Quarantined at home with not much to do? Now is as good a time as any to catch up on movies released a decade or so ago.
BROKEN FLOWERS (Jim Jarmusch, 2005). After an anonymous lover sent him a letter telling him he fathered a child 20 years ago, Don Johnston embarks on a cross-country trip to revisit his ex-flames and find out who sent him the letter. Holding surprises every time, his visits make Don ponder on his past and think about the present. A histrionic-free flicker that ends at its climax, "Broken Flowers" is an interesting journey of how people in one's past change completely, or remain the same as ever.
NINE LIVES (2005). Directed and written by Rodrigo Garcia (son of the legendary Gabriel Garcia Marquez), "Nine Lives" contains snippets from the lives of nine women and their relations with the people they love and hold dear. Haunting and tragic, always thoughtful and done finely with the subtle nuances and strains of human relations, "Nine Lives" leaves you bothered for a moment, then prompts you back into thinking about things.
GARFIELD: A TALE OF TWO KITTIES (Tim Hill, 2006). Two look-alike cats lead very different lives: One is a blue-blooded feline residing in a humongous castle in England; the other, a crude and foul-mouthed American. What happens when, by sheer chance, one cat experiences the life of the other? That pretty much sums up what the movie is all about, so don't expect any deviation from age-old Hollywod comic cliche. As if the plot isn't trite enough, the movie itself is beyond dragging and doesn't have any redeeming factor at all. The 2D Garfield in the dailies is way more amusing than its 3D counterpart.
CARS (John Lasseter, 2006). Brainy and fun, wildly entertaining but with a heart, "Cars" is as close to a perfect family movie as you can get. It's the story of Lightning McQueen, a cocky race car from the big city sentenced to community service in a remote desolate town after wreaking havoc to the place. After his initial reservation about the whole incident, attempting to escape in time for the big race, he becomes attached to the simple community dwellers and indirectly helps them rebuild their town back to its former glory. Along the way, he realizes a glorious triumph is not just a shiny metal trophy, but something more essential than that.
