Law Abiding Citizen

"A brilliant man orchestrates  series of high-profile murders that grip the city of Philadelphia - all from inside his jail cell. The prosecutor assigned to his case realizes he is the only one who can end the reign of terror"-www.imdb.com


The movie confuses me to what the writer is trying to tell his audience.  Is it that the justice system has loopholes? or the fact that we should take justice in to our hands? At the end of the day, what good came out of it?  Wrong is wrong whichever way you put it. The scheming of Gerard Butler reminded me of Prison Break . 

Julie & Julia

"Julia Child and Julie Powell - both of whom wrote memoirs - find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends... until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible" - www.imdb.com
   This is not the type of movie that I would watch but because it had good ratings and it being a true story I gave it a go. I'm surprised. Isn't the whole story about finding meaning to life? Julie goes the distance to find some value in her life and she identify's Julia as the person who gives her that value. Julie tells the reporter that she practically talks with Julia and that she feels her presence. Finally she thanks Julia for lifting her up from the pit she was in. 
   I wonder where Julia got her strength to pick her self up and also encourage others who were with her. Then again I also admire the husbands of these two obsessed women who had patience to let them have their high. Julia is portrayed as this perfect image of a human being which I'm wondering if exists at all. Julie's husbands actually spells this out at a point saying that only the Julia in Julies head was perfect but the real Julia who didn't find her blog very amusing might not be. Is human failure a flaw in us or are humans anyway limited beings? 
   These days we find people being worshiped for their deeds and courageous acts but aren't they also regular humans beings who hold similar characteristics? Julies purpose for life ended when the cook book ended. How are we to find purpose to our entire life? in other words, is their a purpose to our lives or are we just creatures who are destined to just die away? 

My Sisters Keeper

"In Los Angeles, the eleven year old Anna Fitzgerald seeks the successful lawyer Campbell Alexander trying to hire him to earn medical emancipation from her mother Sara that wants Anna to donate her kidney to her sister. She tells the lawyer the story of her family after the discovery that her older sister Kate has had leukemia; how she was conceived by in vitro fertilization to become a donor; and the medical procedures she has been submitted since she was five years old to donate to her sister. Campbell accepts to work pro bono and the obsessed Sara decides to go to court to force Anna to help her sister." - www.imdb.com
     A very touching story line which is created around a family. I remember feeling in a similar way when I finished watching A Walk to Remember. The whole picture of death leaves us in tears and with the question of why did she have to die? Can people find any meaning to death? is it the end of existence? Anna ends saying that she hopes she will meet her sister again, is their another paradigm of existence after death? 
    Is their anything wrong with the stand the mom took for her daughters protection? Do you feel that Kate should have fought more? What is the whole purpose of living? We are going to die someday. Is the quality of life measured by how long we live? 
        Movies like this and Slumdog Millionaire makes me wonder if we end up with an emotional high and just forget about the fact that these things really happen. Does a portion of the profit gained by this movie go to treat cancer patients? 
      The movie is based on a book by Jodi Picoult which ends differently..When Anna gets her emancipation she dies in a car crash and kidneys are anyway given away to Kate. I'm wondering why the story line was changed and Kate had to die. What if Anna didn't die of a car crash but died in the Kidney transplant operation. Maybe its too much of a tale to believe that she sacrificed her self for her sister.
      Sacrifice seems as something very unusual and makes us wonder why? Maybe because we don't how to respond to such love. What if someone underwent a punishment that we were supposed to go through or someone was wrongly accused and killed when I was the real culprit. How do we respond?

50 First Dates

"Henry Roth lives in a Hawaiian paradise with the company of endless women with no strings attached. This is until he meets Lucy Whitmore. Both Henry and Lucy enjoy the company of each other and feels the start of a serious relationship occurring. Approaching Lucy the next day, Henry is confused when Lucy fails to recognise him. This is the moment Henry discovers that Lucy actually suffers from short term memory loss and can't remember each individual day. Henry won't let this stop him and is prepared to make her fall in love with him all over again, each and every day" - www.imdb.com
    Ladies !!! Do you want this man to be your lawfully wedded husband ? Isn't Henry Roth the most romantic guy? I wonder if doing this film made Adam Sandler think of his own relationship and improve on it. I felt very challenged by his persistence and determination for the sheer fact that this might be what women expect. Or is it? Is this the mark set by women for all men? Does watching this make single women feel that "I know he is out their somewhere". Do you think Henry would have gone through all this if Lucy was not attractive?
   It was amazing to see Lucy's father and brother going through the routine everyday just to keep Lucy happy. Does dads and brother like Lucy's exist? They actually do. The love and care of the family structure is one thing realistic about this movie. Have you ever thought how hard it must be to look after a disabled child or a child who is mentally handicapped?  tendency is to identify with Lucy and wish that someone would love us but isn't it the other way around? Lucy however finds a husband to love her and take care of her but aren't their so many like Lucy who are waiting to be accepted by society and waiting to be loved by someone? Does the movie challenge you to be sensitive to people like Lucy?   

Up

" A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However he has a stowaway aboard. An 8 year old boy named Russell, whose trying to get an assisting the elderly badge. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin" - www.imdb.com


Wow !!! This was such an adorable movie. The love shared between Carl and his wife was so sweet but isn't it a bit unrealistic? Why go to all that extent to keep a promise to someone who is not even alive. What does Carl gain out of it? a sense of satisfaction that he was able to please his wife or is he re-living a dream. Then again, it must have been mighty hard when so many barriers stood in the path of achieving it. Maybe the diversions actually brought him closer to what he wanted. 
There is much to learn about knowing our choices and picking the correct one.   

Surrogates

"People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates -- sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It's an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don't exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery" - www.imdb.com


    The first thing that came to mind when watching this movie was that its very fictional and no one would want to live like this but now I'm questioning my thoughts. If I was given the opportunity to portray a perfect model of myself to the world will I take that choice? Wouldn't we all?
I have heard many saying that they will give anything to be fairer, inches taller or have a better figure to the extent that an unnatural process like plastic surgery is also an option. Surrogates give the option of completely replacing your self by something totally unnatural. Can a robot replace a human being? Technology is moving towards building Artificial intelligence to replace humans in many tasks, but is it ever possible? 
   The movie reminds us that humans do have flaws but thats what makes us human. People try to hide behind their masks, afraid of revealing true self but its then that the true relationship begins. The Surrogate was similar to the virtual character we create for ourselves in a social network (eg.facebook). We communicate through technological means and use informal communication. What about the value in meeting up people and building friendships? Is that too old fashioned? People are more an more becoming addicted to virtual reality where they don't deal with face to face confrontation and lose the inherent capability of building relationship with the fellow species. Maybe the world is moving so fast and time is of the essence that relationships don't matter, its the survival of the fittest. Is it really meant to be this way?    
   

Orphan

The plot is creative but not sure whether its very realistic but anyhow the attempt is admirable. It does remind me a bit of typical seduction movies where a family is broken apart by the new housemaid. I thought the child was brilliant and has a bright career.

The characters of both women represent people dealing with love. Esther is in need of love and Kate needs to give her love which is bottled up inside. The man in this film plays a very weak character of a man who wont decide anything for himself.

Until the plot is unraveled the child is presented as pure evil and one might actually ask if children are born evil. Well that takes us into the question of what is evil? Is evil something which was meant to be part of this world? or is it something alien to this world? Some people believe that the world was created, then whats the purpose of evil in this world?

In The International, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman's investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing - even murder - to continue financing terror and war - www.imdb.com

When the enforcers of Justice are unjust, when everyone else are quite okay with whats goin on, to whom do one turn to? "They control your money. They control your government. They control your life. And everybody pays", its the tag line from IMDB. Somehow or the other it sounds all too familiar .

Louis Salinger had to make a choice. He would never be able to defeat this evil power by stayin within the system because the system itself was easy. In Sri Lanka this approach is shown in films like 'One Shot' and 'Leader' and presented as the best way to deal with Corruption. But is it? Arn't we fighting the evil with evil itself ?

Something similar was presented in WATCHMEN, chosing the lesser evil to avoid the bigger evil. Does the end justify the means in the progression to a better world ? We dont have the answers but something which we can think about after watching this.

Watchmen - Not just another super hero movie

"Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen?" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/synopsis

Watchmen is a movie which deals with certain human elements which are linked to mans inability to come out of conflict, without superhuman intervention. Unlike many sci-fi movies which are set in dystopian futures, Watchmen is placed in a parallel timeline, where society is much dysfunctional as ours. Of course in this time line certain key events are seen to have happened otherwise. Most notable of these is Nixon who was removed from presidency after the Watergate scandal is still the president in the US, and the Cold war is still in full swing.

Vigilante operatives were made illegal, leaving only Dr. Manhattan (a US version of a walking Nuclear arsenal) and Rorschach (an idealist) who refuses to bow to the rules. For me, Rorschach idealises something of humanity. Scarred yet unbowed and a thirst for truth, which lies at his core. He lays down his life for truth, while many of his colleagues (super heroes like himself) accept the rational of "ends justifying the means"...

"Whats one more body among the foundations of utopia" are one of the last things said by Rorschach before being killed.

In bringing peace to the world in the way depicted in the movie one of the protagonists utter "you havent idealised mankind, you've deformed it, mutilated it"....

Certainly a film worth watching and understanding...

The Pacific: coming soon-2010

"The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines: With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.^[3] The series will tell the stories of the two authors and Marine John Basilone, as the war against the Empire of Japan rages." - wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pacific_(miniseries))

Film deal? Write about films, I will. But somethings are worth a special mention... Based on true stories, The Pacific like its predecessor "Band of Brothers" dealt with war in all its gory and glory...

We can expect to see a film that does not glorify war, but glorifies the human being... showing both the ugly side and what is good. As such a war is a place where you will find man at his worst... and best too.

While we live in a world that portrays even the ugly as beautiful... A war and a documentary type movie that depicts the goodness in man, and the goodness that is LOST in a war, sacrificed to some evil...will always be a scream at what is wrong in the world. Wars will continue until we realise its waste... in humanity and life.

For those of us who have watched "Band of Brothers"... this will be something to look forward to. Stay tuned as we await to find more about this HBO production.

"The powerful alcoholic and clumsy John Hancock is the most hated person in Los Angeles, as in spite of saving lives, he also destroys properties causing high cost to the city to fix his damages. When he saves the life of the PR Ray Embrey from a train, the executive feels in debt with Hancock and decides to change his image. He brings the anti-hero to have dinner at his home, and introduces him to his son and fan Aaron and to his wife, Mary. But Mary does not want Hancock in her life" - www.imdb.com

Interesting portray of the character "Hancock". I wonder if being immortal and powerful is the only way he could have helped peoples lives. Someone would say it was the better way. Cant we help each other even if we are not powerful?

Ray's character is quite admirable but Hancock had the difficult part. Ray helped him to understand the need to change but Hancock had to make the choice. It reminds me of how stubborn people are sometimes, making excuses about their flaws without making an effort to change.

"It's the choices we make that define our lives and not destiny" the answer given by Mary when asked if they are destined to be this way. Have you ever thought of living forever but not being able to be with the one person who your really attracted to? Interesting how the love between the two immortal beings makes them Human. Guess its right, when people love each other unselfishly they become more human.

The Soloist

"In 2005, the only thing hurting Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez more than his face from a recent bike accident was his pressing need for story ideas. That is when he discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a mentally ill, homeless street musician who possesses extraordinary talent, even through his half-broken instruments. Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about Ayers and attempts to do more to help both him and the rest of the underclass of LA have a better life. However, Lopez's good intentions run headlong in the hard realities of the strength of Ayers' personal demons and the larger social injustices facing the homeless. Regardless, Lopez and Ayers must find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations to hope for a brighter future for both of them" - www.imdb.com

"All he needed was a friend" , very moving story line. Once I went to with a friend of mine to talk to beggers at the Nugegoda Junction, I felt strongly that they loved the attention we gave them more than the money we offered. Nathanial's character was such that he wasnt seeking the 'better life' but he was overjoyed by the attention and friendship. Makes me wonder the number of time we do this mistake of defining 'charity' as giving money or goods, when sometimes what they need is a our time and attention.

I would have been very frustrated if I was in Steve's shoes, here I am trying to go out of the way for this guy from the streets and he is not supportive at all.With the ex Wife breathing down my neck and with all the pressure, I may have given up. Would you?

" Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures "

www.imdb.com

Other than Ford, Liotta and Judd the cast is farely new.

I am surprised that America allows these types of films which reveals the Hypocrisy of the country. The film successfully captures the inhuman procedures carried out to carry out different laws of the country. Their is a scene.. an Afghan girl.. suspected a threat due to an innocent essay she wrote.. Let me know what you think about it after watching the film.

Im not sure whether the nudity was needed to bring out the message of the film. Maybe it did. The last bit of the film ,during the ceremony, it makes my wonder Why oh Why do these people want to become second class citizens in that country when they will be fully excepted in their own. A country where everyone is forced with an American way of living.

Hey ppl

Hey their fellow movie freaks,

I still dont quite know how to go about this movie blog and facebook page and would really like some suggestions :) he he..Crazy isnt it..I will post some comments on some new movies i've watched and hope u guys do as well...this is actually a test post to see if everything works..cheers

Me

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