rbap

I hate to pigeonhole it to the Romantic Comedy genre, but I gotta call a spade a spade.

There's a twist though.

This is no 'boy meets girl' story of magical romance with cheap laughs thrown in. Crazy Stupid Love packs a tightly written script along with some great performances. Obviously, there are plenty of 'only in the movies' moments. The quirky parts also tend to miss the authenticity mark, but the laughs don't always come when you'd expect either.

I liked the fighting for love theme. It provides a reminder to all those who watch traditional Ro-Cos and might idealize those stories, that this is a much more likely ending -or rather, that we don't really know the ending nor do we ever find the perfect love, but nonetheless, it's still worth fighting for. That was nice to see in a Hollywood film.

The gloss is there, but there is something more for those of us who look for that kind of thing in film. It's a well made film and I enjoyed it.

7.5/10

I expected more from The Deer Hunter, but that's probably because of the reputation it enjoys. After watching the film, it's clear that the hype comes by way of Robert De Niro's performance; believable and entirely authentic to his character. The Vietnam war itself is more of a vehicle to the centrepiece scene in the film; POW Russian Roulette and the ensuing results. Indeed, if you watch this movie, this is the once scene that makes it truly worthwhile because it was otherwise too long and not in the least gripping. If anything, the way it dragged on -particularly at the beginning- could be seen as the director's way of demonstrating that life outside of the war-zone is insignificantly mundane compared to what goes on in a shorter time span with death always moments away. Out of the 7/10 I'm rating it, six points go to Robert and one to the Roulette scene. Not that the other acting was bad, nor that it was a terrible movie, but not much else stood out for me in the three long hours it took to tell the story.

Not many films these days dare peek into the fabric of our personal morality and our humanity all at the same time, but Shame does just that.

If you're reading this, you probably know what this film is about. If you want to know whether it's pornographic, overly shocking, or sensationalist I'd say not at all. It's honest.

I never thought much about sex addiction. In fact, until I saw this movie it was an addiction I scoffed at. But like all addictions it's a matter of self-control. Clearly it can happen with sex, too. The problem with it is that on the exterior, it's much easier to hide than drug or alcohol abuse. A sex addict can be a successful, charming, and likable everyday guy to his friends and co-workers. But in his mind, he's a monster, never satisfied, always seeking to devour sex. Whether it's pornography, masturbation, or it involves another person it really doesn't matter. He becomes an automaton unable to form real human relationships. The sad part is that the sex, whenever it does happen, is just as fake and devoid of any humanity.

I picked this all up by watching the film, it's that powerful. It depicts something few of us really think about with any seriousness. McQueen deserves any plaudits coming his way for this visionary piece of filmmaking. I now have Hunger on my 'must watch' list. Fassbender and Mulligan are incredible in their acting; utterly authentic. The musical score, too, is perfect. It is such a well put together film it deserves to be seen on this basis alone.

It's not a happy movie, but it's not necessarily a sad movie either. It just is. You feel it, and you'll remember it.