SPRING BREAK - As Americana As Donut....

How can any movie review blog be complete without mention of a movie that is based on the tradition of Spring Break where students and other young people in USA gather on beaches and explore each other in many different ways !! Watch at your own peril....I do not know how much of the semi-nude stuff actually happens on beaches. I did visit a US beach once wearing shorts and a T-shirt and ...

Note: There is nothing even remotely resembling this tradition in the country where I grew up (India)..and thankfully so !! 

Meru - A Documentary - How's It Hangin on the Himalayan Peak!

Meru is an impressive documentary with a very personal touch. [You feel you know the climbers.] What is new is the way they attempt to climb this forbidden rocky peak in the Himalayas. There is an avalanche that demonstrates the  great risk the climbers take to achieve their goal. One might wonder about their sanity in pursuing the climb in spite of the danger.

The team rests and sleeps in small tents that hang from the side of the rock, only supported by ropes, and nothing but a steep fall below. They jump around tethered only by ropes and take pictures as if they are the cleaning crew of a downtown high rise while we the audience panic at their carefree attitude!

There is even a shot of a milky way arm in the background ...

aMeriCaN beauTY - a American Confusion !

At first glance, this movie could be interpreted as overtly 'sexual' movie for 'perverts' and is embarrassing to watch with your Asian family. But upon closer examination, I interpret this as a study in contrasts between sexes, upbringing and cultures. You have a mild mannered devoted American father, a young American daughter and a always whining American wife living in a suburban house. The family seems to fall apart as they become frustrated with each other and seek comfort in relationships with other people.

1. The dad shows interest in his daughter's young friend when he notices that she is interested in him. The young school going teenager friend openly discusses her 'sexual' interest in the dad causing the daughter to be embarrassed. That makes the movie 'real' because I have overheard conversations similar to the ones that the girls have in the movie, here in USA.[Because of this budding February-October romance, many old ladies in the audience might develop psychological problems!!]
2. The mom has a relationship with another man (a neighbor) which is accidentally discovered by her husband!
3. The young daughter develops a relationship with the new neighbor's son. [The son sells drugs without the father's knowledge and earns thousands of dollars! ] The son has a stressful relationship with his dad and in spite of being a grown man,  is physically beaten by an overly aggressive father at each encounter. [The father takes his military experience too seriously]. There is nothing more the rigid dad has to offer except abuse! When he spies upon the son having a conversation with the neighbor ( our hero dad) from his window, he assumes there is a homosexual relationship between the two because his view is partially blocked.

Towards the end, the hero dad is considerate enough not to take advantage of his daughter's friend because she is young and inexperienced. The frustrated wife has other plans. She borrows a pistol and shoots her husband/hero-dad, I believe. 

However, because only a hand holding the pistol that was fired is shown, I cannot be hundred percent sure as to the identity of the killer. The movie later shows the army-neighbor with blood soaked t-shirt causing confusion; did that army guy kill the neighbor or did he kill his son assuming the son had killed the hero dad? Were three bullets fired or was it just one bullet heard by three people at different locations when the hero-dad was shot ?