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ScotchTape01
Reviews
The Syrian Bride (2004)
Just saw it at Chicago International Film Festival...
and it was wonderful. ***1/2
*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS
Mona, the Syrian bride of the title, is a Druze woman from Golan Heights, Israel, who is engaged to marry a Syrian television star whom she has never met. The story, however, pivots around Mona as her family struggles with losing Mona (as once she crosses the Syrian border, she can never come back to Israel) but also with their own complex relationships and problems. Mona's sister, Amal, is ambitious and independent, but her husband will not allow her to go to university. Amal's daughter marches in pro-Syrian demonstrations and gets in trouble with her father. Mona's father was in jail for several years because of his political beliefs, and will not be allowed to the border for Mona's wedding. Mona's brother, Hammad, married a Russian woman several years before and since has been estranged from the family in Moscow. Another brother, Marwan is an endearingly sleazy entrepreneur with a gap in his teeth and a fondness for foreign women.
The family reunites at Mona's wedding, starting in the Druze village in the hills of Israel and traveling by car to the Syrian border. Their troubles are far from over, however, when they face bureaucratic difficulties with the passport officials on both sides.
A gorgeous film about intricate, interesting, and real, ordinary people set against a powerful political and cultural backdrop. If you get the chance to see this amazing film, please take it!
The Best of John Candy on SCTV (1996)
Not really worth it
Unfortunately, the days of SCTV passed before I was old enough to enjoy them. I'm a huge fan of John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, and the others - but this collection of sketches and clips is so chopped up and random that it doesn't make any sense, especially to a new viewer!! It has a few laughs, but either it's solely intended for longtime fans of the series, or whoever produced this made a lot of mistakes. If you find it in the video store or on amazon.com for less than a dollar, go for it...that's really all it's worth. What a shame...it could have been great.
Harriet the Spy (1996)
Not as good as the book...
Growing up, this was one of my favorite books to read...and maybe I was a little old for the movie when it came out (15 or so), but I was quite disappointed. My favorite character was Janie - even though she looked nothing like I'd ever pictured, she was portrayed exactly in the right way. I loved Michelle Trachtenberg in Pete & Pete, and I'm glad she's gone on to bigger and better things - but I really don't think she fit the part well. Harriet was a little more serious of a kid in the book - though maybe that just reflects how I interpreted her, and how seriously *I* took her. All in all, it's not a bad movie - but I recommend reading the book first, or having your child enjoy the book.