LA Log

LA Log to dip itself into the Pacific and float away

June 7, 2011

Back in 2006 when I started this blog, Michael Richards had just gone on a racist rant and Ms. Spears was partying sans underwear. The... The world was a different place, my friends.

(We wouldn’t learn true racism and crazy until Mel Gibson got pulled over in Malibu and Paris Hilton took train wreck to whole new level when she was booked in the pokey.)

Having never before blogged, I struggled early on with the ability to churn, to be brief, and to not worry about narrative construction as long as I had dish.

I rarely had dish. Hollywood gossip has never been my thing. I still struggle to recognize celebrities. I shook hands with Gisele once and had no idea who she was until I asked her last name (had she been shirtless I would have had her at hello). A few friends have become B-list stars and a few others have dated stars, but I had no interest in pumping them for scoops.

So I took the tack of responding to the hottest stories of Hollywood with witty commentary, sometimes delightfully juvenile, and sometimes utterly dumb. It was hard to be fresh, to mix in Minnesota perspective, and to stay alert to what flavor of the month had connections to the ‘Sota.

I forced it more than a few times, pushed cheap jokes, and gnawed on my gums a day after I’d posted. I often felt that pain, that wish for another draft before it went live, but blogging and limited editing rarely allowed for second guessing.

When I started to embrace the inherit narcissism in blogging, my angst freed up. I would write what I know and I know my LA life, which is not a Hollywood LA life but more of hipster, urban, liberal, Nissan Sentra-driven life.

The "Hipster Barbecue " blog was one of my first posts to let loose.

More would follow and as I now look back I’m delighted to see an awkwardly constructed tale of the last 5 years of my life in Los Angeles. Self-indulgence does have its benefits: preservation.

I’ve had a few highlights over the years. Kevin Roderick of LA Observed, the premiere Los Angles media blog, linked to a few of my blogs ("Kobe and Sex in the City" and "Kudo's of 2009").

Then there was my Sarah Palin rap, High Sticking Hockey Mom, during the RNC in which Garrison Keillor said of my performance: “He’s got a lot of energy and verticality.”

But the crowning achievement came from The City and Regional Magazine Association in 2008 when mspmag.com won outstanding blogs. The judge’s notes included this:

"And, I love the way they showcase blogs in the upper right hand corner, one of the prime eyeball targets on the home page. If I click one link on that page, it’s going to be LA Log, A Minnesotan in Tinseltown, which is an odd but compelling idea of its own."

"Odd but compelling." Helluva tombstone.

Thank you all for reading. And a special thanks to my superb editors and supporters over the years: Megan Wiley, Jane Di Leo, Anna Befort, Emily Howald, Maura Ryan, Kyong Ham, Elizabeth "Good Hair" Brennan, Gary Johnson, Theresa Nelson, and Brian E. Anderson. I couldn't have done it without you.

I’ll see you on down the trail.

-David Anderson

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LA Log's Blog on Tim Hetherington

April 22, 2011

The passing of Tim Hetherington this week is terribly sad and a tragedy to journalism, filmmakers, and those seeking to understand the complexity of America's... The passing of Tim Hetherington this week is terribly sad and a tragedy to journalism, filmmakers, and those seeking to understand the complexity of Americas conflicts. Below I've re-posted my blog from last year about a screening of Hetherington's Oscar nominated film, Restrepo in which I was able to ask Hetherington a question.
- David A.

June 28, 2010, 2:29 PM

Restrepo: A Near-Perfect Film at a Perfect Time

By David Anderson

I was fortunate enough this past weekend to see Restrepo, the latest in the canon of films on Prez Bush’s wars—this one: Afghanistan. I am compelled to rave about the film not only because it’s really good, but also because it needs help. It screened in just two cities over the weekend and brought in a paltry $30,500 in box office receipts. Compare it with Tommy Cruises’ Knight and Day, which grossed over $20 million, and I find myself a little irritated. And while Cami Diaz straddling the Cruiser on a motorcycle and firing semi-automatic weapons is titillating to gay/straight/and most tween audiences, it doesn’t address what the heck we’re doing in our nation’s longest war on record.

Restrepo, a feature-length documentary, is as adrenaline pumping as any summer blockbuster and as heartstring pulling as any summer buddy story. Seriously, it’s that good. The film follows a platoon of U.S. soldiers stationed in a 15-man outpost on a war-torn cliff in a volatile region of Afghanistan in 2007. It’s the most intimate experience of war I’ve seen, as the two filmmakers, writer Sebastian Junger (author of The Perfect Storm) and photojournalist Tim Hetherington, embedded with the soldiers for a 14-month deployment. They come away with gut-wrenching footage of machine gun battles and gruesome death, along with raw and beautiful portraits of our brave men fighting a confounding war. A.O. Scott described it beautifully in his review for The New York Times:

“What you come away with, above all, is a sense of the fragile, indelible individuality of the soldiers, whose names, faces and ways of talking are likely to stick in your mind for a long time.”

I am still finding myself haunted by these soldiers.

After the screening, I sat in on a short discussion with filmmaker Tim Hetherington. There is great angst among the filmmakers to get the film seen outside of the New York and Los Angeles art houses. With current enlisted soldiers in the audience, Hetherington spoke of the need to have the film screened on our military bases and their surrounding communities. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its debilitating impact on returning soldiers is certainly on Hetherington’s mind. Perhaps the film could help families of enlistees understand the experience of their loved ones deployment.

I asked Hetherington if, as a filmmaker, witnessing the same battles that these soldiers fought caused him to experience any PTSD. Perhaps not wanting to take the focus off those in uniform, he evaded the question and suggested that anyone can experience PTSD.

A day later I listened to Hetherington’s NPR interview on All Things Considered and heard how deeply this filmmaker is processing and seeking to understand his war experience. For a good 35 seconds, this renowned war zone photojournalist broke down into tears while answering a question about witnessing the death of a soldier in the platoon.

Restrepo is a haunting film, crafted with the kind of honesty and intimacy that deserves an audience and national discussion. Please do these brave soldiers and their story right and see the film when it comes to your local theater. It’s about time we started taking a serious look at America’s longest running war.

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Elizabeth Taylor

March 25, 2011

Note: The principal writer of this blog is still alive. It’s been awhile since I last blogged; I’ve been thinking a lot about death, finitude, the...]]> Note: The principal writer of this blog is still alive.

It’s been awhile since I last blogged; I’ve been thinking a lot about death, finitude, the signs of aging . . . and such prince of darkness ponderings don’t lend themselves well to a youthful hipster Hollywood blog.

But then Elizabeth Taylor tragically ascended to the great beyond, and I was roused to respond.

Elizabeth, as I knew her from my mother and grandmother, was not part of my life. She is truly a baby boomer and greatest generation star. As a generation X/Y, I only had her on my radar because of her friendship with Michael Jackson. During my childhood I often confused her with Liza Minnelli and encouraged all my friends to see how good Elizabeth Taylor was in Arthur.

When Elizabeth married the construction worker she met at the Betty Ford clinic, I couldn’t understand how this powerful, elegant woman would want to marry a man covered in sawdust. Carpenters are cool though, and I soon took to hammering things, mainly nails into firewood logs in attempt to make rustic benches. (Note: I think I would have had my rustic bench period regardless of Elizabeth’s lovers.)

In college we were supposed to read Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf but anyone who has read Albee know it can be quite taxing, especially the morning after a sorority formal. So, I watched the movie and saw, for the first time, Ms. Taylor as the tremendous actor that she was. A hangover can produce the most wonderful introductions and discoveries. Thank you Tri Delt Winter Formal ’98 with the souvenir shot glass.

Reading her New York Times obituary this week I was struck by two things. First, she lived life to the fullest and did it both terribly and wonderfully. And yet she handled this personal dichotomy with impressive amount of acceptance (or at least led us to believe she did). Secondly, the byline at the end of the obit read: “Mel Gussow, the principal writer of this article, died in 2005.”

It’s no secret that a major star’s obit is written prematurely to ensure expedient publication. But, Elizabeth Taylor outlived her obit writer by six years. We should all hope to be so lucky.

Final Sundance 2011 Thoughts

February 7, 2011

Unfortunately, post Bobby Redford's big film dance I came down with a bad Sundance croup. Coughing and hacking in bed for most of the last... Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, which can be viewed here (it was viral success before it became a Sundance pick) helps laugh out nasal congestion.

Starring the voice of Saturday Night Live actor Jenny Slate (the one who dropped the f-bomb on a live broadcast), the film was part of the Short Film Package 3. Slate is supposedly looking into developing a children's book/series off of sweet little Marcel.

Although I didn’t see his film at Sundance, Minnesota’s own Tom Shroeder showed his documentary/animated work, Bike Race, in Short Film Package 4. It’s unique take on a love triangle and has some local flavor as well. Check it out on YouTube here.

Other films of note . . .

Michele Williams, fresh from her Oscar nomination in Blue Valentine, starred in the mesmerizing, plaintive, and at times exhausting feature, Meek’s Cutoff. Williams dominates this unique western, a telling of the Oregon Trail gone bad. Directed by Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Old Joy), the film drills home the notion that the trip west was one of endurance, monotony, and madness. Aided by a sparse soundtrack with an ever-present sound of a creaking wagon wheel, it’s a beautiful slow film that would drive my ADHD relatives mad.

Speaking of standout female performances, I was quite impressed with Emma Roberts (Unfabulous, Valentine’s Day) in Gavin Wiesen's film, Homework. Maybe it was the gaffer’s work (lighting designer on the film), but Roberts looked ethereal as she moved through New York with Freddie Highmore’s misanthropic teenage character. Her performance as a friend/lover to Freddie is equally as magnetic. I’ll go out and say it, she’s a young Scarlett Johansson. Ryan Reynolds, game on.

Finally, I must mention Knuckle from Irsh filmmaker Ian Palmer. The feature doc tells the story of Irish Traveller familes (a nomadic, gypsy-like people of Ireland) who resolve disputes between other Traveller families with bare-knuckle fights. The rich film raises more questions than it answers, and its voyeurism into violence reminds us all that mired within carnal tendencies is also a sweet and intentioned search for purpose, family, and theatrics. It looks as if a dramtic remake is likely, although I think seeing this community in Palmer's documentary produces a far deeper and thoughtful film.

If you want to see a really deep film, though, I'd check out this Mount Rushmore tribute. It was too irreverent for Sundance.
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Miranda July's film: "The Future" and Kermit the Frogs new love

January 29, 2011

I took a break from movie watching to test out some fresh snow and look at the celebrity I found chilling in a tree-- Kermit... In my previous Sundance post I promised nudity. So I’ll offer some up immediately. See photo of naked frog above.

I took a break from movie watching to test out some fresh snow and look at the celebrity I found chilling in a tree-- Kermit the Frog himself! He’d taken a bad spill, yard-sale style, on his Burton, lost his clothes, and ended up in a pine tree. The amphibian didn’t have a film in the festival this year but said he’s “casually dating” Paw Paw, the puppet, pseudo Muppet and narrator of Miranda July’s latest effort, The Future.

I saw the film’s premiere last Friday to a packed Sundance theater. Much like her previous film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, this film is an incredibly crafted film with quirky, thoughtful wit that comes from July’s refreshing perspective that humans are a passionate, lonely, sad, and downright absurd species. Coupled with her unique narrative structure --there’s a form of time travel involved--, its originality will certainly do well at art houses. The film follows a young couple as they embark on a mission to find their true selves before a special needs house cat, Paw Paw, will join their life and supposedly lock them into ritual and domesticity. Paw Paw’s performance nearly brought me to tears, seriously. I can see why Kermit is so into it. (FYI: Paw Paw's voice is played by Miranda July and the cartoonish croonings of hope from this cat about "going home" pull at the heart strings in the least most "precious" way. July has found an eccentric way to express sentimentality without being sentimental.)

During the Q&A after the film, July revealed that the actor who played the supporting character of Joe, a sagacious old man, was a non-actor. July met him when she answered his Pennysaver classified ad selling some product (Pennysaver is a national ad periodical that is also featured in the film).

Joe, a natural actor who'd never acted before, improvised beautifully in a scene in which he sells his used hair dryer. The sincerity of the performance mixed with the deconstruction of how one might best sell a used hairdryer, highlighting all its features (cool air button, on/off switch, hi/low switch, easy to plug in cord) is both hilarious and real. Any audience will devour it.

That said, when Joe’s character later becomes the omniscient voice of the moon, a broader, more mainstream audience may struggle with the choice. Then again it’s when July takes bold risks in her storytelling that her prowess as filmmaker shines brightest.

The Future was easily my favorite film of the festival. And I'm glad to see Kermit has moved on to a more relevant star than Piggy.

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