I've loved you so long

I've Loved You So Long

This was a French movie that came out in 2008. It was about a woman, Juliette, that had not seen her family in 15 years and both her parents had disowned her. She now comes back and lives with her younger sister, Lea, who is married and has two daughters. At first, you are not told why she was gone for so long or where she was but then bits and pieces of her whereabouts are revealed throughout the movie. The actors were good but the movie was a little boring. I felt like the ending was supposed to be this huge revelation but it really wasn't and I was a little disapointed. The reason I didn't have any huge emotions when it came to this movie was because no passion was invoked. I cared somewhat about the characters and the reason she was gone was not as powerful as I had hoped it would be. You can't help but just shrug your shoulders and say, Oh well, whatever. I rented this movie for free and I liked that they spoke French so I guess it evened out. The picture at the top is not part of the movie. It's a reflection of more or less how I felt about this film. I did, however, add the trailer to I've Loved You So Long below.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

This movie is based on the the New York Times best-selling novel by John Boyne. It's about two eight year old boys who form a friendship during War World II. What's odd about this friendship is that Bruno is the son of a Nazi commandant and Shmuel is a Jew in a concentration camp very near to Bruno's new home. This story is interesting because it is told through the eyes of these eight year olds which is very innocent, curious and endearing. In one scene, Bruno betrays Shmuel by lying to a young Nazi that he did not give Shmuel a piece of bread. Due to fear, he told the heartless Nazi that Shmuel had taken the bread which then got Shmuel a cruel beating. Several days after this, Bruno finally sees Shmuel who had not been showing up to their meeting place and asks Shmuel for forgiveness and if he'd still be his friend. With his bruised little face, Shmuel looks up at Bruno and accepts his apology and tells him they are still friends. He sticks his frail thin hand through the electric fence and shakes Bruno's hand. It was a powerful and moving scene. Some of the movie lagged a little but for the most part it was a good story. The ending will also shock you. It was definitely not the ending I thought it would have. Make sure to have Kleenex nearby.

The Family That Preys

I rented this movie recently and it was really good. By the way, if you all haven't tried the red box I suggest you do. You can rent newly released movies for a dollar a day. Anyway, The family that preys has a great cast that includes, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard, Robin Givens and, of course, Tyler Perry who also directed, wrote and produced this film. It's about two families whose matriarchs are close friends and whose grown children are getting into all kinds of trouble. This movie includes marital affairs, shady business dealings, betrayal and a paternity secret. One of the highlights of the movie is that Bates' and Woodard's characters take a trip to my beloved New Orleans which Perry did on purpose because it's his hometown. Although Perry did not come out as the hilarious Madea, if you like Tyler Perry movies then you're going to love this one.

Madea Goes To Jail

I went to the movies with my cousin and decided to go see Madea Goes to Jail. I've been a fan of Tyler Perry's character of Madea since the plays came out and I've seen all but one of his movies. For those who don't know, Perry dresses up as an old but spry woman with an attitude in these movies and although it is very comical, his movies have a lot of drama in them as well. Perry's character, Madea, doesn't think the law applies to her so being that she has a problem with anger, she has been arrested many times throughout her life but she's never had to serve much time. In this movie, her luck runs out and she is thrown in jail for destroying a woman's car at the local Big K-Mart. While in jail, she meets a young prostitute, Candace Washington, who she helps out. Assistant DA, Joshua Hardaway, is an old friend of Candace and does what he can to help her out of her situation which he kind of blames himself for. This movie has a lot of intense drama but is balanced with Madea's moments which are hilarious. Candace Washingon is played by Keshia Knight Pulliam who starred as Rudy in the Cosby Show.

Pride and Prejudice

I read the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen in high school but I couldn't really remember too much about it. My brother and sister-in-law rented the movie and we watched it a few evenings ago. I wasn't sure what to expect since I couldn't even remember what the story was about and the book is usually better than the movie. I liked the way the characters were dressed but I certainly wouldn't have liked to have lived during that era. Women had to make sure they got married with men who could support them because they weren't allowed to support themselves. In the movie, Elizabeth is one of 5 sisters in 18th century England whose mother is obsessed with getting them married with the right class of men. The free-spirited and outspoken Elizabeth, however, chooses to live a life that is not as constrained and has always stood up for herself and her sisters. When they meet the handsome and snobbish Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth is not very happy about his arrogance and lets him know it. Mr. Darcy ends up falling in love with her and lets Elizabeth see his true self which was not what she had first perceived. You need to pay close attention because of the English accents but other than that the movie was quite good.

Slumdog Millionaire

I just saw Slumdog Millionaire yesterday and it was awesome! I was very glad to see something different than what's been playing lately. The story is about Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of India who gets on India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. When he is almost at the point from winning everything, the police and the host of the show get suspicious and believe that Malik is cheating since he is after all only a kid from the slums with no real education. The police arrest him and start to violently interrogate him. Malik then begins to tell them about his past and how he lived in the slums with his brother and his first love, Latika. He tells them about his past because the questions from the show pertain to something that happened in his past which is why he keeps knowing what the answer is. This film is well put together and the actors do a wonderful job. It was unfortunate that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, the 10 year-old actor who played Malik's older brother as a child got slapped and kicked recently by his own father for not wanting to talk to the press. Both Azharuddin and the child that played Latika actually do live in Mumbai's slums but will be getting out soon due to the enormous success of the movie. Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Score and Song. Below is a clip from the now famous dance Jai Ho.

Psycho

Although this movie is in black and white and we have all pretty much been desensitized with all the horror flicks out there, this movie is going to freak you out nonetheless! It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and it came out in 1960. This film is filled with suspense and is considered a thriller. It's about a young woman, Marion, who is unhappy at her job and out of the blue decides to steal company money. En route to her escape, she decides to stay at the infamous Bates Motel where she meets a nervous but friendly innkeeper named Norman Bates. As she gets to know him, he starts to creep her out so she tells him she's going to go to her room to get some rest. After that all hell breaks loose and the great "shower scene" happens. Marion's sister and boyfriend go on a quest to find her after she goes missing. On their hunt for her they end up at the Bates Motel and what they find just gets more weird and freaky. Everyone who is a movie buff should definitely go watch this one.

Nacho Libre

Funny man Jack Black plays a cook at a monestary named Nacho, who sets out on a plan to make money to get better ingredients for the meals he makes for the orphans. Nacho himself was an orphan in the same monestary/orphanage but has always felt out of place. He makes friends with a rail thin thief who he convinces to become his wrestling partner in hopes of making it big and getting more money for the poor orphans and also to impress the young new nun at the monestary named Encarnacion. Nacho names the thief Esqueleto which means The Skeleton in spanish. Nacho and Esqueleto embark on a hilarious journey to train themselves to become the top wrestlers in Lucha Libre and to give themselves and the orphans a better life. I thought this movie was very funny. Jack Black did a good job with his portrayal of a spanish accent. Because I'm Hispanic, I also caught on to some of the humor that maybe someone who's not spanish speaking or familiar with humble Mexican people would have caught on to. It's a good comedy.

Knocked Up

Knocked Up was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It came out in 2007 and was co-produced, written and directed by Judd Apatow. Seth Rogen comes out as Ben Stone who is lazy and immature and Katherine Heigl plays Alison Scott who is very mature and career-minded. In the movie, these two get drunk at a club and end up having a one night stand. A couple of months later Alison finds out she's pregnant. Although they have very opposite personalities and seemingly have nothing in common, they attempt to make their relationship work for the sake of the baby. They soon find out that it is easier to make a baby than it is to make a relationship work. The film is hilarious and has great characters. It also has some graphic scenes which definitely makes it a Rated-R movie.

Clockwork Orange

Clockwork Orange is one of the most sickening movies I've ever seen. It's based on a 1960s novel by Anthony Burgess and then made into a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. It's one of those movies where there are so many horrible things happening, you know you should look away and turn it off but instead you can't help but keep watching. I myself could only stomach it once though. It deals with terrible things like rape, torture, strange psychiatric methods, and ruthless gang activity. Since this movie came out in the 70s it looks even creepier and you can't help but walk away from this film feeling really disturbed.