Helloooooo Oakcrest High School....Call me...The Falcon! Those of you who are veterans of this site are accustomed to my vast insight and nealry 30-something percent accuracy rate in handicapping film award shows. If you are new to this venue....Welcome to the Big Time! I am half Falcon, half film enthusiast (all man, and not pictured here...or maybe I am). My identity is protected by Mr. Costal in order to help me fend away the paparazzi and invitations to the birthday parties of all 27 Pitt-Jolie children.
Each year, slightly after Thanksgiving, depending on wind velocity and migration patterns, I rise from out of my Falcon's nest and begin to assess the annual film award shows. In the process, we have the opportunity to ban together and watch the best films of the given year. So far, in 2011, most (if not all) of the Oscar-worthy films are still in the theaters:
1. The Artist
2. The Descendants
3. Extremely Loud and Extremely Close
4. Hugo
5. J. Edgar
6. The Help
7. The Inner Lady
8. Midnight in Paris
9. Moneyball
10. War Horse
Hey Mr. Costal.. maybe it isn't too late to get the ball rolling for some opinions on the movies that are up for The Oscars. Since we've watched and generally discussed a handful of them in class, I'll write about The Descendants, since I haven't gotten past the point of saying "it was sad" in a discussion about it. (If I'm posting this in the wrong spot, just let me know.)
ReplyDeleteThe first thing you said to me when you heard that we went to see The Descendants was "you have to be older to fully appreciate this movie". The entire plot was driven through the problems of Clooney's character, King. And you're right; it's tough to fully relate to a middle-aged man's financial, marital, and family issues as a seventeen year-old kid. This is where the teenage audience can, at most, sympathize with his crumbling life. However, it isn't so hard to step into the older daughter's shoes and go through the story with her. The movie developed every character extremely well, most notably the mother in the coma. I found myself having the most to think about when it came down to the mom. She didn't say a single line, yet she helped develop the plot in a way in which the audience can relate. It [the plot] was strikingly similar to how real-life problems tend to play out for anyone. Fundamentally, the movie was spot-on. From the very beginning of the movie, the plot started to break out of any stereotypes that the audience would make. "Hawaii isn't like a constant vacation; I haven't even surfed in fifteen years" George Clooney tells the audience. Having money doesn't make life better; Clooney has essentially the most money on the island, but isn't any happier or living any better than the rest of the islanders. From the very beginning, I sat down and felt the blows as Clooney received them. And at the very end, the most I could do is stand up and say to myself, "life is rough, but life goes on". Maybe that's the hard part about relating to this movie as a kid. We are sheltered from this kind of slump in life. Or maybe I completely missed your point on why we cannot fully appreciate this movie. To conclude, The Descendants was a worthwhile movie to sit through, as long as the audience is well-prepared to stomach the waves of life crashing down on the shores of Hawaii in the life of Matt King.
Sorry if this seems so thrown together, or isn't what you were looking for. Just let me know! Brian Dragotto