everything's zen

So, the other day, I went to a shooting range (it was not the old timey/Old West saloon vision I had in my head). I can see why people can enjoy shooting…there is a moment, when you need to shut down everything else – all noise (and yeah, it's a noisy place when crowded), the other people, whatever is going on for you outside the range – to zone out and focus on hitting the target. There are a lot of things, typically menial things, like repetitive tasks, that can give you that zoned out, not thinking about anything moment (zen?). And while my moment will not come from shooting, I need to find more tasks that will help me zone out like that on a daily basis...

I never meant to hurt you (Young Adult review/an ode to being young and dumb)

I'm talking with a friend about movies and I am about to say that Young Adult (2011) is cute, but I stop myself. I could see how someone might not enjoy this movie. The main character, Mavis, is not a likable character. At times, she is just terrible. However, I (and I think people who had dumb moments in their youth, which is hopefully almost everyone) could relate to her. You don't want to like her, but, still, at times, you find yourself hoping she wakes up and pulls herself together. You hope she grows up.

I didn't know what to expect from the movie. It had Patton Oswalt in it, sure, but the ads for it made it come off a bit fluffy. I hate the phrase "dark comedy" as it seems any quirky comedy is labeled that, but this really is a dark comedy. It is not a happy light fluffy film yet you (or at least I) manage many laughs during it.

I am a pushover for a good soundtrack. The movie starts off with a song by Teenage Fanclub and the soundtrack just keeps getting better. The 90s idolatry sucked me in.

Essentially, Mavis is in her late 30s and still behaves as a self-centered, spoiled teenager, focused on herself and having a good time. She decides to go back to her hometown to get her boyfriend (now married with child) back. He's settled in to family life and seems to enjoy it. His wife is totally awesome (part time drummer, full time teacher of emotionally challenged children). Yet, Mavis is obvious and tries to seduce him. At times, it's over the top. Most of the time, it's cringe-worthy. You can't believe she can be so blind and you secretly hope you never, ever acted like that. She thinks everyone (even Oswalt’s character, who was severely beaten back in high school) has it better than she does and that she should get all the sympathy (the film does touch slightly on some of her issues – hair pulling, a miscarriage, and heavier on others – her alcoholism).

There is no pulling herself together. And that is awesome. She gets all dolled up to pursue the man (her ex) she thinks is made for her. They kiss (eventually) but that's it. He doesn't leave the wife for her. She ends up sleeping with Oswalt’s character (and you can see that coming fairly early on) but, at the end of the movie, the actress playing Oswalt’s sister (who had mad hero worship of Mavis) convinces Mavis that she is wonderful just the way she is – oblivious, rude, delusional. There is no epiphany that makes Mavis change for the “better.” No. She agrees that she is pretty awesome and goes back to her car to head back to the big city. The end.

The movie also stops dramatically, with a few loose ends dangling in the air. It was a bit frustrating yet refreshing. This movie can’t have a storybook ending . Mavis will continue being Mavis, maybe forever and while most of us don’t agree, most of us want her to be more "adult,"it seems just fine with her.

one thing leads to another

This Saturday (tomorrow!!) – Odd Duck Bazaar in Hollywood, FL from 12 PM to 6 PM.

Awhile back, I self published a collection of short stories and poems (called Never a Shout Out). I created a modified “sampling” version of that for this next project…

I’m a sponsor with Odd Duck and the first 100 people in get a swag bag with something from me…the sample of Never a Shout Out…a ‘zine like, low (almost no) budget D.I.Y. publication…yea!

invalid robots (un-sci-fi)

I have not read or seen Hunger Games yet. Since it’s everywhere, and sounds relatively interesting (both book and film), I was curious to check it out, but I get more hesitate each time I read a review. Not because of the violence or the stuff the movie left out…but because of the names. The names are just too odd for me to not completely throw me off the story. I think that is a reason why I never got into sci-fi…the unusual names of characters and places. I know, it adds to the imaginative, different landscape – for the reader (or viewer) to escape into a different world… Clearly, I need to stick to the movie because if I was reading this, I think the spell check in my head would just make the names all pop up in bold red.

pictures of me on your bedroom door (review of All Over Me)

I don’t enjoy much 1990s nostalgia. Maybe it’s too soon (for me). Maybe it’s that I was (relatively) alert and paying attention in that time period that I don’t long for the clothes, the hair, the pre-Facebook ignorance. I do, however, have a soft spot in my heart for 1990s music.

All Over Me (1997) is set in the mid to late ‘90s, in (a very, very white, minus Ricky from My So Called Life) Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. This movie starts with credits. I do not enjoy this. I like to forget that I am watching a movie. I like the action to, wham, start immediately, Showing a long list of credits and who did what, movie wise, distracts me from this.

Claude and Ellen are best friends. They’re in high school, like music and have nonexistent/uncaring or sometimes present/obvious parents. Claude has a crush on Ellen (I think you could draw parallels between Ellen and Claude’s mom - she has to ‘take care’ of both, both are man obsessed). Ellen, however is is all wrapped up in a rock ‘em, sock ‘em drug slinging thug. One of my (other) problems is the character of Ellen. Sure, this is a Claude-driven movie. It’s about her. It’s about her discovering herself, her sexuality at a time of the burgeoning angsty grrl power movement (by the way, where did that movement go?). All other characters are but shadows to play off Claude, but you think Ellen would be a little more developed. She starts the film as a ‘normal’ boy crazy moody teen. Suddenly, she becomes a Lifetime movie-esque drug addict (tries to run away with strangers: check, almost ODs in the bathroom: check) rather quickly, seemingly in minutes, in between scenes.

Claude is Claude. She’s oblivious at times, but I suppose, she is a teenager. We’ve all been mind numbingly dumb, in hindsight. But, then, there was a scene set to a large portion of a Geraldine Fibbers song (and this was shortly after a Sleater-Kinney song! Imagine!). And that alone upped this movie for me. I would highly recommend this movie if 1990s nostalgia, or, specifically, Riot Grrl culture, makes you smile and/or you dig the music.

Similar and, in my opinion, better movies (though light on the grrl power thing) Girl (1998) and Thirteen (2003).