I've been in and around the music business all my life so it's difficult for me to get lost in the emotions created by an album or concert without thinking about the mechanics of how it was produced. Movies are different for me. I've never been involved in the movie business and have little interest in how they are made so it's easy to become immersed in the feelings of watching a film and allow the director to take you on an emotional journey.
Last night I went to see the new Woody Allen flick 'Midnight in Paris' at the wonderful Cameo Cinema in St Helena, California. It's the first time I've gone to see a film and have the cinema owner talk passionately about the movie before the lights go down. This is a real movie buff's cinema and Midnight in Paris has played to packed houses on each of it's four night run here. It's a great little film and I found myself falling in love again with Paris, Allen's writing and actress Marion Cotillard in what many are calling Allen's return to form. There is a joy and playfulness in the film that made it a delight to watch and the funny lines about the Tea Party, Hemmingway's character and Picasso's sexual preferences went down well with my fellow cinema goers. While Woody Allen is infatuated with the cityscape of Paris I found myself unable keep my eyes off actress Marion Cotillard, who steals every scene with her natural beauty and smile.
Another movie I caught on the long flight from London to San Francisco was 'The Fighter' starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. It tells the story of two brothers trying to make it in professional boxing while at the same time dealing with heroin addiction, dis-functional families (show me a functional family) and brotherly love. I actually found tears coming to my eyes towards the end of the movie and the guy sitting next to me on the plane probably wondered what in the hell I was watching. Highly recommended film.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRWfS2s2v4]
