1973 - Drinking Buddies

This film is an absolute exercise in restraint.  It's like a modern date update on the question posed on "When Harry Met Sally".  Well, not exactly.  Drinking Buddies is the story of two work friends who you spend the whole time wondering when they're going to wonder if they should be more.  The chemistry between Wilde and Johnson is palpable.  Add Livingston and Kendrik into the mix and you've got a pretty goddamn good cast there - in fact, it makes an indie filmmaker jealous.
Swanberg makes his films from an outline, and that's not a surprise here with the aesthetic, but it never takes away from the film itself.  Everyone is so natural and honest, which I'm sure was the intent.  This film messes with you in a good way - you think it's going one way then it dekes left.  It's emotionally honest and awkward and universal.  We've all had that friend we met while we were with someone else that made us comfortable and question everything we thought we knew.
I wanted to see this film a lot earlier, and was bumped to discover it on Netflix.  If you like relationship films at all - this is a must see!

1690 - Hannah Takes The Stairs

Regular visitors of this blog will note that I've had a lazy viewing/reading month.  I swear it's 'cause I'm working my ass on something (which will be revealed in a few weeks).  But I decided to take a break tonight to wade through another film by Joe Swanberg.  What's really interesting in this film is how tight he shoots everything.  I don't know if it's to capture subtleties of actors or if it's to hide the extremely bland locations that they're in - somehow it works.
This film was a tad frustration on a few levels - technically it was difficult to make out the audio at some points, and just from a story point of view - I'm not really sure what story they were trying to tell here... It's almost about a woman who can't stand to be along or focus on herself so she attaches herself to men to avoid that.  I don't know.  It's pretty unfocused.  That said, I enjoyed the characters quite a bit.  I know that Swanberg works pretty lose, so it's hard to know who to credit for what on a film like this.  The film works largely because Greta Gerwig is so goddamn watchable.  She's one of those actresses incapable of a false move, I never feel like she's trying something - she's always being it.  She deserves all the success she's been getting.
Like Swanberg's other efforts this is the kind of film you'll either love or hate.  I liked it.

1689 - Uncle Kent

In the world of D.I.Y. filmmakers Chicago's own Joe Swanberg is one of the most prolific and well known.  If you're got netflix you can easily catch his stuff, or at least some of it.  I have a really hard trying to figure out how I feel about this approach to filmmaking.  While I applaud the "let's just go out and get it done attitude" when a man makes over a half dozen features within a single year you have to wonder how much care and thought he's putting into any single one.
This film is about a forty-year old man who always thought that he had missed the boat for a serious relationship and a family, and by the end of the film wonders if maybe he's been wrong about that.  And that's being generous with that.  These types of film aren't known for hitting you over the head with their storylines and lessons, subtly it putting it vaguely.  At the same time I enjoyed large parts of this film, and just felt like it meandered a bit in the other parts.  While I very much want to try my hand at a film like this, I just don't think that I could pull back as much, and just watch people doing the most mundane of things.  I'll need a little more plot and momentum.
If you like subtle indie flicks, you might dig this - but you're a pure mainstream movie goer chances are that you'll hate a film like this.

1638 - AutoErotic

Saw this randomly on netflix and thought I'd give it a shot.  It wasn't until a few minutes in that one of the director's names started to nag at me, then I realized that Joe Swanberg also directed Nights and Weekends which is another indie comedy that I found on netflix.  I can't imagine these films are costing (or making) all that much, but good on Swanberg for pumping them out.  His imdb page shows that he's made roughly ten films in the last two years.  Just a ridiculous output, especially considering that his films are pretty darn entertaining.  I don't think they'd appeal to all, but they definitely speak to an audience.  I'd love to chat with the guy about his process and just how he gets it all done.  Very fascinated by this guy.
So this film is more like a series of vignettes that tells four stories all based around the sex lives of four couples.  A man whose penis is too small, a girl who is turned on by everything, a pregnant woman who has lost the ability to orgasm, and a man whose now-engaged ex wants him to delete the porn videos they made together.  The first of the stories is the most over-the-top and the rest have a far more grip on reality.  Regardless of how you feel about the film itself you have to give kudos to the cast for just being absolutely fearless when it comes to the material.  Good on them.
In terms of pure cinema it's by no means a dynamic film.  To say that it's poorly shot would be missing the point, perhaps, but I think that the visuals in this film are probably the least of the filmmakers concern.  They serve their purpose.
I quite enjoyed this and I'm pretty sure that I'd give anything Swanberg made at least a chance based on the two films of his that I've seen.  Looking forward to checking out the rest of his work as it becomes available (I can only assume) on netflix.

1498 - Nights and Weekends

So I think it's pretty official that I have a crush on Greta Gerwig.  She's absolutely adorable in the right moments, and then in others she's absolutely frustrating.  She's a real woman in every sense of the world.  This film is about a long distance relationship in two parts.  The first part whilst it is going on, the second a year after the break up.  I don't think you appreciate just how fine the acting in this film is until the second half of the film.  In the first half it's what you'd expect, these people are excited to see each other - gitty even.  And they have expectations for their weekend together, and when it's not perfect they get upset and annoyed the way that a real couple would.  And then, a year later, when they reunite it's extremely and wonderfully awkward, and lord does it feel real.  If you've ever reunited with someone you had an intense relationship then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Both Gerwig and Swanberg are fantastic, but Gerwig is fearless here.  She doesn't care if she's unlikable, or if she's silly, or whatever.  Every moment that she's on screen is honest and wonderful.  This film was a delightful surprise and I highly recommend it to any one who likes smart, honest films about relationships and people.
Nights and Weekends