sisterhood 2

sisterhood of the traveling pants 2
directed by saanra hamri
screenplay by elizabeth chandler
novel by ann brashares
starring - amber tamblyn, alexis bledel, america ferreira, blake lively, blithe danner, leonardo nam, michael rady, shohreh aghdashloo, jesse williams, lucy hale

tibby (tamblyn), bridget (lively), lena (bledel) and carmen (ferreira) are great friends who struggle to keep up their friendship strong as college life and adult life pulls them in different directions. even if you didn't see the first 'sisterhood', this film stands on its own. (but go back and watch the first one anyway.) this is a great chick flick, complete with romance, hot guys (omg - williams is dreamy!), drama and laughter. oh and beautiful back drops of santorini to boot. what i liked were reflections of real female behavior: girls being catty and competitive, girls becoming self-actualized after some bumps and bruises to the ego, and girls being true to good friends when the chips are down. go see it. and yes, bring some kleenex.

sir ben kingsley times 2

i didn't plan it on purpose, but i saw 'transsiberian' one week (genart advanced screening) and 'elegy' the following week (cinema chicago - thanks ww!).

transsiberian
directed by brad anderson
written by brad anderson & will conroy
starring: emily mortimer, woody harrelson, kate mara, eduardo noriega and sir ben kingsley

an american couple (mortimer & harrelson) finds serious trouble when they meet two strangers (mara & noriega) with whom they share a cabin on a transsiberian rail from china to moscow. the story is a little forced and contrived. mortimer and noriega give the strongest performances. emily mortimer delivers intense emotions and actions. although well acted, the character was written in a way that is not truly believable - too inconsistent. sir ben kingsley's role was secondary, but he did portray one scary russian. the aerial views of the train were gorgeous, but you can wait for the dvd.


elegy
directed by isabel coixet
screenplay written by nicholas meyer
novel written by philip roth
starring: sir ben kingsley, penelope cruz, patricia clarkson, dennis hopper, peter saarsgard, deborah harry

elegy (noun) - 1. a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, esp. a funeral song or a lament for the dead. (definition copied from dictionary.com)

david kepesh (sir ben kingsley) finds his independent life rocked by his desire for consuela castillo (penelope cruz). kepesh struggles to finally "grow up" in his elder years. 'elegy' explores sex, friendship, love and aging masterfully. don't let the movie trailer fool you. the trailer makes the film almost 'light'. although there are humorous moments and great dialogue shared between kingsley and hopper, the film is deeper and somber at times. excellent performances by all actors, including supporting actors saarsgard, clarkson and harry. i definitely recommend 'elegy'.