Eat Pray Love

Summary: Julia Roberts plays a woman, Liz, who is struggling with her life and decides to divorce and change her life based on an interview with a medicine man in Bali. She wanders a bit, and ends up buying three one-way tickets to Italy, India, and Bali. Along the way, she tries to find a greater philosophy in her life through the people she meet and the circumstances she's put into.

Review: It was a bit too feminine for me at some parts, but I enjoyed the bigger message that excludes the cliche themes of love and why a woman needs a man. Julia Roberts does give a commanding performance and shows why she is more than just a big name at times and the supporting cast was decent. The thing that bothered me most was how there was a message that it's okay to engorge yourself with food like Liz does as it's part of the equation of EAT, pray, and love, and need to get bigger jeans, but still somehow have a slim figure like Liz.

Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Does everyone need to struggle to find something in their life? Do you need to be spiritual to have a chance to find the path? The story seeks to make too much about this journey finding a relationship, maybe that is just a woman thing as a woman is biologically wired to have children and if that doesn't happen, it's something that really messes with her head. The story would have been better off from a philosophical point of view if the relationships weren't so entangled in the story, but a side track of finding yourself is much more important. "Dolce far niente," sweetness of doing nothing, is an interesting concept and maybe there is more to it despite its point of nothingness.

Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 4 It was a very enjoyable movie once the crux of the adventures begin and I always enjoy watching exotic settings. It was a relatively long movie at 140 minutes, but it felt much shorter as the scenes really flow by despite the non-action tag of the film.

Favorite Quotes: "I remember an old catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging "please, please, please, let me win the lottery." Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says "my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket." So now I get the joke, and I bought three tickets." - Liz

Luca Spaghetti (Giuseppe Gandini): "Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V."
Liz: "That's not far off, actually."
Luca Spaghetti: "But you don't know pleasure. You have to be told you've earned it. You see a commercial that says: 'It's Miller Time!' And you say, That's right, now I'm going to buy a six pack. And then drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible. But an Italian doesn't need to be told. He walks by a sign that says: You deserve a break today. And he says, Yes, I know. That's why I'm planning on taking a break at noon to go over to your house and sleep...with your wife!"

"We call it "dolce far niente", the sweetness of doing nothing." - Giovanni

"You seem shorter in person that on the stage.
Really? I get that a lot.
It's unnerving when um a total stranger sees you more clearly than you see yourself. That is what I mean by saying you're short.

Awkward Silence

Are you hearing dolphins clapping now?"

Chameli

Summary: Chameli, is a prostitute played by Kareena Kapoor and meets a mysterious businessman, Aman played by Rahul Bose. The story unfolds as they get to know each other and their own personal problems. The setting is made possible by a rainstorm and the car of Aman breaks down stranding him in the corner of Chameli.

Review: The film was slow at times and the entire thing was a bit of a cliche. The laugh of Chameli was irritating at times, but she did play the role well.

Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: But there ought to be love. I'm not sure what that means, but that was apparently the philosophy of Chameli and how it brought a change to Aman.

Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 2 I did enjoy the typical Bollywood elements of it, and a 22-23 year old Karena Kapoor in the movie reminded me of Aishwarya Rai so it wasn't a bad sight for the 2 hours.

Once Fallen

Summary: An inmate named Chance gets released and tries to run away from his past, but his past partners, a childhood friend and a crooked cop tries to bring him back in. His father is also the leader of the AB from the prison that he was recently arrested from. The movie flashes back to when the father brutally kills a neighbor with a possible good reason, and the son trying to not end up making the same choices his father did.

Review: Ed Harris who plays the father was excellent in the role, and Peter Weller who plays a shady character was decent as well. The rest of the cast was solid, but wasn't spectacular.

Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results. Can we really run away from who we are? Do we really have any choice in the choices we do make? Should our choices really define us when the results vary so much because of quantum mechanics. Rose, the aunt of the son, is blind and shows the importance in a cactus that she makes everyone touch despite the obvious results of being pricked and the bleeding that ensues. It brings back moments of reality and what our senses are.

Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 The film was shot well, but the story wasn't that deep and it lacked depth. It was still a solid enjoyable watch, but lacked any great moments.