Friday, March 11, 2011

Taking Advantage of the Big City

As many of you may know, the state of Illinois south of Chicago (with a few exceptions) is a cultural void. Mostly this bugs me when it comes to what movies come to BloNo. A lot of movies that I get really excited for either never come or come way late. Number one example: 127 Hours. Did you know that movie actually came out in NOVEMBER??? It was so frustrating that it didn't come out at home until the end of January. Ridiculous. A lot of the movies this year did that. But that was the most extreme and upsetting.

So, being in the Phoenix area, one of the first or second run cities in the U.S, we went and saw two movies that will probably never see the light of day (or I guess the light of the projector) in Bloomington. When I was at school last year, it was awesome because I actually got all the movies. (Paranormal Activity being the most notable. I saw it a month before people here saw it!)

First we saw Blue Valentine. It stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. She was even nominated for best actress; however, she got virtually NO attention. I remember first getting excited about it when Entertainment Weekly gave it rave reviews and named it one of the 25 movies you should see before the Oscars. It's about a failing relationship. Its kind of a slow moving, dramatic film, but I definitely got invested in the characters. I found myself trying to figure out their story and trying to see what went wrong along the line. I was right there with Michelle in her embarrassment, regret, and sadness. Boy, was it sad. I think it was very good because it reminded me a lot of my own life, and I think it's pretty relatable for a lot of people. I liked it because it was very realistic; it wasn't one of those cookie-cutter movies. Ryan and Michelle had great chemistry and they both had great performances. Especially Michelle.

The other movie we saw, which was like the polar opposite of Blue Valentine, was Cedar Rapids. It is about an insurance convention in, you guessed it, Cedar Rapids. It stars Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, and Anne Hesche, and it's just a really fun, funny movie. Ed Helms plays Tom Lippe, a insurance salesman from a very small town in Wisconsin who has never left that town. So, when he gets to the "big city," mayhem ensues. This movie was extremely funny. I loved how they glorified Cedar Rapids like it is Las Vegas or something. The case is definitely what made this movie, especially John C. Reilly. He had some great lines. He really is just an awesome actor. Ronald was really funny, too. The way he spoke was hilarious. The one thing that bothered me was that the movie tried to incorporate serious elements where they just didn't fit. They tried to have John C. Reilly sad about his ex wife, but it was just awkward. It only worked when he was saying bad things about her. Then, they brought it up, and never revisited it again. That being said, apart from that minor speed bump, it was awesome. I highly recommend that you watch it if you're looking for a good time.

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