Directed by Anne Fletcher
Starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden
Chick flicks are among the most difficult to review, mostly due to the fact that I've got male organs. So whenever a girl asks me whether I liked a certain chick flick and I reply no, they always just shrug and toss it off as because I'm a guy.
Well, it's a wrong assumption. Sure, many chick flicks in the past I've gone from dislike to pure outright hatred and spite. Some are good enough only as toilet paper for my cat. I long for the good old days when movies like Pretty Woman, When Harry met Sally, Runaway Bride and My Best Friend's Wedding dominated the screen.But that doesn't mean I don't know how to appreciate them, but the fact remains that these days, most chick flicks aren't just that well made.
27 Dresses is no exception, although thankfully it does not fall into the pits of CHicky Hell. It's a movie that falls so flat in the center of mediocrity that it is a frustratingly hear-tugging chore simply to write a fitting review for it.
You see, 27 Dresses falls victim to the except same mistakes that many of the embarrassments of its genre, it follows the formula so faithfully you'd think it was a self-mutilating albino monk. Meaning, from the very start to the end if you were to try to predict what's next, chances are you're right 90% of the time.
Every scene has the sense of de ja vu, the been there, seen that feel and the lack of any true writing or directorial force guarantees its exclusion from the good category.
But now for the good thing, and yes it's mostly a singular thing. The movie IS thankfully a bit entertaining. Katherine Heigl and James Marsden both give charming, if not astounding, performances and several scenes manage to bring out a chuckle and even a roar here and there. Meaning as a movie, it isn't boring. Yes, that's pretty much as big a compliment as I can give it. And really, what else is there to say? While it does strike some great emotions for love, it falls flat in light of greater aspects, this is a chick flick that does what it does, nothing more and nothing less. Although I must say, this movie may proves more so that both leads make entertaining characters as Heigl has proven in Knocked Up and James in Enchanted.
6 out of 10
KITE RUNNER
Written by Khaled Hosseini
This is a review I'll keep short, mostly because if I allow myself to ramble on about how much I loved the book, you'll most likely be reading the end of this review at the end of your scroll bar.
Needless to say, I loved it. No love is to weak a word. This is a book that upon completion, you know, you just know, that had it been a different era, this book would be a great classic of the ages.
It passes through many aspects: betrayal, honor, guilt, war, hope, love, friendship, family, culture... just about every damn thing but not once did the story seem convoluted or scrambled. Rather, the narrative flows seamlessly with vibrant storytelling filled with emotions at each perfect note.
The story centers around two Afghan boys, the rich well-to-do Amir and his Hazara slave boy and best friend Hassan. How Khaled portrays these two boys, and ust about every character in the book brings them to life in incredibly complex and realistic manner, but never to the point that one loses sight of who they are supposed to be.
This book is mostly a book of life, although be warned that there is much death in this tale. It's a master craft of the horrors of human nature and the limitless tragedy. From the plight of the people to the main characters' lives as they struggle through every obstacle thrown at them.
If there is one thing I did not fully love, it was the ending, which gave me little sense of satisfaction, but even that I understand and applaud. It isn't an ending of great satisfaction, maybe, but it is an ending that gives a sense of closure to the point that this is reality, in a way it's just the way it is. Khaled knows this, and he's not afraid to drive his tale around.
Amir in the book is a writer of sorts, and his best talent lays in the sense of irony in his tales. Khaled is then understandable a master of it as well, and it shows all throughout, screaming literary genius with each chapter.
This is a book of great wealth, and deserves a definite read for anyone looking for a masterpiece.
10 out of 10
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