Sunshine Cleaning: Two sisters and their messy lives.

SUNSHINE CLEANING shines all the way.

Wow! I avoided this movie while it was in theater based on certain negative reviews it received, but couldn't keep my eyes off from it. Watched it and realized how real reel life can be. From the producers of Little Miss Sunshine but except for the word "Sunshine" and presence of Alan Arkin there is no other similarity. 

Sunshine cleaning is a story about two sisters, Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt). Rose, whose life is not very rosy after her head-cheerleader days, now she is a single mom struggling to look after her troubled seven year old son, Oscar (Jason Spevack). She has a long-running-futile relation with her married high school sweetheart Mac (Steve Zahn). Norah is more or less a general screw-up, still living with her dad, a salesman with a lifelong history of ill-fated get-rich-quick schemes from selling Shrimps to selling Popcorns. After Mac's suggestion, they start a business cleaning crime scene for much bigger money. As they climb the ranks in this very dirty job, they find new respect for each other and he closeness they have always craved finally blossoms. By building their own improbable business they open the door to the joys and challenges of being there for one another-no matter what- while discovering personal healing in the most unexpected way. 

The Focal point of this movie is Rose and her crushing self-doubt. The portrayal of Rose by Amy Adams is brilliant. I cant imagine anyone else doing what Adams did to this character. Even Emily Blunt played Norah equally brilliantly. All other supporting casts are good. 

I wouldn't say this movie is for everyone, its not a sweet and cute movie, watch it only if you have a taste for movies whose dark and bittersweet coating hides a slightly gooey, feel-good soft centre. 

Happy Watching :)

Priceless...an Enjoyable flick!

Ahh, I love french Comedies, even though the story is old and told many a times but French Cinema always presents it in a freshly manner. 

In this entrancing French comedy Audrey Tautou plays gold-digger, Irene who has a series of relationships with wealthy older men for the benefits, nice hotels, good food, and the gifts they give her. She has supreme self-confidence and makes no apologies for what she does. The other main lead, Jean (Gad Elmaleh) is just the opposite, meek and will capitulate in almost any circumstance. He works as a bartender in a Hotel. 

In one uncontrollable night Irene mistakes Jean for a wealthy man. They have a night of passion, but when her boyfriend finds out, he dumps her. Rejected by her ticket to financial security, she focuses instead on the hotel worker, unaware that he is as poor as she is. Poor Jean is deeply smitten with Irene, so much that even after she realizes he's poor and is angry at him for wasting her time, he continues to gladly bankrupt himself just to be with her. At one point he offers her a one-euro coin for 10 seconds of her time. He spends the 10 seconds gazing at her with huge love-struck eyes. ( isnt that Cute) . Now now Irene and Jean have an intense emotional and physical attraction for one another, but she needs more money to 'survive' than he can afford, and he needs the sponsorship of his own mistress to keep himself afloat. How they resolve the entanglements that tear them apart is both amusing and heartwarming.

 The plot twists and turns as the film progresses, but, since this is a romantic comedy, we have a fairly good idea of where things will end up - but it still is fun to watch this odd couple volleying back and forth. This isn't any kind of masterpiece, but is effortlessly crafted and thoroughly entertaining with spectacular locales.

Happy Watching..

How many boxes of popcorn will you give this movie (out of 5)??

The Blue Umbrella: A Beautifully Simple but Impactful Little Fable

Blue Umbrella is a screen version of Ruskin Bond's short story Blue Umbrella.
The protagonist is Biniya (Shreya Sharma), a precocious girl who lives in a picturesque mountain village. The town is a stopping point for tourists on their way through the mountains. One day, Biniya meets a group of tourists and trades her lucky necklace for a beautiful, blue Japanese-style umbrella. The blue umbrella stands out among the alpine greenery, and Biniya and her umbrella become the town’s main attraction. Tourists pose for photos with her when they stop at the local snack shop, run by an old man named Nandu (Pankaj Kapoor). Nandu covets Biniya’s blue umbrella, as do several other adults in town. He tries to trick and bribe her into giving him the umbrella, but she isn’t interested. When the umbrella is stolen one night, Nandu is Bindiya’s prime suspect.
At her request, the cops raid Nandu’s shop, but the umbrella’s not there. Humiliated, Nandu vows to buy his own umbrella. A short while later, Nandu receives a delivery: an umbrella exactly like Biniya’s, only red. He becomes the de facto mayor of the village, though heart-broken Biniya still harbors suspicions about him.

But what's really incredible about the film is the sheer spirit of humanity that pervades and shines through the entire film. It is indeed ironical that the film that has been named the 'best children's film' at the Indian National awards is actually not a kiddies’ flick at all. But The Blue Umbrella can make you feel like being a child all over again- rather like Nand Kishore in the film, who despite all his vices still retains the child in him.
I won't say anymore about this one. If you are reading this I will urge you to watch this. It's a real cool piece of cinema, a great pleasure for the eyes and the mind. I am regretting for not watching the movie in theater.
And yes, an umbrella plays one of the main characters. ;)



Happy Watching :)