tuned in. AND what actually might have saved the show entirely was the fact that he and Seyfried did have an amazing on-screen chemistry. You cannot fake that. It was so well done I would not be surprised to see them hand-in-hand in real life.

Bob Newhart Richard Jenkins played the role of the soldiers Dad in the movie. Aside from the fact that we kept thinking he was Bob Newhart the entire way through the movie, he did a fantastic job in his role. The main story is actually about a very strained father-son relationship. If you can step back from the reality of relationships and war and all the other mush in the movie it is actually very touching. I think that if they had pushed this story line just a few inches further we could have seen the whole movie develop in a way only John McGahern could have hoped for. Sensational.

Seeing as I have a boy to raise and a husband that never had a relationship with his own father, it kept me awake last night thinking about how important it is to encourage my little man to 'man-up' and hug his Daddy. Of course he does this every day now (at the age of 5) but to make sure later in life, when the teenage years separate us from our children, that the occasional 'I love you pops' slips into the conversation every now and then. I know, y'all are rolling yer eyes having to endure my 'Make Love Not War' mantra so I will put ye out of your misery and wrap things up now.

In order to 'let-go' so I can get back to procrastinating over all the studying I need to do for my exams, I thought I would share this (above) little bathroom-wall graffiti with you. Aside from the fact that it is misspelled and the accents are missing, the literal translation from this very famous Irish phrase means 'Our day will come'. 

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

I SHUDDER to think what happened on Shutter Island!

I'll not be sleeping well tonight. 

I am afraid to turn the lights out in case some of the images from this movie start flashing back through my mind like the flames of a fire throwing wild shadows against the walls of a cave. 

I am not even a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. This is a perfect case of dimwittedness on my behalf.   

A few days ago we watched The Hurt Locker. I may do a blog review on this movie at a later date, but for right now I am leaving it alone because I am just not sure if I liked it or not. I thought (and this is where the DimWitt enters) seeing as we already watched a war movie this week we could lighten things up this evening with a few hours of easy-on-the eyes DiCaprio. Typically, I do a little research before I popcorn-up and not since watching A Beautiful Mind (Russell Crowe - 2001) have I been at such a loss for words.

I do love Ben Kingsley. Still. After everything he put me through in this movie. 

I think that Martin Scorsese should win all the awards for 'Best Director' because he almost directed me into an early grave EXCEPT I was too afraid to get off the couch. (I am a wimp - it's a psychological thriller!)

I think Leonardo DeCaprio can act. There, I have said it, and I mean it.

The film is based on a novel written by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and a few episodes of The Wire) and the screenplay was written by Laeta Kalogridis who was one of the executive producers of Avatar and Dracula. This explains all the darkness in the movie.

I really do not want to spoil this for you which is why I am going to end with the last line from the movie

'Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man? 


Go see the movie.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review - Avatar

It is not very often that I am stuck for WiseWords to share with y'all - OK, I am never really stuck for words. Being Irish I was blessed with the 'the gift of the gab' as they say around here and that is my cross to bear. After watching the brand new movie AVATAR (that I was dying to see) I was left kind of speechless and even a little breathless.

Opening day in the US raked in a cool $73 million but trust me when I tell you folks for James Cameron that is not even the teeny tiny tip of the iceberg - yeah, pun intended. Cameron could afford a twelve year hiatus after 'Titanic' due to the fact that it raked in $1,835,300,000 (that is more than one billion) at the box office and it is still the worlds biggest movie earner.

So what does a brilliant director and writer do for twelve years whilst on his little mini-break? He invents and creates life on another planet named Pandora. He breeds a tribe of long lean lithe brilliant blue bodied natives and names them the Na'vi clan.

Cameron develops two worlds for us to live in for almost three (of the fastest) hours. He keeps it real in the real world we live in, where the army and the government are plundering greedy MEN (sorry guys) trying to rape the land for its very plentiful and expensive natural resources.

At the beginning of the movie there is a Wizard of Oz quote from Col. Quaritch "You are not in Kansas anymore. This is Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen. If there is such a place called Hell, you may want to plan a trip there for some R & R after your tour here on Pandora".

This got me a little tense and annoyed because I got the impression that this was going to be heavily laden with a ravaging war and not the love story I was hoping for. Brilliantly Cameron gives us both!

I want to go into waaaaaay toooooooo much detail here to tell you what went down with the two main characters Jake Sully and Neytiri but I am really hoping that sporting your 3-D shades you will run to the Cinema nearest you TODAY and watch this movie.

A few months ago I blogged about the effects of watching Slumdog Millionaire. I found it visually electrifying. Avatar has created a world of its own when it comes to the visual graphics Cameron has offered to us on a silver platter.

It is a classic love story - with more beautiful nude blue bodies than clothed white ones. There is way to much war and bloodshed for it to be a stand alone chick flick - so you can bring the guys along.

There is so much erotic visual stimulation with the lights and the graphics you will certainly feel like you live in a shoe box and can only wonder in awe 'how' a man can conjure up these images in his head and manage to transfer them on to the screen.

(think of what life underwater looks like - and you will see how he creates a lot of the scenes).

Taking a risk this might give a few of you good reason to loose interest in this movie I will now stand on my soap box to wrap this up. "Look into her memories and see the world we have come from. There is no green there, they have killed their Mother."

This is a 'Treehuggers delight' as far as sending a powerful political message. The essence and well being of the Na'vi clan revolves around their nurturing of Mother Earth and the devastation and destruction that unfolds when the greedy men decide to rape the land is debilitating.

Go see the movie, then 'do your share' and make 2010 the year that you decide to help clean up your little part of the planet.

That is all the WiseWords I have for this rainy St. Stephen's Day in Ireland!

WiseMóna

Good Great Gran Torino!

So I will freely admit it, I have a thang for older men, and who better to while away a wintry wet evening by the fire with than good ole Clint Eastwood. My handsome Chef was close by so I had to stay somewhat reserved.

For a movie so loaded about someone who is blatantly racist and hateful towards other nationalities, Clint edges himself gracefully into the viewers hearts. His very young cast mates Bee Vang, and Ahney Her did a really great job as ordinary kids living next door to a grumpy lonely old man.

Although I think a lot of this movie was predictable, and that usually drives me crazy - I tolerated it all the way through because I knew that the ending would have a profound message that would hit home to all (one can only hope!)

Because we live in a world that is so multicultural and colourful, it is important to check our prejudices at the door. Nick Schenk (the writer) must have lived this experience in order to write so 'real' about it. Keep in mind good old Clint also directed this story, so he had complete control over how the story unfolds!

A great movie, well worth the few bucks at the theatre.

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review

The Reader (2008)

Kate Winslet
Ralph Fiennes
David Kross

We watched this movie a few days ago and normally I feel compelled to blog about movies that I like - right after I watch them. This was one of those movies that has just lingered with me for almost a week now. I cannot believe the story that unfolded on the screen before us (as I had not read the book) and even though it is a common story told of holocaust days, it was exceptionally done. I do like Kate Winslet (Sense and Sensibility, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Holiday and voice work in Christmas Carol: The movie, and Flushed Away). In this movie she takes what was a very ordinary job to her and tries to convince a jury that she was just doing her job.................the fact that it was killing people never factored into the equation as a problem for her - because she was just doing the job she was hired to do.

Her romance with David Kross was beautifully done. He is a very talented young man (and is easy on the eyes too) and I will be looking forward to seeing lots more of his work. From what I can gather he is new and hot on the scene!

Ralph Fiennes, one of my old time crushes, did a good job. I think he was better and way more convincing in The English Patient, The End of the Affair, In Bruges and even a few great appearances in Harry Potter. If they had written in a part where Ralph stormed the courtroom and grabbed his former lover in a desperate plea trying to convince her to tell everyone she was illiterate - then it would have been brilliant.................because we never got to see Fiennes and Winslet together in passion even though here was love in their scenes.

All in all, we enjoyed the movie very much. I think Kate Winslet deserved the award - but wonder if it was because she spent the first half of the movie naked. (good for her either way!)

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Wise Movie(s) Review

It always surprises me to see what exactly motivates me to sit down and write (or blog). This past week, the Chef & I spent most of our time painting the guest room, our bedroom and the living room whilst discussing the future career paths we were pondering (see future blog on this topic). During the week, the Ffrench twins (high school friends) came out for a visit (twice) and we discussed the movie Australia which they had already seen. As it was already downloading we decided to curl up with a nice bottle of wine and enjoy the company of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman for the evening. I have finished the rest of the commentary down below the image of Australia the movie because I actually thought the movie we just finished watching a few minutes ago was better!

Now I know that in order to love this movie, one would have to be a dog lover. I do understand this, because I am (as is the Chef) true dog lovers. For the first 1/2 an hour I was a little annoyed by the raucous behaviour of the puppy, the bad acting of Owen Wilson (not sure he has even done a great job as an actor) and lets be honest about Jennifer Anniston - she made her fame and money during the years of Friends (I was never an avid follower) and that was about as great as I ever expected her acting to be.

The screenplay was written by Scott Frank (Little Man Tate, The Interpreter, Flight of the Phoenix) & Don Roos (Single White Female, Boys on the Side) and I was hopeful that they would make it memorable. WOW - did they ever. I am going out on a limb here and letting you all know that Owen Wilson can actually act. OK, it took him almost the entire duration of the movie to see what he is capable of, but he delivered.

The writers of this movie brought reality to the table. A marriage that goes through ups and downs, loss of a baby, a dog that destroys their house and keeps babies from napping, a couple that struggle to remember who they were before the kids came along, how they have changed or adapted to the new condition's of family, jobs (or lack thereof) and the threat of separation or divorce because sometimes you are just too tired to fight to get through the harder times.

As the story unfolds, the dog is there from destructo puppy hood all the way to the last day of his life at the vets office. My favourite quote from the movie was " A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his - Forever" . Don't you wish humans could learn from this!
Keep reading for a very honest review of Australia!

I will freely admit that I was dying to watch this because I LOVE HUGH JACKMAN. I do. Not because he is a super talented actor - just because he is cute and I am a huge X-MEN fan. Not to worry readers, the Chef is aware of my obsession and seeing as Nicole Kidman shared the limelight in this flick (his fav. female actor) he indulged me as we nestled in for a evening of wine and romance watching this chick flick.

I did not like it at all. I almost want to say I hated it, but I think that is a little harsh. Actually, no, I am just furious after watching it! I think what really happened was Baz Luhrmann co-wrote this with Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and as Baz has enough money to make the world go round, no-one told him it sucked!

It was Australia's attempt at a Gone with the Wind type of movie and even the cover image looks like a Mills & Boon (Harelequin) romance novel cover. Not that there is anything wrong with those, it was just not what I was expecting.

I must have set my expectations too high (ok, WAY too high). See, I had heard this movie was about the history of Australia during WW 2 and the mis-treatment of half cast (bi-racial children). Needless to say this would be something of great interest to me as my children are of that kind.

What I waded through (for 3 + hours) was a poorly written VERY HOLLYWOOD story of 2 people thrown together during the war in Australia and a little boy (awfully cute) becomes part of their life. If the story had the basics like a great beginning, one main climax and a killer happy ending, then it is possible I would have tolerated the cheesy one liners and camera grins from Hugh Jackman (sellout) and the stiff as a poker acting from Nicole Kidman (who can do soooooooooo much better).

But, NO! This movie started weirdly like an out of the west movie (Think old Clint Eastwood movie - crossed with the Mask of Zorro - Sorry - but it felt like that), then moved on to have 3 or even 4 climaxes, love found, cattle run completed, love lost, child lost or dead, love found again and then somewhere along the way after 3 + hours, they all lived happily ever after only the little boy left to go walkabout with his grandfather.

Bad, bad writing. Glad I did not pay for it!

Let us compare the 2, shall we?

With Marley & Me (in my humble opinion) the writers sucked you in to what is real today, right here, right now. Although I am not a fan of the actors, I could relate to being their with them and OH, feeling their pain. With Australia, it was never 'like' being in the late thirties or early forties, I never felt an ounce of compassion for any of the characters and when Nicole Kidman held up a PHOTOGRAPH of her, her partner (as they remained unmarried but lived together as a couple!!!) and this little boy (i.e. Happy Family photo) I almost threw up. Really, you want me to believe that y'all rode into town after one of the cattle drives, all dressed up and got your photo professionally taken - in 1942....................?????? This movie took up too much of my time. End of story.

Incase you are wondering after all this commenting, it was Marley and Me that motivated me to write. I love that a movie about a dog can make me cry like a baby.

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review

I suppose you can all consider this a confession. You see, I have fallen in love with another man. I did not really realise my infatuation with him until I watched his most recent release - Seven Pounds - with none other than the gorgeous sexy and very talented Mr. Will Smith.

If you liked 'The pursuit of Happyness' or any of his movies then you will very much enjoy this. The last movie I watched (2007) was " I am Legend" and although quite a disturbing movie, he was practically the only character in the movie. It was then, that I realised what a fine actor he has become.

I would love to give you the details on this movie, but I can't because I REALLY REALLY want you to go watch it. It moves a little slow for the first half of the movie but you will tolerate that because the story slowly unfolds and the cast (although they have teeny tiny roles) are just perfect for this movie.

I can actually see someone doing what he does to feel relief from the incredible weight of guilt he feels. Great movie! Oh, and girls, on a side note - he does take his shirt off and yes, at 40 he is fabulous!

That is all the drooling WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review

Slumdog Millionaire

WOW - this was an amazing movie. It is visually electrifying & exhilarating to begin with. The first few minutes you are sweeping over the slum lands of India and visually it is just unbelievable but very believable at the same time.

The film moves along at a breakneck pace and I know I am a sucker for a great fairy tale or love story, so yes, I was sucked in right away because the Director (Danny Boyle) was able to show a serious love connection between 2 very young Indian kids and how the never stopped loving each other, even though separated and reunited, and separated again!

Everything Boyle does, including the Bollywood touches (Which I LOVED) was fantastic. There is such a lovely energy to this film. It is a little disturbing and even very sad in parts, not to mention a little terrifying too because I kept worrying and thinking the whole way through that I would DIE if boy and girl did not hook up and be together.

What Boyle has done is truly AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! A story about a young boys life on the street in Bombay has turned into something very interesting - even to the masses. When you walk out of the cinema you will be giddy with excitement especially if you stayed to watch the end - Bollywood line dancing of all the cast members - I LOVED THIS PART TOO!

Do not put this one on the back burner. Really. It is worth the money at the movies (even though we downloaded ours!) "Slumdog Millionaire" is not to be missed. It is the best movie of the year. Maybe of the decade!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review

Changeling (2008)

With the magic of downloading, we were able to watch one of Angelina Jolie's latest movies 'Changeling' a few nights ago. I am a fan of hers (and needless to say so is the Chef - what man would not drool over her) but in this role I had mixed emotions.

She gave an outstanding performance, and no doubt with Clint Eastwood as the director, it was a really heartbreaking rendition of this horrendous true story, but I felt it was 'lacking'.

Angelina played the part of a broken hearted single mother who spent her life looking for her young son that was abducted and possibly even murdered.

What was missing from the storyline, is that Angelina had no one . No husband, no lover, no girl friend, NO FAMILY AT ALL?????

I realise when it comes to sticking to the details of a true story, one does not want to stray far from how it 'really' happened, but in my opinion, there were 2 if not 3 other characters in the plot that could have been allowed to get a little closer to her which would have just pushed the envelope on this emotional story and turned it from an OK, glad I did not shell out 25 euros at the omniplex for it, to a cried myself to sleep that night because I felt the pain she (as a mother) suffered from losing her son.

Just my very humble opinion, hats of to Jolie & Eastwood for the job they did. Wish they had consulted me!!!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today before we ring in a raucous New Year!!!

WiseMóna

Wise Movie Review

Practical Magic. An oldie but a goodie.
OK, it is 10 years old so maybe not exactly that old.

Many would say an outright chick flick and I would agree with that. However, the Chef tolerated the movie because a young and perky Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are the main characters.

The movie is a cute story about 2 sisters that dabble a little in witchcraft and get in a little trouble for killing Nicole Kidmans abusive ex boyfriend. And wouldn't you know the lovely, talented and oh, so fine Mr. Aidan Quinn comes to the rescue of Sandra Bullock and there is (of course) a happy ending!

Winter is here, more movies and books to watch to while away these wintry & wet evenings by the fire!

That is all the WiseWords for today,

WiseMóna