ZZ Ward and some Indie Films Worth Checking Out
Sunday night, I got to see ZZ Ward again (for the 3rd time in I believe 3 years). I discovered her when she played a show at Port City Music Hall a couple of years ago. I had not heard of her, but I saw she was playing in Portland and the show was only like $10. Then, I saw her at the Paradise in Boston. Now, she's prepping for a brand new album, but still playing small venues. This time around she played the Royale, again in Boston.
"Burying the Ex"
starring: Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, Alexandra Daddario, Oliver Cooper
written by: Alan Trezza
directed by: Joe Dante
I probably shouldn't have, but I loved this indie film about a desperate undead girlfriend who comes back to reek havoc on her (ex)boyfriend and his life after her (supposed) death. I loved it because it brought some nostalgic feelings for similar films from the 1980s that were cheeky and fun (re: My Boyfriend's Back). Sure, it has its faults, like trying to stay up-to-date with its references like a Tinder joke here and a reference to blogging there. That stuff aside, it's still a decent story and writing similar to an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Anton Yelchin plays the boyfriend, a grown up twentysomething instead of a teenager like these movies are usually apt to do in order to appeal to the masses. Yelchin may be playing an adult, but he still looks young enough because of his baby-face and almost glued-on goatee/mustache combo. Yelchin plays Max, a Halloween novelty store clerk who gets around on a scooter. And his girlfriend is played by Ashley Greene (trying hard to be forgotten for her involved in the "Twilight" franchise), who does a great job looking beautiful at the beginning and then shedding the surface beauty for zombie makeup. Evelyn (Greene) is a Southern California environmental activist with an extreme Type-A personality who embodies the likeness of many girls in relationships, I think, in that she spends much of her time and energy attempting to change Max and mold him into the man she wants to be with forever, someone who shares her values and doesn't mind that she completely changes their apartment when she moves in. Hmm, this part of the story struck a nerve with me, because I just deal with that in my most recent relationship and it's difficult, for sure, but this is a comedic film, so it was treated with humor instead of how I handled it in my own life. But, I think I've digressed enough!
This is a fun film.
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"6 Years"
starring: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael
written and directed by: Hannah Fidell
This is the second film by Hannah Fidell and it's just as deeply focused on emotions as her first ("A Teacher" about a high school teacher whose life unravels after having an affair with one of her students). I really like her style of writing because it resonates with me, even if I cannot necessarily relate to her characters.
In "6 Years" we follow a college couple that been together for 6 years (hence the title), ever since they were high school neighbors and each other is all they've known. But, as their twenties begin to unfold and college is ending for both, their relationship starts to fray at the ends with cliche and typical mistrust, infidelity, drinking, physical violence, etc. Everything you can seemingly confront a young couple with. Mel (a great Taissa Farmiga, younger sister of Vera Farmiga, and best known for her work on American Horror Story) is the female, a junior in college and a student-teacher with a lot on her mind besides her own career (mainly how she can make it all better and work with her boyfriend). Ben (Rosenfield) is an intern at an Austin record label, looking to further his career by hopefully moving in New York, writing reviews of bands and local shows.
You can really tell that this young couple is not going to stay together and see it through to the end of the film. There's far too many snippets of the story that involve typical twentysomething behavior (mainly partying and drinking, as well as thinking you are untouchable and know everything but really you know absolutely nothing). The conversations Mel and Ben have nothing of real substance that makes you root for them as a couple, and maybe that's because I'm 34 years old and have reflected on my own experiences in my twenties. Sometimes you just want to slap people like these two and just say, "trust me, it gets better, move on, you'll be fine."
Despite its tone, the film is still decent, in my opinion. But, I think the challenge for Hannah Fidell next is to create a character or characters that evoke sympathy or at least empathy from the viewer.
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"Area 51"
starring: Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg, Ben Rovner, Jelena Nik, Roy Abramsohn
written and directed by: Oren Peli
Oren Peli returns to a genre he helped beat like a dead horse with "Paranormal Activity," this time with another found-footage, faux documentary film about three dudes who hatch a scheme to break into the ominous government Area 51 (you know, the famed, supposed place that the government is hiding alien secrets and such).
Pulling together a list of the base’s extensive security provisions (oh, the things you can find on the web these days), our heroes load up their trunk with thermal goggles, hazmat suits, an electronic signal-jammer, and other pieces of equipment one might assume were out of the price range of twentysomething office drones. They’ve also got a hand-drawn map of the facilities, the badge and fingerprints of an employee, and, of course, a couple of trusty video cameras to film everything they encounter. First stop: the Hooters presidential suite in Las Vegas. From there, it’s on to a sprawling, heavily guarded government compound. Road trip!
Part of the supposed appeal of faux-verité thrillers is the sense of impending doom, the knowledge that the goofballs on screen are blithely documenting their own final hours. But there’s a fine line between fatalism and suspense-zapping predictability; by opening with talking-head interviews that announce the disappearance of its central trio, Area 51 zooms right over that line. It also suffers from the usual lapses in found-footage logic. Even if your goal was to get video evidence of something, would you really keep filming while running for your life? If so, would you also take care to keep the camera pointed in the right direction, perfectly framing the chaos exploding around you?
What the film promises is the discovery of aliens and so you spend the entire film waiting to see some kind of spooky creature, much like at the end of "Signs." There has to be a payoff, for following these bumbling idiots on their ill-advised and not very well thought out journey. But, Peli fails to deliver with the climax.
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(Nick Jonas cover)
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- Encore:
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"Burying the Ex"
starring: Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, Alexandra Daddario, Oliver Cooper
written by: Alan Trezza
directed by: Joe Dante
I probably shouldn't have, but I loved this indie film about a desperate undead girlfriend who comes back to reek havoc on her (ex)boyfriend and his life after her (supposed) death. I loved it because it brought some nostalgic feelings for similar films from the 1980s that were cheeky and fun (re: My Boyfriend's Back). Sure, it has its faults, like trying to stay up-to-date with its references like a Tinder joke here and a reference to blogging there. That stuff aside, it's still a decent story and writing similar to an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Anton Yelchin plays the boyfriend, a grown up twentysomething instead of a teenager like these movies are usually apt to do in order to appeal to the masses. Yelchin may be playing an adult, but he still looks young enough because of his baby-face and almost glued-on goatee/mustache combo. Yelchin plays Max, a Halloween novelty store clerk who gets around on a scooter. And his girlfriend is played by Ashley Greene (trying hard to be forgotten for her involved in the "Twilight" franchise), who does a great job looking beautiful at the beginning and then shedding the surface beauty for zombie makeup. Evelyn (Greene) is a Southern California environmental activist with an extreme Type-A personality who embodies the likeness of many girls in relationships, I think, in that she spends much of her time and energy attempting to change Max and mold him into the man she wants to be with forever, someone who shares her values and doesn't mind that she completely changes their apartment when she moves in. Hmm, this part of the story struck a nerve with me, because I just deal with that in my most recent relationship and it's difficult, for sure, but this is a comedic film, so it was treated with humor instead of how I handled it in my own life. But, I think I've digressed enough!
Screenwriter, Trezza frames Evelyn as a nightmare from frame one, though it’s unclear which of her sins — ambition, vegetarianism, objecting to Max’s oafish half-brother Travis (Oliver Cooper) having threesomes in their apartment — are so egregious as to warrant Max’s descriptions of her as “a stark raving lunatic.” When Evelyn flips out over Max’s flirtation with kooky ice-cream seller Olivia (Alexandra Daddario), he resolves to end the relationship once and for all; before he can do so, however, Evelyn is struck dead by a bus.
After a brief period of mourning, he takes up with Olivia, only for Evelyn to turn up on his doorstep bruised, red-eyed and orbited by flies. Having been granted undead life via a mysterious Satanic totem in Max’s store, she’s determined to bring Max with her to the brain-eating side. Cue much labored farce as Max sets about breaking it off all over again, while attempting to hide the ludicrous truth from his suspicious new flame.
What happens with the film though, when Daddario's character, Olivia, is introduced- the age old storyline of girl against girl for the affection of one guy- but in this case, the guy in question does not seem to be much of a prize to be won for either of them. I definitely sided with and fell for Daddario's Manic Pixie Ice Cream Dream Girl. And it was really nice to see Ashley Greene take on a role that allowed her to take some physical comedy with a bit of a loopy abandon.This is a fun film.
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"6 Years"
starring: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael
written and directed by: Hannah Fidell
This is the second film by Hannah Fidell and it's just as deeply focused on emotions as her first ("A Teacher" about a high school teacher whose life unravels after having an affair with one of her students). I really like her style of writing because it resonates with me, even if I cannot necessarily relate to her characters.
In "6 Years" we follow a college couple that been together for 6 years (hence the title), ever since they were high school neighbors and each other is all they've known. But, as their twenties begin to unfold and college is ending for both, their relationship starts to fray at the ends with cliche and typical mistrust, infidelity, drinking, physical violence, etc. Everything you can seemingly confront a young couple with. Mel (a great Taissa Farmiga, younger sister of Vera Farmiga, and best known for her work on American Horror Story) is the female, a junior in college and a student-teacher with a lot on her mind besides her own career (mainly how she can make it all better and work with her boyfriend). Ben (Rosenfield) is an intern at an Austin record label, looking to further his career by hopefully moving in New York, writing reviews of bands and local shows.
You can really tell that this young couple is not going to stay together and see it through to the end of the film. There's far too many snippets of the story that involve typical twentysomething behavior (mainly partying and drinking, as well as thinking you are untouchable and know everything but really you know absolutely nothing). The conversations Mel and Ben have nothing of real substance that makes you root for them as a couple, and maybe that's because I'm 34 years old and have reflected on my own experiences in my twenties. Sometimes you just want to slap people like these two and just say, "trust me, it gets better, move on, you'll be fine."
Despite its tone, the film is still decent, in my opinion. But, I think the challenge for Hannah Fidell next is to create a character or characters that evoke sympathy or at least empathy from the viewer.
............................................................................
"Area 51"
starring: Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg, Ben Rovner, Jelena Nik, Roy Abramsohn
written and directed by: Oren Peli
Oren Peli returns to a genre he helped beat like a dead horse with "Paranormal Activity," this time with another found-footage, faux documentary film about three dudes who hatch a scheme to break into the ominous government Area 51 (you know, the famed, supposed place that the government is hiding alien secrets and such).
Pulling together a list of the base’s extensive security provisions (oh, the things you can find on the web these days), our heroes load up their trunk with thermal goggles, hazmat suits, an electronic signal-jammer, and other pieces of equipment one might assume were out of the price range of twentysomething office drones. They’ve also got a hand-drawn map of the facilities, the badge and fingerprints of an employee, and, of course, a couple of trusty video cameras to film everything they encounter. First stop: the Hooters presidential suite in Las Vegas. From there, it’s on to a sprawling, heavily guarded government compound. Road trip!
Part of the supposed appeal of faux-verité thrillers is the sense of impending doom, the knowledge that the goofballs on screen are blithely documenting their own final hours. But there’s a fine line between fatalism and suspense-zapping predictability; by opening with talking-head interviews that announce the disappearance of its central trio, Area 51 zooms right over that line. It also suffers from the usual lapses in found-footage logic. Even if your goal was to get video evidence of something, would you really keep filming while running for your life? If so, would you also take care to keep the camera pointed in the right direction, perfectly framing the chaos exploding around you?
What the film promises is the discovery of aliens and so you spend the entire film waiting to see some kind of spooky creature, much like at the end of "Signs." There has to be a payoff, for following these bumbling idiots on their ill-advised and not very well thought out journey. But, Peli fails to deliver with the climax.
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