Movie Review: Admission

To start off I love Tina Fey. You could even call her my idol-- if you're into that sort of thing.

"Admission" is a very heart steady, outlandishly mediocre story trying its best to pass itself as more. Tina Fey and Paul Rudd as possible love interests fizzled into watered down blandness and the movie is dotted throughout with a weak and awkward screen chemistry. Sadly, it's still a better love story than Twilight. I will try my best to not spoil the movie for those so inclined to give their hard earn money for a light napping session, but I can't not talk about certain parts so here we go.

SPOILER ALERT (sorta)

Tina Fey, Portia, plays just about who she always plays: socially awkward, hard working, childless mid 30's something woman (with glasses no shocker there) who is a Princeton University admissions officer; long term relationship with a Princeton... professer? --who knows!-- who are contently unhappy with each other. Paul Rudd, John, plays the cool "there are no rules man" adventurous school teacher / Greenpeace member / Mr. unconventional hot guy running an alternative school that teaches kids to be free spirited and cognitive thinkers-- he also adopted an african kid and is rich. The rest is movie fools gold. While watching it, I felt like the screenplay may have been the final project written by a college sophomore taking his first screenwriting class. The momentum is lacking, and even if it meant to be unconventional in its story arc set up (you know three acts, 2 set backs, and a climax) Karen Croner did a terrible job setting up fluidity. As much as it hurts me to say, I am not a fan of this style (believe me, as a woman in this business, we really should stick together). Maybe it's not even the writer's fault! Maybe it's Paul Weitz, the director of the yawn inducing film. Either way... meeeeh! Let's continue 

Portia's mother is all over the place with her woman's feminist time warp movement. There's a Princeton professor who has no purpose in the movie, it seems, other than to be painfully blunt and to prey on Portia's mother for sexual enlightenment (though I must say his accent is devilishly sexy, and there's a certain sort of allure to the character). Come to find out, there's a possibility John only contacted Portia because he did some snooping and thinks Jeremiah, boy genius who happens to be a student at his school (have I not mentioned him yet?), might be her illegitimate offspring she gave up 18 years prior. That's right, Portia's a whore. Just kidding. It's much deeper than that.  John knows the potential Jeremiah--boy genius-- has and would like to help him get into Princeton. Coming across possible information that points Portia as possible mummy makes him think he has the right to barge into her life. 

Some scenes weren't even necessary, which is always a bad sign. Once you get past the drag, you do however see some of the underlining social issues that the movie is trying to touch on: college age pregnancy, adoption (and if you think about it abortion or the decision against it), what motherhood means to some, life cycle, family, the list can go on; kudos on that. But more scenes were about awkward kissing than real issues. Another redeeming quality of the film is the running gag through out between Portia and her previous boyfriend (that one I mentioned before, he becomes her ex). Portia finds herself constantly running into him at what can be possibly her lowest points in the movie (with his pregnant lover in tow). Those parts made me laugh the hardest because they were hardly necessary and yet very much welcomed for their awkward randomness. Without those little golden moments and the social worker's laundry list of societal problems, the movie would have been beyond tolerable.

Oh I lie. There is another redeeming factor: how the movie ends. Movies are suppose to be this gateway to another world almost. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back; happily ever after. I'm a big fan of the movies that have loose ends and reality checks. This movie definitely ends with a pretty forward reality check: if you do something wrong, illegal, or bad there are consequences; you won't magically be exempt from them. There are so many decisions we make in our lives and the consequences that follow may take years before we realize them; and sometimes we don't get a second chance. I didn't see it as the happiest of endings and I was okay with that. It wasn't the happiest of stories. It's not a comedy (outside of the running gag).   

I have a tendency to only write reviews about terrible movies. I'm trying to change that. I want to also write reviews about great ones. Admissions is not a great one. Watch at your own risk... of dying from bordem. 

Sorry Admission; your denial letter is in the mail!

Loosely Lucid; Densely Aware

I have been practicing lucid dreaming lately. I've always thought, in the past and even now, that maybe I could figure some things out if I just got inside of my own head... Walked around a bit, you know, take in the sights... 

When I go to sleep at night-- not every night but at least 50 percent of the time-- I've attempted to lucid dream. So far I haven't been able to (I think); but I come close... I often do fall into sleep paralysis so there's a start. The problem seems to be right as I reach the edge of awareness, something very dark, very scary.... very unnerving lashes out at me and I sit straight up in my bed. When I say sit up I mean 90 degree angle, heavy breath; racing heart. If I'm not too terrified I do a reality check to make sure I'm not dreaming.... I never am; though once I may have been... When I started I didn't do reality checks and only recently realized without doing so, I might not be able to tell if I was awake or dreaming. It's not necessarily an image or a creature, but whatever it is frightens me.

 There are other ways to reach lucidity though. Once I had fallen to sleep listening to binaural beats, that music that changes your brain wave pattern. I can't remember much about that experience out side of seeing the purple moon from the video and then the words, "You are dreaming!" blaring into my sub-conscience. I immediately sat up in my bed (there's a pattern in that it seems) and took my headphones off. Why was it so loud? I listened to the music ahead of time to make sure it was low.... I assumed I was just dreaming and managed to infiltrate my own dream with music. Truth is the song wasn't even playing anymore and I had turned down my screen brightness so it was dark, so... yeah confusion. 

I fell back asleep fast and dreamt of biting into a boiled egg only to find a tiny half alive half dead baby chick inside. I had taken a little piece out of its body, a little pink line formed where my teeth had been. I spit it out upset, and had a string of baby chick flesh stuck in my teeth that I had to manually dislodge. As gruesome as that image might seem... It wasn't so much while I was dreaming. It was more comical than anything else. Disturbing... but comical. 

I guess I'm looking for answers; I'm always working towards self improvement. Every time I think I've built myself a steady foundation, I later find it to be missing key pieces I thought it had. I want to fix it. I want to fix me.

A few people have told me I should be looking to religion for help. I say, it's not my time to discover that. God and I already have an understanding; a spiritual connection and it has been an integral part of my survival thus far. Other people say it's all in my head. I kind of agree with them.... (duh! that's why I'm trying to get in there!). I just feel... that if I can manage to get off of my self loathing rear and do a few things with my writing, I could be...

I bet you would like to know how that sentence was suppose to end. Just know I wrote it; rewrote it and rewrote it again. There was no possible way for me to write that sentence, without giving it a morbid ending. How terrible of me.