Comments on: Half Nelson And Planning http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/ Challenge The Status Quo Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:36:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Kit De Luca http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-25814 Kit De Luca Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:19:34 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-25814 I felt like there were some unfinished plots. I agree, they never really do show the cause of addiction. They never show him struggling to balance teaching and being an addict. They also never get deep into his personal life. I mean, they show his crappy apartment. The apartment that's half empty and looks like he moved in it a month ago. I didn't like that about the movie. What did like, was how they showed the affect of the little girl. They showed her story, and went into detail about everything she felt. The ending was horrible. It was complete bullshit. It seemed like it only ended because they ran out of film. I'm a non-teacher and knew that what he was teaching wasn't anything that anyone in 8th grade learns in class. None my teachers ever would have those discussions because they'd feel the class as a whole wasn't ready for that, wasn't mature enough to have those discussions, and wouldn't have even thought it was school appropriate. SO I agree with the both of you on your views of the movie. I felt like there were some unfinished plots. I agree, they never really do show the cause of addiction. They never show him struggling to balance teaching and being an addict. They also never get deep into his personal life. I mean, they show his crappy apartment. The apartment that’s half empty and looks like he moved in it a month ago. I didn’t like that about the movie. What did like, was how they showed the affect of the little girl. They showed her story, and went into detail about everything she felt. The ending was horrible. It was complete bullshit. It seemed like it only ended because they ran out of film.
I’m a non-teacher and knew that what he was teaching wasn’t anything that anyone in 8th grade learns in class. None my teachers ever would have those discussions because they’d feel the class as a whole wasn’t ready for that, wasn’t mature enough to have those discussions, and wouldn’t have even thought it was school appropriate. SO I agree with the both of you on your views of the movie.

]]> By: Todd http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-17660 Todd Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:11:02 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-17660 Well, we can agree to disagree. Gosling's performance and the outstanding music aside, a bad script killed this film. Bureaucracy is thick in the States, too, but that's no justification for this movie. Well, we can agree to disagree. Gosling’s performance and the outstanding music aside, a bad script killed this film.

Bureaucracy is thick in the States, too, but that’s no justification for this movie.

]]> By: Alex http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-17653 Alex Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:53:09 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-17653 Hi guys, just seen movie and enjoyed it, thouroughly. Todd you have made some intersting comments. I take it you are a teacher? in the states? here in England the beauocracy surrounding the teaching world is truly enough to make you want to start a drug addiction let alone actually "teaching". If Half Nelson was anything else then what it has shown us it would either turn into a "Drug" movie (lets face it that would be bad) or simply an educational documentary that you would find on teachers tv. I agree with the "not only a single actor or music can save a film" but on this occasion i think it does. Hi guys, just seen movie and enjoyed it, thouroughly. Todd you have made some intersting comments. I take it you are a teacher? in the states? here in England the beauocracy surrounding the teaching world is truly enough to make you want to start a drug addiction let alone actually “teaching”. If Half Nelson was anything else then what it has shown us it would either turn into a “Drug” movie (lets face it that would be bad) or simply an educational documentary that you would find on teachers tv. I agree with the “not only a single actor or music can save a film” but on this occasion i think it does.

]]> By: Todd http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-15845 Todd Mon, 20 Aug 2007 05:37:46 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-15845 More credit, more credit, please. I know it's not about teaching. But that's my emphasis here and so it's what I'm going to target in on. My point is not that Fleck is telling us that Dunne's a good teacher, but that many nonteacher viewers are thinking that. They are thinking that the administrator who tells Dunne to get on with actually teaching is preventing Dunne from "getting through" to his class. If what you want to focus on is this as a film about addiction, it doesn't even do <em>that</em> well. We have little sense about why he does what he does, how hard it is for him to handle his addiction, how he rationalizes being a drug addict and a teacher (that would make for an interesting film), his internal struggle to deal with his problems, the pain he causes his circle of friends, any trauma his addiction brings to his life (he actually seems perfectly content to be an addict and even happy with his ultimate decision). Viewers aren't drawn into his world of addiction. We're only given brief, clean, censored glances at it (one example being what you call the "emotional gut-punch"). Like <em>Crash</em>, this is a shallow treatment of a deep subject. That's not just bad storytelling, it's insulting in so many ways. The writing is weak. The conversations are dull. Most characters are uninspired, flat archetypes. The plot is just not interesting. A single good actor and great music can't save a movie if it's got a bad script. There's a good idea buried in there, but they didn't develop the script enough to have that good idea pop out. An odd thing about me, I like drug stories. So I should have been in this movie's corner from the get go. But I wasn't because the writing was so poor that it didn't hook me in. As for that punch, you mean you didn't see that coming from two reels away? It was so obvious that I almost groaned when it happened. More credit, more credit, please. I know it’s not about teaching. But that’s my emphasis here and so it’s what I’m going to target in on.

My point is not that Fleck is telling us that Dunne’s a good teacher, but that many nonteacher viewers are thinking that. They are thinking that the administrator who tells Dunne to get on with actually teaching is preventing Dunne from “getting through” to his class.

If what you want to focus on is this as a film about addiction, it doesn’t even do that well. We have little sense about why he does what he does, how hard it is for him to handle his addiction, how he rationalizes being a drug addict and a teacher (that would make for an interesting film), his internal struggle to deal with his problems, the pain he causes his circle of friends, any trauma his addiction brings to his life (he actually seems perfectly content to be an addict and even happy with his ultimate decision). Viewers aren’t drawn into his world of addiction. We’re only given brief, clean, censored glances at it (one example being what you call the “emotional gut-punch”). Like Crash, this is a shallow treatment of a deep subject. That’s not just bad storytelling, it’s insulting in so many ways.

The writing is weak. The conversations are dull. Most characters are uninspired, flat archetypes. The plot is just not interesting. A single good actor and great music can’t save a movie if it’s got a bad script. There’s a good idea buried in there, but they didn’t develop the script enough to have that good idea pop out.

An odd thing about me, I like drug stories. So I should have been in this movie’s corner from the get go. But I wasn’t because the writing was so poor that it didn’t hook me in. As for that punch, you mean you didn’t see that coming from two reels away? It was so obvious that I almost groaned when it happened.

]]> By: Dan Meyer http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-15843 Dan Meyer Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:08:08 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2007/08/half-nelson-and-planning/#comment-15843 C'mon Todd-man. No way Gosling's wandering the back of the room, slobbering over himself, blabbering about "dialetics" to a class of bored eighth graders and Ryan Fleck's telling us: "this is what a good teacher is." Teachers having been hating on Half Nelson lately 'cause they're under the mistaken impression it's about teaching. Which it ain't. What it's about is addiction. And it goes about what it's about really really well, building to an emotional gut-punch I'm still reeling from months later. (Ya better know the one I'm talking about.) So yeah, as a teaching movie, Half Nelson scores 2 outta 5. As a romantic-comedy, Half Nelson scores 2 outta 5 also. Worst historical epic I've seen all year too. C’mon Todd-man. No way Gosling’s wandering the back of the room, slobbering over himself, blabbering about “dialetics” to a class of bored eighth graders and Ryan Fleck’s telling us: “this is what a good teacher is.”

Teachers having been hating on Half Nelson lately ’cause they’re under the mistaken impression it’s about teaching. Which it ain’t. What it’s about is addiction. And it goes about what it’s about really really well, building to an emotional gut-punch I’m still reeling from months later. (Ya better know the one I’m talking about.)

So yeah, as a teaching movie, Half Nelson scores 2 outta 5. As a romantic-comedy, Half Nelson scores 2 outta 5 also. Worst historical epic I’ve seen all year too.

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