Movie, Music, Concert and other Miscellaneous things reviewed

Ever watch a movie or listen to a cd and wonder why the hell people aren't crowding the streets promising thier unborn children to whatever artist you're currently under the spell of?

Yeah, me too.

It happens to me often and I don't know if that means that squishy thing currently occupying the space between my ears a figment of my imagination or those folks not lining the streets, promisary notes in hand just completely clueless. I like to think its the latter. I don't think I have particulary good taste, I just know what I like and I often consider it so good that I wonder why others haven't decided to like/love the same things. I mean, how could you not?

So, I've created this blog to find out just that, if the opinion I hold of so many things, one that is held by others or am I just a really random person with really poor taste.

I hope its the former.

First off, I'll start with movies. I've seen a few over the last couple of weeks, in the theaters and on dvd, I'll rate them, share a review and if you're reading this and are moved to respond, let me know what you think.

First movie, Remember Me:

Its the new Robert Pattinson flick and let me preface this by saying, I liked Twilight, I sort of liked New Moon, I've read all the books and have a serious woody for the British cutie pie, crooked nose and all. But, honestly I will not let any of that affect my ability to review the movie properly. I mean it.

First, I won't start with a review of the movie, I'll start with what seems to be the major controversy over the plot twist at the end with critics and bloggers and so on. I'm a New Yorker, born and raised there the majority of my life, I knew two people who lost thier lives in the 9/11 attacks (one firefighter, one police officer) and like any/every New Yorker the view of the landscape as you crossover from Jersey to Manhattan is extremely hard to look at, even now nearly ten years later.

9/11 is a touchy subject, even if you don't call NY home and it should be, it is still a very new wound and many are still trying to find some degree of healing. We have a war that continues with no end in sight, countless lives lost, the integrity of a country in question, resources that can never be replenished, all stemming from that day and those Towers collapsing. So any story that is told with 9/11 as the framework will be met with...I don't know the word, there just isn't one.

I read the script of Remember Me before the movie was released and have to say I was confused by the choice to have Tyler die in the attacks. Why? Because what's the significance, I understand that this guy has to die for those watching to walk out of the theater with the resolve to love better, love differently. But at the time that I was reading the script I couldn't wrap my brain around the idea that 9/11 was the vehicle for the message.

Seriously, I had to read it twice, then a third time and it wasn't until I walked away from it, grabbed an iced coffee and a pack of twizzlers that the reason dawned on me. We can envision our loved ones dying in an array of random, heartbreaking ways. A car accident, Cancer, robbery gone wrong, suicide, there are so many things that are within the realm of tragic possibility for us.

But, when those planes hit those Towers, then the Pentagon, then another plane went down...people felt lost, confused. We could not begin to fathom the possibility that this was coming, that this would be the way your husband, son, daughter, grandmother, best friend, simple aquaintance would die that morning. It wasn't on the radar, not something that we (especially Americans) could see at a truth in our world. It was unreal and called into question for years after every single thing that we believe in, cherish or hold true.

And that to me at least was what Remember Me was about. This rebellious kid, full of rage and loss, stubbling through his life trying to hold his father accountable for a loss he couldn't foresee, dying just as he began to reach some sort of truce with his anger. Dying in an attack that no one saw coming, dying while he's happy, in love, dying while his fear to live his own life begins to subside. I mean really, how many had that exact story that aren't with us anymore?

Dying in 9/11, sends home the message that you don't know, I mean truely don't know what life has in store for you, so love recklessly. Don't waste your fucking time hating people, standing still...because its all bullshit in the end if you don't make it mean something.

I've seen movies deal with the attacks pretty head on and I've always come out with mixed feelings. I'm either so over-wrought that I can't think for several days or I'm pissed off and narrowing my eyes at my cab driver. I don't like either reaction, they lessen who I believe I am and foster fear and stupidity, I'm not comfortable with that.

But, I liked Remember Me, British hunk aside, I thought it told its story with heart, with grace and didn't smack us over the head with this looming fear that the attacks were coming. There were clues, if you were paying attention to the scene titles at all, you knew when you met Robert Pattinsons character in his first scene you were in 2001. There are cues that they are ending school heading into the Summer season, then beginning school in the fall, which puts you right at September 11, 2001's door. So, for the seasoned movie goer, you would have figured this out even before the end.

There are even more subtle clues, W. Bush is heard talking about Stem Cell research in the background of a scene, Chris Cooper's character is watching Erin Brocovich as a rental which was released in late 2000, early 2001ish, Tylers father (Pierce Brosnan's character, amazing by the way, there is a really powerful scene with he and Rpatz that just makes you want to get up and cheer. That "Sit the FUCK down" made me jump, I'm not kidding) works in Manhattan and if you pay attention to the scenary (and are familiar with NY) you know where, so if you really love obscure clues, there are a few.

Or you could just read the leaked script like I did. Either way, you weren't too surprised by it and the critics who are claiming they were floored and angry once the cameras panned away to reveal Tyler in the Tower are just full of shit. Or they're complete idiots.

The casting of Emilie de Ravin was really good, her face although really familiar to Lost fans was unknown to me and I liked that she felt fresh. She has really expressive eyes and I bought that these two cynical, smart, pseudo intellectual people would dig each other. They're both wounded and wear it all over thier sleeves, so it was inevitable that they'd be drawn to one another. I bought the relationship between the love interests, I don't know if I like the idea that the were bought together under such random circumstances. NY is a huge place, the idea that you'd be assaulted by the cop/father of a girl that's in your global economics class and actually know about it is kind of obsurd. But, its a movie, the plot had to move along somehow, so I dig it.

Everyone keeps saying that Robert Pattinson is brooding central in this movie...eh, I don't know about that. They (whoever they are) keep comparing him to James Dean and although that is extremely complementary I don't know if I consider it completely true. Dean had an innocence about him in his movies that made you want to protect this raging little thing. He didn't appear particularly smart or loving, just misunderstood and reacting to all the people misjudging his characters actions. Dean is like a petulant child that you're just letting scream and bang his head on the floor until he falls asleep or allows you to put him in time out or just give him a hug.

Deans characters had "Nobody loves me" complexes, which is the exact opposite of Robert Pattinson's character in this movie. He knows he's loved, he's rebelling against it (to some degree).

Deans characters had "I'm just so ANGRY all the TIME" complexes, which implies that the characters themselves were always confused about why they were so pissed off.

Tyler in Remember Me, knows exactly when his life changed, he knows why he's angry and knows that there really isn't a reason for it, he just can't let it go. This guy is smart, he's got daddy issues, but understands where they come from. He's slumming for a while, wallowing in the memory of his brothers suicide and feels completely justified in that. I get it, I don't know if I consider that brooding or just childish. All the references to Dean however did make me dust off my copy of East of Eden and watch it again, which is always a good thing.

The acting from all involved was really good. Not Oscar worthy, but good, compelling I wanted to know what would happen between these characters. The laugh beats were few, but when they were there you laughed, you rooted for all the right characters and cheered when you were suppose to. The editing was a little slow, some scenes probably could have hit the floor, but all in all a really decent depiction of a pre 9/11 Ny.

I've only seen one other movie that dealt with the 9/11 attacks that I walked away feeling sad but hopeful and thought it was a really decent film, its called The Great New Wonderful. It tells several post 9/11 stories, Tony Shaloub and Maggie Gyllenhaul are in it, if you get a chance check it out. Its pretty obscure, me and a handful of other people are probably the only ones that have seen it. But, if you're so inclined, watch it, let me know what you think about it.

Okay that's it, I'll be back to review She's Out Of My League later.

Let me know what you think.

Nicole