post-modern

I Think We’re Alone Now (10 Cloverfield Lane review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I may be slighlty biased because I was born in midst the 1980s, but I see it as a time of significance for the arts – The height of excess and post-modernist exploration, combining disparate ideas together seamlessly and sometimes garrishly. If you need a good example, this is often best interpreted in the tradition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at least for me.

Probably because I enjoyed it quite heavily as a little boy.

Now, what this has to do with today’s movie review is less obvious, but I’ll give you a hint – the unofficial theme song for this movie was popular in the 1960s, and again in the 1980s, it was featured in the film trailer, at the turn of the plot, and is also one of my heart songs. Conspiracy? I think not.

 

 

 

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Cast: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
released on blu-ray June 14, 2016
********** 10/10

10-Cloverfield-Lane-Poster

IMDB: 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%, Audience Score 81%
The Guardian: ****/*****

Dan Trachtenberg is an American filmmaker who has also co-hosted a podcast called The Totally Rad Show and another podcast called Geekdrome in previous efforts, both of which were on the Revision3 network. When it comes to directing, Trachtenberg has been involved in a couple of large scale directing roles now, one being Black Mirror, which was made for televsion, and very recently the film 10 Cloverfield Lane.

But don’t let the rap sheet fool you. He has spent a fair amount of time behind the camera already, directing commercials for Lexus, Nike, and Coca Cola, AND he has directed a short film as well as an internet show.

As something of self-proclaimed pop culture expert, Trachtenberg is just one of many examples of young directors being given the helm for big movie projects, and I had to wonder if this trend is incredibly smart or incredibly reckless. Only time will tell, but in the case of 10 Cloverfield Lane the gamble seems to have paid off.

Without going to too great of detail, the story follows Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as she is in the midst of leaving her fiance Ben (Bradley Cooper). In the rush to leave their home she leaves quite a few things behind. At one point while travelling, Ben attempts to contact Michelle, to which she reluctantly answers the phone, but does not speak.

Just as Ben is in the midst of calling a second time, Michelle is hit by a truck and taken off of the road. She wakes up in an underground bunker, chained to the wall and plugged into an IV, with several wounds and a sprained leg. Unfortunately there is no reception and she while she does struggle to escape, she is unsuccessful.

Eventually someone opens the door and we are introduced to Howard (John Goodman), who built the bunker and claims to have saved Michelle from an apocalyptic event. Despite her pleas to be let go, and at least 2 attempts to escape, Michelle eventually realizes that something has happened above Howards farm. Emmett has also stolen sanctuary in Howards bunker and as the story unravels we slowly learn that this is not a typical thriller or horror movie, and it dances the antagonist between roles of villain and anti-hero rather liberally.

If I were to explain too much more, it would absolutely ruin the movie, so I will say this. If Trachtenberg can make a song from the 1980s both humourous and intensely creepy, then franchise films have a bright future.

 

Pros: John Goodman owns this role and makes the movie fascinating and terrifying simultaneously. If not for his characterization of a conspiracy theorist proven right, it wouldn’t have the same level of atmosphere.

Cons: The ending is definitely tacked on, and of course, serviceable to it’s predecssor. Which is kind of disappointing, because we all had something different in mind as we got to the final act.

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes.

Points of Interest: Mary Elizabeth Winstead was the first and only choice for Michelle. John Goodman is seen watching Pretty In Pink at one point in the film, and Molly Ringwald’s character also had seamstress aspirations. The cast members weren’t told the title of the movie during production, to help keep the secret.

I know I listed it as a con, but I feel very strongly that I should clarify that the while the ending is somewhat disappointing, upon a subsequent viewing, I think the studio decision to do what they did actually helps with the ambiguity of John Goodman’s Howard. And also I was pretty much on the edge of my seat the whole time, so that should say something at the very least.

Okay, I think we’re alone now – So I’ll fill you in as to why I really enjoyed this movie. It features all of the intimacy and practical effect gloss of a 1980s horror movie, but with the proper sensitivities of a contemporary self-aware thriller. If want to be surprised this year, watch 10 Cloverfield Lane. Otherwise, I’m out of theories for now.

Tim!

Reading Is Hard (Hemingway to Orwell)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Reading is cathartic, or so I’ve heard. You get a psychological release because your mind is allowed to focus on something other than whatever it is that you had decided to be afraid of in life.

To be true to yourself, you have to uncover yourself from all that you thought you should be and finally become that which you truly are. To be courageous and graceful, under pressure. Never fearing death, but living for moments of love and greatness.

Clean and simple prose, that’s what I learned from Ernest Hemingway. He was a declarative writer and one that could turn a phrase without risk of excess.

I’m not sure if you read the first post in The Reading List series, but about a month ago I decided to meta-read The Sun Also Rises, and I learned a thing or two about Ernest Hemingway along the way.

The first thing I learned was that he had a very direct style of writing, and that style had a name – That his Iceberg Theory of writing is a beautiful metaphor for omission. If you know something, and are a strong writer, you can admit parts of a story and be assured that the reader will pick upon what you omitted because the story elements are implicit. To put it another way, icebergs only show a small portion of themselves on the surface of the water, which allows us to understand the whole of them all the better. Unless we are ignorant.

The second thing I learned is that a life half lived is not much of a life at all. Whatever Hemingway’s critics and fans would have us believe about his adventures in journalism, tragedies of war, foray’s into other countries, and personal struggles, Hemingway stood grounded in whatever activities held his attention throughout his life – And writing was the cement that held his house together. This further demonstrates the importance of focus, as an artist, but also enrichment as a human being.

And that is all I have to share on Hemingway for the moment.

Now, I turn back to the reading list for another book to read and another artist to consider. In case you forget, my goal is to read one book a month from 5 particular groupings. The 5 L’s of Language.

  • LIFE – Biographies/Art/Music
  • LOVE – Classic Fiction/Non-Fiction/Graphic Novels
  • LEARN – Business/Leadership/Self-Help
  • LABEL – Philosophy/Sociology/Psychology
  • LEET -The Internet

The author I’m going after this time around is George Orwell, and the novel is 1984. I was born in 1985, and have been influenced greatly by post-modern ideologies and post-apocalyptic stories for as long as I can remember, so I’ve decided to read a story by someone best known for a novel of dystopian life.

His influence on film is of particular note, with Orwellian ideas being explored to varying degrees in several critically acclaimed movies. Fahrenheit 451, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, THX 1138, A Clockwork Orange, Soylent Green, Blade Runner, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brazil, They Live, The Matrix, Minority Report, V for Vendetta, Children of Men, and Land of the Blind are all excellent examples.

Whatever you opinion of George Orwell, I’ll spend some time with him so see what I can glean and then share with you, dear readers. After all, reading is cathartic and exercise for the mind.

 

Regardless, I STILL think it’s a pretty neat way to keep myself accountable. But what do you think? I’m out of theories for today, but I hope this wisdom finds you well. Please share, subscribe and comment. Facebook and Twitter are good starting points. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow with something timely.

Tim!

Mattersville (Savages Adore Life review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Ah anarchist symbolism, you just get me don’t you? It’s funny that a movement so strongly associated with breaking down institutions and challenging globalization can be identified by large “A” and black flag symbols, as well as the raised fist.

By having these symbols, the movement struggles with the mire of misrepresentation and stereotyping.

Opposing the idea that any one person or thing can represent us all is not a new one, for sure, but punk rock still feels like the music which most strongly associated with the importance of questioning ideals and self-governing societies.

But what does love got to do with it?

 

 

 

Savages – Adore Life
released January 22, 2016
******* 7/10

savages

Do you folks ever buy an album solely based off of a single review you read, without doing any other research and trusting entirely in the efforts of that professional critic?

Well I can admit that I sometimes fall into that routine when I get super comfortable with someone. But these days I’m not sure if you can simply trust the opinion of one person to make all of your media consuming decisions.

And that’s what led me to do a review on Savages.

You see, Savages are an English post-punk band with roots in noise rock, and they’ve been around for about 4 years, with their 2013 debut album Silence Yourself boosting their attention into the UK charts and beyond.

As someone with heavy roots in the punk movement myself, listening to this album often feels like coming home and rightly so. With influences like Joy Division, Siouxsie Sioux, PiL, and Bauhaus, its hard not to see the dark and gloomy in Savages sophmore album. But that doesn’t mean it’s garbage and should be discarded like so much trash.

This is art rock with a heavy heart. Somewhere in between the post-modern notes and the torch songs, we find a band that is stirred by the mere notion of life.

“Is it human to adore life?” is repeated over and over in the eponymous album track. How can something so humble turn into an act of rebellion and affirmation? Drenched in confidence and love all at the same time? That’s the power of punk rock.

Manifestos and uniforms aren’t new to the genre, and political leanings often get rocked (pun intended) with every song, but Savages aren’t doing anything new here.

They’re free radicals in a soup of free radicals.

What makes Savages interesting is that this is human life in all of it’s complexity. What so many genres forget to do in their music is explore and be unpolished. Hell, none of us are. Sure we can get dressed up and go dancing, but we still like to wear sweatpants and dig into terrible microwaveable cuisine too.

When you listen to bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Chemical Romance, and Death From Above 1979, you’re not doing it to numb the pain, no you want to embrace it and say to the world, fuck you, I’m still here and you can’t get rid of me that easily.

Tracks you will want to watch out for are definitely Adore and The Answer, not because these are the best songs on the record, but because it gives you a better taste for the intensity of the foursome.

The songs are overall an elemental and unquestioning force for love, but I think Sad Person, The Answer, and T.I.W.Y.G. are the ones to pay attention to.

 

 

 

That there is the rub – love doesn’t need to be left out of punk rock considerations, but because love is just as complex as freedom, punk rockers don’t often touch the subject with much emotional vulnerability.

Well Savages are not afraid to jump directly into the water and challenge these issues either. And for that reason alone, you should give this record a listen.

That’s all I have to say about this foursome, but I hope you have a marvellous Monday my friends, and I’ll see you tomorrow with another movie that features an “M” word.

Tim!