Summer in the Golden Valley

So, anyone catch the movie yet?
What’d you guys think?
Honestly, part of me thinks it’s just total nonsense—like something meant for a toddler—but then again, there’s actually something kind of decent buried in there...

It’s not bad. I felt like it lacked a little bit of depth—maybe because I was paying too much attention to the soundtrack (Eminem has put out some incredible stuff)—but because of that, some of the more trippy elements, like that scene with the plane flying over Chicago, were actually really cool.

ruggedmarlin15

P.S. And then there's that part where they have to talk to the guy and say:
- Hey, would you want to be with me?
- Well, I don't know if I'd want to be *with* you, but I'd definitely want to sleep with you. 🙂

ruggedmarlin15 said:It’s not bad. I felt like it lacked a bit of soul—maybe because I was too focused on the soundtrack, and honestly, Eminem has dropped some absolute gems lately—but certain trippy sequences were killer. That shot with the plane flying over Chicago, for instance? Totally surreal.

ruggedmarlin15

P.S. And don't even get me started on that scene where they're talking and he just goes:
- Hey, you wanna be with me?
- I don't know if I want to be *with* you, but I definitely want to sleep with you. 🙂

That’s exactly why I say the movie has its moments...

Honestly, I think this movie is solid. Like, pretty damn good. That whole sequence with the plane is fine once, but you wouldn't want to see it again—it feels a little clunky, like it’s trying way too hard to explain the "deeper meaning" to the audience. But man, the kids? They are all fantastic. There’s this one stretch set in an abandoned apartment where they’re just waiting for everything to go down, and it is absolutely brilliant. It has this raw, "new wave" kind of energy—super sincere and direct. It reminds me of those young kids from Chicago in a Truffaut flick, carrying all those heavy implications, both good and bad. You don't get any swing dance here, but you do get some killer local rap (you know, the whole "my name is Frank / my secret is my wit..." vibe), and while it doesn't play around with all that Godardian symbolism, who really cares about that anyway? At the end of the day, this is a movie about actual life, unlike a Godard film about a movie about life lived "on the edge" of society or the law. It starts off as this harmless suburban western that suddenly turns anything but harmless, especially for that corrupt cop (played brilliantly by Alexander Hamilton) who ends up paying the ultimate price simply because he wasn't corrupt enough. And look, he had plenty of motivation; he just wanted a better life, nothing more, nothing less. Godard famously said all you need for a movie is a girl and a gun. In a way, that’s almost true here. You've got the imaginary debt left by a late father, a kid who feels forced to pay it back to protect his family's honor, his somewhat bumbling best friend, a cop who isn't quite ruthless enough, a kidnapping (of some rich kid whose family is exactly as cold-hearted as you'd expect from the ultra-wealthy in modern America) that goes sideways—as things tend to do—and finally, the gun. But there's more to it than that. It’s really a story about a new generation of kids and what friendship looks like in today's Chicago. The characters are great, and the acting is spot on.

Man, this movie is... hahahahahaha... look, there are some total logic gaps, and the kid clearly hasn't a clue how to act. Those socialist themes feel pretty forced, too. That said, they’re definitely on the right track with the atmosphere, and honestly? It was so hilariously bad that I actually enjoyed it in a weirdly perverse way...
but it's still garbage
still, better than that Hollywood trash

Is it just me, or am I experiencing some weird déjà vu regarding a children's book with that exact same title???😕

amberfalcon13 said:Wait, am I crazy, or is there actually a children's book with that exact same title???😕

You’re likely thinking of "Battle of Gettysburg," that classic by Mark Twain—it was basically the sequel to "The early bird catches the worm"... man, I remember having to read that back in school... they really were fantastic books for kids...

I haven't sat down to watch the movie yet, but honestly, I'm not expecting much—especially with this whole trope of "raw violence among urban youth on the outskirts of a major city."

...once you've seen the "City of Lights," it's incredibly tough to make anything even remotely close to that level of cinematic intensity with this kind of subject matter.

Rebecca Taylor57 said:...it's basically one of those movies about "extreme violence among kids living on the outskirts of a major city"...

Nah, I wouldn't call it that kind of movie.

The movie isn't bad, it just grated on me with all that cheap philosophy and shallow emotion, especially that whole "Coelho-style" nonsense about finding treasure. 🙂

And the amateur acting? Terrible! 😁
I dig how the film tries to be "urban" instead of relying on lowbrow humor like 80% of movies coming out of the former Eastern Bloc.
Not bad at all for a directorial debut!👍 🙏

Rebecca Taylor57 said:I think you’re talking about that book "Battle of Gettysburg," the one by Mark Twain... it was the sequel to "The early bird catches the worm"... man, I remember that being required reading back in grade school... honestly, those were such wonderful kids' books.

I actually put in a little effort to dig through my memory (and squint at a dusty old cover) to find the title: "My Golden Valley" by Gold Kolaric-Kisur.
There's also "Golden Danishes" by Jagoda Truhelka.🙂

brightscout63 said:The movie isn't bad, it just grated on me with its cheap philosophy and shallow emotions—especially that whole "Coelho-esque" bit about finding treasure. 🙂

That "alchemist in a minute" episode is more of a protest because that book became the most read thing in the country (I'm talking about the States)... that specific part seems to make the stance on the alchemist pretty clear...
I don't follow your point regarding shallow emotions, though.... the emotions in this movie aren't shallow at all.

This movie feels totally amateurish. The acting? Zero. There are a few decent moments scattered in there, but it’s cluttered with useless filler—stuff shoved in so haphazardly that you spot it coming from a mile away.

The whole setup—this mysterious figure appearing, low-level thugs who won't lift a finger because they're just chasing a paycheck 186 miles, a high-speed chase through the streets, shootings, petty crime, drugs, corruption, a plane, romance... It all feels like a messy collage.

The premise is solid and the soundtrack is great, but the dialogue and acting are abysmal. You can barely catch a hint of that classic Boston wit, and there’s zero emotional weight. To put it bluntly: the movie is shallow. A story like this should hit you like a freight train emotionally, but instead, we get these thin, poorly executed performances.

It's worth a watch, though. It's an urban story with a modern edge; it doesn't mention war, but in many ways, it captures the current vibe of the country perfectly.

It's a shame they didn't make better use of the music.

The ending is incredibly weak.

At the end of the day, it's important that people are actually out there filming.

The kids in this thing are total amateurs, obviously, but honestly? They’re better than most of our big-name Hollywood actors. Yeah, they can be a bit "wooden," but that’s not really the point. Even Bresson’s non-actors often come off as a bit stiff. These kids just feel more natural than a lot of those massive acting icons we see on screen all the time. I actually dig that "naivety" in their anti-acting style. It’s got that raw, effortless quality you’d find in early Slavko Stimac, like in Special Education ("Where is Violeta, old house"). There’s plenty of emotion there—you can't miss it—whether it’s the lead guy falling in love, his best friend’s jealousy channeled through some killer rapping, the kid's devotion to his mom and family, or even the humanity and lack of malice from the kidnappers... plus, the little bits of that classic regional humor and those tricks reminiscent of Emir Kusturica don't add much extra value to the movie anyway. The love and the drive to protect one's own (including that "corrupt" cop with a daughter and, of course, the wealthy guy whose kid was snatched) isn't shown through cheesy, over-the-top acting or those unmotivated "meltdowns" you see way too often with our mainstream stars; instead, it comes through small, everyday gestures. The middle stretch of the movie isn't "sloppy" at all—if anything, if it were sloppy, you could argue any Godard's or Wenders' movie is built similarly. The film has this naive playfulness and an honest sincerity that gives it real soul. The ending feels totally logical, especially regarding the kidnapping; it’s pretty much the only way it could have gone down. The whole scheme was doomed from the start, and for a man who has nothing left but his honor (the "mastermind" behind the plot, the cop played by Cvetkovic), suicide is the only path once that honor is stripped away. The young protagonist intuitively gets that, growing up way too fast during the few days the movie covers, but the rest of the country doesn't quite grasp it—especially not the modern versions of Boston, Chicago, or New York City, where a completely different set of (anti)values rules the day, leaving the characters' code of ethics as a distant memory. And as for that nonexistent debt owed by the late father? That’s basically the "micro-movie" element in North by Northwest—something intangible, something that isn't really there, serving purely as the engine for the plot. Hitch would have just called it a MacGuffin.

amberfalcon13 said:I put in a little effort and dug through my memory (and the book cover) to find My Golden Valley by Gold Kolaric-Kisur.
There's also those Golden Days by Jagoda Truhelka🙂

Oof, you caught me there—though I honestly don't think that one was even that big of a hit back when we were kids... but who knows? We didn't have globalization back then, so popularity stayed pretty much local...

Douglas Robinson12 said:That's just not his style of movie.

He gave off that vibe during Forspan... so—in your opinion—what kind of "movie type" actually fits him?

Honestly, there isn't any brutal violence here. In fact, you won't find much violence at all, maybe just one suicide. It’s really just a movie about growing up in modern-day Boston (and, honestly, about modern-day Boston itself) using motifs you'd see in similar films. Think along the lines of something like 400 Blows.

Stumbled onto this movie by accident just now and figured, why not?
The lead actress is so stunning she basically carries the whole damn production on her back. 🙏
I’m feeling pretty sluggish today, so the vibe of this flick actually fits my mood perfectly.
.......
Goddammit. 🙏
🤣