Blue Valentine

[prettyxcool]

I wish I had seen Tangled again instead of this. It was boring and confusing in equal measures. I really don't mind indie films if they have a story to tell but this was just two people who fell in love, married, had a kid, then split up. The story was told in lots of flashbacks in no particular order (I got really confused at one point), and there was no clear reason why the woman fell out of love with the guy. He was a decent bloke who loved her and the little girl even though we weren't sure it was even his. Quite sad and also pointless. The story often felt like a documentary, like they had just held a camera on some real people and let them get on with it, which would have been fine if it had been in any way interesting. Instead we got awkward love scenes, an ugly shouting scene at her work place and the most offensive joke I have heard in a while. Unfortunately OH sat quiet like a mouse and it only transpired afterwards he was ready to walk out - I would have happily joined him!

3/10

I hadn't seen your review but I agree totally with you, Beate. Only carried on watching it as I was expecting something drastic to happened, like car crash or something, but nothing did. And not an easy film to watch, as nothing really happens, and I got really confused, and nodded off to the slow gentle music when they were dancing in the street, woke and they were still dancing, nodded off, woke and they were still dancing, nodded, woke and ... you get the picture. So, so boring and long, and could not see what the point of the film was. I found the break up extremely tortuous and sad. One redeeming point is that the acting was actually very good. 3/10

Thanks to cliveas, for explaining some of my confusion and also told me that Cindy was from Dawson's Creek - I knew I had seen her before, and it was bugging me.

Lovely to see milkchocmonkey and soonforgotten. Hate Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave for screenings, uncomfortable seats and no incline. We were in Screen 2, which was the larger one, and it was packed.

[milkchocmonkey]

I have to agree with prettyxcool and beate…the movie was boring for me and I didn’t see the point of it as all. Was great to see prettyxcool, soonforgotten and cliveas.
Anyway don’t know what else to say about the movie, total snooze feast! 1/10

[soonforgotten]

I thought this was a fantastic film. It's a brilliant character study of someone who has been badly damaged by the relationship of her parents and her struggle to avoid ending up in the same place. However, she is so filled with desperation and resentment, she creates a self fulfilling prophecy which tears her family apart.

[spoiler]I think it's made pretty clear that the girl is not Dean's daughter. He decides to take all this on because of how he feels for Cindy. Throughout the film it presents the sacrifices he makes for the family and how he tries to make her happy. Even in a physical sense there are scenes where he makes it about her pleasure and enjoyment and her reaction is generally less than thrilled. She can't turn off and she is focused on trying to get her career aspirations back on track, her plans for med scholl having been derailed by the pregnancy. Her bitter resentment is projected on Dean, most notably when she questions why he isn't disappointed with his life when he had so much potential. He is simply happy with his life putting him at opposite ends from his wife. Dean definitely isn't perfect but his sense of love for Cindy and her daughter comes across unquestionably, but it's not enough to undo the damage done to Cindy by her parents. The fact that she had 25 sexual partners by the time she got pregnant also attests to this. There is no happy ending to this film just as there would likely be no happy ending to Cindy's story.[/spoiler]
So yeah, I think this film is incredible and the performances enchanced what I thought was painfully honest and intelligent work. 9/10

And yes, the incline at Shafts certain sucks a fat one. I feel bad for the people who were behind my giant noggin. Thanks again to SimonV for the chance to see this and it was great seeing pxc and mcm again. Sorry you didn't enjoy this one.

[SimonV]

Ive got to say that its the best movie Ive seen so far in 2011 (as it is my first of the year)

For me it was tedious and drawn out to the obvious ending and I was ready to leave long before the end

I think some of the last few scores have been rather low.. Its an average film, so it gets an average score from me

5/10

[prettyxcool]

[spoiler]I think it's made pretty clear that the girl is not Dean's daughter. He decides to take all this on because of how he feels for Cindy. Throughout the film it presents the sacrifices he makes for the family and how he tries to make her happy. Even in a physical sense there are scenes where he makes it about her pleasure and enjoyment and her reaction is generally less than thrilled. She can't turn off and she is focused on trying to get her career aspirations back on track, her plans for med scholl having been derailed by the pregnancy. Her bitter resentment is projected on Dean, most notably when she questions why he isn't disappointed with his life when he had so much potential. He is simply happy with his life putting him at opposite ends from his wife. Dean definitely isn't perfect but his sense of love for Cindy and her daughter comes across unquestionably, but it's not enough to undo the damage done to Cindy by her parents. The fact that she had 25 sexual partners by the time she got pregnant also attests to this. There is no happy ending to this film just as there would likely be no happy ending to Cindy's story.[/spoiler]
So yeah, I think this film is incredible and the performances enchanced what I thought was painfully honest and intelligent work. 9/10

When you say it like that, soonforgotten, it sounds like an incredibly good film! I wish I understood it like you did, I would have given it a higher score, but alas, I was totally confused and bored, and for me it was only saved by the extremely good performances.

[jem&theholograms]

Oh dear, not sounding too good. I like Michelle Williams, may still give this a go but in no hurry!

[cinefila1]

I may be in the minority here but I really liked this film. I found it very powerful and interesting in its portrayal of the two sides of love. Both actors, Gosling and Williams, give brilliant performances playing two very opposing characters very realistically.

I thought the intercutting scenes of how they fell in love with their present situation was a clever and inventive way of telling their story. Both storylines run parallel and this serves to highlight how far apart they have come in only 6 years! The wife, unable to accept her husband’s imperfections (his lack of ambition, his drinking habit…) becomes very frustrated and is unable to keep the feelings that once brought them together alive.

It is the juxtaposition of the final scenes, their happy wedding day (the end of the beginning) versus their break up (the end of the end) that makes the final outcome all the more poignant for me. After only 6 years, where did all the love go? Heartbreaking, really! 9/10

[girlchops]

i agree with cinefila1 & also really loved the performances in this film but felt as if it was continually building up to a climax which never came. The film was plodding in places but to me it felt like it finished without an ending. i don't know maybe i missed something. i think it's quite a girlie movie as there was lots of girlie giggles throughout from the audience and lots of grumpy looking blokes when the lights came up! i think this movie is worth a go just for the performances alone but OH hated it!.

[Beate]

there was lots of girlie giggles throughout from the audience

Gee, I must have completely slept through the funny bits!

[moondance]

It was reviewed on Film 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Episode_1/

They discuss how it was made with 16mm film for the early part of their relationship and digital for the later part. I really liked this film and did not find it in the least boring. 8/10