Still Not Perfect

Today I watched Garden State again. It is a wonderful film. One I can really relate to. I love how it doesn’t depend on formulaic explosions, sex, violence, etc. Instead it shows real life, with all it’s confusion, pain/release and quirky characters. Zach Braff writes/directs/stars along with Natalie Portman and a small but very effective supporting cast.

What I like so much about this film is that it doesn’t try to cram real life into the standard 3 act Hollywood template. Instead it adapts to the characters and their stories. That helps it to express the deep emotions of loss and release, and then to show the beginnings of Largeman’s re-finding himself. It shows intense emotion without being sappy. It resonates with the generations who have been drugged numb - pumped full of Ritalin, anti-depressants, etc. It helps them to realize that maybe there wasn’t anything actually wrong with them - maybe the problems their parents were trying to solve by drugging them into submission or sending them away were just regular growing up phases.

On top of that it is artfully composed. It’s visuals aren’t groundbreaking, but they fit together, and help tell the human side of the story. They show life in it’s reality, not through rose colored glasses. At the same time they help the tone not to be too dark.

The characters, though quirky and sometimes shallow, are quite lovable. They give us opportunities to laugh and wear a knowing smile, and a couple scenes later have us connecting with them at such a level that even I teared up (which is rare). The acting makes the struggles the story is about believable. We see the conflict that has been brewing for years between father and son, how the trauma of death brings it into the open again, and how absolute resolution isn’t the only way to deal with the situation (I love how it doesn’t cop out and give in to the obvious “everything’s alright” solution here). We see a couple falling in love. We see drugged up high-school buddies who haven’t moved on with their lives yet, but we also see them realize they’ve got more to look forward to.

I think it is one of those rare films that can connect with a whole generation. If you were born in the seventies to eighties this one is almost certainly for you. I think for many of us in those generations this film is as much a homecoming for us as it is for the main character - even if we didn’t grow up in New Jersey. No, this one isn’t probably going to win major acclaim, and no it isn’t groundbreaking in style or technique. But it is solid, dependable, and real. It doesn’t pull it’s punches, and it throws in just the right mix of Braff’s odd humor.

I finally finished reading Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (except for one 50+ page monologue - just too much of one thing). I started reading it way back in August and got about half way through its 1100+ pages on a vacation trip. But once we got back home and life returned to normal (meaning too busy) my reading rate dropped off considerably.

Like many of my favorite books (George Orwell’s 1984, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World) Atlas Shrugged carries a strong political message, or at least acts as a commentary on the state of politics, freedoms, and economics in our age. The book is really a vehicle for Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism (a philosophy that some say often influences the American Libertarian Party platform). That said, it is still quite a good story. However, if you are looking for a more concise presentation of Rand’s ideas, or maybe a piece of work that develops story and plot better, many people suggest The Fountainhead. Read the rest of this entry »