Titanic

When I first saw this movie I understood little and had an iota of patience. Saw this movie again recently on TV and damn - it's a brilliant movie. Add to that Leo is there and a red-head Kate Winslet in all her vulnerable, voluptuous glory.
"Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight." I loved the scene where the musicians played on while panic ensued around them. I had completely missed the grandeur of the movie when I saw it first; I never saw how strong a role Kate's was; the end of the movie where Rose and Jack try to escape towards the deck, the 'lower class' being discriminated against, the nouveau riche American lady hollering at the lack of humanity in her fellow travelers when aboard the boat, a group of people craving the word of the Lord when on the verge of dying, the fact that only 1 boat returned for survivors.
Old Rose says at the end of her narration, "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets."

Bridges of Madison County

Has to be one of the best romantic movies of all time. Sadly, it's a questionable topic and one of my favourites... Infidelity.
Meryl Streep has done an outstanding job and that almost goes without saying :)
The slow movie does a great job of picturing the romance that apparently develops over a very long period of time but is in fact only a day. Before the intimacy begins, all along, the viewer is forced to believe that physical intimacy will lead to passion and so forth - but this story was about a very mature romance born out of the desire for something new and a form of security.
Meryl's character is quite evidently lonely and bored and when she finds a person who has traveled the world, is a gentleman and very secure about his own identity she experiences a lust which later develops to belonging and hope.
Loved the part when she is about to run out of the car her husband is driving and go for Robert's (Clint) car.
Regret - Francesca lived with it for her life and the movie shows her son and daughter living with similar circumstances where they adjust to 'normalcy'. It is something that many people accept and adjust to even though the possibilities of changing course could lead to greater paths. We often choose security over adventure and potential fulfillment.


Just a note about Clint Eastwood's brilliance.
Francesca asks Robert, "Tell me the most exciting place you've been to in the whole world, unless, of course, if you are too tired..." Clint almost takes a sip of his beer, glances at Francesca in a weird way, goes back to the bottle, takes a sip, looks back at Francesca and comments about how much guys like talking about themselves. The nuances to that scene and many others... :)

Before Sunset

A simple movie, a simple plot, complex emotions and a messy history filled with regret. A guy (Ethan Hawke) and a girl (Julie Delpy) met nine years ago, spent an evening and a night together, promised to meet each other six months thence; the guy arrived, the girl did not. They did not see each other for the next 9 years. The guy wrote a book about his life and that night. He comes to Paris (Julie's hometown), and they meet each other at the bookstore where he's signing books.

The movie begins, they walk, they talk. They laugh and they break down (internally, at least). You see the love in their mannerisms and in their eyes; you see that they don't know if they want it, you see that both of them are overjoyed and overwhelmed. One can continually smile through the movie and hope that they end up together. The movie ends rather abruptly but on a positive and joyous note.
There isn't much to describe but it is, by far, one of my all-time favourites.

Once

Glen is an emotional, care-free singer who writes meaningfully and the Irish charm pours from his face while he sings.
Marketa has the cutest innocence and a unique accent; she is confused and stuck and sad.
This movie was made whole through the music and creations by Glen Hansard, etc. A sweet movie with a twisted romance that has, what most would believe to be, a sad ending. For me, it signified joy; it was an uncanny, short-lived, memorable and meaningful relationship between Glen and Marketa. Both of them were broken and torn and they saved each other - a fact that is easily overlooked. It seemed a true story and the ease with which Marketa and Glen played their characters made one believe wholly in their stories.

A part that stuck with me:
Marketa playing the piano towards the end of the movie and the look on Glen's face with his eyes shining and his mouth open, as though in horror. She sings well and she looks great and then she breaks down before completing the song. He says nothing, rubs her back and says, "Did you write that for your husband?"
What ensues, can make a viewer so confused and sad and hopeful. The viewer can see how much they fit and how much they care for each other, but Marketa is attached to her child and mother and still longs for her husband. Till the very end, the viewer hopes that they find a way to be together...