By Edward Kdonian
Last night my brother and I decided to forego our normal nightly routines of doing absolutely nothing, and instead, we saw a movie. There were several options since quite a few good options out now. First we thought about seeing The Hobbit 3, but his girlfriend wants to see it and she wasn't with us so we passed on it. Then we considered Horrible Bosses 2... I know it's been out forever but we just didn't have the time until now. Besides, we had missed the last showtime for it anyway.
We decided after that to check out The Gambler. Mark Wahlberg is usually a solid constant and I am a huge fan of Brie Larson. Seriously I may be gay but that woman is awesome. I first learned of her when she played the daughter on United States of Tara, and her acting is superb. Of course John Goodman makes his appearance as well, so when you put it all together I was sold.
As far as the plot goes, the movie was very basic. Outspoken English professor spends his days in class ranting about life and how he and everyone else (with the exception of Brie) will always be a failure when it comes to writing. We are treated to wonderful example of a man at the end of his rope. Mark's character has simply grown tired of life, causing him to begin indulging in a desperate and foolishly self-destructive gambling addiction.
After getting himself buried beneath a mountain of debt we watch as he continues to sabotage himself. We see the bloody, raw and benign monster that is a gambling addiction. In a way the most powerful scene in this movie is Wahlberg's character Jim, standing over a black jack table smiling as he loses hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over and over again he bets, thinking the same thing all gamblers do, that the only way he is going to get out of debt is buy winning the money.
The movie is full of great acting, compelling drama, well dimensioned characters and well chosen use of the words "Fuck you". Unlike many movies it also ended on a perfect note. Don't get me wrong I could have done without the hour long running home from Korea Town montage, but once that's over we get to a short and simple ending. One that is as precise and well placed as the period at the end of this sentence.
We decided after that to check out The Gambler. Mark Wahlberg is usually a solid constant and I am a huge fan of Brie Larson. Seriously I may be gay but that woman is awesome. I first learned of her when she played the daughter on United States of Tara, and her acting is superb. Of course John Goodman makes his appearance as well, so when you put it all together I was sold.
As far as the plot goes, the movie was very basic. Outspoken English professor spends his days in class ranting about life and how he and everyone else (with the exception of Brie) will always be a failure when it comes to writing. We are treated to wonderful example of a man at the end of his rope. Mark's character has simply grown tired of life, causing him to begin indulging in a desperate and foolishly self-destructive gambling addiction.
After getting himself buried beneath a mountain of debt we watch as he continues to sabotage himself. We see the bloody, raw and benign monster that is a gambling addiction. In a way the most powerful scene in this movie is Wahlberg's character Jim, standing over a black jack table smiling as he loses hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over and over again he bets, thinking the same thing all gamblers do, that the only way he is going to get out of debt is buy winning the money.
The movie is full of great acting, compelling drama, well dimensioned characters and well chosen use of the words "Fuck you". Unlike many movies it also ended on a perfect note. Don't get me wrong I could have done without the hour long running home from Korea Town montage, but once that's over we get to a short and simple ending. One that is as precise and well placed as the period at the end of this sentence.