One Day

The cleverness of this story is that it takes place on a single day, July 15, over several years.  It charts the relationship between Emma Morely (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) as they grow from twenty-somethings to forty-somethings, try to figure out what to do with their lives, and wonder if they will end up together or not.  It’s based on the book of the same name by David Nichols.

I didn’t really care for the book, so I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t really love the movie, either.  It’s not a terrible film or an awful story, it’s just that I don’t really like the characters, and I don’t really care whether Emma and Dexter are happy or not because I think they’re both kind of selfish and immature jerks.  The movie adaptation made them slightly more likeable by omitting some of the less-than-flattering storylines, but it’s still a story about two people who may or may not get together.  Who cares?  If that’s the way you want to spend a Saturday afternoon, fine, it won’t hurt you, but there’s really nothing very compelling, thought-provoking, or insightful here.

Anne's accent could have used a LOT more work. It was pretty bad, too nasal, and it came and went.

At one point, Dexter’s sickly mother tells her son,

“I know that you’re going to be a good person, kind, loving, good…but I don’t think you’re there yet.  And I worry that you’re not very nice anymore.”

She’s right.  At this point in his life Dexter is hosting a cheesy late-night television show, partying and drinking every night.  He does, eventually, grow up and become a ‘good person’, more responsible at least, less of a drunken mess.  But it isn’t because he’s striving for any particular standard or facing and actively overcoming his shortcomings, it’s just because he gets…older.  How utterly uninspiring.

Dex: "I'd still like to read those poems. What rhymes with Dexter?" Em: "Prick. It's a half-rhyme."

Maybe some people find this story incredibly romantic, that two people who have been “just friends” for years but always carried a flame for each other might one day get together at last.  But I just found it annoying.  Dexter is a pig, admitting:

“I do fancy you.  The problem is I pretty much fancy everyone!”

This come shortly after he makes fun of her modesty, when she is reluctant to skinny dip with him.

“You’re such a prude!  Why are you such a prude?”

What a guy.  Emma, for some reason, continues to hold out hope.  At first I sympathized with her, but after a while I wanted to shake her and ask why she insisted on pining over this guy who is clearly not worth it for so many years.  I get that you can’t always help who you like.  I get that she had feelings for him and they kinda-sorta dated once.  I don’t get why I’m supposed to think it’s a good idea to keep clinging to memories and dreams from the past, over a guy no less, instead of moving on.  Do I sound like I’m not a romantic?  I’m sorry, I think there’s a place for romance, but I’m pretty sure we serve a God who asks that we not let our passions rule our lives.  At least find something constructive to do instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.

This story can’t even be used as an example of Romans 8:28, which says “And we know that in all things God works for the good…” because the rest of the verse continues “…of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  There’s no purpose-ing going on in these jokers’ lives at all, much less God’s.  They’re not even “waiting” for each other, they each get involved with other people that they don’t really like as much because…who knows.  Because they can’t be bothered to hold out?  Because it isn’t a movie about self-control or striving for anything?

Maybe I’m being too hard on this movie.  I’ll end with a semi-positive, but it’s a spoiler, so don’t read past this picture if you don’t want to know how it ends..

"I love you Dexter, so much...I just don't like you anymore." -Emma

***SPOILER ALERT***  After Emma dies, Dexter and his widower father share the following exchange:

 “I don’t want a heart-to-heart, do you?  Except to say, that I think the best thing that you could do, would be to try to live your life as if Emma were still here.”–Dad

“ I don’t think I can.”–Dexter

“‘Course you can.  What do you think I’ve been doing for the past 10 years?”—Dad

I guess in a way that’s similar to the way that Christians should be living out their lives aware of an invisible presence, always trying to do what God wants us to even if it doesn’t always seem like he’s tangibly “here”.  ***END SPOILER***

It’s not terrible, but it’s annoying enough that watching this movie was One Day of my life that I won’t be reliving.

Digest Movies: pagelady’s Top 5 2011 Summer Movies

I know.  I’m way behind on my posts.  I actually didn’t go to the theater for three weeks in a row, if you can believe that.  If you’ve been following my Twitter you know what I’ve been watching, and I’ll try to get reviews for all of them up eventually.

I meant to post this a while ago, and summer is definitely over now so I guess it’s not too late.  Here are my top five movies (from the ones that I personally saw) for this past summer:

X-Men:First Class was just outstanding.  I loved the character development so, so much.  No question this is my favorite X-Men movie to date.  It’s probably best if you’ve seen the other X-men movies before watching this one, though.

Captain America: The First Avenger was a good old fashioned hero movie, and it was great.  Steve Rogers was such a good guy.  I can’t wait to see his struggle to maintain his optimism and virtue, having been frozen for 40 years, when he joins the rest of the Avengers crew next summer.  That. should. be. epic!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes cannot be hyped enough.  It was amazing.  Everyone raved over the special effects, and there is no question they were outstanding, but what I found most impressive was how much story (and emotion) was told by the wordless expressions of Andy Serkis’ motion-captured Caesar.

Attack the Block was awesome.  I loved it.  LOVED IT!  It was a joy to watch.  But I realize it won’t be for everyone.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 is obviously a must-watch.  I mean, it’s Harry Potter.  And it’s the last Harry Potter.  This wasn’t my favorite Potter film, (that would probably be Half Blood Prince or else Prisoner of Azkaban), and no movie will ever rival the books, but still…it’s Harry Potter.  And this was a good movie, full of great scenes.  And I’ve already aired all my grievances against it.

Attack the Block

I heard other movie reviewers and bloggers raving about this film all summer.  When it finally came to my theater, it was only here for a week.  It didn’t get marketed the same way many other films are, so a lot of people who probably would have loved it didn’t know about it.  Well, I’m glad I got the chance to see it, because I loved it!  It is not for everyone, because it’s rated R for some violent death scenes and for language, (but it’s cussing with an accent!  See my dialogue analysis here), but it was different from your typical hero-vs-alien story, and it had one of the best character arcs of the summer.

Fair warning, this review is pretty spoiler-y.  Stop reading now if you don’t want to know what happens.

In the beginning, we see Sam, a young nurse, walking home amidst sidewalk chaos and fireworks (because it’s Guy Fawkes Day).  She is accosted and mugged by a gang of juvenile delinquents, led by the toughest of the little tough guys, Moses.  (I don’t really think he’s comparable to the Biblical Moses figure, except that he leads the group.)  The mugging is interrupted by something falling from the sky and crash-landing into a nearby parked car.  It’s a creature, that claws Moses’ face when he investigates, and then runs off.  Filled with furious anger, Moses leads his gang after alien to exact a violent revenge.

And boy, is it violent.  The boys’ group kill was very reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, the way they all join in and chant around the dead body afterwards.  I was a little shocked by how violent they were, how they were so easily persuaded to join in a murderous act.  But it’s not that much of a stretch for them, growing up on the streets in this neighborhood where strength and violence rule, (as demonstrated by the drug-dealing Hi-Hatz, who perpetually pulls out a gun and spits “this is my block!”).  The boys are pretty proud of themselves, thinking they’ve somehow proven their manhood.  And Moses accepts an invitation by Hi-Hatz to become on of “his” boys and climb that social ladder.  Because that’s legitimately the path he sees as being the most successful.

But then, the boys see more capsules meteoring to earth.  And they rile themselves up to go “killin’ ’em straight up!”, only to find that these new creatures are bigger, fiercer, and more dangerous and deadly than their first extraterrestrial victim.  But before they can make it safely back indoors, Sam identifies the hoodlums and the police arrest Moses, locking him inside their van just before they are conveniently eaten by aliens.  The rest of the gang distract the aliens (with firecrakcers) and free Sam and Moses from the police van.

“Ain’t you gonna thank us for saving your life?” snaps Moses.  “My [effing] hero,” responds a still-angry-about-being-mugged Sam, yet she stays with the gang for the rest of the film (out of necessity).  At one point, a boy spouts logic that he probably learned from watching movies and concedes, well, yeah, we attacked her, but then we saved her, so everything was cool.  “We’re heroes,” he proclaims. Sam’s assessment of the situation is less romantic; “Five of you with knives against one woman?  [Eff] off.”  I liked that this story didn’t gloss over the boys’ faults, and didn’t add to the plethora of films that proclaim past errors can be negated by a noble deed or a grand gesture.

is it safer to stay in the elevator, or make a run for it down the hall?

It’s the same message that one of the characters has for Moses, when it becomes clear that the aliens are targeting him:

“You know that little one you killed before?  That was a mistake.  Actions have consequences, y’know?  Everywhere you go bad things happen.  Stay away from us, Moses.”

Eventually, accepting that he is responsible for all the destruction and casualties that the results of his actions led to, Moses prepares to embark on a last-ditch, suicidal solo mission to save what’s left of his friends, as well as the innocents in the neighborhood at large.  He has experienced and learned enough in the last hour to look back at that savage beating of the crash-landed alien in the beginning as a serious mistake;

“Wish I’d never chased after that thing….I killed that thing.  I brought dem in da block.  I’ve gotta finish what we started.”

In the aftermath of the planet-saving, alien-ending explosions, the police catch up with Moses again and re-arrest him.  The friends and neighbors that witnessed the earlier extraterrestrial terrors and Moses’ brave, self-sacrificing final stand and booing the police and chanting for their new hero, but the movie ends with Moses in handcuffs in a police van.  I love this ending, because it’s in keeping with everything else the story had said up to that point–actions have consequences, one good deed doesn’t outweigh a bad one.  And Moses did pull a knife on Sam and rob her, he was trafficking illegal substances, he fled the scene of a crime, etc.  And he still has to account for those actions.  He’s smiling, though, at the recognition from at least a segment of society, that he’s worth something, and it leaves me with a hopeful feeling that he won’t continue to look up to someone like Hi-Hatz as an example of manhood to aspire to.

Moses, the unlikely hero

It’s pretty obvious that another message in this movie is a social commentary on the way poor urban communities are overlooked or negatively stereotyped. It’s implied that Moses and his gang are at least in part products of their environment, neglected, underprivileged, and trapped.  The boys are on the front lines fighting the invading aliens, and their efforts are never overshadowed or overtaken by experienced military or SWAT teams (like you would expect from most alien invasion movies) in part because no-one believes them.  And I guess the chaos that they cause in the neighborhood just isn’t noticed as unusual or unexpected by the outside authorities.  So the old “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” adage applies here, I suppose; you might label someone as a no-good hooligan, but they might be saving your life..from aliens.  Maybe people just need to be given a chance, to show they are capable of rising to greatness, like  Moses.

Overall, this was just a tremendously fun movie to watch.  The storytelling was excellent, the pacing was great, it was alternately suspenseful, emotional, shocking, scary, heart-warming, fist-pumping, and hilarious.  Moses’ maturation in one bizarre night is thrilling and inspiring, and while it doesn’t directly correspond to any Biblical parallels that I can think of, I’d call this a must-watch.  If you’re old enough.