Paper Towns Review

From the trailer this movie intrigued me because it seemed to follow a  premise that I (and probably others) have dreamed about. Spending a night causing havoc without consequences. Then essentially going on a glorified scavenger hunt to find true love. There is just something about putting together a puzzle and going against the grain that is extremely satisfying. However, I felt Paper Towns did not necessarily deliver on this "puzzle-solving" catharsis. What did come across in spades, was a message on how pointless life can be, if you let it. Margo Roth Spiegelman is the goal of the hunt as well as the epitome of living. She does everything in her power to give her life meaning, which is a powerful theme in our society pervaded by self-doubt. 

Unfortunately one of my biggest complaints, was that the movie was too much like real life. The protag could be me, and the bitter-sweet ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Movies should be more of an escape from reality rather than a play-by-play. Having gone through the high school to college transition myself I can understand how this part of life is emotional. All the scenes of the high school band room tugged at some heartstrings, but I have gotten over it. Life moves on.

Now, I am a big fan of John Green on YouTube (I love Mental Floss), and that's another reason I wanted to support this movie by seeing it in theaters. I love the fact that YouTubers have gotten to the point where making a movie is possible and the support they get is incredible as well. Additionally awesome is that he continues to support that community while still pursuing a professional life.

In the end, this is not a film I would necessarily recommend off hand because the niche it fills is very small. It was well made and written with a couple great laughs, but several scenes and relationships seemed out of place. Maybe the book explained things more, but it just did not click with me.

6/10

Review of Rocky (1976)

Spoiler Warning! While the attempt will be made to keep spoilers minimized, this is an older film, so just watch it! (It’s on Netflix, so no excuses.)

I recently decided that there are just too many older film classics that I have yet to experience. For example I recently watched The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, thoroughly enjoying the former and appreciating the latter. My current To Be Watched list (TBW) currently contains at least 20 old classics that I intend to get to soon, Rocky being, until recently, near the top.

Now it’s hard to be an American and not have some inkling of what kind of movie Rocky is, without ever seeing it. The musical score and training montage is legendary. (In fact the Rocky theme was a movement of my freshman high school marching band show.) Additionally with a sequel, Creed, coming out later this year I wanted to get my own take on this famous movie.

While I had my doubts about Rocky near the beginning due to a slow start, it becomes clear that our protag is about as dull as a rock but with a heart as big as a mountain. He is surrounded be equally dull and destitute peers, that all seem to have been born in a bottomless pit. However what this film offers is last chance, a gleam of hope, to lift Rocky from his rut. In the film itself Rocky is described as a “Cinderella” story, though in my opinion it has much fewer glass slippers. I can see the appeal to this American Dream type story, no matter how much that it’s a cliché. The part I really connect with was how much rode on this last chance. A failure would mean a great personal loss. Once you have tasted the caviar, you can’t go back to ramen.

Another great moment in the film comes right before the big fight, (though the last 40 minutes is riveting), when Apollo Creed the undisputed champion comes onto the floor. His ego is palpable. I could feel how much Apollo believed he couldn’t lose to a bottom-feeder like Rocky.

“Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward though the veil.”

In this moment I had a flashback of my time on swim team. Several times seeing the cockiness of a competitor and knowing I still had a chance to win. Anyone who has played a sport can probably relate.

Finally a rating.

Rocky’s timeless themes of overcoming odds and perseverance are what draw an audience and captivate with an intense fight (though intense isn’t a strong enough word). I found myself miming punches and grunting at the screen fighting for the underdog. Stallone gives a warmth to this cold fighter.

9/10

Beginnings

Taking the suggestion of a friend, I am starting this blog to, in a sense, compile my feelings on certain subjects before they are lost, the tape written over by some new experience. I by no means claim to be a writer of any skill. I’m just a guy with an appreciation for media.

Being that this is the first post, ever, on this blog, I thought it might be a good idea to take a moment to and outline my intentions, hopes, and fool-hardy dreams for it, as well as give you a little more info about me.

Bio: Nathan Wintermute, student and pretty all-around alright guy.

Education: Currently enrolled in college.

Favorite color: Orange

Interesting Fact: Red/Green colorblind

(I’ll keep it vague for this first post.)

Without beating around the bush of candor, I am a kid with a penchant for all things media: Movies, television, books, anime, comics, video games, graphic novels, and YouTube. I just want to absorb as much as I can, to experience the world virtually, vicariously. Maybe you can relate.

I intend to review and rate what I watch, play, or read as I see fit. And we’ll see what happens from there.

NSW