lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
^^ This one speaks the truth. Aside from the quality of the song at the end.
Away We Go
Loved it! It was both hilarious (omg, Maggie Gyllenhaal) and heartbreaking (Montreal and Miami). Loved it.
But that's just me. Glad you dug it though.
Well I finally got around to seeing 500 Days of Summer (I'm not writing that with the fucking parenthesis), and I liked it a decent amount. Love both the leads, some pretty spot-on observations, and only had issues with a few scenes (the IKEA thing was retarded). Definitely a few LOL moments.
However, and I know I'm going to take some heat for this, but as far as indie-rock rom-coms go, I GREATLY preferred Garden State, which a lot of people seem to loathe for some reason. I felt the characters weren't as interesting as the structure, and the damaged nature of all the people in Braff's film appealed to me. Had Gordon-Levitt starred in it instead of Braff (probably what most people dislike the most about the film), would have been a perfect combo. I didn't think 500 Days had a very interesting visual style aside from the gimmickry, and it's ironic that it referenced The Graduate so strongly, because I feel Braff's film is directed with the same thoughtful and artistic eye, and was much more successful at capturing the zeitgeist of its period, whereas 500 Days seems like a bit of a cutesy nostalgia trip (hey, it's The Smiths! hey, Pixies at karaoke!) set in the up-and-coming downtown Los Angeles to give it current street cred.
It sounds like I'm hating, and I'm not. An enjoyable film. But it didn't transcend the genre like I'd been led to believe, and I feel that Garden State, not to mention Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, did a better job of breaking out of it.
I can easily agree with the things you brought up. Was it a great movie? Nah. I just enjoyed it a lot, which means I can forgive a lot.
I adore Garden State, even more than I loved this one, but I don't think it's fair to compare the two. Aside from them both being "indie-rock rom-coms" (fair description) they deal with different subject matters in a, as you noted, differing visual style. Yeah, both of the lead males seem a bit lost in their mid twentie, but that's really it. What were The Graduate references you mentioned?
Definitely agree with you on Eternal Sunshine though and I'd throw in Annie Hall too for the lost love / playful narrative style.
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I also really dug Away We Go a couple of weeks back and didn't really have the issues that LMP brought up, except Phoenix and Maddison could have been condensed into one (crazy parents we don't want to be like!). But as Cori said, post-Maddison it was quite touching and poignant. Plus it had Dylan and Harrison on the soundtrack.
Heh, totally forgot that Graduate scene, I even watched it for the first time in a while ths weekend.
That's what I had in mind with the Annie Hall comparison, both stylistically and how they chart the course of a doomed relationship whose failure completely blindsides the smitten guy. I like how they both have a brief segment where both men try to recreate a memorable date with another girl and just can't find the magic again.
And that's why I think films about love and life are the most rewarding over the years, due to our own life experiences changing what we take away from them with each viewing. I'd be curious to see a third Before Sunrise / Sunset film to see how life has changed Jesse and Celine once more, but their story has already ended perfectly enough twice.
Aladdin
Solid, and I particularly liked Abu, but the rape scene was a little too much even for a Disney vehicle.
Why?Obligatory:
Still refuse to see it.