starsandpopcorn
Joined Oct 2013
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Reviews5
starsandpopcorn's rating
Look, I'm not going to say that Reality Queen! is a good movie. However, it is hilarious. It definitely goes for low hanging fruit, but it also isn't afraid to get on a ladder and reach from time to time. It's an Onion article come to life and even thought I knew most of what I was seeing on screen was stupid, I honestly could not stop laughing at just how good it was at being dumb. Then again, that's the whole point and exactly what it's making fun of.
As if Joseph Gordon-Levitt couldn't get any better. The former child star has turned into quite the up-and-coming young actor as he's worked to re-brand himself as something more than that kid from 3rd Rock From the Sun. Over the years, he's starred in such films as Brick, The Dark Knight Rises and Looper, and has proved to be the type of actor whom everyone loves - and who actually deserves that love. However, his most impressive performance to date might just be the one he gave behind the camera with Don Jon.
The film marks Levitt's first time writing and directing a feature- length film, and it makes one hell of an impression, especially because he tackles the lead role as well. Don Jon is one of those movies that has plenty of laughs and a few heartfelt moments, and it's certainly entertaining. But it also touches on a few interesting social issues. I think I'll just go ahead and say it, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives away a few trade secrets, much to the horror of men everywhere: Don Jon touches on that dreadfully embarrassing fact that every guy is terrified will come out. What secret is that? Well, it's probably best to put it in the words of the protagonist, Jon, himself: "Every guy looks at porn, every day."
Well, that last part might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Don Jon does bring up the point that pornography has become so readily available through the internet and even television that it's just simply within arm's reach at every single second of every single day, and every guy now and then reaches out to take a handful. However, society still treats it as something shameful and embarrassing, rather than a fact of life.
Don Jon doesn't treat the use of pornography as something that should destroy relationships or cause significant others to fly off the handle in fits of jealousy. In fact, the movie seems to indicate, it's a habit that's probably pretty healthy. That isn't to say that Jon has a healthy habit, as he's reduced to having to look at pornography constantly throughout the day, even after sex, but you know, that's an extreme example.
Then again, maybe it isn't. Maybe the film offers a bit of a warning about how a little pornography is perfectly normal, but a lot can create a monster. Too much porn can make it so that it's nearly impossible to connect with someone else on a meaningful level. After all, watching too much sex can create expectations that are as unrealistic as the ones the romantic comedies create.
What really impressed me about Don Jon, though, are the performances that Levitt pulls out of his co-stars. I've honestly never seen Scarlett Johansson give a better performance than she did as Jon's trashy New Jersey girlfriend, Barbra. She's absolutely despicable as she slowly begin to reveal her true intentions and tries to paint Jon as the bad guy when she discovers his addiction. On top of that, Tony Danza gives a side-splitting performance as Jon's hot-headed father who gets into dick-measuring contest with his son every Sunday night (figurative, people, come on).
However, the most impressive of them all is Levitt himself, who has repeatedly proved that he is one hell of an actor and one who has earned my trust as a moviegoer. The role is something so far from what I would have ever pictured him portraying, but he pulls it off beautifully as he plays the scumbag good-guy stereotype.
Now for the hard part. I really enjoyed Don Jon. It strikes as a solid balance between art and entertainment, it's filled with lots of laughs and it touches on a sensitive topic in a way that doesn't seem preachy. The ending is a little weak, but everything up until that is golden. However, I'm not sure if it's what one would call a date movie, since it will probably lead to inquisitive stares during a quiet car ride home afterward. And honestly, that's really too bad. For the people that are willing to embrace the fact that everyone looks at porn, this movie is well worth the price of admission. However, I'm not sure if most of its value comes from the first viewing. It's no Shame, but there's really no shame in that.
The film marks Levitt's first time writing and directing a feature- length film, and it makes one hell of an impression, especially because he tackles the lead role as well. Don Jon is one of those movies that has plenty of laughs and a few heartfelt moments, and it's certainly entertaining. But it also touches on a few interesting social issues. I think I'll just go ahead and say it, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives away a few trade secrets, much to the horror of men everywhere: Don Jon touches on that dreadfully embarrassing fact that every guy is terrified will come out. What secret is that? Well, it's probably best to put it in the words of the protagonist, Jon, himself: "Every guy looks at porn, every day."
Well, that last part might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Don Jon does bring up the point that pornography has become so readily available through the internet and even television that it's just simply within arm's reach at every single second of every single day, and every guy now and then reaches out to take a handful. However, society still treats it as something shameful and embarrassing, rather than a fact of life.
Don Jon doesn't treat the use of pornography as something that should destroy relationships or cause significant others to fly off the handle in fits of jealousy. In fact, the movie seems to indicate, it's a habit that's probably pretty healthy. That isn't to say that Jon has a healthy habit, as he's reduced to having to look at pornography constantly throughout the day, even after sex, but you know, that's an extreme example.
Then again, maybe it isn't. Maybe the film offers a bit of a warning about how a little pornography is perfectly normal, but a lot can create a monster. Too much porn can make it so that it's nearly impossible to connect with someone else on a meaningful level. After all, watching too much sex can create expectations that are as unrealistic as the ones the romantic comedies create.
What really impressed me about Don Jon, though, are the performances that Levitt pulls out of his co-stars. I've honestly never seen Scarlett Johansson give a better performance than she did as Jon's trashy New Jersey girlfriend, Barbra. She's absolutely despicable as she slowly begin to reveal her true intentions and tries to paint Jon as the bad guy when she discovers his addiction. On top of that, Tony Danza gives a side-splitting performance as Jon's hot-headed father who gets into dick-measuring contest with his son every Sunday night (figurative, people, come on).
However, the most impressive of them all is Levitt himself, who has repeatedly proved that he is one hell of an actor and one who has earned my trust as a moviegoer. The role is something so far from what I would have ever pictured him portraying, but he pulls it off beautifully as he plays the scumbag good-guy stereotype.
Now for the hard part. I really enjoyed Don Jon. It strikes as a solid balance between art and entertainment, it's filled with lots of laughs and it touches on a sensitive topic in a way that doesn't seem preachy. The ending is a little weak, but everything up until that is golden. However, I'm not sure if it's what one would call a date movie, since it will probably lead to inquisitive stares during a quiet car ride home afterward. And honestly, that's really too bad. For the people that are willing to embrace the fact that everyone looks at porn, this movie is well worth the price of admission. However, I'm not sure if most of its value comes from the first viewing. It's no Shame, but there's really no shame in that.
Ron Howard has a thing for movies based on true stories (see Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon and A Beautiful Mind), but none has been quite as high- octane as Rush, which has a very different feel from his previous work. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. After all, Howard is arguably one of the most consistent directors working today as far as quality goes, and Rush is a high-quality film. However, it feels like it's lost somewhere between a drama and an action movie. There are a lot of scenes representing both genres, but the two somehow seem out of sync. Something holds Rush back from being a truly great film.
Being that it's Ron Howard in the director's chair, I had high expectations for the movie, especially because it stars Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, who is quickly becoming a household name and is deserving of a role in which he can flex his acting muscles rather than his biceps. For the most part, he does a convincing job as Formula 1 driver James Hunt. This is probably because he has Daniel Brühl to work with as his arch rival, Niki Lauda, who shares tremendous chemistry with Hemsworth. And yet, the two are comically different from each other. Hunt is the playboy, partying it up and living each day to the fullest, while Lauda is cold and calculating, as finely tuned as the machines he drives. Really, it would have been next to impossible for these two not to be rivals, and indeed that's the focus of Rush.
The film takes a firm look at what it takes to be a champion and, more importantly, the cost that such a drive can have on a man. The best example is the brutal car crash Lauda experiences mid-season, from which he miraculously recovered in order to return and finish the last of the races that year. While Niki's cost was more physical, James has quite an emotionally driven journey as well, as he literally destroys his life in pursuit of that championship title. Really, it's as though the two drivers represent different aspects of one person, and the movie represents the personal tragedy from which all great tales are built.
Visually speaking, this is Ron Howard's most unique film to date. It's a lot more visceral than his previous films, with sex scenes and even a few stomach-churning wrecks (Niki Lauda suffers horrifying injuries as a result of his crash). It's also a lot bolder than his previous works. Howard adopts a style meant to mirror the high-adrenaline lifestyle that these two men enjoy, with plenty of slow motion and tight editing. With all this, though, I have to ask: "Why does it feel so slow at certain parts?" I'm not normally the type of guy who shrugs off a movie's story, but I couldn't help feeling impatient waiting for the dialogue to end and the racing to begin. This is one reason I don't feel like Rush was a truly great film.
I'm not saying that it's a bad film, though; quite the contrary, Rush is a very good movie, and probably one of the best racing movies ever made. It pretty much gives the audience everything they expect, and in some cases even more (props to Hemsworth for being so much more that a pretty face). I'm almost positive that it will pop up for some sort of award during the Oscars. For me, though, the film never really shifts into high gear. It doesn't cross that line into greatness, and I'm pretty sure I wont remember much about it when 2014 rolls around. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth seeing, though, and I would actually highly recommend it. After all, it's a very human tale, and it's one about which I can imagine everyone finding something to enjoy. It's just not something that echos with the viewer after the end credits.
Being that it's Ron Howard in the director's chair, I had high expectations for the movie, especially because it stars Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, who is quickly becoming a household name and is deserving of a role in which he can flex his acting muscles rather than his biceps. For the most part, he does a convincing job as Formula 1 driver James Hunt. This is probably because he has Daniel Brühl to work with as his arch rival, Niki Lauda, who shares tremendous chemistry with Hemsworth. And yet, the two are comically different from each other. Hunt is the playboy, partying it up and living each day to the fullest, while Lauda is cold and calculating, as finely tuned as the machines he drives. Really, it would have been next to impossible for these two not to be rivals, and indeed that's the focus of Rush.
The film takes a firm look at what it takes to be a champion and, more importantly, the cost that such a drive can have on a man. The best example is the brutal car crash Lauda experiences mid-season, from which he miraculously recovered in order to return and finish the last of the races that year. While Niki's cost was more physical, James has quite an emotionally driven journey as well, as he literally destroys his life in pursuit of that championship title. Really, it's as though the two drivers represent different aspects of one person, and the movie represents the personal tragedy from which all great tales are built.
Visually speaking, this is Ron Howard's most unique film to date. It's a lot more visceral than his previous films, with sex scenes and even a few stomach-churning wrecks (Niki Lauda suffers horrifying injuries as a result of his crash). It's also a lot bolder than his previous works. Howard adopts a style meant to mirror the high-adrenaline lifestyle that these two men enjoy, with plenty of slow motion and tight editing. With all this, though, I have to ask: "Why does it feel so slow at certain parts?" I'm not normally the type of guy who shrugs off a movie's story, but I couldn't help feeling impatient waiting for the dialogue to end and the racing to begin. This is one reason I don't feel like Rush was a truly great film.
I'm not saying that it's a bad film, though; quite the contrary, Rush is a very good movie, and probably one of the best racing movies ever made. It pretty much gives the audience everything they expect, and in some cases even more (props to Hemsworth for being so much more that a pretty face). I'm almost positive that it will pop up for some sort of award during the Oscars. For me, though, the film never really shifts into high gear. It doesn't cross that line into greatness, and I'm pretty sure I wont remember much about it when 2014 rolls around. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth seeing, though, and I would actually highly recommend it. After all, it's a very human tale, and it's one about which I can imagine everyone finding something to enjoy. It's just not something that echos with the viewer after the end credits.