Tag: comedy

Midnight in Paris – movie

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Once again I made the most of the best entrainment in the skies, and watched a movie in my Emirates flight – this time on my way to Birmingham.

Before the movie, I listened to a few hours of Don Giovanni – in preparation of watching it in the flesh tomorrow by the Welsh National Opera. My boss recommended this latest Woody Allen film, as I had asked him for a good Woody Allen film. I’ve seen that Allen is quite witty, and knew his creativity, but never seen any of his films.

To begin with I had trouble finding the film. I went through the whole list twice, all the while never expecting Owen Wilson to be the star. I’m used to his exploits in kids, action, or cheesy romantic comedy flicks – which is listed in my order of preference. I never expected Wilson to have the tools to cover such subtle comedy.

I was thoroughly impressed with the movie. It was brilliant. Such a unique story, such an awkward scenario, such entertaining characters spanning three eras.

A writer, riddled with self-doubt, is nostalgic for Paris in the 1920s. He magically escapes his unhappiness with the present day to rub shoulders with his idols from yesteryear.

He works out what’s right for him in the end. But not before falling to a new low with his already disapproving pending parents-in-law.

The film had some classic moments which made me laugh so loud I may have bothered my fellow passengers.

Ernest Hemmingway was exactly as I pictured him. His focus on courage was hilarious. After a few drinks and speaking freely, I loved his challenge “who wants to fight”.

Many of the other characters also had their own charm. I loved Salvador Dali wanting to draw Owen Wilson’s portrait infatuated with adding the rhinoceros within a tear – proving just a bit too peculiar for the others.

A very unexpected result of this movie was the strong desire to visit Paris. Many romanticize the French capital, which I’ve never subscribed to. Until now.

The artistic flair, the flowing of warm emotions, the desire to follow dreams. It all sounds and looks amazing.

I thought I’d probably enjoy this film, but mostly for some rich dialogue. It was a surprise to find such a sweet flick. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone.

Shaolin Soccer #Movie

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While waiting for Elle to exit the local grocery store, my kids and I did something I wasn’t sure I’d ever have to do again – enter a DVD hire shop.  It almost seems like a redundant business, with the amount of file sharing and DVD swapping that goes on.  But we did it, and I’m glad we did.  Otherwise we may have missed seeing Shaolin Soccer – a fun and interesting movie which seemed to miss the mainstream audiences which we’ve practically become with some help from the kids.

 The storyline was close to being an unfortunate cliché.  The scene was set with a dominant sporting team, and an unfortunate hero or two vying to do the unthinkable and beat them at their own game. The way it was depicted was unexpected, with well translated comedy. And as you can imagine, it does conclude leaving the viewers feeling good – although the way in which it finishes certainly is not part of the cliché I was expecting.