romantic rhetoric

≈seapunk☼retrospective≈

noreply@blogger.com (stephen michael mcdowell) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:49:00 +0000

created an ongoing anthology of seapunk and seapunk-related music videos

trailer: 'cloud atlas'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:14:00 +0000

your friend posts a link to a video highlighting the fact that 'lana wachowski', previously 'larry wachowski' has 'come out' as transgender

you watch the video because it seems obvious it is a press release of some kind

you watch the wachowski siblings and tom tykwer do a 'cheesy', 'kickstarter-wave' promotional group-monologue

you think, 'oh holy shit i want to see this movie, why is everyone just saying 'omg look he is a woman now'?'

you google search the 'really really really really really long trailer'

you immediately think, 'oh shit this is what i thought 'tree of life' was going to be and wasn't'

internet cinema zeitgeist phenomenon coverage: sebastian sommer interviews megan boyle, joe swanberg

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:10:00 +0000

interview: beach sloth

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:39:00 +0000

the first person to review the movie 'DEAD MIDGETS', even prior to its release, was a mysterious internet personality and anonymous blogger/media reviewer by the name of beach sloth.

i recently had the pleasure of meeting beach sloth in real life and discussing with this super endearing anonybro and my new internet friend, for literally hours, interesting topics ranging from the music of steely dan and donald fagan to the merits of strip clubs [apparently there aren't many] all the way to discussing such abstract things as the dynamo behind that wild superorganism/metaman that is new york effing city.

beach sloth has, for as long as i can remember, been the most cutting edge review/summary blog, covering internet events, alt lit shitstorms, and music releases with more prolificacy and enthusiasm than any other blog of this type.

this past weekend, we traded emails asking each other silly questions. beach sloth posted my responses here, and below are beach sloth's response to mine:

romantic rhetoric: is there a specific species of sloth you 'gravitate' towards? a certain region-oriented sloth-type?

beach sloth: I like the Costa Rican sloths the best. They have their own orphanage. Since there is a great deal of my family tree that is not blood-related (a lot of adopted kids in my family) it warms my sloth-filled heart.

rorhet: what was your favorite band between the following timespans/ages: 0 - 10, 11 - 16, 17 - 18, college, and pick one band/sound project, post-college - present that you have consistently enjoyed

beaslo: Feel this question could be used to accurately gauge my age. Not sure if that’s possible though. I have weird taste in music.

0-10: Tchaikovsky/random house music I heard on ‘Solid State with Liquid Todd’ on K-Rock

11-16: Dat Politics

17-18: Flying Saucer Attack

College: Mouse on Mars/anything I played on my old radio show

Post-College: Low

Note these are not definitive. I’m a music nerd so creating any ‘standard’ list like this is very difficult. These bands are subject to change.

rr: what are your thoughts about 'mainstream speculation' that alt-lit writers might just be autistic people who document their lives through auto-biographical fiction?

bs: Many of the alt-lit writers I’ve met seem better adjusted than my non alt-lit friends. Realistic alt lit people know exactly what they want to do and how to do it. It’s a diverse group of people completely devoted to their craft and those who do it more as a ‘passion project’ while still working full time. I’m definitely in the latter category.

There’s probably some truth to the speculation for some writers but they are definitely in the minority and not the majority.

rr: what is your favorite region of the world you have visited? give three reasons why it is 'your favorite'

bs: Malaysia is my favorite place. I haven’t been everywhere yet, so there might be places I’d like even more. There’s one distinct memory I have, of walking on the northern coast of Borneo that I will probably never forget. There were all these little crabs on the beach making geometric patterns in the sand. Part of me wanted to steal one, bring it to New York, and be the agent of this conceptual crab artist. I never did it though. Laws exist prohibiting the smuggling of wildlife. Still though, I think I want to see those crabs again at least one more time in my life.

I only just realized you wanted three reasons. The other reason was how nice it was. Malaysia is basically the nicest place ever. When I was there I kept on thinking to myself ‘I’m an asshole compared to these people’. How do people even become so nice?

Third reason is the sun. There’s nothing but sun there. I like sunny places by the beach. That’s pretty much the best thing ever.

rr: your overall positive disposition confuses me somewhat. does your interest in 'hopefulness' and 'positivity' derive from a discernible part of your upbringing/personality/life experience? if so, 'where', and how does that affect your qualitative perception of what you read/watch/listen to?

bs: I definitely get ‘down in the dumps’. Everybody gets depressed. I’m no exception. When I write I feel happy so the posts reflect my enthusiasm. Unlike a large number of alt lit writers, I tend to write out of happiness rather than a blank emptiness.

Knowing ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ even exists makes me happy. I remember reading it and thinking ‘holy shit you’re allowed to write this why’. It seemed really liberating to write in such a dense, crazed fashion. Hunter S. Thompson’s work had a similar influence on me too. Both writers sort of embody crazed, frantic, yet oddly positive stance on the present and future.

I’m interested in weird things, anything that shows immense amounts of time, effort, and dedication naturally appeal to me. That’s why I like alt lit. Alt lit is done out of pure love. I don’t think anybody goes into it thinking ‘I’m going to make so much money from this’. Usually they have a passion for it.

My upbringing was not remotely unusual. I had an average childhood. Years later my parents have no idea how I got interested in all these weird artists, bands, and writers. They were supportive even though they didn’t quite understand it.

rr: do you typically buy movie tickets online or at the theater kiosk? if the former, what website do you use [fandango,movieticketsonline.com, moviefone]?

bs: ‘Jesus’ what is this insane question. I feel like this is ‘paid advertising’ for various movie ticket companies. Please tag all these companies in your post though. I want you to get paid.

I actually rarely (if ever) go to the movies. Normally I buy the tickets there. Unfortunately I’m not really much of a movie person (or sloth).

rr: what are three non-sloth mammals that seem 'intriguing' to you due to some 'bizarre' biological quality they have? what do you like/dislike about these mammals? what do you perceive their 'general personality types' might be based on what you know about them?

bs: I like Elephants because they are really smart and unusually fast (for a giant creature).

Horses seems interesting to me. I wonder who decided they were okay for riding.

Platypuses are bizarre in general. I don’t even know where to begin with this one.

Side note: most of the animals I really enjoy (sloths aside) are generally aquatic animals or insects. It was hard finding mammals I like.

rr: what is the 'secret' to your prolificacy? how do you manage to publish an average 50 posts-per-month? is there a secret league of sloths working somewhere out of indonesia/thailand? do you outsource your content similar to how some speculate HRO does?

bs: HRO outsources like crazy. If you read HRO’s post carefully, you’ll notice it isn’t even in English, it’s some sort of internationally recognized Hipster flarf. Carles spent years on the ‘Hipster-Flarf’ algorithm so I can’t fault the guy.

I’m really organized about writing. I don’t find it overwhelming. My posts reflect my current mood. Nor do I treat writing as a way of ‘making friends’ or ‘being cool’. I write out of happiness, out of a desire to improve. Every post is an attempt to be just a little bit better. Besides, I usually have a pretty good idea about what I’m going to write about, along with the number of posts I’m going to do for that day.

rr: any funny videos you found online recently?

bs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYEkvmk2Mw

Does this count as funny? I think it is a really charming, sort of sweet video.

rr: without re-watching the movie, what was your favorite scene in 'DEAD MIDGETS'? why? (sorry about being narcissistic here)

bs: Seriously you don’t want me to re-watch the movie? Whatever bro, I’m totally doing that. It’s a good movie.

I like the repetition part of ‘It’s alright’ where she hugs him. For some reason that feels really comforting to me. There’s something about repetition done right that I enjoy. Most of ‘Dead Midgets’ doesn’t seem that repetitive so maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to that part.

The second one would be when the artist is giving the journalist a tough time. That part is really funny to me. I could see my friends saying that kind of stuff to a journalist.

-------
beach sloth blogs, tweets, and facebooks

movie livetweet: 'hunger games' [minimal spoiler alert]

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:49:00 +0000

on march 28th, buttercup mcgillicuddy 'livetweeted' his thoughts while watching the new movie, 'hunger games'. he had not read any reviews, synopses, excerpts from the book, or talked to anyone about specific aspects of the plot of the movie prior to seeing it. he had watched the trailer 1 or 2 times. here is what he tweeted, unedited:

2:17 PM — live tweeting 'hunger games' for the next ~2hrs #hungerlames #romanticrhetoric

2:22 PM — trailers: 'gi joe' with d. johnson and b. willis, 'spider-man', tim burton vampire movie, 'mr. mom' ripoff, two kristen stewart movies

2:24 PM — is this about the holocaust? little sister is affecting anne frank

2:26 PM — note: i don't know anything about the books/setting/plot #hungerlames

2:28 PM — okay. it's the future. it's john waters' version of the future

2:31 PM — was really hoping they showed the lead naked in bath scene. fucking PG movies/YA fiction #hungerlames

2:35 PM — this british broad in victorian dress is hot. and is that d. sutherland's voice #hungerlames #livetweeting

2:36 PM — oh, she's not british, she's just a bitch #hungerlames

2:39 PM — this is dumb [so far] #hungerlames

2:40 PM — need to pee

2:47 PM — oh, drunk w. harrelson, 'embrace the probability of your eminent death,' seems likely that will be my favorite line #hungerlames

2:51 PM — just saw benedict cumberbatch with yellow hair #hungerlames

2:52 PM — lenny kravitz as fashion advisor, big mistake. #johnwatersfuture #hungerlames

2:54 PM — oh hey president donny #hungerlames

2:56 PM — just 'got the chills,' really unsure why

2:57 PM — whoa, the lead's waist to hip ratio seems digitally enhanced #notempoweringladies #hungerlames

3:08 PM — i knew the william tell thing was coming before the scene started #hungerlames

3:14 PM — oh, that is actually lenny kravitz. jesus christ #hungerlames

3:17 PM — this film seems horribly sexually repressed. this pacing is just begging for a sex scene. dress on fire is no substitute #hungerlames

3:21 PM — she just looked longingly at the doomed boy, and he's confessing his love publicly, this is so fucked #hungerlames

3:24 PM — what the fuck is this movie about? #hungerlames

3:27 PM — my brother seems to think i could get in trouble for tweeting in a theater. fuck the system #hungerlames

3:30 PM — lenny kravitz is being creepy and i just fantasized about his IRL daughter a little which makes me creepy a little too i guess #hungerlames

3:32 PM — not enough people dying in this scene. like, five more would make it 'worth my time' #hungerlames

3:34 PM — 240-338-6835 if you've been trying tm @ me

3:36 PM — lol, 'district nine' #hungerlames

3:38 PM — just farted #hungerlames

3:48 PM — serene music, gushy noises, women moaning, dagger throwing #sexuallyrepressedmovies #hungerlames

3:49 PM — lol, acid wasps #hungerlames

3:50 PM — l-s-bees #hungerlames

3:53 PM — oh hey magical negros!!! #hungerlames

3:55 PM — what else is this girl in? the little one

3:59 PM — perceived self biting thumbnail during mine scene #hungerlames

4:03 PM — lol, death toll seems pretty good. ppl can stop dying now #hungerlames #livetweeting

4:06 PM — lol, mourning rituals. it's whatever rue's just a black anyway. lol, district 11, lol #hungerlames #superlame

4:10 PM — is this a metaphor or a simile? #hungerlames

4:14 PM — fuck yeah sex scene! lol, j/k #hungerlames

4:18 PM — cat fight. deus ex magical negro. need to pee again #hungerlames

4:19 PM — oh shit, an actual sex scene! lol, j/k #hungerlames

4:24 PM — fuck, i hate fantasy. now it's a fantasy movie all of a sudden? getting pretty hungry #hungerlames

4:26 PM — rooting for kado #hungerlames #livetweethng

4:27 PM — damnit #hungerlames

4:33 PM — going to miss john waters' future. no plans to see the sequel(s) #hungerlames

4:35 PM — crushing hard on donny sutherland after all that #hungerlames #livetweeting

4:36 PM — cato** just saw in the credits #hungerlames

4:58 PM — this livetweet has been brought to you by romantic rhetoric @rorhetblog #hungerlames

buttercup mcgillicuddy:
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trailer: 'moonrise kingdom'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:46:00 +0000

trailer: 'on the road'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:55:00 +0000

critical generic analysis: romantic comedy

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:56:00 +0000

romance

you think that 'love'—much like 'quantum physics', 'spirituality', 'the internet' and, to some degree, 'gravity'—is a memetic coalescence invented by humans to explain something that is currently incomprehensibly abstract, and is persistently referenced to as a single conglomerate to falsely concretize—as an abstraction-trumping security mechanism—an intuitive phenomenon that may or may not exist as humanity understands or experiences it and will change as humanity better communicates mutual subjective experiences and also as scientific studies better explain the phenomenon in more concrete terms

you feel uncomfortable that 'love' is a defining aspect of human interconnectivity, because of its nature as a presumed universal and humanity's linguistic inability to define it, despite its ubiquitousness, and think that the memetic transference of the concept may have developed into a highly flawed rhetorical device, confusing and inaccurately assigning an 'umbrella term' to a complex series of emotional responses and 'desires' that might be better communicated through more nuanced differentiation

but you perceive that 'love' is 'marketable' as a primary theme in various 'artistic media', specifically movies, and that, based on your interest in movies, love 'requires' conceptual dissection

however you find the trend of foregoing all rational story arcs when culminating romantic experiences occur and the resulting sense of 'transcendent euphoria' at the end of movies ungratifying

you feel that this sudden breakdown of rationale is jarring, and 'fucks' the movie's 'suspension of disbelief', but because [most romantic comedies] are generically prescribed the title 'romantic comedies', you think maybe this designation is a device that 'justifies' the dissolution of the story's coherence as long as intense, emotional sequences are periodically present between the middle and end portions of the movie

comedy

you think—based on your preconceived ideas about death, suffering, and existential despair—that life has an inherently, consistently bleak quality that is somewhat alleviated by communication that results in intentional paradoxes

you think that the bleakness-decreasing human instinct considered 'humor' seems to be the simplest response and most difficult to induced subtly in order to prolong combat against bleakness

your are an advocate for combatting bleakness

comedy exists, inherently, you think, in everything, if juxtaposed against an appropriately absurd idea

the very mention of 'love', for instance, at all, ever

romantic comedy

you perceive that the generic concept of a 'romantic comedy' is basically a title given to a movie that's primary focus is to embody the concept of 'romance' by narrating a two-plus interpersonal and possibly sexual relationship and approach it with a certain optimism that will allow the movie to conclude with a sense of euphoric, perhaps existentially impossible 'success' in the context of either a romantic pursuit or a romantic trial

however the nature of relationships, you believe, is fluid and ephemeral, perhaps unknowable, so the creative choice to end a story, regardless of the theme, by indiscriminately leading to the 'happy ending', because [in context] it 'needs' to end that way (happily ever after...), is inherently disingenuous and missing the nuance necessary be considered a 'reflection of the human experience'.

therefore you relegate 'romantic comedy' to a non-art status, in your mind, and will not address the concept or genre again

internet cinema zeitgeist phenomenon coverage: sebastian sommer interviews molly soda

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:18:00 +0000

molly soda
sebastian sommer

movie review: 'the future'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:07:00 +0000

miranda july directs
herself
and hamish linklater

you arrive home after living abroad for five months

your brother asks if you've seen 'the future'?

'the movie? by miranda july?' you ask

'yeah,' says your brother

'no, but i've been wanting to'

'it's really weird'

'yeah, she's crazy'

'i got it on redbox, it's in the DVD player'

you go downstairs to the den and wrap yourself in a blanket and use the remote to turn on the DVD player

during the movie you try to discern what the title of the film 'means' or is referring to,

then you remember the title of miranda july's last movie was 'me and you and everyone we know' and vaguely remember a character saying 'me and you and everyone we know' or something like that during the movie

you expect this to happen in 'the future'

after the movie you discuss the themes with your brother

he thinks that the injured cat, the 'soul of the movie' is the worst thing about it

you think about an interview with miranda july in which she admits to never having seen 'lolcats' and think this may have informed, in a way, the movie's overall 'non-self-awareness'

you 'go mad' and contemplate stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping time stopping

vimeo.com account review: sebastian sommer

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:32:00 +0000

you perceive 'an epiphany'

you realize that there is a high probability that more filmmakers are in the 'muumuuhouse school of experimental filmmaking' [for lack of a better term] besides ellen frances, adam humphreys, pirooz kalayeh, kacper jarecki, david fishkind and MDMAfilms

you feel compelled to look for 'similar artists' on the internet

'at some point' you find the vimeo account of sebastian 'sebsom' sommer, a student at NYU

on sebsom's vimeo account is a video asserting that it is a 'reimagining' of two of tao lin's short stories, found in his bear parade-published collection 'today the sky is blue and white with bright blue spots and a small pale moon and i will destroy our relationship today'

while watching the video titled 'happily drowning', you feel high levels of confusion re choices in characterization, location, and costuming

you think maybe sebsom had difficulty with use of 'narrative tact' and with his attempts at establishing a discernable 'mood', but you also perceive that sebsom, being a student, probably had limited resources, and made the video with fellow students, friends and perhaps SAG actors who [probably] can't communicate his artistic sensibility with palpable, disbelief-suspending clarity

or perhaps sebsom, you think, has yet to 'manipulate' the scenario in a manner that is 'definitively sebsom-like' and not simply unlike other student filmmakers

you watch the other videos on sebsom's vimeo account multiple times and feel similar types/levels of confusion

you think about 'revisiting' sebsom's work in the future, when his 'voice' is more developed/coherent/horrific

sebsom sends you a friend request on facebook

you accept

sebsom sends you a message via facebook:

'hey dude! lookin forward to dead midgets! i wanted to know if you could possibly check out my latest short film EIGHTEEN SLASH STAINLESS and possibly review it? but first, a little about me. I'm from Manhattan and I've been making films my whole life. I made an experimental film Mama Said Sardine Baby that played at the TriBeCa Film Festival. I've also worked with Tao Lin on adapting one of his short stories into a film.

Here is the link to the short: http://vimeo.com/33370714

Here is the link to my site: http://sebsom.com/

Please let me know!

Seb'

in a mutually beneficial 'promotional agreement' you review '18/S'

you watch the video several times and feel consistent levels of an 'indiscernible confusion', like... you feel unable to discern the filmmaker's 'intent', which seems... like... 'jarring', in that you perceive that your ability to enjoy a video is solely dependent on your ability to discern the filmmaker's use of 'narrative tact' and/or 'spectacle', but due to the paradox caused by the video's high production quality, non-existant narrative structure and seemingly 'thrown-together' spectacle, you think '18/S' is like... naive... in its... projection of... like... life's horror... maybe

you decide to use a cliche to describe sebastian sommer's current oeuvre: 'shows promise'... in like a similar way to how the first short film you made in film school 'showed promise'

an essay by stephen michael mcdowell 'surfaced' on 'thought catalog'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:52:00 +0000

POSSIBLE REASONS HOLLYWOOD CONSISTENTLY BUTCHERS BRET EASTON ELLIS MOVIE ADAPTATIONS

vimeo.com account review: john campbell

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

john campbell of 'boo hoo boo' and 'pictures for sad children' makes videos

you think they're 'pretty sweet'

trailer: 'dead midgets'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:06:00 +0000

you feel strange/awkward/guilty promoting your own movie on your blog

but you like... feel obligated to... like, for two reasons

WARNING/DISCLAIMER/SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISM: DON'T WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU HAVE OR WISH TO HAVE ANYTHING RESEMBLING 'RESPECT' FOR THIS BLOG/FUTURE POSTS BY THIS BLOG THAT ARE NOT ABOUT 'DEAD MIDGETS'

first, for promotional purposes, because people who are interested in movies read your blog and are more likely to watch a trailer via your blog than by 'stumbling on' it or watching it via social networks like facebook because your blog gets way more hits

second, because you think that you would be interested in this movie via some hypothetical parallel experience of watching this trailer without the subjective attachment of having been a part of the entire process of making the movie, so you feel obligated to expose other people with similar sensibilities to the project

you contemplate writing a critique of the movie, but feel this is 'too bold', perhaps, and would involve a lot of much information, information that would be better introduced to the world via promotional media outlets to create a 'slow stream' of output and increase in 'buzz'

you think about the fact that 'this is normal, it is normal for "bloggers" to promote creative output via their own media source', however because 'romantic rhetoric' seems designed as a 'farcical' movie critique blog a la 'variety'-meets-HRO, or maybe something else entirely, you think 'this feels weird... awful maybe'

you keep writing things... to fill space maybe...

you think about saying something related to the production of the movie... percentages of completion maybe... something about your relationship with the cast... various scandals that happened during pre-production and production... who the film is dedicated to maybe... why it's titled 'dead midgets'... you can't process or discern what is best to talk about

you consider what marketing repercussions this might have

'will this produce press at all?' you think, 'would this even remotely be considered a tactful marketing strategy?'

'does this movie even "approach" "good enough" to be exposed "to the public"?'

'will anyone enjoy watching these videos? will anyone come to the premier? do i like the movie?'

what is filmmaking? why do people do it? why do i do it? what is the purpose of suspending disbelief and causing extreme emotions? what are the repercussions of this human 'diversion'? what contribution, if any, will my movies have to the process of making movies? will i 'succeed'? will i be 'the greatest filmmaker in the world' as i wanted to be as a child? is that even possible? who else has achieved that? steven spielberg? wes anderson? david lynch? do i respect these people? do i 'genuinely enjoy' their movies or have i been conditioned to? where does 'enjoyment' derive from scientifically? philosophically? memetically? is this important? should i just 'keep going'?

even earlier fundraising promotional video via 'kickstarter'

movie critique: 'another earth'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:08:00 +0000

mike cahill directs
brit marling
and william mapother

rating: 'goddamn... goddamn...'

you dismiss the trailer for 'another earth' without finishing it

you think 'this is maybe one of the worst attempts at fusing sci-fi and drama that i have seen that has gotten anything resembling an accolade'

you move on to 'more interesting' movie trailers and watch like... movies that aren't 'another earth'

you read a review for 'another earth' and feel confused about the positive nature of the review

you contemplate the fact that between lars von trier's 'melancholia' and terrence malick's 'tree of life' it seems coincidental that there is an 'indie' movie with similar imagery/themes and begin to develop slight interest

you watch the trailer again, you feel the same way you did originally

one night while an acrobatics troupe is staying at your house you get extremely high and watch 'another earth' via a spanish-language movie streaming website

while watching 'another earth' you feel extreme emotions, cry, lose suspension of disbelief, but don't care and are 'convinced' that 'another earth' is your 'new favorite movie'

the next day, you watch interviews with the cast and director and find out that mike cahill is part of a trio of actor-writer-directors in the same vein as wes anderson, noah baumbach and owen wilson and feel affected by the group dynamic/'narrative tact' with how they approach 'storytelling' and the extremity of the subject matter

you feel so deeply affected that you think 'i don't care that the movie is "not believable" because it is self aware of its non-believableness and approaches the subject/themes/characters/effects with understanding, tact, wit, and life-affirmation as a basis... sweet'

you contemplate doing a 'write up' of 'the theme of science-fiction-related drama in recent movies...' but... well... maybe you'll do that a little later...

movie critique: 'putty hill'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:08:00 +0000

matt porterfield directs
sky ferreira
zoe vance
cody ray
and dustin ray

rating: 'damn, bro'

mid 2010 you see a promotional video for an upcoming movie via 'kickstarter' titled 'putty hill'

you see the director, who is from a city adjacent to your hometown, talking about the movie in a video and feel abnormal interest in the movie, but mostly negative, maybe jealousy-related emotions about the director

you move to baltimore in late 2010

'putty hill' is showing at 'charles village theater' near your house

you repeatedly make plans to see the movie but do not, instead seeing [other various movies you don't remember]

when people mention 'putty hill' in conversation you consistently assert 'i hate that guy, the director' which garners interest in why

you do not 'hate' the director, though you feel, perhaps, small types of competition-related emotional outbursts when thinking about 'putty hill' and how well 'putty hill' is doing domestically as an insanely low-budget movie

you are solicited to audition for a short video made by students at 'MICA' (maryland institute college of art) and are cast as the co-star of the video, along with your friends kristin and huckleberry

you appear on set and feel surprised to see the director of 'putty hill' standing by the viewfinder and are introduced to him and the crew seems to look at you suspiciously because in social settings you have asserted to 'hate' him

the director of 'putty hill' is the instructor for the course the video is being made for and appears multiple times around many of the same venues as you

you talk casually about movies and life in baltimore and personal anecdotes and perceive that you have established a relationship or at least repertoire

later, the director, who has directed multiple music videos for the band 'double dagger' appears at a 'secret show' at your house, which you make a movie about

he seems excited that you are there, making a movie and multiple times makes friendly gestures and asserts that he is happy to see you

mid-november, 2011, you see via the director's facebook that the DVD for 'putty hill' is on-sale

you have no money and are not in the country, so you search the internet to see if it is available to download via torrent

it is

you watch the movie and feel deeply affected

you feel surprised at how affecting and new-feeling the movie is and feel inspired and maybe 'in awe' of the director a little

you feel happy and watch the movie again that night while falling asleep

you think 'good job, matt' repeatedly while falling asleep

movie critique: 'the tree of life'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:37:00 +0000

terrence malick directs
brad pitt
sean penn
jessica chastain

rating: 'perplexing'

you feel a sort of personal antipathy towards period movies due to their inability to apply existentially to your experiences on earth

you see the trailer for 'the tree of life' and think, 'seems like a less narrative-oriented version of "revolutionary road"' and consistently return to this thought whenever thoughts of the movie 'arise'

you deduce from an article on 'hipster runoff' that there are dinosaur sequences in the movie and think, 'whoa, kind of want to see this now'

you read the wikipedia page for 'the tree of life' and feel confused about the casting of sean penn as brad pitt's son, and develop further feelings of ambivalence toward seeing the movie

you read an article in 'variety' describing the movie as 'more art than cinema' or something and feel annoyed, like... 'if this is art then it's probably boring, abstract, museum-y, etc. and not something that will appeal to me on a basic emotional level... so like... why watch it?'

you 'cave' due to overwhelming desires to experience a movie with a 'cosmic scope', which you have trouble discerning the definition of

you watch the movie over the course of ~3 sittings and consistently do 'other shit' while the movie plays in the periphery

you pause the movie several times to attempt to find interviews with the director, terrence malick, but only happen upon this:

you return to the wikipedia article and feel interested in reading about the special effects in the movie

you find an article saying that the 'sfx' bro who did some of the scenes worked on '2001: a space odyssey'

you finish watching the movie and return to the original state of ambivalence re 'period pieces' and 'abstract narratives' you felt after watching the trailer, but with a heightened sense that maybe some of the events occurred in the life of the director, and validate them in an existential sense

you feel compelled to watch more movies like 'the tree of life' and 'melancholia' that juxtapose planet-level enormity with 'relatable' images of 'modern life' and recall 'diebuster' with positive sentiments

trailer: 'girlfriend'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:52:00 +0000

like... you feel your head performing tiny series of combustions... and like... air leaking out of somewhere... cranial sutures, you discern

you think 'how did i find this? how did i find this without seeing it on a twilight forum?'

'it is so bleak that i found this trailer,' you think

'i need a "break"... a "break" from "movie hell"'...

you think, as you count down one minute to walking away from the computer, 'this was what it was like to discover harmony korine... but this is... this is more depraved maybe... unsure'

two sleeping beauties, one year

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:15:00 +0000

two movies came out in the past year, one titled 'sleeping beauty', and the other, 'la belle endormie'

which trailer do you feel most affected by?

the one about a high-end, barely legal prostitute who gets banged in her sleep and calls it a 'skill'?

or the 'retelling' of the fairytale that looks like something out of a magical realism novel that may or may not have a plot?

'i'm going to go masturbate to both,' you think

trailer: 'being elmo'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:39:00 +0000

you discern high levels of of 'bewilderment' after this trailer finishes

you think 'this feeling is similar to the revelation that jaleel white did the voice of sonic the hedgehog i think'

you have, maybe since birth, been... like... abnormally confused by and had like... a pop-culture related fascination with 'elmo'

but have perceived, since high school, that puppeteering, in general, is like... 'low art' or a more objective equivalent

like... not creatively challenging

or... like, delusional because everyone knows it's a fucking puppet, like, you're not fooling anyone, and it's not funny, it's like, creepy mostly

so like, you never thought about the puppeteer

you feel like this is similar to when you found out jim henson did the puppeteering for kermit... or walt disney the voice of mickey... or frank oz the voice of yoda... or tim allen the voice of buzz lightyear... or like... mel gibson the voice of john smith in 'pocahontas'... 'like... who spends their time being a voice,' you think

but like... you realize this guy must have been working insanely hard for a long time... into the 21st century... just... like... doing this... being elmo... every day...

'jesus,' you think, 'why is my brain processing this like this?'

movie critique: 'midnight in paris'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:45:00 +0000

woody allen directs
owen wilson
rachel mcadams
marion cotillard
kathy bates
andrien brody
carla bruni
and michael sheen

rating: 'woody allen'

you don't remember when you saw the trailer for 'midnight'

you remember immediately thinking about owen wilson's suicide attempt after watching the trailer

you remember watching a series of interviews with wes anderson and owen wilson after watching the trailer

you remember 'revisiting' some woody allen movies after watching the trailer

you remember wanting, vaguely, to see the movie, but like... maybe... like... you thought it would be boring or 'indulgent' in the way that woody allen films always seem

you remember thinking—as you frequently do—'i would fuck rachel mcadams' and maybe feeling [something like 'guilty'] about it

you use your friend's laptop to move some photoshop files you worked on a month ago
to your new computer

you remember you downloaded the movie on your friend's laptop while she was on vacation and forgot about it

you ask your girlfriend if she wants to watch 'midnight'

she seems enthused about it, but says she has work to do

you tell her you are going to watch it but that you can watch it together later

you watch 'midnight' while designing some stationary for the hotel you work for

you tell your girlfriend that the movie 'isn't romantic... it's like... like a woody allen movie... you know how woody allen movies are... do you like woody allen movies...? it's like... dark... not romantic or anything really'

you think about doing work curating the art gallery at the hotel and plan to hang some 'pieces' at 5pm

at 8pm you start writing a 'critique' of 'midnight' and realize you haven't done any work and can't really remember what you did for the past four hours besides chug coffee and walk around the hotel aimlessly and think about working

trailer: 'in time'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:47:00 +0000

you feel a series of 'wtf-like' thoughts compiling incoherently in your brain

you feel confused, intrigued, intellectually betrayed, 'hypothetically' aroused, more confused, anxious and alert

you want to see this movie, but you don't know why

your friend tells you it was directed by the same person who directed 'gattaca' which you remember feeling similar emotions and having similar thoughts about

after thinking about how you feel/intellectually respond to this trailer you discern that this movie is a compilation of cliched 'selling points' (actors with recent success, los angeles in 'the near future' as a setting, the poor man-rich man dichotomy) but thematically, the subject of 'impending doom' on an existential level and outside the context of a supernaturally 'talented' main character (james bond, captain kirk, jason statham) or an emo, 'completely fucked' main character (joseph gordon levitt in '50/50', will smith in 'seven pounds', jean michel basquiat) seems somewhat unexplored in movies, you think

you feel interested in 'finding out' if the movie is an existential thriller or just... like... what it looks like... basically

you will probably download a cam of it this evening, if one is available

movie critique: 'limitless'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:44:00 +0000

neil burger directs
bradley cooper
abbie cornish
and robert de niro

rating: 'damn bro'

you watch the trailer for 'limitless' and notice the bro from 'the hangover' is the main character

you feel intellectually attracted to the theme of mental performance enhancement and decide that though this movie seems 'bro-y' you'll watch it

you download the torrent and wait for a few hours

you watch the movie in one sitting and feel consistently alert and entertained throughout

you feel happy that the movie is completely void of kanye west's music (unlike the trailer)

you remember events in your life that seem vaguely reminiscent of the events in the movie and feel affirmed in your efforts to 'do better'

you like that the movie is 'mild' in all of its non-realistic aspects (i.e. 'science fiction' is one experimental drug, 'magical realism' occurs as slight, seamless changes in the main character's perception and never occurs outside of his perceived reality, 'temporal unidirectionality' is only broken once outside of the context of memory, 'class dichotomy' is between struggling writer and successful businessman, and not, like, a third world orphan and a god-like figure)

you watch the movie with your girlfriend, who also enjoys it, and think 'limitless' is a good 'date movie'

trailer: 'angels crest'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:58:00 +0000

you think 'jesus... scenesters... this is like, marketed directly at scenesters'

you perceive the woodland animal motif, eyeliner boy, baby in indian chief hat, jeremy piven 'HBOing it up' as an 'asshole law-man', the bi-curious vibe, the emo 'this world is against me' bullshit, and ultimately the 'i am so sorry' mantra as qualities reminiscent of the 20-something subculture you have previously perceived and currently consider 'scenesters'

watching this trailer, you discern thoughts relating to 30 seconds to mars music videos and middle-class angst and romanticized solitude and think 'what the fuck... like... is that the only group this is marketed towards... like... someone made a movie thinking "scenesters will be into this"?'

you notice an actress from from the first season of 'tru blood' is in this movie

you do not want to see this movie

after watching this trailer you visit yourscenesucks.com for something resembling 'validation' re your opinion about this movie, but end up mostly feeling deflated and like you just want to find a trailer that doesn't 'suck'

trailer: 'young adult'

noreply@blogger.com (Buttercup McGillicuddy) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:19:00 +0000

you think, 'damn,' after seeing the poster, 'seems "indie"'

'charlize theron. wonder what she is pursuing artistically after making the "career-marring" decision to co-star in "hancock"'

you play the trailer you think, 'this is that david bowie song at the end of "life aquatic" by wes anderson', 'seems gimmicky in a way i can't relate to'

the trailer asserts 'by the director of "thank you for smoking"'

you think, 'fuck, oh god, no', then the trailer says 'and the writer of "juno"', and you think 'how did someone let this happen again?'

you calmly decide not to write a rambling, slanderous, unironic article about 'what's wrong with indie [or something]' and just post the trailer and type a brief 'critique' with a neutral facial expression and with your mouth slightly agape