Movies.
Just saw Surrogates, and snuck into Jennifer's Body afterwards, since nobody at my theater really gives a shit. Also, I saw 500 Days of Summer yesterday.
These are all very different movies, but I like the themes in all of them.
Jennifer's Body would be the one you would expect to suck the most, and it was probably the weakest of the three at least as far as my personal tastes are concerened. But the movie actually has something to say. ...but, I'm not exactly sure what that is. A lot of nice themes about friendship (specifically a bad one), and people using each other to feel better are on display- at times the themes become literal, with a character actually killing and eating another character to make herself feel good. I like the movie, I think? The dialogue is going to be a sticking point, because you will either find it grating and obnoxious at points ("lesbigay," "freaktarded," etc) thanks to the style of writer and part-time bullshit artist Diablo Cody (that's a different topic, though) and the way she likes to use slang- she also wrote the movie Juno, if that provides any frame of reference. It is used sparingly, more or less.
Worth a rental, I'd say. I don't know if you want to part with the $10 to see it in theaters. It is absolutely the movie certain people will love, if only for cheesy one-liners.
~~~~~
Surrogates is another film which has great ideas, even more so. The premise of the film is that in the future there are lifelike robots that are walking around which more or less look completely human (the makeup in the movie is actually done to make them look just a bit odd- you can't see pores very clearly, for example, so everyone looks a bit dollish). I like the ideas presented- about what it means to actually experience things, about knowing who you're really dealing with, about being able to be controlled, the nature of intimacy (to a lesser degree), etc. Like Jennifer's Body, I'm not exactly sure where this one is going, though. The ending certainly makes the position of the writer clear, but before that, I'm not exactly sure.
Also, it has a small handfull of absolutely gargantuan plot holes. But if you don't notice them or can ignore them, it's a pretty thoughtful movie, I think.
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(500) Days of Summer is a smaller film, kind of an indie film, but it's been getting a lot of attention. Yes, there are parenthesis in the title.
The movie is certainly smarter than your average romantic comedy- the movie falls loosely into that category, though honestly it's more romance than comedy. It certainly is smarter, but it's also from a more male point of view. It's not as bad as Knocked Up is in that regard, but given that the audience for any sort of movie about relationships that isn't about guys and their relationships with other guys is a female audience- exception for Brokeback Mountain etc, which I would say also had a female target audience- it bears mentioning.
I think the movie is shot very well, and the male lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (best known as the kid from the show 3rd Rock from the Sun, sadly) does an amazing job in the role. It is certainly worth seeing, and I would say that it the "best" of the 3 movies, and, fittingly, had the smallest budget, by far. Given that it was an independant film, kinda, I was surprised at how good some of the scenes looked. There are a few that are absolutely striking.
The movie also deals with themes of humanity, though in a more terrestrial way than Surrogates. The conflict of the main character is that he is a hopeless romantic- this sounds fine on paper, certainly for a film about love, but the movie is more or less unique in that it takes a look at the folly of that sort of philosophy, if not the source of it. The idea raised in the film by different characters (chiefly the male and female leads), other than questioning what "love" is and means, is that people use each other to make themselves feel better. And this can be in a completely well-meaning and romantic way, but sometimes we appreciate people for how they make us feel, or what they allow us to feel, and not for who they actually are.
Go see it.
(the song in the trailer is "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap)
There are also ongoing debates about whether the female lead, the titular Summer, is a complete and utter bitch. This relates to something that happens towards the end of the film, something she does. Both of the lead actors stick up for her character a little bit, and even the director, who's life the movie is partially based on, has some sympathy for her character. But... Well, opinions will vary.
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Also, because I didn't really get into it, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was fucking great. Very funny, very sweet, and charming. Go see that. I was wondering who the female lead was because I recognized her voice from somewhere... Turns out it was Anna Faris. Small world! I feel the need to mention that the main character is voiced by Bill Hader, and not Andy Samberg. The latter does voice a character, but the fat guy, not the main character (you'll know him when you see him). I saw someone get that mixed up...
These are all very different movies, but I like the themes in all of them.
Jennifer's Body would be the one you would expect to suck the most, and it was probably the weakest of the three at least as far as my personal tastes are concerened. But the movie actually has something to say. ...but, I'm not exactly sure what that is. A lot of nice themes about friendship (specifically a bad one), and people using each other to feel better are on display- at times the themes become literal, with a character actually killing and eating another character to make herself feel good. I like the movie, I think? The dialogue is going to be a sticking point, because you will either find it grating and obnoxious at points ("lesbigay," "freaktarded," etc) thanks to the style of writer and part-time bullshit artist Diablo Cody (that's a different topic, though) and the way she likes to use slang- she also wrote the movie Juno, if that provides any frame of reference. It is used sparingly, more or less.
Worth a rental, I'd say. I don't know if you want to part with the $10 to see it in theaters. It is absolutely the movie certain people will love, if only for cheesy one-liners.
~~~~~
Surrogates is another film which has great ideas, even more so. The premise of the film is that in the future there are lifelike robots that are walking around which more or less look completely human (the makeup in the movie is actually done to make them look just a bit odd- you can't see pores very clearly, for example, so everyone looks a bit dollish). I like the ideas presented- about what it means to actually experience things, about knowing who you're really dealing with, about being able to be controlled, the nature of intimacy (to a lesser degree), etc. Like Jennifer's Body, I'm not exactly sure where this one is going, though. The ending certainly makes the position of the writer clear, but before that, I'm not exactly sure.
Also, it has a small handfull of absolutely gargantuan plot holes. But if you don't notice them or can ignore them, it's a pretty thoughtful movie, I think.
~~~~~~
(500) Days of Summer is a smaller film, kind of an indie film, but it's been getting a lot of attention. Yes, there are parenthesis in the title.
The movie is certainly smarter than your average romantic comedy- the movie falls loosely into that category, though honestly it's more romance than comedy. It certainly is smarter, but it's also from a more male point of view. It's not as bad as Knocked Up is in that regard, but given that the audience for any sort of movie about relationships that isn't about guys and their relationships with other guys is a female audience- exception for Brokeback Mountain etc, which I would say also had a female target audience- it bears mentioning.
I think the movie is shot very well, and the male lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (best known as the kid from the show 3rd Rock from the Sun, sadly) does an amazing job in the role. It is certainly worth seeing, and I would say that it the "best" of the 3 movies, and, fittingly, had the smallest budget, by far. Given that it was an independant film, kinda, I was surprised at how good some of the scenes looked. There are a few that are absolutely striking.
The movie also deals with themes of humanity, though in a more terrestrial way than Surrogates. The conflict of the main character is that he is a hopeless romantic- this sounds fine on paper, certainly for a film about love, but the movie is more or less unique in that it takes a look at the folly of that sort of philosophy, if not the source of it. The idea raised in the film by different characters (chiefly the male and female leads), other than questioning what "love" is and means, is that people use each other to make themselves feel better. And this can be in a completely well-meaning and romantic way, but sometimes we appreciate people for how they make us feel, or what they allow us to feel, and not for who they actually are.
Go see it.
Click to view(the song in the trailer is "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap)
There are also ongoing debates about whether the female lead, the titular Summer, is a complete and utter bitch. This relates to something that happens towards the end of the film, something she does. Both of the lead actors stick up for her character a little bit, and even the director, who's life the movie is partially based on, has some sympathy for her character. But... Well, opinions will vary.
~~~~~~
Also, because I didn't really get into it, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was fucking great. Very funny, very sweet, and charming. Go see that. I was wondering who the female lead was because I recognized her voice from somewhere... Turns out it was Anna Faris. Small world! I feel the need to mention that the main character is voiced by Bill Hader, and not Andy Samberg. The latter does voice a character, but the fat guy, not the main character (you'll know him when you see him). I saw someone get that mixed up...