As I sit here thinking about what to write for this one (that I watched THREE WEEKS AGO!? And just kept putting off writing about...) I am wondering why I liked it so much when I first saw it. Absurdism? Check. Whimsy? Double check. High-minded cynicism (that 20-something Shannon was addicted to)? Check. A beautiful woman pretending to be French and inevitably dropping that ridiculous accent in the most hilarious way? CHECK.
It's not that this movie is not good. I don't really need to search for reasons it's fun to watch, it just doesn't do as much for me as it used to. Mostly because I'm so bored with cynicism. And woof, does this movie not think much of humanity. Everyone kind of sucks. Except for Peter Dinklage (and Rosie Perez for getting over herself and dating Peter Dinklage - I cannot remember ANY character names...).
(The only gifs I could find for this movie were Miranda Otto in various states of undress and look I GET IT but also, this isn't that blog.)
I feel so badly for Patricia Arquette's character. She just gets the worst deal at every turn.
Tim Robbins in the afterlife is kind of great? I wish it went further.
Rhinestones, felt, glue.
Takeaways:
-Look, I know I talked a lot about how to cynicism doesn't work for me anymore and this is pretty darn cynical BUT in my defense, this being one of the titles of the naturalist's books cracks me up.
-I was mostly inspired by the DVD menu. I know. The lightboxes that teach Puff (hey I remembered a character!) to speak don't show up nearly as much as the DVD menu would have you believe but they tickle me. And it felt like a very Michel Gondry Bjork video thing to have those lightboxes in the middle of the forest.
-Originally, I wanted to do mini lightboxes that had lights inside. But my plates were very full with my last show and I tabled that and instead brainstormed materials that would give a "sense" of light. I briefly entertained rhinestones at the beginning but since I did roughly 25 hours of rhinestoning for the show, I was against it. So I thought I'd give beading a try. As rough as the Orientalism of it was, the beaded costumes from Flash Gordon have been on the brain since that viewing and I figured it was time to try it. I bought so many beads and supplies and you know what? I fucking hate beading. Of all the fiddly little costume nonsense I love doing beading is NOT IT. So I quickly quit that and went to rhinestoning. Hey. I had the setup already going. It made sense.
-I would have liked to include more foliage and more levels/layers but I just needed to get it done. I really thought my new job (which I ADORE) and working so much from home would mean I had more time but I've been exhausted. So done is better than perfect.
Next week: I (Heart) Huckabees. I adored this movie for so long. And there are few movies I'm dreading revisiting more than this one. The David O. Russell thing. Who and where I was when I loved it. Whether it holds up or not, it'll be an interesting adventure.
I hope this week is restful. I hope you find the spaces and people that make you feel safe to be yourself.