MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI (My Friend's Wedding)- Review #8

The Film by Yash Chopra-Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (My Friend's Wedding)-is pretty much My introduction to "Bollywood Film". As I sat down to watch it, I was sucked in by this entransing film even with the kitsch. Of course in this film, I am happy to say, there are ample Life lessons about the nature, shades, and complexities of friendship and love hidden under the kitsch.

The characters are ingratiating. A main character Sanjay(Uday Chopra) is a happy-go-lucky guy living in Mubai, but his one problem is that he CANNOT develop a relationship. He feels secure and is complacent, however, until he receives the phone call that shakes him to the core. His Dear Friend from childhood who he has shared most of his life with informs him that She is getting married. Her name is Anjali(played by Sanjana)-The reason no other relationship with any other girl will work . He gushes about her from the depths of his subconscious to a Friend, Ria(Bipasha Basu) just prior to recieving this call, and directly after the call confides to Ria that he will go directly to Dehradoon to her wedding party and break the wedding. The first great Lesson from this film that struck Me is this: "Some things can only be comprehended out of loss". (This is word-for-word or at least very close-a line from Ria as Sanjay laments Anjali's wedding.) How true this is! But Sanjay has hope! As he meets the wedding party, he is his usual fun-loving self, but his worries mount as he meets the prospective bridegroom. Rohit(Jimmy Shergill), Anjali's fiancee, is a debonair charmer-and very successful as a doctor in the U.S. Handsome and worldly, Rohit is adored at first sight by the whole family (although a hilarious scene with photos of an ape before he is met is too funny-a situaton orchestrated by Sanjay, this scene is a classic-but I will discuss the music interludes shortly). There must be soul-searching and revelation before the Triangle is resolved. (I can't say that it compares with the Japanese film/literature obsession with repressed feelings and duty and honor above all as in Remains of the Day, but the quote in Howard's End, the great Novel seems to apply-"Only Connect"! I guess all of us at one time or another keep feelings that we either were not fully conscious that we have (in which it is sometimes too late) or even more common are repressed to avoid hurt or rejecton. In this particular story, the prospect of loss is the catalyst for action, but the remedy is the same for all cases: BE HONEST AND UP FRONT WITH YOUR FEELINGS. CONNECT.

The spectacle was fun and a visual treat. The actors all did well in their parts. The music was fun, the dancing was spectacular (Man.........I wonder if ALL Indian actors have to dance that well as well as act. Is it a prerequisite? Uday was fabulous.) The parts that were musical were often funny. The Triangle of Anjali, Sanjay, and Rohit was dealt with in such a gentlemanly way by the characters. Sure, there is competition, but If only there could be more of that kind behavior in "reality". Just watch the film. Thanks for hooking Me to this exciting new genre, Kaz!!!!! :-D

The Parent Trap(1998)- Review #7

As I promised, I am reviewing a Film that Natasha Richardson has appeared in, and will continue to do more!

The Parent Trap(1998) is a movie that has all the qualifications of a movie that I wouldn't be interested in(especially at first sight and also seeing snippits of the Hayley Mills version as a kid and not being impressed didn't help). I don't do well suspending My dis-belief, so it is easy to see how a movie about two eleven-year-old girls meeting at a summer camp who just happen to be separated-at birth identical twins separated in VERY unlikely circumstances (O.K.-IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!) -meaning that their parents separated and "felt" that they wanted no more contact with each other. To make things as "painless" as possible for each other, they each take one of the twin girls and vow never to let the knowledge of this reach the daughters. WHAT THE........ LOL. WOW. Again, seeing the 1961 version turned me off of the story and hearing about a remake passed through my consciousness well......Not at all. I guess I really never even cared to see it until now. So that is when I sat down on the living floor, popped it in......and was really pleasantly pleased with Lindsay Lohan's Performance(s)! Sure. There is My personal fave Jodie Foster, and also others like Tatum O'Neal, and a slew of other child actors who give performances that are infinitely more remarkable, but Lohan was fun to watch. She emoted well, and was never really out-of-synch playing the two girls. As far as the clicheted stuff that was BOUND to come with the movie, the scenery of California and a little bit of London are beautifully shot-and I daresay make up for some of the cliche baggage. What also REALLY helps is the performances of Dennis Quaid(as Nick Parker-the girls' father-he raises the rambunctious twin Hallie on a vineyard in California) and a deliciously mean Meredith Blake(Elaine Hendrix) who might just be the chink in the plan for the twin girls to reunite their birth parents. Yeah-the story is well known by many, so spoiler alert is not really warranted too much, but what I really recommend, again, is the fun the actors bring to this movie-Which brings Me to Natasha Richardson. Natasha is in the role of Elizabeth James-the girls' bridal-dress designing and proper british mother (who raises the twin Annie as a proper Little Brit )-again, separated from the father that they want her reunited with after they bond at camp and find every need possible to put their family back together. Natasha has recently been described by Meryl Streep as the "Sun" in Her circle of Friends. There is no reflection here-Her warmth, talent and professionalism are just straight from the source. For real. Natasha is luminous, fabulous, funny and ingratiating. Just check out the part where she is in melt-down mode when.........LOL. Just watch the movie. I give it 2.5 out of 4 stars. This film is directed by Nancy Meyers, who also was one of the screenplay adaptors.

*Blogger's Note: There will be a special post Monday Reviewing a Bollywood Extravaganza thanks to "Kazzy" Burton. :-) Be sure to check in on that! ;-D

Curious George, the Four-Year-Old Wonder. ♥ Happy Birthday, GEORGE!

♥Newborn George-My First Nephew♥

An "Armed" George with Granny.

The man of the hour bouncing on the couch in a post-cake sugar high!

Auntie Meg Gave George this adorable wind-up Monkey. Can You Guess what I am thinking???? This little wind-up monkey reminds me of the beginning scenes of the film Rebel Without A Cause where a young James Dean clings to a little Wind-Up toy Monkey as he is taken to task in a Police Station. That film is a classic dealing with teen angst. Hopefully George avoids serious angst as he matures. :-) Maybe this Little Friend can be a good talisman for "Curious George"?

This Rebel Has a Cause!!!!!....Trying to wait patiently for his piece of Cake.

Criminy!......Did they HAVE to give George a toy GUN?????? Cutest little Black-Hatted Cowdude EVER.

Me and George, the Birthday Boy.

Sunday the 22nd of March marked four years to the day that I was home alone and able to answer the phone and be the first person in the family to hear the news that George D. Holm was born. What a sweet boy! This year as we celebrated with a now four-year -old "Curious George", (two days ago-the same day that the Draper Temple was dedicated) there was a wistful, happy feeling of hope as we watched him bounce off the walls with sugar shock and play with his new loot. Thanks, George, for being a joyous force for Me. You are a sweet, unspoiled, and tender boy who has healed Me, made Me laugh, and made Me proud to be Your Aunt! LOVE YOU, GEORGE!

Natasha Jane Richardson-A Fave♥ (A Cinema Saturday Weekend Special In lieu of Cinema Saturday Review.)

Natasha Jane Richardson♥

I Love Natasha Richardson. The first time I saw Natasha Richardson act was in the movie Nell. I was totally impressed! I knew she was classy, cool, and Southern.....then I learned that she was British. LOL. She hit the accent DEAD ON. I became VERY impressed. The versatility and talent for acting of this wonderful actress had impacted Me for good. Then it was Years after that that I learned she was a daughter to Vanessa Redgrave- again, this woman had earned her own kudos without any resting on her blue-blooded laurels. Her raw talent stands on its own. She has the accolades with or without belonging to her fine Acting Dynasty. So I have movies of hers on my list to see now that I am looking forward to watching. And there are the ones I have seen and always Love. From Nell to The Parent Trap on screen; from Ibsen plays to Cabaret on stage-she has proved to be one of the finest and most well-rounded entertainers ever-period. You KNOW I will be reviewing many Movies with this sublime talent in them in the near future.

Aside from her large body of work on both stage and screen, I just keep learning amazing things about her as a person deeply involved in society and activism (Her Charities, Causes, Cooking, etc....this Fiercely loved Friend affects so many in countless ways-from Family to Fans).

Love You, Natasha.

This is a WONDERFUL YouTube tribute. Good Job, Jenjane1993!

Ms. Holm will not be posting a movie review today! :-P She will make it up next week.

Australia- Review #6

Baz Luhrmann has done it again. He has made another Baz-terpiece. It is called Australia, and it is an unabashed love letter (as my sister puts it) to the continent from one of its most celebrated filmmakers-But Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman firmly put their signatures on this love letter as well with two fine and entertaining performances. I really enjoyed the chemistry Kidman and Jackman created. Kidman is such an ethereal, regal, and talented actress. I love her talent and professionalism. She is definitely in my top three fave actresses list. A miniscule part of why she is a fave of mine is that She is an extremely adept comic! Luhrmann harvests this talent from her particularly well. (Watch for this in Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge as well-for which Kidman SHOULD HAVE WON THE BEST ACTRESS OSCAR! >:^/) As far as Hugh Jackman goes, he is perfect in the role of the diamond-in-the-rough leading Man. The Meeting- and then relationship development between Kidman's Lady Sarah Ashley and Jackman's Drover is somewhat cliche, but I never really minded for a minute. (Jackman can clean up pretty well, too! :-D Just watch the movie and You will see what I mean!)

To touch on the plot just a little, Sarah Ashley arrives in Australia to check on Her husband and their Cattle Station, Faraway Downs. She arrives only to find her husband murdered and Herself between a rock and a hard spot, because She feels that She must sell all of her husband's Cattle in order to avoid the loss of Her husband's assets to a crooked Cattle Station manager (Neil Fletcher played by David Wenham) that Her husband hired. She persuades Drover, an independent Cattle drover to help Her transport the 1500 Cattle to Darwin. There are so many characters that I could discuss, but needless to say, Lady Sarah Ashley and the not-so-prim-and-proper Drover are drawn to each other, and through the rough go in getting the cattle to Darwin, they are plagued by plots of Niel Fletcher to gain a Cattle monopoly partly by taking away from Her Faraway Downs. This includes a fire, poisoned water, and murder-not to mention the fact that Fletcher is the father of a Half-Aboriginal boy, Nullah(Brandon Walters) who becomes more and more like a son to Sarah Ashley as the film goes on. Fletcher goes to great lengths to hide this. Nullah and his mother live on Faraway downs as help to Sarah. (The shameful history of the treatment of the Aboriginal people of Australia known as the "Forgotten Generation" and the Half-Aboriginal children known as the "Stolen Generation" is acknowledged in a very sensitive and meaningful manner, but to try to do justice to this disgrace in a film is basically impossible, but Luhrmann did what He set out to do.) The character Nullah in this film is a young boy -about eight- who tries to protect his mother and his self but tragedy happens to his mother and Kidman's Ashley grows to be more protective and deeply attatched to Nullah. I think to go any further would be too much of a spoiler. This film, which is an epic Western/War Drama all in one is lengthy(about three hours long) but enjoyable. Each character is representational of larger forces and groups in Austalia and its history , of course, but the characters are fleshed out well and are engaging. It is well done on many levels and layers even though a film like this is likely to bite off more than it can chew. It is BIG and EPIC!!

One last thing, the Cinematography is BREATHTAKINGLY fabulous! That is due mainly to the fabulous and rugged Australian landscape itself. So breathtaking! (Laura Ashley's primness and proper ways are unconquerable, but the untamed beauty of Australia does something to her that matures her sensibilities and relaxes her uptightness-and of course Drover has something to do with that as well.) I think that Australia is a fine film, and a fun one. I dig Baz Luhrmann's artsy style and sense of fun, humor, and grandeur. Good on Ya, Baz! I give this film 3 out of 4 stars.

Note to readers from Ms. Holm: Don't give up on Me! A Slumdog Millionaire Review is forthcoming!