Movie Roundup

Paranormal Activity--

This isn't, as some people have suggested, the scariest movie of all time. It is, however, pretty damn scary. I did love how slowly it builds, it takes its time and doesn't get bogged down in some convoluted mythology or real

story. It plays on little s

cares, exaggerating things that really happen to not allow for alternative explanations. Perhaps the best way it scares you is to suggest that things could be happening to you without you knowing it (I'm thinking mostly about the sleepwalking segment, which really shook me). I love that the movie which uses all practical effects, and was made in a weekend f

or $11,000 has managed to make $20 million this weekend! Good to see the little guys succeed, especially when it's a decent movie, like this one. It won't be your favorite movie, but it's a fun one to see in a crowded theater!

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco

I've been on a Wilco kick lately so I decided to check

out this doc about the making of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It's a bit of a behind the scenes look into the making of the album, their conflict with each other and with the label releasing the album.

It's entertaining, thanks in huge part to the music included just being SO GOOD, but really theres not enough material here to construct a whole movie. There's glimpses of meetings, interviews explaining who's mad at who and minor drama, but you never get to see any of the creative process which is what I was most interested in. It's worth watching if you're already a fan of Wilco, because there are a lot of really beautiful, stripped down versions of the songs on Yankee Hotel, but it's pretty skipable otherwise.

Mutual Appreciation--

Mutual Appreciation is another mumble-core type movie from Andrew Bujalski--director of Funny Ha Ha. It's largely improvised, lacking in plot and kind of meanders around characters. It really gets the rhythm of everyday life right. It's biggest strength is how characters constantly diffuse tension, refusing to present the audience with that cinematic romantic moment, or that gaze that lingers too long. The characters are all a bit uncomfortable in their skin, and theres a lot of cringing that goes along with watching them. Unlike Puffy Chair, which reveled in the mundane, purposely making you suffer through watching people literally talk about nothing, Mutual Appreciation follows a romance, it just follows it in a real way. No one's running to stop airplanes, or appearing in suits at the top of escalators, they're pretending they need rides home, or forgot their coats to get a couple more minutes alone with the one they're interested in. Definitely worth watching-- it's available on Netflix Watch Instantly!