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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated 500 Days of Summer (2009) in Movies

Aug 9, 2019  
500 Days of Summer (2009)
500 Days of Summer (2009)
2009 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
6
7.4 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
The ever-quirky Zooey Deschanel stars alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt reemerging from “10 Things I Hate About You” in the odd tale “(500) Days of Summer”.

This is the story of Tom an unhappy greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who falls for his boss’s personal assistant, Summer (Zooey Deschanel). As the two become friends Summer reveals to the infatuated Tom that she does not believe in love. Dispute her disbelief the two begin spending time together and eventually friendship blossoms into an intimate relationship. This must be love, right?
Summer and Tom begin an on again off again romance, that centers around Tom’s constant optimism that she is indeed the one for him. But Summer’s inconsistent reactions and lack of desire for commitment leave the audience wondering how the scenario is going to work out.

The film uses a five hundred day counter to expose the story in a non-linear fashion, which would have been interesting if it had anything to do with the plot. There was no mystery unearthed or even character traits exposed through the wacky timeline, it simply kept viewers constantly aware of Tom’s unfortunate situation.

Among the film’s highlights are a choreographed dance sequence, interesting split screen photography, and sensational employment of color. Additionally simple yet strong costume choices, artistic use of architecture, fun music and witty interpersonal banter carry this otherwise depressing film.

Creating an overall disenchantment with relationships and a seething dislike for Summer make this film is far from jovial, but it does offer a darker perspective into the realistic nature of relationships.

Both leads deliver strong performances but the film was unexpectedly melancholy. “(500) Days of Summer” is simply trying too hard and making viewers feel bad in the process.
  
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Karina Longworth recommended Caught (2015) in Movies (curated)

 
Caught (2015)
Caught (2015)
2015 | Mystery
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It was was directed Max Ophuls and it stars Robert Ryan as a character who was intended to be based on Howard Hughes. Max Ophuls had been hired by Hughes’ production company, RKO, early to make the film that was actually supposed to be Faith Domergue’s big starring vehicle, and that movie just turned into a disaster. The production of it dragged along over five or six years with many different directors. After Ophuls got fired from it, he got hired to make an adaptation by another company of a novel called Wild Calendar. He told the screenwriter that he was paired with that he didn’t want to actually adapt the novel; he wanted to use the structure of the novel to make a film about how terrible he thought Howard Hughes was. They basically culled the notes of everything that they’d ever heard about Howard Hughes and Ophuls’ personal experiences, and the screenwriter, Arthur Laurents, went out and he met women who had had encounters with Hughes and then put it all together in this film which is about a shop girl who gets involved with a mysterious millionaire. The mysterious millionaire’s played by Robert Ryan, who was an actor who made a lot of different kinds of movies, and to a lot of film noir fans and B-Movie, genre film fans, he’s considered a great star, but he really looks like Howard Hughes in a lot of ways. They’re both very tall and lanky and have kind of a similar jaw. Even though Hughes knew this movie was being made – he insisted that he be sent dailies – he asked for some changes so that people wouldn’t think it’s him. The character and the performance are a lot like him. Nowadays, especially given everything we know about Howard Hughes, the similarities are impossible to ignore."

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