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| Shailene Woodley |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
- Alternative To -
- Alternative To -
Paper Towns (2015)
I think that is kind of controversial for me to say, especially since I am far removed from the demographic, but I kind of am looking forward to Paper Towns. Even if I have fallen into the jaded older generation who no longer finds teenage coming of age stories as magnificent and awe-inspiring as I once did, there is something appealing to how author John Green approaches the various love stories. In fact, the general premise of Paper Towns can easily read as a Gone Girl-lite, possibly minus the murders. It could be that it stars Nat Wolff, who is coming off of the really good Palo Alto form last year. I am not entirely sure what makes it such an alluring film that I likely will watch one day on cable and get stuck in an emotional blender.
The closest answer is the equally baffling connection that I had watching The Fault in Our Stars. It was a drama about teens with cancer. To an extent, the entire story is telegraphed from there as to what all of the beats will be. I don't think that they strayed too far away from what I would expect to happen. Maybe they literally went places that were different, but I cannot find myself being unable to admit that I really was taken aback by the third act. It was conventional, but it was executed in a way that got to me. I'm not even sure how.
Of course, a lot of the charm comes from Shailene Woodley, who has had a rocky ascent into the modern it girl. Sure, she may star in a knock-off The Hunger Games series called Divergent, but she has been impossibly charming at every turn. As she has gotten older, it has been impressive to see that her teenage roles have only gotten more in depth and interesting. Even if there's not much that is new in The Fault in Our Stars, it definitely has charisma and heart. It feels like one of those modern films that audiences in 20 years will look back on with unabashed love. It is one that is rich with cliche, but for a story about cancer, it delivers so much more. Part of it could be thanked to Green's original novel, which many have claimed is even better.
The closest answer is the equally baffling connection that I had watching The Fault in Our Stars. It was a drama about teens with cancer. To an extent, the entire story is telegraphed from there as to what all of the beats will be. I don't think that they strayed too far away from what I would expect to happen. Maybe they literally went places that were different, but I cannot find myself being unable to admit that I really was taken aback by the third act. It was conventional, but it was executed in a way that got to me. I'm not even sure how.
Of course, a lot of the charm comes from Shailene Woodley, who has had a rocky ascent into the modern it girl. Sure, she may star in a knock-off The Hunger Games series called Divergent, but she has been impossibly charming at every turn. As she has gotten older, it has been impressive to see that her teenage roles have only gotten more in depth and interesting. Even if there's not much that is new in The Fault in Our Stars, it definitely has charisma and heart. It feels like one of those modern films that audiences in 20 years will look back on with unabashed love. It is one that is rich with cliche, but for a story about cancer, it delivers so much more. Part of it could be thanked to Green's original novel, which many have claimed is even better.
The film is essentially what you'd expect from a teenage romance. It is full of naivety and wonderment that can't possibly be achieved. There's those selfless gestures that seem sillier the older you get. There's the impeccably modern soundtrack that will immediately date it. It is oozing with gooey sentiments. However, I don't know that it is necessarily a bad thing. Maybe some won't be as taken by the film's charm, but I do think that what it does, it does very well. In an era where Nicholas Sparks films influence insane romance movies, I think that there's something to having a story that is more grounded and ingeniously rooted in sentimental plot twists that kind of make sense.
That is why I refuse to ignore Paper Towns feeling like it is out of my demographic. Yes, I am aware that I may have lucked out with The Fault in Our Stars. Even then, I do think that one good Green story deserves another. The plot has its own unique charm and the trailers look like a more high concept adventure. Again, I don't know if it will be another subjective pull on the heart strings, but if The Fault in Our Stars doesn't invigorate you, then I doubt that you'll find reason to see this. For me, I am kind of excited to see if there's another hit here. Otherwise, there's not much to say from me. Go watch Futurama episode "Anthology of Interest I" instead of Pixels. It is the exact same story and a fraction shorter.
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