Movies I've seen lately

OK, so I haven't really embraced this blog like I thought I might. My problem is that I am very self critical and usually talk myself out of writing something that might be not that great... but isn't that the whole point of blogging? writing whatever you want?!!?!

OK, enough introspection... on to the flicks.

I recently discovered that there are actual movies to check out at the public library (not just "educational" ones). I know most of you probably knew this already... Last week I checked out two that I had never seen... one comedy and one drama...

First the comedy... I (heart) Huckabees.

As you can see from the front, its supposed to be laugh-out-loud funny... humm. I might have shouted-out-loud, but laughing was far from my response of this flick.

It was basically making fun of existential crisis, I think... I just think it was a big crazy fest that made fun of things that were so random and nonsensical... Plus, it portrayed Christians as greedy, politically extreme right that spend their time justifying the overuse of finite resources, and not being allowed to question anything... (where did that soap box come from? I better get off, I suppose)...

So for me, this movie is not worth the trip to the library and the two hours of my life that I will never get back. If you like really wacko humor that isn't afraid to demoralize people, ideas, and life itself, watch away : )


The other film I picked up was The Namesake

I had been wanting to watch this movie for some time now, probably since I took social and cultural issues in grad school. I am fascinated with how families are impacted by relocating from their culture of origin into another.

This film follows the journey of an Indian couple who come to the US in the late 70s and start their family. The name of their first born becomes a central theme of the film as he is named for the father's favorite author Gogol Nikhil. It is how the family interacts with the culture around them and begins to embrace some of the culture of the US that shapes how they handle life's changes.

I enjoyed this movie. It gave an honest glimpse of how our culture influences how we respond events in our lives and with each choice there are consequences.
From the other reviews of this movie (which is also a book), it seems to be accurate with few exceptions. For those who are interested in culture this would be a great watch.

Well, there goes the first real reviews... decided not to give a rating just yet... might take me two months to write again if I tried to figure that out : )