Sunday, January 30, 2011

It's been awhile..

Media intake catch-up



A friend recommended the Australian show "Summer Heights High" which only had one season. Watched it all..amazing. You should check it out.

I've been listening to The xx and The Black Keys. But mostly weird remixes and mash ups.

Yesterday I saw Blue Valentine.
Although it was sad, it didn't shake me up like I thought it was going to. Don't get me wrong I found the screaming and crying unsettling and it made me think about my future and the idea of people growing apart. On a superficial level it was interesting to see Ryan Gosling as an alcoholic with a receding hairline because it played on the fact that someone may be charming and attractive to you but in time that will fade.. and what's left? ..kind of depressing, eh?

Blue Valentine goes back and forth from past to present.

In the past Gosling is a mover and Williams is a nursing student. In the present Gosling is a house painter and is content with their life together,whereas Williams is a nurse who wants to be a doctor. Gosling drinks while Williams cleans after their child/works full time. See the pattern? They AIN'T dancing in the streets playing Elvis songs anymore, YO! (see trailer below) Gosling and Williams both gave really great performances and I liked the juxtaposition of the ending scenes.

2 comments:

  1. I saw Blue Valentine and I can't say it any better than how you did: "Although it was sad, it didn't shake me up like I thought it was going to." Based on the preview I had expected to be a lot more moved by it.

    While I agree that the premise is a bit depressing, about how people change and get old, I think rather than making me sad, it just reinforced in me the importance of finding someone you like more than skin deep, and someone you think is willing to grow with you rather than away from you, because age and change are inevitable.

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  2. Yeah I debated this film a lot with one of my coworkers.. I said that it was less sad because you know they aren't really a good match because he has no ambition and she wants to eventually become a doctor.. in most cases that's not going to work out. To me the saddest part was when Williams told Gosling that she found the dog dead and then he blamed her for leaving the gate opened.

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