The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain

You will like this movie if you understand and enjoy some comedy based on Englishness/Welshness. You will also like if you like Hugh Grant.

I liked it. Light comedy.

I am linking this review instead of writing my own.

At First Sight

At first sight

Need to do a proper reivew. But, should have done just after watching it, if I wanted anything remotely close to a proper one.

I invite people to review this movie, if you have seen it.

similar movies:
Awakenings
I have seen another one which was on Hallmark channel, TV; which I can't remember now. It was about a girl having similar medical condition as Robert De Niro in the Awakenings; she gets a chance. lives her life for a short time. loses to the medical condition again. update: It was Molly

At First sight supercedes the other two, may be just for me, as it gave me the first time sight into the world of the blind getting their sight for the first time. How the distances confuse them, how the sizes confuse them, how suddenly they lose the skills to smell and identify.... At first sight a must see movie, if you get a chance.

Surprisingly some of the scenes are simply same as in Raaja paarvai. If Raaja parvai wasn't made in 1981, as At First Sight was made in 1999, we would have simply said that Kamal lifted the scenes from AFS movie. It is unlikely that Irwin Winkler, the director of At First Sight, lifted some scenes from Raaja paarvai. Or did he?

I would watch if I haven't.

(Actually I picked this movies over my fav. detective/murder movies only because I thought it is a romantic movie, the name suggested it, the plot diguised me.., After that some heavy discussion over love/romantic theme and stuff, the idea of watching a romantic movie was favoured over my otherwise normally favourite choices. Although it was not exactly a romantic movie, although it does have the element of love and such stuff in there, it was the world of the blind and the technical approach of the idea of the blind getting his first sight, well that is the theme of the movie,... well, the idea of the movie that got me hooked to it. In the beginning of the movie I thought the movie was going too fast ignoring the important moments their deserved significance, but later I got the idea why was it like that. Val Kilmer justfies the role.)

The Exorcist, The Dominion

The Exorcist and and the Dominion are well made movies. watch if you don't mind some scary stuff. I enjoy actually, so I enjoyed these two as well. Technically very well made movies.

I surely enjoyed. I watched The Exorcist first and The Dominion next.

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Should have written just after watching the movie. The movie deserves that.

Judy Dench. If you haven't seen her other than as James Bond's boss, you have missed a lot. I have. I have seen her other than as Bond's boss, but really missed her bests. Mrs. Henderson Presents made it up for that. wow is the word for the lady. :)

The director and Bob Hoskins seem to be acclaimed in their own rights. I don't know anything about them. Bob was OK for me, as I was busy admiring Judy, Will young and ofcourse the direction. The direction is the dominating wow factor in this movie. It is not about recrearting the time that amazed me, it was the theatre. Nude ladies so artistically portrayed. I used to be cynical when they show nudity and call it art, well, I am a middle class girl, what do I know about art? :-) But, this MHP really made sense of the word "artistic" for me, that too, I was able to comprehend that naked women could really be seen as a form of art, through artistic eyes ofcourse.:), no.., honesly, it was nice.

Judy brings Mrs. Henderson alive. Not overdoing is very difficult, but only Judy could do that. I really can't believe how she could bring those emotions so real when someone says "action ... and cut..." That scene when she visits Alec, the emotion she shows!

The chocolate Will Young. I thought the character was written for him. To my surprise, it seems that he went for audition and worked hard to get the part. I know I always liked the guy. :) I love his voice, particularly when he sings old kind of songs. Added perks in this movie, his songs.

I liked it.

It is based on a true story.

update: plot
Plot Summary at imdb

Laura Henderson is a recent widow, who has spent her most of her life by being a "wife". When her "inconsiderate" (for leaving her alone) husband (that was her words, not mine) dies, she is left with huge wealth and absolutely no idea on what to do with her life. Friends suggest that she is "free" to do anything now. She even buys the idea of knitting or having a toyboy lover. Not convinced by those ideas, she is on the look out for exciting ideas. She sees a theatre up for sale. she buys it. Again, doesn't know what to do with it. Her manager (accountant?) suggest a right man for the job. They do not get along at all, which is what Mrs. Henderson likes about it. Anything against the rule, anything that is not normal, excites her. She likes anything which otherwise would normally be termed as outrageous during her time. Van Damn (Bob Hoskins) is a good manager and runs the theatre successfully experimenting new ideas, while the other London theatres were very conventional and stereotype. Soon after the success of Windmill (the theatre run by Mrs. Henderson and Van Damm), many copycats theatres crop up, ruining the income for the Windmill. Then Mrs. H suggests the idea of having nude girls in the show. Lord Chamberlain, who licenses live shows in Britain unable to escape from Mrs. H's charms, licenses her idea to have nude girls with a condition that they should not move and should only be used as a form of art. She agrees. War time Brittain with many girls looking for jobs compromise their values and become Windmill girls, strangely to find themselves more safe to be nude on the stage than to be on the street fully covered.. So more girls come in. Windmill gains popularity again.. Some romantic encounters, some emotions,.. some dilemmas, and some lives..:)



Warning: Many naked girls. Will Young goes naked too. Bob Hoskins going naked was too much for me.

The Bridges of Madison County

Bridges of Madison County

The movie was a “good one”. Dominated by Meryl streep. Didn't like Clint. He is better at directing than in acting. He should have offered the role to somebody else and stayed out of it. Robert Redford would have been perfect for the role. It is a shame that they considered him but didn't offer him. Meryl Streep ruined (in a good way) the movie by dominating it. Didn't like the story line. The "falling in love" part looked more in the lines of "she was sexually starved", or "seventh year itching (for her)", rather than "love". and His "love" for her looked in the lines of "manipulation" until he leaves her everything after his death. Probably that was the best during their time (what? Is 1995 considered as "old days" these days? ughh!!.. Awright, the movie was set in a older time), again considering their time, looking at it sympathetically, Meryl streep was good. (oops, its her again). Oh yes, Clint's Direction was damn good. Awestruck by his direction, the way he chose to express her first strike of dilamma.

Loved the house. Would do anything to get one like that. Shame it was burnt down.

Didn't like the bridges. Have seen much more dreamy and beautiful ones, which are better suitable for the movie.

The movie is “neither here nor there” type. It is a compromise between "realistic" movies and "dreamy, romantic" types. Didn't score (with me) in either field.

Surely it is a delight to watch Meryl Streep and Clint's direction (Clint Eastwood).


updated: It looked like as if they were going for a realistic type. rustic bridges, wild flowers, guy not bothered to tell her to wait, keeps on shooting, even when he sees a note, he didn't read it immediately as he was more concerned about the lighting.. she feels insecured just after sleeping together. also, it was clearly shown that she was sexually starved.. even her italian background works well with the "realistic" idea. the trivia says that, Bruce Beresford was chosen to direct the movie before Clint, and Bruce wanted to cast the heroine English, which would have suited if they wanted the movie a dreamy-romantic type. Italian accent goes well with the "realistic" feeling. After the "sleeping together part", she even explains that may be if they start living together probably they will lose what they think they have etc. etc.. fine. it was going good until they confuse themselves with "love of their lives" concept.. But, it was still ok, as it is all about "confusion", well, I thought. but, the movie demanded insisted and stamped on the concept that it is indeed "love of life". There were it confused me. What do they want us believe? a realistic movie with facts hitting your face? (i.e she is sexually starved and he was shallow and opportunistic) or "Love of life", falling in love at the first sight? Once you decide it is going to the later case, I am all for it, show us that they fell in love at first sight, it was all signs and what not.. I like Serendipity and Fools rush in and even Sleepless in Seatle for that. Whereas in bridges of Madison county, they are confused. I like the good girl for its right portrayal of reality hitting your face. it was all about seventh year itching and sex. when Jen agrees to have sex with bubba (Tim Blake Nelson) (the blackmailer), you just can't bear that, but it adds to the "hitting your face" factor. The movie was made in a such a way that you get the incredibly boring life Jen has been living. You feel bored. that is the idea of the movie. Bridges of Madison County was, as I have mentioned before, a compromise between the two and didn't score in either field. They were confused.



Once. Why not.


Romantic movies I like

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