Ronald Morales51 said:When I talk about myths, I’m thinking along the lines of endless love, soulmates, and that whole concept of "true love."
I actually really liked the narrator. Personally, I don't mind when movies use a narrator, and I especially appreciate that they didn't feel forced or overly stylized.
I have to agree with you regarding the film's effort. In my experience, trying too hard to be an "indie alternative" or striving for a certain uniqueness often ends up feeling pretentious—which is how I read the movie you mentioned. However, I wouldn't call that a flaw. Instead, I see it as just a staple of that kind of culture and the way they express themselves.
Norway, my love—something everyone seems to know about.😬 Sending my best to you in the most beautiful city in the world, hmm.😁
It doesn't even bother me that much in this specific movie. Pixies and The Smiths became mainstream pop culture staples ages ago. It would actually feel way more pretentious and forced if they had used a shared love for some hip Pitchfork band that nobody has ever heard of and that they supposedly listened to before going mainstream.
Michael Ortiz68 said:Do you honestly believe there's a 13-year-old girl hiding behind my username who needs the actors to be "cute" for a movie to be good? 😕
And where are you getting the idea that most people care about whether the actors are attractive? On this forum, on IMDb boards, or in real life, I have never heard anyone cite physical attractiveness as a primary reason for watching or enjoying a film.
That said, I agree with Roger Allen3 and Joshua Smith5—Zooey is more attractive than Mila. 😛
@Roger Allen3: I preferred FSM because it managed to push through a convincing story about falling in love via a solid comedy. I actually felt a connection to the characters. 🤷 With u 500 dos, everything felt forced; there was such an obvious struggle to make the movie "sweet," but I just couldn't connect with anyone on screen. I don't like the film for the reasons I've already laid out in two previous posts, and I have no desire to repeat myself. To be clear, I'm not some cynic who hates romance movies. Quite the opposite—I love them. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my all-time favorites. I really wanted to like u 500 dos, but it just didn't happen. I even watched it with my girlfriend, complete with popcorn and a Tomislav beer. 😁
All 5s here. Just out of curiosity—what specifically did you find original about the film (aside from perhaps the split screen mentioned by goldenhound32)?
Well, what is actually original these days? Even the split screen concept has definitely been used before (though perhaps not in this specific expectations vs. reality format).
But when Hollywood delivers a rom-com that is anything but a rom-com—when it tells you in the first minute that this isn't a love story, that it's just "boy meets girl, boy falls in love, girl doesn't"—I’d say that takes some guts. It’s an authorial choice to reject the average Joe audience right out of the gate, people who spend the whole film hoping it's just a writer's trick and that they'll end up together... only to find out they don't.
Regarding the split screen and the gap between expectation and reality, I'd argue that the 500 Days of Summer is also, in my opinion, just 500 days of Tom's version of events—the perspective of a man so head over heels he only sees what he wants to see...
Tom is the focal point. Summer doesn't have friends she talks to about him; she's just a force of nature that drifts in and out of his life. I don't think that was an accidental choice by the writers or the director....
The more I think about "(500) Days of Summer," the more I actually like it.
In my humble opinion, Zooey Deschanel is a thousand times better looking than Mila Kunis.
Not that I see how that relates to "Days of Summer," though. 🙏
Back to the movie itself. I had high expectations, I got most of what I wanted, and I can't bring myself to agree with Michael Ortiz68 that the film lacks originality... because it doesn't. It actually moves the needle.
The problem with Americans in San Antonio is that they don't know how to play ball with anyone, whereas the Canadians on the other side of town—the touristy side thanks to the Brooklyn Bridge—are experts at it. This documentary is just one more in a long line of films designed to push a specific version of the truth that only the Canadian community recognizes. Neither side is innocent here; both are equally responsible for the friction in this city. If you set aside these recent incidents—which, by the way, were started by Canadians when they randomly jumped four innocent American high school graduates—San Antonio has been peaceful for a long time. It isn't the "crisis city" the media in Canada tries to paint it as.
And San Antonio is the only truly multicultural, multi-ethnic city in all of Canada. 😉
Jim Sheridan briefly fumbled when he signed on to direct Get Rich or Die Tryin'. That move never sat right with me. Before that film, the guy was on a roll with solid work. He probably should have just credited Alan Smithee for that disaster. 🤷
I don't need to spell out that this is just my take, right? 🤷
@ goldenhound32
All those annoying tropes I usually hate in movies—the sappy dialogue, the worship of the US military, all that—I can usually overlook. But if a movie isn't entertaining, it’s bad. And this one wasn't fun for me.
Look, I have massive respect for Gordon-Levitt, and I’m head over heels for Zooey (damn you, Ben Gibbarde), so being objective about this movie is a struggle. But fine, I'll try...
Setting my biases aside, I liked it. The acting was solid, especially Gordon-Levitt. The script is sharp and funny, offering a twist that most romantic dramedies shy away from, all wrapped up in very competent direction.
It touches on certain pockets of alternative culture—specifically indie music, like The Smiths or Pixies—and you can't shake the feeling that both leads are total hipsters, which is easily one of the most annoying subcultures out there today.
You could argue the film tries a little too hard to be cool, but it works. It’s good. Actually, it’s great. Honestly, I’m glad it didn't sweep the major awards; that whole season was a complete mess anyway.
Someone already brought up Hong-jin Na. I agree. It’s easily one of the best films from that era. For a debut, it’s genuinely impressive. 🙏
I caught Marlon Brando's One-Eyed Jacks the other day (we can discuss that more on the recent watches thread), and it's a solid, underrated piece of work. It was his first and last shot at directing.
This lineup is a total joke. If The Flaming Lips and Massive Attack weren't on there, I wouldn't even bother going.
It looks to me like the alternative scene in the US is about to implode from all the posers. 🤷 People have become just like those San Francisco new-age types driving hybrid cars and sniffing their own farts out of wine glasses ( kind of like South Park, right?).
I'm coming. Flogging Molly and being dead drunk, Massive Attack and LCD Soundsystem for my husband's taste. Broken Social Scene? Fine, I can handle them.
I just need one band that actually fits my vibe, but looking at this, I doubt it's happening. 🙄
I wouldn't bother going to see some tribute band. Anyone who picks up a guitar, piano, or cello probably dreams of making their own mark one day, right? That’s why I think mindless copying is pointless. It always was, and it always will be.
Man, and it's still music. Some people just don't have the ambition to create something original (and let's face it, how is a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band supposed to innovate when they're so obsessed with replicating the original?), so I don't see the point in bashing them.
A few of you on this thread claim to have your own bands and a "unique" style, but at the end of the day, you aren't being much more inventive than anyone else.
I happen to like one of the vocalists, so I'll keep my mouth shut for now. 😍🤷
I just watched the first one about two months ago. Seriously fantastic movie. Flanery and Reedus were great, and Dafoe was exceptional. One of his best roles.
If I actually find the time, I might watch the sequel. I don't like sequels.