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Review: The Science of Sleep

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Michel Gondry is an artist of fantastic talent, both as a director and a writer. The Science of Sleep, the story of Stéphane Miroux’s (Gael García Bernal) losing battle with reality, does an absolutely superb job of making you feel as though you’ve not slept in weeks. As the film progresses, the characters and situations get harder and harder to make sense of, ultimately leading to a complete breakdown between Stéphane and Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg.) What’s most interesting, at least to me, was the way in which Gondry explores Stéphane’s mental state. The more worn down and tired he gets, the less effectively he is able to deal with his father’s recent death and his frustration with Stéphanie. I won’t really go into detail because I don’t want to destroy all of the surprises…

Visually, The Science of Sleep could be a continuation of Björk’s “Human Behaviour” video. (Remember, the one where she is eaten by a giant teddy bear?) The plot is interspersed with trippy dream sequences that look completely hand made. It’s beautiful, textured and rich but also conveys the artistic styles of the characters. And it makes the film seem more like an art installation than major motion picture. It had this cool, white-lit look that conveyed a gallery to me, for some reason. Coupled with the dreary, white stone walls of Paris, the movie felt like it was a trip into a European art museum…which is probably what being inside Michel Gondry’s brain is like.

Anyway, there were a few shortcoming with the plot. I’m assuming that Gondry chose to spend more time on the amazing dream sequences than he did on the writing because there were gaping holes and things were sometimes hard to follow. This is beyond what would have been necessary to get across the disjointed atmosphere of Stéphane’s world. I really, again, can’t explain specifically, but there were a few times where you just have to assume that you knew what the characters were talking about because it really was not at all clearly exposed beforehand. Oh, and some of the sentences are in at least three languages, so have fun with that! However, I would still watch it over again and it very well may end up back in my Netflix queue in the very near future.

3 stars for being beautiful and thoughtful! Minus 1 for being a tad hard to follow!

3 stars

Update: Added a link to Björk/Gondry’s video. Sorry, it’s YouTube – her QuickTime gallery has only a crappy low res version.

One last time…

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So today was interesting. Well, the start of it, anyway. I was awakened after a marathon of sleeping to the sound of erratic knocking on my door. “Oh, it’s probably a kid from the babysitter’s place down the hall,” I thought. Until the sound came again and my front door opened. *must thank Nate for locking that last night*

“Plumber’s here!” calls the voice in the entry.

Still in bed, I shout back, “Uh, why?”

“We had a visual inspection of your bathroom and the sink and shower are leaking,” says the plumber.

*i’m not leaving bed for this* “Well, the shower is working fine. Did I know you were coming?”

“Pauline Kane said to come by this morning…said she’d be letting you know that we were coming,” he answers.

“My brother is currently IN the shower and I have to get ready for work. Can you come back in like an hour?”

“Nope…my day’s booked after this. Can I just come in and fix it?”

*still in bed at this point* “No, call the landlord to sort it out, please.”

He was probably pissed off but 6:45?! I didn’t know plumbing work even happened that early. It’s not like a pipe burst or I live in an oil rig. So freaking weird.

So, does someone want to come visit my new place soon? Perhaps swing by Bellefonte to pick up my dining table since it’s not going to arrive before I move (as of today’s delayed tracking info?) I think it sounds like a fun adventure. 😛

And on the 8th day…

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…Nick gave us a new blog post. There was much celebration and feasting. (Really, it was a pretty kick ass time.)

Similarly, Hoover’s was all kinds of enjoyable. It may have taken Lindsie and I forever to actually get there (her moreso than myself), but it was well worth the journey. Dusty has a stupendously embarassing video of me playing Wii boxing. I’ve not seen it yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be linked soon. And I’m paying the price for said video with an entire body of sore muscles. Freaking Nintendo…disguising exercise as gaming! WarioWare with Lindsie was guaranteed hilarity and just being with everyone was great fun. We were obnoxious and loud everywhere we went, just as it should have been. I’m really excited to have everyone down when winter goes away so we can have a weekend at the beach. And probably lots of drinks since that’s what we do. Hoover, you are packing the Wii for maximum entertainment…Dusty, you bring the whiskey. I’ll have blankets, I swear…

Tonight is Of Montreal! Yay-ness. Dusty is confident that the snow is going to relent before our intended departure time and I’m hoping this is correct. Amanda and Brent are traveling along tonight, too, which is very exciting. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well.

I’ve known it all along…

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…but it’s finally been cemented for me tonight. My parents are not always looking out for me. They don’t always want to help. Frankly, they are much more interested in making sure they are enjoying their success than helping to ensure mine. Does this sound selfish on my part? Absolutely. Does it change the fact that I think they should help someone that they brought into the world under their choice? No. The specifics don’t matter. What does is that I’m officially writing off any idea that they are going to be there for me to rely upon. The notion that if I fuck things up, I’m not going to end up in a box is completely out the window. Because, I think if it came right down to it, I may end up with this:

“Mom, I’m on the street. Can you come pick me up? I need to come home.”

“…”

“Mom?”

“I’m sorry, Nick. We are just so busy this week with Hannah’s lessons and we just took Bailey to the vet and we just don’t have any way to help you. Can’t you call one of your coworkers?”

This may not be completely fair, of course. They are coming to help me move in two weeks. They have helped me move more often than not (there were only three times when I moved completely on my own.) My dad gave me $2000 to put towards my first semester of tuition, $2000 towards the purchase of my Golf and helped me cosign on loans. My mom has been chipping in $180/mo or so for my half-grand of school loans and covered the interest payments during the time that I was in school. But when I compare it to what my friends have been given…namely tuition, cars, interest free loans on huge amounts…I can’t help but feel like I’m drawing the short end of the stick here.

Yes, I did secure a fantastic job and I will be starting it soon. Yes, things could be far, far worse. I’m aware of this. But that doesn’t change my circumstances nor my feelings because of them. I’m tired of feeling like I’m being ungrateful and out of line every single time I ask for help. And feeling like a failure for asking for far less than any of my direct peers could. I want to be able to do it on my own, but sometimes you just need help. If you can’t rely on your family at this sort of time, who are you supposed to turn to, exactly?

Memories…

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As I type this, there is a middle-aged gentleman lighting a glass pipe dead center in the middle of my alleyway. He keeps looking around to make sure no one can see him. You know, in the middle of a road.

Well, I can see you, sir.

And you’ll be one of my last memories of Bellefonte. Just you, in your puffy, disgusting sports team jacket, exhaling huge clouds of pot smoke. Thank you.

Sonya’s End of Time Mix

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So I got bored while I was at Lindsie’s for my grad school tours (she’s not a bad hostess…she was just at work while I was in her apartment) and decided to make Sonya a mix CD. I figured it was appropriate because we spend so much of our time asking when the world is just going to end and leave us alone. I liked it so much, though, that I thought I’d share with everyone!

    The tracklist:

  1. “Apocalypse Please” – Muse
  2. “The Day the World Went Away” – Nine Inch Nails
  3. “Empty House” – Air
  4. “Detective Daughter” – Emilie Haines & The Soft Skeleton
  5. “Hard as a Stone” – A-Camp
  6. “Meds (featuring Alison Mosshart)” – Placebo
  7. “Affliction” – AFI
  8. “The Weight of the World” – Her Space Holiday
  9. “Nothing” – Depeche Mode
  10. “Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)” – Beck

The entire album is available here for your listening enjoyment, but only for a limited time, Hoover. (~50 MB, mp3)

Download cover art as a PDF if you’d like to burn a copy.

Review: Marie Antoinette

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Marie Antoinette

Did you see Lost in Translation? Did you like it? If you did, consider yourself a shoe-in for Marie Antoinette because it’s the exact same ambiance just transported back 200 years and moved half a planet West. This makes it sound like the film was boring. And I won’t lie, there were times when it was. But in the way that Coppola’s other film was boring: the boredom of reality. What you see in Marie Antoinette is not a retelling of a dramatic moment in time or a period piece about romance or tragedy. You see random days in the life of a girl made queen, of an outsider in a strange culture.

What’s more than the ambiance of feeling is that of vision. Holy hell. This film is a visual overload: mirrors and silk and flowers and velvet and fondant and….. Many reviewers mentioned how you would be absolutely dizzied by the endless layering of beauty. They were not exaggerating. It was like a pastel Moulin Rouge in broad daylight. My new HDTV is arriving tonight and I’m absolutely watching for a second time just to see what the set can do. It’s that kind of experience.

And the soundtrack! Aphex Twin and Siouxie and the Banshees in one place? Yes, sir…you are right. Little anachronisms like this made for a quirky vibe that lent itself to life at Versailles under Louis XVI.

What I like most about Sofia Coppola’s films is the way they are so repeatable. She does not force you to follow one emotional path through from start to end but instead lets you create whatever feelings you want by filling your mind with nuanced glances and deafening silences. Marie Antoinette reminded me of visiting a gallery full of sublime art…so good that you will visit again and again just to uncover what else you can possibly draw from what’s on display.

In short, unless you are looking for a film that does the storytelling for you, you’ll love it. 4 stars!

4 stars

Who knew?

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Nothing to do with this post. I never would have suspected that leaving could be nearly as stressful as staying. Now I know.

Note: This baby sloth has absolutely nothing to do with the post you just read. I just like him. Thank you.

My sentiments exactly…

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Ice-age heat wave, can’t complain.
If the world’s at large, why should I remain?
Walked away to another plan.
Gonna find another place, maybe one I can stand.
I move on to another day,
to a whole new town with a whole new way.
Went to the porch to have a thought.
Got to the door and again, I couldn’t stop.
You don’t know where and you don’t know when.
But you still got your words and you got your friends.
Walk along to another day.
Work a little harder, work another way.

Well uh-uh baby I ain’t got no plan.
We’ll float on maybe would you understand?
Gonna float on maybe would you understand?
Well float on maybe would you understand?

The days get shorter and the nights get cold.
I like the autumn but this place is getting old.
I pack up my belongings and I head for the coast.
It might not be a lot but I feel like I’m making the most.
The days get longer and the nights smell green.
I guess it’s not surprising but it’s spring and I should leave.

I like songs about drifters – books about the same.
They both seem to make me feel a little less insane.
Walked on off to another spot.
I still haven’t gotten anywhere that I want.
Did I want love? Did I need to know?
Why does it always feel like I’m caught in an undertow?

The moths beat themselves to death against the lights.
Adding their breeze to the summer nights.
Outside, water like air was great.
I didn’t know what I had that day.
Walk a little farther to another plan.
You said that you did, but you didn’t understand.

I know that starting over is not what life’s about.
But my thoughts were so loud I couldn’t hear my mouth.
My thoughts were so loud I couldn’t hear my mouth.
My thoughts were so loud.

“The World at Large” by Modest Mouse