'Peace out players!'

Geez, i really need to do this more often! Ok, last friday was a whole bunch of crazy fun and ludicrousness. 'twas some church youth thing/disco event/ FOOD soirée. And, in true style, much fun was had. Saturday I spent much of at Sarah's, which of course was all very nice and fun, erm didnt do much on sunday... or monday... tuesday I finished every maths retard oops retake lesson I'm going to have, heard Isobel play 'Don't Speak' live again, and damn are they good, and managed to buy EVERYONE's christmas present this year, despite not actually knowing what the hell i was giving to anyone... wednesday I also went to Sarah's and much fun was had again, despite the fact i wasn't there long *sniff*.

Then at last we get to today, the last day where I would have any school lessons for 2004, say goodbye to two of my teachers and miss a lesson entirely...

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So yes, no more lessons. Both of mine tomorrow are taken up with other engagements, despite me really hoping I'd get some drama lessons before leaving. Also, two of my temporary teachers are leaving for other pastures. Him With The Hair is going to teach at Hayes *poor man* and Miss Hodge is going to an unknown future of dramatic fun. So all the best to both of them, just wished she'd lightened up a touch and he'd been given a razor. SHAVE IT MAN!

Tomorrow basically shapes up AS:

1. Go in
2. Go to registration (on time)
3. leave registration
4. walk home
5. do nothing for 2 hours
6. go to school
7. have assembly
8. go to registration
9. go home
10. waste away

Boring huh? Even English literature would be preferable. But it's my last lessons of 2004! Tragic!

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But i digress. I'll get onto reminiscience during my Christmas post. Today I had another great Film Studies trip! Another lovely train powered jaunt into London to see a film! During school hours as well! Bliss!

The film in question was Garden State. So, without much further ado:

DickyBod's Film Review III
Garden State

I think it's fairly safe to start with the point that this film is better than the Manchurian Candidate. A lot better. Certain reasons include the fact that while the Manchurian Candidate had a better storyline which was nice and complex, Garden State's story was basically boy meet girl under a silvery moon which then explodes for no adequately explored reason. But, while that may seem to go into The Manchurian Candidate's favour, there is a subtle flaw in this reviewers character that Garden State manipulates that meant I enjoyed it a lot more:

When it comes to soppy romantic plots and really emotional scenes of that nature; I am such a sucker for them.

Examples of this sort of film include: Notting Hill, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Love, Actually, Keeping the Faith, heck, Final Fantasy X. You get the idea.

Not sure if it's anything to do with my tender teenage years (bloody hormones) but since watching Love, Actually I've been far more susceptable to these very nauseating scenes of hopeless soppy romance. It could all be Sarah's fault of course...

But digression takes place. Garden State's basic premise is that small-time actor Andrew Largemann (Scrub's Zach Braff, who also wrote and directed) is a 20-something man who has been on prescribed anti-depressants since the age of 11, and thus has felt no strong emotion due to a constant state of calm. Then, his estranged father (who prescribed the anti-depressants) calls him to tell him that his paraplegic mother has died. He goes from his home in Los Angeles to his childhood home in New Jersey (the Garden State) for her funeral, but leaves his drugs at home, determined to know what it is to feel again. At the funeral he runs into an old friend of his from high school, Mark, who is now a drugged up, slacking grave-digger.

Andrew then goes to a neurologist about headaches he is having, and in the waiting-room, he meets Sam (Natalie Portman, in her best role since Léon) an epileptic and slightly strange young girl.

And it goes on from there.

Even during watching the film the same words were running through my head: 'Buy it buy it buy it buy it'. As an independant film, it does have many markable differences from the conventional Hollywood rom/com. To be frank, this film isn't really a rom/com. There is an element of humour, but it much too spaced and subtle to be classed as a comedy. While it has been criticised for what appears to be a typical Hollywood ending, I think that, while similar, it is different enough to fit the film. All the loose ends aren't tied up for one thing, and we aren't really given much closure, but this fits in with a theme played on a lot in the film : 'That's life'.

What i really like about the film was the competent direction from Zach Braff. Some cuts are admittedly a little iffy, and a few stylistic techniques are used seemingly for the sake of it. Still, there are some great moments, most of them during the scenes with Portman and Braff, and some great moments in the script.

Great film. Damn indie...

Peace out players!