Go See: The Impossible

Whatever you do, just make sure you have some tissues on hand because "The Impossible" is a tear-jerker, with this film being based on a true story, it tugs at the heart strings a little more. And, wow, and what a cast!  Naomi Watts plays Maria Bennett (nominated for an Oscar, SAG and Golden Globes this year for this role!) and Ewan McGregor as her husband, Henry Bennett.  But one little actor who nearly steals the show is Tom Holland who plays the eldest son, Lucas Bennett.  While he may not seem familiar to us stateside folk, those over the pond know him as the kid who starred in the UK run of "Billy Elliot the Musical".

This film is about the tsunami that hits an island in Thailand on December 26th, 2004.  Having recently been to the island of Ko Phi Phi, it is hard to fathom 18 foot waves demolishing the land.  But the thai people are strong and resilient.  If you visit, you might have never known that the island was devastated eight years ago except for a lot of Tsunami Warning signs.

"The Impossible" was directed by spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona (he directed "The Orphanage").  According to wikipedia, "The tsunami was recreated with a mixture of digital effects and real water surges using miniatures that were destroyed by a huge wave created in a water tank in Spain. Bayona later admitted it was "crazy" to commit to working with real water rather than a computer generated wave, but he wanted the story to be authentic. This meant Naomi Watts and Tom Holland, who play mother and son Maria and Lucas, were gulping water in a massive water tank for five weeks".  I'd love to see behind-the-scenes footage because I have no idea how they simulated the waves, flooding, etc.  So fascinating!

 

Go See: Joyful Reunion

Wow, where has the time gone?  Well, it definitely flies by when you're having fun and I have been having soooo much fun!  (I just returned from a two week holiday in Korea and Thailand.)

So many things to catch you up on but we'll start here with a film that touched my heart...and my stomach!  I covered the red carpet for the 2012 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival on the closing night for Audrey Magazine and got to see a screening of the film, "Joyful Reunion" which was directed by Tsao Jui-Yuan.  This touching film (which was inspired by Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman") centered around two daughters, their relationship with their vegetarian restauranteur aging father and lost love.

Director Tsao Jui-Yuan describes his film, “If EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN is said to be a film that uses savory, affection and sexual desires to explore man and woman’s family relationship and social issues then, JOYFUL REUNION will instead be using the simplicity, neutrality and purity of food to portray a long-awaited love…of course, Ang Lee did a great job. I don’t expect myself to surpass his result, but I just hope both films will shine equally in their respective era.”

So, if you're a fan of foodie films such as "Eat, Pray, Love" and "Big Night", go see this film.  And also bring some tissue as there are quite a few touching moments!