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I Can't Think Straight (2008)
Reasonable
Supprisingly reasonable dialogs and actions. Some views about religion or how you become a follow of one, were actually nice and not put to an extreme to create more Drama. Same goes for the reaction of the parents, after learning they daughter is gay. While both Mothers didn't like it, the Fathers were nice or supportive about it and no over dramatisation, dishonouring or kicking out of the family happened. Or threats about it.
While that made the movie more believable, I still couldn't connect as much to the characters as I'd like to. A lot of talking revolved about their cultures, so the love between Tala and Layla just didn't feel that strong.
Some parts also felt really disconnected, or might just be bad edited? Like the Tennis or Polo scenes. The cuts between the sport actions and the bystander watching, didn't feel like they were taken on the same event and just put together somehow.
Gray Matters (2006)
Rushed
The first half of the movie feels so rushed. Not just the single scenes that try to tell you want the movie is about and how close the two siblings are, but also the first half of the story feels just like a means to an end. The whole need to find love and the wedding after one week, just to build on to the second half, the coming out story, which seems like it was supposed to be the 'main' story, but falls short too, because the movie isn't that long, and doesn't seem to have enough time to tell everything it wants to.
The story itself could have been really good. Because its more about the coming out, and doesn't end with the two girls having their happy end at some beach in Barcelona. But I think it should have started with her falling in love with her brothers wife and skip the whole part where she finds a woman for him. The closeness between Grey and Sam and how Sam and Charlie got together isn't even that important later on in the movie. And the saved time from the beginning of the movie, could have been added to the second half. To make it the main part and make it better.
So in the end, the movie was funny enough to watch, but not really believable or compelling for the viewer and therefore not that great.
Bloomington (2010)
Maybe someone cut out some parts?
It feels like there are many little parts missing in this movie.
While the set up of a Student - Teacher relationship is nothing new, it still kinda works in this movie. While also adding the angle of exposure for the Student and not only the Teacher.
-all the spoilers now-
But that also makes the movie weird and questionable. The Drama between Jackie and her mother seems unnecessary, it doesn't really add to Jackie and Catherine meeting (beside that one scene where Catherine picked Jackie up for her family), it has nothing to do with the Problem (which would be Jackie going back to making movies), and nothing with them getting over it. Catherines background is just as random and was only useful for that one Date on her Birhtday. Or maybe to explain why they wanted to film in a nice big house?
Then there is their whole relationship. The meeting phase and them "falling in love".. Just doesn't feel fluent. The first Kiss from Catherine comes way to early and before I could feel any kind of connection growing. Only to then lead to the first sex scene like 10 seconds later. The viewer (or I at least) couldn't see them bounding, but rather just got told, that its the next stage now.
And just like the whole relationship feels like there are parts missing to make the story connect, there are single scenes being cut weirdly. When Jackie hands Catherine her resume (or what she was writing) to review it, Catherine hands it back immediately and points her to the last paragraph. (Superman reading speed?) On Catherines Birthday, both, Jackie and Catherine, take a piece of cake onto their plates, only to then have Jackie blindfold Catherine for her surprise. (She obviously ate the cake blindfolded while being driven to the airport!) Not that everything needs to be shown in a movie, a movie is only so long, but such scenes are weird and also describe how the whole plot seemed kinda off or stuttering.
At first I thought 'the Problem' was too weak. Just because Jackie would have to film a little, there is no reason why the relationship between them would be in danger. Just skip a semester or go lighter for a while. But then it actually seemed rather realistic. A Problem many couples probably face all the time in the real world. A rather sudden unplanned long distance relationship and the fear to lose someone to a new circle of friends. Just a slight disturbance in their balance. Though, a Filmstar and a Professor are probably not that common and maybe not that easy for the viewer to put oneself into.
But then the Film ended. Sure they had make-up sex so you know they still love each other. But I was waiting for an actual ending. Catherine emptying her office may points to her quitting her job so she can be with Jackie? But thats unreasonable I think and also just really vague. Not an open ending, for the viewer to decide what happened, but just abrupt.
So overall I did like the story (or maybe I just like this kind of story) and the scenes that worked, were nice, but with all the bumpiness in between, the movie just doesn't feels that good and is kinda strange. Strange enough to make me write my first review on here, since I felt like I had to somehow/somewhere point out why this movie isn't that good.