3 movies and a funeral

i was able to watch three movies last weekend, all from different cultures, or at least the main characters are.

last friday we watched the Jet Li-starred, english-subtitled, chinese movie "Hero". i'm pretty sure this is the same "Hero" that was shown in manila cinemas years ago. i'm also quite certain that though i planned on watching it, i missed it for some inexplicable reason. i must say i enjoyed the movie because of the endless acrobatic fighting, but there is really nothing great about the script, as the whole movie can be summarized in a couple of sentences. i could say i got nothing out of this movie (and i'm not expecting one before i came inside the theater), except for some stupid questions. do the chinese really believe their ancestors(or at least their ancient heroes) could fly? and kill or defend against thousands of enemies alone? sometimes with chopsticks, scarves and fans as weapons? maybe not. i guess they are just rich in culture, and they allow fantasy to mix with reality to come up with a more interesting movie about their history.

saturday we watched a light movie "Bend It Like Beckham", which is about a young (east) indian lady who loves playing football(soccer). again there is nothing great in this movie, except you'll get a chance to peek at the rich, and still strict culture of indian families, even after migrating to another country. in the case of this movie, the parents don't trust and don't want their daughters to marry blue-eyed english blokes. i am not sure i heard someone from my country complaining about a member of their family marrying a white guy, or gal. i just don't know if the guy is from timbuktu or something =). but i love the wedding ceremony, the rituals, the dresses, the dancing and all. i'm not that familiar with india, so i am not sure if this is only particular to a certain sect or religion, but they have a picture of someone they call "babaji" in the center of their living room, whom they respect and honor so much, that they consult him of their every important decision, they ask for his forgiveness and for his blessings. this reminds me of a Manalo picture on every filipino home belonging to INC.

then last night we watched "In America", a beautiful movie about an irish family who just moved to New York. it is so touching and emotional, nel cried a couple of times. i was teary-eyed on the last part, to be honest. i admire the actors, although it's the first time i saw them, save Djimon Hounsou(Amistad and Gladiator). every character is full of emotion and the acting is so natural i feel like i'm just beside them witnessing all the hardship they are enduring. but one big impact this movie has on me is the realization on how thankful we should be for not having to experience a similar hardship settling in a new country. though some might say moving to Canada is not as difficult as migrating to the United States, it's also not as easy as one might think. we have every story to tell, mine not excluded. in fact if i could just improve my english and my writing skill, i should be able to tell mine in a story worth filming.

if you're looking for the funeral, sorry there is none. i'm just playing with the title =)