I had a suspicion watching Blue Valentine was not going to be all new books and Heath Bars (you mean that's not happiness for everyone?), but I didn't think it could be that bad. I mean, all of the quotes from critics on the back of the DVD talked about what a great love story it was. Love stories have happy parts, right? Not this one. After watching Blue Valentine, I felt like I would never be happy again. I thought, "Oh my gosh, this is awful" multiple times throughout the movie. I would have turned it off if I didn't have to watch it for the Shill. I can step back and objectively see that it was a very good movie, but I will never see it again.
Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean’s (Ryan Gosling) marriage is falling apart. Cindy is frustrated with Dean’s childishness and his lack of initiative despite his talent. Dean wants to do all he can to make the marriage work, but his progress is often set back by his alcoholism and extreme jealousy. All of these issues are further complicated because the two have a daughter: the incredibly adorable Frankie (Faith Wladyka). Dean’s last-ditch effort to save the marriage by taking Cindy to a motel (and leaving Frankie with her grandfather) is intersperced with events from the past that brought the two together in the first place.
Cindy and Dean are both three-dimensional characters—neither fit a complete stereotype, and both of their points of view are understandable. Gosling and Williams’ performances are spot-on; their emotions and actions are raw and believable. I cared for both of them and wanted for them both to somehow get what they were hoping for, making it all the more heartbreaking when I realized (early on) that it was impossible.
There’s no question that Blue Valentine was a well-made movie, but the experience of watching it was not worth it—at least not for me. Still, it gets a 4/5.
I am about to watch a movie. It is called Unstoppable. It’s about a train that doesn’t stop. And it is going to be bad.
This is what I imagine the movie will be like. Except it won’t be funny.
I will write this blog as I watch it. It might get a little long, and will probably have spoilers.
1:06- They want me to know that this movie is “Inspired by True Events.” They are also trying to make me afraid of trains. So far, it’s not working.
2:17- Unnecessary Chris Pine crotch shot.
2:59- Now Pine is trying to reach a wife(?) girlfriend(?) on the phone. There has been no talking in this movie yet. Lots of dramatic music, though.
4:10- Hey, that daycare center/retirement home quip from the SNL parody was actually in the movie. Yikes.
5:08- Now they’re talking about how a track needs to be cleared because some school children are coming to ride trains. Maybe SNL didn’t make anything up. Here’re the kids. And the dramatic music builds.
6:10- They just announced that the train doesn’t have brakes. Danger is brewing!
7:20- “Railroading” was used as a verb. Oh man, a real life train is going by right now! I hope it has brakes.
8:30- The plot thickens. Pine has received a call from his friend(?) saying that he can come in for a trial and then go home. I suspect this has something to do with the lady from earlier. But now the train has left the station, and we all know that it is not going to stop. The personal drama must be set aside for the train drama.
10:25- A minor character named Dewey just deserted a moving train with no brakes (and now it’s driving itself). I’m confused because I thought it was Denzel and Pine’s train that wouldn’t have brakes. The music is pretty dramatic still.
11:25- DEWEY JUST GOT RAN OVER BY THE TRAIN WITH NO BRAKES!
11:40- False alarm. He just didn’t catch up to it (because after deserting the moving train, he realized that was probably a bad plan. Dewey’s pretty dumb.) Now it’s a runaway train. Dewey couldn’t stop it. You might say it’s unstoppable.
12:30- We’re getting a look at Denzel’s personal life now. He’s got some good looking daughters, but I sense there’ll be some trouble there. They seem to be having a party that Denzel was supposed to attend. Instead, he’s on a train.
14:25- Denzel and Pine are having a heart-to-heart about being old and young.
15:19- I think Dewey is my favorite character of this movie so far. They’re giving him a hard time about letting a train with no brakes drive itself. I guess he deserves it. A line: “It’s a train, Dewey, not a chipmunk.”
17:22- They’re calling the runaway train a “coaster.” I keep thinking they’re talking about a roller coaster. You know, a runaway train might make a good rollercoaster—is that what Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is at Disney?
18:44- More heart-to-heart between Pine and Denzel. We learn that Pine is “sort-of” married and Denzel’s daughters work at Hooters.
20:08- A safety inspector is here to talk to the kids. What an unfortunate day to have a “coaster.”
21:28- Some incompetent railroad employees are arguing, oh, hey, Dewey’s with them. We’re learning that they don’t have a “coaster” because the train is going fast.
23:19- The runaway train is approaching the children’s train. They aren’t going to kill them off this early (or really at all, I don’t think). …And they’re safe. The trains just quickly pass each other.
24:45- Things aren’t so good for Pine and his lady trouble. His restraining order is continuing for at least another 30 days. Wonder what he did.
25:50- I haven’t written about Connie, the lady in charge of the trains. She’s kind of boring.
26:47- Dewey’s incompetent friend is trying to jump on the train. I don’t think it’ll work, since there’s still an hour left. Oh man. He just ran into a sign. Is he dead?
28:13- Now Pine and Denzel are fighting. Their relationship is confusing. Pine seems to have some kind of family relationship with the railroad. Their train is also too long. I bet the runaway train will complicate that problem.
30:52- Oh man, they just announced on the news that Dewey will be held accountable for the runaway train. Poor, stupid Dewey.
31:37- And now we find out that the train is carrying some kind of scary glue chemical.
33:10- The Chrysler Building line just came up. Ha!
34:32- A trailer of horses just got knocked into the path of the runaway train. First kids, now animals—they are trying to get us scared from any angle they can. Don’t worry, the horses make it.
37:19- I’m really impressed with what good impressions Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam (the SNL actors) did of Denzel and Pine.
40:00- A 22 year old Afghanistan War Vet is now trying to stop the train (by a helicopter? I don’t quite get it). He’s not going to make it.
44:47- The soldier tried to parachute down on the train. He couldn’t do it, and got injured. And now the other train that was trying to stop it fell of the tracks AND IT’S EXPLODING! I think we’ve reached the first casualties of the movie.
48:26- Pine and Denzel’s train is heading towards the runaway one. Are they going to make it? (Yes. My guess is yes.)
48:45- And cut to Hooters…
51:23- After they closely pass the train without getting hit, Denzel decides to chase it in the engine of the their train (they’ve ditched the cars). You know, he really is looking old. I guess Remember the Titans was a long time ago.
55:52- I am watching a movie where the villain is a train.
56:00- Oh man, we just learned that Denzel is being forced to retire. Drama!
1:00:05- We’re getting Pine’s backstory, and I don’t even care anymore. Something about pulling a gun on a cop. I’m bored of this movie. The novelty of making fun of it as I watch has been lost.
1:02:00- They are shooting at the train. It is a movie where the bad guy is an object, and they’re still shooting it.
1:04:00- Oh my gosh, there’s still half an hour of this left. How much longer do I have to watch some guys chase a train?
1:05:51- Denzel is trying to impart some life lessons. We’ll see if they stick.
1:08:38- I accidentally stopped paying attention and wikipedia’d Taran Killam. I have a little crush on him, I think.
1:09:31- Oh my gosh, Killam was Spaulding on The Amanda Show. Weird. In Unstoppable they are still chasing the train. Pine’s wife is trying to call him now. How the tables have turned…
1:10:52- What!? Killam is engaged to/has a baby with the lady who plays Robin on How I Met Your Mother! Whoa! Meanwhile, they are still chasing the train. Debris is hitting the train like hail. I’m not sure where it’s coming from because I stopped paying attention for a couple minutes.
1:13:20- I just learned that Chris Pine’s character name is Will. He’s fallen between cars on the runaway train. They’re saying his name a lot. Maybe they should’ve said it more early on, and then I might’ve cared about him more than I care about Dewey—who, by the way, has been missing from the movie for a long time.
1:14:26- They attached the two trains, but Will’s foot is hurt. He’s fixing it with duct tape, though.
1:15:32- They are now pulling at the runaway train in the opposite direction (I guess that’s why they’re chasing it?). I hope it works so this movie can end already. You know, this two trains thing feels a little like a math problem
1:17:24- This drawn out tension reminds me of the end of reality shows…”There are only two more photos in my hands…”
1:20:37- This movie doesn’t have enough talking to keep me interested. On the other hand, I just learned that Denzel’s character name is Frank. Also, the brakes on the train Frank is driving (the one that could be stopped) have broken. Now they have two unstoppable trains. (Though they’re connected, so I guess it counts as one train)
1:26:39- With ten minutes left, I’m trying to figure out if there has been any character development in this movie. I don’t think there has. Will’s wife cares about him now, and Frank’s daughters care about him, but that seems to be the only change. And I guess Will and Frank are friends now.
1:28:44- Inspirational music has started playing. Will is climbing into the engine of the runaway train. People everywhere are cheering. Hey, a shot of Dewey; he’s pretty happy.
1:30:00- And the train has stopped. So much for that unstoppable business.
1:31:12- Will is reunited with his family, and all marital problems are solved.
1:31:50- And Frank gets to keep his job. These guys really owe Dewey. What if he hadn’t deserted that train?
1:32:59- And here we are at closing credits. Enjoy your 1/5, Unstoppable. Wait, guess who got the last "where is he now" feature? It’s Dewey—he’s now working in the Fast Food Industry. Poor Dewey.
Did you like this style of post? Was it funny? Obnoxious? Too long? Let me know. I have more terrible movies ahead of me, and could certainly do this again if it works.
Valerie Plame’s identity was leaked around the time when I started paying attention to politics and the news, and as the trial also coincided with a time I had to bring in current event articles to my government class, I came into the movie version of her life with some background knowledge, but was ready to get a story linking it all together. Fair Game, starring Naomi Watts as Plame and Sean Penn as her husband Joe Wilson, gave me the story I wanted.
Though it begins with a few of Plame’s earlier CIA missions, Fair Game focuses almost entirely on the circumstances leading to her leaked identity and the aftermath of the situation, especially the effects it has on the relationship between Plame and Wilson.
Watts and Penn both did an excellent job portraying their characters—I thought of them as Valerie and Joe rather than Naomi and Sean— motivations were clear, and neither over-acted.
Fair Game kept me interested, but still felt more like a movie designed to educate, something you would see on the History channel or in a school government class, rather than a movie you would watch for entertainment. That being said, it gets a 3/5 (but almost gets a 4).
I’m sorry this review is so short—I watched the movie about 3 weeks ago, and forgot to write the review until now (having a job is a really wonderful thing, but it also limits my free time). I also apologize that there was no new update last week; I was on vacation.
I watched Ben Affleck’s movie The Town more than a week ago, but I’ve had troubles sitting down to write the review. After finishing the movie, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it, and, over time, no more clarity has been found.
The Town takes place in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, a location rife with crime, particularly bank and armored truck robberies. Doug (Affleck) and a group of his buddies make their living by performing these robberies, and the movie opens will the group robbing a bank managed by Claire (Rebecca Hall). Though it’s a little rocky, the guys eventually end up pulling off the robbery, but not without killing a guard and taking Claire as an incredibly temporary hostage. However, more problems are to come. This robbery causes FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) to begin to seek out the guys. Additionally, Claire lives in the same neighborhood as Doug and when the two meet at a Laundromat, they begin to fall in love (Doug recognizes Claire, she does not recognize him).
This relationship was the thing that bothered me about The Town. I couldn’t understand how Doug would allow himself to spend enough time with Claire to fall for her, and I also didn’t get how they fell in love so fast. I know The Town is an action movie, and wasting time on scenes developing a romantic relationship is probably not what the audience wants, but it was this (and, oddly enough, not the robberies and violence) that kept the movie from being believable to me.
The Town is without a doubt an action movie (though one with a bit more depth than the typical action fare, I assume). As this blog has already made clear, action movies are not my favorite. However, The Town was the first action movie I’ve seen for this project where the car-chases and gunfights didn’t seem gratuitous. Though they still aren’t things I particularly enjoy watching, they fit within the story and didn’t distract me.
I appreciated that The Town did not have distinct lines drawn between good and bad characters. Typically, you’d be led to root for either the FBI agent or the robbers, but The Town did no such leading. Sure, the robbers were wrong to steal and kill, but the movie showed the personalities behind their tough-guy characters and explained how they got in that situation. Conversely, it was clear that Agent Frawley was just doing his job—he wasn’t crooked, he wasn’t malicious. I liked that characters weren’t cut and dry and that I was able to choose for myself who to support. However, instead of picking a side, I found myself not cheering for either one; I just didn’t care.
The Town gets a 3/5. It’s worth watching, but not worth buying.
And I’d like to thank Anna at the Chelsea District Library for taking my new profile picture (finally, it’s Daily Shill relevant) and writing about the Shill in the library’s e-newsletter!
After waiting for months, I finally got my turn to watch the library’s copy of Precious (Am I legally obligated to say the part about the novel it’s based on?I’m going to risk it, and you say it in your mind if you so choose.)Despite all I’d heard about Precious not being a complete downer movie, I didn’t quite believe it and braced myself for a rough hour-and-a-half.But, even though there were plenty of depressing moments (and one scene that made me say “no, no, no” to my screen) Precious was not an emotionally overwhelming movie.
Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight black teen, lives in an abusive household.She is pregnant with her second child by her father, who sexually abuses her, and her mother (Mo’Nique), resenting her for this, abuses her physically.When Precious is kicked out of her high school, she begins attending an alternative school where an attentive teacher (Paula Patton) teaches her (and the class of struggling teen girls) how to read and write.
The acting in Precious was phenomenal.After watching Sidibe stumble through hosting Saturday Night Live last year, I didn’t expect her acting to impress me, (though I now recognize this was stupid, considering she was nominated for an Academy Award).Sidibe was great, though, making me care about Precious right from the beginning.Mo’Nique portrayed the depth of her character, making her more than the one-sided villain of the movie (though you do hate her).
One of things I found most effective within Precious was the use of internal monologue and fantasies.Typically, using a voiceover to show what a character is thinking seems cheesy and tacked on, but in Precious, it was natural.
I recommend Precious, and give it a 5/5.Though it’s not one of those movies you want to watch a million times, it is definitely worth watching it once.
The Kids Are All Right is the second of this year’s three movies dealing with sperm donations (sandwiched between The Back-Up Plan and The Switch) and is probably the best of the three, though I will admit I’m basing my opinions of the other two solely on their trailers.But even without the others to make it look good in comparison, The Kids Are All Right would be a movie worth seeing.
I saw the movie with my friends Brodie and Caroline, and afterwards, we spent time discussing it, so some of the ideas in this review originally came from them—I will do my best to give them credit. (For example, it was Brodie who pointed out the trend of sperm donor movies).
Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a lesbian couple who had two kids, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) using the same sperm donor.At the request of her brother, Joni tracks down the donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), and the movie depicts his entrance into the family’s lives.Paul’s presence causes tension both between Joni and her mothers and within Nic and Jules’s own relationship.
The acting in The Kids Are All Right is spot-on.Bening and Moore do an excellent job making their characters’ relationship believable and natural.As Caroline pointed out, they manage to get the audience caring about the couple quickly, so that when things start to become strained, we care.Ruffalo plays Paul with such charm, winning the audience over the same way Paul wins over the kids.I will not make a pun about Wasikowska’s and Hutcherson’s performances.Instead, I will tell you that they were fine.
One of the things I love about watching less mainstream movies like The Kids Are All Right is that I never know where they’re headed; one of the things I dislike is that they often don’t wrap up enough at the end.That was one of my few complaints with The Kids Are All Right, though I won’t tell you what I wanted to know more about because of spoilers.Due to that and the few spots where it lost my full attention, The Kids Are All Right gets a 4/5.But, as Caroline said to me yesterday, “The more I think about The Kids Are All Right, the more I like it.”Maybe if I had waited a little longer to write this review, it would have gotten a five.
Back in March, when previews for Remember Me were on TV all the time, I commented that I couldn’t figure out what the movie was about, but I knew it was something I wouldn’t want to see.And then Robert Pattinson went on the Daily Show.So on Friday, I spent two hours watching the movie, and, even after finishing, I couldn’t really tell you what it’s about.
Here’s my best shot.Tyler (Pattinson) is a depressed young adult dealing with his brother’s suicide, his rocky relationship with his father (Pearce Brosnan), and general malaise.After Tyler gets in a fight with a cop, his roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) dares him to ask out the cop’s daughter, Ally (Emilie de Ravin).Tyler does, and the two begin a relationship.
The thing is, throughout the entire movie, I was trying to figure out what story they were trying to tell.The sappy piano heavy score and Pattinson’s brooding made it clear they were going for a Notebookesque vibe, but there was no real plot.In the last 15 minutes of the movie an attempt was made to justify why these people’s lives were important, but it didn’t succeed.The twist seemed gimmicky and was a cheap way to get people emotions.
Even taking account that they were not given much to work with, the actors certainly did not impress me.It was abundantly clear that the actors with the three largest parts (Pattinson, Brosnan, and de Ravin) were all foreigners putting on American accents.Patinson’s was good and Brosnan had only a few slip-ups, but de Ravin’s was just horrible to the level of distraction.
As you may expect, Remember Me gets a 1/5.Though making fun of it is enjoyable, it’s not enough to make it worth watching.
Tune into the Daily Shill every weekday this week for a new review.Still to come, my thoughts on Revolutionaries, The Kids Are All Right,Losers, and (probably) The Big Short.
I had no idea what to expect when I started to watch A Single Man.All I knew was that Colin Firth was in it and that it must be an arty film because it didn’t come to Kalamazoo.What I got was a heartbreaking, but wonderful, hour and a half.
A Single Man follows George Falconer (Firth), a gay man whose partner was recently killed in a car crash.Falconer is struggling to get over this loss, and throughout much of the movie, is preparing to kill himself.The movie takes place over one day (though it does show flashbacks) and is set in the early 1960s.
Firth’s stunning performance (and boy was he great) was enhanced by the imagery and music of the film. Dialogue is used to explain little in the movie; instead, the viewer is shown scenes accompanied by classical music and invited to make conclusions from there.
I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts and feelings about this movie into words (which is probably apparent).I can’t say exactly what did it, but I was completely drawn into A Single Man, and it commanded all of my attention when I was watching it.I give it a 5/5.
Back when I first got the idea for this project, I was explaining it to my friend Natalia.
"So I have to read and watch everything people go on the Daily Show to promote. Like yesterday, Maggie Gyllenhaal was on the show promoting that movie... Crazy...crazy something...I know it's not horse..."
"Crazy Heart? Oh man, I want to see that movie. Can I go with you when you see it?"
We made plans to see it as soon as it came to Kalamazoo. We thought that it would be the next weekend. Turns out, it finally arrive almost two months later. So, a few days ago, my roommate Devika joined Natalia and me as we walked to the theater to see Crazy Heart.
Natalia knew she would love Crazy Heart, a movie centering on Bad Blake, a country musician struggling with alcoholism. But this was not the kind of movie Devika and I would usually see; Devika loves chick flicks and action movies and I go for comedies. It didn't take long, though, for the three of us to get sucked in.
Jeff Bridges' portrayal of Bad Blake was phenomenal. While watching most movies, I don't think of characters by their given names; instead, I refer to them by the actors' names. However, in Crazy Heart, it was all Bad Blake-- I actually found myself forgetting he was played by Bridges. And I was completely won over by Bad. At the beginning especially, he wasn't a particularly likable character, but I liked him nonetheless. It was painful to watch his drunken stupors; it was heartening to see him perform well. The three of us watching were drawn in; multiple times throughout the movie Devika would say something like, "Oh no, [something terrible] is about to happen," and I'd feel that tight feeling of dread in my chest, even though deep down I knew it was just a fictional story. But Crazy Heart was not as predictable as we assumed-- most of the dread-filled moments were not followed by the terrible events Devika had foreseen.
The supporting characters-- Colin Farrell playing the young, good-looking country star, Maggie Gyllenhaal as reporter and love interest, and Jack Nation as adorable little boy-- were strong, though not to Bridges' level. The movie steered away from painting characters with a broad brush. There was no "bad guy," no "good guy"-- there were just people, and I liked that.
Music, of course, played a big role in Crazy Heart. Even though the music has been widely acclaimed, I hate country music, so initially, I wasn't looking forward to that aspect of the film. However, though the music was certainly country, it fit with the movie, and Bridges performances were genuine and impressive (I had no idea he could sing!). I found myself tapping my feet along to the songs, and I would go so far as to say I liked them. Natalia, a country fan, and Devika, who feels neutral towards country music, both loved it. During the closing credits, they both said they were going to buy the soundtrack.
I'm glad I went to see Crazy Heart. It's another one of those things I would never had done had it not been for my Daily Show challenge. I also would never had learned how to spell Gyllenhaal. I give it a 4/5, and I definitely recommend it.
In this review, I tried to do something a little differently and take more of a personal look. Is that a take you like, or would you rather my reviews be more straightforward?
Additionally, starting now, there will be posts on The Daily Shill at least once a calendar week. I may not always have something new to review, but I'll find something relevant to talk about.
I am a graduate student who loves games, reading, writing, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
THE MISSION: To review every book, movie, TV show, album, article, and podcast promoted in The Daily Show's 2010 interviews.
