Movie Review: Eat, Pray, Love...more like Eat, Whine, Travel

Watched the movie version of Eat, Pray Love last night and I really did not like it. In fact, I am near hating it. Yuya thought it was an ultra girly movie with whining and women yakking and he fell asleep. I agreed and thought all the whining escalated when the movie reaches it's India part. In my head, I can list out so many things I do not like about the movie...

1.

Most of the things I've liked about the book were excluded from the movie. In fact, the movie consists of everything I hate about the book put together...the whining, the complaining and the narcissism of the character to the MAX.

2.

The entire movie is like an extremely superficial skeleton of the book's essence and what it had wanted to tell. Totally devoid of the emotional and spiritual aspect, the storyline is so shallow. I do not feel any bit of pity for Julia Robert's self-absorbed character at all. I find the ex-husband and the ex-boyfriend so much more sincere.

3.

I do not feel there is any growth in Liz's character AT ALL . I felt her character is so full of bad and negative energy throughout the entire movie. She just felt so pessimistic and selfish up until the end of the whole movie. The only thing that helps fan off a bit of her negativity is Julia Robert's bright wide smile planted randomly throughout the movie. Most of the time, she was just a miserable, whiny person.

4.

It does not AT ALL feels like a journey of discovery, it feels like she was just another typical tourist having another holiday trip where she meets a bunch of random people. Nothing of a journey of any sort of discovery.

5.

There was absolutely no chemistry or any special bonds she was supposed to has with some of the characters. The ex-boyfriend, the medicine man, the Balinese healer, Felipe etc... Felipe felt more like a one night stand in contrast to the book.

6.

The medicine man is way too young. He speaks English too well. He was supposed to be older with a more Gandhi-like physique to be able to pass off as 60 something or 100 and something years old.

7.

I super hate the whole Bali part of the whole movie especially. Even the medicine man looks commercialised.

There are more but there is just too many things I do not like about the movie.

What I like:

1. Nice scenery

2. I like most of the main casts. It's nice to see who's cast as the character I read in the book.

3. The beginning of the movie when it's narrated by Julia Robert.

4. The Italy part is ok...funny at certain parts. not as bad. and the food.

5. Jame Franco's smile. He smiles with his eyes.

6. Some of Julia Robert's outfits although it seems like she brought a wardrobe full of clothes to India.

7. Julia Robert's smile

Well, at least I get to play my game of reading the book, imagining the character and then watch the movie. :)

Weekend Beaded Hemp Anklet

Weaved this anklet last night at 2am with Yuya guiding me through the steps coz we were trying to find something to do and he suggested bringing out the hemps and make something new. Did the remaining finishing this morning. Super super love it!

I'm gonna name this love. :)

My Beaded Hemp Anklet :

Name: Ra

Date of Birth: 23 October 2010, 10 am

Star sign: Libra

Materials: Hemp String, Colorful Wooden Beads, Joy

Book, Mind, Film • Eat, Pray, Love

Been reading the book "Eat, Pray, Love" slowly, a little before I sleep one some nights and a little before work some mornings, a few chapters every other day. It is one of those overhyped books that is advertised at every single corner on earth and then made into a jump-onto-the-profit-wagon-movie, like " The Da Vinci Code ". I love The Da Vinci Code book a lot, hate the maroon cover design though. Don't remember much about the movie.

There is this book/film game that I love playing once a while. I shall name it lamely as "Book, Mind, Film" (after "Eat, Pray, Love")! I have a kick out of watching a film based on a book I have read. I will read the book first, imagine how all the characters look and sound like and then watch the film and see if the characters, the settings I have built in my head and the ones the director has were similar in any ways. Also, seeing all those words on paperback transforming into visuals. For better or worse, it's still an incredible experience for me. It's like looking at an object from different angles or knowing the actual lyrics of a song for the very first time after knowing the song and melody for years. You look at it from a fresh new point of view.

Have watched a bunch of mediocre book/film combination like "The Kite Runner" (I love the book so much but the film felt like a haste summary with some characters miscasted), "Perfume" (My favorite book of all time so it's really too hard to make a film up to my dream expectation.)

The best book/film combination I have came upon is Shawshank Redemption. It was a great journey of "Book, Mind, Film". Both the book and the movie were so good I had goosebumps reading and watching them. The characters were so perfect I only see Tim Robbins as that particular brilliant character in any other movies I seen him in after that. Morgan Freeman is an even better Red than the Red I have created in my head.

Shawshank Redemption • The Kite Runner • The Da Vinci Code • Perfume • Eat, Pray, Love

read the book > imagine the characters and settings > watch the film :)

I am in the Bali chapters of "Eat, Pray, Love" now, the Love section. This book is part funny, part whiny and super duper girly. I love her humor a lot but I can't stand the whiny part about relationships but I guess it was an essential and relevant part of her discovery and it was meant to be this way to show progression as well. Till this moment, I have to say although it's overly hyped, I know why it's a great read because there are so many parts of it a lot of people and I can relate to. Almost done with the reading but I don't want to rush through it. There's more than enough time before my plan to watch the film version this weekend if time permits.