Optimism Photography: BLOG: June 2011

COM TRUISE

Cathode Girls by Com Truise

Last night at Cameo Gallery, Hype Machine presented a last-minute showcase as part of the Northside Festival. Com Truise took the stage around 9:30 and played a line-up of tunes from his debut LP Galactic Melt. This 40 min set, comprised of Haley's brand of slower-motion funk, was capped off by an audience-provoked final jam. Truise responded with the an unreleased track, which has yet to reach home media. Consider us rocked.

COM TRUISE

PHOTO: Adam Ramirez

Galactic Melt is available via Ghostly International and is sure to blow some speakers this summer. These images were taken using available light in order to maintain the true atmosphere of the event. No digital editing was used.

Com Truise: SITE
Hype Machine: SITE
Adam Ramirez: SITE

OPTPHOTO © 2011

15. Spaced (1999-2001)
UK
Directed by Edgar Wright
Written by Simon Pegg & Jessica Stevenson
N/A, 14 Episodes
Watch Full Series: HULU

It took me a bit to decide which Edgar Wright venture to include on this list. To be honest, both Shaun of the Dead & Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World were both contenders. However, without the creation of this series none of these films would exist. After a short stint in sketch comedy, Simon Pegg & Jessica Stevenson teamed up with Director Edgar Wright and Producer Nira Park to bring one of the finest sitcoms to the small screen. Spaced tells the story of Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Stevenson); 2 twenty-something's who meet by chance in a local cafe. Both are in need of a new place to live and find the perfect flat in the local paper. Unfortunately, the landlady is looking for "professional couples only". In order to secure the new pad, Tim & Daisy decide to fake being in a relationship and end up making some amazing friends along the way. With Wrights signature style prominent even this early work, Spaced heightens the mundane routine of everyday to a reality that may only exist for people like us who watch way too many movies.

Packed with references to sci-fi, comics, video games and beyond, Spaced is every post-college Gen Xers dream show. Originally airing over 10 years ago on BBC FOUR, Spaced was one of the first shows to take pop culture, heightened reality and sub-culture references and mash it all together. As Tim & Daisy struggle to find (and keep) there place in this world, they are threatened by every movie cliché imaginable, yet manage to be saved by the coincidence of it all.

After years of being in US release limbo, Spaced was finally released on Region 1 DVD in July of 2008 and immediately infected my brain. It was this venture that paved the way for more collaborations from everyone involved (including Nick Frost) and other bit players who tend to cameo in other Edgar Wright releases. Using his distinctive style, Wright also pays homage to other films by borrowing from the visual language of genre films. This pre-cursor to the The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy films has all the elements that helped introduce this troupe to audiences all over the world.

Random Trivia: Channel 4 commissioned a second series before the first series was even transmitted

Memorable Scene: If I had to choose just one... I suppose it would have to be about what all guys have in common.

Memorable Quote: "You can't dangle the bogus carrot of possible reconciliation in front of me whilst riding some other donkey."

14. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
France
Written & Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
R, 122 Min

Known for his signature visual style and humorous take on life's up's and down's, Jean-Pierre Jeunet presents this french romantic comedy fit for any fan of the unusual. After the success of his first two films Delicatessen & The City of Lost Children, Jeunet brings this smart, heart-warming comedy to the masses. Amelie tells the story of a shy, yet imaginative, young waitress who realizes she takes great joy in helping others. Taking notice of all the simple pleasures of life, Amelie (Audrey Tautou) is just as talented at making people happy as she is as teaching them a lesson in tolerance. Changing lives around her, she attempts to help people from out of sight, while coming to terms with her own isolation.

Although this film was quite enjoyable for many reasons, I esp love all the references to little nuances we sometimes don't pay attention too. Jeunet shows us within the first 10 min of the film that sometimes it's the little things in life that give us great pleasure. Throughout the film, we see that what may seem most important is trivial in comparison to these simple pleasures. Unfortunately, we all get wound up in our own drama and need to be reminded of this.

This film is a leap away from your typical rom-coms. The visual style of this film alone separates it from the trendy American romantic films and places Amelie in a league of its own. Also within the story, Amelie expects the viewer to empathize naturally with certain situations as opposed to lengthy exposition or the recurring misunderstanding motifs utilized in typical romance films. Jean-Pierre Jeunet utilizes color hues and amazing cinematography to create a whimsical atmosphere perfect for any love story.

Random Trivia: Jean-Pierre Jeunet originally started collecting the stories and memories that make up the story in 1974.

Memorable Scene: Escorting a blind man to the Metro station, Amelie gives a rich description of the street scenes he passes.

Memorable Quote: "Life's funny. To a kid, time always drags. Suddenly you're fifty. All that's left of your childhood... fits in a rusty little box."

13. Vanilla Sky (2001)
USA
Directed by Cameron Crowe
R, 136 min.

Noted as one of the most confusing movies of all time, Vanilla Sky is not your typical love story. Based on the original Spanish film Abre los ojos (which is worth a watch as well), Cameron Crowe brings his take on this original story to the US. Known for his past as a music journalist, Crowe has used a mix of original stories and music references in films such as Singles and Almost Famous. Crowe expands on the original story by using pop culture references and a pretty amazing soundtrack to tell the story that is Vanilla Sky. Set in present day New York City, David Aames (Tom Cruise) has everything going for him. As the inheritor of a publishing company, David lives the carefree, celebrity lifestyle. Even though he's been spending time with his former girlfriend Julianna (Cameron Diaz), David's eye is caught by the beautiful Sofia (Penelope Cruz). Sneaking out of his own birthday party, David becomes enamored with Sophia as the 2 spend the night getting to know each other. The next morning, David is surprised to find Julianna waiting for him as he leaves Sofia's apartment. David's world is thrown upside-down and as things become stranger and stranger, not even tech support can help him get back on track.

Although Vanilla Sky has an all-star cast, this film does not rely on star-power to tell the story. Crowe fuses emotion, iconography and even a bit of horror together in this updated remake. I included this in my list (as opposed to the original) because of the amount of personalization the script went through. Crowe (& crew) went through great lengths to fill David's world of psychological turmoil with pop culture references as well as different forms of reality testing. As David falls further and further away from livin' the dream, it becomes clear that it will take more then a big bank account to save him from this nightmare.

I've always been inspired by dreams and the way our unconscious can portray things when our guard is down (aka sleeping). Sure there are plenty of other movies dealing with lucid dreams and repressed memories, but Vanilla Sky stands out from the bunch. Not only due to it's big budget effects, but also from its open ending which leaves the viewer to decide what truly elapsed from the start of the film. I find films that tend to confuse on a first watch are much more enjoyable on repeat viewing more then any other eye-candy based dream film.

Random Trivia: Cameron Crowe says that there are 428 references to pop culture made in the film - 429 if you include one made in error.

Memorable Scene: Poor Julianna Gianni.

Memorable Quote: "Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around."

In The End: I think all these DVDs show that although we're always moving towards a "better future" sometimes the best times are happening around us. While Spaced may be more comical, Amelie a bit more heart-warming and Vanilla Sky a bit more psychological, all 3 explore the ideal of living in the present. Artistically, each DVD in this list has its own merit, but inspires me from a story-telling perspective as well as ideas for new media.

All images belong to people way richer then me.

June 17, 2011

Com Truise @ Cameo Gallery

June 13, 2011

Office Playlist: 20 DVDs (13-15)

June 7, 2011

NEW SET: Melissa Pearce