This one is Alex's pick.
Would anyone be willing to get this through netflix and then host a watch party? We could drink too!
The comments on this one discussed the quality of the acting as well as the character's inevitable stations in life.
http://www.amazon.com/Half-Nelson-Ryan-Gosling/dp/B000KX0IOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262744124&sr=8-1
Hey I own this movie if anyone wants to organize a watch party or borrow it.
ReplyDeleteI picked this movie because I think it has wide appeal as it can be appreciated by both film buffs and more casual movie watchers. Ryan Gosling is excellent in the film, and with all due respect the The Notebook, this is his best work.
I'll volunteer our apartment. We have a pretty good TV set up and a decent amount of seating
ReplyDeleteI <3 Ryan Gosling.
ReplyDeleteOn a more appropriate note: when are we thinking about watching this movie? because we will be halfway through January by the time we get back to school.
ReplyDeleteI'll pass the movie along. I don't think I am in town any weekends in January. I have seen it and can rewatch it on my own.
ReplyDeleteI liked this movie a lot.
ReplyDeleteI'm not technically savvy with movies, but I think the term I want to use here is cinematography. Anytime there was an awkward moment, or a moment where Gosling's character did something so frustrating that you didn't want to look at him, the camera would look away. It would focus on the table or the cat (which died, making this pick a surprise for Bluebond).
I also thought the music in the film was awesome. The best scene in this regard was when Dan goes home to see his family, which is spliced with scenes of Drey selling drugs, and the music alternates between rock and rap music. Very cool.
Lastly, what an awful teacher! Every time he screws up in his personal life he would try to explicate the lesson learned (I'm part of the machine but do not like it was a metaphor for I am a drug user creating the demand for Drey to sell but I do not like it). Those kids are going to have poor test scores and get screwed over on No Child Left Behind funding.
Good Pick. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468489/ratings
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/halfnelson
I actually liked it a lot too. Movies like this always amaze me with how they can create such depth to their characters without much dialogue. I think that says alot about the acting of Gosling and Epps in that they are able to convey complex emotions simply with the looks on their faces.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite scene of the movie is when Dan goes to Frank's house to confront him. Each man thinks the other is a poor influence on Drey, so they want the other to stay away. Yet at the same time, each of them knows that they themselves are bad influences, but feel this need to be around Drey anyway. They never really settle the argument because they can see themselves mirrored in the other. Instead, they actually sit down for a drink together. I think this scene may be what seals Drey's fate. Both men know they are bad influences on Drey, but neither is selfless enough to end their relationship with her. I just cant put my finger on what exactly it is that having a relationship with Drey provides these guys. Is it hope? Innocence?
I also enjoyed this movie. The rough camera motions and random zooming gave the film more of an independent feeling rather than a commercialized movie. They seemed to parallel the settings of the movie, raw and unrefined.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite scene is what appeared to be the climax of the movie, when Drey delivered drugs to Dan. I believe it was a scenario that was always in the back of my mind as a possibility, then it finally happened. Was it suppose to be the point where Drey realized what she was doing and decided to take the higher road? She did refuse a ride from Frank after this scene, but the ending was a little ambiguous in the path she would ultimately choose, or Dan for that matter. I agree with Brad that both Dan and Frank were not willing to change. So ultimately, it left its audience guessing about what directions the characters would follow.
I feel like I should have written down my thoughts a little quicker than I am now, as its been nearly a week since I watched the movie, but here goes. First and foremost, this is not a movie I would have picked. However, thats not a bad thing at all. In fact that made it a good pick in my book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the camerawork, the non-superluous dialogue, and the concious music choice throughout the movie. As it was fairly deliberate, it made it pretty easy to follow the message and the devices.
As my experiences with the actors were limited to appearances by the various actors in Remember the Titans, We Are Marshall, and Angels in the Outfield (yep, Gosling's dad was "Ranch Wilder" the antagonistic broadcaster in Angels...), I didn't know what to expect and what to benchmark their performances against.
I really thought the movie was going to have a sweet ending, and was driven to want to know how it worked out. But I was disappointed that the ending was so ambiguous. In my mind, if you're going to have an ambiguous ending, don't spend such a long time getting there with both ambiguous options being fairly shitty (honestly, Gosling was physiologically too far in to his addiction to recover, and Drey's shots to move up weren't looking too great).
I also thought originally that Gosling's cat being dead was Frank's gang sending him a message. Apparently Gosling is just not a PETA person.