Some Indie Films
"Queen of Earth"
starring: Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston, Patrick Fugit, Kentucker Adley, Keith Poulson, Kate Lyn Sheil
written and directed by: Alex Ross Perry
Note to self: watch this one again. This film is definitely a "thinker" that makes you wonder and question. It's an amazing piece of art, for sure, that acts like a puzzle, only revealing several pieces at a time and by the end, leaving certain pieces out that certainly make you feel like perhaps you missed something along the way, but also perhaps you are on a need-to-know basis and there's just some things about the characters the filmmaker doesn't think you should or deserve to know, completely. That does not make it any less effective as a psycho-thriller.
We start the film with a close-up shot of Catherine (Moss, nearly perfect as a woman slowly going crazy), crying big tears and smudging her eyeliner, for nearly too long that it makes you feel uncomfortable, like you're intruding on a very personal, intimate moment. And you are. Her boyfriend, James (Audley), is breaking up with her, confessing to an affair. And then, Catherine lashes out at him and screams "Go!"
That's the set up. And what follows is a woman's descent into madness. And it is all done so well, thanks to Elisabeth Moss (an incredible actress best known for "Mad Men" but really coming into her own as an indie film queen). She wears and exposes all of Catherine's scars so well, it's hard not to watch, like a trainwreck, you cannot take your eyes off.
In the aftermath, Catherine reunites with her childhood friend Virginia (Waterston) at Virginia’s family’s elegant lake house for what we learn is an annual tradition for the two. We also learn that Catherine’s father, a prominent New York artist, committed suicide a few months back. Abandoned by “the only two people who really cared about me,” Catherine seeks solace in the idyllic setting and the companionship of Virginia. It quickly becomes apparent that the film has other plans.
The director decides to tell the story of unraveling by contrasting and intercutting the present day with the previous summer's similar retreat. The differences being that Catherine was cocky and self-assured as a woman in a relationship she believed in with a man she believed she would marry. She was a self-absorbed and entitled young lady who was too interested in herself to care or want to help her friend, Virginia, who was suffering from an undisclosed trauma (which we later find out about in more detail). Virginia is pissed that Catherine brought her boyfriend along, the previous summer, because she wanted some alone time with her friend, to help work through her pain. In the present day, the two lady's have switched roles.
This juxtaposition of the two summers drives the film and fleshes out the women’s antagonistic relationship. In the year between their annual sojourn, Catherine and Virginia have switched positions, and the way each has become the mirror image of the other calls to mind an updated version of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona. As the pair spit back lines the other has previously said, the proceedings are complicated by Rich (Fugit), the literal boy next door and Virginia’s fuck buddy, who, with vague menace, randomly appears to further drive a wedge between the two.
The unraveling of Catherine is something splendid to watch and witness, albeit uncomfortable at times, but this is what cinema is all about, right here.
Awesome film!
............................................................................
"Darkness on the Edge of Town"
starring: Brian Gleeson, Emma Eliza Regan, Maura Foley, Emma Willis,
written and directed by: Patrick Ryan
This is an Irish film that prides itself on perhaps paying homage to the Western films that came before it, with a hint of Shakespeare in it (specifically, look at "Othello" and its antagonist Iago). In the play, all the tension and mystery is taken away from the audience when Iago admits and says directly what he will do. In the film "Darkness on the Edge of Town," we see exactly who and what happens within the first few minutes of the film. So, we know who the killer is. The rest of the film allows us to follow the main character on her journey to discover and exact revenge on her sister's killer.
In the opening sequence, a spectacular wordless ten minutes of tension, Cleo Callahan says goodbye to her estranged older sister Ashy, who has long since moved to Dublin and visits every six weeks with gifts of cash and cigarettes. Ashy is brutally murdered in a bathroom by Robin O’Riley, who we very quickly find out is Cleo’s best friend. The rest of the film plays out as a sort of wild goose chase where Cleo, often with the help of Robin, tries to find her sister’s killer and enact her revenge.
Cleo and Robin's relationship is complicated. As the story reveals itself to us, we cannot help but realize that Robin is in a stuck position. The morality is questionable. The tone of the whole film is very dark, along the same lines as another recently viewed and reviewed film "Out of the Furnace" and this one, too, is a slow-burner (pun intended). The characters drive the story and in order to work they need to be fleshed out and strong, as well as be provided certain nuances and flaws that make them appear real. As a viewer, you get to watch Cleo as she entrusts her deepest feelings to her greatest enemy, and thus watch Robin struggle internally with helping her friend find the killer. This is a film about the psychology behind murder and the aftermath of murder, as much as it is about the relationship between these two teenage girls.
The two characters also work as inverse versions of each other somewhat. Whereas Cleo is very guarded and doesn’t show her emotions much, Robin’s the exact opposite. She’s all emotion. If Cleo would just pay more attention, she might figure it out, but she doesn’t, and she never has.
The chemistry between the two actresses is crucial to the film's success and working. And it works so well, all the way through.
This is a great, albeit, depressing film, but definitely worth it.
.........................................................................
"The Maneater"
starring: Mylene Jampanoi, Marc Ruchmann, Mathidle Bisson, Arben Bajraktaraj, Aurelien Jegou
written and directed by: Natalie Saracco
Not much has already been said about this small, emotional French film, so I will try to sum it up as best as I can remember. It's about a female artist, who happens to be bisexual (in a relationship with another woman), whom she makes a wager with that she can bed a local, handsome priest by using her powers of femininity and sexuality as well as seduction. The power of a female is certainly at play throughout this entire film. The concept of a woman as a maneater is very interesting, especially because the "victim" or "prey" in this case is a man of the robe, a man who has taken a vow of celibacy and devotes his life to prayer and helping people. Here, he is trying to help a lost soul, help to redeem herself from her self-described wicked ways. Little does he know, he's a pawn in her game. Except the game she's playing quickly becomes something else as she falls in love with him. Do we believe her, though?
This is a dark tale about the art of seduction and the art of being a woman. It's a great foreign film you should pay close attention to.
...................................................................
"A Case of You"
starring: Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Keir O'Donnell, Gideon Glick, Sienna Miller, Mizuo Peck, Peter Dinklage, Busy Philipps, Sam Rockwell, Vince Vaughn
written by: Christian Long and Justin Long
directed by: Kat Coiro
Kat Coiro got props for her film "Life Happens" which starred Kate Bosworth and Kristen Ritter. Here, she directs a Long Brothers script. Justin Long's a writer?! Who knew? Well, it's not really that good, though. Too bad, because I do like him as an actor. I think she's interesting and come a long way. With this film though, he writes another typical, throwaway Manic Pixie Dream Girl film. Kat Coiro wrote and directed "Life Happens" which I watched and reviewed here as well; a film I was pleasantly surprised by, but this one just falls flat almost immediately. But, it's not the actors' fault, by any stretch of the imagination. They try. The words fail them. And, okay, Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood do not really share any kind of chemistry on screen, so it's extremely hard to believe anything about them, as a couple.
Justin Long plays Sam, a writer who gets his fortune from adapting movies into books (isn't usually the other way around?), while dreaming of becoming a more respectable writer. He frequents a coffee shop where he does most of his writing (cliche); and that's where he meets Birdie (Manic Pixie Dream Girl cliche name), played by Evan Rachel Wood, an eccentric barista, whom Sam thinks of having conversations with but cannot muster the courage. Until...he does some online snooping and investigating, finds out everything she likes and then starts to talk about it all and attempt to do it all, being what he thinks is Birdie's dream man. He becomes a person he cannot stand, a person he truly is not. He turns himself into what he perceives as her ideal man, thanks to Facebook, which leads itself to an argument against getting to know your potential partners solely based on technology and not simply talking to them and doing things with each other. As an "online" dater, I still personally always thrive on face to face interactions with them and find the online aspect to be simply an ice breaker, instead of a bar or club. Anyway, what Sam does is really just kind of creepy, and yet we are supposed to get on board with it and be okay with it because he has good intentions (getting in a relationship with Birdie), but it's all under false pretenses- which is ultimately the entire film's problem. Sam is really not a likable character because of this.
The film could have served as a case for personal insecurity and the resulting madness someone goes through in order to please their significant other, which could then be a sort of study on co-dependence versus independence in relationships. Do we, as people, fight against losing our individual identities within relationships when we allow ourselves to get lost within the significant other and/or the relationship? Does the relationship become a living thing that needs constant sustenance? Is it possible to still be completely yourself and in a healthy, thriving relationship? These are all questions that come up, some way or another, but in more of a comedic, half-jokingly manner, instead of really exploring them. We feel cheated as an audience when a character like Sam wins, in the end. I just wanted to scream "Booooooo" at the screen when he gets what he wants, by the end, because he truly does not deserve it.
starring: Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston, Patrick Fugit, Kentucker Adley, Keith Poulson, Kate Lyn Sheil
written and directed by: Alex Ross Perry
Note to self: watch this one again. This film is definitely a "thinker" that makes you wonder and question. It's an amazing piece of art, for sure, that acts like a puzzle, only revealing several pieces at a time and by the end, leaving certain pieces out that certainly make you feel like perhaps you missed something along the way, but also perhaps you are on a need-to-know basis and there's just some things about the characters the filmmaker doesn't think you should or deserve to know, completely. That does not make it any less effective as a psycho-thriller.
We start the film with a close-up shot of Catherine (Moss, nearly perfect as a woman slowly going crazy), crying big tears and smudging her eyeliner, for nearly too long that it makes you feel uncomfortable, like you're intruding on a very personal, intimate moment. And you are. Her boyfriend, James (Audley), is breaking up with her, confessing to an affair. And then, Catherine lashes out at him and screams "Go!"
That's the set up. And what follows is a woman's descent into madness. And it is all done so well, thanks to Elisabeth Moss (an incredible actress best known for "Mad Men" but really coming into her own as an indie film queen). She wears and exposes all of Catherine's scars so well, it's hard not to watch, like a trainwreck, you cannot take your eyes off.
In the aftermath, Catherine reunites with her childhood friend Virginia (Waterston) at Virginia’s family’s elegant lake house for what we learn is an annual tradition for the two. We also learn that Catherine’s father, a prominent New York artist, committed suicide a few months back. Abandoned by “the only two people who really cared about me,” Catherine seeks solace in the idyllic setting and the companionship of Virginia. It quickly becomes apparent that the film has other plans.
The director decides to tell the story of unraveling by contrasting and intercutting the present day with the previous summer's similar retreat. The differences being that Catherine was cocky and self-assured as a woman in a relationship she believed in with a man she believed she would marry. She was a self-absorbed and entitled young lady who was too interested in herself to care or want to help her friend, Virginia, who was suffering from an undisclosed trauma (which we later find out about in more detail). Virginia is pissed that Catherine brought her boyfriend along, the previous summer, because she wanted some alone time with her friend, to help work through her pain. In the present day, the two lady's have switched roles.
This juxtaposition of the two summers drives the film and fleshes out the women’s antagonistic relationship. In the year between their annual sojourn, Catherine and Virginia have switched positions, and the way each has become the mirror image of the other calls to mind an updated version of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona. As the pair spit back lines the other has previously said, the proceedings are complicated by Rich (Fugit), the literal boy next door and Virginia’s fuck buddy, who, with vague menace, randomly appears to further drive a wedge between the two.
The unraveling of Catherine is something splendid to watch and witness, albeit uncomfortable at times, but this is what cinema is all about, right here.
Awesome film!
............................................................................
"Darkness on the Edge of Town"
starring: Brian Gleeson, Emma Eliza Regan, Maura Foley, Emma Willis,
written and directed by: Patrick Ryan
This is an Irish film that prides itself on perhaps paying homage to the Western films that came before it, with a hint of Shakespeare in it (specifically, look at "Othello" and its antagonist Iago). In the play, all the tension and mystery is taken away from the audience when Iago admits and says directly what he will do. In the film "Darkness on the Edge of Town," we see exactly who and what happens within the first few minutes of the film. So, we know who the killer is. The rest of the film allows us to follow the main character on her journey to discover and exact revenge on her sister's killer.
In the opening sequence, a spectacular wordless ten minutes of tension, Cleo Callahan says goodbye to her estranged older sister Ashy, who has long since moved to Dublin and visits every six weeks with gifts of cash and cigarettes. Ashy is brutally murdered in a bathroom by Robin O’Riley, who we very quickly find out is Cleo’s best friend. The rest of the film plays out as a sort of wild goose chase where Cleo, often with the help of Robin, tries to find her sister’s killer and enact her revenge.
Cleo and Robin's relationship is complicated. As the story reveals itself to us, we cannot help but realize that Robin is in a stuck position. The morality is questionable. The tone of the whole film is very dark, along the same lines as another recently viewed and reviewed film "Out of the Furnace" and this one, too, is a slow-burner (pun intended). The characters drive the story and in order to work they need to be fleshed out and strong, as well as be provided certain nuances and flaws that make them appear real. As a viewer, you get to watch Cleo as she entrusts her deepest feelings to her greatest enemy, and thus watch Robin struggle internally with helping her friend find the killer. This is a film about the psychology behind murder and the aftermath of murder, as much as it is about the relationship between these two teenage girls.
The two characters also work as inverse versions of each other somewhat. Whereas Cleo is very guarded and doesn’t show her emotions much, Robin’s the exact opposite. She’s all emotion. If Cleo would just pay more attention, she might figure it out, but she doesn’t, and she never has.
The chemistry between the two actresses is crucial to the film's success and working. And it works so well, all the way through.
This is a great, albeit, depressing film, but definitely worth it.
.........................................................................
"The Maneater"
starring: Mylene Jampanoi, Marc Ruchmann, Mathidle Bisson, Arben Bajraktaraj, Aurelien Jegou
written and directed by: Natalie Saracco
Not much has already been said about this small, emotional French film, so I will try to sum it up as best as I can remember. It's about a female artist, who happens to be bisexual (in a relationship with another woman), whom she makes a wager with that she can bed a local, handsome priest by using her powers of femininity and sexuality as well as seduction. The power of a female is certainly at play throughout this entire film. The concept of a woman as a maneater is very interesting, especially because the "victim" or "prey" in this case is a man of the robe, a man who has taken a vow of celibacy and devotes his life to prayer and helping people. Here, he is trying to help a lost soul, help to redeem herself from her self-described wicked ways. Little does he know, he's a pawn in her game. Except the game she's playing quickly becomes something else as she falls in love with him. Do we believe her, though?
This is a dark tale about the art of seduction and the art of being a woman. It's a great foreign film you should pay close attention to.
...................................................................
"A Case of You"
starring: Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Keir O'Donnell, Gideon Glick, Sienna Miller, Mizuo Peck, Peter Dinklage, Busy Philipps, Sam Rockwell, Vince Vaughn
written by: Christian Long and Justin Long
directed by: Kat Coiro
Kat Coiro got props for her film "Life Happens" which starred Kate Bosworth and Kristen Ritter. Here, she directs a Long Brothers script. Justin Long's a writer?! Who knew? Well, it's not really that good, though. Too bad, because I do like him as an actor. I think she's interesting and come a long way. With this film though, he writes another typical, throwaway Manic Pixie Dream Girl film. Kat Coiro wrote and directed "Life Happens" which I watched and reviewed here as well; a film I was pleasantly surprised by, but this one just falls flat almost immediately. But, it's not the actors' fault, by any stretch of the imagination. They try. The words fail them. And, okay, Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood do not really share any kind of chemistry on screen, so it's extremely hard to believe anything about them, as a couple.
Justin Long plays Sam, a writer who gets his fortune from adapting movies into books (isn't usually the other way around?), while dreaming of becoming a more respectable writer. He frequents a coffee shop where he does most of his writing (cliche); and that's where he meets Birdie (Manic Pixie Dream Girl cliche name), played by Evan Rachel Wood, an eccentric barista, whom Sam thinks of having conversations with but cannot muster the courage. Until...he does some online snooping and investigating, finds out everything she likes and then starts to talk about it all and attempt to do it all, being what he thinks is Birdie's dream man. He becomes a person he cannot stand, a person he truly is not. He turns himself into what he perceives as her ideal man, thanks to Facebook, which leads itself to an argument against getting to know your potential partners solely based on technology and not simply talking to them and doing things with each other. As an "online" dater, I still personally always thrive on face to face interactions with them and find the online aspect to be simply an ice breaker, instead of a bar or club. Anyway, what Sam does is really just kind of creepy, and yet we are supposed to get on board with it and be okay with it because he has good intentions (getting in a relationship with Birdie), but it's all under false pretenses- which is ultimately the entire film's problem. Sam is really not a likable character because of this.
The film could have served as a case for personal insecurity and the resulting madness someone goes through in order to please their significant other, which could then be a sort of study on co-dependence versus independence in relationships. Do we, as people, fight against losing our individual identities within relationships when we allow ourselves to get lost within the significant other and/or the relationship? Does the relationship become a living thing that needs constant sustenance? Is it possible to still be completely yourself and in a healthy, thriving relationship? These are all questions that come up, some way or another, but in more of a comedic, half-jokingly manner, instead of really exploring them. We feel cheated as an audience when a character like Sam wins, in the end. I just wanted to scream "Booooooo" at the screen when he gets what he wants, by the end, because he truly does not deserve it.
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