Blue Valentine

			Blue Valentine (2010) (From IMDB)   112 min  -  Drama | Romance   -  27 December 2010 Director: Derek Cianfrance Writers:Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, and 1 more Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams     So Grant and I sat down the other night to watch a movie I had been wanting to see since I caught a preview for back in December, Blue Valentine. The movie stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling (who can do no wrong in my book).  The movie centers around a young married couple, Dean and Cindy. They have a young daughter named Frankie, and while you can see they love their child dearly, as well as each other, something seems amiss in their relationship. The film cuts between the present and around 5 or 6 years in the past, to the beginning of Dean and Cindy's relationship. For Dean, it is love at first sight. Cindy is the girl he's been looking for, and throughout the film, you can see that he is struggling because he loves her so much, but presently she has become distant emotionally and physically with him. Cindy is disappointed in Dean, who is a house painter, and feels he hasn't lived up to his potential in life, all the while she had been on the fast track to becoming a doctor, which failed to come to fruition when she became pregnant, and instead she became a nurse. It seems as if Cindy is overall disappointed in her life. Through flashback clips it is made obvious to the viewer that Cindy has had negative relationships with the men in her life, her father as well as a previous boyfriend. Therefore, I think she goes into this relationship with Dean feeling like he can take her away from the life she despises, all the while expecting him to let her down like the other men in her life have. When he doesn't and he steps up to the plate, she marries him, but I wonder if she was ever truly in love with him?   Spoiler alert: this movie doesn't have a happy ending. It chronicles the beginning of a relationship and the end of one. It is quite depressing but very realistic in its portrayal.   First off, let me tell you what I liked about the film: the acting is superb! Like I said earlier, Ryan Gosling can do no wrong as far as I am concerned, and Michelle Williams is equally spectacular. I always judge whether or not I think the acting is good by thinking of myself as furniture in the life of the people in the movie. I definitely felt that way. This movie could have been the day-to-day activities and struggles of anyone.   The other major plus for me in this film was Gosling's character, Dean. I loved the character and felt not only was he truly good to the core, but there is a twist in the film that you learn about that makes him all the more respectable. I just loved him. And his humor is always a bright spot, even in the most serious of films.   There is one particular scene (which I have attached to this post) that made up for my dislikes with the film. I LOVED this scene. Plain and simple. LOVED it.   This brings me to the things I did NOT like about the movie. First of all, I hated William's character, Cindy. While I think Williams did a fantastic job playing the character, I didn't like the character herself. There were moments when you really pulled for her and them as a couple, but there were times when she seemed so selfish and cruel. For example, Dean takes Cindy on an overnight get-a-way to a hotel so they can reconnect as a couple. After an argument, they both get drunk and pass out. Cindy gets a call in the morning that she is needed at work, so she doesn't wake Dean, and instead leaves him a note that she has left and he is forced to take the bus back to town. I just couldn't like her after that.   The biggest problem I had with the film was it's numerous graphic sex scenes. Now, I am not a prude, and when called for, sex scenes have their place in films. However, during this movie, it was so frequent, and so graphic, I found myself asking, "did I rent a porno?" This is certainly NOT a film for young people.   So in conclusion, I liked Blue Valentine, but I cannot say that I loved it. It certainly wasn't the "feel good movie of the year," but it showed the true raw acting talent of two of my very favorite actors. It also makes you appreciate your own relationship when you can see how very fragile they are and how easily a couple can slip out of being in love.

Hipster? Indie? Who Cares?

Several weeks ago, I had a friend pose and interesting question. He stated that it seemed to be a growing trend to be "indie". In other words, "indie" is becoming popular.  He asked if I felt to the indie scene needed protecting from the "hipster movement," or did I embrace this subculture regardless of their growing popularity?  This is an excellent question, and to be honest, I'm not sure I have a clear answer.

First, I think we need to start out by defining what a hipster is.  Robert Lanham defines a hipster in The Hipster Handbook as "One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat."

Okay, while that is humorous and we can all get a good chuckle out of it, what does being a hipster really mean?  Is it negative? How does it differ from being indie? What category do I fall into? And does it really matter?

So here's my answer: It doesn't effing matter.

I guess what I am really trying to say is, I think that the label "hipster" or "indie" are what you make them for yourself. As far as I am concerned, it's about the music. It's always been about the music. I don't care if someone listens to a band because they think it is cool. If the music means something to them, who am I to judge?

I dyed my hair pink. Does that make me a hipster?

I know I have made my disdain for Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber and others like them abundantly clear, but that's for me. I certainly don't judge another person for enjoying their music. Someone may originally begin listening to a band because they've been told they are the hip band, but if the music speaks to them and moves them, the way music is supposed to, isn't that all that matters?

I would love it if the whole world knew about my favorite bands and movies. After all, that's kinda the purpose of this blog. I decided a long time ago that I was going to quit trying to be "cool" and just be me. I love the music I love because it means something to me. Period. If that makes me a hipster or indie, then so be it. I will proudly wave my music freak flag!