Post by klep on Dec 28, 2015 7:29:19 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/28: Tangerine
LAST WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
There are multiple aspects of Tangerine that make it remarkable. The first (though less important) is that it was shot on the iPhone 5s rather than a proper movie camera. Despite this limitation, Sean Baker is able to do a phenomenal job capturing the streets of the Los Angeles sprawl. It's a beautifully-shot film, and it should serve as a thrown gauntlet to all those professional and amateur filmmakers out there whose films fail to look this good.
What really makes Tangerine a special film is that its two trans lead roles are played by two actual trans actors, who collaborated with Baker in developing the film's depiction of the challenges faced by trans people. This is sadly a very rare occurance in Hollywood, which prefers to let cis people take trans roles (such as in The Danish Girl or Dallas Buyers Club). It's definitely a series of missed opportunities by Hollywood, as despite Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez having no significant prior acting experience, you would think they were veterans based on their performances in this film.
In Tangerine, Alexandra (Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Rodriguez) are a pair of prostitutes reunited after Sin-Dee spent a brief stint in jail, when Alexandra reveals that Sin-Dee's boyfriend has been cheating on her in her absence. What follows is a series of amusing hijinks as Sin-Dee works to track down both her boyfriend and his mistress to have it out with them.
But why are we talking about this film now? Well, Tangerine takes place on Christmas Eve (and early Christmas morning), and films have been considered Christmas films for no greater reason. But Tangerine also ties into the meaning for the season, as it's ultimately about the importance of families both blood and makeshift. By the end of the film, all of its primary characters are forced to face the choices they've made and decide who and what really matters to them.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/4: The Social Network
FIRST WEEK OF 2016!
The new year will be ushered in by a multiple-nominee and strong candidate for David Fincher's best film (though I think most of us still prefer Zodiac for various reasons). It was a close fight between masterpiece and disasterpiece, but ultimately The Room was edged out. The Social Network is available on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members. We'll be skipping discussion of the Next Picture Show podcast current film this week, as The Revenant is only in limited release and too few of us will have been able to see it.
LAST WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
There are multiple aspects of Tangerine that make it remarkable. The first (though less important) is that it was shot on the iPhone 5s rather than a proper movie camera. Despite this limitation, Sean Baker is able to do a phenomenal job capturing the streets of the Los Angeles sprawl. It's a beautifully-shot film, and it should serve as a thrown gauntlet to all those professional and amateur filmmakers out there whose films fail to look this good.
What really makes Tangerine a special film is that its two trans lead roles are played by two actual trans actors, who collaborated with Baker in developing the film's depiction of the challenges faced by trans people. This is sadly a very rare occurance in Hollywood, which prefers to let cis people take trans roles (such as in The Danish Girl or Dallas Buyers Club). It's definitely a series of missed opportunities by Hollywood, as despite Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez having no significant prior acting experience, you would think they were veterans based on their performances in this film.
In Tangerine, Alexandra (Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Rodriguez) are a pair of prostitutes reunited after Sin-Dee spent a brief stint in jail, when Alexandra reveals that Sin-Dee's boyfriend has been cheating on her in her absence. What follows is a series of amusing hijinks as Sin-Dee works to track down both her boyfriend and his mistress to have it out with them.
But why are we talking about this film now? Well, Tangerine takes place on Christmas Eve (and early Christmas morning), and films have been considered Christmas films for no greater reason. But Tangerine also ties into the meaning for the season, as it's ultimately about the importance of families both blood and makeshift. By the end of the film, all of its primary characters are forced to face the choices they've made and decide who and what really matters to them.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 1/4: The Social Network
FIRST WEEK OF 2016!
The new year will be ushered in by a multiple-nominee and strong candidate for David Fincher's best film (though I think most of us still prefer Zodiac for various reasons). It was a close fight between masterpiece and disasterpiece, but ultimately The Room was edged out. The Social Network is available on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members. We'll be skipping discussion of the Next Picture Show podcast current film this week, as The Revenant is only in limited release and too few of us will have been able to see it.