Review: Blue Valentine

Boy and girl meet cute, go out on a few dates and fall in love. Very few films cover what occurs after that moment, even fewer do so with such flourishes of authenticity. The stupid jokes and awkward laughs afterward. The brief bouts of indecision to decide whether or not to fully disclose our backgrounds. The dinners with each others' families that leaves one, or both, itching to run out of the room.

Cindy has been itching to run out of the room now for the considerable part of her marriage. The stresses of what she is asked to do and what Dean can't has run her ragged. They are the kinds of things that drive a marriage apart.

The future room is the make-or-break getaway for Dean and Cindy. An opportunity to hide from the problems of domesticity: a lost dog, work problems, and arguments. An opportunity to make love, to drink, to just be them. To say that this event could be the defining moment of their marriage is an understatement.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams go for broke with their performances. There is not one ounce of blood, sweat and tears that don't go into the inception of Dean and Cindy. The harsh gaze on these two warps from observing mere acting to completely inhabiting these people's lives. Years worth of frustrations can be read from a glance of Cindy's eyes. The wounded hounddog look behind Dean's shades could only be earned through countless incidents of questioned masculinity and worth.

Director Derek Cianfrance hits pause on numerous occasions during the swan song trip to the Future Room. Each time he does so reveals another memory; another layer of their existence. More is gained from this thoughtful approach of their history. This couple did not wake up and find flaws in their partners in some hellish easter egg hunt. They have been skirted over and buried beneath the surface for a long time. Each decision noted by the helmer as if it were a score.

It is impossible not to see into each soul of Cindy and Dean as they attempt to sew together some semblance of happiness. These are two people who desperately need something to cling to, but the temptation to bare their teeth and pick open old scabs proves too strong. They really do love another; they just don't know how they got to be where they are now.

****/****

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9) Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages, Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

Paprika vs. Inception

Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes a review declaring Toy Story 3 to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out a glowing review of Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !

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