Movie Weekend

It was Amma-Appa’s last weekend in the US. The depression has already started to sink into me slowly – a week from today there would be so much emptiness in the house. I guess this was a hidden reason why none of us wanted to do ‘Something’ over the weekend.

I took them around for a round of last window-shopping and we all sat and watched a couple of movies, while munching some tasty and crispy vadas that amma made. Ulundhu vadais are my favorite. This time for a change we added crisp cabbage into the dough and it was so tasty. It was probably for the first time that all 4 of us were sitting at home and watching a movie end to end. Just shows how busy we had been the past 3 months, ha ha, because before amma-appa came to the US – watching a movie at home was almost like a daily ritual.

The first one we saw was ‘Prestige’. I have been wanting to see this movie since a long time. Of late I have become a huge fan of “Hugh Jackman”, so have wanted to see this movie for that precise reason. And it turned out to be a really “Magical” experience. One of the often used dialogue in the movie applies a lot to the audience – “Watch Closely!”. Yes, you must watch closely else you will miss the essence of the movie. It is a tale of two magicians, their magic tricks and bids to out-do each other to declare their “Prestige”. The movie starts off with the explanation for what “Prestige” is all about and why it is so important for a magician - A magic trick involves 3 parts : ‘The Pledge’ – where the magician shows a simple thing and promises to turn it into something extraordinary; ‘The Turn’ – is when he performs the extraordinary ; but that is not enough for it can be done by almost anyboy – what matters most is the last part ‘The Prestige’ – where the magician performs something so shocking that it holds you spellbound and makes you acknowledge his “Magic”.

The movie shifts between the present , the past and, the past in the past. So, be sure what you are knowing what you are watching J. I have always felt that there is a mystical feeling in stories that are told as a flashback. The lead characters have played their parts marvelously and pretty convincingly. The role of Scarlet Johansson seems to have been patched into the story. Well actually that role is quite significant to put across one “Particular” point (I won’t divulge that – for it will give the movie away) – but the director did not utilize it well. The director has built the suspense in the movie very well, surprising the audience with the explanations at every stage in the story – giving one piece of the jigsaw puzzle each time – and finally revealing that one most important heart piece at the very end.

If you are the kind of person who loves to guess what happens at the end, there are enough clues sprinkled all over the magical journey to comprehend what is cause for the “Prestige” of the actors. A “Must-See”.

The second movie is one that the Mr. and me have seen quite some time back and we liked it so much that we got it for Amma-Appa to watch. A fantastical comedy called ‘Groundhog Day’. The tale is all about how one day keeps repeating again and again and nobody but the grumpy, self-centered protagonist can realize it. The first 25 minutes of the movie is very puzzling, but it slowly sinks into you. He attempts, initially, at finding out what is happening and then moves on to unsuccessfully ‘use’ the situation to make his producer fall in love with, then sinks into frustration at not being able to change the situation, and finally decides to utilize the golden “Opportunity” given only to him to “Do good for others” – something which was never a part of his personal agenda before. A very heart-warming tale set in a small town in Philadelphia, with all simple real characters – is what the movie is all about. Bill Murray plays the lead character – does a good job of it- though I wish his face would show more emotions instead of wearing the same expression for every scene. Andy Mc Dowel is the cute little producer he falls in love with – her “Bunny teeth” grin and Cotton candy hair just manages to charm you. A Feel-good movie, this one is.