Indie Gems: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

What do birds think about?

Jonathon (Holger Andersson) and Sam (Nils Westblom) are down on their luck traveling salesmen in the party favor business. The film has several vignettes, and not all are tied together in the traditional sense. Jonathon and Sam just happen to reoccur the most.

The film starts off with three stories of death, a man dying of a heart attack while opening a bottle of wine, an old woman in the hospital who refuses to part with her handbag (she's going to take it to heaven) and the police investigating a man who seems to have died at a cafeteria. Then we eventually meet our two salesmen and see how unhappy they are.

These avant garde films are definitely not for everyone. I'm not even sure they're for me. But there was something intriguing about this film's utter randomness. There were a few vignettes I found very uncomfortable (A dance class with a teacher way too hands on, two lovers lying on a beach) and others that had an air of humor in their bleakness. (Soldiers in what looked like older uniforms riding into a bar on a horse and ordering all the women to leave, and the old lady with the purse I mentioned) I also found it interesting how sometimes we'd learn a little more about the previous story by paying attention to what is happening in the background of a next one. It tied together well, and rarely felt stagnant.

I don't think I'll be making a habit of watching films like this, but I'm glad I saw this one. Of course I would, look at that glorious movie title. It never once felt pretentious either. Every shot, no matter how random felt like it had a point.

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "You can sleep in His Majesty's tent tonight." - Captain (Ola Stensson)

Thursday Movie Picks: May-December Romances

This week's Valentine's Day theme is May-December romances, ie: relationships with a big age gap. I think these are fine between adults that at least have some life experience, but it's hard for me to ever get behind say, a teenager hooking up with someone middle aged. I just can't. So here are three good movies that had May-December romances that were 100% wrong.

1) Notes on a Scandal

A teacher hooking up with her teenage student? Then another teacher obsessing and black mailing her over it? Great movie, beautifully acted, relationship is gross.

2) L.I.E

Troubled teen starts robbing houses and subsquently hooks up with an older man whom he tried to rob? Paul Dano is amazing, lots of depth for a small film, relationship is gross. 

3) Down in the Valley

Rebellious teen hooks up with a man who thinks he's a cowboy? Great acting, (Yaaasss Evan Rachel Wood) very accurate portrayal of teen rebellion, relationship is gross. 

DVD Review: Hungry Hearts

Parenting Fails: The Movie

Jude (Adam Driver) meets an Italian woman named Mina (Alba Rohrwacher) by chance in New York City one night. They fall in love, when Mina mentions having to move away for work, Jude gets her pregnant when she specifically tells him to pull out. After having a strange reoccurring dream after their wedding, Mina becomes obsessed with "toxins" and "purity" in food, and it has dramatic results for her and their newborn son.

The premise of this film is really interesting, but it became so implausible that all I wanted was for it to be over. This film does something rather extraordinary in making the dude that didn't listen to his wife during sex to be the more likable party. Sound impossible? It isn't. Mina refuses to eat during her pregnancy. Ignoring doctor's advice about morning sickness and thinking her body is trying to "detox" itself. When she doesn't gain enough weight to have a natural labor, she has to have a C-section, which she holds as a slight over Jude. She becomes obsessed with germs and toxins. She doesn't vaccinate, and won't give her son antibiotics when he runs a fever for over two weeks. She doesn't allow him in direct sunlight either . When her milk supply stopped at 4 months, instead of getting formula she weaned him on solid food consisting of mostly seeds and avocados. In doing so, her seven month old child looks like he's two months. Jude inexplicably doesn't question her about any of this right away. He smuggles his son off to see a doctor, who informs him that his son is malnourished and in the 7th percentile. He says to feed him meat to help him gain weight. So what does Mina do with this information? She takes him in the bathroom with her after every meal to feed him oil so he doesn't absorb the nutrients from the food.

So we have Mina, a delusional child abuser and Jude who doesn't do shit about it for seven months? It's one thing to watch a film with unlikable characters and still be interested in their journey, but this film didn't do anything with their story. No grand statement on mental illness, no epiphany for Mina, no calls to social services. Mina's character had sympathy practically gift wrapped for her at first, yet she remains completely unlikable throughout. I have no respect for parents who endanger their children like this. Jude had redeeming qualities but all of those went out the window when he didn't do more. I give him credit for trying but he was going about it all the wrong way.

The film's only redeemable quality is Adam Driver's excellent performance. He's a brilliant actor, but even he can't save this.

Recommended: No

Grade: D-

Memorable Quote: "I go to this church three times a day just so I can feed him ham." - Jude (Adam Driver)

Rambling TV: Thoughts on Agent Carter, X Files, and American Crime

Agent Carter

I cannot explain how much I loved this week's episode of Agent Carter. We got flashbacks of both Peggy and Whitney. Peggy is the tom boy, who was engaged, gets offered a job in the field, and her fiance says it isn't her, despite Peggy's brother disagreeing. Soon, her brother is killed in war, and in a beautifully shot scene Peggy leaves her wedding dress and ring and goes off to war herself. It was heart breaking.

Then there's Whitney. Who we meet under her real name, Agnes. She's a brainy child, she hates her mother's boyfriend. She just tries to go about her studies only for her mother to give her a harsh lesson about her looks getting her where she needs to go. Something that is unfortunately true in their time.

We also got some series UST between Peggy and Sousa. I've never been crazy about them as a couple (Though I'm 90% sure that's who she marries eventually) but they really had great chemistry. Then there's the fact that Peggy and Jarvis kidnapped and tortured (with fake malaria) the man who tried to kill them last week.

X Files

This episode was weird as fuck. X Files occasionally did these "Monster of the Week" episodes and I always got a kick out of them. They were campy in a series that was nearly always straight faced. Here, they a have a hilarious Kiwi named Rhys Darby, who I can't believe was not on my radar give a great performance.

My issue is the amount of episodes in this series. There's only 6, and this felt like a waste. I get it's there for nostalgia, but I would've rather they continued with the main story. If this were a full season, I'd be fine. But we don't have the time to dick around here.

American Crime

Those sensational promos finally drew me in. The ones talking about rape and how people don't think it happens to Men. It's true, it's something that isn't talked about enough, so I started watching and am officially hooked. I caught up on Demand and should see the newest episode this week. The story is interesting and not a second is wasted. It also hasn't gone exactly where I expected yet.

I can't get over how great the casting in this show is. Everyone is perfect. 

DVD Review: Spy

You didn't see that coming?

Susan (Melissa McCarthy) works for the CIA, but she's the one behind the desk. Telling her field agent partner, Bradley (Jude Law) what to do. After something major happens, she finds herself in the field trying to get close to a crime bosses' daughter, Rayna (Rose Byrne) while also dealing with another disgruntled CIA agent, Rick. (Jason Statham)

I'm not a Melissa McCarthy fan. I didn't like Bridesmaids, I think her Oscar nomination is still bullshit, so when I saw previews for this, I had no interest. It was only after the blogging community gave it rave(ish) reviews that I decided to check it out on DVD. I'm glad I did.

This is the least annoying I've ever seen McCarthy. She does have great chemistry with Byrne, and whether she's yelling at her or fighting with some Kardashian wannabe, McCarthy works here. Jason Statham is the star though. Every word that comes out of this guy's mouth is hysterical.

It's very over the top and fun and flows at a very fluid pace. You can tell the cast had a good time with this.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I made it myself, didn't I?" - Rick Ford (Jason Statham) 

Indie Gems: Longtime Companion

Did you hear?

David (Bruce Davison) and Sean (Mark Lamos) are a long time couple inviting their friends over at their beach house for the weekend. There's Willy (Campbell Scott) and John, (Dermot Mulroney) Howard, (Patrick Cassidy) a soap star on a show that Sean is a screenwriter for. Willy's friends Lisa (Mary Louise Parker) and Fuzzy (Stephen Caffrey) who is also Howard's lawyer. And finally Paul (John Dossett) a business executive. The year is 1981, and they are talking about the "gay cancer" that the newspapers are talking about in regards to AIDS. While not all are overly concerned at the moment, the film takes us through 1989 as AIDS changes from something they've read about, to something that effects them personally.

I've had this in my Netflix queue for ages. This is (I believe) one of the first films to deal with the AIDS crisis head on like this. At times it feels very dated and even stereotypical (that music and those beach scenes..) but it has a lot of heart. It flows very smoothly through its chapters. I believe what caused me to throw this in my queue in the first place was watching The Normal Heart or Dallas Buyers Club and looking for similar films. It's really hard for me to describe how I felt about this film compared to the others. The horrors of AIDS is still very predominant, but somehow this film seems lighter in tone. Which makes zero sense because this was riskier for the time it was made, but it feels less harsh.

The acting is very good.Stephen Caffrey gave one of my favorite performances of the film. Davison was Oscar nominated for his role, he's easily the stand out. It feels like a big deal too when you see how small this film started. It had a budget of about a million. Shot in about a month, started in a few theaters but eventually got a wide release, unheard of for this type of film. 

This is a film that definitely won't be leaving my mind any time soon.

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "You can go." - David (Bruce Davison)

Thursday Movie Picks: Star Crossed Lovers

It's Valentine's Day edition all month long at Wandering Through The Shelves, and Wanderer is starting us off with star crossed lovers. Fuck Romeo and Juliet, here are some of my favorites.

1) Her

Theo is in love with his operating system, Samantha. He can't touch her, can't see her, it was never going to end well.

2) Crazy/Beautiful 

Remember this movie? I've been a Kirsten Dunst fangirl since I was a tween, so I do. Carlos and Nichole live on "opposite sides of the tracks." She's rich, her dad doesn't approve of their relationship, teenage angst ensues. 

3) Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is one of the best love stories ever told, but poor Ennis and Jack never got to live the life they wanted together, and that also makes it one of the greatest tragedies.