Friday, August 24, 2012

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Lately I seem to have been watching a lot of great movies. After "Les intouchables" yesterday, today it was an English jewel.
"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" does not only have a list of amazing actors. It is witty (if you like the British humor) and colorful, but at the same time rather emotional and at times even incredibly sad.
To come back to the actors: the majority of the protagonists are well known and once you've watched the movie it also becomes clear why that's the case. Their appearance seems authentic and no matter what kind of a character they represent, you can't help but take them to your heart.
And of course, India as a setting breathtaking. It is not trashy and romantic like in many other examples. You get a very diverse picture. You see its colors, the smiling people, the beautiful landscape and temples, but also its poverty and some people's hopelessness. It seems to give a picture of the real India (although I must admit, I've never been and therefore can't really judge).
You may cry just to start laughing a moment later. It shows life with all its faces.

So that you actually know what the movie is about, here's the trailer:


Thursday, August 23, 2012

some of France's finest cinema

There have been many different French movies that I liked. "Amélie", "Bienvenu chez les Ch'tis" or "L'auberge espagnole" would be movies one should have seen if interested in European cinema. Those are special, they have a very particular style, in terms of the story, the language, the humor...
But tonight I watched "Les intouchables", the story of a paralysed French aristrocrat tied to his wheelchair who hires a young black man from the banlieues (suburbs) to be his assistant. The movie has everything the others had too. But there is something else: a deeply emotional side. Contrary to what the title might suggest, I was very touched. It wasn't pity for the man in the wheelchair or for the guy coming from jail and getting a second chance. It was simply moving to watch them live their lives. It didn't even matter that I watched the movie in French and understood only about a third of their conversations. The director managed to keep the balance between the picture and the sometimes incredibly funny, but at times also rather profound dialog.

But see for yourself: Here's a sneak peek for you, the trailer of "Les intouchables".


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