The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Summary:  Seven British retirees move to India as strangers to live in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, what they believe to be a resort of sorts.  Upon their arrival, they see that it's much more of a work in progress than they originally thought.  They all moved there for different reasons:  Evelyn because her husband died leaving her in debt, Graham to rediscover a past love, Jean and Douglas because they lost money investing in their daughter's company, Muriel to receive hip surgery, Madge to find a wealthy husband, and Norman who looks to act younger than he is.

Jean and Douglas are in a very unhappy marriage.  She constantly scolds him and keeps to the hotel while he is out exploring.  Evelyn finds a job for herself and settles into life, while Muriel finds it difficult to be amongst those different than her.  That's a nice way of saying she is a bit racist.  Graham's story is a bit heartbreaking, and I don't wish to ruin it, but it was one of the highlights for me.  Madge and Norman provided more comic relief.

OaTs:  I love films that take place in far away lands, making the location a character of its own.  I have never been to India, and I have to say it's not that high on my list, but this film makes me want to give it a try.  I know the crowds and the traffic would do me in, but it's such a beautiful place.  I can understand the allure that bought them there.

I really liked Evelyn, played by Judi Dench.  She was such a lovely person, open to all new experiences and hoping that the later years of her life would be put to good use instead of wasting them.  The opposite could be said for Jean, Penelope Wilton, who spends most of her time in the hotel because she's scared to go out.  I also enjoyed how adventurous Douglas, Bill Nighy, was, and he kept trying to get his wife to go out.  You start to feel bad for the guy eventually.  Graham, played by Tom Wilkinson, was a really great role.  A man you can really root for.  And Muriel, the exquisite Maggie Smith.  I love her to pieces, and the way she learned to accept others and turn her back on her prejudices was a lovely story.  I wasn't expecting her to be quite so nasty when the film started, so I enjoyed her growth.

A truly delightful film that made me smile the entire way through.  I enjoy watching character grow and change, learn and teach.  Characters who seem real, and good at heart.  Oh - and Dev Patel, from Slumdog Millionaire played the hotel manager.  His storyline with his mother and his girlfriend added a nice comparison to  the lives of the retirees.  His youth was a nice touch.  He wasn't just used as a manager.  He had a backstory just like everyone else, and changed along with them.  A very well told story.

Score:  8/10

The Intouchables

Summary:  Philippe is a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down.  When he needs to hire a body man, Driss applies for the job in order to fulfill an application requirement to receive government benefits for being unemployed.  But Driss stand out, and gets the job.  There begins the tale of how two completely different men can form in incredible bond.

OaTs:  I love French films.  I'm contemplating learning French just so I can watch them and understand them without subtitles.  For some reason, and I think I can credit Marion Cotillard and her performance in La Vie En Rose for this, I prefer French films to any other foreign films, as a whole.

Francois Cluzet plays Philippe.  I had previously seen him in another French film called Tell No One, which I loved. He reminds me a bit of Dustin Hoffman.  He's simply wonderful in this film.  Dealt such a rough hand, he brings a sense of humor to things, and handles it better than most people probably would.  He has is struggles, sure, but his outlook on life is a lot better than some people who don't have to deal with what he does.

Omar Sy won the Caesar for Leading Actor this past year for his work in this film as Driss.  He won over Jean Dujardin, the Frenchman who won the Oscar this year for The Artist.  (The Caesar is the French equivalent of the Oscars.)  I thought, if he won in his home country over the guy who was winning all of these other awards, then he must be something to see.  And he was.  He has lead a rough life as well, and there are family problems showed throughout the film.  But he's a genuinely good man at heart, a side that not many people get to see.

I don't like a lot of drama in my life, and I don't find entertainment in people arguing and not getting along.  Probably why I don't watch those Real Housewives shows.  So to watch a film that does nothing but tell you the story of how two men began their lifelong friendship was a complete pleasure.  And to think that this was based on a true story makes my heart a little bit warmer.  The world could use more uplifting stories like this one.

Score:  8/10

The Way

Summary:  Martin Sheen plays a doctor named Tom, whose adult son, Daniel, has always been a bit distant.  They have different life philosophies.  When Daniel leaves to travel Europe, they are on rocky ground.  Then Daniel dies while traveling the Camino de Santiago, an old pilgramage trail in France and Spain.  Tom travels to France to collect the ashes.  While there, he decides to travel the Camino, since Daniel didn't make it far, and spread Daniel's ashes along the way.  He meets some really great people while on his journey, who provide him with perspective on his own life and his relationship with his son.

OaTs:  Being a die-hard fan of The West Wing, I knew I wanted to see this as soon as I heard about it.  Martin Sheen is a favorite of mine, and he does a wonderful job in this film.  He is rather quiet throughout the journey, only really speaking when he has something to say.  His quiet grief was so wonderfully protrayed.  I cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a child, especially one that you are estranged from.  And with Daniel being played by Emilio Estevez, Sheen's real life son, I'm sure the journey in making the film was just as incredible as it was to watch it.  Estevez also directed the film and wrote the screenplay.

I rented it from a Red Box, and wish so very much that I could have seen it on the big screen.  The scenery was so beautiful, I took my breath away.  It really made me want to make the journey myself some day.  Maybe I will.  Maybe I'll just dream about it.

But it was a really great story.  I man exploring the world and his faith at the same time.  I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in faith, or even just the human spirit.  It will make you think, but it's not a lecture.  Those are the best kind for me, where you leave the theater (or turn off the television) thinking about things in a different way than you did before.

Score:  9/10

The Hunger Games

Summary:  Based on the literary sensation by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games follows the story of teen girl Katniss Everdeen.  This takes place in a fictional future age where America is no longer American, but a country called Panem.  There are twelve districts, and every year, two teenagers from each district will be forced to participate in The Hunger Games - a fight to the death on national television.  It's the Capitol's way to keeping people in line.  One boy and one girl are chosen as tribute by lottery.  When Katniss's younger sister is chosen, Katniss volunteers in her place.  The rest of the story follows her journey into the arena, alongside fellow District 12 tribute Peeta, a boy she has known her whole life.

OaTs:  I'll start by saying that I loved the book.  The movie was one of the best and most faithful adaptations of a book I have read.  Jennifer Lawrence was perfectly cast as Katniss.  She had a quiet strength about her that the character demanded.  Katniss is a wonderful role model for teen girls out there, much unlike fellow literary sensation "herione" Bella Swann from Twilight.  Katniss takes charge of her life, not waiting on anyone to rescue her or do things for her.  She takes care of her mother and sister since her father passed away.  She's a dependable, courageous, strong young woman who girls and women of all ages can respect and look up to.  And Jennifer Lawrence brought all of that to the table.  I really liked her performance.

Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz were horribly underused in their roles as Haymitch and Cinna, two of Katniss and Peeta's confidantes.  They were surprising casting choices, but absolutely perfect once I saw them on screen.  Hopefully we'll see more of them in the movies to come.

It was a truly faithful adaptation, only making changes when necessary.  For instance, the Mockingjay pin that Katniss's friend gives to her in the book is a very important symbol in the books to come.  It may seem minor in the first book, but you wouldn't be able to leave it out because of its meaning in books two and three.  (The pin is featured on the poster above.)  Instead of having a friend give it to Katniss, therefore introducing a character that isn't really necessary, they have Katniss find it in a shop.  It makes more sense.  In a book, you can easily create backstory and include characters for small amounts of time.  When a minor character pops up in a film, it's much harder to tell the audience who they are without including them for a longer amount of time.  A small change, but one that I noticed.  Since it has been a while since I have seen it, I remember there were other differences, but I can't remember what they were.

All in all, I really enjoyed it.  I think I could have enjoyed it more had I not read the book, but that's not important.  Thank you, Gary Ross, for being faithful to the source material, and creating the world's first real blockbuster featuring a female lead.  I can't tell you how much that means to me.  Really strong female roles are hard to find in mainstream film.  It's about time a female carry a film to blockbuster status.  Batman be damned.  (But I still love Harry Potter.)

Score:  8/10