Slumdog Millionaire

Yes, yes, I know- this movie came out months ago. I had heard great things about it and have been wanting to watch it for a long time, but I kept putting it off until my sister came home (I had promised her we would watch it together, and by the time she arrived my homework load would be less obnoxious). I went into the film with high expectations- something I hate to do but can't help. You know when you go into something expecting greatness, and you always come out disappointed because it couldn't live up to your inflated expectations? I worried that this would happen with Slumdog Millionaire, because I have been in desperate need of a movie to lift my spirits.

You know what? I came out loving it. My expectations were fulfilled. The movie, a story of a poor, uneducated contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, is as incredible a film as I have ever seen. Throughout the movie, he is accused of cheating for continually knowing the answers to increasingly difficult questions on the show. Yet you discover that it was his life (destiny, as the movie puts it) that had given him all of the answers. He has lived them.

You learn of his heartbreaking childhood, a lost love, and a struggle between brothers. You find yourself urging on the poverty-stricken children, praying for their safety, and begging characters to do....well, whatever they are supposed to do to make the story come out right ("No, don't leave!" "Turn around! Turn around!" "Run! Run! No, that way! Other way!"; you get the picture). The story greets you, envelopes you, and before you know it, it has captured your heart. For anyone who disagrees with that statement, I would be interested to hear why you were not entranced.

The film is based on Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A, if any of you are interested in checking that out. I think I'll have to put it on my summer reading list.

If I haven't done so already, I do apologize that this review is done in such delay to the movie. I suppose this is sort of like a 'last call' to all of you out there who have not seen it yet. If you think this is just another movie that can be set aside, please reconsider. Seeing this film may not change the course of your life, but it can touch your heart, giving you faith that even in the worst of situations, people can persevere.

Go rent it.

Visiting the Cousins

This weekend my family drove up to Minnesota to visit my cousins (mom's side). I absolutely love going there. They live out of the way, sort of in the country. I swear we drove past more farmland trying to get to their house than we pass in Iowa. And when we get there, our cell phones are in roam, neighbors are a good hundred feet away from one another, and town is about a fifteen minute drive away. The partial isolation is kind of nice.

I know it's not said as much these days, but I really do love my family. Sure, here and there we had a temper tantrum from the four-year-old and some insensitive comments from the eighth-grader, but who said families are perfect? Besides, I'm pretty sure the eighth-grader was more juiced up on his newly-acquired testosterone than anything else. Being with them, I can see their growth and learn new things (I didn't know Polish sausage was venison, or that vacuum salesmen could be so relentless).

What did we do? Aside from a day of shopping (in which I got some wardrobe updates, like these shoes), we spent a lot of time around the house. We played Frisbee in their cornfield (with this kind. It goes so far! We had to climb over the wire fence on the property line to go fetch it once, and another time had to climb a tree), swung dangerously on their tire swing, and were introduced to their four outdoor cats (Mittens and Lilly being my favorites). I would go on, but I suppose you know the typical family stuff: sitting and talking, etc. The last thing of note was play chess and watch "Get Smart", a movie that I had forgotten how much I enjoyed. My favorite clip is posted below.

All things must end, and it's nice to be back home. Visiting family is great, but we would probably be under each others' skin had we stayed longer. Our trip was short and sweet. The perfect kind.

Sweet, sweet justice

Don't you just love it when people get what they deserve? I do, too. So if you haven't seen any of these yet, make it a point to.

1. Shawshank Redemption: Accountant Andy Dufresne is sent to jail for supposedly killing his wife and her lover. Once in jail, he faces hardened criminals, cruel guards, and a corrupt warden. He does meet one close friend, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, whose narrations are sprinkled throughout the movie. Andy faces many less-than-amusing situations: being beaten by the Shawshank State Prison's top gang, being refused a retrial despite a new testimony (the person to give the testimony is.....disposed of by the Prison; on purpose, mind you), and being forced to balance the warden's dishonest books. I won't say the end, but just know that it will make you want to point at the screen and say "Ha!" to all the people who thought they had gotten the best of him.
2. Dexter: This Showtime series doesn't have your average plot. Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter specialist who works for the Miami police department, also happens to be a serial killer. Who does he kill? Why, killers, of course! He channels his own killing urges on....well, people that "deserve" it. The show demonstrates his struggles to appear normal, uncover his mysterious past (he remembers little from his life before adoption at a young age), and to solve a peculiar case in which the killer is trying to connect with Dexter, personally. It's gripping, amusing, and you find yourself wondering how you could possibly be connecting with such a dark yet lovable character.
3. The Count of Monte Cristo: The movie portrayal of Alexandre Dumas's book is themed: "Don't get mad, get even. Well, ok, do both, but just don't forget that second part." The story begins in France with best friends: Edmond Dantes and Fernand. Fernand, however, is jealous of Dantes: his luck, his woman (Mercedes), and his happiness despite his poverty. His plan? Set Dantes up (with the help of an angry shipmate of Dantes and Villefort- a magistrate who wants Dantes in jail to prevent him from spilling the beans that Villefort's father is a supporter of Napoleon). Sending Dantes to a brutal prison, he remains there for 13 years until he manages to escape. And when he does, he has one thing in mind: ruin the lives of those that ruined mine. The movie has made revenge never seem so meticulous, so planned, so sweet.

Now go watch one and feel that sense of satisfaction. Did I miss any? Let me know.