find inner beauty

Had a stressful week? What better way to relax than by just losing yourself in someone else’s story? There’s something magical about movies. Some make you laugh so hard you forget what you were worrying about. Some just help you let go of any aggression you have build up personified in whoever the bad guy in the movie is. Some awaken something in you – a new passion, a different way of looking at life, a rekindled hope in romance, … And some do all of the above.

I have been going a little bit movie-crazy lately (thank you Foursquare for letting me know I’ve been at movie theaters for 7 straight weeks =/ ) so I thought it’d be nice to let you know which movies I really enjoyed. I have tried to review a few different genres so there should be something for everyone in the following list (which is in no particular order by the way).

- Django Unchained: a classic Quentin Tarantino movie. Set in 1858, we follow an unlikely pair: a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) and bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Django agrees to help Dr. Schultz with bounty hunting in exchange for help with rescuing his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who is owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). This movie provides a different view on slavery with the typical Tarantino-style action scenes (not for the faint of heart at times) and quirky humor.

- Silver Linings Playbook: an unusual love story between a man with a bipolar disorder (Bradley Cooper) and a young widow (Jennifer Lawrence). This romantic comedy will keep a smile on your face, butterflies in your stomach and inspirational thoughts in your head. The most important thing I discovered through this movie is that no matter what: watch the signs and find that silver lining.

- Gangster Squad:  in 1949, Los Angeles is the city of mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). A team of cops have had enough of the poisonous and dangerous atmosphere this has created for the people of LA. They agree to leave their badges at home and take back their city on their own strength. Just sit back, relax, root for the good guys and enjoy the eyecandy. For the ladies: Ryan Gosling and my personal favorite, Anthony Mackie. And for the fellas: Emma Stone.

- This is 40: Remember the movie Knocked up? This is sort of the sequel to that. It gives us a look into the lives of a couple that has lost its way through the ups and downs of married life. The feel-good comedy shows the chronicles of the typical American family of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann); hormone-crazed Lost-obsessed teenage daughter included. And trust me, you do not need to be 40 to enjoy this movie – you’ll be too busy laughing to even remember your own age.

- Flight: at the beginning of the movie, we are thrown into a spectacular scene in which a pilot (Denzel Washington) saves a plane and its passengers from a fatal crash. However as the story develops, we discover he is not your typical hero. Instead, we see a man’s on a path of self-destruction. The question then arises whether his personal life influenced what happened on the plane that day. Some consider him a hero no matter what, others are not so convinced…

- Warm Bodies: a funny twist on the zombie craze that has taken Hollywood by storm lately. The main character, R,  is not your typical zombie though: he doesn’t simply accept his circumstances; he craves more than a mindless, heartless life. And Julie (a human he actually saved instead of ate -gasp-) is just the spark he needed to ignite something in him. A story about how with a little love, even the impossible can become possible…

Catch a movie, soak in your bath tub, put your favorite music on, … Whatever you do, just ENJOY your weekend loves!