So I went to see Old Joy back when it was at the Red Vic. It's out on DVD now and it's really different from any movie I can think of at the (tired) moment. In a good way.
I'd like to stress again here on my blog (strongly) that I am not a Yoga Mat Person, but I will say this
movie has a meditational feeling to it. By that, I mean while you watch it there is so much silence and there are so many moments of a quiet kind of reflection that when you finish watching it you really do feel like you went somewhere else on a journey.
The journey of the film takes place in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Old friends from way back Mark and Kurt meet up and go camping. They haven't seen each other in a long time and it's obvious that their lives have branched far away from one another in those years apart. What's great about this film is that the issues that this growing apart have caused are never directly addressed. Instead, the filmmaker Kelly Reichardt allows the viewer to use those gorgeous silent moments to absorb thoughts and scenery and to reflect, bring about one's own ideas, and draw one's own conclusions. I love it when movies don't preach their message to you,slam you over the head with whatever it is they are trying to get you to feel, and this one is brilliant in that regard.
The film definitely sparked my own memories about
similar experiences. It got the awkward silences right for sure. Mark is the Reformed And Now Responsible Guy and Kurt is the Wild Dude That Never Grew Up Totally. Kurt is still flying by the seat of his pants and Mark is uncomfortably wearing his like Urkel. I read a review a few weeks ago that said how the viewer sees both Mark and Kurt by the end of the film will say a lot about how that viewer sees life in general and I think that is a fair and interesting comment
.
Kurt is played by Will Oldham, a musician who occasionally acts. Mark is played by Daniel London. The two are so believable it sometimes feels as though you are watching a documentary of sorts, esp with all the nature shots in the film. It really sucked me in. If you can't handle films that are meandering and low on plot, this ain't the flick for you. If you are in a yoga mat kind of mood though, you might get into it. Actually, despite my stance, I truly did. Geez.
I'd like to stress again here on my blog (strongly) that I am not a Yoga Mat Person, but I will say this
movie has a meditational feeling to it. By that, I mean while you watch it there is so much silence and there are so many moments of a quiet kind of reflection that when you finish watching it you really do feel like you went somewhere else on a journey.The journey of the film takes place in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Old friends from way back Mark and Kurt meet up and go camping. They haven't seen each other in a long time and it's obvious that their lives have branched far away from one another in those years apart. What's great about this film is that the issues that this growing apart have caused are never directly addressed. Instead, the filmmaker Kelly Reichardt allows the viewer to use those gorgeous silent moments to absorb thoughts and scenery and to reflect, bring about one's own ideas, and draw one's own conclusions. I love it when movies don't preach their message to you,slam you over the head with whatever it is they are trying to get you to feel, and this one is brilliant in that regard.
The film definitely sparked my own memories about similar experiences. It got the awkward silences right for sure. Mark is the Reformed And Now Responsible Guy and Kurt is the Wild Dude That Never Grew Up Totally. Kurt is still flying by the seat of his pants and Mark is uncomfortably wearing his like Urkel. I read a review a few weeks ago that said how the viewer sees both Mark and Kurt by the end of the film will say a lot about how that viewer sees life in general and I think that is a fair and interesting comment. Kurt is played by Will Oldham, a musician who occasionally acts. Mark is played by Daniel London. The two are so believable it sometimes feels as though you are watching a documentary of sorts, esp with all the nature shots in the film. It really sucked me in. If you can't handle films that are meandering and low on plot, this ain't the flick for you. If you are in a yoga mat kind of mood though, you might get into it. Actually, despite my stance, I truly did. Geez.
Relevant Tags
Old Joy, Will Oldham, Yoga MatsComments
you and h should check this one out sometime... although, there is peen in the movie(!) and will oldham didn't do the soundtrack. i love that 28 weeks later is your version of solace. you and josh n andrew n everyone else i know!
P--n? You dropped the P-bomb on me! I might not be bisexual, but all my girlfriends are! Or, they were! Oh, gurl ...
I cannot say how much my soul is touched when I have the chance to nestle up next to your brain in a fresh new blog. Many would say I am just touched in General, but they can't pull rank with me. I am altering, or am I alerting, reality ever so slightly to create a perfect moment: just as you sat and watched the majesty and meander of this movie, I sat and mewled and thrashed at the breath-taking beauty of 28 Weeks Later. As the fern brushes the ankle of your mind, as the stream blows cool mist through your long brown Marin locks, I find myself vomiting engorged lungfuls of blood upon people who scream, cry and run run run run run. And a tall cool drink of water to anyone who thinks my tongue is in my cheek, not trapped bleeding between my teeth: There are now 3 copies of Will Oldham musical discs in my home: at ease, in companionship with the raging howls of the divine and oft blood-covered Diamanda Galas. Om. All is right with the world.