Here’s An Inappropriate Song For Your (Probably) Inappropriate Weekend.
February 24, 2012 Leave a comment
I’m looking at you, every student in Pullman.
MOVIE REVIEW: 50/50.
February 12, 2012 Leave a comment
When I first heard Seth Rogen and his cronies were making a comedy about cancer, it made me feel really uncomfortable. Cancer is an extremely personal thing to almost everyone, and it is no laughing matter. You’d be hard pressed to find a person today who hasn’t been affected by cancer, be it a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. Then I heard it was written by a guy who actually had cancer, and it was starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. JGL is one of my favorite actors on the planet, so at the very least, I was really intrigued to where they might take this. 50/50 is billed as a comedy, and it has plenty of humorous situations, but I’d classify it as more of a dramedy than anything else. And a great one, at that.
JGL plays Adam, a normal dude who lives in Seattle (yay!) and works at a radio station. He complains of back problems for a while and then visits a doctor. His back problems turn out to be a tumor attached to his spine. The process Adam goes through in recovery is typical for cancer patients, but he seems to be the only one ok with his situation. Everyone around him — his best friend Kyle (Rogen), his girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard), his crazy, over-protective mother (Angelica Huston) — have their own ways of attempting to coddle him and tell him everything will be ok. The only person who quasi understands what he’s feeling is his young therapist, Katherine (Anna Kendrick). Katherine is a student still working on her doctorate, and they both grow and learn about how to deal with this situation together. Her insecurities about her age and experience, as well as youthful awkwardness, are a bit of fresh air when you consider Hollywood usually makes therapists smug, articulate, assholes.
50/50 attempts to make people aware that cancer patients are still people, too. Far too often, someone with cancer is labeled as having cancer instead of just another human being who is struggling with something. This movie wants you to understand people with cancer still want to be told to fuck off, they still want to have random sex, they still want to be treated like normal, bald human beings. It also reminds us that, holy shit, cancer fucking sucks and is absolutely horrifying.
You laugh. You cry (a lot). You get angry. You smile. You go through a wide range of emotions during this movie, and at the end, you just fall in love with it. 50/50 is simply fantastic, and a movie you’ll very much enjoy.
Rent, Buy, or Avoid:
Buy. We rented it via Netflix, and after the movie ended, I went on Amazon and bought it. Absolutely buy this movie.
Overall rating:
9.5 out of 10.
The Bourne Legacy Trailer Premiers.
February 8, 2012 Leave a comment
aaaand boner.
Plus, when the hell did they get Edward Norton?? Holy fucking fuck, this movie may rival The Dark Knight Rises in terms of ass kickery. Not joking. Jeremy Renner might be my favorite actor in Hollywood right now. I can’t breathe.
MOVIE REVIEW: The Ides of March.
February 7, 2012 Leave a comment
I could talk about The Ides of March‘s script, or the plot, or even the acting. Instead, here’s my six word review:
This is a very handsome movie.
Ryan Gosling, better known as Baby Goose, is the star of this political drama about morals and secrets. George Clooney wrote, directed, and co-starred. Mrs. Kyle was all like, “I don’t care what’s happening. Look at all that man candy.”
They’re not pieces of meat, you know. They have names. And feelings.
Anyway, the movie plays out like you’d expect a George Clooney written movie about politics to. Pro gay marriage, anti religion (sorta), all about helping the lower class, yada yada yada. I found his character pretty interesting as a Presidential candidate because there’s absolutely no way a candidate who says “I’m not Christian, but I’m not aethiest, either” would win anything. Our stupid, stupid country loves God way too much to ever vote for some heathen who doesn’t admit to loving Jesus. George Clooney was pretty much playing himself if he ran for President. Which … ok, whatever. Sure, why the fuck not.
The movie itself was expertly acted by Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Evan Rachel Wood. Gosling is the main character, and a media darling. He was the uber talented young up-and-comer on Clooney’s staff, and then he uncovered a secret that would change the course of human history.
Or something like that.
I enjoyed the movie, don’t get me wrong. I just feel like all political dramas are either “PROTEST WAR, I AM LIBERAL” or “MOAR GUNZ, I CAN HAZ BIBLE” and I don’t really care. I hate politics. Talking about politics makes everyone an asshole. I think this movie is worth watching, but let’s not kid ourselves, it’s basically 2 hours of Clooney’s political ideas. I’m liberal and even I saw through it. Hell, I agreed with a lot of it. I just don’t really care.
Rent, Buy, or Avoid:
Rent. Buy if it’s under $15.
Overall ratings:
8 out of 10.
Recent Comments