Two Shows and a Few Weird Movies
I went to a couple of shows over the past two weeks. The first one, Meg Myers at Port City Music Hall, in Portland, blew me away. I discovered her solely because the show was advertised as only being $12, so I said, what the hell. I checked out a couple of her videos on www.youtube.com and really liked her sound- which was even better live, in concert. This small girl has an incredible and powerful voice that can command a room, for sure. This was an amazing, surprise show- those are the kinds of shows I really end up thoroughly enjoying.
The setlist for her Portland show has not been posted, but the next night's seems very similar.
This week I went to see a band I've liked for about 15 years, since I discovered them, thanks to my enjoyment of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Thursday, which all came out around the same time, in the early 2000s. Silverstein is a scream-o band from Toronto, Canada and this was actually the first time I'd ever seen them in concert. It actually seemed a bit more mellow than I expected and it made me wonder what it would have been like to see them back in their "heyday" (which seems ridiculous to say right now). I liked the show, because they played several songs in their whole catalogue, even though they just put out a record, the same day as the show- and I actually got the CD with the ticket.
.....................................................................
"Night Has Settled"
starring: Spencer List, Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Adriana Barraza, Eric Nelsen, Courtney Baxter, Tommy Nelsen, Heather Braverman, Marlee Roberts
written and directed by: Steve Clark
Here's a small, yet powerful indie film that fell through the cracks and might even demand a second or third viewing to fully grasp what is being said. It's set in 1983, New York, and almost too perfectly feels like a Jonathan Safran Foer ("Everything is Illuminated") novel come to life on the screen, generally focusing on the tired, yet true coming-of-age story of a 13 year old boy named Oliver (played well by Spencer List) who smokes, drinks and curses with a few wisecracks in between that make him come off older than he really is. His is an uncomfortable yet tender story, tragic and beautiful, all at the same time. And you feel for him as he goes through tragedies and transformations, even though he seems to fall into the cliche of a teenage boy fighting against adults and wanting to be himself. Oliver lives with his single mom, Luna (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), whom he seems to have an interesting and bizarre mother-son relationship with- almost a bit of an Oedipus complex here. His sister, played by Courtney Baxter, also lives in this cramped apartment, along with their live-in nanny Aida (Adrianna Barraza), whom Oliver clearly views as his second mother. He is devastated when Aida suffers a stroke and it sends him on a downward spiral of further teenage woes. Oliver falls in with the "wrong" crowd, a rough group of teens who smoke, drink, and oversex themselves. Oliver's mother is a starving artist who isn't around much, hence the nanny, but when she is, Oliver and her share some interesting conversations about sex and relationships- discussions that would quite honestly make me uncomfortable to have with my own parents, but hey, I grew up Catholic and we didn't have those kinds of conversations or relationships. It's clear that Oliver and his mother have a bit of a strained relationship, because of her absence, and perhaps that's why he rebels. Who truly knows why teenagers act the way they do when they do.
I love these types of films because they are relatable (when done well, like here and also "The Squid and the Whale" comes to mind, along with novels like "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"). All situations have the potential to be rather cliche, but when done well, you forget about that. And here, the heavy burden belongs to Spencer List, and it's a pleasure (albeit an uncomfortable pleasure) to watch him tumble through his life. He embodies all the fury, confusion, anxiety, hormones, and quixotism that comes with being a 13 year old (boy).
The success of this film is in the well written script, the dialogue, the language used by the characters, but even more so in all the left-unsaids and the might-have-been moments (things I know all too well in my own life). There's also something to be dissected about the almost-too-close mother/son relationship and it could be another story for another film.
This was a great, unexpected find.
...........................................................................
"They Came Together"
starring: Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Cobie Smulders, Noureen DeWulf, Jason Mantzoukas, Michael Ian Black, Michaela Watkins, Randall Park, David Wain, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Jack MacBrayer
written and directed by: David Wain (and Michael Showalter)
I appreciate David Wain because his talent is in taking film genres that seem to be beaten like dead horses and embracing that fact by making a film that comes off as another one to bite the dust, but instead creates a film that becomes the antithesis of those genres. With "They Came Together," Wain creates the anti-rom-com with enough absurdism and wacky, over-the-top characters to make you interested in the story being told. The film comes off rather chaotic, but eventually focused; and I almost wrote it off as just another film as a vehicle for Wain to include all his friends in (because there are just so many characters that come in and out of the picture), but I soon discovered why I like his films, as it progressed into something.
Their eventual happy ending assured by an equally tongue-in-cheek framing story, Molly (Amy Poehler) and Joel (Paul Rudd) get off to a rocky start at a Halloween party, where they show up simultaneously, both dressed as Ben Franklin, and start squabbling before they even get inside. Things seem poised to get even worse thanks to their rival career choices: She's a laidback klutz running a cute boutique candy shop, and he's a career-driven businessman working for a giant candy conglomerate, which just happens to be intent on gobbling up her store. But plot summary is pointless in a film with such distaste for narrative, and They Came Together progresses haphazardly, across a disconnected series of scenarios doomed to be eaten from the inside out. These set pieces generally function as an excuse for Wain and his cast of comedic compatriots to get together and play off each other, in rambling party scenes, pick-up basketball games, and boardroom meetings, in which recognizable situations are established, then pushed further and further into comic incoherence, the familiar turning uncomfortably outlandish.
Everything done in this film is intentional, which makes Wain and his writing partner, Showalter, screenwriting aficionados, in my book. They are picking apart the bones of typical, mass marketed rom-coms in a film that is better than just a satire, because they are smarter and expect their audience to be smarter than to just expect satire. It's like a parody of a parody, finding discomfort in long scenes and disjointed gestures that define their characters. They seem more interested in the mockery of the genre than the creation of their film. They tear apart the cliches and at the same time build in their own, new ones, with a welcomed tone.
I loved this film!
.........................................................................
"The Longest Week"
starring: Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Billy Crudup
written and directed by: Peter Glanz
I was interested in "The Longest Week" because Jason Bateman has intrigued me as a comedic actor, only just recently finding his funny bone with his dry wit and sense of humor, found in his delivery specifically, much like Paul Rudd (I still think Paul Rudd is the most underrated comedic actor of this generation- although, I guess it could be argued that he cannot be underrated if he can be found in so many comedies nowadays).
I think what bothered me the most about this film though was the fact that filmmaker Peter Glanz was so obviously influenced by other directors/writers like Wes Anderson and Woody Allen, that it comes off pretty soon as just blatant rip-off instead of homage. I would be pissed off if I was Wes Anderson, because that's the filmmaker that seems to draw the most comparison with this film, right down to the titles across the screen (a trademark of Anderson), along with the sets and colors and slow-moving scenes. It's the type of film and story that wears its welcome out pretty quickly, but much like a trainwreck, you cannot help but keep watching- in fact, I kept with it, because I was hoping it might turn into something else and have some kind of pay-off by the end, which never truly comes.
Jason Bateman plays Conrad Valmont, an ambition-less hotel heir who has been reared by the hotel staff for far too long (think "Mr. Deeds" if you must compare). His parents have recently split which leaves him an adult with no direction and now, no silver spoon, since he's been cut off and displaced in a world he cannot navigate for himself, having never had to. And yet, Conrad still lives comfortably, in denial, with women, parties, therapy, and drinking. His sense of entitlement never disappears, even though he's been thrown to the wolves, in a way that in most films would hopefully cast the character into a self-discovery journey- but not here. Conrad remains himself, which is perhaps the most maddening piece of the story. Nothing changes for him. He doesn't change. Instead, he expects the world around him to change, with his circumstances. Conrad has to crash with his artist friend, Dylan (played by an underused Billy Crudup), who is a self-made antithesis of Conrad, meant to be a juxtaposition of Conrad, but he doesn't win in this story, so his presence is almost meaningless- other than to allow Conrad to steal his girl-of-interest- and that is Beatrice (played by Olivia Wilde), who is a fashion model. She falls for Conrad and everything about him, hook-line-and-sinker.
The moral of this story seems to be solely that heartache makes for a better ingredient in humble pie than financial ruin actually does, but it's not crafted well enough to be a good lesson to learn, even though I appreciate lessons in/from heartache.
..........................................................................
"Contracted"
starring: Najarra Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald, Katie Stegeman, Matt Mercer, Charley Koontz
written and directed by: Eric England
"Contracted" had some serious potential to tell a story not unlike that of "The Fly" or even Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," in that it should be the main character's transformation throughout the film is a metaphor. Samantha (Townsend, who could be a decent actress) is a lesbian, yet, at a friend's party she finds herself somehow roofied and then in a hazy, unprotected sexual encounter with a mysterious young man in a car. Not her fault. She then awakens the next day to some terrible and frightening symptoms that suggest to her and everyone else of a worst-case STD. It's clear, though, that she's becoming a zombie. Samantha lives at home with her mom, whom she has a fractured relationship with- Samantha is also in the process of applying to colleges, but lacks the ambition to really apply herself to anything much. What is clear, though, is that she wants to mend fences with her ex-girlfriend, played by Katie Stegeman.
Throughout the film, Samantha's transformation from lovely teenage girl to ugly zombie takes place. First, with her eyes getting the worst case of pink eye seen; then, her teeth and fingernails and clumps of hair start falling off; not to mention the lesion on her mouth that looks like the worst cold sore ever! And then, there's the blood, in scenes where she takes a piss and finds blood and clots in the toilet, as well as terrible pain from the extraction. The worst kind of STD, for sure.
The film, though, misses its opportunity to hit the mark with its metaphor and moral. Instead, it just comes off as 90 minutes of horror build-up, with a disappointing third act.
............................................................................
"The Sleepwalker"
starring: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Stephanie Ellis, Brady Corbet
written and directed by: Mona Fastvold (and Brady Corbet)
Here's another film that comes across as quiet build-up but completely lacking in the final pay-off. I usually thoroughly enjoy these types of indie films, because the filmmaker takes pleasure in introducing the characters and telling their stories, which really defines the rest of the action in the film. The background and history of the characters is the most important thing with these types of films. The film only has four characters in it, and they are connected, and soon their stories find a common thread. Kaia (Gitte Witt) and Andrew (Christopher Abbott, fresh off his stint as Charlie on "Girls") are an affectionate couple who have recently taken up the duty of renovating a large rural Massachusetts house that Kaia grew up in (having it left to them by her recently deceased father).
In the middle of the night, upon the film's opening, Kaia receives a phone call from her seemingly distressed sister, Christine (Ellis) who embodies everything opposite of Kaia. They have a bit of a strained relationship, but being sisters, they have a strong bond. On an impulse, Christine has traveled to the rural house by train with her soon-to-be husband and the two couples eventually take up with each other in the house. The sister's reunion is tense, because of a past trauma, which is revealed to us and we can clearly understand that Kaia is not ready to forgive her sister for. Christine soon reveals that she is pregnant and engaged to Ira (Corbet), who shows up the next day, feathers ruffled by the unexpected travel of Christine, who left without a word of warning (seems to be a patterned behavior of hers).
The visitors more or less invite themselves to stay on; Ira tells Kaia that since the frequently troubled Chris is off her meds for the baby’s sake, a sister’s stabilizing influence would be welcome. But things remain awkward, with the slightly condescending Ira and resentful, quick-to-anger Andrew taking an ill-concealed instant dislike to each other. Then there’s Chris’ lifelong habit of sleepwalking, which proves alarming when she’s found performing an intimate act while standing over her unconscious hosts’ bed.
One morning she’s nowhere to be found, distressing her husband-to-be and sibling more with each passing hour while Andrew’s patience wears dangerously thin. The key to a family history that the sisters remember quite differently is Kaia’s permanent disfigurement from a long-ago garage fire; its cause is revealed (if not explained) in a final sequence that’s effective as far as it goes, but feels undernourished as the narrative endpoint.
The setlist for her Portland show has not been posted, but the next night's seems very similar.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Encore:
This week I went to see a band I've liked for about 15 years, since I discovered them, thanks to my enjoyment of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Thursday, which all came out around the same time, in the early 2000s. Silverstein is a scream-o band from Toronto, Canada and this was actually the first time I'd ever seen them in concert. It actually seemed a bit more mellow than I expected and it made me wonder what it would have been like to see them back in their "heyday" (which seems ridiculous to say right now). I liked the show, because they played several songs in their whole catalogue, even though they just put out a record, the same day as the show- and I actually got the CD with the ticket.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Encore:
-
-
"Night Has Settled"
starring: Spencer List, Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Adriana Barraza, Eric Nelsen, Courtney Baxter, Tommy Nelsen, Heather Braverman, Marlee Roberts
written and directed by: Steve Clark
Here's a small, yet powerful indie film that fell through the cracks and might even demand a second or third viewing to fully grasp what is being said. It's set in 1983, New York, and almost too perfectly feels like a Jonathan Safran Foer ("Everything is Illuminated") novel come to life on the screen, generally focusing on the tired, yet true coming-of-age story of a 13 year old boy named Oliver (played well by Spencer List) who smokes, drinks and curses with a few wisecracks in between that make him come off older than he really is. His is an uncomfortable yet tender story, tragic and beautiful, all at the same time. And you feel for him as he goes through tragedies and transformations, even though he seems to fall into the cliche of a teenage boy fighting against adults and wanting to be himself. Oliver lives with his single mom, Luna (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), whom he seems to have an interesting and bizarre mother-son relationship with- almost a bit of an Oedipus complex here. His sister, played by Courtney Baxter, also lives in this cramped apartment, along with their live-in nanny Aida (Adrianna Barraza), whom Oliver clearly views as his second mother. He is devastated when Aida suffers a stroke and it sends him on a downward spiral of further teenage woes. Oliver falls in with the "wrong" crowd, a rough group of teens who smoke, drink, and oversex themselves. Oliver's mother is a starving artist who isn't around much, hence the nanny, but when she is, Oliver and her share some interesting conversations about sex and relationships- discussions that would quite honestly make me uncomfortable to have with my own parents, but hey, I grew up Catholic and we didn't have those kinds of conversations or relationships. It's clear that Oliver and his mother have a bit of a strained relationship, because of her absence, and perhaps that's why he rebels. Who truly knows why teenagers act the way they do when they do.
I love these types of films because they are relatable (when done well, like here and also "The Squid and the Whale" comes to mind, along with novels like "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"). All situations have the potential to be rather cliche, but when done well, you forget about that. And here, the heavy burden belongs to Spencer List, and it's a pleasure (albeit an uncomfortable pleasure) to watch him tumble through his life. He embodies all the fury, confusion, anxiety, hormones, and quixotism that comes with being a 13 year old (boy).
The success of this film is in the well written script, the dialogue, the language used by the characters, but even more so in all the left-unsaids and the might-have-been moments (things I know all too well in my own life). There's also something to be dissected about the almost-too-close mother/son relationship and it could be another story for another film.
This was a great, unexpected find.
...........................................................................
"They Came Together"
starring: Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Cobie Smulders, Noureen DeWulf, Jason Mantzoukas, Michael Ian Black, Michaela Watkins, Randall Park, David Wain, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Jack MacBrayer
written and directed by: David Wain (and Michael Showalter)
I appreciate David Wain because his talent is in taking film genres that seem to be beaten like dead horses and embracing that fact by making a film that comes off as another one to bite the dust, but instead creates a film that becomes the antithesis of those genres. With "They Came Together," Wain creates the anti-rom-com with enough absurdism and wacky, over-the-top characters to make you interested in the story being told. The film comes off rather chaotic, but eventually focused; and I almost wrote it off as just another film as a vehicle for Wain to include all his friends in (because there are just so many characters that come in and out of the picture), but I soon discovered why I like his films, as it progressed into something.
Their eventual happy ending assured by an equally tongue-in-cheek framing story, Molly (Amy Poehler) and Joel (Paul Rudd) get off to a rocky start at a Halloween party, where they show up simultaneously, both dressed as Ben Franklin, and start squabbling before they even get inside. Things seem poised to get even worse thanks to their rival career choices: She's a laidback klutz running a cute boutique candy shop, and he's a career-driven businessman working for a giant candy conglomerate, which just happens to be intent on gobbling up her store. But plot summary is pointless in a film with such distaste for narrative, and They Came Together progresses haphazardly, across a disconnected series of scenarios doomed to be eaten from the inside out. These set pieces generally function as an excuse for Wain and his cast of comedic compatriots to get together and play off each other, in rambling party scenes, pick-up basketball games, and boardroom meetings, in which recognizable situations are established, then pushed further and further into comic incoherence, the familiar turning uncomfortably outlandish.
Everything done in this film is intentional, which makes Wain and his writing partner, Showalter, screenwriting aficionados, in my book. They are picking apart the bones of typical, mass marketed rom-coms in a film that is better than just a satire, because they are smarter and expect their audience to be smarter than to just expect satire. It's like a parody of a parody, finding discomfort in long scenes and disjointed gestures that define their characters. They seem more interested in the mockery of the genre than the creation of their film. They tear apart the cliches and at the same time build in their own, new ones, with a welcomed tone.
I loved this film!
.........................................................................
"The Longest Week"
starring: Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Billy Crudup
written and directed by: Peter Glanz
I was interested in "The Longest Week" because Jason Bateman has intrigued me as a comedic actor, only just recently finding his funny bone with his dry wit and sense of humor, found in his delivery specifically, much like Paul Rudd (I still think Paul Rudd is the most underrated comedic actor of this generation- although, I guess it could be argued that he cannot be underrated if he can be found in so many comedies nowadays).
I think what bothered me the most about this film though was the fact that filmmaker Peter Glanz was so obviously influenced by other directors/writers like Wes Anderson and Woody Allen, that it comes off pretty soon as just blatant rip-off instead of homage. I would be pissed off if I was Wes Anderson, because that's the filmmaker that seems to draw the most comparison with this film, right down to the titles across the screen (a trademark of Anderson), along with the sets and colors and slow-moving scenes. It's the type of film and story that wears its welcome out pretty quickly, but much like a trainwreck, you cannot help but keep watching- in fact, I kept with it, because I was hoping it might turn into something else and have some kind of pay-off by the end, which never truly comes.
Jason Bateman plays Conrad Valmont, an ambition-less hotel heir who has been reared by the hotel staff for far too long (think "Mr. Deeds" if you must compare). His parents have recently split which leaves him an adult with no direction and now, no silver spoon, since he's been cut off and displaced in a world he cannot navigate for himself, having never had to. And yet, Conrad still lives comfortably, in denial, with women, parties, therapy, and drinking. His sense of entitlement never disappears, even though he's been thrown to the wolves, in a way that in most films would hopefully cast the character into a self-discovery journey- but not here. Conrad remains himself, which is perhaps the most maddening piece of the story. Nothing changes for him. He doesn't change. Instead, he expects the world around him to change, with his circumstances. Conrad has to crash with his artist friend, Dylan (played by an underused Billy Crudup), who is a self-made antithesis of Conrad, meant to be a juxtaposition of Conrad, but he doesn't win in this story, so his presence is almost meaningless- other than to allow Conrad to steal his girl-of-interest- and that is Beatrice (played by Olivia Wilde), who is a fashion model. She falls for Conrad and everything about him, hook-line-and-sinker.
The moral of this story seems to be solely that heartache makes for a better ingredient in humble pie than financial ruin actually does, but it's not crafted well enough to be a good lesson to learn, even though I appreciate lessons in/from heartache.
..........................................................................
"Contracted"
starring: Najarra Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald, Katie Stegeman, Matt Mercer, Charley Koontz
written and directed by: Eric England
"Contracted" had some serious potential to tell a story not unlike that of "The Fly" or even Kafka's "The Metamorphosis," in that it should be the main character's transformation throughout the film is a metaphor. Samantha (Townsend, who could be a decent actress) is a lesbian, yet, at a friend's party she finds herself somehow roofied and then in a hazy, unprotected sexual encounter with a mysterious young man in a car. Not her fault. She then awakens the next day to some terrible and frightening symptoms that suggest to her and everyone else of a worst-case STD. It's clear, though, that she's becoming a zombie. Samantha lives at home with her mom, whom she has a fractured relationship with- Samantha is also in the process of applying to colleges, but lacks the ambition to really apply herself to anything much. What is clear, though, is that she wants to mend fences with her ex-girlfriend, played by Katie Stegeman.
Throughout the film, Samantha's transformation from lovely teenage girl to ugly zombie takes place. First, with her eyes getting the worst case of pink eye seen; then, her teeth and fingernails and clumps of hair start falling off; not to mention the lesion on her mouth that looks like the worst cold sore ever! And then, there's the blood, in scenes where she takes a piss and finds blood and clots in the toilet, as well as terrible pain from the extraction. The worst kind of STD, for sure.
The film, though, misses its opportunity to hit the mark with its metaphor and moral. Instead, it just comes off as 90 minutes of horror build-up, with a disappointing third act.
............................................................................
"The Sleepwalker"
starring: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Stephanie Ellis, Brady Corbet
written and directed by: Mona Fastvold (and Brady Corbet)
Here's another film that comes across as quiet build-up but completely lacking in the final pay-off. I usually thoroughly enjoy these types of indie films, because the filmmaker takes pleasure in introducing the characters and telling their stories, which really defines the rest of the action in the film. The background and history of the characters is the most important thing with these types of films. The film only has four characters in it, and they are connected, and soon their stories find a common thread. Kaia (Gitte Witt) and Andrew (Christopher Abbott, fresh off his stint as Charlie on "Girls") are an affectionate couple who have recently taken up the duty of renovating a large rural Massachusetts house that Kaia grew up in (having it left to them by her recently deceased father).
In the middle of the night, upon the film's opening, Kaia receives a phone call from her seemingly distressed sister, Christine (Ellis) who embodies everything opposite of Kaia. They have a bit of a strained relationship, but being sisters, they have a strong bond. On an impulse, Christine has traveled to the rural house by train with her soon-to-be husband and the two couples eventually take up with each other in the house. The sister's reunion is tense, because of a past trauma, which is revealed to us and we can clearly understand that Kaia is not ready to forgive her sister for. Christine soon reveals that she is pregnant and engaged to Ira (Corbet), who shows up the next day, feathers ruffled by the unexpected travel of Christine, who left without a word of warning (seems to be a patterned behavior of hers).
The visitors more or less invite themselves to stay on; Ira tells Kaia that since the frequently troubled Chris is off her meds for the baby’s sake, a sister’s stabilizing influence would be welcome. But things remain awkward, with the slightly condescending Ira and resentful, quick-to-anger Andrew taking an ill-concealed instant dislike to each other. Then there’s Chris’ lifelong habit of sleepwalking, which proves alarming when she’s found performing an intimate act while standing over her unconscious hosts’ bed.
One morning she’s nowhere to be found, distressing her husband-to-be and sibling more with each passing hour while Andrew’s patience wears dangerously thin. The key to a family history that the sisters remember quite differently is Kaia’s permanent disfigurement from a long-ago garage fire; its cause is revealed (if not explained) in a final sequence that’s effective as far as it goes, but feels undernourished as the narrative endpoint.
Comments
Post a Comment