The Spectacular Now

James Ponsoldt’s new film, The Spectacular Now, has a charming, relatable, heartwarming story with a fabulous cast. Viewers are guaranteed to leave the theater feeling nostalgic and personally connected with the main character, Sutter Keely (Miles Teller). Sutter's gift and curse is his constant drive to live in the now. When the film begins the audience is introduced to an irresponsible impulsive teenager with no work ethic or true aspirations. Sutter uses his wit and charm to dodge every obstacle clouding his path until his girlfriend, Cassidy, realizes she is incapable of dealing with his lack of ambition. After Cassidy dumps Sutter, he numbs the pain the only way he knows how, with alcohol. Sutter is woken up the next morning on a stranger's lawn by Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), a pure innocent girl who never attends parties, has few friends, and is tremendously obedient. Sutter is instantly interested in Aimee's way, and slowly, but surely, the teenagers fall in love. Conflicts with Aimee's controlling mother and Sutter's deadbeat father cause the couple to face overwhelming hardships. Sutter is ultimately challenged with the fact that living in the now may be detrimental to himself and the people he has come to love.  

The extremely realistic script of  The Spectacular Now sets this production above the typical high school film.  The relationship between Aimee and Sutter is raw, real, and enticing. The dialogue between the two young lovers withholds rich and powerful meaning with the help of wit, sarcasm, and subtle symbolism. Although Sutter is constantly making colossal mistakes, one can only love the positive, high spirited boy because of his beautiful way with words. The script never yields to reveal Sutter's genuine heart and Aimee's loveable personality as secrets unfold and the relationship is tested. Clear images of the past are meticulously painted with ease as the film progresses. Viewers are taken back to their high school years through the mind of a spontaneous naïve boy who finds love and, eventually, himself.

Don Jon Review

At 32 years old, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a busy man. He has landed himself leading roles in both Looper and Premium Rush, and prominent supporting roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Lincoln. These are just the films he did in 2012 alone. Most of those who know of Gordon-Levitt understand that he is a brilliant actor; however, so little understand the depths of his talents behind the camera. Gordon-Levitt runs his own company, hitRECord, an independent production company that helps independent artists in music, film, TV, and literature find a soapbox in which they can stand on to make their voices heard. After almost a decade of dedicating time to the little guy, Gordon-Levitt finally decided to show off his true talent as a director.

Enter Don Jon: Gordon-Levitt's directorial and screenwriting debut, a film in which Gordon-Levitt plays the title role where he is nothing short of fantastic. Gordon-Levitt plays Jon Martello an über Italian, body building, God-loving, porn crazed lothario who finds himself enjoying the life of a single man. Martello is a complete womanizer until he meets Barbara Sugarman (portrayed by a fantastic Scarlett Johansson) and suddenly finds himself at a crossroads. Jon's mother (an easily loveable Glenne Headly) and father (a hilarious Tony Danza) believe that Barbara might be Jon's future wife. Barbara looks to turn her boyfriend into the man she envisions to be with. This comes with a cost for Jon. In order to meet Barbara's needs he must give up his obsession with pornography.
Jon finds his old life difficult to drop and desperately needs to learn a thing or two about himself. Here's when Esther (a wonderfully acted portrayal by Julianne Moore) comes in. She points Jon in the right direction and adds depth to the story. To go any further would spoil the film.

Don Jon isn't a proverbial senseless Jersey Shore knockoff filled with cheap laughs and a paper thin story. It's instead dressed in comedy, snappy characters, and a risky plot. One may be surprised to find that this film contains a very real story that many can relate to in the most unorthodox of ways. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's debut is nothing short of stellar, showing great promise for his next opus behind the camera as well as his next in front of it. Just as we saw in the trailer and commercials, we can't help but feel good vibrations from Don Jon. 

The Magic of Film

"I think cinema,movies, and magic have always been 

closely associated. The very earliest people who made

 film were magicians." 

-Francis Ford Coppola

I believe that every human being needs an escape from every day life. Over the years I've found solace in watching films. I began to really appreciate the complex process of film making after I took a few television and film production classes. I try to get to the movies at least three times a month to keep up with new Oscar worthy films. I have decided to use this blog to review and analyze some of my favorite movies. I have never formally posted about this subject so I'm excited to explore some of my favorite films in depth.