a review: Some Days Are Better Than Others

Tonight at 7:30 you can catch Some Days Are Better Than Others at the Trylon. Here are my thoughts on the fiim:

The plot of Some Days Are Better Than Others isn’t an easy one to summarize.  For the most part we follow three people feeling the effects of depression, both financial and mental, who are loosely tied together by despair.  Eli (James Mercer) can’t find work, Katrina (Carrie Brownstein) can’t get over a breakup, and Camille (Renee Roman Nose) can’t find anyone that’ll claim an urn she happened upon at work.  And they go about their days with only that for motivation until the movie stops sometime later.

The plot doesn’t drive the film as much as its desire to portray decay in America during this great recession: people are dying, buildings are being knocked down, relationships are ending, stuffed animals are ripped apart, dreams are crushed, emotional states are deteriorating, material items are sold, donated or trashed.  The film isn’t a story of these characters as much as it is an ode to a dying country.

Keep that perspective to get the most out of your viewing.  Beyond that, the acting, characters and script are all pretty bland.  The slow, contemplative nature of the film gives you plenty of time to realize there’s nothing intriguing about these people.  But if you pull back and view everything from a distance, it’ll be a more rewarding experience.

If we’re to believe the title, this is just a bad day.  Well, a lengthy stretch of bad days, to be more precise.  Yet hope is just around the corner.  I’m not sure if any of these characters believe that, though, or if the film does for that matter.

wednesday sound unseen show at trylon: Some Days Are Better Than Others

You thought you liked Carrie Brownstein in Portlandia, did ya?  Well check her out this flick of a film:

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Sound Unseen Some Days Are Better Than Others The Trylon Wed Mar 02 7:30  (2010, Matt McCormick, BD, 93m) A poetic, character-driven feature-length film featuring musicians Carrie Brownstein (of Sleater-Kinney) and James Mercer (The Shins and Broken Bells) that asks why the good times slip by so fast while the hard times always seem so sticky. Some Days are Better Than Others is a sad valentine to the forgotten discards of a throwaway society, and a story about knowing when to hold on, and when to let go. The film premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) and was a hit at Sound Unseen Int'l Duluth this past June.

I'm gonna keep my thoughts to myself for a little bit on this, as I've got a review of the movie in the works.  Should be up here tomorrow- Probably minutes before the screening starts.

trylon premiere tuesday screening: Amer

Tomorrow night is your first of two chances to catch Amer:

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Trylon Premiere Tuesdays Amer The Trylon Tue Mar 01 7:00 8:50 Tue Mar 08 7:00 8:50  (2009, Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, BD, 90m) A brilliant homage to the giallo films of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s Amer swirls with visual bravado and psychosexual ambiance. This French language Belgium production follows young Ana down a dark path of obsessions, fantasies and fears with stylish flair. Amer is an instant cult classic.

You ask yourself, "giallo film?"  You consult Wikipedia and it tells you:

Giallo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒallo], plural gialli) is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism. The word giallo is Italian for "yellow" and stems from the origin of the genre as a series of cheap paperback novels with trademark yellow covers.

To attend a screening of the movie, turn to page 54.  To continue sitting around your apartment, clicking through unread Gawker articles on Google Reader, you might as well turn to page 54 too and act like you'll get around to reading it at some point.

weekend bette davis series at trylon: The Letter

I've never seen this one, but you gotta like your odds when it's a William Wyler film.  Also, it says it's a "hyper-sexualized mystery."  Two great selling points right there.  More importantly, this is the last film in the Bette Davis series, so get your fix now before the Henry Mancini series rolls into town:

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No One Tells Bette Davis What to Do The Letter The Trylon Fri Feb 25 7:00 8:50 Sat Feb 26 7:00 8:50 Sun Feb 27 5:10 7:00  (1940, William Wyler, 35mm, 95m) Late at night, on a Malaysian rubber plantation, Leslie Crosbie (Davis) empties a revolver into her lover, and appears no more disturbed than if she'd just taken out the trash. After that, The Letter warps into a hyper-sexualized mystery that is unlike any other Davis film. "Full of juicy ooze," writes David Thomson.

wednesday trash film screening: Happiness of the Katakuris

There's good cinema, and then there's great cinema (there may or may not be more options, but I have yet to experience it).  With that said, Trash Film Debauchery screenings are a real treat.  Check out their latest offering:

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Trash Film Debauchery Happiness of the Katakuris The Trylon Wed Feb 23 7:30  (2001, Takashi Miike, DVD, 113m) The Katakuris are a family full of failures. They decide to open a bed and breakfast called "White Lover's Inn" but somehow each of their guests end up dead. Worried about the future of their B&B, they agree to keep the deaths a secret and bury the bodies in the back yard which eventually results in a zombie problem. There are some hilarious song and dance numbers, weird claymation sequences, a British naval officer who claims to be the nephew of Queen Elizabeth but looks suspiciously Japanese, and an erupting volcano. Directed by acclaimed Japanese shock-master, Takashi Miike. Guaranteed to entertain!

So all of you out there complaining about the dearth of zombie musicals can officially quit whining.

trylon premiere tuesdays: Samson And Delilah (last chance)

The second and final screening of Cannes standout Samson And Delilah is taking place tonight at the Trylon, as part of their Trylon Premiere Tuesdays series.  Last week I said I'd be there, but that didn't happen.  This week I'm saying I will be there, and that's a fact.  So come watch some good cinema with me tonight at the late screening- I'll share my popcorn with you:

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Trylon Premiere Tuesdays Samson and Delilah The Trylon Tue Feb 22 7:00 9:00  (2009, Warwick Thornton, BD, 101m) In the middle of nowhere Australia, Samson and Delilah, two Aboriginal teens, try to make sense of their mundane and oppressive existence. An intimate and brave coming-of-age story, Samson and Delilah is a simple yet beautifully told story of fragile youth. Winner of the Camera d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

weekend bette davis film at trylon: Dark Victory

1939 was a year of many great American films.  Does Dark Victory deserve to be among the best of them?  Probably not, but Roger Angell listed it among his more memorable viewing experiences of the year.  Anyway, check it out at the Trylon this weekend:

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No One Tells Bette Davis What to Do Dark Victory The Trylon Fri Feb 18 7:00 9:00 Sat Feb 19 7:00 9:00 Sun Feb 20 5:00 7:00  (1939, Edmund Goulding, 35mm, 104m) Jack Warner asked Davis, "Who's gonna pay to see you die?" Plenty, as it turns out, as Dark Victory was one her biggest hits. Davis plays young socialite Judith Traherne, who is diagnosed with a brain tumor at the prime of her life. Will she live her final days as a floozy or a devoted wife?