Nothing is what it seems

Some movies can surprise you. The one thing you learn about Hollywood after years of watching is that when you come in with high expectations, you’re more likely to be disappointed than to be wowed. Take for instance, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I had made an event of this premiere and was about ready to crawl out of my skin from utter excitement. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how I feel about this film, so I won’t bother with the gory details. The short story: I absolutely hated it. I felt so robbed of my 1o dollars and faith in the movie that I felt like crying. No joke. I know it seems melodramatic to the lot of you, but when you’ve been a fan of the Narnia books since when you were a kid, you would understand how important a movie adaptation is.

And then there’s a film like The Go-Getter. I like Lou Taylor Pucci; most of his films I’ve enjoyed, like Fifty Pills and Thumbsucker. So I came in expecting a good time. What I got in the first ten minutes of the film was absolute drivel. I remember thinking, at the time I watched the movie, what pretentious garbage it was. The beginning was catchy; a hipster quote about Huckleberry Finn. Can’t go wrong with that. But as the movie progressed, it came off like a group of fresh-out-of-film-school students decided to come together, apply all their knowledge about the indie movie, and make a film about a guy who goes on a road trip for some random reason. Don’t get me wrong; I love indie films. I do, however, from my frequent watching of them, know exactly what is an indie film and what isn’t. A good old indie film doesn’t feel like it has to have all the elements of an indie film. An indie film doesn’t classify itself as an indie film. An indie film becomes an indie film because the story is small but the message is big and most often insightful. An indie film is a small package with a memorable surprise. In The Go-Getter, whatever genius message it was that was being communicated by the scriptwriters was lost amid the pretentious crap they were trying to pull. From the empty, fluffy language of the film up to the over-the-top indie music that was being played all throughout the film, I felt like I was about to throw up any second as I was watching it. What irks me more than any other film in the world is a film that tries too hard to be something. I appreciate films that are at least honest about how stupid they are, like Paul Blart: Mall Cop, for instance. I would take that film over The Go-Getter anytime, only because the former is filmed with a clear view of what it wants to be: a mindless comedy with people flying around in the screens. The Go-Getter aspired to be this one transcendent film, filled with clever anecdotes that no one in real life really says, and filled with music that would give the impression of coolness. It was like watching a fucking Chuck Klosterman book unfold.

So like I said before, some movies disappoint you when you least expect it to. On the other hand, if you come in with no expectations, you’re most likely to be pleasantly surprised. Like for instance, the movie Happy-Go-Lucky, starring award-winning actress Sally Hawkins. I had come in not expecting much from the movie, because I had seen the previews and didn’t think it was anything more than a glorified Bridget Jones’s Diary. It was quirkier than I expected, and not in a good way. I found myself in awe of how silly of a character Poppy Montgomery is, but at the same time, found her lack of self-consciousness quite fascinating and bordering on the endearing. She grows on you, this Poppy Montogomery. I thought the film started out a bit slow, but picked up towards the end. The best parts were the ones involving the driving lessons she was having with a complete psycho who referred to the rearview mirror as “Enraha”, the “all-seeing eye”. Absolutely ridiculous. Anyway, I see why Sally Hawkins won the award for Best Actress in a Comedy, and it is well-deserved. The film will probably not be liked by everybody, but it’s an endearing film, and Poppy’s happy-go-lucky attitude does rub off on you a little bit.

And then there’s 17 Again. I admit that even a toxic movie nitpicker like me has some weaknesses. That weakness would be a deliriously cute boy like Zac Efron. I don’t care if I’m made fun of, YES, I went to see 17 Again because Zac Efron is cute as a button and I had nothing better to do on a Saturday night. So sue me. I had expected nothing but fluffy drivel, but it wasn’t at all. It was entertaining fluffy drivel, with a cute boy in the midst of it. Zac Efron was his usual charismatic, gorgeous self, and although he was pretty much playing the self-assured heartbreaker he usually plays in all of his films, he did however surprise me towards the end, when he has a dramatic scene in a court room as his character tries to win back his wife, who is filing for divorce. So I still have hope for him that he will someday break out of his teen heartthrob status and become a more refined actor. The movie had its unfunny, cliched parts, but it also had its moments, such as a painfully gush-worthy scene involving Efron, a leather jacket, a hot car, and Spoon’s “The Underdog” playing in the background. Speaking of which, this movie had some pretty good songs in its soundtrack; songs from Cat Power and The Kooks among some of them.