The Fault in Our Stars

Saturday, after working out and having lunch, I went to the theater for the early bird showing of The Fault in Our Stars. I easily was one of the few men in the theater. I'm not sure what it was about the previews I'd seen that made me want to watch this movie. It obviously was going to be sad, but there were some great comical moments I'd seen and the overall feel was positive. So, I parked myself away from others and settled in to see it.

My gut feelings were not far off. The story revolves around a young woman named Hazel with thyroid (and other cancer) who lugs around an oxygen tank because her lungs have been severely damaged. As part of her therapy, she is forced to go to a cancer support group, ran by a guy (comedian Mike Birbiglia) who sings overly religious positive songs. While there, she runs into a cute guy and cancer survivor and the two begin a comical, romantic relationship.

There are some very funny moments, but the dramatic moments are staggeringly good. What was particularly interesting was how the cancer affects Hazel's outlook on everything, particularly how it affects everyone else and she worries about them more than herself. Shailene Woodley, the actress who plays Hazel, is amazing. You really just want to hug her. And her boyfriend Gus (Ansel Elgort) spews funny dialogue like he stepped out of a Gilmore Girls episode.

Did I cry? Oh hell yeah. There are some sad, sad moments in the movie (none of which I'll discuss here), but it was actually a wonderful story. It's a tad heavy in places, but I really did enjoy it.

Uplifting Football Movies

I'm sure I've written about this sort of thing before, but I saw a preview on Saturday of an upcoming movie that made me roll my eyes. I despise dramatic sports movies, where they harp on the amazing healing powers of high school football, basketball, or whatever. I don't remember such things from high school. I don't remember the football players being heroic or iconic. I remember them being dicks, @$$holes, and bullies. So when I see a preview for such a movie where I'm supposed to give a damn about them, I falter, I gag, I roll my eyes and scowl. Feh...

The upcoming movie in question is called "When the Game Stands Tall," and involves a California high school whose football team had an 151 game winning streak. They are revered, they are loved, they are held in atmospheric regard. One guy talks about how his grandfather told him that his life will never get any better than this.

And then they lose a game. Apocalypse ensues.

According to the preview, one player who was on a college streak turns to the dark side and hangs out with the bad crowd. One player is immediately unloved by his father. The coach has a heart attack because of the stresses of dealing with the end of the streak...

... all because they lost a football game.

Luckily, the coach lives and rallies the group to win again. Whatever...

It's uplifting and wonderful, the amazingly, god-given healing power of high school football. I hope the movie ticket comes with a barf bag.

This is supposedly based on a true story. I can believe it, after living through high school myself. Personally, I can't imagine how anyone would believe that their high school years were the best of his life. It would lead to a long, disappointing life afterward.

I'll be passing on this one. I just can't fathom spending the time or money trying to stomach it. I'd rather rent the cheesiest horror movie I could find. At least I'm sure there would be parts I'd enjoy there.