Thursday Movie Picks: Father/Daughter Relationships

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This week's theme from Wandering Through the Shelves is father/daughter relationship. The only stipulation is that they must be biologically related. Here are my favorites:

 1) The Ballad of Jack and Rose

 This is a fascinating little movie with excellent performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and Camilla Belle. Though it could also be a lesson in not sheltering your children. 

 2) Dreamland

 Audrey's father is so dependent on her that she feels like she cannot leave home to go to college. (He can barely leave the trailer park without having panic attacks) It's a very interesting dynamic of the father not wanting to hold her back, and the daughter being too afraid to let go.

 3) The Descendants 

 I was late jumping on the Clooney bandwagon, but this is one of my favorites of his, and I loved his interactions with his daughters. Plus Shailene Woodley is very good when given strong material. She was great here. 

Comments

  1. MyerlaApril 30, 2015 at 7:12 AM

    Only seen The Descendants from your list, which I like but do prefer Payne's other works (Nebraska for instance), but the father-daughter particularly between Clooney and Woodley is pretty touching.

    DDL is a legend, so I may catch The Ballad of Jack and Rose one day.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 8:21 AM

      I hope so! It's a good film with a lot of great actors in it. (Catherine Keener, Paul Dano, Jena Malone, etc)

      Delete
  2. MattApril 30, 2015 at 7:54 AM

    I've been on the Clooney bandwagon since ER but this may very well be his best so far. Both daughters are very well played too.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 8:21 AM

      I didn't jump on until Up in the Air. lol I was really determined not to like him.

      Delete
    2. MattApril 30, 2015 at 9:29 AM

      Haha everyone gives in eventually. I LOVE Up in the Air.

      Delete
  3. joel65913April 30, 2015 at 7:55 AM

    The only one I've seen is The Descendants, I didn't care for it but it's a good pick for the theme. I love Daniel Day-Lewis so not sure why I've never gotten around to Jack and Rose and I've never heard of Dreamland, I'll have to look into it.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 8:21 AM

      Dreamland is one of my favorite films. It's a great little indie. Jack and Rose is wonderful too!

      Delete
  4. DellApril 30, 2015 at 8:34 AM

    Loved The Descendants. I was really close to picking it myself, this week. Need to see the other two. Great job!

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    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 8:50 AM

      I had a feeling I'd be on my own with Dreamland. That movie got zero marketing when it was released in 06.

      Delete
  5. .April 30, 2015 at 8:36 AM

    OMFG, The Balled of Jack & Rose! I bought that movie used at Blockbuster when I was about 16 or 17 and had no idea what I was getting myself into, ahha. I've seen it a few times since then and still feel really horrible after watching it. I still judge Paul Dano whenever I see him. Plus, I really hate his face, I'm sorry, I just do.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 8:50 AM

      LOL, aww that makes me sad. I love me some Paul Dano. That guy is seriously underrated. But yeah, he was a skeezy creep in that movie.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousApril 30, 2015 at 9:14 AM

    THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE!!!! I often forget how much I love that movie because no one talks about it and so I forget about it but now that you reminded me that I've seen it I remember!!!

    But...The Descendants...eww.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 9:55 AM

      It's so good, isn't it? I think you'd like Dreamland too.

      I know you hate the Descendants. :) lol

      Delete
  7. DanielApril 30, 2015 at 9:31 AM

    I vaguely remember hearing not-so-great things about Ballad of Jack and Rose, but I could be getting it mixed up with the John Travolta-Scarlett Johansson movie Love Song for Bobby Long LOL. Dreamland sounds good, but despite liking Clooney in The Descendants I kind of hated it overall. Talk about taking the easy way out at literally every step of the filmmaking process.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 30, 2015 at 9:55 AM

      It's probably A Love Song for Bobby Long. That film wasn't that great at all. lol Jack and Rose was excellent.

      Delete
  8. Big Screen Small WordsApril 30, 2015 at 10:42 AM

    I've only seen The Descendants from your list and it's also one of my favorite Clooney movies and the only Shailene Woodley movie I like. The other two movies sound interesting, will have to check them out.

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  9. Kevin PowersApril 30, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    I've only seen The Descendants out of your three. Great pick! Love that movie!

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  10. thevoid99April 30, 2015 at 4:37 PM

    The Ballad of Jack & Rose is an amazing film as it features one of my favorite Daniel Day-Lewis performances as I also have to say yes on The Descendants as I think Clooney was great in playing the dad. Especially in the scene where he tells his youngest daughter about that guy who caused that accident and called him a dope and the daughter flipped the bird at that guy.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 1, 2015 at 11:58 AM

      Yes! Those were great. I loved the scene where they are confronting the guy and Clooney and Woodley's characters are just openly talking shit between the two.

      Delete
  11. LukeMay 1, 2015 at 12:53 AM

    I love the gif you picked for Descendants. It's such a strong moment that character goes through. "Why'd you have to tell me in the fucking pool?"

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 1, 2015 at 11:57 AM

      That was one of my favorite scenes in the entire film. Beautifully shot and Shailene was phenomenal.

      Delete
  12. WandererMay 1, 2015 at 3:21 AM

    So long since I've seen The Ballad of Jack and Rose, I do remember liking it.

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  13. JoshMay 3, 2015 at 5:34 PM

    Nice picks. I really need to watch The Ballad of Jack and Rose. Saw the trailer of Dreamland years ago, and it looked interesting. I need to check both of them out!

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 4, 2015 at 12:03 AM

      I'd love for someone else to see Dreamland lol. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one.

      Delete
  14. KatyMay 4, 2015 at 11:28 AM

    Nice picks! The Ballad of Jack and Rose is an interesting little nugget of a father/daughter relationship. haha The Descendants was a pick I tried so hard to stay away from not knowing how popular it was going to be. It's refreshing to see it on a list. Clooney and Woodley gave such good performances.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMay 4, 2015 at 12:58 PM

      I figured Descendants would be popular, but I kept coming back to it. So on it went. lol

      Delete

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