fine whine

Jessica and I tried to watch the movie Thirteen tonight. Only about twenty minutes in, however, we really started to wane and lost interest almost entirely in a movie that had failed to grip up even the slightest bit. I'm not sure if it was the subject matter, the Sundance prize logo on the cover, or what, but somehow it just didn't do anything for us.

I've generally had a harder time watching movies taking place on the west coast. It seems so culturally jarring for me, of humble, humdrum Ohio childhood. Teenagers in these movies go to these schools that seem like parks or malls, and live wild lifestyles I didn't dream of until at least college. It's not just the school movies (Thirteen, Crazy/beautiful, Encino man) but also other genres as well, though the only film that comes to mind at this late hour is Training day. Somehow there's just a whole different approach to things and I just can't get my head around it.

That said, New York movies aren't really much better (Cadillac man). Nor those of Boston, Miami and so on. Maybe I just have trouble with movies set everywhere.

Oh, and as for what we did in lieu of watching Thirteen? I threw in Falling down. Setting aside, it's just a great movie. Not one of my favorites, but one that I'm far more willing to watch than one about a drug-addled teenager and her friends. So sue me.