Category: Film

Sita Sings the Blues

Gio, Kenny, Vidya, and I (all of whom once lived in a Seattle apartment building named after The Ramayana) saw a fantastic film at SIFF called Sita Sings the Blues. It’s an animated version of the Ramayana, told from a very pro-Sita perspective and set to Annette Hanshaw jazz numbers from the 20s. And if that doesn’t already sound amazing enough – the animation is stunning, was all done by one woman (Nina Paley), and was created entirely in Flash.

I believe the only way to see the film is at screenings and film festivals for now – but it’s certainly worth checking out if it makes it to a film festival near you. Nina Paley is apparently investigating DVD distribution options and hopes to have more news by the end of the summer.

Pushpakha

3 Bad Movies, 1 Good One, and 1 Failed Attempt

I don’t watch very many movies. I think the last film I saw in the theatre was Thank You for Smoking (back in March or April, I believe), and Kenny and I don’t even rent enough films to warrant the smallest NetFlix package (fortunately, when we do get the urge to rent something, we can walk across the street to On 15th, usually armed with a 2-for-1 coupon from QFC).

Well, it seems that family visits often offer opportunities to catch up on movies, which we certainly did during our Thanksgiving week in Slidell. We watched 3 films that proved less than popular with their audiences (which changed with each film, but always included Kenny, his cousin David, and me):

  • The Italian Job (the 1969 original, not the Marky Mark remake, which I actually found somewhat enjoyable, if brainless)
  • Edmond
  • Reefer Madness (the 2005 Showtime remake. This one is one of Gary and Lynn’s faves, due to its campy songs, but I was simply not in the mood for the killing spree at the end, especially right after watching Edmond.)

And one that we enjoyed a good deal: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, starring Val Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr.

We also attempted to see Stranger than Fiction at the local Slidell cinema, but we left early into the film because the picture was out of focus and shaking (we tried to stick it out, but we were all getting headaches). Incidentally, David saw Stranger than Fiction after arriving home in New York and he enjoyed it, so maybe we should try to head out and see it in theatres rather than waiting for it to arrive at On 15th. :)

Lauren on Star Wars

I kind of liked it! Yes, the dialogue was cheesy (as to be expected), but I do agree with Matthew, who argues that it was not quite as bad as the dialogue in Episode II.

The special effects were stunning, the fights were entertaining, and I actually found the story compelling — i.e., I found myself feeling some of the emotions that the audience was supposed to feel. This is certainly more than I can say for Episodes I or II. While not a great film, it was quite enjoyable and a fitting end to the series.