Travel Movie: The Beach

The Beach (2000), with Leonardo Dicaprio and an array of impressive supporting actors (Robert Carlyle, Tilda Swinton), directed by the famous Danny Boyle, suffered serious criticism on a number of counts but its status as a classic travel movie has never been disputed. The Thailand locations had armchair travellers the world over slavering in ecstasy, and the desire for freedom and escape encapsulated in the movie appealed to generations of backpackers keen to travel off the beaten track.

The film was shot largely on Ko Phi Phi Leh, an island near Phuket, Thailand, and the famous beach is actually called Hat Maya. The beautiful waterfall featured in the movie is not on the island; it is Haeo Suwat Falls and can be found in Thailand’s  Khao Yai National Park.

Haeo Suwat Falls

The great controversy of the filmmaking process, and a serious gripe for eco-warriors, was the apparent necessity to make the Hat Maya Beach more ‘perfect’ by bulldozing parts of it to make it flatter, and planting imported palm trees. This modification actually led to a number of court cases. Extra mountains were also added digitally in post-production to make the scenery more dramatic.

Hat Maya Beach

Any superficial damage the film may have done to this Thai paradise was swamped by the devastation of the 2004 Tsunami. The island has thankfully recovered fully since then and is once again a popular tourist excursion. Although at the time it came out Thailand’s authorities threatened to ban the film – because they thought it portrayed their country unfairly as a drug haven – it has since been noted that The Beach substantially increased tourism to the region.

The actual beach is not remote and inaccessible and you can reach it without swimming long distances in open ocean, sneaking through marijuana plantations, and leaping off waterfalls. There is a daily ferry from Phuket Pier and Krabi which will get you there in about 90 minutes.

The bay of Ko Phi Phi Leh

The film has survived in pop culture mainly because its locations so captured the collective imagination. It was a great disappointment to fans of Alex Garland’s eponymous book which had a far more complex plot. It was a book, however, which begged for a movie version and although it met with serious complaints from reviewers you will struggle to find a film more visually enticing.

Verdict: rent it

Travel Movie: Out of Africa

 “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills…” starts the iconic film Out of Africa, accompanied by sweeping vistas of African savannah. The film has become famous for its beautiful scenery, capturing the feel of a colonial farm in Africa at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Aside from a few scenes that supposedly take place in Denmark but were really shot in Surrey, the movie was shot on location in Kenya, at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The hills are of course still there today, easily accessible by just a short car ride and full of many luxury wildlife resorts. The famous hair-washing scene was shot in the foothills with the actors surrounded by assistants, ready to chase away lions with high-pressure fire extinguishers.

While the farm house in the movie was made to look as believable as possible, it wasn’t the original. By 1985, when the movie was shot, Karen Blixen’s farmhouse had turned into a government college of nutrition and wasn’t available for use. However, close by there was an abandoned house that had belonged to the first Kenyan president’s wife. Set builders worked hard to turn the crumbling house into a close approximation of Karen Blixen’s original house, including adding an extra wing.

In response to the movie and its success, the Kenyan government turned the house into a museum in 1986, and named the district (now a part of Nairobi) Karen. Travellers who happen to be big fans of the film can today visit the original house.

Set designers had local women help them out by building traditional thatched huts to use for the movie's village scenes. The local women built the huts much more quickly than the workers transforming the main farmhouse, and by the time filming could start, locals had moved into the set's thatch hut village, giving the village an authentic, lived-in look.

Aside from Karen’s house, the only other building that plays much of a role in the film is the Muthaiga Country Club, where Karen first meets Denys. While the original country club visited by Karen Blixen did still exist and does to this day, set designers built a replica across from the house chosen as Karen Blixen’s. Visitors can today go to the original Muthaiga Country Club, although women won’t be allowed in the members’ bar – Karen Blixen is, to this day, the only woman who has been allowed a drink there.

Travel Movie: Amelie

Amelie is a quirky romantic comedy by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and in his distinctive style he paints an intimate picture of Paris and its eccentric residents.

The fanciful world of Amelie may appear to be anything but reality, but the locations featured in the sweet film are all real places in Paris.

Visitors to Paris can't help but travel on the Metro, and you can visit Abbesses Station (where she first sees Nino) and Lamarck-Caulaincourt (where she leaves the blind man).

Amelie works in the Cafe des Deux Moulins (Two Windmills), located at 15 rue Lepic, and the infamous fruit stand she lives above is Le Marche de la Butte, at 56 rue de Trois Freres.

A pivotal scene in the movie, when Amelie leads Nino on a wild goose chase through a park, is set in the park below Sacre Coeur, and visitors can take a look through the coin-operated binoculars or have a ride on the carousel.

Verdict: Rent it

Travel Movie: Sideways

Sideways is a 2004 movie showing two bachelors having one last weekend of fun before one gets married. Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) for a couple days of wine tasting in the Santa Barbara wine region, but Jack is more interested in having a final fling before the wedding.

The two men explore the wineries in the area with the help of Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh).

While Napa Valley gets most of the attention as the top wine region in California, the Santa Barbara area has some great vineyards as well within 90 minutes' drive of Los Angeles. Sideways showcases locations in Beullton, Solvang, Santa Maria, and Santa Ynez.

Aside from the civilised settings and romantic lighting of the beautiful area, Sideways explores two very different men reacting to crossroads in their lives as they reach middle age (hint: neither is handling it especially well).

Verdict: Rent it (with a bottle of Pino Noir)

Bonus! The Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau has self-guided tour brochures of the restaurants and wineries used in the film if you want to trace their steps.

Travel Movie: Monte Carlo

The latest vacation movie for this summer is teen-oriented Monte Carlo, starring Selena Gomez, Leighton Meister, and Katie Cassidy. The movie tells the story of three Texas teenagers who ditch a disappointing package tour of Paris in order to live the high life in Monte Carlo when one is mistaken for an heiress.

The movie was originally set to chronicle three Midwestern schoolteachers who pretend to be wealthy in order to find rich husbands in Monte Carlo, but the plot was changed to be more youth-oriented.

Don't expect anything life-changing or even particularly memorable, but the film capitalises on a classic American teen girl fantasy: going to Europe and falling in love. Glamorous dresses, mischievous hijinks, and learning to being true to yourself are present in abundance.

And of course there are sunny montages of the spectacular Monaco scenery, although Paris gets the short end of this stick.

Verdict: Skip it (unless you're a teenage girl)

Travel Movie: The Terminal

I've been writing a lot about airports lately, so much so that I'm dreaming about them. Is it possible to get jet lag or travel fatigue without going anywhere?

This is a movie I can definitely relate to. Most frequent travellers have had that nightmare hours-long layover, or found themselves stranded in an airport overnight due to bad weather or a missed connection. Can you imagine being stuck there for months on end though?

It happened to one Viktor Navorski, played with gusto by Tom Hanks in the 2004 movie The Terminal. Navorski's fictional home country of Krakozhia was embroiled in a civil war while he was in the air, and by the time he arrived in New York his visa and passport were useless. The film was loosely inspired by the experience of Mehran Karimi Nasser, who lived in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from 1988 until 2006.

The airport depicted in the film sadly does not exist, but nonetheless it's fun to get a peek into the inner workings of these massive buildings. The film is full of just enough warm-fuzzies and gentle laughs to leave you with a benevolent attitude toward airport staff.

Verdict: Rent it

Travel Movie: Midnight in Paris

No matter how many other cities try to claim the crown, Paris holds a special place in the imaginations of all aspiring travellers for sheer romance.

No other city experiences this level of idolatry. When people think the ultimate in romance, somehow it always includes marriage proposals at the top of the Eiffel Tower, dinner at a candlelit French bistro, and a stroll along the Champs-Elysees.

With this starry-eyed monopoly, things are bound to be a little different than expected, but the Woody Allen comedy Midnight in Paris takes it to a new level. Aspiring novelist Gil (Owen Wilson), finding himself uncomfortable with his fiancée's (Rachel McAdams) pretentious friends while on holiday, soon discovers himself living it up with the city's most famous residents of the past.

The film premiered at Cannes in 2011, winning rave reviews even from jaded French critics who've seen one too many American romances set in their capital. If you're as in love with Paris as the main character, see it on the big screen just for the scenery. If not, however, save your money and rent it for a cosy night in with a bottle of French wine.

Verdict: Rent it (date night!)

PS - Click here for a perspective on a first-timer's day in Paris!

Travel Movie: The Hangover 2

What do Las Vegas and Bangkok have in common? They're both commonly thought of as wild party destinations, and they've both gotten the Hangover treatment.

Last time four guys went to Vegas for a bachelor's party, and one nearly didn't make it back. In The Hangover 2, the ultra-responsible quartet of Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug are heading to Thailand for Stu's wedding. He wants a quiet pre-wedding brunch, but what are the odds of that happening?

Slim to none. Now they've lost Stu's fiancee's 16-year-old brother.

The plot is pretty much the same as the first film, with no one remembering the previous night and one man missing, so if you enjoyed the first you'll probably enjoy this one too.

Don't expect to see much of glamorous Thailand though. The focus is on the seedy hotels, backstreet drug dealers and generally less savoury parts of Bangkok.

Verdict: See it (if you liked The Hangover)

Travel Movie: Rio

Blu is a domesticated Macaw that never learned to fly. Now his owners are taking him from his home in Minnesota to the exotic city of Rio de Janeiro to mate him with the last female of his species.

You can bet that they'll bicker and fight for most of the movie while getting into trouble and learning about themselves through a series of wacky adventures. They'll also meet a colourful bunch of animal friends. I'd hate to spoil the ending so I won't tell you if they end up falling in love or not (what do you think).

More in the vein of Madagascar and Ice Age than Toy Story and The Incredibles, Rio is a fairly predictable children's film with a bunch of adult jokes and pop culture references thrown in to entertain parents.

Verdict: Rent it

Travel Movie: Before Sunrise

Unlike Brokedown Palace, the 1995 film Before Sunrise is a best-case-scenario for teenagers travelling abroad. Boy meets girl in a romantic foreign city, they share one night of passionate conversation and fall madly in love.

American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and French Celine (Julie Delpy) meet on a train, and spend one night in Vienna simply walking around and discussing everything from existentialism to sex. It's an oddly intimate view of the city minus the tourist trappings, and many hidden corners are explored between dusk and dawn.

I'd hate to give away the ending, but it definitely stays true to the romantic notions of idealistic and philosophical 19-year-olds.

Verdict: Rent it

Travel Movie: Brokedown Palace

Some travel movies are hard to imagine as the kind that entice you to visit the country, and Brokedown Palace is one of those.

The film tells the story of Alice (Claire Danes) and Darlene (Kate Beckinsale), two American teenagers who take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Thailand, only to become unwitting drug mules for a handsome con man. They are arrested and lost within the harsh Thai legal system, which has no tolerance for drug smuggling.

While the movie may not give you the travel itch, it serves as a stern warning to tourists who think they can get away with misbehaviour in foreign countries. The idea that 'it doesn't count on vacation' is not only disrespectful, but dangerous, and could potentially have disastrous consequences like those shown in the movie.

Verdict: Download it (and show it to any teenagers about to take a solo trip!)

Travel Movie: Lost in Translation

Sometimes your trip just isn't as great as you expect. When visiting a country with a big language and cultural difference to your own, there is an opportunity to feel isolated - especially if you're alone.

The 2003 movie Lost in Translation captures this feeling perfectly. Neglected honeymooner Charlotte (Scarlett Johanneson) and bored movie star Bob (Bill Murray) have trouble connecting in an unfamiliar place as they meet in a Japanese hotel. The muted backdrop of Tokyo is both exotic and unwelcoming as they struggle to break through the loneliness.

Verdict: Rent it

Travel Movie: Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet depicts the relationship between a German mountain climber Heinrich Harrer and the young Dalai Lama, over the period when the Chinese occupation of Tibet began. The 1997 film helped to launch Brad Pitt as a movie star, and the did much to raise awareness of the occupation and what it meant for the Tibetan people.

The Chinese government predictably protested the film, which is very respectful of Tibetan culture and depicts Chinese authorities as arrogant. Pitt was banned from ever travelling to China.

The movie was widely criticised for slow pacing, and glossing over Harrer's past as a Nazi SS officer. Brad Pitt's accent was also listed as the third worst in movie history by Empire. As a travel movie though, we can only complain that most of the footage was actually shot in Argentina. Only 20 minutes of the film is actually showing Tibet. Granted, they had to do that bit secretly.

Verdict: Skip it. (and rent Kundun instead)

Travel Movie: Roman Holiday

This classic 1953 travel film practically invented a genre. Since then Gidget, Lizzie McGuire, and even Sabrina the Teenage Witch have all had their own Roman Holidays. In fact, there are over 60 films set in Rome, not even counting ancient sword-and-sandals epics.

But this is the original Rome-antic comedy. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck fall in love while whizzing around the city on a Vespa and taking in sites like the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trastevere, and other iconic Roman attractions.

The movie introduced Audrey Hepburn to American audiences, and won her an Oscar to boot.

Verdict: Buy it

Travel Movie: Leap Year

Sending the favourite redhead of the moment on a wacky rom-com odyssey across Ireland to succumb to the charms of a local lad and his irresistible accent sounds like a great movie, but unfortunately Leap Year fails as both a rom-com and a travel movie.

Boston native Anna (Amy Adams) is every obsessive and prim leading lady every written, but with red hair. She desperately wants her doctor boyfriend to propose, but he flies to Dublin for a conference instead. Conveniently, it's nearly February 29th and Anna's drunken father reminds her that it's apparently 'permissible' for women to propose on that date.

So Anna jets off to Ireland, but doesn't quite make it to Dublin and washes up on shore in Dingle, where she meets pretty but surly bar owner Declan (Matthew Goode). She hires him to take her to Dublin and hilarity ensues. Guess who she marries?

Aside from the predictable plot, Leap Year plays fast and loose with Irish geography. Many of the views depicted as Dingle were actually shot in Inishmore, Dublin doubles for Boston, and the geographical logic of taking a boat from Wales to Dingle boggles the mind a bit.

Oh, and the beautiful castle ruins pictured above? With the romantic story? Mostly CGI. It's actually the Rock of Dunamase and look like this:

Verdict: Skip it

Travel Movie: Invictus

You could argue that it's more of a sports movie than a travel movie, but Clint Eastwood's 2009 feel-good epic Invictus manages to capture just a little of the beauty of South Africa in its swooping shots of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

In Cape Town it's hard to avoid spectacular views, whether on or off the sports field!

One of the most poignant scenes involves a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other freedom fighters were imprisoned for so many years. Nearly 4,000 people per day take this same tour, and it is currently one of South Africa's top attractions.

If you want to recreate the Invictus experience, take a township tour and see children playing football and rugby, climb Table Mountain and enjoy the view, take in a rugby game at Newlands Stadium, and don't forget to have a beer at Ferryman's Tavern at the V&A Waterfront afterwards to celebrate!

Travel Movie: The Karate Kid

Granted, there are aspects of this 2010 remake that people can complain about: there's no actual karate in the film, the moves performed by the children are unrealistic, or that the whole thing is a vanity project for Will Smith's kid.

But there are some beautiful scenes in the movie that highlight the gorgeous scenery around Beijing, and interesting tidbits about Chinese culture. For me though, the real value of the film is in highlighting the disconnected existence of western expats* living in China, especially expat kids. In cliched ways, it is a great lesson for children in overcoming a fear of the unfamiliar and pushing yourself to do things you thought you couldn't.

Verdict: Rent it

* For other interesting info about expats in China, visit Expat Arrivals' China Guide.

Travel Movie: Mamma Mia!

Millions of people loved the music of ABBA, and the Broadway musical it inspired. So it was not a huge surprise that the big screen movie Mamma Mia! grossed more than $140 million in the US alone.

The film stars the ever-evolving Meryl Streep as Donna, a single mother who owns a hotel on a small island in Greece where her daughter Sophie is about to get married. Unbeknownst to her, Sophie has invited three men, one of whom is her father. The problem is, no one knows who it is!

The film was shot on several greek islands, including Damouchari, Skopelos and Skiathos; so if you want the whole Mamma Mia experience, you'll have to make a few stops! They're worth it though, as you can see from the gorgeous scenery in the film.

Verdict: Buy it (but only if you like ABBA)

Travel Movie: Eurotrip

Okay, so this isn't the most mature travel movie ever. But it pretty much epitomises what every American teenager imagines when they dream of a trip to Europe: sex, drugs, crazy people with accents, beautiful sites, and the most memorable times of their lives.

Four teenagers take a whirlwind trip through London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Berlin, and Rome, in order for one to find the girl of his dreams.

Negative stereotypes notwithstanding, the movie has some pretty funny scenes, including a robot dance-off, an impromptu Sheena Easton singalong in a London pub, and one of Matt Damon's best cameos to date.

Travel Movie: The Tourist

Critics aren't being kind to The Tourist, a suspenseful vehicle for stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. With a Rotten Tomato rating of only 20%, most are decrying the absurd plot and wooden performances. One thing they can agree on, however, is the beauty of the Italian setting.

The film is attempting to bring Hitchcock-ian glamour and intrigue to the landscape with the impeccably turned-out Jolie sauntering from one location to the next. The sumptuous backdrops of the Venice Canals are doing all the work, it seems.