Playing by Heart: love Jon Stewart :)

Plot:
Among the characters are a mature couple about to renew their vows (Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands); a woman (Gillian Anderson) who accepts a date from a stranger (Jon Stewart); a gay man dying of AIDS (Jay Mohr) and his mother (Ellen Burstyn) who has struggled to accept him; two young people who meet in a nightclub (Ryan Phillippe and Angelina Jolie); a couple having an affair (Anthony Edwards and Madeleine Stowe) and a man (Dennis Quaid) who tells his tragic life story to a woman he meets in a bar (Patricia Clarkson), but seems to have a strange connection to another mysterious woman. As the film continues and the stories evolve, the connections between the characters become evident.


I love how the movie reveals the connections between the characters, it was done expertly and seamlessly. At first, the couples' narratives stand independently.

Meredith (Gillian Anderson) is a theater director being wooed by an adroit, enamored architect, Trent (Jon Stewart) whom she tries to rebuff at every turn only to finally succumbed. it is explained that her problem in trusting man starts when the guy next door she married so early in age turned out to be gay and they ended up divorced.

Then there is willful Joan (Angelina Jolie) who's trying to catch the eyes (and heart) of sullen Keenan (Ryan Philippe). Joan is an actress wannabe, and she pulls no stop in ensnaring Keenan's interests, including having her sister steals her car to have Keenan walks her home. it turns out that Keenan is keen to be with her, it's only that he has AIDS, transmitted from his now demise drug addict girlfriend. however, Joan rallies for his affection and in the end, Keenan relents for them to be together.

the film also includes the many secret trysts of Gracie (Madeleine Stowe) and Roger (Anthony Edwards) in which Roger is getting frustrated at not having their relationship out in the open whereas Gracie is content to have the affairs as it is. she is however not content with her rather unimaginative husband though.

as for Hugh (Dennis Quaid), he frequents clubs and dining places each night with different sob stories for anyone eager to hear his stories. his stories are often tragic and imaginative that it could only be true that he's lying.

Mark (Jay Mohr) on the other hand is dying in the company of his mother Mildred (Ellen Burstyn). it is terrible for her to find out that he is gay when it is clearly he's nearing his end. she doesn't even get to know her son's partner who died earlier due to AIDS. it was a heartbreaking moment when they openly share honest truth to each other.

The tale is interwoven with a lover's spat between Paul (Sean Connery) and Hannah (Gena Rowlands) over a supposed infidelity on Paul's side which occurred a long time before their daughter was born. It seems that Paul was attracted to a co-worker once and when he decided not to pursue her, he found in himself that he loves Hannah more than ever.

it is revealed first that Meredith was once Mark's wife, and that after attending his funeral, she went back to her parents' home. it is then revealed that Gracie and Hugh are husband and wife, that he's taking improv class just so he could be imaginative as Gracie wanted.
 

 

all in all, it is revealed that Gracie, Meredith and Joan are the daughters of Paul and Hannah. all the couples gathered at Paul and Hannah's vow renewal ceremony officiated by Roger, the family pastor. there, they mingled together and Keenan commended Hugh on his imagination for being able to produce great video games, much to the surprise of Gracie. As they danced together, everything turns out well for all of them, except for Roger.


Review:
the most likable character in this movie would have been Trent! i love his sense of humor and honest conversation. i mean, you would have a heart of stone not to like him immensely. so is Joan. her persistence is commendable. i do love the scene where she's sans make up and caught vulnerable by Keenan. yet her beauty shines through.

even though Hannah doesn't understand it, I get it when Paul said he realizes his love is much greater for Hannah once he decided not to pursue Wendy. i mean, that is one solid moment of truth, an epiphany even, for you to realize whether the person you are with is worth staying for or not.

i don't like Gracie much. she's selfish.

to sum it all up, this is a nice family movie. about shedding cynicism and mistrusts to be in love, to take it all, the hardships and all that, in the name of love.

the Dressmaker: so sad (T-T)

Plot:
In 1926 in the Australian outback town of Dungatar, schoolboy Stewart Pettyman dies in unknown circumstances. The only witness to his death, schoolgirl Myrtle Dunnage, is branded a murderer and exiled from the town by Stewart's father and town councillor, Evan Pettyman (Shane Bourne). 25 years later, Myrtle, now an accomplished dressmaker and going by the name Tilly (Kate Winslet), returns to her hometown to take care of her ill mother Molly (Judy Davis). Upon arrival, she is greeted by local police sergeant Horatio Farrat (Hugo Weaving), who is secretly a cross-dresser. Tilly returns home to find the house squalid and her mother plainly mentally ill which has earned Tilly's mother the nickname "Mad Molly" throughout town. Unable to remember the events of 1926, Tilly asks her mother about Stewart Pettyman's death, as she believes that day left her cursed. Molly claims to know nothing about the incident.

The entire town is quickly alerted to Tilly's return, as well as that of William Beaumont (James Mackay), son of the wealthy and snobbish Elsbeth Beaumont (Caroline Goodall). Gertrude Pratt (Sarah Snook), the daughter of the owners of the town's general store, possesses feelings for William, but lacks the confidence to tell him.


The town gathers for the local Australian Rules final game, and everyone is shocked when Tilly turns up to the match in a bright red couture gown that distracts the Dungatar players. During the interval, the handsome Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) confronts Tilly about her distracting dress, and Tilly agrees to change.



After changing into a black but equally alluring outfit, Tilly gives her business card to Gertrude, offering to make her a dress for the upcoming footballers dance. The last quarter of the game begins, with the teams having swapped ends of the field. Due to this, the opposing team from the nearby town of Winyerp are distracted by Tilly's dress, and Dungatar emerges as the winner.



Later, Gertrude arrives at Molly's house to take up Tilly's offer. Tilly agrees to make the dress in exchange for the truth about Stewart Pettyman's death. Gertrude reveals that Tilly had hidden from Stewart Pettyman who had been bullying her unmercifully, but that she revealed Tilly's location in self-defence. Subsequently, Stewart died, but in circumstances unknown to her. Despite feeling betrayed by Gertrude, Tilly agrees to make the dress for her.



At the footballers dance, Gertrude's dress is a huge success, and she successfully uses it to capture the attention of William. They later become engaged. Soon, all of the townspeople begin asking Tilly for extravagant dresses. Simultaneously, Teddy pursues a romantic relationship with Tilly. Tilly and Sergeant Farrat also bond over their shared passion for designer clothing, and they form a friendship. Noticing that Tilly is beginning to regain the favour of the townspeople, Councillor Pettyman recruits dressmaker Una Pleasance (Sacha Horler) to start a rival dressmaking service to steal Tilly's business. This is initially successful, but when Gertrude hires Tilly to create her wedding dress, the rest of the townspeople return to Tilly, ruining Una.

Tilly uses a feather boa to bribe Sergeant Farrat into letting her read her former schoolteacher Beulah Harridiene's (Kerry Fox) witness statement from the day Stewart Pettyman died. Upon reading it, Tilly discovers that Beulah's statement is false. On the day of Gertrude and William's wedding, Tilly confronts Beulah, and she admits to lying in her witness statement. Tilly rushes to the wedding reception, where she tells Sergeant Farrat about Beulah's lies.



Tilly claims that Pettyman had no right to send her away, but Farrat reveals that Pettyman is Tilly's father, and that he had a right as a parent. Meanwhile, Beulah approaches Pettyman's anxious wife Marigold (Alison Whyte), who became a recluse after the death of her son. Marigold is the only townsperson unaware of the rumour that Tilly murdered her son, but Beulah reveals this information to her. Marigold breaks down and starts yelling at Tilly, labelling her a murderer. Tilly runs from the reception, but Teddy chases after her.

Teddy takes Tilly to the schoolhouse, where Tilly begins to remember the events surrounding Stewart Pettyman's death—Stewart subdued her against a wall, threatening to come at night to murder her mother and assault her if she moved. He charged head-down at her, intending to injure her. Instead, she stood aside at the last moment, and Stewart hit his head on the wall and broke his neck. Teddy reveals that the only witness was his brother Barney (Gyton Grantley), who had been sitting on the town silo at the time and saw the whole thing, but due to being developmentally disabled, no-one thought to ask him. Tilly and Teddy then go to his caravan and consummate their relationship, after which Tilly begins to believe that she may no longer be cursed. Later, she and Teddy sit on top of the town silo. Teddy shows off by jumping into the silo, despite Tilly's warning cries. The silo holds sorghum, and Teddy suffocates as he sinks into the grain.

Tilly becomes depressed after Teddy's death until her mother encourages her to continue dressmaking. While out in town, Molly suffers a stroke, and later dies. Only Tilly and Sergeant Farrat attend the funeral. Molly's death sets off a chain of disturbing and macabre events. While Tilly and Farrat are holding a wake for Molly, Beulah snoops around the house. Tilly drunkenly objects to the music on the portable record player, and throws it off the verandah, where it hits Beulah and injures her. Beulah is last seen being helped onto the train to Melbourne, ostensibly for treatment but really to be placed in an asylum. Percival Almanac (Barry Otto), the cruel town chemist who mistreated Tilly as a child, accidentally drowns in a pond at the back of his house. It is discovered that Almanac's wife Irma (Julia Blake) was unable to save her husband due to being under the influence of hash brownies, which had been baked by Tilly. In order to prevent Tilly's arrest, Sergeant Farrat takes the blame. He is then removed from the town by his superiors, something which greatly upsets Tilly. Tilly visits Marigold and reveals that her husband has been conducting numerous extramarital affairs, including with Una. Marigold confronts her husband about his unfaithfulness, and subsequently hamstrings him and leaves him to bleed to death.

The remaining townspeople travel to the neighbouring town of Winyerp to perform in a competitive Eisteddfod. Once there, they are shocked to discover that Tilly has designed and sewn all of the costumes for Winyerp's performance. While the townspeople are away, Tilly sets fire to her house and to a bolt of fabric soaked in kerosene that is rolled out down the hill towards the town. Tilly states that she is no longer cursed, and leaves the town by train, her sewing machine her only luggage. The townspeople, seemingly having lost the Eisteddfod, return to the town to find that it has burned down.

Review:
i love KW in this movie.. she is both bold and vulnerable, being charmed by Teddy nonetheless. the pair have a sizzling chemistry that simply heats up the screen, huhu. i admit, the movie can be somewhat tedious, but having the pair simply jogs the pace along just nice.

i feel so sad when Teddy died, i mean, you could not help but feeling sorry for Tilly.. wondering if truly she was cursed in the first place :'(

the townspeople of Dungatar are so horrible to Tilly. even though Tilly had helped Gertrude wins William right up to the altar still she could not win their loyalty..



i guess it takes guts for Tilly to come back and face her past.. i don't know if i had it in me. if only she didn't lose Teddy, this story would be perfect for me :'( but then, who are we to write the story of our own choosing, right. it touched my heart when Molly said to Tilly "you thought you come back for me but it is really for you..." alahai.. sayunya bila your mom cakap macam tu.. the mother-daughter pair really jives well too.




the movie is charming, i give you that. the costumes are riveting and beautiful. i simply love the scene when Gertrude comes out off that horrid wedding dress into a shocker gown that simply bedazzled William into setting a wedding date.. hahaha.. it's priceless! simply to show that no matter how ugly you look, come the experts and all the equipments, you can come out looking like a million bucks!

this review won't be complete without mentioning the friendship between Tilly and Sergeant Farrant. I confess, i've never liked HW since his portrayal of Agent Smith in the Matrix but by golly, he's wonderful in this movie. a true friend in need :) he was arrested though, taking the fall for Molly's misdeeds that were thought to be Tilly's..

yup. this movie is so sad. but i'm glad i watched it. at least i got to see KW at one of her finest.. and LH is a real eye candy, hahaha 

Self/Less: engaging!

Plot:
Business tycoon and billionaire Damian Hale (Ben Kingsley) is master of his own universe, until he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now on his deathbed, he finds a business card directing him to a man named Professor Albright (Matthew Goode), who informs him about a radical medical procedure called "shedding," in which one's consciousness is transferred to an artificially grown healthy body. Damian decides to undergo the procedure and engineers his own public death. Albright transfers him into a new body (Ryan Reynolds) and prescribes medication to alleviate the vivid hallucinations which he claims are side effects of the procedure.

After a period of adaptation exercises, Damian starts a new life in New Orleans under the assumed name of Edward Kidner and quickly befriends his neighbor Anton (Derek Luke). However, when he forgets to take his medicine, he subsequently suffers hallucinations of a woman and child. When Damian asks Albright about the hallucinations, Albright dismisses his concerns, but accidentally reveals that he knows details of the hallucinations that Edward did not tell him. Albright arranges for Damian to move to Hawaii for a change of scenery, but Damian, convinced the hallucinations are some kind of memory, researches a landmark he saw in his vision and heads to St. Louis instead.

At a farmhouse outside of St. Louis, he finds the woman, Madeline (Natalie Martinez), who identifies him as her apparently deceased husband, Mark. Damian learns, much to his horror, that the body he is inhabiting belonged to another man who sold himself to Albright in order to gain the money he needed to pay for their daughter Anna's life-saving medical treatment. Shortly after arriving at the house Damian and Madeline are attacked by Albright's men, led by Anton, who reveals that he is one of Albright's employees. Damian and Madeline severely wound Anton, escape, and collect Anna (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) from school before heading back to New Orleans. There, Damian researches Dr. Jensen (Thomas Francis Murphy), the man who invented shedding; Damian notices a tic he shares with Albright in a video of him and sees Albright in the same video as his assistant, and concludes that Jensen has shed himself into Albright's body.

Damian finds Dr. Jensen's wife, Phyllis, in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's and tries to get her to reveal where her husband's research is, but she does not know. Damian soon lures Albright to the home and confronts him. Albright reveals that the pills suppress the original personality of the body he is inhabiting; if he continues to take the medicine, his "Mark" personality will eventually be completely erased, while if he quits, Mark will reassert control over his body and kill Damian's personality instead. But Damian flees when more assassins show up, including another man who he recognizes as Anton due to the necklace that he is wearing. Anton reveals to Damian that he has shed multiple times.

At a rest stop, Madeline confronts Damian over his behavior and lack of knowledge of their personal details, and he reveals all that has transpired to her. He takes them to his old friend Martin (Victor Garber) and convinces him to provide for Madeline and Anna to flee to the Caribbean. However, he and Madeline discover Anna playing with Martin's young son Tony (Dylan Lowe), who died two years ago; Martin admits that he used shedding to save his son and that Albright's men are waiting for them. Damian then reveals the dark secret behind shedding to Martin, who believed that the bodies were artificially grown in a lab and is shocked to find out that his son's new body is really someone else's son. Damian flees to distract Albright's men while Martin, Madeline, and Anna escape. Damian manages to crash Anton's car with him in it and defeat his pursuers, but Madeline and Anna are recaptured.

Damian stops taking his medicine in order to experience more of Mark's memories, hoping they will lead him to Albright. This succeeds, and Damian pursues Albright to a lab built in an abandoned warehouse. There, Albright captures him and attempts to shed Anton into Mark's body, but Damian, remembering that metal interferes with the shedding process, takes a bullet casing in his mouth, therefore sabotaging the procedure and killing Anton in the process. He rescues Madeline and Anna and kills Albright with a flamethrower. Damian arranges for Madeline and Anna to flee the country as planned, meets his own estranged daughter Claire (Michelle Dockery), and delivers her a letter reconciling with her. He then heads to the Caribbean and stops taking his medicine, dying peacefully. The real Mark reawakens in his own body and discovers a video message from Damian's personality thanking him for the time he gave him. Mark then reunites with his family at last.


Review:
the premise of this movie is somewhat mind boggling. it would have been wonderful to be able to shed your body. however it becomes sinister when Albright becomes too possessive and outright sneaky about it.

i love the fact that Damian, though desperate to live, had finally resigned to the fact that he had to die eventually. i guess, the moral of the story is the strength of the film. carousing with women and living the fast life don't mean so much without family.. though Damian at first has Anton as his buddy, yet he couldn't help feeling empty. no wonder the glimpse of Maddy and Anna drove him to find the truth.

i wonder though, how convenient some things are for Damian.. i mean, it was so easy for him to spot Maddy's house just by googling the pumpkin tower in St Louis. then it was convenient that he didn't die during the shedding process whilst having a bullet casing in his mouth. plus how come there is a flamethrower in the lab? to what purpose? sigh..

by the by, as i said, the journey of Damian shows no matter how far you go, family is important. going back to a big house is no home to him, not with his daughter estranged from him.. so there you are, be thankful of your family :)

Bedazzled (2000): good, devilish fun!

Trailer:


Plot:

The opening sequence takes the form of a computer simulation run by the Devil to analyze souls and determine individual weaknesses to exploit and corrupt. The program finally settles on Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser), a geeky, over-zealous man working a dead-end technical support job in a San Francisco computer company. He has no friends and his co-workers are always avoiding him. He has a crush on his colleague, Alison Gardner (Frances O'Connor), but lacks the courage to ask her out. After Elliot is again ditched by his co-workers at a bar while trying to talk to Alison, he says to himself that he would give anything for Alison to be with him. The Devil, in the form of a beautiful woman (Elizabeth Hurley), overhears him and offers to give Elliot seven wishes in return for his soul.

As a test, he wishes for a Big Mac and Coke. The Devil takes him to McDonald's and places the order. Elliot has to pay for it, because, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

After taking Elliot to her office, based at a nightclub in Oakland, the Devil convinces Elliot to sign her contract, and delivers further wishes. Each wish has Elliot living them out with Alison and his co-workers in surrogate roles. However, he doesn't know that the Devil will always spoil his wishes by adding something he doesn't want. Elliot wishes to be rich and powerful, with Alison as his wife. The Devil makes him a Colombian drug lord whose wife despises him and cheats on him with Raoul, his co-worker, who is secretly planning to get rid of Elliot and take his position and property. Soon after there is a firefight between his and Raoul's people where Elliot "dies". When he returns to the real world, the Devil points out that he never wished for Alison to love him.

Secondly, Elliot wishes to be emotionally sensitive so he will understand the needs and desires of women. The Devil makes him so sensitive that he spends most of his time crying over how beautiful the world is, and constantly asks Alison, his girlfriend of "three magical weeks," whether he has hurt her or if she needs anything. Alison says she has had enough of it and wants to be with a man who is strong and shallow. She then leaves Elliot for a man who is strong, rude and completely different from the romantic and emotionally sensitive Elliot. Elliot then wishes to be a superstar athlete who would be a woman magnet. The Devil makes him a cliché-spewing NBA star, but also gives him a small penis and a low IQ, which causes Alison, a sports reporter, to lose interest in him shortly after they meet.

He then wishes to be intelligent, witty and well-endowed. The Devil grants this by making him a famous writer whom Alison falls in love with at a cocktail party. When they arrive at Elliot's home to make love it is revealed that Elliot is gay and living with a flamboyant male partner. Lastly, Elliot wishes to be President of the United States to try to improve the world and get Alison to take him seriously. The Devil makes him Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the night of his assassination which he nearly avoids. After each wish is renounced, Elliot meets with the Devil and she blames him for not being specific enough. Eventually he returns to work, thinking about what he should do with the last two wishes. The Devil then appears on the computer screen, pointing out that he only has one wish left. This is because on their first meeting he asked for a Big Mac and Coke, although she had stated that it was a test wish and granted it before Elliot signed the contract. Elliot loses his patience and storms out of his office.

Elliot visits a church looking for God's help, where he briefly confesses to a priest who seems sympathetic. However, after being asked whether he thinks asking the Devil for a Big Mac and Coke counts as a wish, the priest, believing he is drunk, has Elliot arrested. The sergeant books him, and the Devil, dressed as a police officer, throws him in a cell, telling him that she does like him, and it would not hurt to have her as a friend. Elliot's cellmate (Gabriel Casseus) tells him that he cannot possibly sell his soul as it belongs to God, and although the Devil may try to confuse him, in the end he will realise who he truly is, and what his purpose is. Elliot questions the man as to his identity, but the response is simply "a really good friend", hinting that he may in fact be God, or at least, an angel.

Elliot asks the Devil to cancel their contract. When the Devil refuses, Elliot states he will not use his final wish. The Devil teleports them to Hell, where she transforms first into a black horned monster, then into a giant. When the Devil pushes him to make a final wish, Elliot wishes that Alison could have a happy life. The Devil sighs and Elliot falls into the depths of Hell. Elliot wakes up on a marble staircase, wondering if it is Heaven. The Devil tells him that because a provision in the contract's fine print, unread by Elliot, states that a selfless wish voids the contract, Elliot keeps his soul. Elliot admits that despite her manipulation of him he has come to like the Devil and regards her as a friend, something she does not object to. She also advises that Heaven and Hell can be found on Earth; it is up to humans to choose. Elliot finally asks Alison out, only to learn that she is already dating another man. He continues with his life, but with a better understanding of who he is.

Later Elliot is confronted by Bob (Paul Edelstein), one of his co-workers, who starts ridiculing Elliot at the encouragement of his co-workers. Elliot loses his temper and grabs a terrified Bob by the shirt, but lets go, simply saying, "Nice talking to you." A threatening look sends his other co-workers scurrying away in fear. At home, he meets a new neighbor, Nicole Delarusso (also played by Frances O'Connor), whose looks resemble Alison's, but whose personality, interests and fashion sense are much closer to his. He offers to help her unpack and they begin a relationship. While the two walk along a boulevard, the Devil and Elliot's cellmate, both dressed in white, are seen playing chess, looking at Elliot and his new girlfriend, with the Devil taking the opportunity to fix the game but get caught by the guy, who only laughs about that and let her finish her cheating moves. The scene ends with the Devil's computer program listing foibles of Nicole's and Elliot's, which they both tolerate.

The Review:
I love this movie because of its fun devilry that keeps Elliot out of turn everytime he makes a wish :D

for example, in the first wish that he made, the Devil turns him into the Spanish speaking drug lord, hahahah



the scene where he realises he's homosexual is also funny. the boyfriend is really a scene stealer, hahahah



the best scene would have been when Elliot meets Nicole. she's adorable!! too adorable that she completely made up for the shortcomings of Alison in all the 5 wishes Elliot has made :)



watch this movie, because it's hilariously funny. trust me. plus, EH is really charming as the Devil, she seems to be having a lot of fun with Elliot that in the end, i couldn't be mad at her at all. plus, she looks real good in this movie, love her clothes!

Comet: kinda confusing but it had some good moments

Trailer:



Movie:



Plot:
After meeting by chance at meteor shower, pessimist Dell (Justin Long) and insightful Kimberly (Emmy Rossum) begin a 6 year journey through a relationship that blooms and fades over time. The movie is shown through glimpses of parallel universes and flashbacks that are not chronologically ordered, showing the viewer the progression and depression of their intricate relationship.



Review:
The timelines are convoluted that I failed to determine which is after which.. Even wiki is unable to help. so sorry. I'll expand the plot part when I get to watch this movie again later. one thing that I particularly like about Dell's characterization is that he is so forthcoming. he just says what he wants to say regardless of the outcome. like asking for Kimberley's number outright in front of her date for the meteor shower. nasib baik mamat tu tak hempuk je dia kat situ, hahaha..

I love the cinematic shots of this film. and the way JL and ER looks different effortlessly for each timeline.. Dell also has some memorable quips. what I really don't love is Kimberley's moodswings. they are simply too much to handle.

update -> after watching this movie for a second time, now only did I understand the story. and it's kinda good. a love story of two f-up person. Dell falls in love Kimberley because she's a little crazy, which is perfect for him, he thought. little did he know, the craziness in her drove his already neurotic self into despair when they fought over simplest miniscule things.

Dell taught Kim to lie, because he believed lies are always there in a relationship, so better make up some lies, as they progress into their relationship.. only to have that belief bit them in the ass, causing fights and break-ups when both parties can't handle the lies. truth to be told, Dell is the one that can't handle the lies. he flew off the handle so quickly, being that pessimistic. it's only lucky that in the end, he managed to finally get over his pessimism and stupid 5 minutes rule, to realize Kimberley's lie about Jack and her pregnancy.

sigh.. so many drama. the first time watching it, I couldn't get over my disappointment of Kimberley's behavior at the hotel in Paris. the second time watching it, I disliked Dell's rash behavior even more. he shouldn't have flushed the ring into the toilet in fits of anger. it's as if he doesn't really want to get married.

all in all, it made you reflect on relationship. Dell was often worried that he will miss good things in life, not to realize that it was his actions caused him to miss it.. like the way he missed the comet shower and the right moment to propose. to make it work in life, you have to grab the moment and not let the worries distract you.. just like the ending of this film :)

 

sad :'(





 

Amira and Sam: Simple and Understated

Plot:

Sam (Martin Starr), a soldier who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, meets Amira (Dina Shihabi) when he visits her uncle, Bassam (Laith Nakli), who had served as Sam's Iraqi translator. Bassam and Sam have a special bond due to their time together in the war where Sam had saved Bassam when they were once ambushed. Initially Amira does not trust him because he was an American soldier and her brother was killed by a bomb from American troops in the war. Her frosty demeanor somewhat baffled Sam who is basically a decent guy.

Sam's cousin, Charlie, asks Sam to help him with illegal hedge funds unbeknownst to Sam at the time. Amira is staying with her uncle Bassam since her father died. She sells pirated films on the street corner but is forced to stay with Sam after getting busted; immigration officials begin pursuing her. As they spend the time together eluding the authorities, Sam and Amira warm into each other.


The adventurous wild streak in Amira just revel in Sam owning a motorbike and taking her on a boat trip, that somehow her icy cold treatment towards Sam just melts. However, problems occur when Amira accidentally hurt Claire, Charlie's pregnant fiancé during Sam and Charlie's scuffle. Claire presses charges and Amira ends up getting arrested and ordered for deportation.

Given just one day before deportation to sort her matters, Amira chooses to spend it with Sam where ultimately as the day draws to a close, they decide to run away together.

here's the full movie :)



Review:
Dina Shihabi as Amira is a complex twisted woman, wearing hijab but showing her skin oh so freely. there is the scene where she even tries whiskey, which is prohibited to Muslims. her answer is simple, she only does what she wants.

sigh. that is so wrong on so many levels for practicing Muslims. but I love her fire-spitting spirit though.

as for Sam, arghhhh.. what a voice Martin Starr has.. it's somewhat deadpan but the integrity of his character.. so squeaky clean, man, I understand why Amira falls for him. I would :smirk:

the story is simple. about a woman following her own rules, and a guy, holding steadfastly to his ideals, no matter how hard those are. together they have chemistry that binds them together.

the thing is, I wonder about the immigration procedures in the States. so easily they let go of Amira to submit herself for deportation the next day. tak takut dia larikah? I mean, given if it was me, I would run helter skelter, and I don't even have the evasive history that Amira has. seriously.

all in all, I like this story. the romance is believable. and the issues are too. the only bone I want to pick is that Amira does not represent a true Muslim woman. the way she dresses, the choices she makes etcetera etcetera only represents her as a rebellious Iraqi woman.

one point though, I like the part where it depicts her hijab covers her most beautiful self. the uncovering of it is indeed a scene so poignant, so intimate that one Muslim woman only does for one special person for her.

Catching Fire: irrevocably, hopelessly in love with Peeta Mellark

Plot:
 

After winning the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) return home to District 12. Katniss is distant from Peeta, resuming her life as if the things they share back in the Hunger Games never happened.

Katniss expected that when she returned home everything would be the same, but now her best friend, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), seems farther away than ever now that he works in District 12's mines twelve full hours a day, and with the Victory Tour coming up, Katniss has more on her mind than ever. During much of the day, Katniss is bored with her new life because now, she has everything: money, a good home, and a constant supply of food. One day after Katniss returns home from hunting game outside of the District, an unexpected visitor appears, President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the president of Panem.

Snow awaits with his threat

Snow explains to Katniss that during the last Hunger Games when she tried to commit suicide with Peeta by eating poisonous nightlock berries, she ignited a possible uprising in the districts. President Snow and Katniss have a lengthy conversation about the fact that if she doesn't convince the districts that she made the decision out of temporary lovesickness, then he would personally make sure she suffers.  He then orders her to use the Tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol.

Effie (Elizabeth Banks) and the prep team soon arrive at District 12 to prepare and escort Katniss and Peeta for the Victory Tour.

a show of a Couple

 

Back on the train, Katniss and Peeta somewhat mend their fences, and console each other when the nightmares hit.

As the tour begins, they make the first stop at District 11. Effie has provided them with cue cards written with the customary words to say. It is especially hard for Katniss as Rue who was her ally and Thresh who spared her life back in the Games, were both from District 11.

On impulse, Peeta has announced that a month of their Victor's winnings will be given once a year to Rue's and Thresh's families for the rest of Peeta and Katniss' lives, much to the shock of the people as it was never done before.

They then are ushered to leave but Katniss falters as she looks at Rue's picture. She delivers a brief speech, thanking the people of District 11 for their participants in the Games, personally acknowledging Rue as her friend and Thresh's mercy for her is one debt she can never repay.

When she finishes, an old man whistles the tune that Katniss used in the arena to tell Rue that she was safe. The song acts as a signal and everyone salutes Katniss, using the same gesture that she used to say farewell to Rue. To the horror of Katniss, the old man and two others are executed.

Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) pacifies Katniss and brings her and Peeta to a secluded room in the building where Katniss confesses of Snow's threat to him and Peeta. She is aghast and frightened, pleading with Haymitch to help her go through the Trip as Snow requested. Instead Haymitch warns Katniss and Peeta that the "show" of their relationship must continue for the rest of their lives, not only as Victors but also the Mentors to the upcoming tributes from District 12.

In the following stops, both Katniss and Peeta try their best to subdue the restlessness in the audience but to no avail as dissents are getting louder, demanding Katniss to abandon the scripted speech and instead voice out what she really feels.

At lost, Katniss finally suggests a public engagement between herself and Peeta, which is carried out much to the delight of the Capitol and then congratulated by Snow at his mansion in the Capitol.

Yet, Snow does indicate to Katniss that he is not at all convinced of her love for Peeta, regardlessly.

Returning home, Katniss warns Gale of Snow's threat to kill both their families. Peacekeepers crack down on District 12 and Gale is publicly whipped after attacking new Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread.

Snow announces a special Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, where all tributes will be selected from previous victors. Katniss immediately devotes herself to ensuring Peeta survives, recruiting Haymitch's help to do so.

defiant into the Reaping

saying goodbye

At the reaping, Effie Trinket draws Katniss and Haymitch's names, but Peeta immediately volunteers to take Haymitch's place. They then are taken straight to the Capitol and appear to the crowd during the Parade.

Katniss first meeting with Finnick the seducer

love the gong. it was impressive!

Katniss and Peeta's first meeting with Johanna

As they prepare for the Quell, Haymitch reveals that all the tributes are angry at being returned to the Games and advises a reluctant Katniss to make allies with ones that she and Peeta feel comfortable during the Practice.

scouting for allies

the Head Gamemaker

In the pre-Games interviews, Katniss wears her wedding dress, as ordered by President Snow, but her stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) rigs it to transform into a representation of a mockingjay, much to the delight of the  audience.

 

 

Peeta announces that they are expecting a baby which causes outrage and the audience of Capitol citizens to begin shouting for the Games to be stopped. The show later has to be cut as the tributes hold hands as a show of solidarity.

the Cornucopia is a lake

thankfully Peeta survives from drowning

In the Games, Katniss and Peeta allies with Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) who shows Haymitch's golden Bangle token as a signal of their alliance. Elderly Mags (Lynn Cohen), Finnick's mentor tags along as they move away from the Cornucopia. The arena's outer forcefield shocks Peeta, stopping his heartbeat until Finnick revives him.

 

.

 

“After your first Games, I thought the whole romance was an act on your part. We all expected you’d continue that strategy. But it wasn’t until Peeta hit the force field and nearly died that I — " Finnick hesitates.
“That you what?”
“That I knew I’d misjudged you. That you do love him. I’m not saying in what way. Maybe you don’t know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him”

Finnick's reaffirming his allegiance.

 The group flees a poisonous fog, and Mags sacrifices herself so as to avoid slowing them down.

the water helps revive them from the poison

When vicious mandrills attack, Peeta is saved by the unexpected sacrifice of Morphling, a tribute from District 6.

The group escapes to a beach and meets District 3's Wiress (Amanda Plummer) and Beetee (Jeffrey Wright), and District 7's Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) who manage to escape from the rain of blood. In anger Johanna mouths off that she brought both Wiress and Beetee because Katniss originally requested the pair as the allies she wants.

Wiress keeps mumbling "Tick Tock" over and over again that confirms Katniss' suspicion that the arena is designed like a clock with regular hazards at each hour and the Cornucopia as its centre.

However as the group collect their supplies from the Cornucopia, Wires is killed soon after in a battle with the remaining Careers. The group survive the attack and return to the beach, only for Katniss and Finnick to be taunted by jabberjays with the voice of their loved ones being tortured.

 

 

Beetee suggests using one of the hazards, a tree that is struck by lightning every 12 hours, and a coil of wire to electrocute the other remaining tributes. As they wait for the lightning to strike in the next 8 hours, Peeta and Katniss got to talking. It is obvious to the pair that soon they have to split from their allies in order to survive once the Careers are dead. And Peeta takes the opportunity to give Katniss his token, the golden Medallion that he asked Effie to make him, as a reminder of what she has back home: her mom, Prim and Gale.

 

 

that "look" (swoons)

the last goodbye

The group separates to prepare the trap, but once alone Johanna appears to attack Katniss — in reality cutting the tracker from Katniss' arm. Katniss returns to the tree and finds an unconscious Beetee with the wire from the tree attached to a makeshift spear.

Unable to find Peeta, Katniss almost attacks Finnick, but Finnick reminds her to consider "who the real enemy is", as Haymitch had advised her prior to the Games. Katniss attaches the remaining wire to an arrow and shoots it into the arena forcefield as the lightning hits, causing a power failure that takes down the dome's forcefield as well as the Capitol's surveillance.

The aftershocks cause Katniss to be blown away, almost unconscious as an aircraft appear to lift her out of the arena.

Katniss awakens later to find Haymitch, Beetee, Finnick, and Plutarch Heavensbee, the head Gamemaker, who is revealed to be a rebel against Snow. He tells her the aircraft is bound for District 13, headquarters of the new rebellion, and that half the tributes were aware of the plan to escape with Katniss, as a symbol for the growing rebellion. They were unable to rescue Peeta and Johanna, who were taken by the Capitol.

A distraught Katniss is sedated after attacking Haymitch. She later awakens to find Gale by her side, who reassures that her family is safe but also tells her that District 12 no longer exists.

Character Pix:

Posters:

 

 

Review:
i finished reading Mockingjay, falling irretrievably in love with Peeta, that Katniss made the most logical decision in marrying him. and watching this movie, it reaffirms my feelings regarding Peeta. the vulnerability, void of self-pity embodied by JH simply melts my heart. that his care for her runs deep, that regardless of what the world can be, he is solid and always there for her.

you know what, Haymitch's statement that Katniss could live a thousand lives and not deserve him is spot on. Peeta understands Katniss' needs to be with Gale, and he willingly protects and cares for Gale as the latter lay senseless from the whippings. and he knew from the start that going into the Quell, his sole purpose is keeping Katniss safe so that she can come back to Gale and her family. this he feels strongly regardless the cold, indifferent treatment Katniss subjects to him ever since they get back from the Hunger Games.

what i like most about Peeta is his rock solid sense in right and wrong. and that he's always sensible, optimistic. the perfect antidote to Katniss' impulsiveness and inability to connect to those who matters most.

i think JH has evolved in this movie. he transcends from the baker boy into a man with a purpose. somewhat with a glib tongue no doubt but truly genuine. you can feel it in his gaze, words and body language.

Katniss is in her full glory. raging within, desperate, rather mentally unhinged sometimes. i couldn't help feeling that Katniss' media presence is not at all unlike JL's persona in the eyes of the real media. she's playful, full of self-deprecating humor and totally uncaring. one of my favourite scenes would have been her impulsive, straight-from-the-heart speech in addressing the District 11. her pain, her regrets for not being able to save Rue is evident.

as for Finnick, ... i like SC's portrayal of him more than in the book. he was charming and flirtatious. and pass all the playfulness, the playboy conveys enough pain and self-loathing. not an easy feat but SC's done that, perfectly. his speech for Annie is somewhat corny though. and the scene where Katniss found him sane and functioning, deep in conversation with Haymitch and Plutarch as they head to District 13, i mean, simply not add up. because by then he would have known Annie was taken by the Capitol.

Johanna was fun to watch too. her anger, and dare devilry simply delightful. indeed, i think JM has outdone herself. i am so looking forward for her outing in Mockingjay. she does deserve to be pitied though as she simply states there's no one that i love left.. #heartbreaking, no wonder she's so angry at Panem.

 her wink in the elevator, i was like, dem, i love Johanna's quirkiness!

hahahah. love Katniss' reaction :)

LK's portrayal of Cinna in this movie is rather disappointing. i fail to feel Cinna's depth of feelings, his loathing at the Capitol. Cinna by the book is a tortured soul, rebellious in his quiet way and visionary at his best.

in parts i feel that the film fails to convey some of the essence of the book. yet, the faithfulness in commemorating Katniss-Peeta's relationship, in showing different facets of Katniss as she struggles to keep her loved ones safe, do bring the movie forward, in a way, much better than the first installment. though i do admit JL is not afraid to reveal her deranged look when she thought Peeta was dead due to the force field shock. i mean it, she looks real unhinged!

in overall, i finished watching this movie rather looking forward to see how the characters developed. it is sad to see Peeta soon in Mockingjay, when he's subjected to torment and torture. but one thing for sure, i'm glad JH is cast as Peeta Mellark. for he is perfect in every essence of Peeta Mellark that i fall in love with in the novel.

REAL.