''Gigi'' and ''The Wizard of Oz''- Movie Reviews

Gigi (1958 movie)

Directed: Vincent Minnelli
Released: 1958
Country: United States

Genre: Musical romantic comedy

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Gigi is an amusing, cheerful, lighthearted musical comedy. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was so entertaining and funny! The plot centers around Gigi, a teenaged girl who lives with her mother and grandmother. Her mother is an opera singer, and we never see her (but we do hear her voice). It is Gigi's grandmother who takes care of her. Besides going to school, Gigi is further educated by her great aunt, Alicia, who gives her lessons on becoming a courtesan, lessons that are difficult and need a lot of patience.

Gaston Lachaille is a young, successful man who finds everything in life boring. He is very close to Gigi and her grandmother. One weekend, Gaston takes Gigi and her grandmother to the seaside, for holidays. Gigi and Gaston's relationship gradually becomes stronger, and realizing this, grandmother and Aunt Alicia start giving more emphasis in Gigi's training to become a lady, hoping that someday Gaston will ask her hand in marriage. However, there is Gaston's fame and notoriety, and Gigi's immaturity and working class background. Despite intensive training from Aunt Alicia, it is obviously not possible for Gigi to completely change her manners and attitude. Will these be a barrier to their relationship?

Gigi was really very funny and fully entertaining! It was so lighthearted and charming! The screenplay, situations, and dialogues were humorous and witty. While the songs were not that much memorable, they were really impressive as well! The performances were really very impressive. Leslie Caron (as Gigi), Louis Jourdan (as Gaston), Maurice Chevalier (as Honore Lachaille), Hermine Gingold (as Gigi's grandmother), and Isabel Jeans (as Aunt Alicia)- all of them gave such excellent performances. The characters were wonderful and funny. Overall, ''Gigi'' was an entertaining and funny musical comedy, witty and charming!

4 out of 5

The Wizard of Oz (1939 movie)

Directed by: Victor Fleming
Released: 1939
Country: United States

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Musical, Drama

Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Clara Blandick, Charley Grapewin

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review
 
Oh, how I love The Wizard of Oz! It had been a long, long time since I last watched the film! I read the book in March 2013, and since then, I have been eager to watch the film again.

The first few scenes and the last scene are filmed in sepia, but the time that Dorothy, the protagonist, spends in the land of Oz, are filmed in brilliant color. Dorothy is a girl who lives with her uncle and aunt in a farm. A vicious neighbor, Miss Gulch, threatens to take away her dog, Toto, from her, because the dog regularly disturbs her. Dorothy yearns to get away from the farm, to somewhere magical, wonderful...

Suddenly, a twister carries Dorothy and Toto, along with the house, to the land of Oz. There, she is warmly greeted by the Munchkins, who are grateful to her because her house had fallen on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. However, the Wicked Witch of the West, the dead Witch's sister, now wants to capture Dorothy, because she (Dorothy) has the red slippers previously owned by the dead witch... Dorothy wants to return home, to Kansas. She is told to follow a path made of yellow bricks, to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. On her way, she comes across a Tin Man looking for a heart, a Scarecrow looking for a brain, and a Lion looking for courage. They decide to go to the wizard together.

However, the Wicked Witch of the West is looking for Dorothy...

I just LOVED The Wizard of Oz! It was so beautiful, so colorful, so lively! It was filled with charming songs. And oh the sceneries, the production design, the sets- they were just BEAUTIFUL!

Dorothy comes to draw parallels between the people whom she meets in Oz, and the people whom she knows in real life. For example, she imagines the Wicked Witch of the West as Miss Gulch, the vicious neighbor who wants take her dear little dog, Toto, away from her. And she finds similarities between her three companions and three friendly workers of the farm.

The farewell scene was really very emotional and touching... The performances were brilliant. Judy Garland, as Dorothy was amazing. Ray Bolger (as the Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (as the Lion), Jack Haley (as the Tin Man) and Frank Morgan (as the Wizard) were amazing! Margaret Hamilton was brilliant as the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard of Oz is certainly a very delightful, wonderful film!!! It's so magical and charming. The most memorable things about this film are the set decoration, colorful backgrounds and cinematography, dialogues, and some of the songs.

5 out of 5

''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001 movie)- Review

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Released: 2001
Country: United States, Australia

Genres: Musical, Romantic drama

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, John Leguizamo

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

Moulin Rouge! is perhaps one of the most beautifully told musical love stories I have ever come across. Beautifully written, designed, directed and acted, this film was touching and deep.

Our protagonist is an aspiring writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), who has moved to Montematre, Paris, to find inspiration for writing. One day, he comes across Toulouse-Lautrec, who, along with several people, is working on a play. Christian gives them advise on writing, which makes them request Christian to write the whole play for them. They are writing the play for Satine (Nicole Kidman), the star of the famous nightclub, Moulin Rouge. They decide to arrange a private meeting between Christian and Satine.

What follows can be a little confusing. A Duke (Richard Roxburgh) has offered to invest in a play, where Satine will play the main role. The owner of the nightclub, Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), arranges a private meeting between the Duke and Satine. On the other hand, Christian comes to Satine's room, and Satine thinks Christian is the the Duke. Christian falls in love with Satine at first sight.

Soon when the Duke arrives, he is shocked to see Satine ''in the arms of another man''. Satine and Christian cook up a story, that they are rehearsing for a play. The Duke demands the story of the play. Christian makes a story: a sitar player and a courtesan have fallen in love, but they are threatened by the presence of an evil maharajah, who also loves the courtesan. Hearing the story, the Duke is quite impressed and decides to invest.

Little do they understand, that the play they are working on will become the story of their lives... Satine and Christian fall in love, but there is the Duke, who makes a lot of contribution to Moulin Rouge, under one condition, that Satine should belong to him. And on the other hand, it is also revealed that Satine has tuberculosis (though it is known by only a few people. Satine herself is not informed).

I loved ''Moulin Rouge!''. It was so touching, deep, and well-acted. I loved Christian, and I loved Satine. There were so many beautiful songs... My favorite song is (of course) ''Come What May''. I also loved the song ''One Day I'll Fly Away''.

I loved how the characters of the film were represented by the characters of the play ''Spectacular Spectacular'': the courtesan by Satine, the sitar player by Christian, and the maharajah by the Duke.

''Moulin Rouge!'' is also visually astounding. The cinematography was wonderful. The set decoration was excellent as well. The colorful buildings, and the sky... they looked so beautiful. The costume design was really good as well. The editing was superb.

Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman were amazing! Their performances were so good that they made the characters come to life.

Moulin Rouge! is a touching and deep love story! The performances, the visual aspects, the story,  the songs, they were excellent. It's a beautiful, colorful film.

''Gone with the Wind'' (1939 movie)- Review

Directed by: Victor Fleming
Released: 1939
Country: United States

Main cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Carroll Nye, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Harry Davenport, Ona Munson

Genres: Romantic drama, War

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

Scarlett O'Hara is certainly one of the most unique, one of the most memorable characters I've ever come across. At some point of the film, Rhett Butler makes a comment about her: ''What a woman!'' Scarlett O'Hara is indeed a memorable character, and through the film, her character undergoes a lot of qualities: flirtatious, romantic, kind, desperate, ambitious, vicious. Sometimes, she is an immensely likeable character, a character you feel kindness and sympathy for, and sometimes, she is unpleasant. She repeatedly reminded me of Becky Sharp. But no, she is not heartless as Becky Sharp. Scarlett O'Hara, the protagonist of ''Gone with the Wind'', is a character difficult to describe. She is unique.

The film starts in Tara, a beautiful plantation in Georgia. The film starts with two young men flirting with our protagonist, Scarlett, the daughter of Gerald O'Hara, the owner of the plantation. The people of Tara are going to visit the nearby plantation, Twelve Oaks, the home of the Wilkes. The two young men inform Scarlett that Ashley Wilkes has decided to marry his cousin, Melanie. Hearing this, Scarlett is shocked. She had always thought that Ashley Wilkes is in love with her.

The next day, at the barbecue in Twelve Oaks, it is evident that Ashley Wilkes will be marrying Melanie. Scarlett is disappointed, but flirts with every young men present. She is the subject of attention of every single young men present in the party. At the library, Scarlett confronts Ashley, revealing how much she loves him. The two have an argument, Scarlett slaps Ashley, who thereafter leaves the room. Their conversation, however, is overheard by a visitor, Rhett Butler. Scarlett, jealous and disappointed because Ashley is going to marry Melanie, marries Melanie's brother Charles, in hopes of taking revenge from Ashley. As the American Civil War starts, most men, including Ashley and Charles, enlist. However, Charles dies in the war, making Scarlett a widow.

But Scarlett has her plans, her ideas, of getting back Ashley again. She goes to Atlanta to live with Melanie, in hopes that when Ashley will come to Melanie and she (Scarlett) can woo him again. On the other hand, Rhett Butler also apparently is in love with her, though she knows that she only wants Ashley in her life.

The Civil War takes away everything: the glamor, the beauty of the South, the beauty of the plantation, and the beauty from the lives of people like Scarlett, Melanie, and Ashley. It is during this point that Vivien Leigh, the actress who plays Scarlett, gives perhaps the most memorable, most emotionally intense performance. The carefree, flirtatious girl with a lot of beaus, has to struggle with so much hardships, and her determination to take care of the pregnant Melanie. During this hard time, her taking care of everything so wonderfully, almost can makes us forgive her flirtatious nature. However, things change after the war. Having worked so hard throughout the time of the war to provide her family, she is now ambitious to get back the wealth that the whole South had lost during the Civil War, and will do anything for this. Her character takes a vampish, coquettish turn.

Scarlett O'Hara is a character not afraid to take any risks, even it is a great danger to her prestige and reputation. Her marriages for revenge and wealth, her wooing. 

How wars can affect lives, how wars can affect cultures- is so wonderfully portrayed in this film. The glamor of the lives of the people living in the South is portrayed very well at the beginning of the film, through the barbecue at the Twelve Oaks. And how all these charms, grace, are devestated, destroyed, burnt, are clearly portrayed.

Vivien Leigh's performance is so excellent, so touching. Clark Gable is wonderful as Rhett Butler. Olivia de Havilland as Melanie, is perfectly amazing. I liked each of the characters. I liked how they are well developed. Each of the characters, major, supporting or minor, are memorable, are important.

''Gone with the Wind'' is about Scarlett O'Hara, it is about the effect of love, it is about the devastating effects of war, it is about the devastating effects of ambitions. Gone with the Wind is certainly one of the most beautiful, one of the most depressing, and one of the best films I've ever seen.

5 out of 5

''The African Queen'' (1951 movie)- Review

Directed by: John Huston
Released: 1951
Country: United States, United Kingdom

Genres: Adventure drama, War, Romance

Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Morley

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

The African Queen shows a lot of promise when it starts, and it definitely fulfills all the promises. It's an absolutely amazing, thrilling and tense adventure romance film!

Rose Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) and her brother, Samuel, live in Africa. World War I starts, and the German soldiers start burning the house of the village. Samuel dies because of the shock that he receives, witnessing these incidences. The place is no longer safe. Rose starts a journey on a boat named ''African Queen'', along with the boat captain Charles Allnut (Humphrey Bogart), who drinks a lot. They begin a dangerous and thrilling journey, their aim being to destroy Queen Louisa, a German ship. A dangerous journey that makes them encounter waves, rocks,  leeches, and love.

This film was tense, thrilling, adventure packed, romantic, humorous, with EXCELLENT performances from Hepburn and Bogart. I liked both the main characters, especially Hepburn's character, who was brave, adventure loving, and curious. There are also many funny scenes (one of the scenes I found funniest was the scene where Bogart's character mocks the sound of the animals). And sometimes it gets sad and shocking, such as the scene with the mosquitoes. It was also sometimes touching, especially at the last few scenes. The screenplay was excellent, humorous at times, adventurous at times, thrilling at times. Overall, The African Queen is an excellent film!

  

''Brief Encounter'' and ''Warm Bodies''- Movie reviews

Brief Encounter (1945 movie)- Review

Directed by: David Lean
Released: 1945
Country: United Kingdom

Cast: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg

Genre: Romantic drama

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

Brief Encounter is a beautiful and touching film about, as the title refers to, a brief encounter. Celia Johnson gives a breathtaking performance, and the film is a deeply moving story of love, pain and guilt.

The first scene of the film takes place at a refreshment room of a train station. The protagonist of the film, Laura, is sitting with a man. A typical small town gossip lady, Dolly, arrives and starts trying to strike up a conversation with Laura. Laura introduces the man as Dr Alec Harvey. Alec leaves the refreshment room as his train has arrived, and some time later, Laura and Dolly also get into their train. It is evident that Laura is troubled and worried.

Upon reaching home, Laura and her husband, Fred, sit in their library. Laura looks at her husband, and then starts thinking about the pain she is in. Just a few weeks ago, her life had been perfect, free from any kind of troubles. But now... a lot has happen in the past few weeks. Laura starts to think of all the incidences that happened in the past weeks.

Every Thursday, Laura goes to shopping and for watching movies, to Milford. One such Thursday, while sitting at the refreshment room of the railway station, she had come across Dr Alec Harvey. Something had gotten into her eyes, and Alec helped her to clean that up. It didn't seem a very memorable incidence, but over the next Thursdays, she and Alec come across each other repeatedly. They go to movies, they take lunch together, they drive around together. As both admit that they are in love, they are both struck with grief because they know that all these cannot last long. They both are married, both have happy families, and Laura feels terrible guilt, knowing that she is cheating on her husband.

Brief Encounter is a painful and emotionally intense film. Celia Johnson is just amazing. Her narration throughout the film makes the film more intense; her description of her sufferings, her pains, her guilt- are all so very memorable. Trevor Howard as Dr Alec Harvey is just as amazing. There are some very memorable scenes, like the scenes where they go for driving. Brief Encounter is the story of a brief encounter, an affair that is destined to end one day because of the people involved in it. It is an excellently acted and directed motion picture.

5 out of 5



Warm Bodies (2013 movie)

Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Released: 2013
Country: United States

Genres: Horror comedy, Romance

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Aneleigh Tipton, John Malkovich

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

Warm Bodies is the love story between a human and a paranormal creature. Oh, don't worry, it's not Twilight. Warm Bodies is set at a time when there are so many zombies... the number of the zombies have increased and humans have been forced to abandon the beautiful world where they once lived. They now have to live in special enclaves to remain safe from the zombies.

Our protagonist is a zombie, who doesn't remember his name. He just remembers that his name used to start with an 'R'. He lives a life without any fun or enjoyment, in an abandoned airport, with other zombies. He is the narrator throughout the film, though he can hardly speak.

One day, zombies attack some humans, and R saves one of the humans, Julie. R protects Julie, keeping her in the airplane which he uses as a home. Julie eventually starts to trust R and understands that it is not safe to try to run away now. However soon the other zombies get to know about Julie's presence. They try to attack her, but the sweet relation between R and Julie, brings a strange but wonderful result: the zombies begin getting back life once again.

Now, there are two groups between the zombies: human-like zombies and the skeleton-like zombies, called ''bonies''. The bonies attack the human-like zombies as they are starting to get back life. The human-like zombies realize that they need to team up with the humans to defeat the bonies and make the world peaceful once again. But the humans won't easily understand that they (the human-like zombies) are good. How will Julie and her friend Nora convince the humans that teaming up with the zombies is the only way to defeat the bonies and make the world peaceful once again? 

Warm Bodies is a sweet film and provides smart and effective entertainment. Nicholas Hoult is really sweet as the innocent, awkward zombie protagonist. Teresa Palmer is nice as well, as the female protagonist Julie. The concept itself is very nice.  A memorable scene is the one where Julie meets R in the balcony, a scene similar to a scene of ''Romeo & Juliet''. Among the funny scenes is the scene where Julie pretends to act like a corpse to make the zombies think that she is also a zombie.

While ''Warm Bodies'' may not be an excellent film, it provides real entertainment, and is overall, sweet and worth a watch.

3.5 out of 5 


 

''(500) Days of Summer'' (2009 movie)- Review

Directed by: Scott Neustadter
Released: 2009
Country: United States

Genres: Romantic comedy, Drama

Cast: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Grace Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, Clark Gregg

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Romantic comedy is just not the best genre for me. Once, it had been one of my favorite genres. But after watching such a number of cliched teen rom-coms, the genre is no longer in my 'Favorite Genres' list. But however, now and then I come across such beautiful movies of the genre that, though not bringing back rom-com to it's previous position, leave me with a good feeling, with a smile, or perhaps, at rare occasions, a tear as well. (500) Days of Summer was indeed such a kind of film. It did not feel to me like it was great or something, but yet, it was a feel-good, cheerful, lively film.

Day 488. We see a young man (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and a young woman (Zoey Deschanel) sitting together a bench, looking and smiling at each other. Then follows flashbacks, flashbacks, and flashbacks. The film is not told in a chronological order and shifts among the days between Day 1 of Tom's meeting summer to Day 488 (We only see Day 500 in the last scene).

Tom (Levitt) waits for the perfect girl of his life. Summer (Deschanel), on the other hand, believes that there is no such thing as love. The two work at the same office. Tom's job is to make greeting cards, despite having studied architecture in college. The two meet and become friends, and eventually start a relation, though, as Summer suggests, they are just friends.

The film shifts between time periods. At one period, we see the blossoming relationship between Tom and Summer. At the other, we see Tom and Summer have broken up and Tom managing to deal with the stress and the sorrow that has followed. The two time periods and situations are mixed together, one showing Tom as a happy young man in love, and the other showing Tom as the broken man after the end of relationship.

The screenplay is very well written. The shifting between the days is done remarkably. I also liked the Expectation vs Reality scene. One of the most memorable scenes in the film was the dance  by Joseph Gordon Levitt, because of his happiness of finally finding a girl whom he thinks perfect and suitable for him, and whom he loves, and he dances with joy, and imagines all the pedestrians dancing with him as well (and there is also an animated bird in this dance scene!). It was a perfectly delightful and excellently-written scene.

Joseph Gordon Levitt is one of my favorite actors. He is charming and an excellent actor. In every scene in this film, he performs excellently. He brings the character to life! Zoey Deschenal is excellent as well. And Chloe Grace Moretz... she is one of my favorite young actresses. Mortez plays Tom's sister Rachel. Despite being so young, it is always Rachel who gives Tom advises and tips about relationships. Moretz also gave an excellent performance, though she plays a relatively small supporting role.

The romance is sweet, and the two lead actors bring their respective characters to life. It is written well, acted well, directed well, and indeed, a refreshing and sweet romantic comedy film.

4 out of 5

''When Harry Met Sally...'' (1989 movie)- Review

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Released: 1989

Country: United States

Main cast: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Steven Ford

Genres: Romantic comedy, Drama

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

Harry Burns and Sally Albright first meet while sharing a drive to New York from Chicago. Harry is the boyfriend of Sally's friend Amanda. They don't get along very well. Harry comments that men and women can never be friends, because sex always gets on their way. Sally disagrees. Upon reaching New York, they part their ways, because according to Harry, they cannot be friends.

Five years later, Harry and Sally meet for the second time. Sally is in a relationship, and Harry will be getting married soon.

Five more years later, they meet again. Both are single now... Sally's relation with Joe ended, and Harry and Helen are divorced. Harry and Sally become best friends, with both of them sharing everything with each other, talking on phone late into the night, going here and there, taking meals together. But will they always be able to remain friends, or will it turn into a romantic relation one day?

Their story is told with sudden interruptions, where elderly couples reveal how they had met, how they had fallen in love, how they had got married, and how their love has lasted over the decades.

Nora Ephron's screenplay was extraordinary. The dialogues are witty, the situations are humorous. Near the end, the situations does get a bit serious, but however, the humorous part remains active all the time! Harry and Sally are both remarkable characters. Both are funny and sweet. 

So many hilarious scenes, it would be difficult to mention all of them! One of the funniest scenes was Sally faking an orgasm (and the epic dialogue that follows: ''I'll have what she's having!''). When Jo is going to get married and Sally calls Harry, and she's crying, and taking a tissue paper one after another, that scene was also extremely funny. There are many touching and emotional scenes as well, for example, the ending, and many scenes throughout the film. And then there are the colorful sceneries, backgrounds, and the pleasant background music.

When Harry Met Sally is a lovely and refreshing film. Romantic comedy as a genre is extremely tired, and this is one of the examples of great films in this genre. Rob Reiner's direction is excellent. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal also give excellent performance. And there is Nora Ephron's screenplay. These make it an excellent film.

4.5 out of 5

''Safe Haven'' (2013 movie)- Review

Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Released: 2013
Country: United States
 
Main cast: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons, Mimi Kirkland, Noah Lomax, Irene Ziegler

Genres: Romantic drama, Mystery

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

I must say that after coming across several negative reviews of this film I thought that it may not be a satisfactory film. In spite of that, I decided to watch this film because I had absolutely loved the original novel by Nicholas Sparks. And I must say that I wasn't disappointed with this film. I wasn't at all disappointed with this film. It may not be an excellent film, it may have qualities of chick flicks, but however, I liked this film.

Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, the style of storytelling in the film has a difference from the original novel. However, I really liked the alterations. I try NEVER to judge a film based on how much accuracy it has with the novel it is based on. Therefore, though the style of storytelling is altered and different, the film itself is beautiful. Not excellent, but yes, really nice.

A mysterious woman named Katie (Julianne Hough) arrives in a small fishing town. There, she becomes friends with a store owner, Alex, and also becomes close to his little daughter, Lexie.  Katie also become close with her neighbor, Jo (Cobie Smulders). 

Slowly, Alex and Katie fall in love. In course of the film, Katie's background is revealed. Her real name is Erin. She has run away from her abusive husband, Kevin, and has taken a false name and false identity. When Alex comes to know about this, he decides to help and protect Katie. 

However, Kevin cannot forget Katie. He takes all efforts to find Katie, to take his wife back home. What happens? How can Katie hide from her abusive husband? Will Katie and Alex able to find peace through their love?

Julianne Hough's performance as Katie is really excellent. Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders also give remarkable performances. Another aspect that requires special mention is the background music. I was highly impressed by the background music. From the beginning to the end, the score kept amazing me, because it was very pleasant and beautiful.

The screenplay is also pretty good. As I mentioned before, there are several differences in the storytelling from the original novel. And I really appreciated the style of storytelling. The twist at the end is very well portrayed and the ending was really wonderful! However, I must say that the climax is slightly altered and has much less suspense than that of the original novel. 

Overall, I thought it was a good movie. I didn't love it, but I did like it. Sometimes, I was indeed slightly disappointed because of *a few* of the differences in the storytelling, I liked the overall movie.

3.5 out of 5

''City Lights'' (1931 movie)- Review

Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
Released: 1931
Country: United States

Genres: Romantic comedy, Drama

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review

A story can be full of fun throughout. Again, a story can be a mixture of laughs and emotions, a balanced mixture of both of them. City Lights is an example of such a film. Charlie Chaplin brings to screen a sweet love story, with the addition of situations that keep us laughing throughout.

The protagonist of this film is Chaplin's most memorable character, the Tramp. One day, he meets a blind girl who sells flowers. Slowly, he becomes close to the blind girl. For some reasons, the blind girl thinks that the tramp is a wealthy man. The girl lives in poverty with her grandmother. To give the girl some financial support, the tramp finds a job. But very soon he is fired for being late on his job. 

But the girl is now in a situation of extreme difficulty--- she needs to pay the rent of the house she lives in. The Tramp starts doing all he can to help the girl, which he succeeds in doing, but for which he needs to sacrifice a lot.

The film has an important subplot. One day, the tramp convinces a drunk wealthy man not to commit suicide. After this incident, the man starts thinking the tramp as a friend, even inviting him to stay with him at his house. However, as soon as the man becomes sober, he does not seem even to recognize the tramp. From that time, whenever the man is drunk, he suddenly recognizes the tramp as a friend. This recurring friendship will ultimately bring the tramp both the solution to his problem, as well as misery.

Almost every scenes of this film is filled with humor that made me laugh out loud! The very first scene shows the unveiling of a statue, but when the statue is unveiled, the tramp is sitting on the statue! Again, the scene where the tramp saves the wealthy man, the scene where the blind girl mistakenly pours water on him (intending to water her flowers), and so many other scenes!

The sweet romance and the Tramp's will to help her, despite himself being a, umm, tramp, is extremely touching. Later in the film, the misery the Tramp has to go through is very emotionally intense. Chaplin crafts the entire film so well, with such talent, with his great direction, screenplay and acting. The antics of the Tramp are extremely funny, and Chaplin, with his great skill, brings that to screen brilliantly. Virginia Cherrill as the blind girl gives an excellent performance as well. The ending is very touching and beautiful.

Overall, this is a masterpiece. City Lights extremely funny sweet, touching, wonderful romantic comedy that I'd recommend to everybody!

5 out of 5!

''Minority Report'' and ''A Walk in the Clouds''- Short reviews

Minority Report (2002 movie)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Released: 2002
Country: United States

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery, Action

Starring: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Steven Harris, Kathryn Morris, Peter Stormare, Mike Binder

Rating: 4 out of 5

Short review: Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is set in a future where murders can be detected before they are committed, and as a result, it can be said be said that murders have almost stopped. The year is 2054. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the chief of the PreCrime police force. The murder to be commited, the victims, and the murderers, are foreseen by three precogs, who are actually humans who are in charge of detecting the future crimes. John Anderton, the chief, has a painful past; his son had apparently been kidnapped several years ago, which made him join the police force. Something very odd happens: the Precogs detect that Anderton will murder somebody named Leo Crow. Anderton is shocked: he has never even heard about anyone named Leo Crow. He thinks he is being set up in this, and runs away and hides, attempting to find a solution. He comes to know that sometimes the three Precogs differ in their foreseeing the future; and the ''minority report'' is the alternate future about what the murderer would do. And... Anderton set off to find his minority report--- a task too dangerous...

Spielberg is, as usual, brilliant in his direction. The story and conception are very good, and overall this is a very good film. I enjoyed it. Technically, it was well made, with dark cinematography and excellent visuals, and the performances of Tom Cruise, Colin Farrel, Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow are top-notch.

4 out of 5

A Walk in the Clouds (1995 movie)

Directed by: Alfonso Arau
Released: 1995
Country: United States, Mexico

Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Giancarlo Giannini, Anthony Quinn, Angélica Aragón

Genres: Romantic drama

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

Visually, ''A Walk in the Clouds'' is a beautiful film. The bright cinematography, dimly lit warm scenes, and the wonderful, orange, red sunlight reflected on the scenes--- absolutely make the film a beautiful one, a real treat for the eyes! As a love story, however, it is only a little more than mediocre- but the visual beauty and the overall sweet screenplay makes this film worth watching. 
 
Sgt. Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) returns to his home, the war having ended. He has a pretty wife, Betty, played by Debra Messing. He is a chocolate seller, starts a journey on train, in order to earn a living. On the train, he meets Victoria Aragon, and after some confusion causes their tickets to swap, he finds himself on a bus with Victoria, who is going to her hometown. After some incidences which make him and Victoria very friendly to each other, Victoria reveals that she is afraid that her father will kill her. And that's because she, after an affair with her Professor, is pregnant, and her father has promised to kill the person who would disgrace his family. He means what he says. Always. Paul suggests that he would pose as her husband for a short time. Though Victoria's father wouldn't accept it easily that her daughter has married an American man (Victoria's family is Mexican) without his permission, it would be better than to inform him that Victoria is pregnant without being married. As expected, Victoria's father doesn't really accept Paul, though the other members of the family receive him warmly. But--- as you may predict, Victoria and Paul will fall in love, but Paul has a wife already, and how long will the two (Victoria and Paul) conceal from her family the fact that they are not even married?

The story is simple, and the screenplay, dialogues, are just good. But the visual beauty and cinematography (described before) makes the film a treat; it may not be excellent, but quite worth watching!

3.5 out of 5

''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008 movie)- Review

Directed by: David Fincher
Released: 2008
Country: United States

Main cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Tilda Swinton

Genres: Fantasy, Romantic drama

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a beautiful film, a film to easily fall in love with. It is beautiful and simple, sweet and touching. The 2 and half hour long epic fantasy was as captivating as it can be imagined; I wasn't bored, rather, I was completely immersed into the film.

''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' starts as an extremely old woman, in her hospital bed, asks her daughter to read to her from a diary. The diary apparently belonged to someone named Benjamin Button. The daughter reads, and then we see the whole life of Benjamin Button in front of our eyes...

Benjamin Button was different. When he was born, he was naturally an infant, but his body completely like that of an old man!

His mother died during childbirth. Benjamin's father leaves him in a nursing home. A worker of the nursing home, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), starts caring for him like her own son.

Something amazing is going on. Benjamin ages backward. As he starts growing up, instead of getting older, he starts getting younger! He had been born with the body of an old man, and as he grows up, he just gets physically younger. 

And he meets the love of his life, Daisy (Cate Blanchett), whom he had known ever since they were children, but the sorrounding circumstances often impact their relationship in various way...

This was a beautiful, sweet film.  The conception was excellent, and the presentation was great. The visual beauty of this film cannot be denied. The film had great cinematography. Also, the sweet background scores were amazing. The makeup was great.

The performances were great as well.  Brad Pitt, as Benjamin Button, is really excellent. The beautiful Cate Blanchett is amazing... Tilda Swinton was present for a short time but she, too, gave an amazing performance.

Beautiful cinematography, beautiful screenplay, great visuals, great performances- that's all that makes ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' a wonderful movie.

4 out of 5 

''The Graduate'' (1967 movie)- Review

Directed by: Mike Nichols
Released: 1967
Country: United States

Genres: Comedy-Drama, Coming-of-age, Romance

Main cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross, Murray Hamilton, William Daniels, Elizabeth Wilson

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

Mike Nichols's The Graduate, based on the novel by Charles Webb, is just delightful! It is a light film and leaves a big smile in the face. The Graduate is funny, deals with a bizarre and hilarious story, well-written and acted, and supported by some amazing songs (all of which I just adored!).

The Graduate is about the recent college graduate Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman). After he graduates, his father arranges a big party in his house. But Benjamin is not much delighted after hearing the innumerable congratulations; he is worried about what to do with his life. Enter Mrs Robinson, the wife of Benjamin's father's law partner. Mrs Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft, requests Benjamin to drive her home. Benjamin reluctantly does. But after reaching her house, Mrs Robinson asks him to come in, and starts behaving in such a way that makes it seem that she is wanting to seduce him. The hesitant Benjamin reluctantly agrees to her vampish invitations, and the two start an affair.

Katherine Ross and Dustin Hoffman in ''The Graduate''

But then enters Mrs Robinson's daughter, Elaine (Katherine Ross). His parents urge him to take Elaine to a date, and despite Mrs Robinson's continuous protests, Benjamin does so. And eventually he finds himself falling in love with Elaine. They fall in true love, but then there is Benjamin's affair with Elaine's mother that becomes a dark shadow over Elaine and Benjamin's relationship.

This film was hilarious and humorous! I loved it! The screenplay, adapted by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry from the novel of the same name by Charles Webb, is simply great! The dialogues are amazing; the comedic situations are built up well. Anne Bancroft, who perhaps gives the best performance in this film, is great as the vampish, alcoholic middle-aged woman. Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin gives a wonderful performance. And Katherine Ross--- she's just amazing as Elaine, the Robinsons' daughter who falls in love with Ben. I liked her acting. Especially in the scenes where Elaine and Benjamin go on their first date, Ross was great, and when she broke into tears because Benjamin was behaving rudely with her, she made the scene extremely sad as well.

This was a fast-paced film, humorous and delightful, lovely and comedic, and I would highly recommend it!

4.5 out of 5

''Just Beyond That Forest'' ''The Impossible'' and ''The Host''- Reviews

Just Beyond That Forest (1991 movie)

Directed by: Jan Lomnicki
Released: 1991
Country: Poland

Genres: War drama

Rating: 3 out out of 5

Review

I was quite interested about this film after reading the summary, thinking if it is not great, at least it would be a satisfying and emotional experience. Bu

t this film was not what I had expected. It was not as good as I had thought it would be. It had it's moments, but had several drawbacks as well. The story is about an Aryan woman, Kuglawcova, who once used to work as a washerwoman for the Sterns, a Jewish family. In 1942, Mrs Stern calls her to Warsaw Ghetto, and requests her to take her daughter, Rutka, to a safe residence with a Christian family. Though she initially argues, later she agrees when Mrs Stern gives her expensive dresses and jewelries. Rutka poses as Kuglawcova's granddaughter, and together they start their journey. Kuglawcova's feelings towards Rutka soon becomes deeper; they form a warm and intimate friendship, and amidst the danger of being caught by Gestapos, they walk amidst the forests, with the goal of safely reaching the place they are heading towards, and now Kuglawcova is even prepared to risk her life for the girl.

The story and concept is good, but the screenplay and presentation wasn't as good as I had expected. The beginning and the early parts, were quite good, and it kept me interested in the film. But however, then it had a lot of problems. For example, the length. Despite building up an interesting situation, the short length actually prevented the film from becoming something really good and deep. It could have been much, much better. Also, the conclusion leaves a lot of questions. If only it had been slightly deeper with a better screenplay, it would have been far more memorable.

But however, what it has is quite powerful. And it didn't bore me or made me think it a
 terrible movie. It was an average film, and had the potentiality to be more, much more better.

 The Impossible (2012 movie)

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona
Released: 2012
Country: Spain

Genres: Drama, History

Main cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review

Juan Antonio Bayona's ''The Impossible'' is a vividly disturbing, effective, and realistic film, and it's surely one of the best films of 2012. The story, set in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, gives us a vivid portrait about the tragedies and horrors that can happen as a result of such natural disasters.

The story centers around a family who have come on a vacation to Thailand, and fall victims to the tsunami. The mother, Maria (played by Naomi Watts, the character is based on María Belón) and her oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland) manage to survive, and are soon escorted to a hospital. Unknown to them, the father, Henry (Ewan McGregor) and the younger sons, Thomas and Simon, have also survived, and Henry is desperately searching for Lucas and Maria. The family is separated, but their emotional bondage stands powerful against the horrors of the outcomes of the tsunami. Will they be reunited?

The film gives us a picture of the horrific outcomes of natural disasters like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Along with this, the emotional unity of the family shown in this film is beautiful. How families can be so terribly impacted by these terrible natural disasters like this, is skilfully portrayed in this film. The screenplay is extremely powerful, and the performances are excellent. Naomi Watts, for example, is excellent (she always is, such a talented actress). Ewan McGregor, whom I first saw in Tim Burton's Big Fish, is excellent. More mentionably, young Tom Holland gives a terrific performance.

Overall The Impossible is an excellent film, giving us a vivid portrait of the terrible outcomes of such natural disasters; it is a very skilfully made film.

The Host (2013 movie)

 Directed by: Andrew Niccol
 Released: 2013
 Country: United States

Main cast: Saoirse Ronan, Jake Abel, Max Irons, Chandler Canterbury, Frances Fisher, Diane Kruger, William Hurt, Boyd Holbrook, Scott Lawrence, Emily Browning

Genres: Sci-Fi, Romantic-drama, Adventure, Action

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review

The Host was one of the 2013 films that I had been eagerly waiting to watch. I had loved the original novel written by Stephenie Meyer. I don't like Twilight, but I simply loved the novel The Host. But I must say that the 2013 film adaptation disappointed me. Really disappointed me. Now, I try never to judge a film according to the original novel or story or play. If I do that, it would be judging the film as an adaptation, not the overall film itself. But I must say that The Host is disappointing not only as an adaptation, but also as a film itself.

The Host is a weak film, first of all. First I would discuss the storyline (which is great; but it just wasn't presented nicely). Set in a future, the earth has been invaded by an alien species, called ''Souls''. They are parasitic aliens, and they are inserted in a human host. Human race is nearly extinct (as their bodies have been occupied by the souls), and the few surviving humans are in hiding.

A human, Melanie Stryder (played by Saoirse Ronan) is captured, and a soul, Wanderer, is inserted into her body. Wanderer finds out that her host is resisting; that the host still exists. The Seeker (Diane Kruger) wants Wanderer to go through the memory of the human body, and give her information about the hiding humans. But however, Wanderer has grown to love the humans in Melanie's memory: Melanie's lover, Jared, and her brother, Jamie. So, she, with the help of Melanie, sets out to search for Jared and Jamie. She finally reaches the hiding place, where many other humans besides Jamie and Jared are hiding as well. But none trusts Wanderer, nobody believes that Melanie is still with her. Meanwhile, Wanderer falls in love with Ian, one of the hiding humans. Jared and Melanie, on the other hand, deeply love each other. What will happen? On the other hand, the Seeker is searching for Wanderer and the humans... Wanderer's innocent presence sadly poses a threat to the humans.
 
I love the storyline. I loved the original novel. I loved the depth. But however, the screenplay of this adaptation was just not okay. It had little depth in it. Melanie's loud voice in Wanderer's head made thing unintentionally funny. The voice was supposed to be somewhat different; not funny at least! Saoirse Ronan, one of my favorite actresses, gives a good performance, but the problem is, her character is not well-written. No character is well-written, to tell the truth. Almost none of the scenes have the depth to make it a good film. The love triangle has none of the depth and sweetness found in the original novel. The effects and cinematography, on the other hand, are quite good.  

That doesn't mean it was a terrible movie. The Host had it's moments; at least, they were not cliched like Twilight. The Host did have some effectively emotional moments, for example, the last few scenes. Finally, for those who haven't read the novel, this film might seem slow and boring and ridiculous; on the other hand, those who read the novel (and loved it) will find this film to be disappointing. On the whole, it's a not a recommended film.