Category Archives: cinema

Is this a trend in romcoms?

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I was home alone for a few days so I got the opportunity to watch some romcoms that I refuse to cram down my husband’s throat–you are welcome babycakes!.

I ended up watching Take This Waltz [2011] and Blue Valentine [2010], which have respectively 77% and 87% on Rotten.

If you don’t want spoilers stop reading now.

I liked the performances (mostly). To be honest I think Seth Rogen, whom I usually love, did a poor job on Take This Waltz but it’s okay. My problem was not with the actors, or the writing, or the photography of each movie; It was with the bland endings.

I don’t particularly like romcoms. Some are fun (few), some are just relaxing to watch when I’m alone, but both these movies had a dark underline of pseudo-realism that made me think.
I don’t need characters that always end up stupidly happy but to end in miserable relationships is too uncomfortable. Too boring. More boring than Happily Ever After. I don’t watch romcoms to reflect on life’s cruel/ironic streak. Bloody hell…

(Now for real spoilers:)

In Take This Waltz, Michelle Williams’ character chooses to go with her gut and ends up regretting it and looking back onto her previous relationship with remorse.

In Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling’s character is a good guy. A VERY good guy. Yet–you guessed it–Michelle Williams’ character grows to hate him despite him being a good guy, and longs for the BAD BAD GUY that left her pregnant and alone.

I know that in reality good guys that raise someone else’s child don’t rank high in the attractiveness scale but COME ON! Since when have we become so jaded that this is what we like to watch in our free time?

Is this what kids think romance is? A distorted look into the hardships of relationships? Yes, relationships are hard but do we have to strip all the complexity out of a story and present the naked ugliness of what remains? As if presenting “truth”? Bullshit.

I guess that the fact that the female characters in both movies were played by Michelle Williams, and the fact that they have the same sort of visual feel to them, left me disturbed with the whole concept. Is this a thing now?

Good Will Hunting [1997]

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Good Will Hunting poster

Finally saw this one on account of Robin Williams’ death. I was perusing his movies and noticing the fact that although he stared in one of my favourite flicks as a teen–Dead Poets Society–I didn’t really watched that many of his movies. Basically because I’m not into movies with funny men doing voices. No hating, it’s just not my preference.

Apart from Dead Poets Society, I remember loving Good Morning, Vietnam. I also remember a couple of movies I really disliked. I guess I have mixed reviews about his choice in scripts but hey! Not everyone is into what I write either and that is all right. As long as you are happy doing what you do, good for you.

So, yeah, I saw Good Will Hunting yesterday and it was all right. I didn’t love it but I understand these movies are a bit dated, or at least done for a specific audience. I don’t know how Dead Poets Society would fare in my eyes have I just seen it yesterday… The age and time in your life when you watch or read a piece of work is very important.

Did I cry? Yes. I don’t know if this is something you guys know about me but I’m a sucker for a good cry. Sad things, happy things, true things, injustice, justice, puppies, you name it: If I’m Alone I Will Be Crying My Eyes Out.
If I’m with someone, I’m more like: This Doesn’t Bother Me, Pfff… (while letting the tears just tumble down my face and hope nobody notices).

Yeah…

So I cried but I didn’t feel the connection. Probably because I should have seen this in my twenties, when it came out.

I did like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s performance (so young!) and think the rougher scenes added plenty to the colour of the whole movie.

La Grande Bouffe [1973]

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poster at wikipedia

We saw this French oldie two days ago and I loved it.
This film is dark, funny, sad, grotesque, caricatural, over the top, and very, very different from today’s blockbusters. A real treat!
(Thank you M. For the recommendation.)

From the wikipedia page:
The film tells the story of four friends who gather in a villa for the weekend with the express purpose of eating themselves to death. Bouffer is French slang for “excessive eating”. (the Italian abbuffata means “great eating”).

Links:
Rotten Tomatoes’ audience gives it an 84%.
La Grande Bouffe at Wikipedia

Trailer (in German because I couldn’t find one in English or the original French):

The Wrestler [2008]

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The Wrestler

Brutal and honest, The Wrestler is a film that gives you a glimpse into the life of an ageing wrestling champion from the eighties that continues his career way beyond his prime.
It got 98% in Rotten Tomatoes and this time I have to agree with the hive mind. Brilliant, stupendous film!
Everything is right with it: the writing, the actors, the lighting, the colours, the sounds, the way it progresses. It is entertaining even though some of the scenes are excruciatingly gruesome.

Shame [2011]

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Shame Movie Poster

I heard about Shame from a few different people but never had the opportunity to watch it before now. Telmo and I watched it two nights ago and I was slightly disappointed.
I expected it to be a really heavy movie filled with emotion and drama but what I felt was more on the “it’s okay” category. I suspect if I’ve seen it in any other day I would feel different, so I’m saving my final judgment for when I see it again in another state of mind.

I have a few things to say, though.
I think people should chill out about speaking of this movie as if it’s The Sad Life of a Sex Addict. I don’t think he is a sex addict. I don’t even know if it’s possible to be a sex addict. (Maybe it’s an American thing…) When the human prime directive is to have sex and reproduce, can someone get addicted to a prime directive? Isn’t that exactly what is meant to be? He likes porn, hookers and risk taking (by implicitly having unprotected sex). So? He can afford the hookers and he is an unattached adult so quit it with the finger pointing, people!

He is lonely. He lives in a society that exalts monogamy and relationships as the only acceptable model of reality. As we see in the movie, his MARRIED boss is screwing around. Is his wife okay with that?

The pressure of a relationship, any relationship—as we see in the way he deals with his sister—is too much for him. He isn’t a sex addict, he is just emotional undeveloped.

It’s a pretty movie visually and the writing is good. I just need to watch it when I’m not in a funk.

Trailer: