#guild 45th

[jusobo-blog]

I've never been to a movie alone. It was oddly freeing to fly solo but also be surrounded by so many others -- and it was also the perfect movie to see alone. And I even splurged and bought popcorn AND a soda. Support small biz, right? Then my bus was 10 minutes delayed so I walked home. Perfect winter soloventure.

[pulp-diction]

Z: Seeing The Descendants is definitely worth it. I was a little ambivalent at first; like I knew I wanted to see it, but I wasn’t sure how much or what it would end up being like. But it was really quality. F: Yes, well I am a big fan of Alexander Payne and its been about 7 years since his last masterpiece Sideways.  Payne is probably up there with Judd Apatow and Jason Reitman as the masters of comedy-dramas of the 00’s and beyond. Z: This is the first movie I’ve seen by him, but it was really good. I’ll have to go look up his old stuff. I thought the way he used tones and colors in the movie was really interesting. It’s set in Hawaii, so there’s no real way around the general cheerful, sunny, beach palette he has to work with. You would think this would contrast or dissolve some of the tension and sadness that this family is going through but somehow Payne made it add to it in a really elegant way. It set up the characters and their lives wonderfully. F: I definitely agree.  He really makes love to the Island of Hawaii with his camera, and he was really able to capture the spirit of the island without being cliche.  Payne definitely walks the line delicately between cheerful exposition and somber restraint, much as he is able to walk the line between the comedic and dramatic aspects of the film. Z: Exactly! Because the situation that George Clooney’s character and his family find themselves in is all around awful. But somehow their problems aren’t offset or disregarded by the cheerfulness associated with Hawaii. Payne worked well with his own direction without changing what the writing intended. The writing of this movie (since we haven’t talked about it yet) was superb. F: Indeed, the writing, much like the tone of the film was chalk full of subtly, which was fully conveyed by the actors themselves. Clooney really breaks out of his normal role as a suave Casanova and assimilates himself into the role as an every-day man.  Every aspect of his performance is spot on.  His slight manipulations in facial expression and body language are completely spine-bending.  The scene that is firmly etched in my mind is when he learns that his  a coma’d wife is cheating on him.  Clooney uses the entire scale of his acting ability to compose a minuet of the of the human condition. Z: Yeah, he really captured exactly what he had to in this movie. Nothing about his performance was overdone; it all seemed (almost too) real. Basically everyone nailed it in this movie. Even Shailene Woodley from (.....) Secret Life of the American Teenager. Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer both step outside of (what I’ve seen of) their comfort zones and masterfully capture their characters. I think the part I really appreciated about it was how dedicated the film was to telling Matt’s story. It wasn’t sidetracked with finding him a romantic interest or changing everything about his life. Nothing about the movie felt forced; it all seemed like the logical thing Matt and his family should be feeling and doing to move on. F: The score and soundtrack should also not be ignored.  There is a very calming and relaxing feel to the soundtrack that feels like the wind and waves blowing and breaking on the beaches of Hawaii.  It is seamlessly worked in, to act as a foil to the high intensity scenes.  Everything in this movie just works.  Payne incorporates so many subtle elements to create a mosaic of cinematic genius.   Z: Yes. Conclusion: go see this movie. #savecommunity