Julie & Julia (2009)

Based on the two true stories of Julia Child, the wife of an American diplomat discovering her calling in Paris, and Julie Powell, an insurance worker with a love of cooking and Julia.


This is the kind of movie that makes you feel good. It's got Meryl Streep and food, two of the best things on this green earth. From the moment the film begins and all you hear is Meryl Streep's Julia Child voice, a smile finds its way unto your face. We watch Julia and her adoring husband fall in love with France and French cuisine, and the Julia Child the world recognizes is born. Meryl Streep is brilliant as Julia. Her physical acting, the voice...the actress once again proves herself to the best professional in Hollywood today. When Amy Adams appears on screen, her unpretentious charm makes you feel right with her in the dirty apartment of Queens as she investigates the tiny kitchen. Her gentle bravery in taking on a project in which she cooks her way through Julia Child's legendary book and blogs is inspiring. I found myself drooling over the collage of food images that Nora (the talented director of classics like "Sleepless in Seattle") flashes on the screen: ducks dripping with butter, chocolate cakes crusted with almonds, raspberry creams, and more.

"Julie & Julia" is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate things more. We went out to dinner after the movie, and I found myself savoring my Japanese Gyoza (pork dumplings/pot stickers) more than I might have otherwise. It makes me believe my little movie blog can be something someday.

Mamma Mia!

20 year old Sophie (Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky (Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all; a carefree life, loving boyfriend and happy friends but one thing has been missing all her life; a father.

Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father before the wedding bells start to chime!

But not all goes to plan, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.

Featuring the songs of ABBA and based on the worlds number one musical comedy which has people dancing in the aisles every night, this movie is sure to be the hit of Summer 2008! - from imdb.com

I saw Mamma Mia! this week. Apparently it got good reviews in a lot of papers. I think I just didn't buy into it.

The movie was painful to me. There was just too much glam and glitter. All the music is ABBA, so it's very disco, and I don't understand that music. I'm into modern rock, y'know, some emo and punk, I don't mind an occasional scream. ABBA really misses the boat for me.

It was just too sexy for my taste, too. There isn't any actual CONTENT as far as I remember, but references abound, eye winks and elbow nudges...'kay, I don't mind a little spice in my cinema, but this was just too much too consistently. Not appealing.

It's not all bad. The singing is good, the acting is good, the location is beautiful...Meryl Streep has a pretty impressive solo sequence where she really shows off her singing and acting skills...but then it's back to disco-land. I wasn't relaxed. The story seemed incomplete, I didn't really get to know the characters that well. The deepness of this movie really only extended to the lyrics in the songs, and I don't know if ABBA was known for its deepness.

In a nutshell, I think I'm too young to appreciate this movie. I'm not really into the hyper-happy musical song-and-dance deal anyway, and Mamma Mia! is built on that kind of energy. If those kinds of movies are your thing, go for it.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKx_14vJNZg