Jolly July

A couple of years ago I saw a movie that immediately catapulted it’s way into my all time top ten favorite movies. It washed over me like a breath of fresh air due to it’s delicate yet quirky approach of a very contemporary theme namely, human connection. The film in question is Me and You and Everyone We Know and was the debut feature-length film by Miranda July. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

In this day and age where the methods of communication seem endless, people are becoming more and more alienated due to this convenient fact. Some have even lost the reason to leave their houses. Alienation and loneliness in this digital age are the cornerstones of this refreshingly original yet minimalistic movie. The title alone already suggest July’s attempt to rekindle a connection between people in it’s purest form, that being face to face (and no, web cams don’t count). This message is intertwined with the lives of a single father and his two sons (one of them creates the most endearingly gross moment ever to be caught on celluloid), a performance artist (July herself) who pursues him, his coworker who is teasingly taunted by two teenage girls, a couple who finds love in their seventies and a girl that dreams of her future kitchen.

The dialogue is subtle yet poignant while the atmospheric shots capture emotion and longing, something Hollywood pictures can only dream of. July weaved this all together with sincere understanding, tender comedy, hope and finesse and in doing so has created an uplifting bitter sweet independent gem that blindsides you, leaving you feeling different, enlightened and possibly even improved.

Miranda July, whose debut is ever so reminiscent of a more hopeful yet equally offbeat version of Todd Solondz (Happiness, watch it! That’s an order), started her career as a performance artist and has now also published her first book, a collection of short stories: No One Belongs Here More Than You.

It is an extraordinary startling, sexy, and tender collection filled with seemingly insignificant yet life-altering experiences and awkward characters that are portrayed with compassion and generosity. July reveals their idiosyncrasies and the odd logic and longing that govern their lives. Each story bristles with creative energy leading you down a seductive, sometimes creepy, often tragic, occasionally absurd path filled with fragile yet beautifully soothing magic.

To top this all off she has created a wonderfully original narrative website to promote her book that intricately accomplishes her primary objective namely read, damn you, read! Instead of looking at the pretty pictures, that is. Once again she proves that she has a spectacularly original and compelling take on the world.

And for those who are interested (or have girlfriends who are), she has a new exhibition of her Learning To Love You More project opening on August 24th until September 30th in the MU in Eindhoven.

For the girls

I have to admit that I was pretty sceptical when I first saw it but once you get started it’s fun as hell and totally addictive due to the various poses, outfits, not to mention accessories ladies. Create your own 3D character thanks to Meez. This is mine and for the people who didn’t already know, that’s my new haircut.

Milk & Cookies

Although it was probably one of the best movies that 2006 had to offer, it wasn’t officially released here in Belgium and only recently popped up on dvd. Despite once again confirming that distributors should be ashamed of themselves over here, Marc Forster’s latest creation is a genuine work of art. Previously he directed critically acclaimed films such as Monster’s Ball (the most ridiculously over-rated movie ever if you ask me), Finding Neverland (which was ok) and the brilliant Stay (once again overlooked in Belgium) but with Stranger than Fiction he has convinced the world, and me, of his talent. He doesn’t deserve all the credit though, seeing as he was helped by the phenomenally clever screenplay by up and coming screenwriter (and director: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium) Zach Helm. The story is bursting with creativity and reminiscent of a Charlie Kaufman film meaning that they created a wonderfully funny, touching and absurd universe, the world of Harold Crick.

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is a very dull person and a tax inspector none the less who literally lives his life by the numbers. One day his straight forward life is disturbed by a woman’s voice (Emma Thompson) from above, one that predicts his every move. His life is being narrated to him while he is living it. A psychiatrist wasn’t successful in helping him so he tries something a bit more risky, namely an English professor named Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) to help sort this narrator out. While Hilbert tries to find out who this woman is by using some very unconventional methods, Harold goes on with his daily routine and even ends up falling in love with a nonconformist baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) until one day he hears some unsettling news: “Little did he know that he’s facing his imminent death ”.

Will Ferrell was surprisingly good in an uncommon serious role as the confused main character aided by an equally tremendous star-studded cast in which Emma Thompson also stands out due to her morbidly mystifying writer’s block.Despite the fantastical nature of the story Forster and Helm succeeded in giving it real emotional depth and making it a very plausible and touching tale indeed filled with some interesting brainteasers. Thanks to the narrator, Harold realises that he isn’t living but being lived (quite literally actually) and decides to take matters in his own hands. Ferrell portrays this evolution beautifully and shows the world he is actually capable of more than just making an ass of himself. The movie deals with the heavier themes of love, death and taxes combined with a story about the self-imprisonment of modern-life, the value of companionship, and the joy of infinite possibilities.

In the end Stranger than Fiction praises literature and the unworldly effect it can have on our lives. Like all great novels, this movie is funny, touching, unpretentious, romantic and intellectually delectable.

Bun-O-Vision

Ring a bell? Anyway, one night I was stumbling my way through the net when I discovered a really funny re-enactment of Brokeback Mountain, by bunnies of all things. Various movies have been given a total make-over and are told in no less than thirty seconds with some help of our fluffy friends. Despite the bunnies and the cartoon approach, each clip stays true to the film and basically sums it up to a T. If you’ve seen the movie, they’ll have you in stitches, if not why bother thanks to the wonderful people of Angry Alien Productions who gave us Bun-O-Vision.