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Nuju Metru

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Blog Entries posted by Nuju Metru

  6. Nuju Metru

    Review: The Town

    By Nuju Metru,

    Hearts of Gold in a World of Grit; Affleck’s “The Town”
     
    Grinning skull masks with hollow eyes and all-black clothing conceal the identities of four men as they surge out of a car and into a bank. Guns are held confidently in their hands as they quickly take control of the building. A practiced machine, this quartet robs the bank, leaving no traces of evidence, and fleeing before they can be caught – the men in skeletal visages are efficient, professional, systematic, riveting. Thus, the actions of protagonist Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and his thief crew in the opening scene of The Town is a metaphor for the film itself; from start to finish, the movie engages in no superfluities that would detract from its plot or from the performances of the actors in propelling it forward. The end result is clean, engaging, fast, and thorough.
     
    The Town has surprising deftness and grace for an American action movie. Affleck wrote, directed, and starred in a film that can and does transition between the shadowy dirtiness and speed so common in violent cinema and the rest of reality, the world of normality. This is a contrast that is artfully executed and clearly defined – Affleck’s character is a man who lives in both worlds; his acting, if nothing else, is representative of the gap. One moment, he is savage, merciless, intimidating – the next, sympathetic, sincere, relatable. But, despite the sharp disparity of these sets of traits, Affleck manages to connect them within MacRay, forging a character who feels real and, unlike many personalities of recent movies, we actually end up caring about when he’s getting shot at.
     
    Supported by numerous talented actors (Among them Jon Hamm playing a wily FBI agent, Jeremy Renner a detestable, merciless member of the robber crew), the film’s plot does not have to rely upon excessive and unneeded fighting and violence to continue building. When there are action scenes, they are brutal, intense, exciting – cars smashing, guns firing, bullets ricocheting, wounds exploding in splashes of gore – and are captivated with quick, masterful shots. The camera angles, contrary to battle sequences of notable other films, don’t serve to confuse the viewer, which was a welcomed change.
     
    The film’s cinematography overall is well-done; its duller light and drained colors conveys a feel of depression, exaggerated mediocrity that is representative of how the urban jungle of Boston is perceived in the picture. But despite its greyer hues, The Town’s script is delectably colorful – and not only because of the profuse swearing. It performs a screenplay that doesn’t sound like one; no one-liners, no too-perfect grammar, no holds barred on what people would realistically say. It’s a comprehensive script, which constantly connects upon itself, and lends a unified feel to the movie. There are sparse but well-placed instances of dry wit that make audiences chuckle, sometimes even laugh in earnest, which do well to balance the more macabre moments.
     
    The tone of the story overall is gloomy – greed and a lusty desire to rise above their pathetic lives are the chief motivators for many of the characters. But not for all – MacRay (Affleck) finds a more pure impetus in Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), the manager of a bank he robs who by a strange play of fate he develops a strong romantic bond with. Their relationship is a singular point of hope and joy in the movie, strongly juxtaposed against cops and robbers with no lives outside the endless cycles of dissatisfaction they have made for themselves. It is encouraging to know that even a man as dangerous as MacRay has a soul.
     
    After all, The Town, like many other movies, is at its heart a commentary upon human nature. In the world where mankind has crafted a society of violence and self-indulgence with zero fulfillments, all too often people do not ascend beyond their average selves – nor do they try to. But Affleck’s film reminds its audience that people can still find joy and love… it just takes one bank robbery, one coincidence, to discover it.
     
    (Written for my Journalism class at school - thought I might as well share my thoughts on the movie here, too.)
  7. Nuju Metru

    Monkeys Keep No Secrets

    By Nuju Metru,

    The song was 4th'd... how could it NOT win? Yup, it's Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey.
     
    Come on come on come on come on
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on lets take it easy
    Come on lets take it easy
    Take it easy take it easy
    Everybody's got something to hide except for me and
    my monkey.
     
    The deeper you go the higher you fly
    The higher you fly the deeper you go
    So come on come on
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on lets make it easy
    Come on lets make it easy.
     
    Take it easy take it easy
    Everybody's got something to hide except for me and
    my monkey.
     
    Your inside is out and your outside is in
    Your outside is in and your inside is out
    So come on come on
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on is such a joy
    Come on lets make it easy
    Come on lets make it easy
    Make it easy make it easy
    Everybody's got something to hide except for me and
    my monkey.
  10. Nuju Metru

    Bzeatles Jukebox

    By Nuju Metru,

    Another double-suggested song from yesterday.
     
    Can you guess?
     
    It's I'm Looking through You.
     
    I'm looking through you, where did you go
    I thought I knew you, what did I know
    You don't look different, but you have changed
    I'm looking through you, you're not the same
     
    Your lips are moving, I cannot hear
    Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear
    You don't sound different, I've learned the game.
    I'm looking through you, you're not the same
     
    Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
    Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight
     
    You're thinking of me, the same old way
    You were above me, but not today
    The only difference is you're down there
    I'm looking through you, and you're nowhere
     
    Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
    Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight
     
    I'm looking through you, where did you go
    I thought I knew you, what did I know
    You don't look different, but you have changed
    I'm looking through you, you're not the same
     
    Yeah! Oh baby you changed!
    Aah! I'm looking through you!
    Yeah! I'm looking through you!
    You changed, you changed, you changed!
     
    Want to hear your favorite Beatles Song next week? Just PM me your ideas, or wait 'till thursday to post them in the suggestion topic.
     
    -John
     
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