Chapter 243: Lazy Dreamer

As I mentioned in last night’s blog, I have pretty well decided already that tonight’s blog is going to have a theme. It is only this way because this weekend had a bit of a theme. Going into this weekend, I had made the plan to make it an Audrey Hepburn weekend and watch one Audrey movie each day of the four-day weekend. The plan was to start with “Funny Face” on Saturday, then “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” on Sunday, “My Fair Lady” on Monday and something else that I can’t remember today. On Friday evening when I got home from work, this plan was thwarted when I went online to the Netflix site and found that they didn’t have a single one of these movies available for Instant Watch. I would have sworn that all of them were there before but I must have been mistaken. So, that sucked. Instead, though, I decided to go with a different kind of theme for my random movie watching this weekend. I spent this weekend watching a selection of independent films, mainly comedies but with a bit of drama mixed in for good measure. I’m not going to lie, they weren’t all great but they were all worth seeing, I’d say. So, here is a big independent film review post!

To start off, on Saturday I watched one of the most brilliant films I have seen in ages, called “Timer.” I explained this one pretty in-depth in Saturday night’s blog because I was pretty inspired by it and it made me think a lot. Still, for anybody who didn’t read Saturday night’s blog, “Timer” is set in modern times but introduces the invention of an implant that people can get which has a timer that counts down to the moment they will meet their soulmate or “the one.” The main character, Oona, has had a timer since she was a teenager but it has always been flashing zeros, which simply means that her person doesn’t have a timer of their own yet. Oona is on the verge of turning 30 and is kind of desperate for her timer to do something. In the midst of her desperation, or as a factor of it, she hooks up with a grocery store clerk/musician and begins a fling with him, in spite of the fact that he already has a timer that only has four months left on it. I absolutely loved this film and highly recommend everybody see it. Like I said, it is one of the most brilliant movies I have ever seen. It is a truly original concept and tells a completely different love story than what you see in most movies. I love the fact that it is kind of telling the story of the love you have before you find the one. After all, we all have had our own love stories that didn’t pan out to be “the one.” Fanny Brice didn’t wind up with Nick Arnstein at the end of “Funny Girl.” Tom didn’t end up with Summer at the end of “(500) Days Of Summer.” It doesn’t always happen that way in life and I really appreciate when filmmakers tell the stories of that kind of love because it is just as valid as the love you find that lasts you the rest of your life. I’ll say it again – SEE THIS MOVIE. It is so worth it. As far as I am aware, this movie should be available on DVD at this point and can be found anywhere, or on Instant Watch from Netflix.

On Sunday, I watched a very different movie. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as “Timer,” but it was still a pretty decent movie. Sunday’s movie was called “Keith” and it starred pop star Jesse McCartney. Now, I am a pretty big fan of Jesse’s music and was intrigued to see him as an actor. I must say, I wasn’t impressed but I wasn’t disappointed, either. He acted the way he always does as himself, only a little more sulky and mysterious. “Keith” is the story of an outcast kid who manages to weasel his way into the life of a pretty, popular, over-achiever type girl. She is in all AP classes and competes in major tennis competitions in hopes of getting a scholarship to an Ivy League school. Still, her dealings with Keith are the first time she has ever stopped to consider what she really wants out of life, as opposed to what she has always been told to work for or what her parents had planned for her. This kind of free thinking, of course, basically leads to her life falling apart… but also to her realizing that the life that is falling apart around her was never the life she wanted in the first place. It was a pretty quirky movie, although not quirky enough to make the plotline more interesting. In all honesty, for what they tried to do with this movie, it would have gone better had they had a smaller budget and less studio involvement and such, because it’s an indie story but it’s almost as if they are trying to tell it in a mainstream way. Because of this, it almost comes across at points like an ABC Family Original Movie or something along those lines. Still, the acting was pretty decent and the story was enough to keep you interested as it continued on. It wasn’t the best thing I saw this weekend but probably wasn’t the worst, either. Actually, no… it probably was the worst but only because I actually watched some really decent stuff this weekend.

On Monday, I watched a film that really blew my fucking mind. It was absolutely amazing. On Monday I watched the movie I had received in the mail from Netflix, called “Remember Me.” Now, for many people, “Remember Me” has an automatic mark against it because it stars Robert Pattinson, a.k.a. Sparkly Vampire Edward Cullen from the “Twilight” movies. For many people, this is an automatic mark in it’s favor but for most adults I have talked to, this is an automatic mark against it. I was a little in between about the movie beforehand but since I had read a major spoiler for the film online way back when it was still in theaters, I knew it was a must-see. I was absolutely correct, too. “Remember Me” is the story of two people dealing with major losses in their lives who come together through some less than savory circumstances and fall in love. You see, Robert Pattinson’s character, Tyler Hawkins, is still reeling from the somewhat recent death of his brother and it is causing him to lash out in all kinds of ways. One of those ways is by getting involved in a huge fight outside of some random bar in New York City, where the film is set. The police officer who breaks up the fight lets Tyler and his friend go but when he sees that they are letting the other people involved in the fight go, as well, he flips out and attacks the officer and lands himself in jail. His father bails him out and it’s not really a big deal but he is really pissed off about it. Shortly after this, he realizes that the police officers daughter goes to the same college that he does and his friend convinces him to get revenge by seducing the cop’s daughter and breaking her heart. The daughter, played by Emilie De Ravin, (from “Lost,”) is also dealing with her own person tragedy after having witnessed her mother’s murder some ten years before. What began as a revenge plot turns into something much greater as the film goes on, and that is absolutely all I can tell you about this movie. You really HAVE TO see it for yourself. Where the story goes from there is absolutely not at all what you are thinking or what you would expect. Also, after seeing this movie, I have realized that Robert Pattinson is a MUCH better actor than I had previously given him credit for. It may not seem that way when you watch “Twilight,” but I’m fairly certain that this movie will change your mind. Like I said, I absolutely recommend seeing this movie for yourself. It is gorgeous and brilliant. I’d say this was probably the second best movie I watched this weekend, after “Timer.”

Then, there is today. Today I pretty much did nothing but lay in bed and watch movies. I watched three movies, to be exact – all independent, all pretty great in their own ways. The first movie I watched today was one I had seen the trailer for a few times in the past and had always been curious about, called “Table For Three.” “Table For Three” stars Brandon Routh, (that HOT new Superman guy,) Jesse Bradford, (that HOT guy from “Bring It On,” and “Swimfan,” as well as one of my all-time favorite movies, “Heights,”) and Sophia Bush. This is the story of a man who has recently been dumped after proposing to his girlfriend after dating for only three months. He then finds out that his roommate is moving out of his apartment immediately. In the midst of a bout of depression, he decides to look for a new roommate and meets a couple who are really happy and perfect together. Initially, he doesn’t want to live with a couple but changes his tune after hanging out with them for a while. It seems like a perfect situation until they move in and their true colors start to show. When the guy meets a girl that he is interested in and wants to start a relationship with, the couple suddenly lash out and begin sabotaging his relationship. It turns out that they are what one character refers to as a “couple monster.” A “couple monster” is one of those couples who are together constantly and don’t have anything substantial to talk to each other about, so they have to constantly have a third wheel to project their issues with each other onto. It was a really funny, over-the-top movie. I got a kick out of it. I would recommend checking this one out if you’re in the mood for a few laughs. It’s a cute little movie. After that I watched a movie that I was extremely impressed with, called “Shades Of Ray.” Now, everybody is familiar with Zach Braff and the film he wrote, directed and starred in, “Garden State,” which was brilliant. People are less familiar with another movie Zach Braff starred in and was very involved with called “The Last Kiss.” I actually preferred “The Last Kiss” to “Garden State,” because I felt like it told a much more honest, beautiful story. The reason I bring this up is because Zach Braff is a TV star that transitioned into the independent film world in a really great way, much like the star of “Shades Of Ray,” Zachary Levi, (from the show “Chuck.”) I also bring up “The Last Kiss,” in particular, because I feel like this film was very similar to “The Last Kiss” in a lot of ways. It is telling a very similar story but with a different ending and a much more interesting twist. You see, “Shades Of Ray,” is the story of a half-Pakistani, half-American actor struggling to make it in Hollywood. At the very beginning of the film, Ray proposes to his white girlfriend, Noelle, and she tells him that she has to think about it while she goes away with her family for a week. That same week, his very traditional Pakistani father shows up out of the blue at his home having just been thrown out by Ray’s mother. Ray’s father is very hung up on the fact that his son needs to be with a Pakistani girl, so while he is at his house he sets up a date for him with a half-Pakistani, half-American girl, played by the insanely beautiful Iranian/Spanish actress Sarah Shahi. Remaining unsure of whether or not his girlfriend is going to accept his marriage proposal, he meets with this girl and realizes that they have a lot in common. In fact, she is the first half-Pakistani, half-American person he has ever met outside of his family. The beautiful thing about this story is that you get to watch as Ray deals with issues he has had since childhood with his racial background, as well as dealing with the traditionalism his father pushes on him. It is really a brilliant film, whether you are in it for the romantic comedy portion or the deeper, racial parts. It is really a brilliant film and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The third movie I watched today was by far the most off-the-wall thing I watched this weekend, although I can’t say recently because I watched that insane movie called “Watch Out,” which I discussed here in the blog a few weeks ago. Anyway, this movie I watched today was called “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” which was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. They say that this film is considered a dark comedy and I can’t even begin to REALLY explain how true that is. You see, the opening line of this film is “This one time in college I blew my dog.” Yes, the basis of this story is a woman having performed oral sex on her dog when she was in college. Several years later, this woman is getting ready to get married to her boyfriend and they have a very open, honest relationship. He feels that there shouldn’t be any secrets between the two of them. Because of his stance on this, she feels like she should tell him about this experience with her dog. She struggles with the idea of doing it but eventually decides to do it. Once her boyfriend, and all the rest of her family, find out about this her entire world starts to fall apart. Hilarity ensues. I assure you, in spite of the insane subject matter, it is actually a really hilarious movie and also very poignant at times. I was really impressed with the handling of such sensitive subject matter. I also love the fact that the entire film really examines whether or not you should actually share ALL of your secrets with the person you are with. It is a surprisingly good film and I definitely recommend seeing it. I warn you, though, it can be a little slow moving at times but overall it is well worth it.

So, it is 12:04am now and I actually have to go back to work tomorrow. I should really be getting to bed. I got a call from Viktor today canceling my piano lesson tomorrow night and rescheduling for Friday evening. It kind of sucks because I was really excited about this week’s lesson. I have been practicing a LOT this week and have gotten this new piece he gave me down really well. My initial talk of working on a second piece this week didn’t really pan out for me because I found myself getting kind of lost on the second piece. It is fine, though, because I really think it is better for me, where I am at this point, to focus on one piece at a time. I am thinking, though, that I am going to tell Viktor at this week’s lesson that I want to work on that piece next. I figure, it is probably best to get his reaction to that piece before movie forward with it. We’ll see on Friday, I suppose. For now, I need to go to sleep. Goodnight.