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Garden State


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Posted

I went to see Garden State yesterday with a few friends at Sunset Place. Zack Braff (from Scrubs) writes, directs, and stars in this dramedy about Andrew Largeman (Braff) who moves back home after the death of his mother to attend the funeral and deal with some issues he has had with his estranged family and life. Helping him out through his ordeal are some of his old friends, but mainly a new friend Sam (Natalie Portman). I've always liked Portman but after seeing this movie, I love this girl. She's ridiculously beautiful in a very clean and innocent way and in this movie she is absolutely wonderful. Her character is quirky in a way that makes you fall in love with her. The only downfalls that I could see in this movie are that it gets a little too sappy in some parts and in a couple of parts, it drags out a bit. Overall though, this is one of those movies that will leave you with a big stupid smile on your face. I highly recommend it. :D

Posted

I absolutely fucking LOVED this movie. I think it's up there with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind as one of the best of the year. It perfectly captures that odd transitory state between teenhood and the real world, every single college student should be forced to see this.

 

Zach Braff comes out of nowhere and absolutely knocks it out of the park in every aspect of this film. The script is unique, poignant and absolutely hilarious. The characters are all completely three dimensional and real. The look of it is just perfect, there's lots of really great shots but no 1st time filmmaker "look at this cool angle" excess.

 

The acting is phenomenal. Braff's biggest acheivement is evolving subtly through the movie, in the beginning he's numb but not unrealistic or robotic, and by the end he's really opened up without changeing the character completely. Portman gives the best performance of the film, you do fall in love with her, her character could have easily been annoying and the way she plays it it's just heartmelting. Even the main character's friend's do a great job, they're not just there to provide jokes, they come off as very real people.

 

I can't get over this one because this guy's debut came out of nowhere, he wrote, directed and starred in it and it really just blew me away. This film has me thinking about how stupid it is to have a top 20 favorite films list because I'm going to be changing it every 5 minutes.

 

Anyways, this is an absolute MUST SEE, and it's playin in plenty fo theaters now so don't miss it!

Posted

Yeah, I'm going to see it tonight with some friends.

 

It's really odd, I know there's somethign special about this movie. It just comes through in the short clips form the commercial. I see a few commercials for it and one clip and I want to see it. I'll tell someone I want to see this movie, Garden State,a dn they say "I haven't heard anything about it, what's it about?" And I'm like "Uh, about this guy, whose going back home to New Jersey after...uh...not being there for...some about of time...I'm not quite sure." They'll say "Does...anything else happen?" And I'll say "I'm sure something else must happen, I just don't know what?" To which they reply "So why are you psyched to see this movie if you don't know anythign about it?" And I say "I...don't know...."

 

I'll review it within 24 hours.

Posted

everytime i see the commercial now, i get this feeling. i can't explain it. i know that sounds cheesy but i feel like this is a really special movie. and i agree with everything junker said. this movie is one of the most awesome movies i've seen. i really want to go see it again. the soundtrack is really great too.

Posted

Yeah, methinks Junker's right saying this is one of the best movies of the year. I can't believe that it was that Scrubs fuck. Portman was awesome and MethodMan was just hillarious "Raise your hand if you just saw some titties". A truly fucking awesome movie.

 

I wanna see nominations damn it for Braff's writing/direction and for Portman's acting. If they gave Bill Murray one for "Ass in Translation"....

 

Please see this movie.

Posted

Yeah, Braff should get one nimination, and I'm not feeling it happening for acting (though he did great), so I'm thinking for writing or directing, and I'm leaning towards writing.

 

Why don't you buy some furniture?

 

I bought a chair, I didn't like it.

 

One of the things that I liked so much about this movie is that it did feel like New Jersey. All these people feel liek people and talked like people I knew in New Jersey, way more than Jersey Girl ever did. And Sam's (Portman) house, totally classless Jersey all the way.

 

Everybody's already said alot about Portman's lovability in this movie, so I'll just say she's probably dethrowed Cameron Diaz playing Mary as the movie character I've fallen for the hardest.

 

This movie balances comedy and tragedy for me like no movie has, except for American Beauty, which is still, to me, funnier and sadder than this movie.

 

Go see this movie bitch!

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Of course we knew this would be "one of the ones"..

After seeing the previews and commercials hinting nothing about it in backdrop of an awesome song, of course we knew it'd be great.

 

I think everyone praised it enough. And yes, that one scene with method man/ hilarious, along with much else.

 

And the soundtrack is awesome as well. My boss burned me a copy... I was happy that day....

 

It was personally refreshing... since yes, he did very well turn on the aspect of transition between now and the real world... it gave me a sense of relief that there was a another film i could ponder over again...

 

very subtle, very witty, kinda charming. sorry i didn't post up on this sooner.

 

fakename.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I'd have to say that garden stste was one of my favorite movie ever.

The music, cinematograghy,acting,really everything that i can think of was great. But me and my wife (metalheart) went and saw it with a jabering crack whore that wouldnt shut up.On top of try to get me to order her margaiatas because she was 16 and saying "o this kinda stuff is stupid i dont get it.I mean whats so funn y i need more action". The movie was cool even with that which means it badasss.

Posted

Love to see this but at the moment its competing with The Brown Bunny, Shaun of the Dead (2nd viewing), Ghost in the Shell 2 and a few others in my indie film watching priorities. Too many choices :D

Posted

Ooooooh yes Cj and I wanna see Brown Bunny too!! (and Shaun of the Dead. and the new Ghost in the Shell movie. sooo many movies so little money and time!)

 

But yeah, This girl was fucking annoying. And afterwards we were outside talking (It was Cj, myself, my broinlaw Paul, this girl he's smitten about and her younger sister, the 16 yr old). and there was this plastic Budweiser sign hanging off this fence near the theater and she points at it and goes "OH EM GEEZ SUM1 G3T TAHT F3R M3!!1!"

I know that doesn't seem annoying in text, but I wanted to slap her and be all "BACK IN MY DAY I GOT IT MY DAMN SELF HO" haha

it's amazing what three years can do to you... lmfao.

 

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

My co-worker burned me a copy of the soundtrack today and I'm listening to it now. I'm on Track 6 (Blue Eyes by The Cary Brothers). I really liked the one before it, I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You by Colin Hay. That one was sweet....

Posted

yeah, i was just listening to that in my car about an hour ago. it's really pretty and i love the lyrics. i also love the frou frou, zero 7, and the shins songs. i think they're tracks 12, 3, 2 and 4 respectively. i'm not sure though.

Posted

That's exactly correct. I loved the song Lebanese Blonde by Thievery Corporation (track 9). The unconventional playing style of the sitar at the beginning reminds me of the way George Harrison played the sitar like it was a banjo on The Inner Light.

 

The Iron & Wine song (track 11) was great too. And as for The Only Living Boy In New York, Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of my favorite albums, so that was a great choice for the one classic song. Solid compilation all together though.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Saw this one last night. I loved it. Really good direction, great songs, great acting. I think, although I haven't seen too many movies this year, that this is one of the best.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Wow, another one Junker called "visually stunning", eh?

Cinematically well-done, great soundtrack, well-acted. But for a coming-of-age one...i dunno, somethin didnt do it for me here. it mighta been that work forded this thing to be in 2 segments, but yeah, it got way too sappy about life & love & such at some parts.

 

Portman was great ("kick them in the balls!") but at times, overly quirky, like...like Dinghy. It was a good movie, but i dont put it anywhere near Eternal Sunshine, personally. Yeah, im flyin solo there.

 

Just dl'd the soundtrack too :D

  • 1 month later...
Posted

i think it won a grammy for best soundtrack tonight. zach braff put together the soundtrack too (in addition to writing/directing/starring). he tears that shit up. it's out of control.

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