Sherry Huang: March 2008 Archives

Is committing adultery in the name of true love spiritually justifiable or morally (and biblically) wrong?

Like my fellow blogger, Esther Kustanowitz, I gave the Monday night show "New Amsterdam" a chance (Thanks, writer's strike!) and was taken away by the cast, the storylines, and the flashbacks (the strength of the show). But (yes, there's always a 'but'), I found myself surprised and angry at last week's episode when John Amsterdam beds a married woman, Sarah Dillane, simply because he believes she is "the one" who will allow him to (finally) become mortal.

While most shows make sure to keep the romance alive by making two characters unavailable for at least one season (think "Alias," "Smallville," "Ugly Betty," "The Office," "Bones"), "New Amsterdam" had John discover his (supposed) soulmate's marriage in one episode and then had him kissing her/sleeping with her in the next. As John falls into bed with Sarah, who is estranged--not divorced--from her husband, he says, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." If he's waited over 400 years, what's wrong with waiting just a few more years until Sarah is officially divorced from her husband?

Maybe I'm old fashioned or maybe the recent Spitzer and Paterson revelations are still fresh in my mind, but I cringed for all spouses whose marriages have been destroyed by affairs when I watched the episode romanticize adultery.

Don't let the fact that "Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)" is a subtitled movie deter you from heading to the theaters. Otherwise, you will miss a charming film with radiant characters and heartfelt storylines.

Rosario (Kate del Castillo) is an illegal immigrant in L.A. and a single mother to nine-year-old Carlitos (Adrián Alonso) whom she left in Mexico (under his grandmother's care) in order to secure a better life in America. While Rosario supports her son through jobs as a cleaning woman/caretaker to rich households, she also calls Carlitos from a corner pay phone every Sunday morning for four years. As part of their weekly ritual, Carlitos asks his mom to describe the corner so he can picture her. This corner pay phone, near a colorful mural, a laundromat, and a Domino's pizzeria, is important in Carlitos's eventual journey to L.A.

Harry Potter fans still mourning over the end of the book series can rejoice: They'll be treated to an extra film version of the "The Deathly Hallows."

Even though the first six books were condensed on film, the seventh book will be (seemingly) filmed in its entirety and then split into two. CNN.com quoted producer David Heyman saying, "It was born out of purely creative reasons…Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book."

"The Deathly Hallows" movie will be directed by David Yates (the same director of "Order of the Phoenix" and the current "Half-Blood Prince") at the same time but released separately. The first part will be released in November 2010 and the second released in May 2011 (the better to build up commercial success and prolong the Harry Potter legacy).

So even if you weren't able to buy The Tales of Beedle the Bard, at least you can afford a ticket to the movies.

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

Halfway through watching "Snow Angels," I began asking myself, "When is this movie going to end?" My listlessness foreshadowed my feelings when I walked out of the theater: bewildered, numbed, and absolutely depressed.

Based on the novel by Stewart O'Nan, the film adaptation of "Snow Angels" centers on an unnamed, small, snow-covered town where several stories intersect: Annie (Kate Beckinsale) and Glenn (Sam Rockwell) are high school sweethearts who become estranged after marriage. After Annie leaves Glenn, he drives his car off a bridge but survives the suicide attempt. While Annie takes care of their young daughter and works as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant, Glenn becomes a born-again Christian who cleans up his life by working at a carpet factory. Arthur (Michael Angarano, last seen in "The Final Season") is a high school loner who finds himself attracted to a quirky girl named Lila (Olivia Thirlby, last seen in "Juno"). At the same time, his parents are going through a separation. He also works at the same Chinese restaurant as Annie, who is having an affair with the husband of her best friend, Barb (Amy Sedaris), another waitress at the restaurant.

Even though the movie also revolves around Arthur's and Lila's burgeoning relationship even as the relationships of the adults (Arthur's parents, Glenn and Annie) around them fall apart, the powerful performances by Glenn and Annie usurp your attention. As portrayed by Sam Rockwell, known for playing off-kilter characters, Glenn is vulnerable and insecure, a bundle of nerves momentarily tempered by a Bible. Rockwell is brilliant in portraying Glenn as a wounded, hopeful puppy who eventually becomes a rabid, destroyed dog; his closeted alcoholic anger unleashes itself once he discovers Annie's affair. As portrayed by Kate Beckinsale, Annie is steely and brittle, a beautiful but worn-down woman with simmering anger and a weakness for losers. Annie makes terrible decisions and her irrational temper is a catalyst for the eventual tragedy that falls upon her and Glenn.