MY FIRST MOVIE MONDAY! Very excited to start discussing movies and inviting conversation and interviews on movie taste, directing styles, genres and their characteristics, and other endless topics connected to the film industry.
Think of this more as a movie recommendation and critique than a movie review, as my personal philosophy is to always find something to appreciate about a work, because that one detail can give you a new perspective on that work. ON TO THE MOVIE!
Charlie Countryman opens on Shia LaBeouf as a hallucinating emotional young man visiting his mother in the hospital. It quickly becomes clear that to follow Charlie mentally through the movie, you need to let go of a certain amount of comfort, the film is an uneasy experience that rarely makes it easy to differentiate between imagination and reality.
Charlie goes on a trip and meets a girl, and their story unfolds with more humor than seems right for the mood- except the mood in the movie always surprised me; right when I was convinced I was watching a dramatic and emotional story about loss and growing up, I was suddenly (albeit briefly) watching a suspenseful action film, since the girl Charlie meets is married to mysteriously dangerous dude. While the plot is less about a tight beginning middle and end, its following of Charlie is surreal and moving and I definitely recommend it.
It’s streaming on Netflix and you get a pretty cute peek at Aubrey Plaza’s butt, as she cameos as Charlie’s ex girlfriend. Also making brilliant appearances in this are Rupert Grint and James Buckley, respectively from Harry Potter and (the hilarious) Inbetweeners fame. Grint and Buckley provide a stark contrast against Charlie’s “journey”, playing his hostel mates who provide him with company, drugs, and more comic relief that this movie needed for balance against all its heaviness. I definitely recommend watching it, especially for a different take on Shia La Beouf than the weird fame he’s been getting lately.
Anyhow, that kicks off our Movie Mondays! Hit up my asks for movies you want reviewed or discussed, or just ask me anything!
Garbanzo Bae 