Beach House concert and a Few More Indie Films
The last time I saw Beach House, it was my birthday, about 3 years ago I think. They were amazing back then, for their album "Bloom."
This time around, they began their tour in Portland, for their new album "Depression Cherry," which isn't out yet. Their new songs sound great, as they tested them out for this tour with the Portland crowd.
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- Encore:
"For a Good Time, Call..."
starring: Ari Graynor, Lauren Miller, James Wolk, Justin Long, Mimi Rogers, Mark Webber, Nia Vardalos
directed by: Jamie Travis
written by: Lauren Miller, Katie Ann Naylon
I wasn't sure what to expect when this film showed up on Netflix a couple of weeks ago, but I felt a need to check it out and give it a chance, since I enjoy all of Judd Apatow's bromance-related films and this seemed to be screaming as a reverse-gender equivalent to his films like "I Love You, Man" and "This is the End" (for example). The film's break-out star is clearly Ari Graynor and this is the perfect comedic vehicle for her (and her sense of humor) to shine. I guess it helps that co-star and co-writer, Lauren Miller (whom also plays a character named Lauren, the straight-laced of the two girls) is married to Judd Apatow bromantic partner- Seth Rogen (who makes a quick appearance).
The film's story gets pushed into high gear when Lauren's boyfriend kicks her out of their shared apartment and she reluctantly moves in with an old college frenemy, Katie (Graynor), thanks to her gay best friend, played by Justin Long, who seems to keep proving he is quite underrated as a comedic actor, knocking it out of the park with small roles like this. Lauren quickly discovers that Katie makes her money running her own DIY phone-sex line.
With entrepreneurial zest, Lauren convinces Katie to start their own independent shop together pleasuring gentleman callers. Business booms, and a platonic love blooms that uses the same language, ups and downs, and lovestruck declarations as a rom-com.
The film starts off rather slowly, but as the story progresses and Lauren loses her inhibitions (by taking some of her own phone calls), "For a Good Time, Call" becomes another decent raunchy, yet sweet film. The script's heart seem to be always in the right place and never forgets that.
The film becomes to Ari Graynor, though, and it really lets her shine. I remember her as the drunk friend who drops her phone in the dirty toilet in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." Finally, she has a starring role here and she doesn't disappoint. In fact, she proves her worth. She is comedy dynamite and definitely worth the viewing.
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"A True Story"
starring: Katrina Bowden, Jon Gries, Malcolm Goodwin, Cameron Fife, Tyler McGee, Keith Loneker, Kelen Coleman, Chelsea Logan, Sugar lyn Beard
directed by: Malcolm Goodwin
written by: Cameron Fife and Tyler McGee
The story seems familiar and slightly cliche, if it wasn't done almost perfectly here, with an independent touch, in which the writers are the actors and have their hands in every aspect of the film, so that it can be done right, done the way they want, without Hollywood heads screwing up their story. They seem to have woven in pieces of their own lives and experiences of trying to sell their first script (for this very film?) and it makes you wonder what exactly is based on reality (the girl, the relationship, and/or just the filmmaking). Aside from the plot-line of trying to write and perfect their script together, in order to eventually sell it, the film explores the comic consequences of being virtually broke, the heartbreak of a seemingly heartless harlot (played near-perfectly by Katrina Bowden, whom I'm not going to lie was my main attraction to the film, thanks to watching her in "30 Rock"), and then also the testing of these two guys' friendship through it all.
The script is tightly put together and moves nicely, with some snappy and witty dialogue throughout. The actors are captivating and believable. The heartthrob guy is played by Tyler McGee, the nerd is played by Cameron Fife, and the beauty is played by Katrina Bowden. The sub-story between the three of them is an interesting exploration of morality, with some twists added in for fun. I don't really want to give away any of the plot because the film is worth watching, with a clean mind.
A great, indie find here.
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"From the Dark"
starring: Niamh Algar and Stephen Cromwell
directed by: Conor McMahon
Here is an Irish horror film that builds on its own psychological intensity by simply making the viewer's heart race based on what cannot be seen, but rather imagined. It's a dark film, tone-wise, and you really can't see much of anything going on until the director wants you to, perhaps because the monster in the film (what I gathered to be a new version of a vampire-like creature), attacks in the dark and is "scared" of the dark.
The story's set-up finds its start like most horror films do- with one or more characters fucking up, instead of using their common sense (you know what I'm talking about- the actions that make you want to scream at the TV like "What the hell are you thinking!?" and "I would never do that in real life!" Well, then, I don't think we would ever have a horror film. And so, with this story, about a couple testing their relationship by taking a road trip together, find themselves sort of lost, with absolutely no help from a dysfunctional GPS (searching for satellite.... frustratingly accurate for those of us who have traveled by car). The couple, Mark and Sarah, find themselves struck in the mud on an isolated, dark Irish back country road. Mark insists on walking whatever distance it takes to find help, leaving Sarah alone, in the dark, to watch over the car, in case someone comes by. I would be more concerned about leaving my lady to fend for herself to attackers and would insist on going together, but hey, that's just me.
At the beginning of the film, a farmer unwittingly opened the unmarked grave of an extremely photosensitive monster/human, who is now awake and hungry for flesh and blood.
And thus begins the couple's night-long quest for survival from this hungry monster. They both discover that any light source is going to be their savior and so they attempt to weaponize themselves with any source of light they can find and get their hands on to save them from the monster. Sarah really steps up and breaks her character to become the survivor in need of a way out.
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"Eagle v. Shark"
starring: Loren Taylor, Jemaine Clement, Joel Tobeck, Brian Sargent, Craig Hall, Rachel House, Morag Hills, Bernard Stewart, Taiki Waititi, David Fane, Cohen Holloway
directed by: Taiki Waititi
written by: Loren Taylor and Taiki Waititi
Right away, I will admit that I thoroughly enjoy quirky, nerdy films like this that seem to fly under the radar, for the most part because the humor is awkward and weird. Thanks to the break-out success of "Napoleon Dynamite" filmmakers have seen that it's okay to make awkwardly funny films, dubbed dork-chic romantic stories. Here, "Eagle v. Shark" has New Zealand flavor to it, thanks to star Jemaine Clement (best known for his part in "Flight of the Conchords") as one of the two oddballs. He plays Jarrod, a guy living for revenge on a bully from high school. He spends his time training with nunchakus, wearing goofy t-shirts, Coke-bottle glasses, and that sneer that helped make Clement famous, along with his dry wit and humor that he plays off as not really knowing or understanding why people think he's so funny. The other oddball in the story is Lily (Taylor) who gets fired from her job at a New Zealand fast food restaurant, where she first laid eyes on Jarrod and fell for him. Lily is so smitten with Jarrod that she invites herself to one of his gaming parties (where guests play in a tournament of Fight Man, a version of Mortal Kombat). The two face off in the championship and Lily seems to let him win. She quickly agrees to join him for a week back at his childhood home with his family (all of whom really take a liking to Lily).
It's a gentle and lyrical story (complete with a stop animation interwoven story about two, discarded apple cores that find love with each other, a metaphor, yes) as Lily slowly awakens her self-worth while Jarrod becomes more self-obsessed and really shows he doesn't really care if Lily stays or goes.
Like Napoleon Dynamite, it’s a little wisp of a movie, a lightweight feature loaded with montage and hung on one performance – in this case, that of Horsley as the wallflower finally starting to bloom. Writer-director Waititi gracefully manages to balance the film’s farcical elements with the dramatic arc of his protagonist, who isn’t the goofy guy in glasses after all but, gratifyingly, the geek girl. Horsley’s rich, multidimensional performance gives the movie its emotional heft; she’s a noticeably physical actor even when Lily is doing little more than slouching around in Jarrod’s shadow. Clement’s is the wackier role, but Horsley keeps the viewer grounded in sympathy. There are plenty of jokes – Jarrod’s sister and her husband sell horrifying custom tracksuits that turn up on all the characters, but underneath the quirk there’s a real heart.
The only thing I did not like was the ending of the film, because you don't really understand why Lily would forgive Jarrod so easily, because clearly she has grown as a person in this week. It seemed very out of her new character.
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"Creep"
starring: Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice
directed by: Patrick Brice
written by: Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass
Mark Duplass cannot seem to do anything wrong. He is like the Hollywood version of Jack White. Anything he puts his hands own is guaranteed to be unique and gold, albeit probably not seen by the masses, even though it should be. He makes excellent independent films. With "Creep" he explores the overused "found footage" genre, but puts his own touch on it and makes it a unique and entertaining experience for the viewer.
The story is about being in an uncomfortable space and remaining there slightly too long. The character's interactions are menacing and dangerous. Right from the start, you can tell yourself you wouldn't be caught alone with Duplass' character- because he seems crazy and just not right in the head, at all.
"Creep" continues the established pattern of filmmakers specializing in ultra-low budget non-genre fare crossing over into horror with excellent results. Maybe it's the way that working on "mumblecore" projects trains writers, directors, and actors into specialists in developing character and plot, since they have nothing else to fall back on. And indeed the two characters we meet are spare, but distinctive and far more memorable than the bare sketches we get in most found-footage offerings.
Aaron (Brice) is a freelance cameraman working in Southern California. He answers an ad offering to pay him $1,000 for a day's work shooting at a house up in the mountains north of San Bernadino, where he meets Josef (Duplass). Josef tells Aaron he's dying of cancer, and he wants to shoot a video for his unborn son, like Michael Keaton did in My Life. But as the day goes by, it quickly becomes apparent that something isn't right with Josef, and even after he leaves the next morning Aaron still feels like he might be in danger.
Making Aaron a professional cameraman solves two of the biggest problems with found-footage. Firstly, it answers why Aaron is meticulously filming everything: at first it's what he's being paid to do, and later it becomes the only defense he can think of against Josef. Secondly, the images are clear and bright, and Brice shoots them with a steady hand. He isn't relying on nauseatingly shaky camera work to cover anything up.
The claustrophobia of a first-person viewpoint is what really helps with this type of film. Everything we don't see, we know Aaron doesn't see either. The scenes play out in long, uninterrupted takes with no cuts to offer alternate views that might fill in our concept of the space. Duplass' performance is excruciatingly tense, but it's the first-person camera that really ramps it up.
This is a great film that stands out among the many many found-footage films- don't let its inclusion in that subgenre distract you.
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