Finding Neverland

finally, watched this movie! johnny depp was good, and it offered a look on the genius that was jm barrie. while it also gave me a subtle look on victorian life (i love period pieces!), it also made me realize how much i missed theatre. the live acting on stage, the dialogue, the props. i remember as a kid watching lisa macuja and her grace on stage. sigh. wish i had been one of those first people to see peter pan on stage.
sadly, this wasn't the box-office hits (surprisingly, i don't think any of this year's Oscar-nominated ones were). of course, it had none of that wham-bam action, or achingly-bittersweet romance, or laugh-out-loud comedy. but it was a life story. it had its lessons to share. too bad some people decided to pass up on it.

Wicker Park

this starts off really slow; you have to really commit yourself to be patient for the first 10-15 minutes (esp when you have josh hartnett.. i dunno, i never liked him). to see how the movie goes. then the plot unravels, by flashbacks first, then thru the characters. likewise, it has a detective-type feel to it, where each minor detail is pieced together, once, then back-and-forth, then you can finally appreciate the whole story. overall, it is a tale of love, but you might feel the movie is asking you to look into its darker aspects of betrayal and obsession.
i'd recommend it for teleserye fans out there, who are altogether familiar with being emotionally-pulled under.

Shall We Dance?

stars: richard gere, jennifer lopez, susan surandon

i originally intended NOT to watch this one, because it had j-lo AND richard gere in it (don't ask).
eventually, a neighbor got hold of this cd, and finding this one among a small few that i selected, i watched it. on the plus side, i did hear it having some good reviews (from close relatives) and some on the newspaper. it also helped, that prior to playing the actual movie, the dvd explains that this was actually a remake of the original sleeper-hit japanese one. and with that good an intro (hehe, biased!), i happily watched it.
it told of main character (gere) whose ho-hum life was in need of some jumpstart. of all the manly things he could've done otherwise, he tries ballroomdancing, and an out-of-the-blue decision becomes an interest, then a passion. he becomes alives, so to speak, and like the partner, gracefully guides the viewer to enjoy it with him as well.
of course, i love ballroom dancing! more than once in the movie, that urge to take up dancing just welled up inside me, and i'd find my foot, or hand, tapping to the beat of the music. needless to say, i got hooked to film.

*some notes reposted from CH's blog*

Garden State

stars: zach braff, natalie portmann

starring zach braff (who i heard also wrote and directed it?! woah!) and the brilliant natalie portman, this light-hearted story tells of a man coming to terms with himself, awakening to the spontaneity of life past the walls of his self-imposed restraint, with the unlooked-for "help" from strangers and almost-forgotten friends. it's refreshingly simple and unhurried. those two words should be enough to tell you to watch the story. but don't expect to be blown away, or coming out enlightened, altered or whatever. it does not celebrate life, but it does make you kinda appreciate its normalcy, with semi-quirkiness on the side (however weird that may sound).
whereas some may feel this is not really a strong incentive to go to the theatres or rent the dvd(ok, so i can't make a good movie review), one major highlight that i do have to mention is its soundtrack. i can't remember a movie where i liked the songs so much. coyote ugly was one, but it was more mainstream-ish; garden state had an indie atmosphere in it.

*some notes reposted from CH's blog*