fredericks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fredericks) wrote2011-10-01 12:34 pm
fredericks) wrote2011-10-01 12:34 pm
(no subject)
Yesterday turned out to be made of a variety of win. Went into the city and met with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
captainschlumpy, then ended up strolling up and down 42nd street from Grand Central Station to 9th Ave. We watched 50/50 together and, I gotta say, I really enjoyed it.
The main thing I liked about the movie was how light it felt. Not trite, mind, but even though it dealt with the very real very serious issue of living and coping with cancer, there wasn't any moralistic preaching or an information dump in regards to treatment or the medical system in the States. And there was a subtlety to the writing that I really appreciated. When we met our protagonist (Adam) we follow him running on empty urban streets early in the morning (Seattle, I think it was) and he seems quite focused. Then we see him stop at a crosswalk because it indicates as much, and the camera stays on him patiently jogging in place as he waits for the crosswalk indicator to say "walk" so he can proceed. He stays on the curb, jogging in place waiting for the light to change, even though there's absolutely no traffic and even though another jogger breezes right by him and crosses against the red. THAT was the moment I fell in love with the character and with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance. The viewer learns oodles about the Adam without the use of dialogue. Some might consider the entire sequence too heavy-handed, but after dealing with so much American dumification (if that's not a word or an actual term, it should be) it struck me as almost a breath of fresh air. Then, finally, when the light changes Adam jogs across the street - but as he's crossing we see him wince and grasp his lower back. Runner's cramp? Or something up. We know something's up from the trailers and previews, but still, it's a nice segue. Without him having to say "My back is really bothering me."
There were many other touches that I enjoyed as well. There was one bit where the camera panned in on Adam in his oncologist's office where he's reading a pamphlet titled "Living with Incontinence." That throw-away got a little laugh from the audience, but as a medical person I loved the way that it captured the issue with incontinence that Adam most likely would have been dealing with because of his lower back pain and discomfort and (confirmed) malignancy growth. We didn't need a scene where Adam pissed his bed or had an accident in public, we could maybe draw that conclusion ourselves. And, even if it wasn't relevant to Adam's condition, it again lends the viewer insight into the personality of Adam. The NY Times review for this movie was positive, but the reviewer said that the writing and JGL's portrayal didn't allow the viewer to form a connection with Adam. Far from it, I think I got Adam in a deep way that I'm having a hard time getting across here. Adam's girlfriend Rachel ends up cheating on him while he's undergoing his chemotherapy treatment. I think other films would have gone out of their way to villanize a character who did something like that, but I appreciated the way that Rachel did not end up sneering her way out the door once her deception was discovered. Bryce Howard made it clear that Rachel still cared for Adam, but couldn't see through her own guilt about his diagnosis and her self-centered actions and feelings in regards to the impact it had on her life to discern that she didn't love him. Yes, she was selfish and oblivious, but that's one of the more human reactions that I've run into when working with family and friends of patients.
I didn't love every aspect of the movie. Seth Rogan's character Kyle was good for comedic relief, but his jarring line delivery sometimes took me out of the more quiet aspects of the movie. I still did laugh a lot, though. Angelica Huston played Adam's mother, and I found her character to be somewhat two dimensional. Still welcome, but the evolution of the relationship between her and Adam happened in somewhat of an abrupt manner after a revelation in Adam's therapy session. And then Adam's therapist becoming his romantic interest crossed all sorts of professional lines that nagged the hell out of me in the final third of the movie.
But. BUT. That being said, I still liked the movie. And I'd still recommend it. It's refreshing fall watching.
When I got back in I ended up mainlining the three episodes of Sherlock. Oh My GOD, is the second series out yet??? WTF, that was awesomesauce on top of a spicy slash-infused burrito.
Today I intend to roll over, throw on the DVD player, and watch I Love You Phillip Morris and Dylan Dog. Once I close some of these tabs.
captainschlumpy, then ended up strolling up and down 42nd street from Grand Central Station to 9th Ave. We watched 50/50 together and, I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. The main thing I liked about the movie was how light it felt. Not trite, mind, but even though it dealt with the very real very serious issue of living and coping with cancer, there wasn't any moralistic preaching or an information dump in regards to treatment or the medical system in the States. And there was a subtlety to the writing that I really appreciated. When we met our protagonist (Adam) we follow him running on empty urban streets early in the morning (Seattle, I think it was) and he seems quite focused. Then we see him stop at a crosswalk because it indicates as much, and the camera stays on him patiently jogging in place as he waits for the crosswalk indicator to say "walk" so he can proceed. He stays on the curb, jogging in place waiting for the light to change, even though there's absolutely no traffic and even though another jogger breezes right by him and crosses against the red. THAT was the moment I fell in love with the character and with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance. The viewer learns oodles about the Adam without the use of dialogue. Some might consider the entire sequence too heavy-handed, but after dealing with so much American dumification (if that's not a word or an actual term, it should be) it struck me as almost a breath of fresh air. Then, finally, when the light changes Adam jogs across the street - but as he's crossing we see him wince and grasp his lower back. Runner's cramp? Or something up. We know something's up from the trailers and previews, but still, it's a nice segue. Without him having to say "My back is really bothering me."
There were many other touches that I enjoyed as well. There was one bit where the camera panned in on Adam in his oncologist's office where he's reading a pamphlet titled "Living with Incontinence." That throw-away got a little laugh from the audience, but as a medical person I loved the way that it captured the issue with incontinence that Adam most likely would have been dealing with because of his lower back pain and discomfort and (confirmed) malignancy growth. We didn't need a scene where Adam pissed his bed or had an accident in public, we could maybe draw that conclusion ourselves. And, even if it wasn't relevant to Adam's condition, it again lends the viewer insight into the personality of Adam. The NY Times review for this movie was positive, but the reviewer said that the writing and JGL's portrayal didn't allow the viewer to form a connection with Adam. Far from it, I think I got Adam in a deep way that I'm having a hard time getting across here. Adam's girlfriend Rachel ends up cheating on him while he's undergoing his chemotherapy treatment. I think other films would have gone out of their way to villanize a character who did something like that, but I appreciated the way that Rachel did not end up sneering her way out the door once her deception was discovered. Bryce Howard made it clear that Rachel still cared for Adam, but couldn't see through her own guilt about his diagnosis and her self-centered actions and feelings in regards to the impact it had on her life to discern that she didn't love him. Yes, she was selfish and oblivious, but that's one of the more human reactions that I've run into when working with family and friends of patients.
I didn't love every aspect of the movie. Seth Rogan's character Kyle was good for comedic relief, but his jarring line delivery sometimes took me out of the more quiet aspects of the movie. I still did laugh a lot, though. Angelica Huston played Adam's mother, and I found her character to be somewhat two dimensional. Still welcome, but the evolution of the relationship between her and Adam happened in somewhat of an abrupt manner after a revelation in Adam's therapy session. And then Adam's therapist becoming his romantic interest crossed all sorts of professional lines that nagged the hell out of me in the final third of the movie.
But. BUT. That being said, I still liked the movie. And I'd still recommend it. It's refreshing fall watching.
When I got back in I ended up mainlining the three episodes of Sherlock. Oh My GOD, is the second series out yet??? WTF, that was awesomesauce on top of a spicy slash-infused burrito.
Today I intend to roll over, throw on the DVD player, and watch I Love You Phillip Morris and Dylan Dog. Once I close some of these tabs.