So I saw Elizabethtown friday night, and liked it. I went with friends who didn’t see it because of Orlando Bloom and had heard it reamed on NPR’s movie review just prior to arriving at the theater, and liked it anyway. It was funnier than I expected. It was glorious seeing Orli’s face up close like that (and we were close. The Moolah’s couches are very close to the screen, and it’s a big screen, and we were in the second row. I think my neck is still a little sore, lol) and overall I was happy with the movie. It’s no Almost Famous, but it’s a worthy effort by director Cameron Crowe. I’m not sure it deserved all the drubbings it got from the critics. I can see some of what they’re talking about, some slow moments and a little bit of weird editing, but shoot, Return of the King had that too, and look how that turned out. I wonder what the cut was like at the Toronto Film Festival, where ETown premiered, since apparently it was so bad that CC was forced to recut it.
There were lots of funny bits. There were definitely things I could relate to, like the scene where Drew (Orlando’s character) first meets his country cousins. I’ve had that happen to me before; there’s this room full of people who know me, and know me well, somehow, even though they haven’t seen me since I was yea-high to a grasshopper (aka a very long time ago), and they LOVE that you’re there! It’s weird and offputting and strangely gratifying. Seemed like there was a lot of reality in this movie, for all that it’s larger than life.
I suppose I can see where some of the complaints came from. Some parts are a little long, true, and some of the scenes didn’t quite flow. There were technical questions, like why on earth wasn’t test-marketing done on this shoe (Drew is a shoe designer who spent eight years designing this one shoe which turns out, as the movie calls it, to be a total fiasco), and honestly, whose cell phone battery lasts all night? And how exactly did they have Drew getting lost on the way to Elizabethtown (which is on exit 60B, in case you were wondering about the title) when it looks like a straight shot from the airport to the town? But those don’t seem like reasons to pan the movie. Just observations.

I kept noticing little moments that reminded me of Orli in other parts…I guess I’ve seen him so much in his other movies that everything he’s done now is overlaid with Will or Legolas or Balian. Which isn’t a bad thing. I like him in those movies. I guess it’s just that I don’t want him stereotyped in my mind. It’s a good thing this was a comedy. I laughed quite a bit, and so did the rest of the theater. It was mostly girls (no surprise there) or couples, though there were two older men sitting on the couch next to us, and all of us wondered why exactly old men were going to see an Orlando Bloom movie. Maybe they were just going because they had nothing better to do. Maybe they like Cameron Crowe’s movies. Maybe they like Cameron Crowe. Whatever. Regardless, the couches were full and there were people upstairs in the balcony as well. Good. And box-office wise, it came in third behind The Fog and Wallace & Gromitt, which I consider a good showing because ETown was on fewer screens and wasn’t rated G.
I wore my only western-style buttondown shirt, because Orli wears one in the scene at the end of the movie. Doubt anyone noticed, but it made me happy. Also making me happy was the toasted ravioli that I had during the movie, even though it was expensive and I had to leave the theater for about 30 seconds to get it. The Moolah is a nice place, and I hope I get to go back soon. This time I’m going to remember to ask for the student discount and get my parking pass validated so I can get a discount on consessions. Ah well. You live, you learn.
On another movie related note, I saw Domino (starring Kiera Knightly and opening wide the same day as ETown) a couple of weeks ago as a free screening from Glamour magazine. It was good, fast-pasted, frenetic. Visually engaging. Not so much gory as gritty. Very in your face and if you don’t like it I’ll punch you in the nose (which occurred several times). Unexpectedly funny at times. Made you wonder how much of the story was true. I’d recommend it, but I’m glad I didn’t have to pay for it.
I wonder if an envelope from AAMC will be waiting for me when I get home…it’s the middle of October, after all, and the MCAT scores are supposed to be coming out about now…Friday and Saturday when I checked the mail there were important looking envelopes that at first glance looked like they could be score-containing, but I was disappointed. Even now I’m nervous thinking about it. Damn stupid college GPA. Why didn’t I study harder? Because if these scores are crappy, not only will I have to take the MCAT again, I’ll have to take graduate courses, because there’s no way med schools will look at my app once they see the GPA. Sigh. Hindsight sucks.
Just a little more work, then I’ll be on my way. Go Cards!