Central Mall, Bangkok

So my cousin, aunt and uncle and I all went shopping on my last day in Thailand. This mall is out of control. I have never seen anything so extravagant in the united states. The food court has really good food, waiters and a swanky live band. The movie theaters have countless cinemas filled with plush recliners. There is a space-aged looking bowling alley and of course, luxury automobile showrooms – of course! All I want to find out is who is buying Porsches at the mall? (Please notice my family in the background – my uncle is making a dramatic cameo appearance.)

~ The Darjeeling Limited ~

Great.  Great.  Great.  This movie goes straight to my top 10 list. Owen Wilson is so comical about being serious, or vice versa.  The dialog is great – it’s a certain way you talk to people that you know better than anybody in the world that gets captured in this script.  India is it’s own character, and it’s wonderful.  Great.  Great.  Great.

There Will Be Blood

I saw this movie in New Orleans shortly after it opened. It was easily one of the hardest films to watch that I’ve seen in a long time. It’s so pure and bare, the music is raw – it hits you in the nerves. The lack of usual tricks and shortcuts we are used to seeing in film storytelling makes you realize that those things exist in mostly everything else. I think it’s best described as antique avant garde.  Daniel Day-Lewis is ridiculously real and horrible and natural all at once.

Michael Clayton

I watched Michael Clayton Saturday night before the Academy Awards. This is a good movie, a thinker – my Mom was watching it with me and after 20 minutes of the movie, the screen read “four days earlier…” and my Mom groaned “Oh great!” because, like I said, it’s a bit of a thinker.  Anyway – I loved Tom Wilkinson and I feel he should have won for this role.   I have a feeling that it’s the kind of movie that you can watch a few times and pick up a few details missed the first time through.

Eastern Promises

I just watched this movie tonight – intrigued by Viggo’s Academy Award Nomination.  First, I have to admit that I am fascinated with all things Russian. I thought this would be an indulgence for me, but it was one of the most gruesome movies I have seen. I liked the story, and Viggo was wonderful as he should be. In the end I was just feeling flat from it.