Blue Valentine

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Writers: Derek Cianfrance/Joey Curtis/Cami Delavigne
Year of Release: 2010
RECOMMENDED


It's so radically emotionally overwhelming. This flick really puts you through the motions. I think I can safely say this is one of the more intense viewings of the year (on par with Enter the Void or 127 Hours). It's not just a simple acting piece, it's lightning in a bottle. All those tragic or joyous moments in your life where you wish you could have just had a camera, what you would have learned, or felt the second time around. The air of redemption around this film populates it just as much as the somber, oppressive melancholy of it all. It's an ode to dark days and to happy memories that age like wine, to young love and lust, to the youth, the hardworking. It's a love story. A fully realized, brutally honest love story. What is probably most depressing about the whole sordid affair however, is that it reads like less of a cautionary tale and more of a slice of life (which in all fairness, it really is). The emotional weight this film carries delivers like a bulldozer, it is more shocking to the soul than it could ever be viscerally (I mention this due to it's original NC-17 rating in America), and I believe it is the staggering, bold truth contained within this film that is truly degrading to one's spirits. Now don't let me convince you that this film is soul shatteringly bleak, there are moments of true happiness captured on screen, consistently juxtaposing the good with the bad - not necessarily the most original narrative in the world but it is certainly executed appropriately here. There is a line towards the end of the film is which Gosling's character states "You said for better or worse... This is me at my worst, but I'm gonna get better". Blue Valentine is not a pessimistic, 'why bother with love'-esque film. It's an eye opener towards the extent of effort and hard work that goes into a marriage, trying your damndest to always be young and in love, and the frustration and sadness that comes with the realization that love really can dissipate. If you gain nothing from Blue Valentine, you'll at least be able to take a nod at those old couples you see walking together in the park, or going about their daily rituals, and to them give utter and sincere reverence.

Overall rating: 9.1
Status: MEGA AWESUM

The Kids Are All Right

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Writers: Lisa Cholodenko/Stuart Blumberg
Year of Release: 2010
RECOMMENDED 


Alright I guess I should review some of the flicks I've been watching. I feel quite bad, I've watched quite a few new and old films and not reviewed them. Right, so. Lets do this. 
Sexuality is a funny thing. And one would think that this is the central theme of this film, which would be quite alienating to a large majority of audiences (yes I'm talking about you, libido-less heterosexuals). However it is about something much more universal (somehow) - Family. This is a film about family at it's core, as heartwarming, realistic and beautiful as they come. What's so fascinating to me is how successfully it avoids becoming a gimicky, unrealistic "oh this situation isn't ideal so let us commence in laughing about it" romcom. Each character is fleshed out, their actions and reactions imperfect and confusing and somehow absolutely lovable and forgivable. The nuclear family gets schooled here on how to maintain a happy, functional family, regardless of conventions, and it's the lack of which that makes the film so utterly appealing and engrossing. The final frames of the film resonate in such a universal way, that it manages to strike almost every core of human emotion, in which we ask ourselves - Will everything be all right? It is in this moment that one comes to the realization that the film not only stands for love and family, but also for hope. For where we'll be in the next five years, or 50. Hope that no matter where we'll be, what shocking or horrific experiences we go through, that everything will be okay in the end. And while it doesn't provide the answers, it does a damn poignant job of posing the questions.


Overall rating: 8.7
Status: AWESUM