College Movie Project: Saved! and Closer

Both of these movies have in common the fact that I used to force people to watch them...well not really force but I would always tell my friends who hadn't seen them that "you have to see it!" and then we'd end up in my dorm watching them...and me watching them watch them to make sure they loved them both as much as I did...

Summer 2004: Saved!

Movie Facts:
Directed by Brian Dannelly
Google Genre: Drama Film/Coming of Age
Movie Tagline: Lead us not into temptation.
Actors: Jena Malone I love her. She's sweet and good and totally likes like she could be Mary-Louise Parker's kid.
Mandy Moore she's great in this, this was back when she still had to contractually sing in all her movies.
Macauley Culkin ahhhhhhhhhh!
Patrick Fugit hey it's the kid from Almost Famous as an awkward teenager! 

Before Rewatch: 
The man had never seen this one! I told him that it came out before my sophomore year in college and when the DVD came out I made all my friends watch it. This is true. I remember very specifically watching it on the floor of my huge dorm room with random friends and everyone loving it as much as I did. I had a lot of friends who went to christian high schools and they enjoyed it. I remember also having a conversation with my choir director Dr. Boyer about it. He LOVED the line after Hilary-Faye throws the bible at Mary and Mary says "This is not a weapon you idiot". Still a great scene.

After Rewatch:
Such a great little teen movie. I don't find it as painful to relive as I do Garden State. For some reason this holds up better for me. I still think the themes and situations the students go through are poignant and important. I don't really think I read anything new or different into is than I did 12 years ago though. I think it's fun that the parents are having the same struggle as the kids, that's always a nice parallel. 

I always laugh a lot but the scene that makes me laugh when I remember it is when Macauley Culkin and Eva Amurri (aka Susan Sarandon's daughter) are having coffee and see Mary coming out of the Planned Parenthood Eva says "there's only one reason good christian girls go to the Planned Parenthood" and Macauley says "She's planting a pipe bomb?"! OMG I die. I love that moment. SO funny. 

I also love the carpenter Jesus at the beginning when Mary hits her head in the pool. I love Mary-Louise Parker as the ditzy oblivious mom and her future Weeds co-star Martin Donovan they just look so good together. 

I will also always wonder how anyone could smuggle a frozen turkey out of a Piggly Wiggly in only a tube top and mini skirt...seriously Eva how?!

Overall- it's such a cute easy movie and I think beside the Incredibles it the last of the semi-happy movies I have on my College Movie project list. I'm pretty sure the rest are seriously depressing and dark- yay! 

Fall 2004: Closer

Movie Facts:
Directed by Mike Nichols
Google Genre: Drama Film/Romance (yah...okay...)
Movie Tagline: If you believe in love at first sight... Take a closer look.
Actors: Natalie Portman I love her. I loved her hair so much I took a picture of her form this movie to my hairdresser and said I want this and then had that haircut for almost 7 years. But also I love her. 
Julia Roberts Love her. I don't normally love her but in this I love her.
Jude Law he's great and frustrating but works great.
Clive Owen LOVE. I fell in love with him in this movie...not the character though he's a douche.  

Before Rewatch: 
I've easily seen this movie a hundred times. I'm pretty sure I've watched it at least once a month since I got the DVD. I find it so honest and awful and terrifying and beautiful and all those things. In 2004 when it came out I saw it in Theaters with my best friend over Christmas break. We both loved it. I think after college it took on a different meaning for me. I was something Alice and sometimes Anna. I was harsh and critical of love. Every horrible breakup and I'd come back to this movie and find comfort, everyone is terrible...even though Alice lies she's the most honorable one in the bunch. Ann is awful, Larry is a douche, and of course Dan is just sad and pathetic. So Alice is the heroine. 

After Rewatch:
I mean she tells him right up front, exactly what she does. Dan should not be surprised how Alice leaves him. Larry shouldn't try to get Anna back, dude just leave her alone OMG. Dan cut Alice loose sooner! What is wrong with you people? But still it's honest, these sort of things happen in relationships, people do horrible things to one another. I feel like This movie honestly helped me shield myself a litte. It probably helped me shield myself too much in some situations but anyone could be an Alice or Anna or Dan or Larry out there and all four of them are dangerous characters in their own way. If you want to believe in love that lasts none of them are good examples of that. They all look at love as so temporary...Alice will love you till she doesn't- it's terrifying. Dan will fall in love with someone just by looking at them and doesn't care if he's with someone else or not...poor Ruth. Anna cheats...Larry cheats and wants to have sex in exchang for a divorce- fuck you Larry! It's just cruel and awful but somehow it makes me feel better. So I watch it over and over again and will probably continue to. 

Previous Movie Posts:
College movie project overview
Fall 2006 - Stranger than Fiction
Clerks 2, Lost in Translation, Sideways and V