Expat TV Series/Movie Review: Firefly and Serenity I’m not a big TV watcher. In fact, I almost never watch TV. But once in a while a show comes along that really catches my fancy. My kids introduced me to Firefly, sadly after it had already been cancelled. (That’s common with shows I like, I might [...]
As Different as East and West
April 16, 2010
Two Expat Movies: American East and Sabah: A Love Story Both these movies deal with the clash of Middle Eastern cultures in a western setting, but they’re as different as East and West. American East has a gritty feel, starting with the opening sequence which shows a post-9/11 terror alert level red indicator. The newsfeed-style [...]
From New York to New York
March 15, 2010
Kate & Leopold Starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman Leopold, Duke of Albany, is spending 1867 in New York City, sent there by his family in disgrace because he is 30 and not yet married. While watching a speech by the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, Leopold sees someone behaving oddly in the crowd. Later [...]
A Hundred Million Miracles
February 15, 2010
A Review of the Movie Flower Drum Song “A hundred million miracles are happening every day.” That’s the opening song in the movie, Flower Drum Song, and the theme that sparkles throughout the entire musical. Flower Drum Song is also the story of cultures on collision courses with each other – East vs. West, traditional [...]
Expat Experience Gone Bad: A Passage to India
February 10, 2010
EM Forster’s classic novel of India under the British Raj examines the dark side of the expatriate experience. Although not absolutely necessary, it helps to understand a little of the history of England’s presence in India, because, central to the novel’s core, is the oppressor’s fascination with and repugnance of the oppressed – and vice [...]
Learning from Art: Expat Books and Movies
January 14, 2010
The Holiday: Expat Movie Review
December 16, 2009
Well, it’s not exactly an expat movie, although various characters do travel to and stay in other countries. But it’s a sweet Christmas-time romantic comedy, so I thought it worthy of a review at this sentimental time of year. It also features an unusual character – the Home Exchange website, a great place to arrange [...]
Expat Films: Victor Victoria
September 30, 2009
Victor Victoria, starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston and James Garner, was released in 1982. It’s hard to believe this film is nearly 30 years old. All the main characters are expats in Paris during the difficult years following the great stock market crash of 1929 in the US. Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews) is an out-of-work [...]
New Feature: Expat Films
June 15, 2009
As I was writing the series of posts on “What Kind of Expat Are You?” I thought it might be fun to look at some expats as portrayed in books and movies. I’ll try to do these once a month. Movies will be around the 15th of each month, and books around the 1st.
We’ll look at some new releases, as well as some older ones, classic literary fiction as well as biography, mystery, science fiction — in short, anything with an expat theme.
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