Sunday, December 04, 2005
Best movie I've seen in 2 years
I went to see "be here to love me" last night, and "walk the line" last weekend. They are the same movie: non-traditional country star struggles with drugs and alcohol but writes bomber songs while hurting the ones he loves. The primary difference is in the way they are expressed.
David Foster Wallace described the difference between major studio movies and independant movies as (and I paraphrase), "independant movies are meant to make you think about your life, while major studio movies are meant to make you forget your life." He fleshes out the argument with an idea of the audience working vs. being entertained. This sums up these movies well. Where WTL drops a clanging, happily-ever-after block of text, BHTLM shows tasteful, funny, moving home-video from performances at Townes Van Zandt's funeral. Where Johnny's abandoned children are left out of the movie, the interviews with townes' introspective adolescents are fascinating. And nobody's wife really looks like Reese Witherspoon.
The highlights of both are obviously the music. The scene where June and Johnny are belting out bob dylan's ode to moral failure, "it ain't me, babe" while Johnny's estranged wife sits in the front row is one of the most electrically comic scenes I have encountered. The high-comedy for Townes comes where he is singing "the ballad of poncho and lefty" on an 80's nashville TV show while he is backed up by tight-jeaned, big-haried, doo-wop male country singers. UIC rating 93. Watching Townes sing "waitin' around to die" in his house in Texas is magic.
Another highlight of both is the interludes involving other musicians. The walk-on by waylon jennings ("insufficient fundulation") as well as the interactions with a young elvis ("that boy elvis sure loves to talk poon") and an oddly doogie-howser Jerry Lee Lewis are the backbone of WTL. The musicians are real in BHTLM. Guy Clark is laugh-out loud funny every time he speaks from his hammed up tequila toast to his final funeral joke in BHTLM. Steve Earle looks and sounds oddly like a tech-boom yuppie in his interviews as does Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. But this is an advantage in a movie which highlights the incandescent lovability of Townes Van Zandt as opposed to WTL which has its thunder stolen by these cameos.
I would be remiss without discussing that bit of hipster sadness which comes from having one's spot blown up by a movie. I assume I will no longer whip out my Townes cds and drop the jaws of uninitiated while dropping a bit of 'all falls down' ("you ain't up on this?"). But given what a beautiful movie this is an how underappreciated he was, this development is for the best.
I also admit that despite loving the Son Volt and Kelly Willis version of "Rex's Blues" for years, I had no idea until last night that it was a townes song.
Go out and see "Be Here To Love Me: a movie about Townes Van Zandt" as soon as you can. or wait and netflix it. But do not miss it. seriously.
David Foster Wallace described the difference between major studio movies and independant movies as (and I paraphrase), "independant movies are meant to make you think about your life, while major studio movies are meant to make you forget your life." He fleshes out the argument with an idea of the audience working vs. being entertained. This sums up these movies well. Where WTL drops a clanging, happily-ever-after block of text, BHTLM shows tasteful, funny, moving home-video from performances at Townes Van Zandt's funeral. Where Johnny's abandoned children are left out of the movie, the interviews with townes' introspective adolescents are fascinating. And nobody's wife really looks like Reese Witherspoon.
The highlights of both are obviously the music. The scene where June and Johnny are belting out bob dylan's ode to moral failure, "it ain't me, babe" while Johnny's estranged wife sits in the front row is one of the most electrically comic scenes I have encountered. The high-comedy for Townes comes where he is singing "the ballad of poncho and lefty" on an 80's nashville TV show while he is backed up by tight-jeaned, big-haried, doo-wop male country singers. UIC rating 93. Watching Townes sing "waitin' around to die" in his house in Texas is magic.
Another highlight of both is the interludes involving other musicians. The walk-on by waylon jennings ("insufficient fundulation") as well as the interactions with a young elvis ("that boy elvis sure loves to talk poon") and an oddly doogie-howser Jerry Lee Lewis are the backbone of WTL. The musicians are real in BHTLM. Guy Clark is laugh-out loud funny every time he speaks from his hammed up tequila toast to his final funeral joke in BHTLM. Steve Earle looks and sounds oddly like a tech-boom yuppie in his interviews as does Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. But this is an advantage in a movie which highlights the incandescent lovability of Townes Van Zandt as opposed to WTL which has its thunder stolen by these cameos.
I would be remiss without discussing that bit of hipster sadness which comes from having one's spot blown up by a movie. I assume I will no longer whip out my Townes cds and drop the jaws of uninitiated while dropping a bit of 'all falls down' ("you ain't up on this?"). But given what a beautiful movie this is an how underappreciated he was, this development is for the best.
I also admit that despite loving the Son Volt and Kelly Willis version of "Rex's Blues" for years, I had no idea until last night that it was a townes song.
Go out and see "Be Here To Love Me: a movie about Townes Van Zandt" as soon as you can. or wait and netflix it. But do not miss it. seriously.
# posted by 8yearoldsdude @ 4:02 PM 
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Since we are talking about "bests" in the realm of the arts, I will deviate slightly to books, and remark that I am not one who typically enjoys history, but am now about half way through 1776 by David McCullough, and must admit that I find it fascinating and am unable to put it down. If you haven't read it, I recommend advising relatives who are still looking for the perfect gift...
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