Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Critics Corner

Well with good news, I'm here to report we survived the crazy storms from last week, alhamdullilah. Winds blowing at unbelievable speeds, loss of power, flooding, and of course the panic people tail-spin into when dealing with anything different than their ordinary daily routine. Truly, those of us that live in California live a pretty blessed existence weather-wise, and when the daily routine shifts to a slightly uncomfortable speed people become a little unglued. But again the long and the short of that tale is we survived, alhamdullilah.

During our isolation period.....lol we rented some movies to pass the time. Although I prefer to read over watching movies, reading children’s books can be taxing. Moreover, sometimes watching movies for Amira and I can be somewhat challenging as our attention span for each other's perspective movie selection is short to say the least.

The weekend started with Strawberry Shortcake Dress Up, which is a cute movie about friends accepting one another for the way they are even if they are different along with a story about dressing up. Dressing up is fun, but to remember it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside but rather the inside. Again sweet little film that wasn't too long.

We then proceeded to watch Happily Ever After (The Snow White Story Continues)----it was a sequel to the original Snow White movie. Again, it had a good message of friendship and how working together many things can be accomplished---even the forces of evil can be destroyed. I'm also rather surprised how darkness plays a part of most, if not all of Disney films. For instance, the evilness that takes place in Snow White, or the evilness that takes place in Sleeping Beauty, or the killing of Bambi's mother, and even the imprisonment of Dumbo's mother. It just seems too much for kids to watch. I recall as a child seeing Dumbo with my family and cousin and crying for days on end over that movie, and how could they take Dumbo's mommy away, etc. I can't imagine what my poor mom had to endear listening to me repeat the same thing over and over a gazillion times.

As for the 'grown up' movies I selected, I suppose in some ways Amira's movies may have been better. :-) The first movie I watched was called Rain, which is based on a novel written by V.C. Andrews, whose books I've gobbled up over the years. I have yet to see a film that follows that exact story line of a novel. More importantly, I've yet to see a film that captures my attention in the detailing like a novel does. Perhaps my mind is more alive when reading......who knows.

The next movie I watched was called La Vie En Rose which was based on the life of a famous French woman by the name of Edith Piaf. This was a pretty dark movie as well. Why does it seem that so many famous people have such depressing lives. This woman's life was really one of survival and struggle, like so many others I've heard about before. My life's struggles seem to pale in comparison to hers for I had my parents with me at all times living in a stable environment, alhamdullilah. She does fall in love, which I think may have been the only person she may have ever truly loved, a Moroccan who ends up getting a plane crash. :-(

The last movie I watched was The Kingdom, which had some good car scenes in it. It's an action film, which if you just leave the incorrect politics and perceived religious negativity out of it, isn't too bad. :-) I realize there's probably many that would have a hay-day depicting everything that was incorrect about a movie for the sake of being able to point them out, but on the other hand sometimes it's just nice to watch a movie for what it is......a movie. However, on the other hand, I should know better than to watch movies that may be anything other than a comedy because I usually find myself crying about something in them, which is true about all three movies I mentioned. :-) The only movies I didn't cry in were Strawberry Shortcake Dress Up and Happily Ever After---although I found the second one a little too dark for my taste. Although a little kids movie can go a looooooooooooooooooooooong way before you want to see another one. ;-)

So, all and all, I'm ready for the sun to come back out so we can go outside. :-)

7 comments:

Anglo-Libyan said...

alhamdullilah all is well.

nice post, I enjoyed reading it.
Aida my daughter used to love watching Strawberry Shortcake :o)

about the dark side of Disney, this is very true and it has tromatised many people in the past and still does, it seems every film has a dark side, even the new ones!

I watched some of La Vie En Rose, very depressing and if Edith Piaf didnt kill herself, she would surely have commitedsuicide after watching this film, im glad you are still alive :o)

I hope inshaAllah that The Sun will come out Tommorrow

ibeebarbie said...

Salam Anlgo-Libyan,
LOOOOOOL@"if Edith Piaf didnt kill herself, she would surely have commitedsuicide after watching this film". Oh my gosh that was the best comment---I completely agree. Of course they left that part out how she dies...wonder if that means there will be a sequel? Oh goodness, I hope not.

With respect to Disney movies, a few of us were talking about just this very subject yesterday and came to the conclusions that either Mr. Walt Disney didn't have a mother, but rather a step-mother that was dreadful or just a distain for mother figures because nearly all the Disney cartoons have something to do with mother figures not being good. So, there you go for our two cents worth of psychological studies. :-)

dusk till dawn said...

salam ibee
so pleases to hear u both well and the storm passed away,
abt the staying at home and watching films no comments has ha i think u just felt bored and u picked any thing ur hand can reach , but Amira got more joy of her films, poor ibee,
i must admit i have not seen any of them ,hope as u said sun shine after the rain,take care

Anonymous said...

Im so happy to hear that both of you are oki
Nice movies I didn't watch none of them I'll search about La Vie En Rose it looks nice one

fe aman Allah

ibeebarbie said...

Salam Dusk Till Dawn,
Indeed Amira was the winner of the film selections.:-) I realize spring is just a few short months away, but some days seem like FOREVER. LOL

Salam Maya,
I would recommend La Vie En Rose if you are in need of depression and tears. LOL

Anglo-Libyan said...

salam ibeebarbie and thanks for the extra info :o)

I have some for you too, when La Vie En Rose was made into a stage play some years ago and put on the westend in London, Elaine Page who has a great voice, played the part of Edith Piaf, apparently it was very successful but after few months the play had to be suspended because Elaine Page's voice could not take it any longer and she quit the show, it goes to show the strength of Edith Piaf's voice!
I wonder if Elaine Page actually got very depressed!!

another thing, we have here at the moment an advert on TV about a mobile phone company, which shows Edit Piaf singing her most misrable song with English subtitles saying that she is so depressed because she went to another phone company :o)

Unknown said...

Once Amira gets older , I highly recommend to watch excellent Japanese Animation by Hayao Miyazaki.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

youtube.com/watch?v=WC_JXFpQUug

I think I have seen all his films in both languages Japanese/English.


When you posted about La Vie En Rose I just watched Basquiat, they had tragic lives.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Jean-Michel_Basquiat


The director of Basquiat has a new film called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in theaters which is getting great reviews.

http://www.thedivingbellandthebutterfly -themovie.com/

http://www.apple.com/trailers/
miramax/
thedivingbellandthebutterfly/
trailer/


The Kingdom really sucks, acting was terrible.


The film I recommend you to rent is
"ONCE"

http://www.apple.com/trailers/
fox_searchlight/once/