An Education

Sometimes it’s better to be street smart than book smart, we’re often told by adults. An Education is a coming of age film which was based on the autobiography of British journalist, Lynn Barber. Set in the 1960’s period of London, Jenny Mellor a 16-year-old brilliant girl is in high school and is finally making her way into her dream school, Oxford University. She has stellar records, incredible potentials, high grades, and competitive extra-curricular activities until one day she meets David Goldman. David is may seem like a sweet talker until she learns he is actually a conman.. He mesmerizes her by charming her parents, and her friends into gaining a liking towards him. He brings her out to places she has never seen before. David enchants her with trips to Paris, Oxford University, the local nightclubs, and fancy restaurants that she could never even fathom. The once reserved, conservative girl suddenly saw her education as conformist and eventually, useless. Once David proposes to her, she leaves her education behind to willingly spend the rest of her life with him. Yet, not all good things could be said of this conman, because he kept a secret that he hid so well. What do you think David hid? And did Jenny make the right decision to leave school to be with this man? Watch An Education to find out.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

         Seldom do we ever come across films that can successfully capture the life and scenery of a city so imagine my joy when I came across Vicky Cristina Barceolona. VCB centers on two American best friends who spend their summer vacation in the idyllic Barcelona, Spain. They end up being enamored by Julio Antonio, a complex character that they both eventually fall in love with. Vicky is the typical self-control freak in all of us who believes in the usual fundamentals of morals, values and principles. Her comfort zone has refrained her from compromising these until she meets Juan Antonio. Cristina, on the other hand, is the wilder side in us that begs to experience the foreign and unknown. She is the constant, self-doubting voice in our heads that pushes us beyond our limits. She dominates the right, artistic brain that continually tries to solve the all-too familiar problem of the meaning of life. If both types of personalities happen to fall in love with the same man, what could be the repercussions of each? Throw in another psychotic character who is the ex-wife of Julio Antonio, played by the seductive Penelope Cruz, definitely thickens the plot.

        The film is a refreshing look into the beautiful mind of famous director, Woody Allen. He brings his viewers from Avieles, to an enchanting town of Oviedo, and lastly, a part of Seville. The film is culturally rich with references to art museums, lyrical Spanish guitars, the usual wine-tasting and the unmistakable sultry accent of Julio Antonio played by Javier Bardem. If you enjoy learning about a city’s culture by taking a peek into an artists’ brain, such as musicians, poets, writers, photographers, and painters alike, you will definitely enjoy this film!