so the puffy chair. it's the new hip to be cool indie film that won the audience award at sundance this year. i saw the trailer and thought, wow, this is going to be really good. and it kinda was, and kinda wasn't.
the first thing i should say is the writing and the acting are brilliant. i didn't say the script because i didn't think the story was all that great...it was a road trip with a seemingly tacked-on-abrupt-to-be-cool ending. but back to the good. again, great dialogue, characters seemed like you could reach out and touch the person. the idiosyncrasies in speech and action were completely realistic, and there were moments where i thought about things allyson and i do and said in my mind, "wow, other people do that too?". it was marvelous, and worth watching for the acting alone.
that being said, the handheld home movie feel just feels kinda old. this movie was supposed to be all fresh and creative, and the camera work just sucks. i'm sorry, it's not that artistic. yes there were some really good shots, some that even lead to comedy...but overall it's just bad. jay duplass, the director and cameraman even admits on the behind the scenes that he isn't a good camera operator (as if it's not obvious). the only reason this film wasn't unashamedly bashed for it's camerawork is because this "style" is in right now, ala "the office" and "arrested development". however, the one good thing about the camera work is it does add to the overall feel of the film, being there, very documentary like. could have been better though, again, go watch an episode of "arrested development" to see what i mean in comparison.
the duplass brothers talk about how they went to film school at university of texas at austin but dropped out because they were post robert rodriguez (UT alum), and everyone said you didn't need film school, just "go and make your movie, man". i think they could have benefited from staying a couple more years. there seems to be a growing trend of, any story that isn't classically told (problem/tension/resolution) being more worthy of attention. i think this is part fad, and part a huge shift in how movies are being made and consumed. perhaps an in depth look is another entry sometime.
my point is this. just because you can't afford lots of gear and crew and have to shoot on a DVX doesn't mean your "story" is inherently better than a movie with a 1 million dollar budget. as the duplass brothers say, it's all about story. i just didn't think theirs was all that great.
note: i just watched the trailer again and man it looks like a cool movie. maybe if i hadn't watched the trailer i would have liked it better. and maybe in 6 months i will.
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