Don Jon review

 

   This weekend I saw a movie directed by and starring Joseph-Gordon Levitt called "Don Jon". Upon seeing this movie from the very beginning it grabbed my interest with the editing and vibrant energy of this story being told. This movie is a bit exploitive to the female audience so if you are easily offended by things that objectify women there are things in this movie you will not like, but that is entirely besides the point of the story. Don Jon is an old-fashioned New Jersey type of guy in his sexual prime. He is in the constant mood to get it on with women, but what truly does it for him like nothing else is watching porn. He has become a slave to his own computer and is excessive with his habit. Everything is going so well and he finds the real girl that he thinks he wants to be with forever. Their relationship goes fine until Don is caught with massive amounts of porn on his laptop by his girlfriend Scarlett Johanson. From then on his addiction really gets in the way of his personal life and even gets the better of him at times. He's the kind of guy who thinks he has love all figured out but really he has never found true love.

   The cinematography and editing in this movie grabbed my attention from beginning to end. This movie had its own cartoonish style and beauty. It was edgy, confident, emotional, hip, prevalent, and heartwarming. Don Jon is like a caricature of a guy on Jersey Shore. This movie is more relateable to a guy audience of course but it shouldnt prevent someone from seeing it. Overall its a very watchable and fun outing to the theatres. Grade: B+.

Lars and the Real Girl review

 
   This weekend I decided to check out the movie Lars and the Real Girl starring Ryan Gosling. This movie was done a bit far into his career but the role he played was quite atypical compared to the dashing roles he usually gets. He is a very sensitive, child-like, awkward, quirky, and complicated man. But this character isn't unlikeable, in fact I sympathize for him because deep down he is a kind person. The story begins when he moves into a new town where his brother lives with his wife. He has a new job and fails to find any meaningful social connections with people he works with. Six weeks after he moves in he orders a friend on the internet named Bianca who he reveals to his brother and sister as a plastic sex doll! At first they are apprehensive and shocked about this and do not know how to handle Lars' delusion. Lars has casual conversations with Bianca in front of people as if she were real. This movie is very charming yet very odd. Very soon his brother and wife get used to this and are told by his psychiatrist to play along with this until he gets over this odd affair he is having.

   There was nothing too visually spectacular or special as far as cinematography, the movie has a very raw and depressive feel to it yet it never fails at its humor. It was very well directed and Ryan Gosling did a great job with his performance. I would recommend this to anyone who is into offbeat comedies or wants to hear a heartfelt story. Overall I give this movie a grade: B.