doc it out » Fiction

My 2-Year Meme: Once

Agnes Varnum — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:11:07 +0000

I haven’t had many great loves in my life but I have had a few minor loves. And while usually I don’t talk much about my personal life here, as seems to happen for those of us who watch movies for a living, my life has crossed into the world of fiction through a story called Once by John Carney.

You might know it from the Academy Award-winning song, Falling Slowly, from the tiny Irish movie in 2008. It was recommended to me through my 2-year meme project (which has dragged on into year 3 because I’m blog-lazy, as AJ pointed out) by fellow film blogger Chuck Tryon. But the idea that prompted that post was transcendent media—a movie or song or book that transcends its genre to be something of universal truth, or something that moves one outside of a comfort zone to connect with others. Whatever. It doesn’t matter what it transcends so long as it makes a difference to you. I wanted to see if any of the things that move my blog readers would move me, and that was happily the case with Once.

Which is what brings me back to the minor loves of my life. They have converged on me this very month! The third anniversary of my blog, also incidentally seems to be the Bermuda triangle of exes. Without bothering to go into the details, I’ve managed to keep the door just open enough with too many half-wits who decided now was a good time to get in touch with me. They were wrong. I’m tired of that crap. I need a new ex, at least.

And then I watch Once. A guitar player on the sidewalk plays his songs and a woman who really enjoys his music pushes him to open up about the source behind it. It turns out that lost love fuels his music, and the young woman who is so interested in the music also has an interesting love history. She is separated from her husband and living with her mother and toddler in a new city.

When our scrubby Irish musician delves a bit into her life, he finds out that she plays piano and sings in perfect harmony with him. The music is wonderful and romantic; the filmmaking is assured and seamless. They fall in love over their failed loves and through their connection in music. My emotions were so easily led through the story. They shared a wonderful moment in time, but their lives are complicated and the moment can’t last.

I guess that is a spoiler to the emotion of the film if not the plot. But it really doesn’t matter because if you are ready to be lead on a journey of love, this is a movie well worth the cost to rent or buy for when you need some genuine romance. It reminded me that minor loves are minor for just this reason. Their moment in our lives can’t compare to major love. Of that, I’ve only experienced it once, and maybe if the title of the movie is true, it won’t ever come again. But I’m not that cynical and I’m also no longer brainwashed enough to believe that an amazing moment between two people constitutes love.

It’s a really valuable lesson for me. Once by John Carney was a beautiful reminder of all that I have learned about love thus far with music I, dare I say it?, loved. That is pretty freaking awesome.

I wonder, Chuck, did you ever figure out what Once means to you? That’s not a challenge to write about it, I’m just curious if anything helped you close the loop to your thoughts since you posted about it.

List-O-Mania

Agnes Varnum — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:38:41 +0000

Everyone loves lists! I find myself making lists but my mind wanders. I start thinking about other things related to what I’m making a list about and pretty soon, I’m off making cheese or buying dance shoes on the internet. But, I got an email from the folks at Coffee and Celluloid about a new list they put together, 25 Movies About Music You Haven’t Seen. Besides the pretentious title and absurd assumption that we won’t have seen at least some of the movies on their list, it’s actually a good list of films and their post has accompanying YouTube vids if you are interested.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Stop Making Sense would be on my top films of all time list, and there are some other gems like The Blues Brothers, The Last Waltz, Woodstock and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I’m not sure Pump Up the Volume or Velvet Goldmine would make mine, but they are definitely worth watching. Thanks to Patrick Stafford for the tip.

Mark over at Docsider also pointed to a recent Vanity Fair list of their Top 25 Documentaries. I feel bad for publications that are mass market fare trying to delve into a complicated topic like documentary. There is no way they can win with movie people, but if you are wondering what docs should be in your Netflix queue, this is a good place to start. Take their audience award poll while you are at it.

Finalist #3

Agnes Varnum — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:40:02 +0000

My new buddy Garret alerted me to a short he helped out with that is a finalist in an IFC.com contest. Watch “Like So Many Things… Unsaid” and vote for it if you like it; it’s coming in second place right now, so help a brotha out. (Tried embedding but the player is too wide for the column… must… click… through… ugh, I know it’s tough.)

Quick Feet, Soft Hands

Agnes Varnum — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:16:40 +0000

Reason #21 to be sad about not living on the East Coast any longer: Our fabulous Self-Reliant Filmmaker Paul Harrill’s new short, Quick Feet, Soft Hands, will be showing at the Maryland Film Festival after its Nashville premiere. It stars indie up-and-coming-Queen Greta Gerwig as “a young woman whose hopes of moving up are tied to Jim, a minor league baseball player. As Jim falls deeper into a batting slump, the couple must cope with the day-to-day realities of being young and poor. And they must confront the prospect that they may never make it to the big leagues.”

Best of luck to Paul and team, and if you are in the area or headed to the fest, check it out yo.

Quick Feet, Soft Hands – Trailer from Paul Harrill on Vimeo.

Sundancing 08: Goliath

Agnes Varnum — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:00:16 +0000

I know this is late, but since the film will be playing shortly at SXSW, it’s still timely, and curses on flu!

I’m newly aware of David Zellner and Nathan Zellner (pictured with cinematographer and Austinite PJ Ravel). They hail from Austin and in that respect, are now a part of my film world, so I was excited to hit their Sundance screening. I mostly wanted to support of their work and hoped for a good movie. I was maybe a little surprised that I liked the film as much as I did.

David Zellner takes a turn as lead actor as well as director and screenwriter. This kind of multiple role-playing can often lead to, shall we say, deficiency in one or more areas. I didn’t sense that here. The film is humorous, sometimes maddening, and always perceptive. It’s difficult to tell that the lead actor is also the puppeteer of the production. Though I enjoyed the narrative, the story isn’t exactly where the power of this film lies, but rather in its observances of human behavior. Zellner plays a man near the end of his rope – a divorce, a dead-end job and a missing cat are stressing him out and there is little that he can control and tensions must be released. The question is only when and how these pressures will erupt.

I also appreciated independence of vision in a quiet yet funny, character-driven movie. It doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. I disagree with the indieWIRE review, “It’s as if the Zellner Brothers changed directions in order to offer audiences a more ordinary movie-going experience.” I don’t want to spoil it, but if a character, and the film construction he exists in, can take you step by step through some kind of experience, as though it is our own, then I count it is successful. See Goliath and just try to come out of the theater without a smile on your face.

Goliath trailer at Jump Cuts
Spout podcast with The Brothers Zellner

It’s a Beautiful Day

Agnes Varnum — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:32:55 +0000

It is around 8 AM on January 1st. A new year. The sun is shining and streaming through the trees into my room, across my bed where I’ve been watching Starting Out in the Evening, an Independent Spirit nominee for Best Screenplay. The film stars Frank Langella and Lili Taylor, and I’m at a loss to put into words exactly what the film is about, except to say that an aging author discovers new purpose in his life even as it seems to be nearing end. It is a fitting film to start off a new year – new beginnings for us all. I tend to find myself particularly pensive around this time, maybe because it seems like there is so much potential. But the funny thing is that there is the same amount of potential each day of the year, it just gets difficult to see it among the ten-thousand things that rise and fall.

I moved the rest of my belongings from the East Coast to Austin, and this morning I will unload the truck and begin to literally put things in order. I think that this will give me stability that I’ve been missing, and allow me to tackle some of the challenges that have been facing me, which I’ve been reluctant, or perhaps even fearful, of addressing.

I hope that this 2008 is a healthy, fruitful one for all of us. I’m once again thankful for those of you who read this blog and for those who take time out of their day to contribute back to it. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life and I look forward to continuing and improving. Here are my resolutions (maybe if I put them out in public, I will have an easier time keeping them):

1. Maintain a spiritual connection.
2. Have a strong body & mind.
3. Patience.

Pushing Daisies

Agnes Varnum — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:35:02 +0000

A lot of my friends get down on television. Yes, yes, the shows are vehicles for advertisers and networks just want to get us addicted to something so they can make money, but I like to watch shows and just ignore the rest. I’m able to enjoy a lot of what television has to offer this way. I don’t write about TV shows because what would be the point? But since no one in my world seems to be talking about it, I have to recommend Pushing Daisies.

If you enjoy Tim Burton, you will love this show. The writing is excellent, as is the production. Every time I watch an episode, I can’t believe that it is an ABC program; that they would take a risk on something so unconventional. Like other shows in the past that have taken risks, been brilliant and then canceled, well, I guess I’m hoping that won’t happen with this one. Check it out online (they have full episodes available) if you can’t watch on Wednesday night when it airs or have Tivo

Comments on Frownland

Agnes Varnum — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:55:57 +0000

I sadly missed the Sunday night Cinematexas screening of Frownland, so I can’t offer my own thoughts. But Chale Nafus, director of programming here at the Austin Film Society, offers a strong and intriguing response.

I didn’t stay for the Q&A. I was so full of rage at having all these negative feelings toward a cinematic character dredged up from inside me that had I stayed, all I could have told the director was, “I have just one comment. GODDAMN YOU!” He couldn’t have possibly understood that this was the highest compliment I could pay him for making a film that made me feel so much, even if nothing but horrifying rage. Instead, I left the Alamo Ritz and rushed out to 6th Street, intent on smashing the first stranger’s face I saw as a ridiculous attempt at catharsis. I am not normally violent, but FROWNLAND turned me into a dangerous beast. If a movie could “adopt” a movie, then FIGHT CLUB would use FROWNLAND as a recruitment film, after which I would have signed up instantly. Read the rest>>

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