Crazy Heart

I really wanted to go watch a movie. It was Chinese New Year, so I was supposed to do something, at least something, to celebrate a bit, or make this day unusual and stand out from the rest of the days

Picking a movie is never difficult for me. I can always read the descriptions, look at the cast, and come up with a few possibilities for you to choose from, or I can easily shrug and say I'm not interested in any of them on the market right now, without any shame or guilt. Well, I spent some time on yahoo movies, that site did not give much. I turned to rotten tomatoes, and 'Crazy Heart' got my full curiosity. The Tomatometer is at 93%. OMG. Although sometimes I do not fully agree with their index, but I hardly see movies rated that high.

Of course, it is not wise to present just one option. We should always be considerate to the customers, and present all kinds of possibilities and choices, but at the same time, maneuver them to go the direction we'd like them to head for. So I picked another one, "Lovely Bones". So there is an easy winner.

Pretty good movie. It's pretty much a one-man show. Jeff Bridges certainly did a great job portraying this old broke drunken country singer. Every piece of his performance is convincing. Indiana Jones is a hero. He is cool, quick, and sexy. But you know Harrison Ford is really not a hero. Even the theme of Dr. Jones, after 3 episodes and 20 years, sounds stupid and old. But when I watch 'Crazy Heart', Jeff Bridges is so good that I feel that he is telling his own stories, Bad Blake playing Bad Blake. Beautiful music flows throughout the movie. The attached is my favorite song. I think those are written for the movie, and am so so persuaded that they were once hit songs of someone, so many many years ago.



Many movie critics said that they are not convinced that there can be any romances between Jane and Bad Black. I'm not sure what they'd expect. Do they need the movie to explain things she had gone through in her childhood that lead to her liking for older men, or her miseralbe relationships with her ex-boyfriend or husband, but she could not help but repeat the same mistake over and over again in spite of her clear conscience telling her not to do it? Come on, they were lonely, they had sex, and the sex was good, so they wanted to be together. That's what we all do, eh? Having said that, I don't recall if there is any grin of satisfaction on their face....

I really enjoyed this movie, came back and checked online, and realized it has been nominated 3 Oscar awards. I am really ok with the best actor and music, but the supporting actress? Hm, I really don't think Jane's character gives much room for the actress. She is sweet and? sweet, just sweet. Sweet characters really do not have dramatic effect in a movie, unless the script is meticulously written and the character artistically performed. In this movie? I don't see it.

I feel lucky to have watched 2 movies lately with actors nominated for Oscar. After I watched "A Single Man", I hope Colin Firth would win, but now I have second thought, and am more inclined to Jeff Bridges.


Lyrics:

I was goin’ where I shouldn’t go
seein’ who I shouldn’t see
doin’ what I shouldn’t do
and bein’ who I shouldn’t be

a little voice told me it’s all wrong
another voice told me it’s alright
I used to think I was strong
but lately I just lost the fight

funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while
funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while

I got tired of bein’ good
started missing that old feeling free
stop actin’ like I thought I should
and went on back to bein’ me

I never meant to hurt no one
I just had to have my way
if there is such a thing as too much fun
this must be the price you pay

funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while
funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while

you never see it comin’ till it’s gone
it all happens for a reason
even when it’s wrong
especially when it’s wrong

funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while
funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’
for a little while

I was goin’ where I shouldn’t go
seein’ who I shouldn’t see
doin’ what I shouldn’t do
and bein’ who I shouldn’t be