Time Marches On

Time is something that none of us can really seem to master during our lifetime. When we're kids, everything seems to take forever. The eight hours you're at school never seem to end. Playing with your friends seems short, but then you have dinner, homework, and that weird space of time between that and being forced into bed by your parents seems like forever. As things move on, though, more responsibility is put on your plate and time seems to go faster and faster. By the time you're in your twenties, you're so busy that years have gone by and you can barely remember what happened.

I was looking for an old blog post when I came across some of the pieces I wrote back in 2008 about submitting The Definers for a Texas Film Production Fund grant. One of the posts was about sending the script to Greta Gerwig to review and see if she would be interested in signing on to play one of the leads. This was post Hannah Takes The Stairs and pre Greenberg. I honestly thought I had a decent chance. She wasn't a professional actress at that point, just doing stuff with friends, and she seemed to be interested in taking risks. I received a note from her a few weeks later expressing that she was just too busy to work on it (she was working on Swanberg's Nights and Weekends and had just gotten off of Ti West's House of the Devil, along with being in the early stages of being courted by a "Hollywood film", which I'm assuming was Greenberg).

I do wonder what things would have been like had she said yes, and had I received the TFPF grant. Obviously, The Definers wouldn't just be something in the back of my mind, a script that's gathering dust while I try and figure out how to make it. Who knows, I could get really lucky and find someone to throw some funds at it, and actually hire Greta legitimately, but... I'm not going to hold my breath...

DVD - Alexander The Last

Joe Swanberg, like many of his contemporaries and many auteurs from the 1970's golden age of filmmaking, tends to focus on smaller stories about people and their intimate problems, and his newest film, Alexander The Last, is no different.

The film focuses on the relationship between two actors, Alex (played by Jess Weixler) and Jamie (played by Barlow Jacobs). The two are working on a play together, and Alex allows Jamie to crash on her couch while her husband, Eliott, is on tour with his band. She enjoys the company, and insists on setting Jamie up with her sister, Hellen. When things get serious between Hellen and Jamie, though, Alex realizes she has feelings for Jamie, which is a triple threat because 1) She's married, 2) She's in love with her sister's boyfriend (after she set them up), and 3) They're starring in a play together that is very sexually charged, and they are, therefore, very close to each other, in rehearsals, at all times.

Alexander The Last is a good film, but, ultimately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Hannah Takes The Stairs or Nights and Weekends. Maybe its the chemistry that he built with the star of both of those films, Greta Gerwig (who was also a collaborator in the writing and directing process), or maybe it was the over simplicity of the story. It feels like everything in this film is laid out from the very start, and you instantaneously know, from the beginning, where he is going with all of this.

Justin Rice stands out in his role, having made steps to better himself as an actor since his debut in Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation (which he did a pretty good job in. If he ever decides to not be a musician, he could have an acting career ahead of him). Jess Weixler and Amy Seimetz are also great as the two sisters her always on an edge of love and hate with each other. Jacobs, as Jamie, seemed to closed off for a film that is so intimate and so about the internal goings on of its characters. It's not that he did a bad job, but I'm not sure he was completely right for the part, or, maybe the part wasn't right for him.

Greenberg

Ben Stiller has been languishing in rom-com's for as long as I can remember. Sure, there was the occasional stroke of genius. Dodgeball, for instance, or Tropic Thunder. With his lead in Noah Baumbach's Greenberg, Stiller not only ditches the inane romantic comedies, he shows us a side of himself that we don't often see. And, for a bonus? We got a movie with a LOT of Greta Gerwig in it. Always a pleasure.

Gerwig plays a nanny/assistant to a rich couple who are leaving for Vietnam for an undisclosed reason. In their absence, the husband's brother, Roger Greenberg (Stiller), comes to stay out at the house for a couple of weeks so that he can ease back into life, after being in a mental hospital for a period of time. Gerwig's Florence meet's Roger when she comes over to pick up her check, which starts up a strange, sometimes endearing, sometimes tumultuous, relationship. Greenberg is also trying to reconnect with his old friends Ivan and Eric (played by Rhys Ifans and Mark Duplass), who were all in a band together, and even tries to hook up with his divorcee ex-girlfriend, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh (who looks considerably more cleaned up than in her past couple of movies).

Greenberg, and I mean the guy, not the movie, is a mess. He, obviously, does not know how to live life in any sort of meaningful form or fashion, and, instead, seems to work primarily on impulse. Stiller shows some real acting chops in this film, as he's able to cross the line into so many different emotions, seemingly on a dime. He hits every note of his Baumbach inspired dialogue and shows us that he's not just the funny guy. Greta Gerwig is always a pleasure to watch, and I think this is her best role since Nights and Weekends. She is at her insecure best, giving herself to this guy who is, probably, twenty years older than her, putting up with his crap, CONSTANTLY, and generally making all of the mistakes that twenty something girls make. Rhys Ifans was interesting to see in this role, because it is the most quiet and subdued role I have ever seen him in. Sure, I haven't seen him in a ton of stuff, but, of what I have seen, I was definitely blown away by his ability to truly show distance, sadness, and regret. Noah Baumbach is a greater writer and director. Not withstanding Margot At The Wedding, I really feel like Baumbauch's oeuvre is solid, and this is a great addition to it.

DVD - The House of the Devil

There is a new generation of filmmakers that have been trying to ape many of the 1970's and 80's "classics" of the genre, from well known slashers to B-movie video store shelf jockey's. The majority of the time, I'm positive these filmmakers have the best of intentions, but all too often, they end up wearing there inspirations on their sleeves, and making less than inspiring films. Ti West's latest, The House of the Devil, is the only film I've ever seen that actually gets the look and the feel of that era dead on.

Jocelin Donahue plays Samantha, a college student who wants to move into her own apartment and get away from her over sexed dorm roommate. She finds the place of her dreams, but has no idea how she's going to come up with the deposit, AND the first months rent. Upon returning to her dorm, after looking at the apartment one last time, she finds a notice for a babysitting job, and calls the number. She's lead to the Ullman household, a creepy Victorian style mini mansion, housed deep in the woods. With her best friend in tow (played by Greta Gerwig), Samantha meets the incredibly creepy Mr. and Mrs. Ullman, and finds out they haven't told her the complete truth. There is no baby to watch over, but, in fact, it is their mother. Samantha is worried about this, and tries to back out, but when Mr. Ullman waves 400 dollars in her face, she accepts. After all, all she has to do is sit there for a few hours. She doesn't even need to check on the woman, unless she hears something go wrong. But things aren't what they seem in the Ullman house, and Samantha is soon to find out that she's not there to watch anyone.

House of the Devil is classic, old school, horror. It is a slow burn, with climactic moments spread throughout the film, and an ending that's so crazy it will leave the TRUE fan of movies from that era very satisfied. Donahue is perfect as the shy, understated lead, an innocent who simply wants to make enough money to move into her own place, to be her own woman. Gerwig delivers well, for how little of the movie she's actually in, and Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov are significantly creepy as the Ullman's. Ti West has a real victory on his hands with this film, which is something I never thought I'd say about some one who's previous film was Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. If he keeps making films like this, I'll watch.

DVD - Nights and Weekends

Joe Swanberg's films are always something I hold a certain amount of anticipation for. It's a little annoying that they, generally, can not be seen theatrically (except for SXSW appearances, and occasional special screenings, generally held in cities far, far away). One of the best things I think Joe has ever done is team up with Greta Gerwig, as evidenced in his third feature, Hannah Takes The Stairs, and his follow up Nights and Weekends.

Nights and Weekends stars Joe and Greta as James and Mattie (respectively), a long distance couple who only get to be together every couple of months. James lives in Chicago, and Mattie lives in New York, and they seem to get along really well, but there are cracks in their relationship, the kind of cracks that are exacerbated by the distance they are constantly fighting through. When James goes to visit Mattie in New York one weekend, she drops the bomb and breaks up with him. Fast forward a year or so, and James makes a surprise visit to New York, and ends up hanging out with Mattie again. But will the good or the bad of their old ways be what comes out in both of them?

Nights and Weekends is definitely Swanberg's most accomplished feature to date (He's already made and premiered another film at SXSW, Alexander The Last, at the time of this writing). He is moving farther away from the graphic, and somewhat meaningless, sex of his first feature Kissing on the Mouth, and moving closer and closer to actually mixing real and meaningful story with a realistic shooting style that includes nudity and frank depiction's of sex. Night's and Weekends real power is in Greta Gerwig's performance, when she manages to channel all of the nervous energy, paranoia, and indecision of a young person in love. Swanberg, who is fairly solid as an actor, delivers a good performance, as well, though I feel like he sometimes has this Jimmy Fallon-esque quality to him, where he's laughing at his own jokes. There are some GREAT scenes in this film, especially the one in Chicago where they're out in the rain, and the NYC hotel scene, near the end, with the bathrobe joke. Nights and Weekends is a fabulous journey into men and women and their inability to relate to each other over a long term relationship, especially when distance is involved. I loved it, and I can't wait to see his next one.

Baghead

Baghead is the second feature film by sibling director team Jay and Mark Duplass. Their first film, The Puffy Chair, was met with critical praise and did fairly well for an extremely low budget indie film (I think I read somewhere that the budget was around 70 grand, an extremely low amount for most professional films). Their follow up, another low budget indie, shows that the Duplass brothers are a serious force in the independent film making scene.

Baghead stars Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, and Elise Muller as a group of actors who, after seeing a mutual friends idiotic film receive praise at a film festival, decide to escape to a cabin in Big Bear, California, and write a script that they will all have parts in. As their time passes at the cabin, though, the sexual tension between the four causes some serious problems. The problems, though, take a back seat when a visitor, wearing a bag over his face (which just happens to be exactly like the villain in the script their writing), shows up and starts messing with the group.

I really liked the fact that Baghead was almost an anti-horror movie. You were never quite sure whether or not the threat was real, it always kept me guessing up to the reveal. The acting was great as well, and the Duplass brothers did a great job picking out their actors (Greta Gerwig is always a reliable stand by, which is, of course, why I tried to get her for The Definers). The only problem that I had with the film, and it was a pretty BIG problem for me, was the cinematography. The film was shot very sloppily, with a lot of quick zooms, out of focus shots, and poor lighting. It was a surprise to see the difference between Baghead and The Puffy Chair. Puffy... had a lot more of a professional look to it, as though they had hired someone who seemed to know what they were doing. Baghead looked like it was shot by a sixth grader who had just put down a couple of Monster's. If it wasn't for that, I think Baghead would have been a really great indie, but it ends up coming off as a great story, that's executed in a technically poor fashion. 

Waking up to the sad news

Well, I got word from Greta this morning that she won't be able to be in the film. She wrote me a very nice letter, simply stating that her plate was too full, which I totally understand.

It sucks, though. I had really come to see her as being in this role. But that's the game, isn't it? You pick your "A" team, and hope you get them, but sometimes you just don't. I wish her luck in everything she's doing.

Wishing and Hoping

So, current news on The Definers is this - I attended a meeting the other day to go over the grant application that I will be turning in at the beginning of June (it seems so far away, but, I know it's gonna sneak up on me). Bryan Poyser, of the Austin Film Society, hosted it, and it was basically just a chance to look at the application, go over the rules and requirements, and ask any questions one might have.

Also, I had sent Greta Gerwig a copy of the script a few weeks ago, but I think she lost it, because she asked me to re-send it to her. She will be in the process of reading it, soon, and deciding if it is something she would be interested in doing. If she did, that would be SO AMAZING. I think she would bring the perfect mix of subtlety, ferocity, angst, loneliness, and confusion that the role of the Sister demands.

When I had originally envisioned the film, I saw Katee Sackhoff in the role of the Sister, but I think Greta might be able to better bring to this character some of the paradoxical nature that the Sister needs. So, here's hoping she likes the script, and we can work it out. The only thing I need now is MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

Greta Gerwig