Blue Valentine

      This is the first time I'm doing three posts in a day and I'm kind of proud of myself. What do you say? Are you proud of me? This is going to be yet another movie post. I don't know what it is about today but it just seems like a movie day to me. I'm telling you, it's movies like "Blue Valentine" that get me all twisted in the head. I don't even know what to say. I'm telling myself that I should leave give myself some room to have what I just saw just marinate in my head and do the entry tomorrow. But on the other hand, I may not even want to think about it tomorrow. So the sooner I do this, the sooner I move on. You see how this movie affects me, it's pathetic actually.
      "Blue Valentine", directed by Derek Cianfrance and released 2010, was a story about the complicated relationship between Dean and Cindy, who are played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. I think "complicated" is a very inadequate term for this because it implies that, although difficult, there is a way to get through it. I can't even seem to put a finger on it nor do I know where to pinpoint the problem. My mind is a complete question mark. Cianfrance just left me lonely, vulnerable, and furious all at the same time which certainly can't be legal can it?

      Just to make this clear. This is NOT a family movie. You shouldn't be watching this with your children. Just because Gosling is in the movie doesn't mean the story is going to be a fairy tale. He freaking blew me away with this one. He was born for this role and that's all I have to say about that. He should share some of that excess talent with the other guys sharing the red carpet. I'm pretty sure he'll have just enough left over to make me watch all his movies a hundred times over, like a slave. Anyway, I had my doubts about Gosling's "Drive" but after this movie, I'm sure he'll do just the same with me with that one. So, definitely, expect a review on his new movie soon.
      There was an inexplicable power to this movie which I believe stems from it's simplicity. To me simple movies allow for a different kind of feel. It's not straightforward anymore like action thrillers or horrors, here even in the silence, there is a full blown conversation going on. I'd rather watch a horror than to sit through something as deep as this and get mindF*&$ed. This was a very honest film and brilliant scenes scattered  perfectly throughout the whole movie. What I loved about this movie is that every scene mattered and added something to the story. Michelle Williams. You would turn a guy like me inside out. I would literally go crazy if I fell in love with someone like Cindy.
      I won't start talking about what I liked about the story because I fear that I'll put out too much information. Just know that I loved it and I want you guys to watch it to draw your own conclusions. There you go. Press the replay button? Heck yes. This movie had me thinking about how far I was willing to go to hold on to a promise, a commitment, that I will make with my future wife. You know what, I'll hold on with my dear life. This movie reminded me that simple love, although life changing, is the deadliest of all and should be pursued with a little bit of caution.

Defiance

      Ah, screw it. I'll just do a bunch of entries today since I can. I had quite a bit of time on my hands yesterday so why not a movie? Next one on the list was a film called, "The Debt". Starring Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, and Helen Mirren, this movie really caught my caught my attention. The trailer made the movie seem like it was in a class of it's own and I was super excited. But guess what? Most of the playable movie links were taken down and the ones that were still up had freakish lags to them. Truth be told, I just wanted to see Sam Worthington turn into his Toruk Makto-self and ride off in a banshee. If none of you got that reference...shame on you. In the end, I turned to Edward Zwick's 2008 production of "Defiance," for a good watch. 

      Starring Bond, Sabertooth, and Billy Elliot, "Defiance" was about the journey of three brothers and a Jewish community who are under the oppression of the German militia. Actually, it was Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. Alright, the joking stops now. By facing the tribulation head-on, these three individuals prove that when facing a calamitous situation, one should never find themselves alone.There's a special place in my heart for movies about the hardships of brothers and how they deal with adversity. It's probably because I always wanted an older brother to look up to and experience life with. Don't get me wrong, there's no one like my sister, but I've always wondered what life would have been like if I wasn't the oldest. Anyway, movies like these, in their own way, allow me to experience it.

      I'm finding it difficult to do a review on a movie about one's experiences during the Holocaust because even though there are mainstream actors in this movie, the baseline story wasn't fiction. The holocaust really happened and millions upon millions of people were killed off like animals because of the irrational Anti-Semitic ideals. So with that in mind, know that I will be only reviewing this movie on a cinematic standpoint. Otherwise, it just wouldn't be fair would it? I might seem to take the matter lightly, but rest assured, I will never understand the true, for the lack of a better word, "torment" that was felt during this time.

      Where do I start with this movie? Should I start with it's incredible soundtrack? Yes sir! Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed about this movie is its noteworthy music. James Newton Howard showed his meticulous genius when crafting the underlying compositions to this movie. (I'll put some links in the sidebar.) Does his name sound familiar? Howard orchestrated several pieces for blockbuster movies such as "Blood Diamond", "The Dark Knight", and "The Sixth Sense," just to name a few. "The Green Lantern" doesn't count. The beginning sequence just did it for me. You know what else did? The German accents. If it wasn't for the English subtitles, I would have had absolutely no idea what they were talking about but, nevertheless, subtitles or no subtitles it all sounded right to me. I understood. Sometimes you don't have to know translations. All you have to know is how to read emotions. 

      Not everything about this movie was remarkable. There were scenes that seemed a little too empty to have been kept in the movie. The film was more than two hours long and if you have useless undeveloped scenes lingering around, to make a long story short, it's not going to be welcomed well by the viewers. Although in scarce amounts, there were cheesy lines recited between Schreiber and Craig. And finally, the only other negative aspect I could think of is the lack of on-point acting done by Bell during the first couple of minutes of the movie. Here's what it comes down to. Would I press the replay button on this movie? No. I mean, Schrieber was definitely the one to watch, but there was nothing too special about this one other than the history it's based on.    

Midnight in Paris

         As yesterday was winding down, I decided to press my luck. It was a long day and after eight hours of work, all I wanted to do is lay in bed and watch a movie. Everyone talks about how movies today are unimpressive and lack creativity but I beg to differ. Given, the movies today are straightforward and don't really require much thinking power to understand but nothing has changed about where they leave your senses and emotions. Movies today are still able to grasp your interest and your imagination. "Midnight in Paris," starring Owen Wilson and Rachael McAdams, is somewhat proof of my statement.

I have a particular taste in movies. If I don't like the actor in a movie, I don't like the movie. There are only a few actors out there whose acting sparks something within me. You can call me closed minded but that's just the way I am. Owen Wilson is one of those actors who I don't like to watch. The vibe that he gives off his certainly different but I think that he can't bring a sense of seriousness into his movies, which I dislike.

The movie poster of this movie was inviting enough and I was in an artsy movie mood. I was hesitant to watch the movie at first but the story line peaked my interest. It's about the experiences of a struggling writer in Paris and how fantastical events shape the way he thinks about his writing and his relationships. I decided, what the hey? People say that I don't have an open mind, here you go.
       This movie works well in conjunction with Wilson's jovial and carefree attitude that he brings to his final products. In order to pull off a movie that is based on fantasy, you have to have the certain something that Wilson does have.  This movie had a nice balance of intrigue and humor and it left me with good feelings. I could argue that the end was a bit incomplete but I can accept it. Go ahead give it a go, I did.