Bully (2001)

The 90's brought us grittier films especially in independent cinema that helped challenge the blandness that Hollywood was putting out with films like Kids which complete shocked me the first time I watched it. The film I chose for today is another one of those films that is just gritty from beginning to end and it's called Bully and it was released in 2001 and was directed by Larry Clark (Kids). The film stars the late Brad Renfro (Apt Pupil) as Marty Puccio, a typical teenager who just seems to make the wrong choices and is a complete pushover. Marty is friends with Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl), a kid who takes advantage of Marty's shortcomings, has some bad intentions himself,  and bullies him to the point that Marty and the rest of his friends plan and try to execute a hit on Bobby Kent to get rid of him permanently. The film also stars Bijou Phillips (Hostel: Part II) as Ali, Rachel Miner (The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations) as Lisa Connelly, Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire) as Donny, Kelli Garner (Lars And The Real Girl) as Heather, Daniel Franzese (I Spit On Your Grave) as Cousin Derek, Leo Fitzpatrick (Bubble Boy) as The Hitman, Ed Amatrudo (The Right Stuff) as Mr. Kent, Elizabeth Dimon (The Mystery Files Of Shelby Woo) as Mrs. Connelly, and Nathalie Paulding (All My Children) as Claudia.

The film is definitely very gritty and it has a real sense to it like it almost feels too real for one's liking. I feel like a lot of Larry Clarke's films explore just how dumb young adults and teenagers can really be and if you never seen Kids then you need to check that out first. Then you can make yourself over to this one and it's just another film about kids not being rational about anything so the first thing they think of is to try and kill a guy. That is the first mistake they make because the second mistake is that involve way too many people in the scenario with the third mistake being that they just can't keep their mouths shut. They sit there and they are told to get their alibis straight, but their they are blabbering to anyone who'll listen to them about how they killed someone. So when I say that a lot of his films are about teenagers making bad choices and just being irrational and stupid then you'll know what I am talking about. The tone and look of the film is just gritty and dirty like you're watching a Dateline special if you get my gist. The acting overall is pretty good by most of the parties involved and there is a crap ton of nudity in this film like they were happy to just be naked and I get it Florida can get very hot and sticky. It's sad to know that Brad Renfro passed away some years after this film because he had a lot of promise, but unfortunately like many others we'll never know what his true potential could have been if he had lived. If you want something gritty then definitely give this one a watch, but for now I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.

Lars And The Real Girl (2007)

There are some creative minds in the independent filmmaking world that Hollywood has missed the ball on and some that get it. Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives) has had a knack in his career for giving himself roles that not too many would take which includes today's film Lars And The Real Girl. The film was released in 2007 and it was directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and in the film Gosling plays Lars, a very awkward, shy, and disconnected young man who has had a tough time with what life has thrown at him. After hearing about sex dolls at work, he decides to buy one, but something very strange happens. Lars believes that his doll Bianca is a real person and soon the whole entire town goes with it because they know how special Lars really is. The film also stars  Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns) as Karin, Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) as Gus, Kelli Garner (Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) as Margo,  Nancy Beatty (Sea Of Love) as Mrs. Gruner, Patricia Clarkson (Maze Runner: The Death Cure) as Dagmar, Nicky Guadagni (Ready Or Not) as Mrs. Petersen, and Karen Robinson (Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story) as Cindy.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I first decided to watch this for free on on the VUDU app, but I have to say that I was pleased with the film overall. The film has this ability to show how caring the world can be no matter how weird the situation is. I mean this had to be a hard situation for anyone to get used to, but they did it because of how special of a person Lars is. I love the contrast too because here you have this brother (Gus) who feels that he is a failure because his brother is in love with a sex doll while his wife (Karin) understands what is happening and she goes with it. Lars has dealt with a lot in his life from the death of his mother and the weird behavior of his father so in order to move on he manifests all of his emotions into this doll as sort of a healing process. By the end, the town is shaken up by the events that it seems like everything will be OK and it's beautiful. This truly is a touching movie about how we should treat those with emotional detachments or struggles. It's so easy to treat someone like they are an outcast or a weirdo instead of taking the time to care for them and get them the help they need. Ryan Gosling puts on a masterful performance in this film proving why he was one of the best young actors in Hollywood in 2007 and why I enjoy his works today. This is definitely a film to check out with all of the amazing performances from everyone in the film. The movie is not completely sad, there is a happy ending of sorts, but you should check this one out if you love Ryan Gosling. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.