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james00769
Reviews
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Great Movie. Great Quotes. Great Rewatchability
This is one of those movies that you can watch 1,000 times and still be entertained. It's great when you are young and thinking about what highschool might be like (even though highschool today is a lot different then it was back then), but it also is good to watch and think back to your own highschool days. So basically this movie is perfect no matter what age you are. You'll be quoting this movie right after you watch it and years to come after that. Doesn't get a perfect rating because I don't really like the lead in it. He's okay, but looks like a girl that I know....and since he's a dude it's kind of off putting.
The Truth About Average Guys (2009)
You gotta wait for the funny, but it's worth the wait!
This movie starts out slow, but the comedy quickly picks up about 10 minutes into the movie. At first I thought this movie was going to be about making fun of people with disabilities, but it wasn't like that at all. Sure there were some parts that may offend some people, but I feel like you could say that about any great comedy. This movie reminds me a lot of the Judd Appatow movies, but with Farrelly brother's moments mixed in.
The low budget is noticeable, but never takes away from the film at all. You can notice it in some underlit scenes and muffled sound, but the acting in the movie is solid across the board. If you are looking for a good laugh, then this movie has to be on your list.
The Graduates (2008)
Too many forced messages and forced character development
I feel like this movie didn't know exactly what it wanted to be. Also, it seemed to bend the truth a little too much in its trailer. Almost posing as a throw back to 80s sex comedies, but then ending up being another indie movie about finding yourself. I felt like it tried too hard to develop some characters that didn't need to be developed, and thus all of the characters ended up without real depth. I think if the movie just focused on the four main characters then it would've been much better.
Some forced moments were 1) When the hot girl goes to the bar with her alcoholic boyfriend and sees an ugly old drunk woman in the bar. As if she were looking into the future. This was hit over our head and not needed. Because the movie never sets up this character as someone to care about.
2) The divorce of the main characters parents. He finds out they are getting a divorce and it really messes him up....for one scene. Then it is completely forgotten about and never brought up again. I'm not really sure why it was brought up in the first place.
Those are the two that jumped off the screen for me, but there were others in the movie. Like the creepy friend of the older brother. What was the point of him? He came in and out of the movie and never added anything. or the guy that made Josh realize there is more to life than partying at beach week. Only to end up being miserable as well later in the film for a scene between him and another character that is mostly irrelevant. How come those two get a moment together? Is the message that you are going to be miserable no matter what you decide to do with your life?
Having said that (Curb Your Enthusiasm joke anyone?), this movie was enjoyable to watch. Mainly because I loved some of the performances. Josh Adam Davis as the older brother was perfect. He added a little Will Ferrell to the character that really made it memorable. (Watch him explain the "brushing back the hair" phenomenon with Will Ferrell in mind and you'll know what I am talking about.) Blake Merriman was hilarious in the movie. His acting was so understated which made his character more believable. I'd love to see Nick Vergara in something else to find out if he was actually acting or just playing himself in this movie. I really enjoyed him in the scene where he teaches Nickie a lesson about acting stupid and starting fights. I would also like to see Rob Bradford in another role as his performance was at times really grounded and believable and other times forced. Which leads me to believe that the director may have been forcing his vision on Bradford instead of letting the actor create a believable character throughout the film.