Eat Drink Man Woman - Foodie's Delight

Eat Drink Man Woman

Mandarin, English Subtitles

1994, 124 minutes

5 Stars

A "foodie" movie of pure excellence; the inspiration of Tortilla Soup. Eat Drink Man Woman is director Ang Lee's masterpiece. A delightful story of an aging widower who still has his adult daughters living at home with him and how they all find love and get on with their lives. You won't need hankies in this comedy, but you will need bibs! The food sequences are phenomenal (be sure to watch the 'extra' where Ang Lee talks about the preparation and filming of the sequences;-) This is a complex film where the stories are brought together at the end, and tied with a beautiful bow. Winner of several awards, and deserving of each and every one, this movie is a "must see" if you like comedy, food, romance! Some sexual content.

Trailer of opening scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs5WiddD7i0

Antonio Gaudi - a journey into beauty!

Antonio Gaudi

1984, 72 minutes

4Stars

This movie would have been a 5 Star had there been a narrator to tell us what we were seeing, how it was built, when it was built, why it was built, etc. The photography was stunning, the parks and building almost surreal. Antonio Gaudi was one of the foremost architects of Spain, and Rainy Day thinks if you do a little online research before you see the movie, it will mean more to you. The film is a journey of discovery, but Rainy Day wasn't sure what she was discovering, beyond the beauty of man-made structures.

Rainy Day suggests you watch these two short films by Ken Russell before watching the movie, which was made much later. The Sagrada Family Temple is much further along, now. Also, these shorts will give you a better understanding of what the movie so beautifully shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB75S0dlsOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m20LeOGCQIc

Shower

Shower

Mandarin, English Subtitles

1999, 94 minutes

5 Stars

A 'feel good' movie about Da Ming who left his small, provincial town to seek his fortune in the big city, who, when he receives a postcard from his developmentally disabled brother Er Ming, returns home thinking his father was ill. Dad and Er Ming run a bathhouse where the local men come to get a bath, right crickets, and enjoy life at a leisurely pace. However, Modernization rears its ugly head, and the neighborhood is to be destroyed to make way for high-rise buildings and shopping malls. There is much humor and the acting is uniformly excellent. This is a film the whole family can enjoy (there is nudity, but not frontal or sexual). Even if you are not a fan of subtitles, these are so well done they seem to disappear. Da Ming realizes the meaning of family.

The Cat Returns - a Delightful Film!

The Cat Returns

Choice of Language

2002, 75 minutes

5 Stars

Anime, Studio Ghibli

A delightful film! Young Haru rescues a cat, not an ordinary cat, mind you, but the only son of the King of Cats, and the King sets about rewarding Haru, up to and including kidnapping her to marry his son! Rainy Day watched it in Japanese with English subtitles, but it is also in English, and French. It's a great film, and one the whole family should enjoy. Netflix suggests a common sense rating of 10+ years. I think younger would be OK with it, especially if Mom or Dad watched along with them. It's funny, it's Studio Ghibli!

For trailer, click here.

Last of the Lone Wolf and Cub Movies

Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell #6

Japanese, English Subtitles

1974, 83 minutes

3 Stars

Rainy Day rather enjoyed this movie, thinking that by the end all of the loose ends would be gathered and neatly tied with one final battle, and redemption of Ogami Itto with the Shogun. Alas, this is the last movie in the series, but it has an open ending, implying there will be a #7, but none exists. Had it not been the last of the series, it would have been rated 5 Stars. Single handedly, he wipes out the entire Yagyu clan, except for its leader; there are many fights, lots of 'blood fountains' for with the Japanese are so famous, but no satisfactory ending. Rainy Day would happily go back to Zatoichi, but she's seen all of those movies, too. Perhaps some bored script writer will write #7, LWC, Redemption!

Watch movie here.