Helloooooooooo lovies.
So I’m feeling all full of myself because I’m finally just about done doing the agonizing, painstaking hand-searching bit of the first phase of data collection for my thesis. WHICH MEANS I’ve basically located every single randomized controlled trial on motivational interviewing EVER PUBLISHED.
I know. I’m pretty hot shit.
This means I can soon go on to winnowing all of these articles down into the (probably very tiny) collection of articles which will eventually comprise my thesis’s data set. Which means I might actually eventually *have* a data set, which is good because I have to have one by next semester, and that’s moderately terrifying.
Also I’m back from conference number one, and recently completed my very own set of analyses to win entry to conference number two next month. I’m always pretty freaked out by SPSS, so I feel particularly triumphant when I wrestle it into producing the output I want (usually on the third or fourth attempt).
ALSO I taught a lecture on depression and suicidality a little over a week ago, and it was SWEET. This was for a graduate psychopathology class (rather than the undergrad abnormal psych class I lectured for this summer), so the stakes felt a little higher. But seriously, it was really fun. I felt really happy with how it went.
So victories all around!
On that note, I want to talk about “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” (2010). I know it’s a little late to be reviewing this film, since it came out over the summer and I saw it almost two months ago. Even so, given my perception that it didn’t do as well as I think it should have, I believe the movie warrants a review.
The basic story of the film is that Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera) is a 20-something in Toronto whose band is preparing to enter a battle of the bands. The film opens as he begins dating an inappropriately young high school student. However, shortly after commencing that relationship, he sees Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at a party and instantly falls for her. They begin dating (and somewhere after that, he dumps his girlfriend—oops), and then the shit really hits the fan: Ramona has seven evil exes, all of whom Scott must defeat in battles-to-the-death if he wants to stay with her. Fun times.
Generally speaking, I thought I was pretty much over Michael Cera. This is largely because I feel he plays the exact same character in everything—a 14-24 year old dude, typified by his awkwardness and emotionlessness (unless you count “mildly flustered/irritated” as an emotion, which just doesn’t cut it for me—I like my men with *feelings*).
Furthermore, all of the movies I’ve seen him in have either been pretty sub-par or perfectly nice, but in spite of him. By way of illustration: I loved Cera in “Arrested Development”, but then, I basically love *everyone* in “Arrested Development”. “Superbad” (2007) was funny, but not really because of him. “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” (2008) was pretty much forgettable. “Juno” (2007) was wonderful, but not really because of him. “Year One” (2009) was unforgivably bad.
You get the idea.
HOWEVER. In “Scott Pilgrim,” he’s delightful! He emotes! He’s funny—and not *just* because he’s awkward and emotionless (okay maybe just awkward... but I like awkward!)! You actually get the sense that he has longings, drives, motivations... that he is, you know, a *character* who approximates a somewhat believable *person*. It’s a wonderful change of pace. I recommend it highly.
Seriously though, this movie is the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in a while. It’s quirky, zany, fast-paced, and incredibly visually entertaining. It’s packed with little video game-inspired special effects, which nicely accentuate the myriad idiosyncratic bits of humor. I laughed out loud many times while watching.
The cast is pretty sweet. Kieran Culkin plays Wallace Wells, Scott’s gay roommate. The movie treats Wallace’s sexual orientation with a refreshing embrace of nonchalance, instead focusing on the adorably bro/mentor-like friendship he has with Scott. Because yes, seriously, straight guys can be friends with gay guys. An insane revelation, I know.
Alison Pill, who I’ve recently fallen in love with for her portrayal of April in HBO’s “In Treatment,” plays Kim Pine, the drummer in Scott’s band and one of his apparently many jilted ex-girlfriends. She shows her grudge against Scott by being deliciously underwhelmed with everything he does. It’s hysterical.
Ellen Wong plays Knives Chau, the high schoolery other half of Scott’s tragically short-lived romance before he meets Ramona (Winstead). Wong is so sweetly bubbly and naive that she perfectly embodies the over-exuberance of a doesn’t-know-her-relationship-is-doomed-yet, in-love-for-the-first-time high schooler. Winstead, on the other hand, is a great choice for Scott’s love interest—just weird and imperfect enough to not be boring, yet still memorably alluring beneath her absurdly-colored hair.
Finally, of course, no hipster movie would be complete without Jason Schwartzman (as Gideon Graves). The guy did “Rushmore” (1998) and nothing can ever take that away from him, but I have to face it: he is also decidedly one-note. However, playing his usual cocky-as-shit serves him well in “Scott Pilgrim”—he *is* the villain, after all. And he’s always fun to watch.
So really, there are many things about this movie I really liked. However, there are some flaws in the plot that have continued to gnaw at me.
In the course of his ex-battling, Scott learns that Ramona once dated the guy who’s now dating *his* one true evil ex, Envy Adams (played by Brie Larson). So Scott gets to kill two birds with one stone, really, by beating the crap out of this guy—past boyfriend to Ramona, current boyfriend to the first girl to break his heart. He eventually roundly defeats the ex/boyfriend by ridding him of the superpowers he derives from being a vegan. There are Vegan Police involved. The whole thing is pretty hilarious.
Thing is: I’m really bothered by the fact that we watch Scott risk his life seven times for Ramona, and not once does she lay anything on the line for him. This is made particularly clear during this sequence with Envy’s boyfriend. It seems painfully clear at this point in the movie that the filmmakers could have easily included an additional segment wherein, following Scott’s defeat of the boyfriend, Ramona battles Envy. Why *wouldn’t* she battle Envy? Scott’s battling all of her evil exes, and his *one* evil ex is *right there*!! But instead, Envy’s allowed to slip away to nurse her wounds and presumably find some other new boyfriend with whom to torture Scott.
It annoys me.
Futhermore (SPOILER ALERT): At the end of the movie, after defeating Gideon, there’s a brief moment wherein Scott considers whether to pursue Ramona as she moves back to New York, or to reunite with Knives. Knives has proven to be a formidable partner in battle, devoted to Scott and gifted with deft fighting skill. Through the course of the film, we have seen that they share a love of video games, and that Knives is an ardent supporter of Scott’s music. We have seen none of these things from Ramona, who has been decidedly passive (and frankly, pretty uninteresting as a human however nice she is to look at) for the majority of the movie. Knives and Scott are a great fit. Ramona and Scott... eh. AND HE CHOOSES RAMONA. Why? WHY?? Because she’s cute? Knives is cute!!
WTF MOVIE??
Really, I’m just totally bored by the female lead as damsel-in-distress thing. If someone’s going to fight for you, you should be worth fighting for—and not just because you’re pretty. Nothing about Ramona makes her appear worth fighting for, especially since she does nothing to prove that she loves or even likes Scott. She’s kind of lame. And I didn’t want her to be lame. I wanted her to be cool. Like Knives.
I’m pouting about it, as I’m sure you can tell. Pouting like a strong, empowered, worth-fighting-for and ready-to-kick-some-ass woman, but pouting nonetheless. As a result of the pouting inducement but the otherwise awesomeness, I gave the movie a 4.
And with that, I’ll sign off. Look at me writing more than one post in a month!
Thanks for reading darlings. Leave comments if you’d like!
<3
PS: It's my stepmother's birthday. Happy Birthday!!
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