Thoughts: Away We Go

Okay, I loved this film more than I've loved a film in quite a long time. I left the theatre just plain happy for the experience, and I don't think there is anything better you can say about a film. I know it isn't perfect, but I'll come back to that later.

Burt and Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolf) have been together for years, but they've just got a surprise, they're having a baby. After finding themselves without anything to keep them tethered to their current location, they embark on an adventure around the continent trying to find a home to start their new family. The rest of the film plays out in episodic form. Each location has its own story and characters, some good some bad. The story stumbles and soars throughout these segments, but overall they are more fun than not.

Where the movie succeeds is not in these individual episodes, but in the relationship between Burt and Verona which is nothing but enjoyable to watch. Thanks in no small part to the wonderful performances by Krasinski and (especially) Rudolf. They spend the film completely in love, there is no terrible fight that threatens to break them up. They know they are going to be a couple in love forever, but how they can be a family is the question lingering over their lives through the film. Krasinski and Rudolf bring subtle performances to a film that is anything but. They are, for the most part, quiet observers and drifters trying to find their way when they don't seem to fit in anywhere. Don't worry though, both of these comedic actors have their share of comedy to bring, it's just very different from the type of funny seen from the rest of the cast.

It seems that the rest of the characters in film were created for the page and not the screen. This isn't surprising considering this is Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida first screenplay. I think they just need to pick up on the differences between characters that the reader does the acting for and characters where you can let an actor fill in the traits not explicitly stated by the text. Although, to be honest, sometimes ridiculously over the top characters can be fun to watch.

Speaking of fun to watch, I think we need to compare this film to Sam Mendes' previous film Revolutionary Road. It's amazing how one filmmaker can make two films in a row that deal with the same themes (a couple trying to deal with ending their old lives and living a life settled down as a family) but could not be more different. While Revolutionary Road dragged on and accomplished very little, Away We Go is nothing but a joy to watch. Overall, the movie was just like any good relationship. It was, at times, beautiful and ugly, romantic and ridiculous, funny and sappy, and just plain good and bad. Sometimes, you just need a little bit of everything at just the right moments to make something truly remarkable.

Good News, Everyone! Chan-wook Park edition.

Some good things are happening for the Chan-wook Park fans out there. First of all, as you may or may not know, Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are developing an American adaptation of Oldboy. Okay, calm down. That's definitely not the good news. The good news is that, according to ANN, the publisher of the original Oldboy graphic novel is suing to put a stop to this. I'm sure that they just need to renegotiate their contract, but hopefully it will stall production enough to keep this from ever being made.

In other news, IGN has the first US red-band trailer for Chan-wook Park's newest film Thirst. I've embedded the trailer below for your viewing pleasure. I'm honestly surprised that I can still be excited for another vampire movie at this point, but I sure am!

80's Flix Response: Altered States

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, my brother is trying to watch the fifty top-grossing films from every year in the 80's and write about them at his blog, 100 Weeks of 80's Flix. Yesterday, he watched Altered States and I decided I would watch it as well, and then chime in with my response. I just ask that you read his take first.

#34 Altered States

Alright, I knew that this movie was going to be weird, but I was not prepared for a movie that was clearly based around the very concept of weirdness. Not only is there a completely laughable scene when the main character devolves into a monkey-man and fights with a dog, but there is a shot that spends nearly a minute zooming out to reveal a 7-eyed goat-headed man hanging crucified from a cross. On top of that, most of the scenes that weren't hallucinations contained layers of dialogue and sound that were completely unintelligible.

That being said, I did enjoy this movie. Not in spite of those things, but actually because of them. Sure, most of the special effects looked completely ridiculous by todays standards, but that's excusable. The weirdness builds a manic energy that mirrors William Hurt's character's obsession with this concept of unlocking the memories held within atoms. The plot seems completely simplistic (a scientist may be going too far!), but I believe that works to the film's advantage. You don't have to worry about following along with a complex plot while all of this insanity going on. It really allowed director Ken Russell to let loose, overwhelming the viewer's senses. You can bet that if he could have installed something that released scents in your face and various apparatus that poked and prodded you in the theater, he would have.

My Verdict
3.5 Stars
It is hard not to get caught up in this film's wake as it charges forward with little to no interest in plot or character development. Even as the film becomes laughably absurd, it is still hard not to enjoy yourself. Unfortunately, this film now seems entirely dated. The sound and visual aspects are clearly the most important parts of this film, but they do feel 29 years old at this point. I'm sure if I saw this movie in 1980 I would have been properly shocked into enjoyment.

This just in! Sasha Grey is a lot cooler than you (and me, unfortunately).

My good friends (okay, they don't know me at all) at The Rotten Tomatoes Show recently spoke to Sasha Grey, star of the new Steven Soderbergh film The Girlfriend Experience (clip embedded below). Wait, I swear I've seen her in something else though. Let me just check her IMDB page. Hang on just one second. Alright, here we go. Oh yah! Now I remember her. She was in Teenage Whores 3 and Strip Tease and Then F*ck 10, two of my favorites. Okay, kidding aside, she is an adult film actress (or "pornstar" for the less sophisticated), and is starring in The Girlfriend Experience as a high priced escort (or "whore" for the less sophisticated). I haven't gotten to see it yet, but I'm looking forward to it, and hope to see it sometime this week.

But I know what you're thinking: "She has experience doing this type of thing, so she probably doesn't really have to act. She's just a vapid pornstar, right? No real knowledge about film?" Well, prepare to be drop kicked right off that high horse.

Enjoy:

Triumphant Return!

Alright, here's what I've been up to. Movie-wise. I think I may be forgetting some things, but I haven't watch TOO much since I've been so busy.

Movies Purchased
Very little purchased recently (although, quite a bit of TV on DVD/Blu-Ray)

8 1/2
Picked up Fellini's masterpiece for $6 at Blockbuster, very happy about that. The very best film about film (though it's about much more than that). It has inspired a play, that was turned into a novel, that inspired a musical, that is being turned into the movie Nine. So now's a good time if you've never seen this one.

Australia
Bought this one at the behest of the girlfriend. I have to agree with almost every other review I read on this one. First half good, second half bad. Looks pretty nice though.

Vicky Christina Barcelona
Good movie with some great performances. The best Woody Allen has done in quite some time. Although, being a painter makes it weird to watch movies about painters, but I have to say this is better than most others in that respect.

Fanboys
A strong comedy for Star Wars nerds (like myself). Worth the wait? Probably not. Don't expect too much, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Seth Rogen fighting himself is good for a few extra laughs too.

Movies Rented
I am having trouble getting a good rhythm going for my Netflix, but I'm working on it.

Yes Man (Blu-Ray)
I wasn't really expecting too much with this one, but it's actually very good. Does it have similarities to Liar Liar? Of course, the comedy is the same but the jokes are all new, so I don't have a big problem with that.

Twilight (Blu-Ray)
Alright, so I figured I had to watch this one, seeing as I'm supposed to be reviewing movies now. I have to say it wasn't horrible, it was worse than that. It was mediocre at times and just plain stupid at others. This movie is written to be over-acted, but somehow they manage to push it beyond acceptable limits. And yet, my girlfriend is demanding we see the next one as soon as it comes out in theaters. Girls.

Elizabeth & Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Another request from the girlfriend. I had never seen either of these. The first was great, but the second was a sub-par movie with a great performance by Cate Blanchett.

Milk (Blu-Ray)
A decent biopic that may have stuck a little too closely to the facts. Why this got so much more mainstream attention than Van Sant's far superior Paranoid Park I may never understand.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Blu-Ray)
A solid, enjoyable film that got a little too much praise. The whole movie looked fantastic, and the concept could make for a great movie, but the story just doesn't cut it. That said, this type of special effect/makeup work being used in period drama like this was great to see, and I hope this establishes a strong enough precedent for other films to follow (and it seems that Criterion agrees with me).

Movies Watched

Les Chansons de Amour (Love Songs)
A French musical about the relationship between a boy and two girls (yes they are all involved with each other). Sounds great right? Well, it was, just not exactly what I thought it would be. It is more about people dealing with a terrible tragedy, with singing!

The entire Planet of the Apes collection
Ah, Planet of the Apes, a great Sci-Fi film followed by a couple terrible films and a couple good ones. A fun way to spend a Sunday morning regardless.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
I've been reading (yes, I still do) X-Men comics since I was six or so. So everytime a new movie comes out, I'm expecting a lot. I am always as least a little disappointed (X2 came so close though!). This time, not only was it as X-Men movie, but we finally got to see Gambit and Deadpool! So you can imagine how disappointing it was when this movie was just plain terrible. Cheesy does not even begin to describe this one. Ryan Reynolds did not disappoint as Wade Wilson (who will become Deadpool), but that lasted a solid 5 minutes. It was all downhill from there unfortunately.

Star Trek
Now this is what a summer movie should be. Explosions and aliens. It was exactly like any other Star Trek movie, except it was exciting and fun to watch. Now, I love Star Trek (although Star Wars is better), so it's a bit sad to think there won't be any more movies or shows based in the original continuity, but if the new continuity is always this good, I'm sure I'll get over it. And, no, you don't need to know anything about Star Trek to see this film.

Broken English
Watched this little indie romantic comedy on Netflix Watch Instantly. Nice little film. Clever at times, inexplicable at others. Parker Posey is great, as she often is. It was refreshing to see a RomCom about a girl finding the right man that didn't make the girl the perfect woman. I was amazed that I didn't think I would want to date this girl even though she was Parker Posey. That said, I was happy when things started to go her way.

The Missing Weeks

Alright, there hasn't been any posts in the past week, and there probably won't be any for at least another week.  Just finishing up school, then I will be back to work on the blog.  In the mean time, check out 100 Weeks of 80s Flix. My brother just started this blog. He plans on watching the 50 top grossing films from each year of the 80's, five each week. That's 500 movies in 100 weeks. Go wish him luck and follow along with his adventure. I'll be joining him for some of the movies once school is over. Should be fun!

My Week in Movies (April 11-17, 2009)

Okay, this will cover a bit more than this week, but whatever. Get over it.

Movies Purchased
Not much purchased this week, but it was all Blu-Ray, so that makes large quantities more financially difficult.

Tell No One (Blu-Ray)
This one was just fantastic. The French really know how to thrill, apparently. Basically, a man's wife is killed and eight years later he gets an email proving she's alive. The whole movie keeps you guessing right up until the end. There is even a great little twist. I thought it was a solid, exciting thriller that any fans of the genre should see.

Slumdog Millionaire (Blu-Ray)
I've felt divided over this one for a while. When it was first released, I really wanted to see it, but as the expected backlash started to occur my mind changed. In the end, I realized that I love Danny Boyle, and need to give him a chance (also, it was supposed to look great on Blu-Ray). I was somewhat underwhelmed. I figured I would either love it or hate it, but I ended up just liking it. It is a good solid film, but probably my fourth favorite Danny Boyle movie (28 Days Later, Trainspotting, and Sunshine currently lead). I don't think it deserved ALL the acclaim it received, but you should all check it out and decide for yourselves.

The Matrix: Tenth Anniversary (Blu-Ray)
A Blu-Ray version of The Matrix that allows you to pretend that the sequels never happened? Sign me up. The movie looks great on Blu-Ray, and the effects still don't look dated. I'm sure most of you already know whether you like this film or not, so if you do, pick this up. If not, just move on.

Movies Rented
My place of employment no longer accepts my mail, and my apartment has no outgoing mail, so my Netflix access is slowed a bit.

Resident Evil: Degeneration (Blu-Ray)
Alright, didn't have high hopes for this one, but I like the Resident Evil games, so I decided to give it a chance. It was basically what I expected. Creepy, lifeless CG character in action-packed situations. If that's what you're looking for, this is the uncanny valley at its finest.

The Flight of the Red Balloon
Kind of an odd one. A movie inspired by The Red Balloon, but in the film they talk specifically about the original movie. Ignoring that, the film is a solid examination of modern Parisian family life and its effect on a young boy. Busy mother, loving sister living far away, sweet nanny, a bad tenant, and one red balloon. Clearly this movie has it all. The film has a subtle touch of magic (both narratively and cinematically) that makes the whole thing simply beautiful. But, really, the most important thing is that I love Juliette Binoche, and she does not disappoint in this film. If you were to ask people who are not cinephiles (read: movie geeks) what they think French films are like, they would likely describe this type of film exactly, so really it's up to you to decide whether French films are your thing or not, I can't help you.

Donkey Punch
Oh good God! Why?! I should have listened to the dozens of reviews that said to avoid this movie, and not the one review that said it was great. I know it's meant to be a cheap exciting thriller, but it's really a tired concept excecuted poorly with ridiculous amount of scenes meant to be shocking. Recoil in fear.

Movies Watched

Observe and Report: See posted thoughts.

Adventureland: See posted thoughts.

Sunshine Cleaning
Not too much to say about this one. It was an enjoyable enough movie. The comparisons to Little Miss Sunshine are apt, but it's not as identical as some may claim, although Alan Arkin is basically the same character. I say rent this one if you're up for a good funny feel-good movie.

Matrix Reloaded
I was given this movie as a gift, and after watching The Matrix on Blu-Ray, I decided to give it another chance. It was exactly as disappointing as I remember it being. Oh well.

And Finally, Thoughts: Observe and Report

Okay, so I’ve been busy. I saw Observe and Report on Easter Sunday, and I haven't had a chance to coherently assemble my thoughts on the film until now. I have some experience writing about movies, but no amount of Film Studies credits could prepare me to review this one. As much as I enjoyed this film, I just can't bring myself to endorse the film completely. This film is most certainly not for everyone. If you, for instance, enjoyed Paul Blart: Mall Cop or any similar film, do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one.

I really want to avoid going into too much detail regarding what it is that makes this movie so different because I think some of the fun of the movie comes from slowly realizing what type of film this really is. No one in a million, perhaps jillion, years would ever believe that this was a studio produced film. It's not the language, the sex, the violence, or even the drug use, it's the fact that only one character in the film (not even a major character) is truly sympathetic. The thing that really grabs you in the film though, is the fact that it still gets you to sympathize with these characters that, let's be honest, you probably would not even speak to in real life. The fact that we still manage to care about Ronnie (Seth Rogen) as he seems to spiral out of control, is a testament to Jody Hill and his ability.

It may not sound like it from this post so far, but this movie is actually a comedy, and is really funny. There is a good variety of comedy, some character based, some situational, and some just completely insane. One thing that I really picked up on that I haven't seen mentioned in other reviews is the fact that there is a major change in tone about halfway through this film. The movie starts the way that anyone who had only seen the TV commercials would imagine, pretty standard studio comedy fare. Weird people doing weird things at a mall where regular people can look bewildered and/or befuddled (this isn't as bad as it sounds, as Hill keeps the comedy consistently mixed with character development, etc), but things change drastically. The most noticable part is how the first half of the movie could easily keep a PG-13 rating (notice how we never get actually see any nudity from the notorious flasher), then Ronnie makes his decision to stop taking his bipolar medication and the movie instantly cranks things up to a hard R rating. Right away we get to see some date rape (I'll get to that), then comes the vulgar language, intense violence, Hardcore drug use, and full-frontal male nudity. Not only does Ronnie start to become unbalanced, but the whole movie does so as well.

Unfotunately, this is where the movie gets into a little trouble. There is little in the way of connective tissue. Hill keeps putting intense scene after intense scene with little explanation of motivations. It can get a little confusing, and unfortunately the story suffers a bit, but not too much.

Seth Rogen's performance is spot on. Little by little he's proving he's got some dramatic chops hidden beneath his goofy exterior. Ronnie is sweet, a little dumb, and completely deranged, and Rogen does all of the above better than almost anyone (he has said that Ronnie is the logical continuation of Ken, the character he played on Freaks and Geeks, which makes the whole movie even funnier). Anna Faris is fantastic as well. Funnier than ever, but I did wish her part was a bit more substantial because I really wanted to see more of her in the film. Michael Pena stole his fair share of scenes, his comedic ability really was unexpected, but fantastic nonetheless.

Other Thoughts:

• Favorite line: "He's dead! ...oh, wait nevermind."
• Yes, it was probably date rape, but it wasn't really worse than Ronnie's excessive use of violence that likely killed innocent people, so I don't really understand the controversy.
• Why would anyone want to blow up the Chik-Fil-A? It's delicious!
• Boom.

Verdict: personally, it was a nine out of ten, but I would never be able to predict how anyone else would like it. Just look at the wildly varied reviews its getting. I guess, just find someone you usually agree with and listen to them.

Excitement: "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" Video Blog

I am just getting more and more excited about Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. The first in a series of videos from the production takes place at the training facility, and I'm glad to see it. As Wright mentions in the video, he's taking all aspects of the story seriously. This means that the action and music aren't going to be ignored in favor of the comedy. Knowing Wright's track record (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz especially), this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but it's still good to hear for sure.

Anyway, watch the video if you're interested. Michael Cera is clearly the superior swordfighter, just look at those moves!

Thoughts: Adventureland (or my defense of Kristen Stewart)

Let me start by first declaring that I loved this film. I went in knowing that it was not Superbad (its more Almost Famous), so I was not surprised as many people seemed to be. This film is best described as a slapstick comedy script directed by a dramatic director. Of course, this is not true as it was both written and directed by Greg Mottola, but that's the feeling you get. The movie is filled with comedic setups that rarely go where you think they will and stereotypical characters that are anything but. It's set in the 80's (complete with soundtrack), but doesn't fall into cliched "people in the 80's were ridiculous" comedy. Mottola remains sincere and devoted to his characters, as even minor character built from 80's archetypes (hot, popular girl/pompous jerk musician) develop into well rounded characters each treated as if they were the main character.

None of this is meant to imply that the movie isn't funny. The majority of the jokes are played very low key by the actors, and it works very well. There is a bigger focus on timing and situational comedy rather than physical or gross-out humor that people may be expecting. The few bits of slapstick in the film are played perfectly by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who tend to steal the few scenes in which they appear.

As for the rest of the cast, I'd like to give exceptional marks to Jesse Eisenberg, who has already shown his knack for dramatic and comedic timing in films like The Squid and The Whale, and to Martin Starr, who is great as always (people should be currently watching him in Party Down on Starz). Now here is where some may be surprised, I'd like to give the Most Improved award to Kristen Stewart. After coming off an thoroughly mediocre performance in the thoroughly mediocre Twilight I would not expect much from her, but she did a good job in the film. She plays Em's understated vulnerability with a quiet sexiness that went a long way to convince me she's a girl that James (Eisenberg) couldn't help but fall in love with. I'm convinced that if Stewart makes wise choices, she could have a successful career ahead of her. We'll have to wait and see how she does as Joan Jett in The Runaways, but I'm optimistic.

There seems to be some disagreement on this point coming from some (female) people I know and have seen online.  They believe that she is simply a one-note actress, but they're definitely just jealous (alright, maybe not).  Seriously though, I do think they're coming into this film with a predisposed dislike of her from her part in Twilight, but I think it also may have something to do with the fact that girls simply don't want to think that boys would fall for girls like her, but unfortunately that is not the case.  For the most part, we love that kind of girl (speaking generally, obviously not every boy would like a girl like that).  I have yet to come across a female critic that gives an opinion either way, but most male critics have been positive about her performance, and I've heard almost universally positive reactions from male bloggers, commentors and the like.

Random thoughts:

• James is supposed to be a college graduate, but he doesn't seem to have any idea how to nonchalantly hide his erections?  Come on!
• Girls in the 80's could be impressed by fictional stories of the night you played with Lou Reed?  I would have been a great 80's liar.
• On second thought, listening to "Rock Me, Amadeus" over and over probably would have made life pretty unbearable.
• Air drumming Rush's "Limelight."  Hell yes.
• A mustachioed Bill Hader with a baseball bat is probably the scariest thing I've seen in a long time.

Verdict: Check this film out. Eight out of ten (bonus if you're at the exact same point in your life as the characters in the film like I am).

WFF Thoughts: And The Rest...

This was the first year that I really actively participated in the Wisconsin Film Festival. I had been to a few films featured at the festival in past years, but this year I bought tickets well in advance and made an effort to research the films and see the ones that interested me. I didn't make it to as many films as I had hoped (I didn't even go to a few I had already purchased tickets for), but I was happy to support the festival anyway.

So to wrap things up, here are some very brief thoughts on the remaining films I attended:

Treeless Mountain. I have to admit I was pretty disappointed by this one. It delivered what it advertised, but it failed to do so in a substantially interesting way. The film followed two sisters who are left with their aunt while their mother looks for their father. Everything is viewed from the girls point of view, which means we hear and see only what they hear and see. As we follow these girls, they spend their days trying to pass the time until their mother returns. The acting is done brilliantly well by these two very young girls, but unfortunately nothing really happens to them. Their mother never returns and they eventually move to live with their grandparents. There is no standard structure to the plot, there is no real climax or even a resolution to the conflict. I assume these girls will continue to do the same thing they have been doing even after the film ends. In the end, it was a decent concept that was well acted and shot beautifully, but ultimately not interesting enough to sustain even the short 70 minute film.

Secret Sunshine. This film was the most pleasant surprise of the festival. I went to it mainly because I was a fan of Kang-ho Song from seeing him in films like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and The Host (and I'm very excited for the upcoming Thirst), but I found the film to be one of my favorites of the festival. Song was great, but Do-yeon Jeon was astounding. I have since found that she won the Best Actress Award at Cannes in 2007 for the role, which I agree with whole-heartedly. Watching her cope with extreme loss in a new town was incredibly compelling. Seeing her turn to faith in God to help her cope, only to lose that faith and turn to less savory ways to deal with her grief was actually more exciting than most thrillers I've seen lately. I spent the entire film trying to guess how it could possibly end. I was trying to figure out how they would resolve the issues brought up, which is a feeling mirrored in Shin-ae (Jeon) and her own search for resolution.

Jerichow. Calling this film a thriller may be a little misleading. There is an affair and a murder plot, but it lacks any heart pumping excitement. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing though. The story is generally interesting, and very well acted, even if it becomes inexplicable at times. Motivations are often left mostly unexplained, as the affair seems to come from nowhere without any warning. Perhaps it makes a little more sense to Germans. That said I did enjoy it quite a bit, it just was not a favorite of the festival.

Mermaid. I guess the best description of this film would have to be "magical." Not only does the main character develop some magical powers, which really isn't that important of a plot point, but really Masha Shalayeva was the most magical part. She is completely enchanting as a young woman who moves to Moscow after taking a vow of silence as a child. She finds herself at several demeaning jobs (including dressing as a cell phone and getting stuck in the middle of a soccer riot), but eventually falls for a rich young man who does not know she even exists. The whole film is surreal, clever, and funny. I enjoyed this film immensely, and really hope it does get a US DVD release. It has much of the same charm exciting visual style as something like Amelie and likely could appeal to the same audience, although I find this film to feel a little more genuine than Amelie, even if it does make it a little less accesible to general audiences (I also assume that people are more likely to enjoy people speaking French for an entire film than they are Russian).

So those are my final thoughts for the Wisconsin Film Festival. I had a lot of fun, and enjoyed most of the films immensely. Apparently I wasn't completely satisfied though, since the next day I went and saw Adventureland and Sunshine Cleaners back to back. I will hopefully post some thoughts on those later today.

WFF Thoughts: JCVD

I won't be able to give too much of a review here (there are too many movies this weekend, I'm overloaded), but I can say this: if there was ever a perfect midnight movie for movie geeks, this would be it.  I really don't have anything negative to say about the film, but honestly I think the fact that I was on the brink of passing out from exhaustion may have helped.  The absurdity that fills this movie was made even more surreal.

What makes this film so absurd, you ask?  Well, the most absurd, mind-boggling part of this film is the fact that Jean Claude Van Damme gives an excellent performance.  Obviously, there is no one better to play an aging action star, but Van Damme bares all in his performance.  He remains completely real even as the film becomes more and more surreal.

I won't go into detail of just how weird this movie becomes because I really just want you all to see it for yourselves.  This will be out on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 28th.  Everyone who feels they are a movie geek has an obligation to watch this film.

WFF Thoughts: 500 Days of Summer

Alright, I'm going to try my best to avoid making too many comments regarding my personal experience seeing this film.  Let's just say that watching a film sitting next to a group of girls who are discussing how they are going to hook up with the writers and director of the film does not make for a completely pleasant movie-going experience.

Beyond that, I was pleasantly surprised by the film.  As the trailers have said, "this is not a love story, this is a story about love."  It ends up that this is not simply a way to avoid being labeled a romantic comedy, but actually a very apt description of the film.  Without going into too much detail regarding the story, you learn early on that this is not about two people falling head over heels in love, but one person falling with the other person standing firmly in place.  This, of course, brings about the lies they tell each other and the ways they delude themselves.  The story isn't groundbreaking, but definitely unique enough to make an interesting film.

The comedy in the film is solid overall.  Most of the jokes are sharp and clever, with only a few falling into the cliche or cheesy category.  In all honesty though, even those portions seemed oddly appropriate most of the time, even the last line of the film (which I won't spoil for you, but it was incredibly cheesy and evoked cheers from the audience).

The characters aren't as developed as I wished them to be, but they all served their purpose reasonably well.  Each adds something unique to the overall story and I don't think any of them could be seen as unnecessary.  That said, this was clearly Tom's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) story.  What we know of the other characters we learn through Tom's experiences, with the one exception of the introduction of Summer (Zooey Deschanel) at the start of the film.  We really see all the events of the film through Tom's eyes, which means when he gets metaphorically kicked in the crotch, we all get metaphorically kicked in the crotch.  Luckily these moments are cushioned by enough wit and charm to make it all not only bearable but actually enjoyable.

Other Thoughts:

• Stories told out of chronological order seem really difficult to write effectively.  Well, done guys.
• Who can blame Tom for falling in love with her?  It's Zooey Deschanel for god's sake!
• Having a world wise tween sister that gives you advice on your relationships seems like it would be more creepy than helpful.
• According to the girlfriend, the kissing in this movie is fantastic
• PENIS!

In summary:  If you get the chance, check this out in the theater.  Otherwise, its definitely worth at least a rental.

A Precursor: The Wisconsin Film Festival

In three days, the Wisconsin Film Festival begins, and this year it begins with a bang (compared to the previous couple years anyway). To kick off the festival, there will be a screening of music video director and (according to the WFF film guide) Wisconsin native Marc Webb's debut feature film 500 Days of Summer. This film does appear to be a standard quirky indie romance, but the musical aspects (apparently, a couple dance numbers and two songs written by Regina Spektor) and the appearance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are enough to make me at least moderately excited.

This is the highest-profile film to play at the WFF is recent memory. So much so that Fox Searchlight, who picked up distribution rights after Sundance, put a halt on ticket sales well before the venue sold out. I guess they didn't want too many people to see it before its official box office debut on July 17. Luckily, I did get my tickets in time, and will get to participate in the Q&A with Webb and Gordon-Levitt who will both be in attendance. I will spend the entire time trying to think of a question to ask, and then will not ask it. Should be fun.

The rest of the festival seems to be pretty similar to previous years. This year, one of the categories is a focus on South Korean film. In my opinion, South Korea produces some of the best movies in the world, and make up the majority of my non-US film viewing. So, obviously, that is a very exciting category. Besides that I will be attending an assortment of other films throughout the festival, and post some thoughts and impressions as they come to me.