My Ignored list.

Hollywood and Bollywood are two different worlds within the world, they are completely different cinemas that cater to different audiences. I am not trying to compare them in this blog. I just want to highlight my love for movies be it Bollywood or Hollywood.

This blog is not about the love for main course(Bollywood) although it cannot be missed but concentrates on the dessert (Hollywood) without which the meal is incomplete...

I love watching movies… almost all the types- comedy, action, war, fiction, drama, animated even documentaries... 

Even as a kid, I use to watch movies in my free time that were telecasted on television... I loved watching Shammi Kapoor dancing to Rishi Kapoor romancing, was fascinated with Mumtaj's beauty and Madhuri's charm...

I am among the category of fans who enjoy watching stories and the actors performing and do not dreams to be part of it. 

Definitely not among the psycho's who wants to know what the actors eat, what they wear, where they go or what they do in their personal life.

For me Movie means entertainment... Cinema is a tool to tell a story in a fascinating way that makes you forget who you are and all you care about are the characters before you. Sometimes movies are so good they end up leaving an impact on your mind and soul.

Bollywood movies are part of my culture. They are somehow the reflection of the society I am from,so they are special. The songs, the language, the people every thing I can relate to in one or another form.

The culture that I know other than mine is through Hollywood movies. I never got a chance to visit any country physically but mentally and emotionally I have been all around the globe through Hollywood.

My first step into the Hollywood movies was through Titanic. I remember that I watched it with my family sitting in our living room in front of television on new year's eve. It was Hindi dubbed with all the proper editing(if you know what I mean) . My first experience was awesome. Titanic might have sank in the Atlantic Ocean but the charisma of the movie kept my interest afloat...

Next time I agreed upon watching a Hollywood movie that my brother was watching was of Jackie Chan. I told him I was unable to understand the dialogue to which he said try to concentrate. It's easy...

English was not a new language. I was familiar with it as its one of the main language subject in schools and our teachers deleived their lectures in English. Still for me it wasn't easy as the accent were quite different.

My boredom transformed into frustration, it's when he suggested to read the subtitles on the screen below. But even that wasn't easy. Many dialogue went unread and many important scenes missed because I concentrated only on reading.

But with time I learnt the different accent be it American or British after that subtitles were more like distraction ...  Now when I try to watch any English movie dubbed in Hindi I find the dialogues loosing the soul and sometimes the bad quality of dubbing distracts from the story. Dubbed movie is big no-no for me. 

I know many people who face or have faced the similar issue. Ask anyone who  overcame the issue about the mantra to learn the technique, and the reply will be, "Patience and Concentration."

The  awful thing for a movie lover is that you don't get to see all movies in theatre and have to wait till their Indian television premier. But thankfully the audience is growing and people now prefer watching movies in their original language than dubbed in the regional one.

Even we don't get to know about each and every movie that releases. All thanks to the television channels that opens door for entertainment. 

Some movies instantly attract your attention by the means of star cast,  teaser, story based on novel anything but some movies fail to do so... But does that mean they are bad???

Somethings catch your eye in first attempt and some don't and there might not be any particular reason or logic behind it. Similar thing happened with me. There were few movies that were aired on television many times but I simply ignored them.

One day I was switching channels and when I found nothing appealing I decided to watch movies that I haven't seen... and I was proved wrong every time I watched a new movie from my ignored list.

Here's the list of 5 movies that I saw this year... 

1. Legally Blonde. 

2. Me and Marley. 

3. Perks of being a wallflower.

4. Jack the giant slayer. 

5. Confessions of a shopaholic.

One thing that people keep saying that I personally experienced is that, "Never judge a book by the cover".

Not going on the star cast, box office collections, critics or audience review that I usually check before watching any new movie on television. I decided to take a chance and enjoy what they have to offer... (I may sound stupid to many people but it's my habit to Google about summary of the movie beforehand)

These all movies are completely different from one another yet there are two similarities among them...

Firstly- Each movie is based on novel by the same name... This interesting fact came in light when I was trying to learn more about them...

Secondly--Each explains life in a complete different context... Movies are no text books but sometimes they do end up giving important life lesson unintentionally.

Legally blonde - 2001

Genre- Comedy

Author - Amanda Brown

Reason for ignoring: 

I saw the poster in which Reese Witherspoon was standing in pink dress with a chihuahua and the first thought that stuck my mind was that it's about some blonde bimbo who cares about nothing but her looks. ( Please don't get offended as I am going to prove myself wrong)

Plot:

Its a story about a young woman. Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend for another girl who joins Harward law school. Elle decides to follow him, gets enrolled in the same school in an effort to teach him a lesson.

Things I loved about the character (Elle) 

She never gave up. She proved her worth being herself and not pretending to be someone she is not even after the negative reactions from people around her... She proved she is much more than just good looks.

Lesson for life:

You know what you want and what you are capable of better than anyone else, so believe in yourself and don't let others bring you down.

Favourite quote from the movie:
You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.

Marley & Me - 2008
Genre- comedy- drama
Author - John Grogan

Reason for Ignoring:
Every time I saw the promo on TV one thing that distracted me was Owen Wilson's broken nose... and my thoughts got struck right at his nose, "Why his nose seems broken?" another thing I assumed it to be a dog movie where he would talk and do stunts and will be a superhero in some form.

Plot:
This is the sentimental story of a newlywed couple who learns important, meaningful life lessons from their adorable, but naughty, neurotic, and very much out-of-control, dog, Marley, a yellow Labrador Retriever. Described as the “world’s worst dog,”. This is a true depiction of what it is like for most people to get a puppy early in their relationship and how it can develop them into becoming a member of the family.

Things I loved about the character (Marley) 
He might be Perky, goofy, naughty, stubborn at times but he is nothing but adorable all the time, A delight to watch. 

Lesson for life:
In the words of Author himself:
Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.

Favourite quote from the movie:
A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - 2012 
Genre - Coming-of-age drama film.
Author - Stephen Chbosky

Reason for Ignoring: 
Emma Watson aka Hermione... I am so much in love with her Harry Potter series character that I felt reluctant to break free that image. 

Plot:
Wallflower here is Charlie, a 15-year-old shy, introspective  but intelligent beyond his years. He enters high school and is nervous about his new life. He encounters the same struggles that many kids face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of a crush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality... etc... He is befriended by his seniors who show him the way to the real world.

Things I loved about the character: (Trio Charlie, Sam and Patrick) 
I liked the the set of qualities portrayed by different characters that almost every teenager own... The flirtatious Sam, Messy Patrick and observant and yearning Charlie. 

Lesson for life:

Your past has no determination over where you are headed in the future. If you want to change things, you can. You just have to realise that.

Favourite quote from the movie:

My doctor said we can't choose where we come from but we can choose where we go from there.

Jack the Giant Slayer - 2013
Genre - Heroic fantasy adventure
Based on the British fairy tales " Jack and the Beanstalk".

Reason for ignoring:
I was familiar with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and was in no mood to watch another fairy tale. I found it quite kiddish. 

Plot:

Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants where humans are forced to battle giants to rescue a captured princess.

Thing I liked about the character Jack:

That he isn’t a typical muscle-bound hero as in every other hero movie. He is courageous and determined. 

Lessons for life:
Heroes does not comes out of womb or born into a family of heroes they are made or you don't need to possess some super powers to be a hero all it takes is courage and guts to face your fears. 

Favourite quote from the movie:

Did you really think you were the hero of this story? Don't you know we all think that?

Confessions of a Shopaholic - 2009 
Genre - Romantic comedy 
Author - Sophie Kinsella. 

Reason for ignoring :
I assumed it be another mean girl movie where she would brags about her looks, makeup and brands. 

Plot:

Rebecca accepts a job at a magazine to deal with her huge debts. Although her column is a hit, she hardly practises what she preaches. She gets chased by an aggressive debt collector. 

Things I like about the character (Rebecca) 
She is charming with vivacious smile and eyes that widens like a naughty child when she sees something in display window of the shop. 

Lesson for life:
If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences. Running away from problems means inviting madness, confusion, depression into life. 

Favourite quote from the movie:

Life would be a lot easier if conversations were rewindable and erasable, like videos.

Well I thoroughly enjoyed watching all these movies no matter what critics said about them and my list doesn't ends here. I am now waiting for some other interesting ones and first on the list is... 

The time traveler's wife by author Audrey Niffenegger. 

The best part about watching a movie based on a novel is that they bring story to life and some like me who loves to read too give the novel a shot... Now you know what will keep me busy 😊👍🏻

Images used are the movie posters taken from Google Images.