Films 64 & 65 (Fish Tank)
First off, I have to say, I think the band Taking Back Sunday has been completely ruined for me. And I know what a lot of people are thinking...really, aren't you like 8-9 years behind everyone else? It's true the original bands album "Tell All Your Friends" was seminal in putting the genre now known as EMO on the map. It was approximately 30 minutes of pure, unadulterated "heart-on-my-sleeve" and "I'm pissed at how you treated me so I wrote song about it" songs. Adam Lazzara is well known for writing songs is a form of back-stabbing or talking behind someone's back who has slighted him. I used to really love them. I would crank their music to Eleven! I never thought of it as EMO music, I just thought they were writing songs that I could connect my experiences to. It was like they were writing relatable songs. They knew my heartache and pain. And they wrote it for me! I still remember seeing the video for "Cute Without the E" on MTV2 when I was living in my uncle's basement the year after I graduated high school. Right after that Thursday's "Understanding in a Car Crash" came on and I was hooked. I had to go out and buy both albums.
Taking Back Sunday quickly became one of those bands to define the EMO genre, thus also becoming one of those bands people liked to lay claim to discovering first and then voicing their hatred for once they got "Too big." John Nolan left the band after the first album because he didn't want to be pigeonholed into that category. And he is a smart craftsman. Straylight Run (his droff-off creation with his sister and other members never surpassed TBS' fame and fortune, but they clearly should have, for pure talent, if nothing else). Taking Back Sunday, as a band went through many lineup changes throughout the years, perhaps because Adam Lazzara is also well known for being quite difficult to get along with (and his drinking and drug use was a major influence), but you probably didn't want to end up in the path of his musical tornado, because he'd probably write a song about you. But, those are some of their best songs.
"Tell All Your Friends" recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, which made me feel especially old. I went to see Taking Back Sunday perform it in its entirety at the State Theatre and it made me think of that time in 2004 when I had seen them at the State Theatre for the first time. I was student-teaching at Auburn Middle School and a couple of 7th grade girls (who'd taken a shine to me, one asked if I had a Myspace page and I quickly replied the line of questioning was inappropriate) recognized me from the TBS show. "You were standing there alone. Why were you alone?" Ever inquisitive young minds! Perhaps I was alone because my friends had abandoned TBS prior to this show. Ever the faithful fan, though, I have stuck by them through the years, expecting each new album to be better than the last and then being slightly disappointed, perhaps because "Tell All Your Friends" was the pinnacle.
Now, Taking Back Sunday maybe should have been ruined for me after my first girlfriend and I broke up, since I have many memories connecting her and the band. It was the first band we listened to together, on a drive home from Portland one night. I can still remember and feel her head on my shoulder as I drove home in the dark. I can still remember taking her to see them down in Boston at the Avalon (whoa, remember that place...before it became the House of Blues!?). We got home so late, I slept over, but I slept on the floor in her living room, because her parents were not so keen on the idea of us sleeping in the same bed. Yet. I would soon convince her and them of sleepovers at my apartment in Lewiston, though. I think it helps that I am a very trusting guy. I'm just saying.
Anyway, nope. Taking Back Sunday was ruined for me yesterday when I saw a meathead at the gym wearing one of their t-shirts! It was an eye-opening experience, because it finally became clear to me the wide range of audience the band and their music connects with now. Nevermind the fact that I am also almost 32 years old and people listening to them are probably still in their 20s. I've never cared about that, though. I mean, this is the same guy that has a guilty pleasure for almost all things girl-pop related. I was the guy working at Bull Moose listening to Britney Spears on repeat (and Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore) and now, it has evolved to a love for all things Taylor Swift (but, hey, she's different because she plays instruments and writes her own songs)!
Taking Back Sunday tracks that I've always loved though, spanning their career and the 5 albums they've made (I stay away from singles, because that's what I do):
There's No "I" in Team
Ghost Man on Third
Head Club
New American Classic
Little Devotional
I'll Let You Live
Where My Mouth Is
Capital M-E
Everything Must Go (probably my favorite and their best)
Faith (When I Let You Down)
This is All Now
So, there you have it. This is my confessional. Oh Dashboard Confessional! Don't get me started. Perhaps that's for another time.
This was a long, long and exhausting week. It seemed to never have a light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, our little beer group (teachers) had to get together Tuesday for a couple of drinks because it was already turning into that kind of week. I love my colleagues. I've never met such a tight-knit group. Or maybe it's that I've never really been on the inside of the inner circle! We are all there to support each other and have fun with each other.
"Fish Tank"is a phenomenal Bristish indie film that stars Michael Fassbender (in a sort of pedophile role? as the boyfriend? to a fifteen year old girl's mother). The star of the film though is clearly Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia (an anger-filled 15 year old girl). She has a lot to be angry about, too, at least in her 15 year old mind. She is abused and neglected by her seemingly young mother (who follows her libido's instinct and seems to lack any sort of hint at a maternal instinct as she drinks and parties in her flat while her two daughters are present). Mia runs around, with all her angst, her what would be considered the "projects." She is adamant about freeing a horse from its position in a trailer park she happens upon near the the begin of the film. And I quickly realized the visual metaphor that Andrea Arnold (director) was presenting us with here. Mia is the horse. Chained to her mother and this dead-end way of life. If she doesn't break free, she will inevitably live the life her mother is living now. She absolutely does not want that to happen. She has an affinity for dancing. Hip hop dancing, which she practices at every turn. It's almost her escape from the dreary life she is living. She also plays hooky from school, beats other girls up and scavenges for alcohol wherever she finds it (mostly at home during/after her mother's parties). She quickly takes a liking to her mother's new boyfriend, played by Fassbender. And in a weird, uncomfortable turn of events, he takes a liking to her, and not in a paternal way, in a sexual way. There's a scene in which he carries her up to bed and he takes her pants off, while through tired eyes she watches. Then, their relationship progresses to one night, while Mia mother is passed out drunk upstairs in her bedroom, Mia and Connor (Fassbender) end up having sex on the couch downstairs. The revelation that comes at the end of the film is too good to spoil for you here. You must watch this film!
Perhaps what I enjoyed most was knowing the back story. Katie Jarvis was discovered on the railway station platform yelling at her boyfriend in an argument, which begs the question (while watching the film): is Jarvis a natural born actor or is she simply playing herself at 15 (she was only 18 at the time of the film, so it's close). If she is playing herself, you hope, for her sake, this film presents Jarvis with a way out (much like the character is hoping for) of the life she is stuck in. The director follows her around the projects of Essex with a handheld camera which makes you feel like you are there with Mia, as her accomplice while she tears at everything in her path. The direction makes the film that much more jarring and emotional because you want to reach out to Mia. You want to help her. But, the way Jarvis plays her, with such capability and cocky assurance you feel like she would headbutt you if you attempted. She wants to do what she wants...and she's going to. She has a brute force and uncomfortable sexuality all the while, never wearing anything other than baggy sweats and too-large t-shirts (or sweatshirts).
The ending did not sit well with me though, and I wanted it to end with the inevitable in many cases like Mia's. And perhaps why I liked it so much is because where I am teaching now, Old Orchard Beach, I see a lot of kids that will have Mia's adolescence, even though I want so much more for them. I can already see their depressive eyes, their parental neglect, and it pains me. It renders me helpless to not carry the emotional burden home with me...and I've always been able to disconnect myself from professional and personal life. I make sure they know I care for them, while teaching them life skills to hopefully survive the life they have ahead of them.
"One Week" stars Joshua Jackson in a difficult film to watch because it's simply frustrating. It starts with his character finding out he has terminal cancer, which sets up the rest of the film. He wonders if he's been living his life at all. So, he buys a motorcycle (against his fiancee's wishes) and decides to go on a road trip across the beautiful and expansive Canada countryside, stopping every now and then to meet just enough people to affect him and make him believe this trip was exactly what he needed and how he should be living his life. The trouble is, I don't think he actually spends enough time "not thinking" and just being in the moment. Everything about this film is forced. And add to that the annoying fact that it is being "narrated" by Campbell Scott (for no apparent reason, until the very end, when it is finally revealed that he is reading the book that Joshua Jackson's character Ben Tyler wrote after his trip). Nothing works for me in this film. Unfortunately, road trip movies have been done to death and there was a certain element missing from this one. It was severely disappointing, but I don't even think I was hoping to get that much from it, to beginning with.
Taking Back Sunday quickly became one of those bands to define the EMO genre, thus also becoming one of those bands people liked to lay claim to discovering first and then voicing their hatred for once they got "Too big." John Nolan left the band after the first album because he didn't want to be pigeonholed into that category. And he is a smart craftsman. Straylight Run (his droff-off creation with his sister and other members never surpassed TBS' fame and fortune, but they clearly should have, for pure talent, if nothing else). Taking Back Sunday, as a band went through many lineup changes throughout the years, perhaps because Adam Lazzara is also well known for being quite difficult to get along with (and his drinking and drug use was a major influence), but you probably didn't want to end up in the path of his musical tornado, because he'd probably write a song about you. But, those are some of their best songs.
"Tell All Your Friends" recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, which made me feel especially old. I went to see Taking Back Sunday perform it in its entirety at the State Theatre and it made me think of that time in 2004 when I had seen them at the State Theatre for the first time. I was student-teaching at Auburn Middle School and a couple of 7th grade girls (who'd taken a shine to me, one asked if I had a Myspace page and I quickly replied the line of questioning was inappropriate) recognized me from the TBS show. "You were standing there alone. Why were you alone?" Ever inquisitive young minds! Perhaps I was alone because my friends had abandoned TBS prior to this show. Ever the faithful fan, though, I have stuck by them through the years, expecting each new album to be better than the last and then being slightly disappointed, perhaps because "Tell All Your Friends" was the pinnacle.
Now, Taking Back Sunday maybe should have been ruined for me after my first girlfriend and I broke up, since I have many memories connecting her and the band. It was the first band we listened to together, on a drive home from Portland one night. I can still remember and feel her head on my shoulder as I drove home in the dark. I can still remember taking her to see them down in Boston at the Avalon (whoa, remember that place...before it became the House of Blues!?). We got home so late, I slept over, but I slept on the floor in her living room, because her parents were not so keen on the idea of us sleeping in the same bed. Yet. I would soon convince her and them of sleepovers at my apartment in Lewiston, though. I think it helps that I am a very trusting guy. I'm just saying.
Anyway, nope. Taking Back Sunday was ruined for me yesterday when I saw a meathead at the gym wearing one of their t-shirts! It was an eye-opening experience, because it finally became clear to me the wide range of audience the band and their music connects with now. Nevermind the fact that I am also almost 32 years old and people listening to them are probably still in their 20s. I've never cared about that, though. I mean, this is the same guy that has a guilty pleasure for almost all things girl-pop related. I was the guy working at Bull Moose listening to Britney Spears on repeat (and Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore) and now, it has evolved to a love for all things Taylor Swift (but, hey, she's different because she plays instruments and writes her own songs)!
Taking Back Sunday tracks that I've always loved though, spanning their career and the 5 albums they've made (I stay away from singles, because that's what I do):
There's No "I" in Team
Ghost Man on Third
Head Club
New American Classic
Little Devotional
I'll Let You Live
Where My Mouth Is
Capital M-E
Everything Must Go (probably my favorite and their best)
Faith (When I Let You Down)
This is All Now
So, there you have it. This is my confessional. Oh Dashboard Confessional! Don't get me started. Perhaps that's for another time.
This was a long, long and exhausting week. It seemed to never have a light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, our little beer group (teachers) had to get together Tuesday for a couple of drinks because it was already turning into that kind of week. I love my colleagues. I've never met such a tight-knit group. Or maybe it's that I've never really been on the inside of the inner circle! We are all there to support each other and have fun with each other.
"Fish Tank"is a phenomenal Bristish indie film that stars Michael Fassbender (in a sort of pedophile role? as the boyfriend? to a fifteen year old girl's mother). The star of the film though is clearly Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia (an anger-filled 15 year old girl). She has a lot to be angry about, too, at least in her 15 year old mind. She is abused and neglected by her seemingly young mother (who follows her libido's instinct and seems to lack any sort of hint at a maternal instinct as she drinks and parties in her flat while her two daughters are present). Mia runs around, with all her angst, her what would be considered the "projects." She is adamant about freeing a horse from its position in a trailer park she happens upon near the the begin of the film. And I quickly realized the visual metaphor that Andrea Arnold (director) was presenting us with here. Mia is the horse. Chained to her mother and this dead-end way of life. If she doesn't break free, she will inevitably live the life her mother is living now. She absolutely does not want that to happen. She has an affinity for dancing. Hip hop dancing, which she practices at every turn. It's almost her escape from the dreary life she is living. She also plays hooky from school, beats other girls up and scavenges for alcohol wherever she finds it (mostly at home during/after her mother's parties). She quickly takes a liking to her mother's new boyfriend, played by Fassbender. And in a weird, uncomfortable turn of events, he takes a liking to her, and not in a paternal way, in a sexual way. There's a scene in which he carries her up to bed and he takes her pants off, while through tired eyes she watches. Then, their relationship progresses to one night, while Mia mother is passed out drunk upstairs in her bedroom, Mia and Connor (Fassbender) end up having sex on the couch downstairs. The revelation that comes at the end of the film is too good to spoil for you here. You must watch this film!
Perhaps what I enjoyed most was knowing the back story. Katie Jarvis was discovered on the railway station platform yelling at her boyfriend in an argument, which begs the question (while watching the film): is Jarvis a natural born actor or is she simply playing herself at 15 (she was only 18 at the time of the film, so it's close). If she is playing herself, you hope, for her sake, this film presents Jarvis with a way out (much like the character is hoping for) of the life she is stuck in. The director follows her around the projects of Essex with a handheld camera which makes you feel like you are there with Mia, as her accomplice while she tears at everything in her path. The direction makes the film that much more jarring and emotional because you want to reach out to Mia. You want to help her. But, the way Jarvis plays her, with such capability and cocky assurance you feel like she would headbutt you if you attempted. She wants to do what she wants...and she's going to. She has a brute force and uncomfortable sexuality all the while, never wearing anything other than baggy sweats and too-large t-shirts (or sweatshirts).
The ending did not sit well with me though, and I wanted it to end with the inevitable in many cases like Mia's. And perhaps why I liked it so much is because where I am teaching now, Old Orchard Beach, I see a lot of kids that will have Mia's adolescence, even though I want so much more for them. I can already see their depressive eyes, their parental neglect, and it pains me. It renders me helpless to not carry the emotional burden home with me...and I've always been able to disconnect myself from professional and personal life. I make sure they know I care for them, while teaching them life skills to hopefully survive the life they have ahead of them.
"One Week" stars Joshua Jackson in a difficult film to watch because it's simply frustrating. It starts with his character finding out he has terminal cancer, which sets up the rest of the film. He wonders if he's been living his life at all. So, he buys a motorcycle (against his fiancee's wishes) and decides to go on a road trip across the beautiful and expansive Canada countryside, stopping every now and then to meet just enough people to affect him and make him believe this trip was exactly what he needed and how he should be living his life. The trouble is, I don't think he actually spends enough time "not thinking" and just being in the moment. Everything about this film is forced. And add to that the annoying fact that it is being "narrated" by Campbell Scott (for no apparent reason, until the very end, when it is finally revealed that he is reading the book that Joshua Jackson's character Ben Tyler wrote after his trip). Nothing works for me in this film. Unfortunately, road trip movies have been done to death and there was a certain element missing from this one. It was severely disappointing, but I don't even think I was hoping to get that much from it, to beginning with.
"Tell All Your Friends" is definitely the best TBS album. So bummed to have missed the anniversary concert.
ReplyDeleteIt was awesome. He came into the audience and sang 4 songs in the crowd. Let's talk sometime this week!
ReplyDelete