HAPPY ACCIDENTS

Director: Brad Anderson

Language: English

Courtesy: Netflix

My Rating: @ @ @ @

Synopsis: "The future isn't what it used to be...." - Sam Deed, 2470, Happy Accidents

So, you are a single woman, living in NYC, and, like all the zillion women living in this dynamic and diverse city.... you too are having man trouble.... with the man of today!

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to meet (let alone date) a guy from the future... who travels back in time... for you... from like say... 2470 A.D. ??? ;-) Watch this film!

Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) has man trouble and because of her helping nature and more so what comes across as her curiosity, more than concern for others, she tries to fix things in her relationships which gets her all messed up.... and she ends up with a bunch of losers..... until one day she meet Sam Deed (Vincent D'Onofrio), a sweet but not so normal guy, from the future, on a park bench, who basically travels back in time to save the love of his life. The question is.... who is it??? Ruby Weaver, or is it Chrystie Delancey?

The movie reveals itself as Ruby talks about her new relationship with Sam to her therapist, Meg (Jane Lynch) in flashbacks. The movie is quite gripping, and the acting is brilliant. If you like movies like Memento and The Usual Suspects, give this baby a chance... you won't be disappointed. This movie is a true "lost treasure".

HAPPENSTANCE

Director: Laurent Firodz

Language:French

Courtesy: Netflix

My Rating: @ @ @

Synopsis: I found this to be a very cute independent film... A kinda sorta believer in horoscopes and on a quest to find that "true love" myself... I was able to relate with Irene, the lead in the film. The film brings together several random characters whose paths cross intermittently in a span of 24 hours, all to bring together two strangers whose paths had crossed earlier in the day. There s very little dialogue of the lead characters and that to me signified the "Less is More" concept in the movie. Some parts were very philosophical and suddenly some parts so melodramatic that I honesty felt like it was straight out from a Bollywood movie, but all in all a kinda quirky approach to a standard love story. 

Watch it once..

PIECES OF APRIL

Director: Peter Hedges

Language: English

Courtesy: Netflix

My Rating: @ @ @ @

Synopsis: First off, I absolutely love the title of the film!! It is so damn apt. A low budget quirky, yet beautifully offbeat film, that is very touching and has a simple message about you wanting your family and your family being there for you no matter what!

As the name suggests, "Pieces of April", is about a reformed wild child April (Katie Holmes), who consciously unwilling from the outside, but sub-consciously and deeply willing from the inside, attempts to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, while battling a temperamental oven in addition to her conscience and eventually her neighbors, for her estranged suburban family, in her not so chic, New York City Apartment.

The whole point of this adventure / drama is to introduce her new boyfriend Bobby, to her dysfunctional family who eventually come together to address the past, and heal the future.

Katie Holmes is quite brilliant and keeps you engaged throughout... Oliver Platt & Oscar-nominated Patricia Clarkson co-star in this brilliant film... a must watch!

AMORES PERROS (LOVE'S A BITCH)

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Language: Spanish
Courtesy: NetFlix

My Rating: @@@

Recommended by my dear friend Dave Robinson

Synopsis: In this internationally acclaimed debut film -- which earned an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film -- recounts three intertwining tales that unfold on the brutal streets of Mexico City. Octavio, has an obsessive crush on his sister-in-law; Daniel, dumps his family for a disturbed supermodel; and El Chivo, cares for a wounded dog while planning an assassination.

I must say this movie is really brutal, dark, violent, and very graphic, so watch it only if you can handle it. I saw this film a few weeks back actually and am still figuring it out in my head. All 3 stories seem to have these 3 things in common... Love, Lust and Dogs. All characters seem to have a connection with a dog at some point in the movie. This connection seems to play an integral part of the movie. I particularly loved not knowing that it was all going to come together, especially in the case of the homeless character. 

None of the animals were hurt during the making of the film. The photography, editing, and direction are brilliant and seamless.

MEMENTO

Director: Christopher Nolan

Language: English

Courtesy: My local DVD store

My Rating: @@@@@

Synopsis: Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby snaps Polaroids of people and places, jotting down contextual notes on the backs of photos to aid in his search and jog his memory. He even tattoos his own body in a desperate bid to remember. 

I saw this movie years back and was at the time was unable to grasp the pieces and so at times felt as vulnerable as the main character in the film.

And "GHAJANI" was a really bad bollywood remake, and so no where close to this... please!!

INTERMISSION - 01

Sorry for MIA... Life happened recently, so have been a little pre-occupied... ;-)

Promise to be back soon with more.... actually have been drafting a few reviews but have not had the time to proof and post it....

Keep visiting...

:o)

PARIS, TEXAS

Director: Wim Wenders

Language: English

Courtesy: Netflix

My Rating: @ @ @ @

Synopsis: The film is about a lost, almost empty, rugged, middle aged man, Travis, who has been MIA for the last 4 years. His family tries to locate him but can't seem to.. Life goes on for them, when one day a phone call changes everything for his brother Walt. When Walt meets Travis, at first he won't speak, then he won't eat, and finally he refuses to fly with his brother to LA, where Walt lives with his wife Anne, and Travis's son, Hunter. 

The movie is slow, and takes its own time to unwind the mysteries of Travis's past. He is a man who is not always making the best decisions, but he is trying, with hesitation, to become a person, a human. The entire film is a build-up for the final scene where Travis meets his past. I thought that scene was shot brilliantly. This is where the philosophy of "LESS is MORE" comes to life. This film is about the life and unforgettable love you once had and then lost, the life you wish you had. It also makes me wonder, if there is a hidden message about disillusionment or is it simply about men who can't communicate, or for that matter, the many ways in which people fail to communicate?

Ry Cooder's guitar soundtrack adds that perfect mystery to the beautiful cinematography capturing Travis walking aimlessly across the Texas desserts.