Candy

Australia 2006

Picture and details imdb

Seen 27th October 2006

Candy, the name of the title character seems appropriate as her dalliance with drugs which is recreational "candy" at the beginning brings her through different phases of dependence. She is an artist and her boyfriend, Dan, is the poet. The drugs which started as just normal candy in their life vocabulary, something to enhance their take on life eventually turns them into junkies. They knew they had to stop the downward spiral especially when Candy realises she is pregnant. But their efforts at going cold turkey failed and they go down the drugs path again. It is a painful watch and Candy struggles throughout to have some semblance of normalcy. A struggle till the end. We may never know whether history will repeat itself or will it be a happy ending.

Queens

Spain 2006

Picture and details movies.yahoo

Seen 26 October 2006

Spain's first gay wedding. And the mothers involved with their sons' marriage. So many tumultuous events happened before the official wedding date. Not just the sons, but their mothers lives goes topsy-turvy too. A fun watch. Who are the real queens?

Soap

Denmark 2006

Picture and details imdb

Seen 26 October 2006

Soap, the cleansing agent or the drama? Charlotte, who just broke up with her long time lover moves to a new apartment. Her neighbour downstairs is Veronica, a transvestite who is waiting for government approval for a sex change operation. Their less than warm first meeting develops into a sort of cordial friendship when Veronica tried to commit suicide. Events take another turn when Charlotte is saved from her ex-lover's beatings. Frustrations, doubts, self-worth, denials all come into play between the two of them. The film ends with Charlotte whispering her secret to Veronica. A secret we can only guess.

AE Fond Kiss

UK 2003

Picture and details imdb

Seen 25 October 2006

Love across racial and religious barriers. This is an age old dilemma and is more pertinent now with the multi-racial, mutli-cultural and multi-religious make-up of many countries in the world. The questions of acceptance by family as well as kith and kin hovers large whenever cupid shoots his arrow at a woman and man from two different sides of the equation. This film shows how the lovers cope with the objections from family and friends. There are flare-ups between the two of them whenever the pressure of reality gets too near. They try their best to make things work but only time will tell whether others are equally at ease with their partnership.

The Devil Wears Prada

USA 2006

Picture and details imdb

Seen 1 October 2006

The devil as your boss. The new worker learning the ropes of the trade, in this instant the fashion magazine industry. Being bullied by the boss and your superior while trying to juggle a semblance of a relationship. The audience is taken through all these snippets. Plus the ultimate question whether of career versus integrity. The story moves along at quite a giddy pace during the sequences which showcases the hurly-burly world of fashion. Meryl Streep as the boss is superb and just the tone of her voice conveys so much. Her movements and speech is economical. No hysterics but the brevity and spontaneity cuts through without any hesitation. A fun watch.

Heavenly Kings

Hong Kong 2005

Picture and details lovehkfilm

Seen 30 September 2006

Heavenly Kings on first glance gives an impression of a simple story on a Hong Kong boy band. Underlying the rags to riches story is the behind the scenes manipulations of the big wigs in the music industry. It is a business after all with sales being the bottomline for any decision. There was a scene where the image consultant blurts out that talent and looks comes second to the image ant packaging of the final product. All done in the name of the mighty dollar. Forget your independence or integrity unless you are willing to face the uphill battle with the establishment - the music industry juggernaut. This particular story also highlights how a strong friendship helps to smoothen the many obstacles faced by the members with the industry as well as among themselves. The story is a revelation on how the music industry operates but maybe it has been mentioned elsewhere. Most probably the ongoings are similar in the music industry of other countries too.