the blue glow

movie reviews:
Since I've been here I've seen three movies. Movies are 100p each, which is about 3 $, and there's little else to do, except work or drink during the day (no thanks).

Wall st 2: There was a lot I liked about this movie: set design was incredible, costuming really worked, the plot was an homage to the original without being a copy, Shia does a great "bud fox", there were a lot of little "winks" to the first movie. Overall, this movie is a valentine to "superfans" like myself. It was really fun to see the cameos, references, and twists that hearkened back to the first movie. One of the coolest things about this movie was it's use of artwork. In the first movie, current "upcoming" artists are used, and it's the same in this movie: John Currin, Antony Gormley, Clifford Ross, Richard Prince, and others (including a Goya) are used very well. The art in the first movie (Miro, Basquiat, and Schnabel) was one of my favorite things about the set design, and this movie doesn't let you down. Susan Sarrandon makes a fun cameo. Once again, Stone has tapped the zeitgeist at the exact moment it's happening, and created a dark fairy tale. Liked it.
However, one of my favorite things about the first movie was that it had an ambiguous ending, and without being a spoiler, this movie has a definite happy ending. I think it performs admirably- it's not a complete embarrassment to the franchise in the same way, say "Ripley's Game" is. (STILL BITTER years later).






This movie is okkaaaay. I love "the Boston Movies", and I had a happy few hours watching "Gone Baby Gone" on a free HBO preview about a year ago. However, here's my main beef with this movie. Hot, working class "dude" Ben Affleck is a bank robber. Okay with that. During a routing robbery, he falls for the hostage he takes and then starts up a romance with her, unknown to her (as to who he is). I guess I don't really need to start with why this didn't sit very well with me. I mean, it's basically "Under the sheltering sky" only with "pahk the cah" accents.
John Hamm's great- nice to see him "vanquished"- five day stubble, baggy eyes, defeated stare. Also good is Blake Lively "why is it me who's always getting used" in the obligatory white trash childhood girlfriend role.
It was a decent action movie with spectacular aerial shots of Boston and also great costuming. It was entertaining, but I really struggled with this whole idea that it's somehow ok to fall in love with your kidnapper- this idea just won't die. "But he was a nice kidnapper..." Girl, please. Although (spoiler!!) they don't technically wind up together, it's a sort of "maybe someday" situation, they certainly do have a relationship the audience is supposed to be rooting for. Ben's "likable Ben" in this movie, as opposed to "desperate puffy Ben".



The social network was the best movie that I saw. By "best" I mean overall artistically and based on merit, not on "love it!!".
From the director (David Fincher) to the pacing, to the set design, costuming, music, and ideas, it was totally absorbing. The casting was inspired. One of the most interesting things about the movie was it's hinting around about class warfare. One of the major conflicts in the movie, it's implied, comes from the jealousy of the inventor for his friends' acceptance into the final club "Phoenix". Also, the people he "steals" the idea from are Porcellians (one of whom is named Divian and I'm *totally using that name in my latest story*) , and this is played out very interestingly. The dialogue is crisp and punchy, although obviously not "accurate" (that would be a very dull movie). There's so much to take in, I'd like to see it again. I saw it on a sneak preview basis, which was very cool.