Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

With a title like that, I would have missed the show if it weren't for Ewan McGregor. Although I am a little biased, having Ewan in the show (one of my favorite actors), I, surprisingly, enjoyed the show.

The movie is a romantic comedy about a fishery expert Fred (Ewan) who was unwillingly roped into introducing salmon fishing in the Yemen as commissioned by a wealthy sheikh (Amr Waked), which would benefit the British government as a goodwill (and profitable) act amidst some bad news on the Afghanistan war front. Emily Blunt plays Harriet, who is the representative for the sheikh, and whom Fred falls in love eventually. More of the story here.

I loved the humour, and Violet and I couldn't help laughing at many points in the show, especially Fred with his geekiness filled with sincerity. Kristin Scott Thomas was really funny too with her role as the PM's opportunistic press secretary, Patricia Maxwell.

I love to watch UK films which I feel has a different element...maybe it's the humour or a certain "smartness" to some of them. Or maybe it's the British accent. It's also been a while since we've heard Ewan with his Scottish accent onscreen, reminding us he's Scottish. Charming.

The Woman In Black

Good ol' suspense horror.

It's telling of the story was quite different from the play, and having been unable to finish the book, I can't make comparisons there. And by the way, I loved the play. One of my favourites...or else I wouldn't have made the effort to watch this.

From the early start of the movie, I could feel the suspense building. I began wondering, "shucks, why am I watching this alone, scaring myself", feeling a tinge of regret. Being flanked by couples on both sides didn't help. It would have been good to have some kind of company, even if it's a girlfriend (or a pet), but most of my friends don't watch horror, and it was an afternoon show. But of course, not to waste my ticket, I shouldered on.

Daniel Radcliffe, after Harry Potter, takes on another brooding role, but in a more mature capacity as Kipps. Having lost his wife not too long ago and having a last chance to prove himself in his career as a lawyer, Kipps takes on the role in handling the estate management of the late Alice Drablow out at Eel Marsh Manor. You can read the story here.

As I said, the whole atmosphere created by the show was pretty tense. And it was maintained for most part of the movie, and the terrible deaths of the children in the village were tragic. That wasn't in the play (or the book?). However, it didn't end as scarily, though it was inevitable, and tragic still. However, it looked like Kipps ended up in a better place where he and his son gets reunited with his wife.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I found the opening very insightful and intriguing, about how we could build a land of the dead beneath the land of the living; skyscrapers underground (or should I say earthscrapers?) to house the dead. That kind of blew my mind a little coz I never thought of that, and I believe, gave us some perspective - the show was in reference to 9/11 and thinking of skyscrapers, you would think of the WTC.

The story focuses on a boy who had lost his father to 9/11. The boy seemed quite rude at times, but he has some anxiety issues, like being afraid of public spaces, afraid of sitting on swings, etc. The father tries to play games with him to get him to open up and they were very close. The movie shows how he goes in search of the lock to unlock when he finds a key he thought his father had left behind for him, but it was also a search for some kind of closure for him, trying to find his father again. It's very sad actually, because he was the one who heard his father's last words as he called home. But he froze. And he didn't tell anyone about it. I think it would have been very traumatising for any child to hear their father dying. He tortures himself by pinching himself till he bleeds. I understand that he hoped the physical pain will take away the pain inside his heart. The show was also when he finally became closer to his mother. It must have been really painful for her when he blurted out he wished she was the one who was gone instead of the father, but of course he regretted it.

I think the beauty of the show was the journey as he visited people the people, going by a last name he read on the key envelope. And how the mother actually went ahead of him to make it easier for him. And how finally the whole family came together eventually, even his estranged grandfather who returns and helps him in parts of the journey.