Films
Films I have seen this term: Slumdog Millionaire, Spirited Away, Amores Perros, Les poupées rousses, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Dostana. I have also discovered the best cinema ever (which calenaldion would certainly love) - one screen, entry music rather than trailers, comfy seats...
Slumdog Millionaire - Certainly didn't live up to the hype. It was okay, but I don't understand how anybody can think it was amazing. Pros: the depiction of India as it really is, including the darker side of it, which is probably something most Western people aren't familiar with. Cons: Too many holes or lack of believability in the plot, e.g. flashbacks corresponding exactly to the order of the questions, kids suddenly learn English. Oh, and the romance...
Spirited Away - Amazing. I think I am becoming a fan of Studio Ghibli. Overall I liked it more than Mononoke, I think; the protagonists of both were annoying, but more so in Mononoke. Mononoke only really got going about halfway through, when it suddenly became epic; Spirited Away was consistently good and amazingly imaginative. I love No Face!
Amores Perros - Overall really good. The middle section was generally good - it did get a little boring and ridiculous, but not too much. The first and last thirds were absolutely perfect and more than made up for the slightly weaker middle section.
Les poupées russes = Russian Dolls = the sequel to L'auberge éspagnole, one of my favourite films. The sequel was meant to be as good, but I think it fell quite short; it was okay to see once, but nothing like as good as L'auberge éspagnole.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - The first Woody Allen film I've ever seen. I think it was quite like L'auberge espagnole in a way; an interesting slice out of the lives of the main characters. I think the main characters were really good as concepts, and the actors played them well. The narration was a bit of a strange inclusion in a film. I was quite annoyed that the film was set in Barcelona but the characters spoke Spanish. Apparently the two main characters were actually from Spanish-speaking parts of Spain who moved to Barcelona, so that makes a bit more sense now. Good overall.
Slumdog Millionaire - Certainly didn't live up to the hype. It was okay, but I don't understand how anybody can think it was amazing. Pros: the depiction of India as it really is, including the darker side of it, which is probably something most Western people aren't familiar with. Cons: Too many holes or lack of believability in the plot, e.g. flashbacks corresponding exactly to the order of the questions, kids suddenly learn English. Oh, and the romance...
Spirited Away - Amazing. I think I am becoming a fan of Studio Ghibli. Overall I liked it more than Mononoke, I think; the protagonists of both were annoying, but more so in Mononoke. Mononoke only really got going about halfway through, when it suddenly became epic; Spirited Away was consistently good and amazingly imaginative. I love No Face!
Amores Perros - Overall really good. The middle section was generally good - it did get a little boring and ridiculous, but not too much. The first and last thirds were absolutely perfect and more than made up for the slightly weaker middle section.
Les poupées russes = Russian Dolls = the sequel to L'auberge éspagnole, one of my favourite films. The sequel was meant to be as good, but I think it fell quite short; it was okay to see once, but nothing like as good as L'auberge éspagnole.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - The first Woody Allen film I've ever seen. I think it was quite like L'auberge espagnole in a way; an interesting slice out of the lives of the main characters. I think the main characters were really good as concepts, and the actors played them well. The narration was a bit of a strange inclusion in a film. I was quite annoyed that the film was set in Barcelona but the characters spoke Spanish. Apparently the two main characters were actually from Spanish-speaking parts of Spain who moved to Barcelona, so that makes a bit more sense now. Good overall.