Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding is by far the best movie that I've seen in the past couple months. The film shows the Verma family prepare for the arranged marriage of their daughter Aditi. It's safe to say that the Verma family is the most complicated family you've ever seen on film. Aditi is confused about marrying the man she's been arranged to marry because of her ongoing relationship with Vikram who used to be her boss. Aditi's father struggles to organize and pay for the wedding and all along deals with the many family problems that they have.

Monsoon Wedding was shot in a Bollywood style but if nobody told me, I would have thought that film was American and just took place in India. I would recommend this film for everyone to watch because of the outstanding plot and the way that the characters lives intermingle. Captivating from the first scene of the film, Monsoon Wedding has quickly become on of my all time favorites.

Daughters of the Dust

What can I say about Daughters of the Dust, to be honest nothing good. It's not that I wasn't interested or couldn't get into the film, it's just that I hated it. The whole film I kept asking myself, "What is going on? and Why is this a good movie?" I still couldn't tell you.

Daughters of the Dust takes place on Ibo Landing a island of the coast of the Carolina's and follows a family that has lived there since coming to America. The Peazant family is debating whether or not to leave the island and the "Gulla" culture that has developed over generations on the island. You can't really say that there's a main character in this film but rather the whole family is the main character. Throughout the film we learn of each of the family members feelings about going to the mainland. The opinions on going to the mainland vary from ready to go right now, to we should never leave. The conflict in the film is caused by the varying feelings on the mainland and the differences in belief on the island.

The film uses a variety of voice overs, erratic cuts, and an almost unreal feeling that makes you feel lost in the plot of the film. I can honestly say that Daughters of the Dust was the hardest plot to follow out of all the films that I've seen. It's a good film experience to have because it will make you appreciate the classic narration and stability of most films.

Casablanca

The film Casablanca, released in 1942, takes place in Rick's Cafe, a club in Morocco. Rick, the owner of the club, played by Humphrey Bogart, is a mysterious character that plays the part of a middle man in a lot of the happenings in Morocco. Morocco at the time was a place for refugees and people trying to get out of Europe during the war. Morocco is the last stop for these escapees and the only way to make it out of Morocco is by knowing somebody powerful or through political influence. Throughout the film Rick Blaine is forced to deal with a variety of conflicts that test his reputation for remaining neutral during the complicated war.

Rick meets Ugarte who's a common criminal who has obtained papers which allow whoever has them to travel freely wherever they wish. Victor Laszlo who is a leader against the Nazis needs these papers in order to get to America and continue his fight against the Nazis. Rick refuses to get the letters for him and Laszlo's wife Ilsa, (and former lover of Rick) threatens to shoot Rick for the papers. After explaining their feelings for each other, Rick decides to get the papers for Laszlo so that he can get to America.

Casablanca is considered one of the great American classics by most movie lovers. I however didn't really enjoy it. While it is a great example of classic narration and the Hollywood style, it didn't really keep me interested. What can I say, i'm used to the newer movies of today and Casablanca couldn't keep my attention. Although I can appreciate the films reputation and style, I wouldn't watch it again.