Happy Christmas

Dir: Joe Swanberg

2014

***

I thought Joe Swanberg’s 2013 film Drinking Buddies was pretty good, although I think the whole ‘mumblecore’ movement is a bit ridiculous. His 2014 follow up Happy Christmas is a film very much in the same vein, but not quite as accomplished. I’m all for improvisation, and when you realise that there was absolutely no script and only an outline of what each actor/character was meant to do, it’s actually quite remarkable. However, some of the actors are better at it than others. Lene Dunham is quite at home with improvisation is better at it then everyone else by some margin. On the other end of the scale, Anna Kendrick, who I do really like, is awful. Her entire dialogue throughout the film is ‘But like, but like, I dunno, but like’ and it gets pretty tedious. The story has very little to do with Christmas, it just so happens to take place during the festive season but to be fair it does deal with some of the emotions associated with it. The thing is though, Drinking Buddies had a point to it and a rewarding conclusion, Happy Christmas on the other had is one of those incredibly frustrating films that acts as a slight window into a handful of people’s lives. It has a beginning and a middle but utterly fails in producing an ending. There is a nice little five minute scene just after the first set of credits roll up the screen but it is just a great bit of improvisation that belonged in the middle of the story. It is clearly a low-budget, easy-going, lets-get-out-there-and-film-something venture, and as an ex-film student I’m all about that way of making films, it’s just all a little too casual, and in trying so desperately to come across as natural, the film ends up looking incredibly forced. They might as well be jumping up and down screaming “look at us, we’ve got no script, we’re making all of this stuff up and it is brilliant!”, instead of thinking of something interesting to say. I didn’t really relate to any of the characters either, I did in Drinking Buddies but Happy Christmas features characters I’ve have ever met before. It’s far from the ‘coming of age’ film it thinks it is either and to think of it as a rites of passage film is pretty absurd too. The best thing about the film is its best actor. No, not the leading lady Anna Kendrick, not the very talented Lena Dunham or director Joe Swanberg – but his baby son Jude. That kid is super adorable with buckets full of charm. He is by far the best thing about the film and you can kind of tell that the other actors are thinking the exact same thing. Easy to watch and I suppose you could call it a refreshing alternative Christmas film but Joe Swanberg needs to pull a new trick out of his sleeve as I think this style of film making has limited appeal and a definite shelf-life.

 

V/H/S
Dir: Ti West, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, David Brukner, Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid
2012
***
 Found Footage has been overdone a little of late, it can get a bit samey so I welcome the inventiveness that V/H/S brings. That said, V/H/S is basically 50% brilliant and 50% crap. The film that binds the shorts together (tape 56) is probably the worst part of this film as it brings nothing to the overall film and it doesn't lead into the short films particularly well and is unnecessarily nasty at the start which I'm sure must have put many people of right away. The first film, Amateur Night, is probably the best of the lot. It has real scares, is creepy throughout and reaches a brilliant conclusion. Second Honeymoon is boring in comparison, the twist ending is disappointing to say the least, not to mention far too graphic to be on the right side of acceptable. The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger was original and effective, probably the cleverest of the films but again, I think it could have been explored better and dare I say, saved for it's own feature length film. Tuesday the 17th is the token spoof film that seems totally out of place. Although, as ridiculous as the pixelated bad guy was, I quite liked him. The last film, 10/31/98 is probably the most fun of the films. The mysterious collective of directors that call themselves Radio Silence go for all out action. No need for character development, they get down to business, an idea that serves the film well. Overall, the film is definitely worth watching, along with The Cabin in the Woods (also released in 2012), this defines a genre to the point where others need to up their game (or stop). The overall aspect I most object to (apart from the fact very little of it is filmed on VHS) are the constant sexual and often sexually-violent scenes. What is it with horror films and guys with hand-held cameras? It's probably the most disturbing factor for me and it doesn't sit well, it's not nice seeing women treated like this and it's not nice seeing young men constantly portrayed as rapists. Let's see an end to it and some female horror directors would be a nice change too!

Drinking Buddies
Dir: Joe Swanberg
2013
***
Sited as the first film of the 'Mumblecore' movement to be recognised as such and to high acclaim. Personally I think the term mumblecore is as stupid as it sounds. I recognise the style and like it most of the time but this style is nothing knew and is quite common universally. It's a bullshit idea that applies only to those who refuse to watch anything other than independent American cinema, like it's the pinnacle of all things creative. I'm not knocking independent American cinema, I like it very much but there is a huge difference between this kind of film and the French new wave and much in between. The need to label everything has lead to everything being labeled incorrectly, misunderstood and unfairly ridiculed, like there are any rules. Anyway, Drinking Buddies is a performance driven simple tale of relationships and beer. I work brilliantly although I did find myself wondering if director Swanberg knows the difference between intrigue and pulling teeth. For all of its pain flaws (and they are painful) it can't be accused of being unrealistic, the truth is that these are painful truths brought to life. Well done but frustrating all the same. Why only 3 stars? Because you can only watch it once.