"Ray" & "Walk the Line" - movie!!

I saw the movie 'Ray' a couple of weeks back. It was on my wishlist since a long time but kept getting pushed back in the list as it is not a thriller or a fast-paced movie. Only after watching this movie I realized how wrong I was. This is a movie about the life of 'Ray Charles' with Jamie Foxx playing the role of Ray. It is an excellent movie with very good performance by Jamie Foxx. I thoroughly enjoyed all the songs in the movie - no wonder Ray Charles was such a popular singer, pianist and song-writer. He came up with the concept of soul music. This movie shows how he struggled with his blindness, overcame all obstacles, and made an extraordinary career for himself. It is a very inspriring story. This movie also shows the negative side of his life, i.e., getting involved with drugs and women.

"Ray" has a quite some resemblance with "Walk the Line" which is another very good movie about the life of Johnny Cash, another very popular singer, guitarist and song-writer. The role of Johnny Cash is played by Joaquin Phoenix in this movie. This movie also has excellent songs and very good performance by Joaquin and Reese Withersppon. The lives of both Ray Charles and Johnny Cash have many similarities. Both of them faced a childhood tragedy which they could never forget. Both of them saw their dear brother die by accident during their childhood days and somehow held themselves responsible for it. Both of them got involved with drugs and women. Finally they get into rehabilitation. Through therapy they get away from drugs and also get rid of the guilt they have carried since childhood.

Both these movies are very enjoyable for those who enjoy music and like to watch inspiring movies about people who struggled to make an extraordinary career.

"Chariots of Fire" - movie!!

Finally I saw the movie "Chariots of Fire" this weekend. I wanted to watch it since a long time. It is a very good and inspirational one. The movie is slow-paced but I didn't get bored at all. It is about the life of two athletes who participated and won in the 1924 Olympics. The movie shows the contrasting characters of these two athletes.

- One of them is a missionary and runs because he believes God made him real fast. He fulfills his duty towards God by running. Whenever he runs, he feels he is serving God. The faster he runs, he experiences more pleasure and joy. 'Ian Charleson' played this role and did an awesome job. Whenever he runs, you actually see his facial expressions change, and the joy on his face. I thought the movie was worth watching just for that.

- The second athlete is a Jew and a student at Cambridge. He is full of frustration and anger because of the discrimination he faces and constantly wants to prove himself. He knows he is fast and wants to prove to the world that he is the fastest runner. He has a different kind of drive and motivation to win.'Ben Cross' played this role and you can see a different kind of emotion when he runs. He is serious and all he can think of are the prejudices and wants to prove himself to the upper class society of Britain.

This movie has very good background music. The music so aptly depicts the zeal in the athletes. The movie also has some very beautiful and scenic locations. On the whole an excellent movie with a good message - "We can perform our best in a job that we really like, enjoy, and feel passionate about. When we feel this kind of fire in our hearts, nothing can stop us from winning."