Movies

1. Bride Wars

Cast: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen
Rating: 2/5

In my defense, I was really bored. A week of vacation, followed by the announcement that our first terms had been merged with the second terms, left me no incentive whatsoever to study. In any case, I somehow find it impossible to study at home. Now I know what the hostelers at school kept talking about.
So even though I knew Imma get ultra-fucked in my second terms because now they have double the marks and double the course, which means a devastatingly vast one, I couldn't find it in myself to pick up a book out of the huge pile I had brought home with the intention and resolve of studying from, and open it, let alone read a few lines of it.

But I digress. The point is, I knew this movie was bound to be an archetypal chick flick, which is one genre of movie I don't like very much. But I figured it would provide some time-pass entertainment at the very least. Besides, both the main protagonists (Hudson and Hathaway) are known to be decent actors.

I couldn't have been farther from the truth.

2. Secretary

Cast: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenaal
Rating: 4/5

This movie follows the story of a mentally disturbed young woman who has just recently been released from a mental hospital but continues to suffer from an extreme case of masochism, which manifests itself in the form of self-injury. She is soon employed as the secretary of an attorney, who is a ruthless workaholic, but also has his own problems of sadism. He is sexually aroused by her submission, as it enables him to be the dominant personality in their complicated relationship.

The good thing about this movie is that it showcases a completely new approach to the subject of sadomasochism. It is neither trying to be overtly humorous (case in point: I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry, which approached the slightly tricky subject of homosexuality with eyeglasses tainted with crass and vulgar humour. Not that there's anything wrong with that), nor overtly preachy. It makes a rather bold statement, but in the subtlest of ways. And the acting on both the main characters' parts is par excellence, especially Gyllenhaal's. This was a major breakthrough for her as an actress, and she has done a good job of proving herself and her skills to the Hollywood community at large.