I'm dedicating this blog post to some stuff I've done recently. I've managed to accomplish a few creative things in spite of the daily grind, the plumbers invading my apartment, and the subsequent waterfall spewing forth from behind my kitchen cupboards (pipes can explode, apparently). I'm going to take a moment to relax with a cup of tea and congratulate myself. I'm going to, as the kids say, celebrate like it's my birthday. But not my real birthdays. Because those depress me.
First of all, a new issue of filmCAN is out and three of my Hot Docs reviews are included. FilmCAN keeps getting better with each new issue. Great interviews with intriguing film makers, reviews, and essays from knowledgeable fans who really know and love the movies. Check out their pod casts and exclusive digital downloads. There's a lot of great stuff on the site and I'm proud to be part of their team.
Secondly, a few months ago I finished a large web project for a client. The site is for an illustrator, calligrapher, and visual artist named Michele Nidenoff. Michele's work has appeared in numerous magazines and children's books (as well as on my office wall). Together we came up with a layout that would showcase her artwork in a clean, intuitive and simple design. I'm particularly proud of the "thumbnail / large image with caption" function that I implemented. It had me stumped at first but through a whole lotta CSS wrangling I figured out how to make this deceptively "easy" function work perfectly. I am very happy with the final site as well as the chance to help this wonderful artist and her growing business.
So I guess I should stop patting myself on the back now (it makes it really hard to type). I'll be posting a new review soon and, as always, I value your comments. If you need a website designer / media critic / person with an unusually damp kitchen you know who to call.
So I am simultaneously proving and disproving my geek cred by recommending a podcast by Joss Whedon. If you are a true geek, you've been following his series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog since it debuted on July 15th. If you're not a geek than you are very lost and have stumbled upon a site dedicated to documentaries, video games, and, to a lesser extent, pez dispensers. So I'm guessing you're not even reading this sentence and have already scuttled off to something cool like a blog dedicated to celebrity gossip or a tattoo enthusiast bulletin board.
For those of you still here (hey thanks!), I am extending a hearty endorsement of Joss Wheadon and his low budget enterprise. Right now DHSAB is a video series available for download on iTunes. It costs a few bucks per 12 to 15 minute episode and there are three episodes in total. Here's the important-so-I'm-using-bold part: the series is only available on iTunes until July 29. After that, it'll be pulled to build interest in the forthcoming DVD. I'd recommend you download the series and buy the DVD, because the DVD is going to have plenty of cra-zay extras like a musical commentary track. What? Exactly.
The series stars Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion. The script is intentionally campy and fun, with the winning mix of drama and sarcastic humour that made Whedon's other shows cult classics. Also, it's a freaking musical, and the actors do an amazing job with some really good, catchy material.
So will Dr. Horrible win the girl of his dreams? Will Bad Horse (the Thoroughbred of Sin) accept his application to the Evil League of Evil? Will Nathan Fillion flex his muscles in that tight little T-shirt? The only way to find out is to watch...
Looking back only a month ago, it seems impossible that I knew nothing about Big Edie, Little Edie, and the crumbling grandeur of a Hamptons estate called Grey Gardens. Although I graduated from film school no one had ever told me about this documentary. You know how I found out about it? Gilmore Girls. That's right. The show where women chatter endlessly about boys, clothes, food they like to eat, and obscure pop culture. Take that University education! Since I first watched Grey Gardens I've become a bit obsessed with all things Edie. This film has quite the cult following with everyone from drag queens to film snobs. The web is full of articles about the Beal women, info on the subsequent "Grey Gardens" Broadway musical and upcoming scripted film (shot on Toronto Island!). I'm breathless with all sorts of things to say about this doc. Good thing I'm typing.
Grey Gardens (USA, Directed by David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer)
Grey Gardens is an eminently watchable and effective examination of mother and daughter "Big" Edie and "Little" Edie Bouvier Beals. Once the purebred beauties of a privileged and educated upper class, the women (at ages 78 and 56) are now ostracized from their families and peers, living in poverty among the decay of their East Hamptons estate. Big Edie is the aunt of none other than Jackie Kennedy. Wed into an important family, she was a wife and mother who longed for a singing career after her marriage dissolved. Little Edie was a beautiful model and dancer who didn't want to settle into the trappings of her father's strict rules. They were rebels who refused a gilded cage in search of lives of their own making. The Beal women paid for their rebellion in emotional co-dependence, poverty and isolation. They fought a constant battle with each other - Big Edie holding her daughter to her, Little Edie resentful but unwilling to break free - but they essentially lived as they wanted.
The Maysles brothers do their subjects a great service by remaining unobtrusive and politely non-judgmental of the Beals. David and Albert Maysles (the only seen crew) observe and sometimes communicate directly with the women, but for the most part their responses are expressed non-verbally with spontaneous camera zooms or silently held shots. Their patience is rewarded with intimate access to the women and their entangled relationship. All the usual editorial embellishments of documentary are absent (voice over, musical cues, slow motion). The verite style can become tedious with lesser film makers, or lesser subjects, but here the mix between unedited life and implied greater meaning is beautifully balanced.
Artistry of the film makers aside, how could you not be fascinated by these women? Big Edie runs the house from her filthy, cat infested bedroom (she leaves the second floor of the house only once in the film). She sings, offers pieces of advice and criticism and yells out commands to her daughter in a lilting, girlish voice. Little Edie, who shares her mother's bedroom, is often found on the terrace, among the overgrown gardens, or in the attic feeding the raccoons. Dressed in head scarves and high heels, Little Edie is a grown up demented Debutante. She speaks directly to the camera and alternates between coquettish prancing, conspiratorial whispers, and the indignant observations of a "staunch character". Not stupid, and not quite crazy, both women provide many moments of dark and strange humour. I felt able to laugh without feeling guilty; a distinction I credit to the unapologetic strength of the subjects. Big Edie's singing voice can break your heart, but you don't feel sorry for her. Even when you see old photographs of the women in their glory days of beauty, wealth and influence, the effect is not depressing. The Beal women are authentic eccentrics. They live as they want, and there is a freedom in that that permeates the obvious economic and social deficiencies of their lives.
So if you can't tell, I really recommend this film. There are long segments where the women bicker, and I'm not going to promise that every moment is going to hold you at rapt attention. But the greater story of these women, and their isolated lives (broken only by a few notable visitors) is well worth the visit. Criterion Collection released an excellent DVD of the film plus bonus materials. Before the feature film is released do yourself a favour and try to see this fantastic documentary. 5 out of 5
