Summer Films

This summer hasn't exactly what I thought it was going to (it was even better). I honestly thought that I would return from my session in school and lie in my bed reading and watching films, lying in the sun, making frozen slushies, and essentially wasting another summer doing absolutely nothing and hoping that next year will be different. Thankfully and fortunately, it was different. I didn't watch as much television (or the telly, as the English colloquium calls it) but I didn't read as much as I wanted to due to the fact that I had to finish eight weeks of school in four in order to go to Europe worry-free. While I did not have a social life for four weeks in order to complete that task, once I finished, I was confused as I did not know what to do. I didn't want to watch the crud that on airs, so, naturally, I resorted to films.

1. Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging

I'm fairly certain I've watched this film three times already in a course of 10 days. This movie is so perfect, that I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy it. Georgia's sassiness, Robbie's attractiveness, the curious and fascinating way English teens speak (which immediately sparked my interest in an English accent), and the overall film. Having Eastbourne as the backdrop of the film creates is just absolutely perfect. Every time I watch it, I always tell myself that I am going to visit the UK, explore London, Brighton, and Eastbourne. And seriously, any girl that dresses up as a stuffed olive to a Halloween party needs to be my best friend. Georgia Nicholson is the coolest fourteen-year-old I know. 

2. Contagion

I watched Contagion on the plane to Europe. Bad idea. It also happened to be late (or early in the morning). Even worse idea. It is a creepy movie at first but then it begins to showcase how civilization would react to a global pandemic and that perhaps was even more frightening than the disease's symptoms. The first ten minutes, I have to admit, made me cringe in my seat. People who were coughing in the film eventually displayed the contagion's symptoms, so imagine my reaction when I heard people coughing in the airplane and then in the airport. Shudder. I wasn't eager to touch things without immediately washing my hands after. Also, on a side note, I paid close attention to Marion Cotillard's character wardrobe, wondering if that is how she dresses normally, or at least Parisian women. 

3. Monte Carlo

I've already seen this film in theatres and on DVD at school, but after watching it immediately after coming back from Europe was bittersweet. The action in the film itself is sweet and cute, with my eyes captivated by Pierre Boulanger's character, Theo's charm, looks, and heart. However, seeing Paris and Monte Carlo, I quickly took my journal and jotted down those two locations as one of the places I want to travel to, complete with the over-ambitious touristic experience. Exploring the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, and lying on the beach in Nice. I'm fair to say that Europe has stolen my heart.

4. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

This was a quirky film, unsure of what the plot would be. I mean, judging by the film's title, I did figure it would involve salmon fishing in the Yemen. I didn't however expect that it would be full of heart, a wonderful vocabulary, tender moments, a pure love (not having the main protagonists end in bed at the end of the movie, as many American films portray), and good messages that mostly came straight from the Sheik's mouth. A very, very good film that I believe is severely underrated.