Worst Case Scenarios

What's the proper storage for your coworker's leg that gets cut off in a bear trap? Where's the safety switch on an automatic rifle? What's the proper baking time of a "found" pie? Get to a showing of Severance for a fast primer on these and other queries that may be relevant if you find yourself hunted by a band of Hungarian forest dwellers with a grudge against American defense contractors.

Hoover-Fixin' Sucker Man

I had a terrific opportunity last night to see a screening of the new Irish film once, written & directed by a very talented musician-turned-filmmaker, John Carney, and starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Lo, it was a very special screening; afterwards, not only was there a Q & A session (emceed by the witty DJ El Toro from the best radio station in the world, KEXP 90.3, www.kexp.org) with the director and his two stars, but live music celebrating the songs from the film (and 1 non-related request from the audience).
For readers who may not be familiar with Glen Hansard, he is one of the founding members (along with John Carney and 4 others) of the Irish rock/folk group The Frames. He also had a part in another Irish music film, the 1991 gem The Committments (great soundtrack). Since 1990, The Frames have bashed out 8 albums, including 2 live albums, and have also been credited with influencing the newer Irish singer-songwriters-rockers like Damien Rice and Turn. And Marketa herself is no rookie. Though this is her first foray into acting, she has built a reputation as a talented Czech musician and composer.
The two artists originally had been approached to author two songs for a Czech film, Beauty in Trouble (coming to a film festival near you!) but ended up composing an entire album of 10 haunting and beautiful melodies called The Swell Season. Buy it. Download it. Most of all, enjoy it.
At first blush, once seems to be a very simple story. A young man - vacuum handyman by day, busker by afternoon & night - is approached one evening by a young woman asking him about the genesis of a particular song he is singing. They enter into a conversation, then a friendship, then something else. Both are very likable, neither seem disingenuous, and as everyone in the audience knows, countless love stories have been based on less. But then an amazing thing happens: with both subtleness and suddenness, the movie becomes a musical. A musical!? The nerve! The brilliance!
There are so many small moments of beauty and fragility throughout the story, moments that are so delicate that as an audience member you just want to hold your breath for fear you'll disturb the setting. And when it ends, there remains a small sense of that wonder just in case the story could continue (because you'll want it to) if you only wished hard enough. It was just a joyous experience, and the time spent with those involved in its creation was just so meaningful.
Tidbits:
The whole movie was made for the sum of $130K euros, $5K of which went solely to the rental of a crane for the ending shot.
There is a scene in the film where Glen is writing lyrics while watching home movies of his ex-girlfriend. This woman to whom he is composing a song called lies lies lies is, in actuality, the real-life girlfriend of the director; and those are their home movies.
Cillian Murphy was originally slated to play the part of the young man. The director was having difficulties finding a young, eastern European woman who could play the piano to fulfill the role of the woman. Glen suggested Marketa to John, and upon finding her perfect for the role, brought her to meet Cillian. Apparently, he was not keen on the idea of a non-actor playing opposite him and withdrew himself from the film. Things happen for a reason, folks. And as Carney said last night "for this type of film, it's much easier to work with musicians who can half-act, than with actors who can half-sing."
Rock on.

United We Still Fall

Not that I want to take any wind out of our President's Mission Accomplished sail, but perhaps it's important for us to remember that inflammatory discourse has ignited civil wars all around the globe. 1920's Ireland was one such place. After the British troops were finally thrown out and a provisional treaty was signed between Northern Ireland and England, there were still two very distinct sides that continued to tear the Irish apart - those that viewed the treaty as temporary "freedom to regain more freedom" and those who felt they were just a breath away from complete independence. The Wind That Shakes The Barley is a lengthy, but heartbreaking tale of the beginnings of the Irish Republican Army; young men - brothers, neighbors, friends - who take the same journey but end up on opposite sides of an ideal, unable to find any middle ground. The inimitable Cillian Murphy plays Damien, a gentle young medical student who witnesses the murder of a friend, with Padraic Delaney as his older brother Teddy who begins as a mentor to his younger brother but ends up being a witness to his demise.
Both sides are right; both sides are wrong. It's a familiar song to which we all now know the lyrics. Thanks W.

From The Danes With Love

In After The Wedding, Mads Mikkelsen plays Jacob, a Danish man who's been living in India for the past 20 years taking care of impoverished orphans. He has been summoned back to Copenhagen to meet with a man who may be able to provide his school and its town with much needed capital. Problem is, The Man in Denmark turns out to be the current husband to Jacob's old flame. And that little ring toss is only the beginning. The movie explores ideas that in a lesser film may have seemed timeworn or dull: who is your family; what is love; to whom are you bound; what is sacrifice. The director's constant use of tight shots on her characters' eyes will lead viewers to believe that in them is where all answers lay.

What's Your Power Animal?

Thumbsucker is a sweet, sweet film in which Lou Taylor Pucci plays Justin, a high school senior still struggling with a bad habit. After an impromptu session of hypnosis led by his holistic orthodontist (Keanu Reeves), and a brief but successful trial of methylphenidate, Justin discovers all that he needs to cope is already around him. One of the great beauties of this movie lies in the casting; physically, Lou Pucci could absolutely be the offspring of teddy-bear Vincent D'Onofrio and red-headed, albinoesque Tilda Swinton (who is also one of the film's producers). Chase Offerle who plays his younger brother Joel is freaking hilarious, as is Vince Vaughn who hits a home run as the debate team coach & school counselor.