Flannel Pajamas
On wednesday night, Graham and I went and saw Flannel Pajamas, a film that has been getting RAVE reviews EVERYWHERE, citing it as a relationship film up there with the likes of Annie Hall and Scenes from a Marriage. It could have been two hours of paint drying, for all I cared--I was just excited that I got to leave work early and go see a movie!
Never go see a movie that has hard edged, crusty critics, who usually HATE everything saying that it was the best thing they'd seen of its kind and that as long as they live, they will never forget it. I tell you now, that there is no place to go but down (and down we both went). I didn't like it that much, but that's all I'll say, and all I got out of my mouth to Graham, as we were walking out of the theater, when the usher stopped us and said, "WAIT! We forgot to tell people, the director is here to do a Q & A!" How often do you get to a chance to leave work early and go see a movie? How often is that followed with the actual WRITER AND DIRECTOR popping up and saying, "HEY! Is there anything you want to ask me?" So, we turned around and stayed with about 6 other people to talk with Jeff Lipsky.
For the record, we were of the minority who didn't like it. Two people thought it was the best thing they'd seen of its kind and as long as they lived, they'd never forget it. They also thought they were watching a movie about their own relationships and raised their hands to say, "I saw the scene when they are talking and I realized, YES, all those relationships I had WERE a waste of time!" Another woman said, "This movie showed me that men really DON'T have empathy." Which made Jeff Lipsky sort of chuckle and say, "Well, I'm not sure that's what I was going for in this movie, but I do think empathy is important in a relationship."
The things that this event told me: Filmmakers can be nervous, funny, and very human. They can also be great on the spot therapists, filtering people's entire histories with intimacy, and revealing even some of their own histories. I actually liked the movie a lot more after hearing him speak about what went into it. It is so easy to judge and to regard largely released art, like movies, and who makes them. Seeing the bald and nerdy Lipsky, with a microphone, talking to a room of 6 people, fielding their own reactions to his work, made me see it doesn't matter how "big" the project is--it's still, ultimately human. I hoped that they had told the NEXT showing that he would be there at the end. As a fellow human and an artist, I know I'd want a larger audience to talk to.
Never go see a movie that has hard edged, crusty critics, who usually HATE everything saying that it was the best thing they'd seen of its kind and that as long as they live, they will never forget it. I tell you now, that there is no place to go but down (and down we both went). I didn't like it that much, but that's all I'll say, and all I got out of my mouth to Graham, as we were walking out of the theater, when the usher stopped us and said, "WAIT! We forgot to tell people, the director is here to do a Q & A!" How often do you get to a chance to leave work early and go see a movie? How often is that followed with the actual WRITER AND DIRECTOR popping up and saying, "HEY! Is there anything you want to ask me?" So, we turned around and stayed with about 6 other people to talk with Jeff Lipsky.
For the record, we were of the minority who didn't like it. Two people thought it was the best thing they'd seen of its kind and as long as they lived, they'd never forget it. They also thought they were watching a movie about their own relationships and raised their hands to say, "I saw the scene when they are talking and I realized, YES, all those relationships I had WERE a waste of time!" Another woman said, "This movie showed me that men really DON'T have empathy." Which made Jeff Lipsky sort of chuckle and say, "Well, I'm not sure that's what I was going for in this movie, but I do think empathy is important in a relationship."
The things that this event told me: Filmmakers can be nervous, funny, and very human. They can also be great on the spot therapists, filtering people's entire histories with intimacy, and revealing even some of their own histories. I actually liked the movie a lot more after hearing him speak about what went into it. It is so easy to judge and to regard largely released art, like movies, and who makes them. Seeing the bald and nerdy Lipsky, with a microphone, talking to a room of 6 people, fielding their own reactions to his work, made me see it doesn't matter how "big" the project is--it's still, ultimately human. I hoped that they had told the NEXT showing that he would be there at the end. As a fellow human and an artist, I know I'd want a larger audience to talk to.
posted by Summer Pierre at
1:51 PM
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