What's this?

Sorry guys. I've been busy. I know you don't want excuses, you want results. Spring quarter just started up, so blog updates will probably be light. Tonight I went and saw a really good film though, so I thought I'd write about it.

If you have the chance to see Cold Weather in the theater, I would highly recommend it! It's playing here in Athens, but we generally get things on kind of a weird schedule, so I'm not sure if it's playing elsewhere. The film is directed by Aaron Katz, whose previous films (Dance Party USA and Quiet City) are considered a part of the mumblecore movement. If you have a brain, you realize how stupid that word is, and if you're familiar with our blog then you know about my conflicting feelings toward it. I don't want to say anything too bad about these movies, so I'll just say that some of them are not for me.

Mumblecore is such a loose, meaningless label, so I feel dumb using it, but I kind of have to. The reason that I love the Duplass Brothers' films so much is because they are able to take everything good about mumblecore, the emotional honesty and authentic performances, and inject them into a genre film. The Puffy Chair is a road movie. Baghead is a horror movie. Cold Weather is a detective movie, and a very good one.

Some people may be put off by the fact that the plot does not really start until about 40 minutes into the movie, at least that's what I gather from reviews I have read of the film. I had no problem with its structure. It's very beautifully shot (with a RED camera) and the characters are engaging (also attractive). The brother/sister relationship was fun. For me, this was a more exciting film than any of the Bourne movies. I would much rather see someone awkwardly trying to solve a mystery than watch Jason Bourne jump through a window and beat someone up with a rolled up magazine. The stakes were raised in this film! I didn't know what was going to happen!

As more and more mumblecore directors get exposure and access to slightly larger budgets, I hope that they all follow the path of Aaron Katz or the Duplass Bros, and continue to make movies that feel genuine but are also genuinely interesting. Winfrey recommends!

So excited!

You guys, watch this trailer.

This looks so good! First, and most obviously, John C. Reilly. Say what you will about him. As long as what you say is that he's great. The guy has such great presence, and I always side with someone who is consistently described as "pug faced". Second, Jonah Hill. All I've got to say is, "Damn, Jonah Hill. Your acting's lookin' fine." Third, Marisa Tomei, who seems to have the same reverse aging disease that plagues Heather Graham. Fourth, and most importantly, Duplass Bros! Sure, they have their naysayers. People talk about their shaky camera blah blah blah. Put that in your butts dummies. Both The Puffy Chair and Baghead were really good, and this movie actually looks to be well lit. Let's see what happens!

Hannah Takes the Stairs

This weekend H. and I watched Hannah Takes the Stairs, renamed Hannah Who Cares? by Alex. It's yet another entry in the unfortunately-named genre known as mumblecore (ugh, who writes this stuff?). Greta Gerwig plays the titular Hannah, and she's pretty titular if you know what I mean (I'm trying to awkwardly say she is always taking her top off). I was surprised at how much weird, non-necessary nudity was in this movie. Not that I was offended, because who cares, but the movie began with a shower scene and ended with a bathtub scene (I get what you're doing there, Swanberg).
The actual movie itself was really boring, which is hardly a damning critique coming from me. I've been known to enjoy a boring movie in my time, and I enjoyed this one well enough. Mostly I was just frustrated though. A lot of filmmakers are involved in this movie--Andrew Bujalski (weird dude of my dreams), a Duplass Bro., Todd Rohal--but I really can't figure out how so many people could work on a movie with so little going on. The plot is pretty much this: Hannah breaks up with her boyfriend, starts dating another guy, sleeps with his best friend, ends the movie playing the trumpet in a bathtub with said dude. Which is fine. Whatever. Great movies have consisted of less. I guess what turns me off so much is the air of importance that this movie has. Like Hannah's quest for happiness is so noble or unique, when we all know that it's not. Near the end of the film she has this insufferable conversation with one of her coworkers (right before they have sex, natch) where she tells him that she feels bad because she's just "using him" to make herself feel better, but he's a real person with problems and she shouldn't just turn to him for an unburdened good time! Welcome to Things We All Figured Out When We Were Twelve.
And, honestly, I can't get behind any character who would dump not just a Duplass Bro. but Andrew Bujalski (who just can't catch/write himself a break). She's tossing aside independent filmmakers like they're her clothing or something. We should all be so lucky. H. was not at all impressed by Andrew Bujalski, but I've always found him quite charming! I know he's kind of funny looking (and he has very hairy legs, as we find out) but he always comes across as sweetly vulnerable and nice.

I'm just saying. I know which one I'd pick.
There were a lot of things I didn't like about this movie, but I'm glad it exists. It's nice that someone can make a low-budget movie in a month with their friends and then have that movie shown all over the world. More people should do that! I just hope they're, you know, a little more interesting.

The Bagheads (that's what it was called, right?)

Since I'm one of those Women Who Love Horror Films, I finally (at Alex's urging) watched Baghead last weekend. I know he already posted this trailer at least once, but here it is again. Watch it! Really!

Except don't watch it if you're going to a cabin in the middle of the woods in Kentucky that weekend. I really can't believe Alex allowed me to watch it on Friday night, knowing full well that we were leaving Saturday on our trip. I spent the whole weekend worrying about Bagheads. And Alex (of course) tried to scare me but I was on the lookout the whole weekend so it didn't work. I had to watch for Bagheads, you know?
Another reason to watch this movie is that it stars Jon Lovitz Baby a.k.a. one of the main actors. He's the one who looks like Jon Lovitz as a baby.

Duplass Update.

I don't know if y'all have seen the trailer for Humpday or not, but it's supposed to be pretty good.

Firstly it has one of the bros in it. Secondly, it totally reminds me of my friends and I (we always get in these wacky situations). I'll see it.

Winfrey Confessions

I like the Duplass brothers.  Real Talk.  

Look, guys, I'm with you.  I hate mumblecore.  I hate that dumb word, and I really don't like the movies.  I think it's really cool that they have their own little community that supports itself, and I like their insistence that anyone can make a movie, but I just don't like it.  Firstly, I feel like how many of these movies can you actually see?  Secondly, and I don't know if this is just me, but I feel like something that is trying so hard to be sincere and honest ends up seeming like a parody of itself.  (This old thing)  Anyway, I really like the Duplass Bros.  Before, I've just been like, "Yeah.  I liked The Puffy Chair," but I really liked it.  And I've seen Baghead at least twice.  I think the Bros seem like really smart guys who understand acting and filmmaking, but they also have a sense of humor about it, which I think someone like Joe Swanberg is lacking.  What I'm trying to say is, I wish the Du Bros the best of luck in the future and I will always watch their movies.