New Blog
You may be wondering why I haven’t written anything on this blog for a long time now. Well the answer is because I have a new blog now and you should definitely check it out. http://filmfun.today.com/ It’s all about my views, critiques, and recommendations of new and some classic films and television shows. Please check it out. Comments are appreciated. Thanks so much.
~Shaboomer
There is no Forgetting, Sarah Marshall
Screenwriter and star Jason Segel is a long time member of the Judd Apatow crew, having started out on Apatow’s television shows as the memorable Nick Andoplois of Freaks and Geeks and a year later as frequent guest star Eric on Undeclared. Apatow has been on a roll with writing, directing, and producing one hit comedy film after another. Although Segel was never fortunate enough to star in any of these films he was quoted stating since Judd wasn’t writing him any lead roles he decided to do it himself. Which is how Forgetting Sarah Marshall came to be and Apatow happily produced it. Even though Segel wrote this film, his character can’t help but remind Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared fans of his previous Nick and Eric characters. He even shares a scene with Undeclared-on-screen-girlfriend Lizzie, actress Carla Gallo.
For this being Segel’s writing debut he’s done impressively well at the box office for his opening weekend coming in second place bringing in $17.3 million. It really isn’t a surprise to me because he was able to bring unique qualities to his romantic comedy. Typically romantic comedies are told by the female’s point of view and can be seen as more like chick flicks that guys only see because their girlfriends drag them to see it. This film is an exception because there is plenty of male humor such as Peter (Segel) being dumped by his girlfriend while naked, which was inspired by one of Segel’s real life break ups although he had found it hilarious rather than devastating because of his nakedness. Also Segel had real life aspirations of trying to write a Dracula puppets musical, which makes for some very comical scenes in this film.
Another different technique Segel used in this film was creating equal characters. No one character is seen as the villain but rather they are all equal characters with different perspectives on love and relationships, who have all made mistakes in the past. In the beginning of the film we may assume that Peter is the good guy because he is our protagonist and Sarah (Kristen Bell – amazing actress now on Heroes but was previously on the amazing show Veronica Mars) is the bad guy because we see her from Peter’s perspective, but as the film continues her character causes Peter and us, the audience, to realize that she has her reasons and Peter has made mistakes as well. I believe this gives the comedy a more realistic ground to be stabilized on, providing stronger meaning than more typical outlandish comedies.
~Shaboomer~
Smart People: Makes for a smart movie choice
In Noam Murro’s directing debut of Smart People, released April 11th, he proves that some times smart people can’t always make the smartest decisions.
This slower paced movie is focused more on character development rather than action, but none-the-less it is entertaining and real because of its unique characters.
After experiencing a trauma induced seizure, a self-involved professor, Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid), must re-evaluate his life and become more dependent on others. His doctor, who happens to be one of his forgotten students from years back, Janet (Sarah Jessica Parker), informs him he is suspended from driving for six months. To his unwanted rescue, his free-loading adopted brother, Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), comes to stay for a “win-win” situation in his eyes, in which he stays for free and becomes Lawrence’s chauffer. With his visit, Chuck, tries to encourage Lawrence’s over-achieving teenage daughter, Vanessa (Ellen Page) to lighten up and for Lawrence, a widower, to get back in the game and pursue Janet as a love interest.
This film’s strongest element is its make-up of individually complex main four characters played by exceptional actors. It is hard to pick out just one of the four lead actors as showing the most talent, because they equally make their own characters believable, comical, and at times heartwarming. All four characters are on different levels of intelligence but equally connected in their lacking abilities to connect with and create fulfilling relationships with others.
Through these characters’ problems, the film plays with conventional relationship titles. In Lawrence’s relationships as professor, his colleagues don’t understand him and he has a great problem with remembering past students. With his own adopted-brother, he treats him more like his chauffer than his brother and refers to him as “adopted” with every opportunity he gets. And finally Lawrence’s initial treatment of Janet is as a student to lecture rather than a love interest.
Vanessa, with her genius intelligence, she acts too old for her age in which she is more like house wife than daughter to her father, performing all household duties, becoming jealous of the threat of a girlfriend, and she accepts the lack of acknowledgment from her father for her exceptional educational accomplishments. Also because of Chuck’s willingness to show Vanessa how to have a good time as a teenager, in a drunken stupor, she tries to make a move on her adopted uncle as a love interest rather than uncle because “he’s adopted anyway, it doesn’t count.” These confused definitions and blurred boundaries of relationships emphasize each character’s inadequacies with relating to others properly.
Although each of the four main characters’ are interesting and well developed, the film seems to overlook the development needed of its supporting characters. Such as the idea of having a lesser talented college brother, James (Ashton Holmes), for Vanessa to look down on and to be unappreciated by his father. This would make a positive addition to the family dynamic, but it wasn’t developed enough throughout the film and seemed as though in the final edit many of his scenes may have been cut causing a lack of interest in his character for us the audience.
Also, the character who seemed to be Janet’s best friend and fellow doctor, was only used in two important but quick scenes. One in which we find out Janet had a crush on Lawrence when he was her professor in college. The other we find out Janet has a habit of self-sabotaging her relationships. Although he is not a very important character, since he was included in these two scenes he should be present in a few more to make his character believable as Janet’s best friend and to provide him with more purpose in the film. Again, possibly an editor’s mistake?
Even with its few flaws, this film’s strong base of interesting characters and their struggles to connect with others is what drives this film. It proves that no matter what your intellectual abilities or limitations may be you can never have all the answers when it comes to relationships.
~Shaboomer~
