The Magnificent Seven (2016)

The past few weeks have been brutally busy and so a movie sounded like a good idea this weekend and "The Magnificent Seven" won the coin toss amongst the other releases.

The year is 1879 and in Rose Creek, a small community of farmers, people live simple and peaceful lives. However, corrupt industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) has his sights on the little town and he offers a pittance to buy the land from the locals. Bogue threatens and follows up to prove his intent and Emma Cullen's husband is one of the few shot in cold blood. Bogue leaves with the threat of returning after 3 weeks to claim what he deems is now his.
Emma seeks revenge and she leaves town in search of someone who can help. She meets warrant officer Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) who initially declines to help but changes his mind when he hears about the gruesome murders. He begins a search for and gradually gathers a motley crew of talented gunslingers and fighters. Emma and the group return to Rose Creek  and begin to train the townsfolk and create a plan of attack.
The day arrives and the dreaded roar of approaching horse's hooves heralds Bogue's arrival with his army. What starts out as a victory for the people of Rose Creek soon turns into a massacre when Bogue brings out the heavy artillery. The simple revolvers, colts and shotguns are no match ... Will the people of Rose Creek stand to lose it all - after all? Will Emma get her revenge?
I haven't watched the original from 1960 but I did love this movie and what came to mind were old Western classics that we would hire from the local video store when we were little - "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" (1966), "Hang 'Em High" (1968), "Mackenna's Gold" (1969) ... and so comparitively I found this movie a little too pretty, so visually appealing, as compared to the above mentioned classics. But I can't complain -  Denzel dressed in black and donning a cowboy hat - has never looked more suave, Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt) the hustler looked debonair, Goodnight Robicheaux ( good ole Ethan Hawke) as the sniper, the religious Vincent D'Onofrio (Jack Horne) the tracker, Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) the knife slinger, Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and his beautiful accent is the Mexican outlaw and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), the loner is the ace archer. Eye-Candy for the girls.
And as the French would say - " Tout simplement magnifique"  ... And it's money well spent!

A all-time Oaters!

Word for the day :-
febrile - having or showing the symptoms of a fever

Blackbeards Ghost 👻 (1968)

Godolphin College has a track team replete with misfits. Steve (Dean Jones), their new track coach arrives at the little coastal town blissfully unaware of the challenge ahead of him. On his first night he attends a charity bazaar at the Blackbeard's Inn, hosted by the Daughters of the Buccaneers (the surviving descendants of the Pirate's crew). All proceeds gathered will go towards paying off the mortgage on the inn or else risk losing it to Silky Seymour (Joby Baker), the local crime boss. He has elaborate plans of replacing the decaying inn with a casino.
At the auction Steve wins a bed-warmer that was previously owned by Aldetha, believed to have been a witch and the 10th wife of the notorious pirate Blackbeard (Peter Ustinov). Steve happens upon a scroll hidden in the handle of the bed-warmer and unbeknownst of what might happen he reads out the spell, unleashing Blackbeard's ghost that is trapped in limbo. Blackbeard's only hope of freedom is to perform one good deed. He is brash, has a fondness for rum and is an avid gambler! To top that he is a ghost only his new friend Steve can see. An honest Steve who believes in playing by the rules is inspired to use Blackbeard's unseen presence to help the weak Godolphin track team win the meet and use the reward money won in a bet to pay off the mortgage. That's two birds with one stone - a good deed and liberation from an age-old curse.
A warning here, watch out before you recite the spell - "Kree kruh vergo gebba kalto kree"....
The outcome is hilarious and a total riot and you've got to love Walt Disney!

Here is one clip of what's in store ... This you can't miss!




Word for the day :-
indolent - wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) - Auld Lang Syne

4 lifelong friends who couldn't be more different - Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) - successful writer, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) - lawyer, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) - agent for the stars and Charlotte Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) - happily married. All the four friends have been there for each other through thick and thin and this is their story ...
Carrie is dating John James Preston, aka Big (Chris Noth) for 10 years now and for practical reasons it seems the perfect time to tie the knot.
Way back when Miranda was dating Steve (David Eigenberg) she got pregnant and they got married. When Brady was born they moved to Brooklyn. But their marriage is on the line when Steve confesses to Miranda that he had an affair.
Samantha, the fiercely independent one, now knocking fifty - decides to follow Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) to the West Coast. But waiting for a man is not her cup of tea.
The only one who seems to be living her fairytale is Charlotte - she fell in love, got married and is finally pregnant.
At Big and Carrie's rehearsal dinner, an overwrought Miranda says a thing or two to Big and having been married twice before Big is spooked. It comes as a nasty surprise to Carrie when she is left waiting at the altar dressed in a couture wedding dress and no Big in sight. Jilted, humiliated and hurt this seems like the end of Carrie's and Big's love story!
But as Valentine's Day rolls around secrets are out in the open. Will there be a fairytale ending where everyone lives happily ever after?



My numero uno chick flick! Totally magical and every girl's dream - Fashion, Friendship and Love from Manhattan to Brooklyn to LA ...

Word for the day :-
narcissism - excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance

Το Sir With Love - Lulu (Lyrics) 1967

In India we've been celebrating the 5th of September as 'Teacher's Day' since 1962. This is to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a distinguished scholar. And I know I am a few weeks late but this is to all us teachers out there!

Dashing Mark Thackeray (Sidney Poitier) is an engineer on the lookout of a job. In the mean time he applies for and gets the post of a teacher at the North Quay Secondary School, London. The neighborhood is rough and the students are tough, mostly rejects from other schools. Almost all of Mark's colleagues and co-teachers have given up any hope of the students doing much with their lives, let alone get through high school. Mark has a challenge on his hands. With immense calm and patience he is able to make men out of errant boys and ladies out of indisciplined girls. A whole year later and as luck would have it Mark gets the engineering job he was seeking.
But after a successful year at North Quay Secondary, what will Mark choose to do?

The title song of the film was sung by Lulu and "To Sir, with Love" is where she made her acting debut. This song topped the US Pop Charts for five weeks.

Touching and beautiful and another one of my favorite movies!

Word for the day :-
coruscating - flashing; sparkling as in "a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors"

Tom Sawyer (1938)

I know this movie goes way back, but it's precious. Growing up, I've watched it countless times and believe me, it never gets old. Cuteness factor on a scale of 1 to 10 - a mighty 10! The movie Tom Sawyer is based on the 1876 novel by Mark Twain. And I for one love the 1938 version!
Tom Sawyer (Tommy Kelly) lives with his aunt Polly, half-brother Sid and cousin Mary and as adorable as Tom is, he is high up on the mischief quotient. Aunt Polly keeps a hawk's eye on him and rightfully so - playing hooky from school, running away from home, getting the kids in town to paint the fence and getting paid in return to do so and such audacious mischief ... When Tom sets eyes on the beautiful Rebecca Thatcher, the daughter of the newly appointed county magistrate who's just moved to town, he is instantly smitten.
Things turn sinister when Tom sneaks away one night and visits the graveyard with his friend, Huckleberry Finn, convinced they have a remedy to cure warts. However they soon realize that they are not alone. Hidden amongst the branches of a tree, they see Dr. Robinson with Potter and Injun Joe, the two hired help to steal bodies. Injun Joe attempts to blackmail Dr. Robinson and in an ensuing scuffle Dr. Robinson is murdered. As a witness to this crime Tom testifies against the infamous Joe who is soon on the run.
During a class picnic to McDougal's Cave, a place rumored to have hidden pirate

treasure, the newly engaged Becky and Tom wander off from the rest of the group and are lost in the labyrinth of caves and tunnels. But they are not alone! It's a run for their life with a rewarding escape.
An amazingly fun movie - a perfect blend of laughs, mystery and romance.

Word for the day :-
fallible - capable of making mistakes or being wrong

Chef (2014)

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is a gifted cook but his culinary talents feel restrained at the Gauloise in California, where he is head chef. The food that he is being forced to cook and serve at the restaurant for about 10 years now has turned boring and predictable. The repeated classics have caused food critic, Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) to publicly criticize Carl's work and after a heated altercation with Ramsey and Riva (Dustin Hoffman) his boss and restaurant owner, Carl quits his job. Carl who is divorced feels he has failed as a father, he is old with no money and now no job! Down and out of his luck a fortuitous visit to Miami, rekindles of his love for Cuban food. And hence the birth of food truck, El Jefe. With some help from his ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara) and her ex-husband Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.) Carl is soon selling good, wholesome Cuban food. He is travelling across the country with  his good friend and cook Martin (John Leguizamo) and his son Percy (Emjay Anthony). El Jefe is soon a household name and what started out as a seeming disaster is his window of opportunity. A successful restaurant, a great relationship with his son and the probability of finding love again!!!  How good can it get!
Funny and playful, Jon Favreau as both director and actor has served a gastronomic masterpiece and has nailed it!  

The Intern (2015)

Ben Wittaker (Robert DeNiro) continues to live his retired life with a military precision, honoring a time bound schedule. He should be enjoying his retired life but sadly that is not the case! Boredom threatens to smother him until he happens upon an advertisement at the local grocers. A fashion start-up, "About the Fit" is looking for senior interns for an outreach program. Ben doesn't need any goading and he is soon waiting to be interviewed. Upon selection, Ben is informed that he will be mentored by the seemingly formidable Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), the CEO. But at the very onset, Jules finds Ben unsettling although Ben's perceptiveness soon makes him popular among his colleagues. His doggedness though win her over, and Ben is promoted to personal assistant. But an insightful Ben soon notices fissures in Jules seemingly uber-successful life. The company's charts do not scream the huge profits that were predicted and Jules is torn with the fact that they may have to hire a new CEO. Her seemingly happy family seems to be tottering on the verge of collapse leaving Jules grappling with time constraints. Unable to spend quality time with her adorable daughter, Paige and her husband, Matt (Anders Holm) Ben is soon privy to the fact that Matt, a stay-at-home dad who gave up a successful career in marketing, is having an affair.
Jules and Ben form a bond like no other, helping the other grow! So the big question is -  who is mentoring whom?

A warm film that gives you a deep insight into human relationships, proving that we all need one another and we cannot stand alone.  

Word for the day :-

bacchanalia - drunken celebrations