The Town

I really did not think that I would enjoy The Town (TT) because part of my movie snobbery made me think that it would be illogical for a movie to get me to believe that bank robberies or heists in general were still possible in today's technological and information age. People can't just roll up into a bank and rob it right? Aren't there too many safeguards at this point? Haven't we learned how to effectively thwart any would-be robbers out there? That was a big mental hurdle for me, so from the start, TT had it's work cut out for it.

The great thing about TT is that it actually makes me think that if properly planned, a heist or robbery of most any kind is still at least theoretically possible, which gives the film the credibility legs it needs to stand up for the 2 hours you watch it. I was engrossed by the way TT constructs the thievery. It all made sense and was very believable. Once I got passed that (and really, the opening bank robbery sets the solid foundation that the other 2 heists rest on) I was able to let myself get drawn into TT's characters, which were fantastic.

Ben Affleck is often knocked for his acting abilities, and to be fair, sometimes he deserves it (Pearl Harbor or Hollywoodland anyone?), but I really enjoyed his work as Doug in TT. I think that since the movie takes place in a setting he's very familiar with, Boston, he's able to really envelop himself into this character. He's supported strongly by Jeremy Renner, playing his lifelong friend and literal partner in crime (sorry, I'm a sucker for good wordplay) Jimmy. Renner was nominated for an Oscar, and this role further cements his status as a quality actor. Rebecca Hall as Doug's love interest and Blake Lively as Doug's ex-girlfriend are solid.

I don't really want to delve into the plot much because it is dense, but I will say that even though TT felt familiar, it wasn't predictable, which for a well established genre such as this is truly a great accomplishment. With the actors involved doing a great job of setting the mood and tone for the film, you really get wrapped in that rough, tough Bostonian lifestyle. You couldn't ask for more.

I also think Ben Affleck is developing into a really strong filmmaker. TT marks his second foray into the director's chair, after Gone Baby Gone, and I've been quite impressed with both of his pieces. He has a great understanding of establishing tone and mood in his films, and he gives his audience a great sense of the place, which he should be able to do easily since he grew up in the areas that both of the films are set. I also appreciated how he shot all of the heist sequences; some directors in their films really try to stylize or heighten the robbery experience with fast cuts, zooms, close ups, and other slight tricks. Affleck did a great job of not succumbing to those temptations too often, and it made the action feel much more realistic and natural, which I prefer; several of the sequences had a Heat-esque feel to them, which is no small feat. I think Affleck is showing signs that he could follow in the path of other actors who have achieved directing success, such as Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood.

Overall, TT was a fun and interesting experience. You'll get lost in the setting and the story. It's fun yet sad, interesting yet deliberate. TT is definitely a job worth signing on to.

127 Hours, The Kids are All Right, and Winter's Bone

I've decided to combine these three movies into one post as I have very few thoughts on each of them individually and don't think they'd make interesting reading on their own. So here we go:

127 Hours:

Aron Ralston (James Franco), an adventurous young man who loves time in the canyons and outdoors in Utah, gets his right arm pinned under a big rock that he can't move. He also didn't tell anyone where he was going, so he spends the next 127 hours trapped with no hope of rescue. He finally reaches a breaking point and cuts his own arm off to free himself and survive. The film follows Ralston on his journey while stuck under the rock.

Honestly, I blame me for not enjoying this movie beforehand. I knew he was going to cutoff his arm, and I know how much I don't enjoy seeing graphic medical stuff like this, even though I know it's fake, so I think I psyched myself out. I spent most of the movie waiting for the climactic scene, so I didn't get as emotionally invested in the film as I should have. I bet I would probably enjoy it upon a second viewing.

I will also give James Franco his due, he did a great job carrying this film on his own, since he's the only one on screen for the majority of the movie. He didn't do as good a job of holding a movie individually as Tom Hanks did in Cast Away, but he did a great job and has firmly established himself as a legitimate leading man in Hollywood. He's got an Oscar in his future.

The Kids are All Right (TKAAR):

TKAAR is the story of a lesbian couple, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), who had 2 children via artificial insemination, Joni and Laser. Laser gets curious about their biological dad, so he and Joni track him down and find Paul (Mark Ruffalo). When Nic and Jules find out that Joni and Laser have contacted Paul, they try to get to know him. Paul upsets the family apple cart in a variety of ways, the biggest by having an affair with Jules. This makes life difficult for everybody, but in the end Nic and Jules find their way back to each other before taking Joni to college.

I didn't really enjoy TKAAR. My biggest issue was that I didn't believe the plot point about Jules and Paul having an affair. I just didn't believe it, and since so much of the plot was dependent on it, it made much of the movie seem false to me. I did think Julianne Moore was wonderful in her role.

I will give TKAAR dap for finally addressing an issue I've had with pretty much every movie ever made. At the end when Jules and Nic take Joni to her residence hall room, it actually looks like a residence hall room!!!! It is not ridiculously large, it doesn't have outrageous furniture or look like it's been designed by an interior decorator. It looks like the right size of a residence hall room and has residence hall furniture. I wish more films did this. I'm just saying.

Winter's Bone (WB):

WB follows Ree, a 17 year old girl whose dad, a meth lab cooker, bonds out of jail, using the house Ree, her mom, and two younger siblings live in as collateral. She has to find him before the bond is defaulted and Ree and her family are kicked out of the house. She then explores the drug underworld of the Ozarks trying to find him, meeting many colorful characters and getting unexpected help along the way.

My biggest problem with this movie? It. Is. Boring. Really. Really. Boring. I didn't at all connect emotionally to this film either. I did however, understand that southern, roughneck mentality that permeates pretty much every character in this film, as I've had many friends that reminded me of some of these characters - whether or not that's a good thing, I haven't decided yet.

I know this was a critical and indie darling; it just never hooked me. And if you can't hook me into a story about drug dealers and crime, what's the point really? (Ironically, I thought the same thing about the TV show Weeds and yet I keep watching. Probably out of habit now more than anything)