I have a confession to make. Last weekend I movie hopped. I was with my boyfriend and we went to see The Night Before starring Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Now don't get me wrong, that movie was phenomenal. Classic raunchy Christmas comedy, as anything would be with Seth Rogan in it. When the movie ended, it was only 7pm and right next door was The Good Dinosaur (Disney Pixar's newest movie) playing at 7:20. We decided to pop in, sit in the back and enjoy the easygoing film. The Good Dinosaur was also a great movie. I didn't last through the whole thing though, as sitting for 5 hours straight isn't really a hobby of mine. The best part of this whole movie-going experience however, was the Disney short at the beginning of our second feature. It's been all talked up and when it came on the screen, I couldn't have been more excited.
This Disney short is titled Sanjay's Super Team. Sanjay's Super Team leads Disney movies in a new direction. This is what I believe to be, the first time that Disney has covered religious topics in one of its films, intentionally and obviously that is at least. This story documents the bond between an Indian boy and his father. They are Hindu, and therefore Sanjay's father follows the ritual of meditation. He tries to teach Sanjay the importance of meditation, but Sanjay is preoccupied with his toys, coloring and television. However, once Sanjay sits down to meditate with his father, he accidentally extinguishes the oil lamp. As a consequence, he is a taken on a spiritual journey and meets the Hindu gods. Once he comes back into reality, his father is upset because he feels like he wasn't able to get through to his son. However, once Sanjay goes back to coloring, he draws a picture of the gods and presents it to his father. His father is ecstatic and we witness a major bond between the two. This is based off of a true story. Once again, Disney Pixar fails to disappoint!
Throughout the history of television, there have been many series that were cancelled before they could reach their full potential. Many of these shows, such as "Firefly" and "Arrested Development," fail to find a broad audience upon their initial broadcasting. However, through word of mouth and praise from critics, many of these series have developed cult followings long after they originally aired. As I recently discovered, one the greatest shows to see a premature cancelation is "Freaks and Geeks."
"Freaks and Geeks" follows the life of Lindsay Weir, played by Linda Cardellini, a straight A student from a fairly conservative family. Despite her background, Lindsay begins to hang out with the "freaks", the slacker students who care more about socializing than school. The entire series focuses on Lindsay's journey of self-discovery as she attempts to balance her new personality with her old reputation. "Freaks and Geeks" also follows the story of Lindsay's brother, Sam, played by John Francis Daley. Unlike his sister, Sam is considered and geeks and has to deal with being bullied and looked down upon by others. Similar to Lindsay, "Freaks and Geeks" shows Sam trying to fit in and ultimately becoming more comfortable with himself.
What separates "Freaks and Geeks" from other shows is its incredible character development. Much like in real life, the characters are vastly different with many facets to their personalities. Such differences allow for very compelling interactions without making the show too dramatic and unrealistic, something that many other high school dramas fall victim too. Although the show only lasted for 18 episodes, this series did an amazing job of providing a compelling backstory for its characters. By doing this, even the meanest of characters became somewhat relatable. For example, Kim, played by Busy Phillipps, is shown as rude, obnoxious, and generally unlikable in the first few episodes. However, as the season progresses, we see that these actions are the result of her acting out because of her poor family life. Although Kim is mean to everyone, she really just wants a friend whom she can confide in.
In my opinion, "Freaks and Geeks" is by far the most realistic high school show ever written. Although there have been a ton of shows centered around high school, none of them have been able to replicate the quality that "Freaks and Geeks" achieved in its lone season. Most of the time, it seems like high school shows are too dramatic and the characters and largely one dimensional. As a result, it becomes hard to relate to them and they end up lacking the human element that makes "Freaks and Geeks" so special. Ultimately, the impact of "Freaks and Geeks"can be seen in the eventual career path of many of its actors. This series was a springboard for the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segel, who are now three of the most prominent actors in Hollywood. Instead of dwelling on what could have been, it is best to appreciate the one superb season of "Freaks and Geeks" that was produced.
Freaks and Geeks is a show based in the early 1980's that deals with the typical teenager's problems. This show has a knock out cast featuring young James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Busy Phillips, etc. The show is divided into the under class men and the upper class men and their collective and individual struggles but in school and home life. Freaks and Geeks was Judd Apatow's first major hit show. Along with being Apatow's first success it was also James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segel's as well. This show is a cult classic, though it only survived one season. What makes this show such a knock out is it's plethora of timeless themes, stands on it's own as a period piece, and possesses unique and organic characters. Also, the writers did an excellent job of capturing those awkward young adolescent encounters that bring you back to your time as an awkward teenager.
This past weekend I went and took a chance on the serious, but comical 50/50, starring two of my favorite actors in Hollywood—Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan.
The film, based on a true story is about how the lives of two twenty-something best friends change when one of them, Adam (Gordon-Levitt’s character) finds out he has spinal cancer and has a 50/50 chance of surviving. What follows after Adam’s diagnosis is a perfect balance of the upsetting realities of cancer as well as the amusing quirks of every day life—from chemotherapy to smoking medical marijuana as well as a troubling relationship with his girlfriend and trying to use cancer as a pick-up line to get girls.
While Adam struggles with the relationships with his mother, played by Anejlica Huston and the one with his girlfriend, Rachael, played by Bryce Dallas Howard—he forms a comforting friendship with his young and unconventional therapist, Katherine, played by the Oscar-nominated actress, Anna Kendrick.
Throughout his treatment, Adam transforms from a hesitant and soft-spoken young man into a stronger and reassured person who actively fights for his life. His best friend, Kyle, played by Rogan provides much of the humor in the film, and even through his crazy shenanigans, he is consistently there for Adam from the very beginning--making sure that his best friend kicks the cancer's ass.
The film was extraordinarily written (by Will Reiser who the story is based on)—capturing the difficulties of dealing with an illness while maintaining a light-heartedness humor that comes along with life. The characters were already three-dimensional but were really brought to life on the screen by the wonderful cast.
50/50 is a refreshing new comedy that did not disappoint, but rather pleasantly surprised me.
