Spoilers after the jump...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Before Midnight
Spoilers after the jump...
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Breathe In
Mike Birbiglia describes love as having a secret, special skill that no one knows about and eventually you meet someone who's like "You have a secret special skill!" And you're like, "I know! So do you!" And they're like, "I know!" And then you're like, "we should eat pizza ice cream together". And that's what love is, a mountain of pizza ice cream and delusion.
I think this also applies to movies. Sometimes you watch a movie and it speaks to you in a way you can't quite describe. Like Crazy was kind of like that for me. For days after I watched the film, I couldn't quite conceptualize why I liked it, only that I did. I could only say, "I just got it."
Breathe In is a follow up to Like Crazy. Kind of. Different film, but with contributions from Drake Doremus (director), Felicity Jones (star), Ben York Jones (writer) and Dustin O'Halloran (composer). The plot is different, but the tone is similar as well as the style.
Sophie (Felicity Jones) is a foreign exchange student, spending a semester of her senior year in upstate New York with the Reynolds family, dad (Guy Pierce), mom (Amy Ryan) and daughter, Lauren (Mackenzie Davis). The decision to come is an impetuous one and Sophie begins her trip homesick and stoic. After a few days, she connects with Guy Pierce's character and they realize they're both wishing for a different life.
There's a strong musical element that played like another character in the film. Guy Pierce learned to play the cello and it was astonishing how comfortable he was. Felicity played the piano and though it wasn't confirmed in the Q&A, it seemed like the playing was all her. Impressive.
It's alluring to have a cute 18-year old Brit talk about wanting to choose her life. Not doing something out of necessity. Not being an idle player. When Guy is talking to Amy about moving into the city if his cello audition goes well, it's obvious that they both have very different ideas about their future. Life is hard enough without our own intervention, but sometimes the silence of not doing something because we're fearful is the greater tragedy. I was absolutely sucked in.
I think this also applies to movies. Sometimes you watch a movie and it speaks to you in a way you can't quite describe. Like Crazy was kind of like that for me. For days after I watched the film, I couldn't quite conceptualize why I liked it, only that I did. I could only say, "I just got it."
Breathe In is a follow up to Like Crazy. Kind of. Different film, but with contributions from Drake Doremus (director), Felicity Jones (star), Ben York Jones (writer) and Dustin O'Halloran (composer). The plot is different, but the tone is similar as well as the style.
Sophie (Felicity Jones) is a foreign exchange student, spending a semester of her senior year in upstate New York with the Reynolds family, dad (Guy Pierce), mom (Amy Ryan) and daughter, Lauren (Mackenzie Davis). The decision to come is an impetuous one and Sophie begins her trip homesick and stoic. After a few days, she connects with Guy Pierce's character and they realize they're both wishing for a different life.
There's a strong musical element that played like another character in the film. Guy Pierce learned to play the cello and it was astonishing how comfortable he was. Felicity played the piano and though it wasn't confirmed in the Q&A, it seemed like the playing was all her. Impressive.
It's alluring to have a cute 18-year old Brit talk about wanting to choose her life. Not doing something out of necessity. Not being an idle player. When Guy is talking to Amy about moving into the city if his cello audition goes well, it's obvious that they both have very different ideas about their future. Life is hard enough without our own intervention, but sometimes the silence of not doing something because we're fearful is the greater tragedy. I was absolutely sucked in.
Monday, January 21, 2013
A Bit Touchy
On Saturday, my sisters and I went to our first Sundance screening of the year, Touchy Feely. Though we had loved last year's Your Sister's Sister, the movie was a disappointment. We did our usual movie breakdown/technical analysis of what we found lacking and then all of a sudden, we stopped. I forget who brought this up, but as a kind of pulling back the curtain we thought: Making a movie is hard. There are so many details that go into it, so many factors that can't be controlled. It's a marvel when a movie comes together at all. A miracle when it's brilliant or thoughtful or moving.
Touchy Feely is a film about two adult siblings. The sister (Abby), played by Rosemarie Dewitt and the brother, played by Josh Pais start out as polar opposites that then throughout the film switch roles in a sense. One is an uptight dentist whose favorite place in the whole world is the back office of his dental practice looking at x-rays of teeth. The other is a masseuse who has misgivings over moving in with her (initial) rebound cyclist boyfriend because doing so might "put her in a cage".
For reasons unknown, Abby develops an aversion to touch and she spends most of the movie slowly shutting down. While her brother finds a kind of awakening when his struggling practice picks up. He is, uncomfortably at first, lauded as a TMJ healer. The praise motivates him to study Reiki and his story was my favorite part of the film. The humor and discovery made Abby's story suffer in comparison. Have we learned nothing from season 2 of Everwood and Amy's bangs of sadness? Depression is a real and serious problem that effects millions of people, but it is generally boring on film.
Random side note: Abby's depression pajama bottoms are owned by my sister and she says you can buy them at Target on sale.
Also, Ellen Page has a storyline too. And she is MISERABLE. Or so her hair, bags under her eyes, and quavering voice would suggest.
I am going to try recapping all of the films I'll be seeing at Sundance, but with my softball criticism approach this year, I'll have to see how it goes.
Touchy Feely is a film about two adult siblings. The sister (Abby), played by Rosemarie Dewitt and the brother, played by Josh Pais start out as polar opposites that then throughout the film switch roles in a sense. One is an uptight dentist whose favorite place in the whole world is the back office of his dental practice looking at x-rays of teeth. The other is a masseuse who has misgivings over moving in with her (initial) rebound cyclist boyfriend because doing so might "put her in a cage".
For reasons unknown, Abby develops an aversion to touch and she spends most of the movie slowly shutting down. While her brother finds a kind of awakening when his struggling practice picks up. He is, uncomfortably at first, lauded as a TMJ healer. The praise motivates him to study Reiki and his story was my favorite part of the film. The humor and discovery made Abby's story suffer in comparison. Have we learned nothing from season 2 of Everwood and Amy's bangs of sadness? Depression is a real and serious problem that effects millions of people, but it is generally boring on film.
Random side note: Abby's depression pajama bottoms are owned by my sister and she says you can buy them at Target on sale.
Also, Ellen Page has a storyline too. And she is MISERABLE. Or so her hair, bags under her eyes, and quavering voice would suggest.
I am going to try recapping all of the films I'll be seeing at Sundance, but with my softball criticism approach this year, I'll have to see how it goes.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
You Feel Me?
Okay, internets. There's been a bunch of monologue-ing going on. T. Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" music video. JT getting back into the game. Maybe. Two More Days and Counting!
If feels like I should be complaining about all of the celebrity introspection, especially when I want to just hear a song already, but I'm finding it doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. Am I maturing? 20-13! 20-13!
Possibly. I had a conversation with my sister about movies that lean toward silences over dialogue versus those that are dialogue-heavy. Versus is the wrong word. My second favorite movie of all time, Before Sunset is all dialogue. The small mannerisms, the European setting, the fluid camera work all accentuate the words between Jesse and Celine. Two people connect through conversation and it is wonderful.
Drive is about silences and mystery. The driver doesn't have a name or a background. He connects with a young mother in his building but their conversations are sparse. He sees a future less bleak, less lonely. But when the mother's husband returns home from prison, that future goes away. Ryan Gosling kicked serious trash in that movie.
I admire both films for what they do, maybe giving Drive the slight edge (though not as beloved). I love words so much. I love the power they possess, but I have found there is power in silence. There are things that can be conveyed just as well, if not better in a small smile, a haggard breath, a lowering of one's gaze. I am trying to make my stories less florid, more affecting. I hope to be successful this year.
If feels like I should be complaining about all of the celebrity introspection, especially when I want to just hear a song already, but I'm finding it doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. Am I maturing? 20-13! 20-13!
Possibly. I had a conversation with my sister about movies that lean toward silences over dialogue versus those that are dialogue-heavy. Versus is the wrong word. My second favorite movie of all time, Before Sunset is all dialogue. The small mannerisms, the European setting, the fluid camera work all accentuate the words between Jesse and Celine. Two people connect through conversation and it is wonderful.
Drive is about silences and mystery. The driver doesn't have a name or a background. He connects with a young mother in his building but their conversations are sparse. He sees a future less bleak, less lonely. But when the mother's husband returns home from prison, that future goes away. Ryan Gosling kicked serious trash in that movie.
I admire both films for what they do, maybe giving Drive the slight edge (though not as beloved). I love words so much. I love the power they possess, but I have found there is power in silence. There are things that can be conveyed just as well, if not better in a small smile, a haggard breath, a lowering of one's gaze. I am trying to make my stories less florid, more affecting. I hope to be successful this year.
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