I watched this film today and it was mentally exhausting, emotionally draining and very depressing. Imagine having to live a life of monotony with the confines and restrictions that have been forced upon you by 1950’s post-war society whilst expected to embody the qualities of the common archetype of a happily married suburban couple and if not, at least, feign a veneer of happiness.
April Wheeler, a suburban housewife, is discontent with her life and seeks a means of escape. She yearns for change, more specifically, a life in Paris. Frank Wheeler, a businessman working in corporate America, longs to discover his passions and truly live rather than exist but is comfortable in the security his present life offers.
First, I must confess that I found myself unable to fully empathise with either character as they were both to blame for their misery. I considered April to be particularly selfish, engaging in navel-gazing for most of the film. She had no sense of responsibility, and didn’t even appear to be interested in her children or appreciative of her husband’s efforts to support his family. Frank, her husband, did have some sense of responsibility which was evidently lacking in his wife. Be that as it may, he had his foolish moments where he would frequently and deliberately provoke his wife despite her already teetering on the brink of psychosis. I can understand April despising the vapidity of her seemingly hollow existence, however, I believe April’s greatest fault lied in her failure to grasp the simple truth that change comes from within. She disagreed with society’s conventions and yet, she never defied them. She could have easily acquired a job whilst remaining at her current place of residence. Furthermore, who’s to say that Parisians were not equally as absorbed as the Americans in the frivolities of life which she found to be meaningless and inconsequential?
I was frustrated with the couple and as I mentioned previously, I was unable to empathise with them but that did not stop me from sympathising with them; I felt for them dearly and I enjoyed playing spectator to their lives. It was devastating to see how unrealised dreams, ambitions and plans could cause a person to falter and fall so far. The ending was very plausible albeit tragic and unsettling and as the credits rolled, I walked out with that surreal feeling one has after having watched a powerful, gripping piece of cinema. In spite of its cliched theme, ‘Revolutionary Road’ emanated realism and Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio delivered spectacular performances in their respective roles. I loved how the film did not manipulate viewers into feeling acute sorrow by depicting the protagonists as heroes or victims or as likable characters with several redeeming qualities but simply as they were, in the rawest form; two immensely flawed human beings.

I had been looking forward to seeing this film for a while and watched it with my mother on the day of its release – Boxing Day. We were lucky to have arrived forty five minutes early because the queue had become tremendously long within twenty minutes of our arrival.

Overall, I loved TCCBB. It’s about a man named Benjamin who lives his life in reverse. He was born as a baby, wrinkly and plagued with a plethora of degenerative diseases and other ailments which generally befall the elderly, but as each day passes, he becomes younger and younger physically. At times the film did seem a little tedious and slow, however, its magic and beauty compensated for the aforementioned tenfold. I don’t know why but films that cover a person’s lifespan, from birth to death, always make me feel melancholy. This is a film about life, time and mortality and while this movie did not cause me to weep or tear up, it made an indelible impression on me. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had an elegiac quality to it and an almost nihilistic style, which resulted in me leaving the cinema feeling a little pensive and sad. I recommend that people watch this film. Naturally there will be those who do not like it and consequently, are at a variance with my thoughts and opinions but it’s worth seeing if only to say you’ve watched one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year. While one may identify a parallel between Curious Case and Forrest Gump, I find them to be entirely different. Yes, certain aspects of Curious Case are redolent of Forrest Gump but Curious Case’s subject matter is a lot deeper in my opinion.

Additionally, Alexandre Desplat’s score for the movie was wistful, mysterious and spellbinding. Despite hearing the full score three weeks back, I was mesmerised by how wonderfully the tracks fit with their respective scenes in the film. The cinematography was spectacular too. It was all very poetic, like one huge work of art. That said, TCCBB certainly does have its flaws and platitudes and certain things seemed incongruous with the film, though I figured I should not be overly fastidious but appreciate it for its artistic beauty and brilliance.

I only marked this as ‘worth consuming’ because Robert Pattison looked gorgeous. Evidently the book is/was better but the film is alright too. I’m not a huge fan of the Twilight series. It idealises love a little too much for my liking.

Although this Indy movie lacks originality, it’s good fun nonetheless. That said, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark puts this film to shame. Spielberg’s latest films have commenced their descent into an abyss of vapidity, which is a downright shame.

I hope Steven Spielberg will not butcher my most beloved comic book series in his upcoming movie project ‘Tintin’. I can see it now…Herge turning in his grave at what could potentially prove to be a cinematic travesty.

Three words.

Why so serious?

“Clarissa Dalloway, elegant and vivacious, is preparing for a party and remembering those she once loved. In another part of London, Septimus Warren Smith is shell-shocked and on the brink of madness. Smith’s day interweaves with that of Clarissa and her friends, their lives converging as the party reaches its glittering climax.”

This took me a month to read which is rather pathetic considering the book is only 212 pages in length. It was an immensely slow read and rather boring in certain parts. Woolf is a wonderful writer and her characters are very three-dimensional and colourful, however, she’s not particularly talented at maintaining the reader’s attention. The plot, or lack thereof, was the culprit in this case.

For those of you who enjoy reading novels which concentrate heavily on the intricate details of events that unfold throughout the story, read ‘Mrs. Dalloway’. Personally, I wasn’t too pleased with this book, it was poignant and evocative midway but it lost its lustre about three quarters in. There is an excess of superfluous information which originally should have been omitted. That said, it’s worth reading if only for the sake of being able to say that you’ve read a Virginia Woolf book.

Steer clear!! Most brands produce soy milk that is made from non-fermented soy which is carcinogenic. Fermented soy is the beneficial soy, not unfermented soy.

Barley tea can be found pretty much in every Korean household. It’s refreshing, healthy and delicious, particularly when consumed cold.

Lindt, Toblerone, Guylian, Hershey’s..White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel-encased chocolate..just the thought of chocolate makes me salivate.

If chocolate wasn’t so high in calories, sugar and fat, it’d become my staple food.