Like my tweet says, Weekend was an amazing movie.  I saw it last night with my friend Rob.  This movie is about guy named Russel who goes to a gay bar after hanging out with his straight friends.  He had told them he was going home but as the viewer you could see that he was sort of uncomfortable hanging around with his straight friends, even if he is the godfather for one of his friend’s daughters.  While at the gay bar, Russel picks up Glen after a little game of chase between the two.  We then fast forward to the morning where we see Russel in his kitchen making coffee for Glen.  Glen is an artist and he has this tape recorder in which he asks Russel to retell the night they spent together.  Russel is shy and embarrassed but they rehash the night into the tape recorder.

They end up spending the weekend together, in which Glen reveals that he’s leaving for America (this is set in England) the next day.  They have a great couple of days together, trying to make sense of their lives.  Glen embraces his homosexuality (and goes to say that one shouldn’t need to be sanctioned by straight ideals in order to feel happy) and Russel prefers to keep his sexuality on a need to know basis (although he’s out to everyone, he believes that that is perfectly acceptable for two men to marry even if they are playing into this “straight idea” that Glen is so against).

Although these two viewpoints are rather simplistic, as the movie progresses we find a sort of hidden backstory (isn’t there always?) for why these men feel the way they do.  After a wonderful, alcohol and drug induced night, they connect on a very deep level and although they cannot admit it to themselves, they formed an amazing connection to one another.

The weekend ends and Glen prepares to leave the country, Russel is off to his goddaughter’s birthday party.  Russel’s best friend senses a certain apprehensiveness present in Russel and pries the reason out of Russel.  The best friend then offers to drive Russel to the train station to see Glen off while Russel absolutely resists but of course he doesn’t resist too hard.

The train station scene was great.  The two men stood on the platform and their conversation is drowned out by the noise of the trains and passengers but we can see Russel’s hand movements and face as he tries to convey to Glen what is in both of their hearts.  They embrace and kiss and then Glen boards the train, not before giving Russel a gift – the tape recorder of the night they met.

I felt that the two actors, Tom Cullen and Chris New, had wonderful chemistry together and I felt bad sometimes because it seemed as if I was a voyeur into their lives.  Little movements and glances make up the rich subtext of their developing relationship.  Although nothing is certain and there’s potential everywhere, I am glad that the movie’s ending was bittersweet.  It adds a hint of realism that is uncommon in a lot of gay movies.

This is director Andrew Haigh’s second movie.  Straight from the director,

I wanted to tell an honest, intimate and authentic love story. I wanted to express that feeling of both fear and excitement that comes with the possibility of something new. I wanted to watch these two guys slowly fall for one another, fall for each other’s differences almost as if they were uncovering missing pieces of themselves. I wanted to capture those moments that two people share when they truly start to engage with one another, gently focusing in on the struggles at the core of their characters. Russell and Glen are two people navigating through life in very different ways but both are looking for same thing - to find their place within the world around them. They are trying to work out who they are, what they want and how they should define themselves, in private as well as in public. Obviously when dealing with two gay characters many of these issues become especially pertinent and it was important to me that I tried to say something truthful about the complexities of the modern gay experience. However, just as there are many ways to define a person, the same can be said of a film. I hope that rather than narrowing the resonance of the story, the gay context helps to amplify the themes felt at the heart of Weekend - those struggles we all face regardless of sexuality

I felt that the moment was captured, alright.  Like I said, there were times when I felt like I was a voyeur looking into their window (and there was a beautiful scene where Glen and Russel were embracing in an open window while the other windows in the apartment building where dark and theirs was the only one lit).  The modern gay experience is something I can relate to because now we have a choice to make – do we as gay men confirm and blend into the world and make our sexuality “no big deal”, an afterthought when describing a person or do we embrace it and fuck who we want and fuck the straight ways of living and fuck fuck fuck?  Is there a push or pull, is there a binary?

Both, either, any, whichever.  We all have these choices now.

I definitely recommend this movie.  It’s in select theaters now for a limited showing so see it while you can!

Let me start off by saying that I really enjoy and appreciate Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  It’s stupid to say that I have a crush on him because its pretty obvious that I have a super crush on him.  But other than that, I really like the movies he chooses to participate.  I mean, he was alright in Angels in the Outfield.  But he really did a good job in Mysterious Skin.  It takes skill to act like a prostitute, right?  500 Days of Summer was great as well.

Anyway, 50/50 was the movie I saw today.  It’s about Adam (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and his best friend (Seth Rogen).  Adam is diagnosed with a rare cancer and undergoes chemotherapy before the doctors can operate on the tumor.  The movie is the course of events that stem from this cancer.  Adam is a twenty-something Seattlite who has a job at a radio station with his best friend Kyle.  It’s revealed that Adam’s girlfriend Rachael (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) and him has grown distinct since they haven’t had sex in a few weeks.  Adam has been experiencing back pains and finally goes to a doctor only to find he has a rare genetic cancer located somewhere in his back.  When Adam goes online to look up this rare cancer, he finds that the mortality rate of this cancer to be 50%, hence the title of the movie.

Adam then tells Rachael about the cancer and gives her an out by telling her that she can leave if dealing with the cancer is too much for her.  She insists that she wants to stay, no matter what.  Adam’s mother breaks down.  And I really feel for this woman because her husband has Alzheimer’s Disease and now her son has a rare back cancer.  But the mother, played by Anjelica Huston, accepts that Rachael will be the one who takes care of Adam during his chemotherapy.  Kyle throws Adam a party at work to cheer Adam up and to break the news to everyone else.

The therapist that Adam was sent to is Katherine, played by Anna Kendrick.  At first their encounters are defensive and superficial.  Adam feels, I believe, vulnerable and so he has to compensate by closing himself up.  He finds out that Katherine has only had three patients and that she’s not fully a psychological doctor.  This does not make Adam feel any better but they power through the first meeting together.  Kyle works overtime to cheer Adam up but of course, chemotherapy isn’t a great process.  During a chemotherapy session, Adam meets these two old men who offer him a bunch of *special* cookies.  Adam, this straight-laced guy who doesn’t do drugs or drink, accepts the cookies from these two men, played by Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall.  It’s sad that during these chemotherapy sessions, Rachael prefers to stay outside and uses a very lame excuse.  I believe it was Matt Frewer’s character who said, “Sure, no one likes hospitals, that’s not why you come here.” and its true.  I suppose this was a foreshadowing of the eventual demise of their relationship.

Katherine had suggested to Adam a few books about dealing with cancer so Adam and Kyle go together to a bookstore.  Kyle is trying to persuade Adam to use his cancer status to his advantage.  As an example, Kyle goes up to a girl at the bookstore and asks about the cancer books.  This is enough to win Kyle a date with the girl and they go out afterwards to a gallery opening.  While at the gallery opening, Kyle spots Rachael kissing another guy and tries to snap a picture.  He rushes home to show Adam.  Adam, sick from the chemotherapy, is laying in bed and smoking pot to alleviate his symptoms.  Rachael was supposed to stop by from the gallery opening but ran late.  As she walks into the door, Kyle arrives and enters as well and shows Adam the picture of Rachael with another guy.  Rachael tries to convince Adam that they can talk about it in the morning but Kyle chases her off.  This was the end of that relationship.

With Rachael out of the picture Kyle then tries to convince Adam to use his cancer to get laid and hopefully get over Rachael.  But after an encounter with a two pretty girls at the bar, Adam realizes that one night stands isn’t what he was looking for.  He further withdraws into himself only finally opening to Katherine, the therapist, when she was giving him a ride home from chemotherapy (she happens to work at the same hospital and they left at the same time).  There is obviously chemistry between these two but the therapist-patient relationship made things impossible for the time being.  Later Adam discovers that one of the men he had met during his chemotherapy sessions passed away and starts to realize that he might share the same fate.

The climax starts when Adam finds out that the chemotherapy has not been working and his doctor recommended that they perform the surgery in a few days.  The therapy session that followed was a disaster as Adam, both from the news about his surgery and from the death of his friend from cancer, reaches a point where it seems the most hopeless.  Adam has a hard time dealing with the fact that he is going to die (as I think most people would agree).  He leaves Katherine’s office with low spirits, leaving Katherine to deal with her own developing feelings about him.  That night, Adam asks to drive Kyle’s car since Adam has never learned how to drive.  Recklessly driving with no regard to his own life, Adam finally has a breakdown and calls Katherine on her cell phone to settle a few things.  He says, “I bet you’ll make a great girlfriend.”

I think at this point I really teared up.  I could just empathize with this guy.  One of the things in life that I’ve beginning to realize is that endings are so scary.  At least the endings that are inevitable.  I empathized with Adam so much.  I couldn’t begin to imagine how I would feel if my life was just hanging by a few ticks of the clock.  This feeling of impending doom was so thick.

The morning of the surgery, every sentence felt like it ended with a period.  A very final sound at the close.  Adam’s mother is beside him before the surgery as he gets nervous.  They add the anesthesia and wheel him into the operating room.  Out in the waiting room, Adam’s mother and father sit next to Kyle, each awaiting nervously the news (well, his dad isn’t so nervous since he has Alzheimer’s).

And the ending is, well its just the ending.

I thought the movie was awesome and amazing.  I really like the camera work, the colors and style of all the characters.  And I feel as if I really connected with them.  I probably could not begin to imagine what it must be like for Adam to go through something like that.  And its true that he found out who his true friends are.  When Adam carried Kyle home from the freak out Adam had in the car, Adam found a book that Kyle had in his bathroom about dealing with cancer with pages dog eared and passages underline and I think I teared up at that part too.  It’s often not what people show that most gets me.  It was very telling that scene since it was when Adam looked past his own problems and saw his best friend’s problem.  Kyle wasn’t just the comedic entertainment, he was the guy who might lose his best friend.  Once Adam realized that, they gained a better understanding of each other.

Definitely must see.

I had just gotten home from work and I was super tired.  I like the type of relationship my roommate and I share.  We can go through our days without texting or whatever each other but mostly every night we talk about our day and random stuff before turning in to bed.  This particular night he was telling me about a conversation he had had with his coworker.  As a side note, he works with the weirdest people ever.  But then again, I suppose I do as well.  Anyway, his coworker goes to the movies by himself.  This prompted me to tell my roommate about my own coworker who is planning a trip to New Orleans and plans to go bar hopping by himself.  Or you know, when you go to a restaurant and you see that one lone guy sitting at a table by himself and think (or at least I do) “What’s that weirdo doing? Sitting by himself.”

Forever alone...

It just amazes me how people can do these things, which seem like social activities, by themselves.  I feel as if its looked down upon in our society.  It’s as if when you do these things I get this feeling of being a loser and…forever alone!

But why?

I mean, this shouldn’t be the feelings I get for just going out and spending some time with myself.  Does the very thought of “going on a date with myself” have a bad connotation?  Or is it assumed that I’m spending time with myself?  I feel as if the word “with” denotes a sort of pair sorting in which you have to spend time with someone.

Either way, I think I really want to go on a date with myself one day.  I don’t think I can go to a restaurant by myself but maybe I can work up to it.  So yes, this weekend I plan on going to the movies by myself.

As my one coworker and my roommate’s coworker describes it, its a very freeing experience.  No arguing about which movie to see, which restaurant to go to or when to meet up.  You just go and do it.

So that’s my exciting plan for this weekend.  Any other ideas?

Scary!

This past week I completed Crysis 2 and Fall Out New Vegas.  So a few days ago I decided that it would be a treat for me to stroll down to the local Gamestop and pick up a new game.  I mean, I deserved a new game since, like a good little boy, I completed two games.  For a while in my gamer career I used to get games and never beat them due to lack of interest or skill required to actually beat the game.  But now that I’m better(ish) with my money, I only get games that I am super excited about and are (admittedly) not-so-hard.

I mean, I’m no noob or anything, honest!

Anyway, I must have spent a super long time staring at all the PS3 titles on the shelves.  Since I don’t really read gamer sites, I really don’t know what kind of games are out there.  I saw dozens of titles that I’ve never heard of so I decided to ask the cashiers and see if they have any helpful suggestions.

They were two girls working at the Gamestop (surprised?) and I told them my story of being a good boy and completing Fall Out and Crysis 2 and they, without much discussion, suggested Dead Island.  As they were telling me about it (and they even had a trailer to show me!) I became more and more interested.

See, there’s two things I like in this world.  One of them being cats.  I absolutely love cats.  However, the other thing that I love in this world happens to be zombies.  And so it seemed to me like this would be the perfect follow up to my fantastic video game summer.

I decided to use Xian Mei, a Hong Kong secret agent turned receptionist at the resort who has an expertise with sharp weapons like machetes and swords (mm).  The intro to the game is a first person perspective of a person getting crunk (crazy drunk, duh) at a party.  You get to see all the characters at this party but you are getting so drunk that security has to escort you back to your hotel room.  It’s only after that that you can pick your character.  And so when I woke up, I was the lovely Xian Mei.  Although, I can’t really imagine her downing a bottle of rum or tequila or whatever she was drinking.  I thought it was pretty shoddy to have one generic intro for the characters.  Plus, did she have man hands?

Anyway, you wake up to find the resort’s emergency announcement playing and everyone is gone.  The first time I noticed about the controls is that moving feels different from Fall Out or Crysis 2 in the sense that it feels as if you’re pushing a weight.  In other words, moving feels more sluggish than in the other two games I mentioned.  However, I quickly got over that fact and adapted and now I feel as if its natural again.

You start out with no weapons at all and so you have to run away from the hordes of undead in the resort, only guided by a voice.  This was very scary.  There’s nothing worse than being unarmed facing a whole army of the undead.

Once you’re safe with all the other survivors you discover that you are the only person on the island that is immune to whatever is making people into zombies (an alien weapon from space? rabies? some other disease?) and so you’re the one that’s going to be the hero, going out and fighting the zombies.  However, you might be immune, you are not invincible.

The one thing I dislike about this game is that you can’t really carry health items with you.  Sure, you can buy or find medkits and can quickly administer them.  But the most abundant form of health recovery in the game are from items of food.  I can’t believe that my character hasn’t turned into a diabetic since I’ve been mostly drinking energy drinks to replinish my health.  Perhaps there’s a better way?  Scattered throughout the island are bits of fruit, candy bars and tons of energy drinks.  However, these items are consumed immediately when picked up so the advantages of hoarding health aid items are missing in this game.  There have been many times when I’ve encountered Thugs (big zombies that swing their arms and can knock you down) and I’ve had to leave to find energy drinks only to return and find that they restored their own health as well (from eating flesh?).  Very frustrating.

The environment in this game is similar to Fall Out 3 and New Vegas and Oblivion (and soon Skyrim!) in that its open.  You can go just about everywhere.  And the island of Banoi is sufficiently big and full of side quests that one can get lost with side quests and spend little time on the main quest.  The textures do take some time to load which can take away from the realism.  But once they are loaded, the environment is very lively.  You can hear the seagulls in the distance as well as the water splashing, the trees sway in the wind and most importantly, when hacking at a zombie, blood flies everywhere.  Even the weapons get dirty and damaged and this is reflected in the game as well.

Dead Island focuses on melee combat with a few guns thrown in.  Three out of the four characters have an expertise in melee weapons (although one throws knives so its like part melee, right?).  It’s very satisfying to hack a zombie apart and see its arm fly.  Or sometimes if you’re lucky you can hack off someone’s head and instantly kill them.

There is a visceral sense of fear present in the game, which adds so much depth.  Zombies make a variety of sounds, from the heavy breathing to a loud yell.  There’s the kinds that walk up slowly and try to eat you while there’s others that are more aggressive and run up to you while yelling.  Many times I’ve been caught off guard and had a burning zombie run up to me from out of nowhere.  This is great but paired with the fact that you can’t carry healing items with you (unless you use medkits) makes combat a pain sometimes.

Currently I’m only about 15% into the game and I’m absolutely hooked.  Definitely worth the price because I find myself wanting to finish this post and get back to playing Dead Island despite the cons.  Many people have reported save glitches and there is a slight feeling that this is not the finished product.  Examples being slow to render textures and no save-on-demand option (the game saves automatically but it would be nice to be able to control that), and the fact that weapons get damaged too easily (so far at least).

I will update this once I get further into the game.  But for now, why don’t you check out the trailer?