Ugggghhhhhhhhhhh! Blue Valentine makes me want to die.
But on the other hand.
Uggggghhhhhhhhhhh! It was so good.
Michelle Williams (whom you already know I very much admire) and Ryan Gosling play a couple in a gut-wrenching failing relationship, familiar to anyone who has ever really opened themselves up to another person and watched that connection disintegrate.
We are treated (or maybe subjected) to the whole arc of their relationship from its sweet beginnings to its crushingly meaningless and empty end.
The hardest thing about Blue Valentine is that you're not asked to like or dislike any of the characters. This is also the most valuable aspect of this film. It doesn't take a side. That's up to you, which is incredibly difficult and if you're anything like me could lead to melancholy bouts of relationship oriented introspection.
I can't say I'd recommend this movie to anyone. Not good for anyone looking for a happy ending, obviously, but also surprisingly not so cathartic. More frustrating overall.
Excellent acting, excellent, bold filmmaking. Brave choices all around for everyone involved in making it.
27 July 2011
True Grit (1969)
Just as valuable as the 2010 reboot but in different ways.
Props to Kim Darby (Yes, this Kim Darby), for bringing emotion to the table despite the silliness of her voice, acting style, and astoundingly Justin Bieber-like haircut.
When you watch this you'll be treated to another serendipitous and excellent minor role for Dennis Hopper. The more I see of his older work the more I want to watch of everything he's ever done.
I think my favorite part of watching this John Wayne classic was gaining a greater appreciation of the richness of the modern adaptation's roots. Each actor in the update really drew from and yet moved beyond the now charmingly outdated original.
It helped me understand even more why the recent adaptation of True Grit was nominated for best picture. Yay!
Props to Kim Darby (Yes, this Kim Darby), for bringing emotion to the table despite the silliness of her voice, acting style, and astoundingly Justin Bieber-like haircut.
When you watch this you'll be treated to another serendipitous and excellent minor role for Dennis Hopper. The more I see of his older work the more I want to watch of everything he's ever done.
I think my favorite part of watching this John Wayne classic was gaining a greater appreciation of the richness of the modern adaptation's roots. Each actor in the update really drew from and yet moved beyond the now charmingly outdated original.
It helped me understand even more why the recent adaptation of True Grit was nominated for best picture. Yay!
14 July 2011
Harry Potter Update
So. As some of you may have noticed, I have NOT been keeping up with my self imposed goal of writing one Potter review a month leading up to the big night (which is tonight).
This comes as a result of extreme busy-ness on my part, which, while not unforeseen, nevertheless could not be helped.
As it stands I have Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince sitting on my desk waiting to be watched, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in my Netflix queue, and a ticket to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 safely tucked away in one of my rendezvous's wallets for later on.
After I finish this post I'll be heading upstairs to prepare coffee for the midnight viewing, which I will be attending with friends who are willing and eager to share in my extremely nerdy enthusiasm for "the end," which sadly and also awesomely begins tonight at midnight.
I'm going as Luna Lovegood, re-imagined as a college student or maybe a young adult going to her Hogwarts 10 year reunion. This is my thinly veiled excuse for not having enough time to brush up and create my props anew. I do, however, still have the wand I made and the robe I grudgingly* bought, both of which will be coming with me tonight to help me fully realize my true potential for ridiculous dress-up play.
Anyway. The long and short of it is that the Phantasmagoria of Potter will continue longer than originally planned.
Thereby prolonging the end a bit longer for you all, which if you're anything like me, isn't such a bad thing at all. -sniff-
*(They didn't even have one in Ravenclaw colors, so I'm hoping I won't catch the eye or the wrath of any rabid purists this evening before the show!)
This comes as a result of extreme busy-ness on my part, which, while not unforeseen, nevertheless could not be helped.
As it stands I have Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince sitting on my desk waiting to be watched, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in my Netflix queue, and a ticket to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 safely tucked away in one of my rendezvous's wallets for later on.
After I finish this post I'll be heading upstairs to prepare coffee for the midnight viewing, which I will be attending with friends who are willing and eager to share in my extremely nerdy enthusiasm for "the end," which sadly and also awesomely begins tonight at midnight.
I'm going as Luna Lovegood, re-imagined as a college student or maybe a young adult going to her Hogwarts 10 year reunion. This is my thinly veiled excuse for not having enough time to brush up and create my props anew. I do, however, still have the wand I made and the robe I grudgingly* bought, both of which will be coming with me tonight to help me fully realize my true potential for ridiculous dress-up play.
Anyway. The long and short of it is that the Phantasmagoria of Potter will continue longer than originally planned.
Thereby prolonging the end a bit longer for you all, which if you're anything like me, isn't such a bad thing at all. -sniff-
*(They didn't even have one in Ravenclaw colors, so I'm hoping I won't catch the eye or the wrath of any rabid purists this evening before the show!)
26 June 2011
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
What stands out most to me about HP5 is that this installment of the series marks the beginning of the grown-up stuff.
In addition to the real, heavy-hitting incidents that begin to unfold, we also encounter more complicated relationships between friends and family members. Much of the silly stuff is over and done now, with some shockingly dark elements beginning to rear their ugly heads (read: sickening Umbridge, malicious Kreature, weak Cornelius Fudge, and the ever-odious Malfoys).
Rowling also shows her mean streak by yanking the possibility of happiness for Harry out from under him (and, incidentally, us too), in what will be the first of many heartbreaking personal losses in the series.
While HP5 marks an improvement for me in terms of how its depth and complexity compares to what we've seen so far, it also signals the beginning of the end.
-Sigh.- While I can't wait for July 15th, I also dread it.
Who's with me?
In addition to the real, heavy-hitting incidents that begin to unfold, we also encounter more complicated relationships between friends and family members. Much of the silly stuff is over and done now, with some shockingly dark elements beginning to rear their ugly heads (read: sickening Umbridge, malicious Kreature, weak Cornelius Fudge, and the ever-odious Malfoys).
Rowling also shows her mean streak by yanking the possibility of happiness for Harry out from under him (and, incidentally, us too), in what will be the first of many heartbreaking personal losses in the series.
While HP5 marks an improvement for me in terms of how its depth and complexity compares to what we've seen so far, it also signals the beginning of the end.
-Sigh.- While I can't wait for July 15th, I also dread it.
Who's with me?
Bridesmaids (2011)
I wish movies as enjoyable as this one weren't so rare.
Female characters making jokes that real women often make amongst themselves, and in highly not cliched fashion. A legitimate storyline right along with a variety of types of humor, including (but not limited to) gross-out.
Delightfully unexpected characters mixed in with some familiar faces.
Fantastic!!!!!!!!...!!!
Female characters making jokes that real women often make amongst themselves, and in highly not cliched fashion. A legitimate storyline right along with a variety of types of humor, including (but not limited to) gross-out.
Delightfully unexpected characters mixed in with some familiar faces.
Fantastic!!!!!!!!...!!!
15 June 2011
Giant (1956)
Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson play an extremely wealthy couple living on a cattle ranch turned oil field in rural Texas, and a hugely absurd James Dean comes along for the ride.
Rock Hudson's character struggles to overcome his racism against Mexicans, while Elizabeth Taylor's character struggles to look realistically dirty and appropriately upset in the dusty, often hostile setting.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Even though it went on for two hundred years (it literally had an intermission) and was at times amusingly dated (both visually and subject matter-wise), I genuinely wanted to sit through all the way to the end.
An interesting minor role by Dennis Hopper, who I only really knew for his amusing roles in two of my childhood favorites, Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Waterworld (1995), and of course for his disturbing turn in creepy David Lynch's creepy Blue Velvet (1986).
Bonus points to anyone who can remind me what film essay (assigned during my time at Northwestern) specifically discussed the upsetting/hilarious Thanksgiving dinner scene in which the couple's small children realize they're about to eat the turkey they've been patiently feeding for a month.
Overall: likely to be enjoyable to you if you like Taylor, Hudson, Dean, or movies from the '50s. Otherwise, skip it.
Rock Hudson's character struggles to overcome his racism against Mexicans, while Elizabeth Taylor's character struggles to look realistically dirty and appropriately upset in the dusty, often hostile setting.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Even though it went on for two hundred years (it literally had an intermission) and was at times amusingly dated (both visually and subject matter-wise), I genuinely wanted to sit through all the way to the end.
An interesting minor role by Dennis Hopper, who I only really knew for his amusing roles in two of my childhood favorites, Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Waterworld (1995), and of course for his disturbing turn in creepy David Lynch's creepy Blue Velvet (1986).
Bonus points to anyone who can remind me what film essay (assigned during my time at Northwestern) specifically discussed the upsetting/hilarious Thanksgiving dinner scene in which the couple's small children realize they're about to eat the turkey they've been patiently feeding for a month.
Overall: likely to be enjoyable to you if you like Taylor, Hudson, Dean, or movies from the '50s. Otherwise, skip it.
14 June 2011
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Hey. Everyone! Sorry I didn't post one single blog entry in the entire month of May. It was an intensely busy month, but it was not without movie watching, and neither was June. So consider the emptying of the now substantial backlog officially begun.
Up first, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World!
I waited a long time to watch this movie. When I first saw the previews for it way back when I thought it looked intriguing, but I was hesitant to allow my enthusiasm to grow because I had a tiny paranoid conspiracy that this movie was being marketed to appeal to a very specific subset of young adults to which I definitely (albeit somewhat reluctantly) belong. To make myself clear, I was afraid I was getting sucked in by cheap, glittery, hipster-y advertising tactics rather than by the potential of the movie.
To make matters worse, in the interim between seeing the trailers for Scott Pilgrim and finally watching it on DVD I picked up the comic in a local bookstore and was unimpressed by the illustrations. I'm an avid consumer of graphic novels, and I have to say that if I don't like the illustrations I'm seeing, I don't like the book. So strike two for Scott Pilgrim.
Anyway, the movie finally made its way up in my Netflix queue and I thought I'd give it a try if for no other reason than to have fodder for some actual complaints on this phantasmagoria.
I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the characters, I liked the effects, and I loved the pacing. The aesthetic was pretty cool, and the music was fun. There was some level of complexity there, and the relationships seemed decently real to me. I also really liked this character. Her blinding rage and her ability to bleep her own cuss words were thoroughly entertaining.
Overall, I'd suggest this movie to you if you're into comics/graphic novels, Canada, hipsters, music, hair dye, action/adventure type things, movies about 20-something creative types, Michael Cera, good acting, snappy writing, and good movies.
Up first, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World!
I waited a long time to watch this movie. When I first saw the previews for it way back when I thought it looked intriguing, but I was hesitant to allow my enthusiasm to grow because I had a tiny paranoid conspiracy that this movie was being marketed to appeal to a very specific subset of young adults to which I definitely (albeit somewhat reluctantly) belong. To make myself clear, I was afraid I was getting sucked in by cheap, glittery, hipster-y advertising tactics rather than by the potential of the movie.
To make matters worse, in the interim between seeing the trailers for Scott Pilgrim and finally watching it on DVD I picked up the comic in a local bookstore and was unimpressed by the illustrations. I'm an avid consumer of graphic novels, and I have to say that if I don't like the illustrations I'm seeing, I don't like the book. So strike two for Scott Pilgrim.
Anyway, the movie finally made its way up in my Netflix queue and I thought I'd give it a try if for no other reason than to have fodder for some actual complaints on this phantasmagoria.
I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the characters, I liked the effects, and I loved the pacing. The aesthetic was pretty cool, and the music was fun. There was some level of complexity there, and the relationships seemed decently real to me. I also really liked this character. Her blinding rage and her ability to bleep her own cuss words were thoroughly entertaining.
Overall, I'd suggest this movie to you if you're into comics/graphic novels, Canada, hipsters, music, hair dye, action/adventure type things, movies about 20-something creative types, Michael Cera, good acting, snappy writing, and good movies.
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