Greenberg

My friend Aleise and I both work from home so we’ve started doing a “floating office”. The other day when we closed up shop at Tea Spot we headed to the Angelika to see Greenberg, directed and written by Noah Baumbach, director of The Squid and the Whale.

Roger Greenberg is on a trip back to his hometown of LA after suffering a nervous breakdown in New York. In addition to reconnecting with old friends and bandmates, he begins an odd (to say the least) relationship with his brother’s personal assistant, Florence.

Roger and Florence are like each other’s inverted selves, so much so that they serve almost a character double helix, weaving in and out of each other in a confusion of what they want and what they think they want. While Roger is adamant about his desire to “do nothing” it is clear that in actuality his lack of success has embedded in him a deep self loathing which he attempts to abate by an artificial self-inflation and being a jerk to pretty much everyone. Meanwhile, Greta expresses admiration for his ability to do nothing and says she wishes she could feel comfortable doing the same while, in actuality, is seemingly quite happy with her easy, dead-end job and paired down life. More than anything, Greenberg is about the confusion of human desire, our tendency to try to deny our natures and the repercussions this reaps on our lives.

I was really looking forward to seeing this film and my expectations were still exceeded. Ben Stiller managed to… well, not seem like Ben Stiller (which, based on the movies I’ve seen him in before, is quite a feat). Roger Greenberg is so painfully, anxiously self aware (to the exclusion of everyone else) that you get sucked into his world view and find yourself squirming anxiously in your seat. It also begs that the academy add a category for Most Awkward Sex Scene of all Time, for which it would surely be a shoe-in.

The Ghost Writer

I actually had no idea what this movie was about before I went to see it. My girlfriend Keeli wanted to see it and I was game.

I can’t really give that deep of an analysis on this one because it was pretty much your standard political thriller type movie. Not a great film, but a lot of fun to watch. There were some impressive twists that I didn’t see coming. It felt very Hitchcock in its themes and execution. Definitely worth seeing, though you could probably be just as happy renting it as seeing it in the theatre.

The Runaways

Another viewing experience with my good friend Leah (only, unlike last time, the movie didn’t totally suck). We went to the AMC Lowes by my place on the Upper East Side.

First of all: Dakota Fanning, what the hell? When did you go through puberty? I swear to god she was 7 and following around a mentally disabled Sean Penn just a couple years ago. They sure do grow up fast. And congrats to Kristen Stewart for getting to be in something a little less (a lot less!) ridiculous than Twilight. I might actually sort of respect you now (sort of).

Basically your typical Rock ‘n’ Roll eye-candy movie, though lacking the craftsmanship of something like Velvet Goldmine. The decent into drugs and destruction seemed a little rushed to me (one minute we’re fine, occasionally drinking, the next we’re passed out in a phone booth, jacked up on god knows what). But hey, it’s a rock movie. My low expectations were actually exceeded.

A fun way to spend a Friday night. I definitely recommend this one.

Crazy Heart

Whoopsie! Okay, I’ll admit, I’m behind on the reviews. I’ve been seeing my movies but stressing out about the reviews. So let me knock off the last 3 in as succinct a manner as possible.

First, we have Crazy Heart. This was a beautiful movie (though I think this is thanks more to the location scout than the director). Both Jeff Bridges Maggie Gyllenhaal give  great performance. I was cringing with concern about how Maggie would handle the southern accent but, as a former Georgia resident, I can say she handles her drawl well.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the film was tainted. Basic plot outline: Aging boozer dude with long hair, used to be famous but now his career is fading, falls in love with younger woman (who has a kid), ultimately finds redemption in career when love can’t do the trick. Oh, and throw in being a dead beat dad who now wishes to reconnect with your grown up kid. Sound familiar? If you’ve seen The Wrestler then it should sound way too familiar.

It in’t that storied of this type are unusual, and certainly the wrestler wasn’t the first (any movie buffs out there want to give earlier examples?). But given that they were released only a year apart I find it irksome. And, frankly, The Wrestler (not to mention Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei) did a much better job.

Still, very much worth seeing: This movie is both melancholic and uplifting, a great choice for someone looking for a great emotional movie-going experience (especially if you haven’t seen The Wrestler yet).