Darjeeling Limited Movie Review

The Darjeeling Limited: Wes Anderson’s 5th feature film takes us on an unusual trip through India by train. We follow the 3 Whitman brothers - Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrian Brody), and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) as they take a spiritual journey that they hope will bring them closer together. After the death of their father, the brothers drifted apart. Each of them is still dealing with the death in their own unique way. As with Wes Anderson’s other films (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic), the humor lies in the characters which are so well written. In fact his characters and their characteristics are so defined that his movies take a couple of viewings to be fully appreciated. Intense detail is given to the train the brothers are traveling on and the luggage they carry with them making them central characters in the story. Being a huge fan of Wes Anderson, my expectations are extremely high which leads to my only complaint. The film is funny, clever, and even a little moving, but I did not feel Wes pushed his creativity level high enough. This film is in line with his other works, but does not stand out from them. However, I am saying all of this after one viewing and I know I will enjoy this movie more the next time I visit it. Additionally, I am sure the film will offer even more laughs after I see the short film Hotel Chevalier that is meant to be a prologue to Darjeeling, but was not shown in theaters. This is a welcomed addition to the Wes Anderson filmography, I just wish I could say it was near the top.

* * * or Grade: B

If this movie had parents they would be: The Man Who Would be King & The Life Aquatic

With a running Time of 91 minutes

This film is rated R

Kite Runner Movie Review

The Kite Runner opened the 43rd Chicago International Film Festival – in my opinion, a perfect film to open such a fest

The Kite Runner: How often can you come out of a movie and be emotionally moved, learn something about the country of Afghanistan, and have a hankering to run outside and fly a kite? Such is the case with this beautiful and controversial film. The movie is based on the 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini published under the same name. The story begins in Afghanistan during the 1970s. We meet 2 young boys, Amir and Hassan. Their friendship endures throughout their youth even though they are not a part of the same social class. A horrific event occurs to one of the boys that neither can deal with nor understand the ramifications of….thus the friendship dissolves. We jump ahead 21 years, the Soviets have invaded Afghanistan and left the country in shambles allowing the Taliban to take control. Amir and Hassan’s lives take two completely different paths during this time, but these paths will cross once again. Marc Forster directs this emotional tale and does an outstanding job with the material. I suspect this was not the easiest book to translate onto the big screen. I loved how the kite flying was filmed and depicted in the movie reminding us of the simple beauties in life. I also felt that the kites symbolized freedom and innocence before one is corrupted with all of the superfluous ideologies of the modern world. This is a multifaceted story that will stay with you for some time. Ahhh, I love the taste of the Fall Movie Season!
* * * and ½ or Grade B +

If this movie had parents they would be: Babel and Fox & The Hound

To Learn more about the controversy click here - "Kite Runner release push back"

With a runtime of 120 minutes
This film is rated R