It's Mike again with another Wednesday.
Before I get started, I thought I'd go on a brief tangent. I'm sure most of you know that a good portion of the Friends Recommend gang were featured on a few different news programs over the past weekend for our Orioles song. Channel 13, Channel 45 and Channel 2. This was a huge thrill for me. Channel 13 (WJZ)'s morning show is something that I grew up watching. Everyday before school, since I was about 10, I would watch Don Scott and Marty Bass in the morning. But it wasn't until years later that I began to appreciate WJZ Channel 13 on a different level. It's seriously like a B-movie that you can't stop watching. One example I sometimes site is a story they did on energy conservation. To illustrate rising energy costs, they actually just filmed an outlet on a wall. Channel 13 also seems to have its own camera style. They'll do lots of quick stationary shots that are really unnecessary to just fill up time. Also, Ron Matz, who interviewed us and is a terrific guy, does these "People Are Talking" segments where he visits Royal Farms and asks people (who are getting coffee) what they are doing. It usually just involves Ron asking where they are off to, and they respond that they are going to work. That's it. So, what I'm getting at is that it was surreal to be in the middle of this, have a story created around our song, with all the unusual camera shots and Ron's voiceover. For me, it was like being in our own B-movie.
So, I'm borrowing one of T.J.'s ideas and thought I would do a reverse recommend. The other day I watched a movie that I absolutely hated. I haven't hated a movie this much in a long time. I'm talking about Rachel Getting Married. Have any of you seen this? If so, why haven't I heard how absolutely terrible this was? The movie is filled with unlikeable people getting into uncomfortable and awkward arguments the whole time. Like watching an unfunny BBC Office episode. But not just that...These people don't act like any people you've ever seen before. There are no group of people like this on Earth. Also, the documentary camera style that is used here is really poorly done. Very shaky, over emphasized, not subtle in anyway.
I actually watched the whole thing just so I could write about it here. I'll quickly boil the story down. Daughter gets out of rehab and goes home for her sister's wedding. Uncomfortable talks. Rehearsal dinner scene that lasts an eternity for no reason at all. Uncomfortable speech from daughter. Afterwards fight between daughter and sister. Dad is a weepy, unlikeable asshole. More scenes that last an eternity filled with people that you hate. Mom and daughter fight. Reception scene that lasts an eternity. Nothing resolved at the end of the movie. Roll credits.
Anyway, part of the reason I hated this so much is because this movie received all kinds of accolades, with reviews calling the movie "brave" and "raw", etc. All this does is encourage more horrible movies made of this ilk that I will be suckered into Netflixing. Those with Netflix, I will do you a favor and tell you to remove this from your queue immediately.
I'll bring the positive back next week.
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10 comments:
This is totally going on my netflix queue thanks to your reverse recommend. And I hope it's "sesse"!
I'll let you know what I think in a week or so.
I have to disagree with you here. I think you make some good points about why the movie might be bad. Overly long scenes that go nowhere, unrealistic characters/setting, unresolved ending. However I take issue with the unlikable characters argument. The father was likable, "etodsc" even. I actually feel like I knew those people (the immediate family, not the outlandish array of guests). I would love to debate this more. We need a movie club.
I didn't really care for the movie cause I thought it was boring, but having dealt with similar family situations and personalities I could relate to that aspect and thought the characters were totally believable. And I thought there were some strong performances.
I'm totally up for debating. The father was a powerless, weak, even effeminate character. His reactions were way over the top. One prime example is when he finds out that Rachel is pregnant. It was so incredibly exaggerated. Generally, all of the emotion was way over the top and extremely forced. Even with the dead son story line I found myself not caring at all because I hated these people so much.
He was a caring father. I didn't think he was effeminate. It was more that he had spent his whole life desperately trying to appease these overly emotional women in his life. Not effeminate, but perhaps "jorpiq". I hardly feel like that was any reason to dislike the guy though. Again, I felt like I knew people in my own life who were exactly like the characters so it was easier for me to relate.
I took a second glance at the movies on your own recommends list, and I've only seen Children of Men, and that's a whole other debate.
I love debates
So far on this blog Wednesdays are holding up to be the best.
I wouldn't hate a character for being effeminate alone. BUT, I would hate a character just by his reactions. His acting after seeing the dead son's plate, and finding out his daughter was pregnant were Lifetime Movie of the Week at best. However, the dad was the least of this movie's problems.
I really wish that we had been watching this together. I don't recall the father's exact reactions in those scenes, but if you want to talk about over the top: the whole dishwasher scene. I'm with you. There was A LOT wrong with this movie, but somehow I still like it. Maybe Jessica will invite us all over her house to view it a second time and re-assess our opinions and "bedlecti".
I possibly could be into that. That's an interesting idea.
Also, next time you run into me, bring up Children of Men because I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on that as well.
this is beautiful. i really feel like ricky b and wardo are working out some of their innermost struggles via the comments section of this blog.
i'll let you know once I receive the flick, but having never watched it I can only imagine "ovenes"ing it with the two of you would certainly bias my opinion -- if it's not already.
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