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Half Nelson
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Directed by Ryan Fleck
An inner-city teacher struggling with addiction forms an unlikely bond with a young student who catches him in a compromising position in director Ryan Fleck's feature-length adaptation of his own award-winning short film Gowanus, Brooklyn. Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) leads a secret life that the majority of his students will never know. When Dunne's drug-soaked nightlife begins to bleed over into his daytime hours and troubled student Drey (Shareeka Epps) makes a startling discovery, the tenuous bond that forms between the pair soon leads to a warm friendship that could either lead them down a dangerous path or provide the human companionship needed to see things from a fresh perspective and start life anew. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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SpoutBlogSpoutBlog Armond White Gets METROPOLITAN, ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com
hasn't rated it.
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"In honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s " [More]
pippin06pippin06 Half Nelson Feels Like Half a M ...
by pippin06 in Reel Thoughts
is neutral about it.
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"Now that the fall TV season (and the fall theatrical season) is underway, my film consumption is probably going to decrease dramatically for a while...at least until reruns and down times. I've officially been a Netflix member for a year, though, and love it to pieces and so my weekly movie should still be in tact. The AFI Project might slow to a crawl, but that's ok. I need to catch up on more recent films, especially since Oscar season is right around the corner (woo hoo!) " [More]
KarinaKarina Armond White Gets METROPOLITAN, ...
by Karina in Karina on SpoutBlog
hasn't rated it.
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"In honor of the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will devote a week of matinees to previous NYFCC Best Director winners, selected and presented by current members of the critics group. The can’t-miss of the lineup looks to be the infamously contrarian Armond White’s presentation of Whit Stillman’s " [More]
TheWorkingDeadTheWorkingDead Spout Mavens Review #13(Part Tw ...
by TheWorkingDead in TheWorkingDead Blog
hasn't rated it.
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"It's going to be almost impossible for me to really, fairly review Gowanus, Brooklyn. As a short film, a visual short story with beginning, middle and end, it's a horrible failure. And yet it's also a complete success, as a compelling piece of drama, a showcase for some good acting on the half of some previously unknown talent, and as a glimpse into the abilities of a talented young filmmaker trying t " [More]
rik_todrik_tod Spout Mavens Disc #14, Part 2 o ...
by rik_tod in The Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost
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"Director: Ryan Fleck0:19, colorCinema 4 Rating: 7Half Nelson? What is that? A documentary about only one of Ricky Nelson’s offspring in a particularly ridiculous hair band from the ‘80s showing up for a gig?Ah, I know what Half Nelson is… I just haven’t seen it yet. Even Oscar-nominated for Ryan Gosling’s performance and a " [More]
pippin06pippin06 Re:Weekly Theme for September 2 ...
by pippin06 in Weekly Theme
"[quote user="pippin06"] I just watched Half Nelson, which was very serious, but featured lots of cocaine use. Though most of the films listed so far in this convo have been sort of those psychidelic movies that attempt to visualize the drug-induced experience, there are some notable movies just about doing drugs - [More]
pippin06pippin06 Re:Weekly Theme for September 2 ...
by pippin06 in Weekly Theme
"I just watched Half Nelson, which was very serious, but featured lots of cocaine use. Though most of the films listed so far in this convo have been sort of those psychidelic movies that attempt to visualize the drug-induced experience, there are some notable movies just about doing drugs - Trainspotting comes re " [More]
JymkataJymkata Half Nelson
by Jymkata in FRESH
"I wanted to see Half Nelson for a long time based on the universally glowing reviews and the rumor that Ryan Gosling's performance was a total breakthrough for an up and coming actor. Well, Gosling's performance is indeed great as is the rest of the cast, but that is the only reason I could recommend seeing this movie. I just felt like the message of the film was pointless and so much of the film f " [More]
All Movie Guide Logo
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
liked it.
Ever since Blackboard Jungle, there has periodically appeared in American movies the story of a headstrong teacher taking on an inner-city school and whipping his or her students into shape, employing either militaristic tough love or a mushy appeal to the delinquents' artistic hearts. Half Nelson can't help but recall some of the more questionable "white savior saves black kids" elements of the genre in its story of an earnest, idealistic young man, Dan (Ryan Gosling), coaching basketball and teaching history and civil rights in a free-range style that chafes against the strict core curriculum of his New York City middle school. The movie quickly shatters the idealism of its hero with the murky truths of reality: Dan is a crack addict ideologically leaning on an untenable brand of '60s liberalism. However, simply subverting stereotypes does not guarantee emotional depth or thematic complexity. The film's source of power lies in the budding relationship between Dan and Drey (Shareeka Epps), a bright student from dismal circumstances. Drey is entering a critical crux in her life, when the emotional confusion of budding puberty could easily spin into the downward spiral that sent her older brother to jail for drug dealing. After Drey discovers Dan passed out in a school bathroom, their friendship develops within the uncertain confines of student/teacher and child/adult as they both try to save each other. The directing and writing by Ryan Fleck and superb naturalistic performances by Gosling and Epps captures the subtle push and pull of two damaged, needy, and intelligent young adults looking for the emotional bonds -- of friends, parents, and siblings -- they can't find from their outside social environment. Half Nelson is touching without being mawkish, morbid, or unrealistically uplifting; the title could refer to the way Dan and Drey compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses or the wrestling-grip hold their personal demons have on their psyches. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide
 

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