3396
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Gregg Shapiro
Jul 28, 2011
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams fall in and out of love in “Blue Valentine.” – Photo: Courtesy
‘Blue Valentine’
Just like the song says, love hurts, scars, wounds and marks in Derek Cianfrance’s romantic tragedy “Blue Valentine.”
There’s little doubt that this married couple – house painter Dean (Ryan Gosling) and nurse Cindy (Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams) – love each other when we first encounter them at home with their young daughter Frankie. But the unmistakable cracks are beginning to show, especially after Cindy fails to lock the yard gate and the family dog Megan gets out and is hit by a car.
Another indication of trouble brewing is that Cindy’s boss, Dr. Feinberg (Ben Shenkman), has offered her a job that involves relocation, something she hasn’t yet discussed with Dean. Dr. Feinberg is attracted to Cindy.
Leaving the present setting, “Blue Valentine” sets up a series of flashbacks to the past to establish that Dean and Cindy’s relationship wasn’t always so tenuous. Dean, sweet and kind of goofy, interviews at a moving company and is hired, in spite of his lack of experience. Cindy is in college where she is studying medicine and dating jock Bobby (Mike Vogel).
Back in the present, Dean books a room at a Sybaris-style motel so that he and Cindy can get away following their pet’s death. On the way to the motel they stop at a liquor store/gas station to pick up libations. There Cindy runs into Bobby and it has an unexpected impact on her. Once in the car, she tells Dean about seeing Bobby, and he is visibly upset.
Dean has good reason to be upset, as we discover in several of the flashbacks, because Bobby is a dark bruise in both of their lives. The scenes from the past provide viewers with an understanding of how Cindy and Dean arrived at the crucial point at which they find themselves.
The performances are intimately rendered, with a combination of humor and raw erotic heat. Williams and Gosling believably portray the blush of new and real love and the devastation of falling irretrievably out of love. DVD special features include deleted scenes, home movies, a “making of” featurette and audio commentary.
‘Gnomeo & Juliet’
A story that’s been told before, a lot, is told again here – this time with an Elton John score and animated lawn ornaments that come to life. On Verona Drive, the Montague and Capulet neighbors don’t care for each other, and their antipathy extends to their lawn gnomes and other yard decorations. Those include a fawn voiced by Ozzy Osbourne, a pink flamingo voiced by Jim Cummings and a fountain frog voiced by Ashley Jensen.
It’s the Red gnomes (Juliet’s family and friends) versus the Blues (Gnomeo’s clan and compadres) in this version of the story of the star-crossed lovers. Bursting with Shakespearean and pop culture references, “Gnomeo & Juliet” alternates between being lawn-gnome cute and creepy. It’s meant to be another G-rated flick for kids that won’t have parents, gay and straight, running for the exit. But even at only 84 minutes, “Gnomeo & Juliet” feels like it goes on too long.
Blu-ray bonus material includes two (!) alternate endings, deleted and alternate scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, the “Elton Builds a Garden” featurette and more.
