Movie update

I don't always post about the movies I watch, but I do like to write about the most interesting ones, so here are a couple that are worth mentioning that I have seen over the past couple of months:

The Constant Gardener, with Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes is about a widower trying to uncover the secret behind his wife's brutal murder. What looks like a crime of passion is in fact a murder for the sake of hiding political and corporate conspiracies.

Rachel Weisz won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this movie and she deserved it because she really does an incredible job. As for Ralph Fiennes, I've always liked him, and he is also excellent in his role.

I believe that any movie that makes me think is a good movie, and this movie definitely made me think. It made me think about how often this sort of thing happens, how often are poor countries exploited? How often are Western countries pocketing billions of dollars at the expense of poor, desperate people?

I also watched Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran a couple of months ago It's a French movie with Omar El Sharif playing the role of Monsieur Ibrahim, the Turkish owner of a grocery store in a poor Paris neighborhood, who befriends a young Jewish teenager called Moises (also known as Momo). The bond between the two grows and they both end up having a deep respect for each other.

This is a sweet, lovely movie that's very touching. If you need a break from overrated American blockbusters, then this is a great choice. And don't be deterred by the fact that it's in French...put the subtitles on!

So there you have it....if you don't know what to do this weekend, head to the movie rental place!