Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 18, 2014 22:10:57 GMT -5
JANUARY 26, 2012
DIRTY GIRL
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 18, 2014 22:12:32 GMT -5
DECEMBER 21, 2011
OUR IDIOT BROTHER
This is, by far, the best movie I've seen this year (so far). 50/50 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen is a close second, but what makes this film standout is Paul Rudd. He delivers the best performance of his career as the good hearted but very naive brother of three sisters.
At the start of the movie, his character, Ned, gets arrested for selling weed to a uniformed cop. A few months later, he is let go for good behavior. But when he returns home, to a farm outside New York City, he discovers that his live-in girlfriend has a new man. So, he is forced to move in with his sisters till he finds a place to live. Ned always means well, but as you can imagine, he does nothing but cause chaos for his siblings.
The film is very light-hearted and charming. Even though the sisters (played by Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, and Emily Mortimer) are going through relationship and career problems that Ned manages to make worse, the movie always stays positive and good-natured. I know this type of film isn't for everyone, but give it a chance. It might brighten your day.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 18, 2014 22:36:00 GMT -5
OCTOBER 4, 2011
50/50
This film has been horribly advertised by Summit Entertainment. They made it seem like another Seth Rogen bromance, but with a "serious" subject matter this time. That has led to the movie being largly ignored by almost everyone. Which is a shame because the film is BRILLIANT.
It's the story of a 27-year-old named Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose diagnosed with spinal cancer. Most 27-years-olds like to consider themselve adults, but this movie, which is based on the screenwriter's life, argues that notion. Adam nor everyone around him has the maturity level to handle the situation. At the time when Adam learns of his disease, he barely speaks with his mother (Angelica Houston). His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) doesn't want to look like a "bad guy" and sticks around to help him, but eventually she can't handle the pressure and cheats on him. And his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) uses him as an excuse to pick-up girls. Kyle is easily the most depressing character in the film. After Adam breaks up with his girlfriend, Kyle convinces him to go to a club and pick up chicks. Surprisingly, it works. Adam and Kyle meet two college-aged girls who quickly jump into bed with them. When Adam, whose deep into his chemotherapy at this point, doesn't have the energy to penetrate this young lady, he begins to realize that his demise is around the corner.
And to make matters more complicated, the only person he can turn to during his darker hours, is a 24-year-old psychiatrist (Anna Kendrick). Adam is getting treatment from a training hospital, so he gets stuck with this college student as a psychiatrist. She's a rookie, so their sessions are usually pretty awkward, but slowly they begin to develop a deep bond. She's the one who allows Adam to reach out to his mother and get the grown-up assistance he needs.
50/50 is essentially a coming-of-age tale. The closer Adam faces death, the more he realizes how much of it he has wasted. He also comes to understand that he must form deeper relationships with his family and friends. His mother may seem "annoying" but she means well. Kyle is ridiculous, but that's really a defense-mechanism.
Hopefully, more people go out and watch this film. The performances are great. Jonathan Levine, who helmed another overlooked movie, The Wackness, does a wonderful job with the direction. I know everyone is riding Moneyball's dick right now, but this film also deserves your attention.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 18, 2014 22:40:33 GMT -5
DECEMBER 1, 2012
BERNIE
Earlier this week, a little-known film titled "Bernie" was nominated for Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. It stars Jack Black and is directed by Richard Linklater. This is their first collaboration since the hit-comedy School of Rock. That movie changed Jack Black's career. He went from a cult comedian/musician to the star of many successful family films. And now, 9 years later, is a movie that could potentially be another career changer for Black.
He plays Bernie, a community worker in a small-town in Texas. At the beginning of the story, Bernie is a mortician. He is very devoted to his profession and goes as far as to help the family grief after his services have been completed. One of the people he seeks to comfort is a local millionaire widow named Marjorie (Shirley MacLaine). She is hated among the community but Bernie is a religious man and only likes to see the good side of people. Marjorie is so shocked that someone is being nice to her that she befriends Bernie and eventually hires him to be her personal and professional assistant. But 2 years later, Bernie can no longer tolerate Marjorie's negative attitude and in a moment of pure anger and hatred he grabs a hunting rifle and shoots Marjorie four times in the back. She's an 81-year-old woman and immediately drops dead on the floor. Instead of calling the police, or at least disposing of the body, Bernie hides her in a freezer and begins to donate her money to the community. 9 months later, suspicion of Majorie's disappearence reaches its peak and police break into her mansion and search the place. The body is, of course, discovered and Bernie is sent to prison. Being the religious man that he is, Bernie immediately confesses to the crime but the district attorney (played by Matthew McConaughey) struggles to convict Bernie because he is so darn popular in town there's fear that he might get acquitted.
First of all, the film is based on a true story. I shit you not. This all happened in Carthage, Texas in the mid-to-late 1990s. So Linklater makes a directorial decision that immediately makes the movie a unique and enjoyable experience. Instead of making a straight bio-pic, he makes a faux-documentary. This is a small town and a story of this magnitude dominates the gossip scene. So he interviews like a dozen of the townspeople and intercuts their commentary with dramatizations by the actors. At first, it's a bit surreal but once you get to the meat of the story, it's difficult not to be glued to the television. In my opinion, Linklater has always been a very underrated filmmaker, so here is more evidence of why the man should be appreciated. His approach to Bernie was genius. He's also amazing with actors. Jack Black delivers an awards-worthy performance, although I will admit that there was moments when I was reminded of Zach Galifianakis in The Campaign. Both performances, and their appearance, are strangly similar. Matthew McConaughey also delivers a spectacular performance. It's easy to make fun of the guy, but with the right director, he can hit a home run. Let's not forget McConaughey was one of the standouts in Linklater's Dazed and Confused.
OVERALL, I highly recommend the film.
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