Now, for my reviews:
Because I was out of town for a lot of week (visiting my sister and her family and picking up my camera - PST free!!), I only made it to two of the movies, and watched one on my own. The movie I watched at home was Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. The movie was released in 1957 and was nominated for ten different awards (including 4 Oscars) and won one of them. Set in New York and Paris, the film is about fashion photographer Dick Avery, (played by Astaire) who is in search of an interesting and intellectual location for a less-than-intelligent model. He and his crew expropriate a small, dusty bookstore, but when the photo session is over, the store is left in a mess and books are heaped everywhere, much to the salesgirl, dowdy and unfashionable, Jo Stockton's dismay (played by Hepburn). Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is pulled in by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris, where she can meet her hero, a philosopher. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer. Of course, romance ensues and the movie ends with a happily-ever-after ending. Overall, I enjoyed this film, although, the predictable plot and typical boy-meets-girl, boy-offends-girl, boy-makes-up-for-it-and-wins-girl storyline is a little less than exciting. It is a sweet story, though, and nicely filmed, and Audrey Hepburn is always charming. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5
Born Into Brothels was an excellent documentary on children living in a red light district in Calcutta. Zana Briski is a photographer who travels to their neighbourhood and actually lives with them, teaching photography to the children who are interested. This film is moving, inspiring, heart-breaking and beautifully hopeful at the same time. The content is really hard to watch at times, when you see how these children were living and the kind of family life they had, but watching how someone showing a bit of interest in them, and empowering them with being able to express themselves through art made me excited to see how their lives were changing and how far they've come now. It is a really lovely film that everyone should see. Definitely 5 out of 5 for this one.
O Brother Where Art Thou was great too. The way the movie was actually filmed and then edited was very interesting and it is definitely more powerful, having had the editing done the way it was. The movie itself was very funny and I laughed out loud (literally) several times. Very entertaining and well filmed, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5. And with that, it's time for me to R-U-N-N-O-F-T...
