The Town: T-T-Totally Awesome

I might not have mentioned this previously, but The Town rocks! I loved this movie and I totally love Ben Affleck, now, too. The Town has all the makings of a great (fun-great) film:

Hot Awesome Smart Chick:
Hot Dumb Scorned Drug Addict Chick:

Hot Bad Guy Who Manages to Steal Your Heart (consequently nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor):

Hot Don Draper Goes FBI Dude:

And, of course, Hot Ben Affleck Bad Guy Goes Good Guy (keep it in your pants, ladies):


We probably aren't dealing with cinematic glory here, but this film is quite entertaining and makes for for hell of a diversion. Now, get thee to your Netflix Queue or the nearest Red Box!

Dead Man's Bones

Yes. That is what it's called.
And guess who's the front man? Your favorite and mine: Ryan Gosling. He stole our hearts in The Notebook, made us wish we'd never become middle school teachers who smoke crack in Half Nelson, and brought out the ever questioning nuptial skeptic in us all in Blue Valentine. And now his band, along with a creepy little children's choir, has brought us some haunting zombie ghost indie horror film style tunes. I'm totally in!
Just to be fair, it's not really new. It came out in 2009, but it's new to me, so it's new.

Go listen, and imagine a monster love story and zombie ghost children floating around.

Plus, don't you just want to hang out with these guys?

Now you're speaking my language

This year's best picture nominees...as LEGOs. I love it!
Can you guess what is what?












The Social Network, Winter's Bone, The Kids Are Alright, 127 Hours, The King's Speech, The Fighter, True Grit, Inception, Black Swan, Toy Story 3

Josh Radnor, I think I love you.

At first I thought you were just some second string sitcom actor, doing a slightly funny job on a slightly funny show. The straight man to Neil Patrick Harris' hilarity, you seemed like any ol' New York actor to me. See, here you just look, well, kinda boring.

Then, I found out you played The Graduate and I gained a new respect for you. Slowly, you and How I Met Your Mother won me over. You got funnier and funnier, and your talent began to show. Episode after episode, I found myself chuckling at your "normal guy playing the dating game" routine. After all, somebody has to be the straight man. And as with any show, once it gets a little momentum, even the straight man becomes funny. See Friends.



Now I find out you've written, directed, and starred in your very own film! Not only did you do this, but your film looks quite good and it did very well at Sundance. I am extremely stoked to see it*. The the trailer can be viewed here. A bunch of people just trying to figure out life and how to be happy- I love movies like this!

Just look at you... Directing.

I think I'm in love. Platonic imaginary artist love, of course.



*That is to say IF I ever see it. As the movie release gods have not been too kind to us here. Withholding Blue Valentine from me... so wrong.

Must see...

Dear people who decide to not release movies where I am until a long time from now or what feels to be an extremely long time, but could just be another week or so,

Please release Blue Valentine in North Carolina. I need to see it. I need to see the degeneration of Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams' on screen marriage. I need to see the debatable NC-17 worthy sex scenes. I need to see a film with hipsters acting their asses off.

Please.

Sincerely yours,

Me

A Compelling Story

For me to deem a film a "good one", it has to do one simple thing:
make me feel something. Usually this is done through great actors telling a compelling story. 127 Hours is the perfect example of this being done, and being done oh-so-well.
127 Hours is the true story of outdoorsy guy, Aron Ralston, getting trapped in a canyon by a giant boulder. As he was climbing, he slipped, fell, and a boulder came after him, bracing it's fall with his arm. For the next 127 hours, or 105 minutes in movie world, he is stuck. Eventually, he must break his own arm and saw through it using his dull multi-tool to escape. Only to be faced with an 8 hour hike/climb before he is spotted by a family who gives him food and water.
One can only imagine what it must be like to go through this, and being put in this position, where you must imagine what this like, is one of the most poignant aspects of the film.



James Franco is amazing, and should be recognized, a lot. Like, in all ways that actors can be recognized. He was so real and subtle. And after reading the article by Ralston himself, in this months Outdoor magazine, I am convinced!



James Franco and Aron Ralston



So, pretty much... Go see it. I know it might be hard. There's a lot of "great" films coming out this month (Black Swan, Blue Valentine, The Fighter, The Tourist). But, as far as getting back something from a film, this one delivers. It will make you feel something.