Review - The Place Beyond the Pines

This is purely anecdotal speculation, but I think there is a subconscious tendency for many young indie filmmakers to confuse despair with profundity.  That, in other words, if one presents a story seemingly rooted in moral ambiguity, anxious turmoil and conflicted and complex interpersonal relationships, that you have inherently presented the audience with complex theater.  The notion of exploring deep thematic insights is inherent to the DNA of serious drama, so, as such, if we witness serious drama, we as an audience feel obligated to attempt to parse through the presented themes and extract whatever meaning we can from the narrative.  Even if nothing’s there to extract.  In other words, it’s ambiguity disguised as art.  And of course, it’s bullsh*t.

Opening this Weekend - Morgan Freeman Wears Stupid Looking Sunglasses Underground For Some Reason

When will Tom Cruise win an Oscar for best runner?  He's just so damn good at it.

Opening - Oblivion

Googan Suggestion - Slim pickings this week dweebs.  But see Oblivion.  Tom Cruise demands validation.

Netflix Streaming Review - House of Cards

"Y'know, maybe that whole "Gwnyeth-Paltrow-head-in-a-box-thing" WAS a bit over the top..."

While watching the season finale of House of Cards last week, Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood uttered a line that I felt encapsulated the philosophy of the show oh so perfectly.  Underwood is speaking to us, the viewers (one of the highlights of the show is Spacey's constant breaking of the fourth wall to fill us in on his mindset and strategic decisions), while seemingly alone in the church frequented by the high and mighty of Capitol Hill.  Frank has just engaged and gone through with a series of, well, let's just say slightly nefarious maneuvers in order to promote his own political standing, and seems to be reflecting, or at the very minimum, engaging in what he would consider the portrayal of reflection.  He goes on a near rant that I won't spoil, but essentially concludes with the line, "I pray to myself, for myself."  I ate it up.

Opening this Weekend (4/12 - 4/14)

I think a Jackie Robinson/Indiana Jones super hero team would be swell

Opening - 42, Scary Movie 5, To the Wonder (limited release)

Googan suggestion for the weekend - I'm still trying to get out and see The Place Beyond the Pines, but that's proving difficult with The Masters and some solid NBA match ups on Sunday.  And as usual, Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

Song of the Week - "Blue Drag" by Allen Toussaint

In honor of the fantastic Mad Men returning this evening, here's a little something something to get you in that quintessential 60's scotch-swilling, suit-rocking, booty-slapping mood.  Allen Toussaint's cover of Django Reinhardt's Blue Drag really captures that era of cool.  This should pretty much play any time Don and Roger walk into a room.

Opening this Weekend (4/5 - 4/7)

Yeah, I pretty much had the same exact reaction to the Kevin Ware injury

Opening - Evil Dead, Trance (limited release), Upstream Color (limited release)

Googan suggestion for the weekend - I will be enjoying the ultimate white people problem of deciding whether to watch Game of Thrones or Mad Men first.  Oh the trials and tribulations of privileged adulthood. *sips overpriced microbrew*