Bollywood meets Jane Austin in Bride & Prejudice. Who could have guessed it would be a perfect match. I am loathe to admit once more that I love a romance movie. Maybe underneath it all, I really am a romantic and just need to be loved. If only I had someone to blow out of an airlock!
You have to admire Gurinder Chadha for her work on this film. The song and dance numbers are fabulous. Gene Kelly may not have choreographed the thing, but that's part of it's charm. Watch the scene for "No Life without Wife." I know I felt like getting up and dancing.
One scene that I would like to point out happens near the end of the film. Lalita and Darcy are chasing after Wickham and Lalita's little sister, Lakhi. Lakhi has run off with Wickham and they are trying to bring her back before...well, you probably get the idea. Darcy & Lalita follow Wickham and Lakhi into a movie theater, which is of course playing a Bollywood film. Darcy catches up to Wickham inside a theater and they fight. As they fight, in the background, the movie screen shows a fight scene from the Bollywood film. Punches are thrown in sync and of course Darcy wins. It's actually quite interesting to watch. I don't know what the movie is that is playing in the background, but it parallels the action that is going on between Darcy, Wickham and Lakhi. A nice touch if you ask me.
One more thing, if you watch this film, count the number of times people kiss. They don't really. It's only implied. Bollywood production codes are rather strict on that subject it seems.
Now, to buy the soundtrack...
I am happy to report that there is hardly even a drop of sticky, sweet romance in the Big Lebowski. There is a fair amount of booze and drugs. And don't forget the bowling, the guns, dream sequences, and one rug that ties the room all together.
Um, now that I'm here and writing about this movie, I can't really think of anything incredibly intelligent to write...it was funny and weird. Julianne Moore is brilliant. I loved Jeff Bridges in this movie even if he was a slacker. I loved him better in Tron. Look for Professor Lupin from Harry Potter 3 in this movie, but don't get the kiddies to help you. It's not really for the kiddies. It is rated R after all.
I should mention that I never considered watching this movie until Alex, a co-worker of mine, recommended it. We were at happy hour and I mentioned that I like White Russians. Mentioning this as one of my favorite drinks made him think that I should see this movie. An odd way to get a movie referral to be sure, but it worked for me.
Just FYI, the recipe for a White Russian is as follows:
1.5 parts Kahlua
1.5 parts vodka over ice
Top with cream or milk
I think you can also add a hazelnut to it to add a little pizzazz. I don't know about you, but I'm making myself one right after I finish this entry.
Maybe you've never seen the Fifth Element, but you really should. What makes this a fun movie to watch is how intercutting, or cross-cutting, is used, not only to weave together different locations and plot points in the story, it is also used for some rather humorous effects.
Take for example the two scenes that are cut together to reveal what happened to the stones. The scene where Leeloo is recovering at Father Vito Cornelius' place is intercut with the scene where Zorg takes delivery of the stones from the Mangalores. As LeeLoo is telling the Father that they have been stolen, Zorg makes the trade off with the Mangalores. When he looks into the case, he finds the case is empty. A quick cut is made back to Leeloo laughing. Then back to Zorg who asks if anyone cares to explain. Back to Leeloo who explains where the stones are. There are many instances of this.
One of my favorite sequences in the movie is the one that cuts between Korben at the Flava Laguna concert and Leeloo stopping the Mangalores from stealing the stones. Flava Laguna performs "Il Dolce Suono" during the entire sequence, with a little remixing of the aria done for the fight scene. If you're not familiar with the aria, it's from Lucia di Lammermoor. It's an opera. "Il Dolce Suono"-translated as the sweet sound-is the aria for Lucia's mad scene. She's just murdered her husband, whom she did not love, and has now gone mad. A good use of the aria, if you ask me, since LeeLoo is about to kick some Mangalore booty.
Plus, you gotta love Leeloo's hair color.
Don't panic...there won't be any harsh criticism of this adaptation of the Douglas Adams' book. I mean, really, who wouldn't like a movie that begins with a showtune performed by dolphins?
My question to anyone who reads this blog is, was this movie really all about getting the girl? Didn't it seem like it adhered to that tired old movie format of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy's planet gets destroyed and he's saved by his best friend, boy meets up with girl in a spaceship, boy loses girl again to Vogons, boy has to fill out a bunch of forms to rescue girl, and then boy and girl fall in love?
Oh, and is the answer to the ultimate question about life, the universe and everything, really romantic love? Cuz if it is, man, I'd rather it be 42. Come on!
By the way, don't forget that if you want to survive in this galaxy, you have to know where your towel is. Preferrably a pink one! ;-)