Posts by amberbison7

A total classic. 👍
It’s definitely one of my all-time favorites from back when I was just a kid growing up.

I honestly think the issue here is just that you went in with way too much expectation. Personally, I don't expect anything from a movie—especially when it comes to American productions—so I can't really be disappointed. Every now and then, something actually manages to pleasantly surprise me...

"In the waiting room, he meets a girl who’s hiding her epilepsy because she’s young, insecure, and emotionally unstable, much like himself, but the music playing through her headphones will reveal a whole new world to him, making him realize they are soulmates."
What exactly led you to that conclusion? Is it just because when she lets him listen to "Shinse," she claims it’ll change his life? During the song, we just get a series of close-ups of her, which I assume is meant to signal to the audience how sweet and endearing she is. That’s all. Just my two cents.
As for that bit with the kids holding hands while crossing the street—I didn't find it pathetic at all; I actually saw it as a small touch of wit. There isn't even any traffic, just some damn toad in the road, yet they cross a tiny little path like that...
Regarding the whole "pathos" debate, I don't necessarily view sentimentality as a bad thing. Truth be told, I'm a huge fan of Balašević, which makes "Garden State" look ultra-light on the sentimentality scale...
Sometimes I just feel like watching a movie like this, just like I enjoy listening to Balašević, which some people might dismiss as "cheap melodrama." Does that make me low-class or tasteless? Not really—it's not like I'm sitting around listening to bubblegum pop...
If putting together a great soundtrack were actually that easy, there would be a lot more movies that nailed it...
Staying on topic: tastes vary. Like any other movie, some people will love it and others won't. For me, it was great.

Scott Campbell4 said:Are you talking about movies with similar themes?

First thing that comes to mind is 'Room of My Son,' though I also really liked 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' if you were thinking of that (or he was?)...

Don't take this the wrong way, but Garden State feels a bit too much like an attempt to make American Pie "deep"... when really it's just shallowly packed with enough tropes to grab the widest possible audience—people who don't actually watch much beyond stuff like American Pie and then react with, "Wow, man, what a profound movie!"... or "Oh, look how cute the actor is!"... yeah, right. Just watch Friends and stop acting like there are these massive emotional pillars like Garden State out there; there isn't much difference... I don't mean you personally, just generally speaking, based on everything I've read about this movie on message boards that actually made me decide to check it out.

For starters, I'm not a fan of American Pie, and Friends was only fun for maybe the first two seasons.
I honestly have no idea how you can even put this movie in the same sentence as something as mindless as American Pie.
In your post, you didn't actually say anything specific about what disappointed you.
So, I'll be the one to get specific.
I think this movie works on several different levels...
The protagonist waking up from a years-long lethargy caused by medication, his gradual rediscovery of feeling, his start at living a "real" life...
What I loved most was the depiction of a lost generation—and that's not something unique to the US. Every time I walk through my old neighborhood, I see exactly the kind of people portrayed in this film. They have no drive to work, very few go to school, they take soul-crushing dead-end jobs, and they have absolutely no clue what they want out of life...
They live by the mantra, "From waking up to hitting the journal, I killed another day..."
They try to drown their sadness and disappointment in alcohol and drugs...
If the movie were only what I just described, it would already deserve a high rating. And there's honestly so much more to it...
You really need to watch it a couple of times. The cinematography is excellent and the soundtrack is perfect.

In short, it’s a beautiful movie with a top-tier soundtrack.👍

Solid movie. I caught it in a theater with maybe ten other people...🙄
It’s an engaging, grounded story—no cheap moralizing here—and the lead actress was absolutely stunning...
There were a few moments where I actually felt a knot in my stomach. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing you'd want to watch right before needing to hit the restroom
😁.
The director is American, though he shot this in Spain using some relatively unknown Colombian actors. If this is his debut feature, I’m genuinely curious to see what his next project looks like.

I didn't hate it. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it’s definitely worth a watch. I don't smoke or drink coffee myself—so I can't say for sure if they truly captured the essence of that "religious ritual" aspect of addiction, or that specific kind of obsession...
I really enjoyed the segments featuring Tom Waits, the White Stripes, and Alfred Molina. And Bill Murray, as usual, was just brilliant.

Andriy Shevchenko
2.Thierry Henry
3.Kaká

I’m really hoping things take a turn for the better than they have been up to this point.