Brandon Comments:
The preparation for Tooda’s Selection of ‘The Sea Inside’ felt almost as long, painful, and arduous as Ramón Sampredo’s will to end his own life. OK, maybe not as dramatic as the desire to end one’s own life, but Tooda and the Crew went through hell and high water to keep our cabaret alive by moving Back Yard locations, setting up, rewiring, and preparing a new Stucco screen before the sun set on more than just a Wednesday - before the sun set on our institution.
‘The Sea Inside’ is a heavy film that takes viewers to a place most aren’t ready to go to, but you’re glad you did by the film’s end. I understand that this film is very dear to the SELECTOR’s heart, and I can see how Tooda would get angry by a cacophony of noises, barks, and so on during the film. But with a Crew where everyone is drinking beer and wine (among other things) after a hard day’s work, I can also see the Crew’s desire to watch a film that takes you away from your real-life troubles, that elevates you above a home life filled with children, mortgages, taxes, wives, broken hearts, and work the next day. But in the end, a film isn’t supposed to be the drug that makes everything better: A film is a piece of art that the director, the writer, and the actors (and in our case, the SELECTOR) shares with an audience to enlighten them, to show them a world they can only imagine, to educate them, and to open their eyes and hearts to a life that is not their own.
I, for one, will watch any movie presented to me, because I take something from each film. I learn something from each film. I live in someone else’s skin for two hours every Wednesday night, and for this I am grateful. Whether I leave the Back Yard sad, happy, angry, or energized, it does not matter. Because I leave that Back Yard with something I didn’t come there with. And to me, that is all that matters.
Tooda, I loved your Selection. But you did scare the shit out of me. You had venom in your eyes at the film’s end, and I think a lot of the Crew was a little too scared to come back to your apartment for the post-Movienight party in fear of getting a faceful of Tooda fist. But I like to live dangerously, and apparently so does Nubs and Amy, because we were all there toasting the passing of Kurt Vonnegut and the passing of Backyard #2 in your apartment. And I, as I’m sure Nubs and Amy too, will always take that wild ride to Crazy-ville with you, Tooda. Because a passion for anything is something this world has too little of.
And thanks to Mr. Wiener for a terrific venue, and another terrific venue. I’ll take a small dog barking any day just to have a place to go to Wednesday nights to watch amazing films and be with family.
Buffy Comments:
Let me offer a paean to all who worked so tirelessly to ensure that Movienight persevered despite all obstacles. To arrive and simply have a seat and a glass of wine is a luxury beyond measure, truly. Thank you so much for caring about the group and the night enough to bust out another fine evening. To Amy, the voice of reason in the dark night of the soul. To Wiener, thank god you’re a magnate, that was some good foresight. To Buck and Slim—way to shoulder some shuttle duty. And, because this is Tooda’s pick…may these words bring additional glory upon the very shoulders which bear so much of the practical burden of manifesting Movienight on the material plane, via the internets and wirings and whatnots. Personally I think Velvet was just fucking with you by the end, dear sir, but dachshunds are like that—which is a lot of moxie, considering Velvet is about the size of a crudite. My senses marked a change in the group—life without Coolbaugh, without doubt. But of course his benediction rings still through the dark and chill Wednesday night. I missed Jaja’s sassy self, girl where are you?…but team vag had a strong showing overall to be sure.
This film indeed portrayed a strange and tangled internal sea, lots of hidden undertows and quiet spots lurking with danger. An interior ‘Jaws’: vast, grey, cold, something driven by nature to kill…and also like ‘Jaws’ because by the end I was like, kill him so that I can get warm again (my fault for forgetting my Movienight Blanket™). Listen, Tooda…this movie did get under my skin in a thoughtful way, to be sure, but as you may judge from a recent myspace blog, the topic of wanting to die has of late become filled with levity.
A few life theories reinforced by the film:
1—Don’t fall in love with a lawyer, or a doctor, unless you are one of either yourself. I bet that letter from the lady with the disease was actually a disclaimer absolving her of all responsibility for any ill effects of her bailing on their big Romeo and Juliet/BOC death trip;
2—Men would find a way to two-time their lady even if they had no use of their arms and legs;
3—It’s the wife who does the dirty work and the mistress who gets the love;
4—Dying should not be that big a deal, but feeling emotion around it is still healthier than not.
By the way, have we seen one movie without a priest in it? Is there some Catholic law about it? I do think it bears noting, since religion and morality are brought into this heady death trip, that the choice to live or die is made with every breath, is given to each man, and to ignore that is plain silly.
Anyhoo, a sneaker wave of a pick, Tooda, and well-played.
Netti Comments:
First of all, Ben definitely deserves the thanks he has received and I second all of the comments in those respects. He dedicates himself with passion to this salon. It's a great way to spend a Wednesday night. I like all of you guys and I wouldn't have gotten to know most of you without this venue. So thanks Ben for taking my simple little idea of Movienight and making it something my humble little imagination couldn't have come up with. Also, It was kind of funny watching a giant of a man chasing around a dachshund. Shit, I'm sorry I missed the breakdown back at Tooda's I might've gone for one too. It's been a good couple of crazy weeks, guess I'm due.
I couldn't get the echos of the day out of my head. ‘The Sea Inside’ at times did release me from these perturbations, but only briefly and intermittently. I never fully got on board.
I don't know how many films would have served as a total escape on this particular evening, but this one certainly did not. Perhaps on another night I would have been swept away by the Prince of Tides of ‘the Sea Inside,’ however, on this night I was not. I was instead often in my own thoughts and interested in the sky above me.
Chick flick? Maybe. I feel our definition is loose and the argument would be largely one of semantics. However, I did feel that the film was rendered like a chick flick. The Irish whistle/bagpipe combo was reminiscent of the sea outside the Titanic. The montage of getting ready for the big game (the trial) was strained. I didn't feel any space for me to meet this film. The smile on Bardem's face (we are told it is really a frown) is a picture of human being trying to pretend that he is happier than he is. Well, I say leave it at that, a picture. We don't need to be told. We get it. That kind of sums it up for me. Any more from me and I turn into one of these guys.
Nubs Comments:
Tooda Davis demonstrated the undying love and respect he has for our Crew with his pick, ‘The Sea Inside.’ I write that not just because it’s the first sentence Tooda will read before publishing, and I’d like it published, but also because it’s true. Against all odds, Tooda has kept Movienight alive. With a lot of help from Wildcard, our unsung hero, the two moved the set-up once and then finding our new location destroyed, moved us a second time in two weeks. Against all odds of purple walls to be painted, duct-tape and cords, swimming pools, raccoons, rats, wiener dogs, late-comers, and more, Davis trudged on to bring us his riskiest pick to date. ‘Against All Odds’ is a chick-flick. ‘The Sea Inside’ is not. It is however a lovely, stagnant, totally foreign, tear-jerking anti-Movienight flick that would take a miracle to pull off as a Slam Dunk. No miracle came.
As we have documented, some risky picks have been graced with fortunate circumstances or weak defenses that allow it to shine. ‘My Dinner with Andre,’ ‘Stand by Me,’ ‘Joe versus the Volcano,’ ‘Cinema Paradiso,’ all are 5’6” white guys on paper that somehow jumped high enough to dunk. Davis felt the Crew was ready for this talky, sentimental, transcendental piece about life and death, and for that I am honored. For his faith and devotion Davis is the wind beneath our wings (‘Beaches’ is a chick flick).
It is because the respect and admiration is mutual that it is now time for Tooda to take his medicine. For the sake of Andy and Jaja with the Tea Break, for chatty-kathy Lisa, for both Coolbaugh and me showing the wrong print, for giggly Buffy, Bobi, Peter and anyone else who has deservedly suffered a Tooda tirade, his time has come. Velvet, Bobi, and ambient sound accounted for 30% of the distractions that night. The other 70% came from you, Mr. Davis. Endless dealings with the dog, multiple passes before the screen and over subtitles, granted all done in an effort to help our experience, and bottle after bottle droppings made it about as easy as watching this art film in the Back Yard as it would have been in a bowling alley. Aside from the noise, your energy made me more concerned and sympathetic to your plight than the quadriplegic that longed to be put out of his misery. I understand the nervousness and vulnerability one feels by putting his heart on the wall to judge, but you would have berated any of us were we that animated. Pat, myself, and others, who will remain nameless for protection, found the irony quite hilarious. You did not, so as I tell my daughter, “if they laugh at you, it just means your being funny.” She doesn’t get it either. Let us link to the “Too Precious” blog here and move on.
Perhaps if we could watch from across a large body of water as Tooda intended, perhaps if he didn’t reveal the name of film and we heard Wiener’s protest for an audible, perhaps if there weren’t the aforementioned distractions - this film could work. ‘The Sea Inside’ is a beautiful, provocative piece of cinema to be respected…on Tuesday. Ten minutes into it I was having thoughts of drinking less, spending more quality time with my family, and generally appreciating more the wonderful gift of life. That is not why I come out on Wednesday. With Coolbaugh gone, I can see that we can let our manly guard down a bit, but Movienight is never about making grown men cry. Even Buffy was heard to say, “I just want to watch ‘Meatballs’ is that so wrong?” It’s great that Davis thinks we were ready to share this with him, but I don’t think we’re there yet. Nor do I want to be.
Javier Bardem’s performance is powerfully convincing. The direction, too, is inspiring in the way we see life and passion integrated into every scene of a movie about death. We all seemed a bit confused about all his relationships in the movie, but the dream sequences made up for it. I was hoping to keep my Comments short after learning that some readers like Coolbaugh only skim my work intimidated by my mass, but this gave me a lot of space to gather thoughts. Perhaps if I close with a Beatles’ quote Coolbaugh will read it in it’s entirety. I am sorry the night didn’t go better for you, Mr. Davis, but your respect and admiration was felt in your pick and in your effort. “And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Wiener Comments:
I had never seen the preparations that went in to getting a yard ready for Movienight before. And I apologize to all, but especially to Mr. Davis, for some measure of taking Movienight for granted. Granted, last week involved exceptional effort and a futile visit to Home Depot. But even the weekly activity of arranging the chairs, setting up the projector, getting the sound right, and sweeping the patio seemed like a lot work. There were many hands to make the work a little less heavy on Wednesday (thanks, Slim, Nubs and Amy). And while my appreciation for Mr. Davis's efforts won't change the fact that ‘The Sea Inside’ is not a movie I'd ever remotely consider remotely fitting for Movienight, it does give him license to complain about Velvet's bad manners. His heroic work to make sure Movienight happened should have been better appreciated by my willful dachshund. That being said, even if Velvet doesn't appreciate the weekly effort that Mr. Davis puts in to make Movienight what it is, I certainly do. And I think we all owe Mr. Davis a great debt of thanks for the hard work he puts in, so we can come together and relax.
With the infrastructure in place, I look forward to less work for Mr. Davis next week. I also look forward to showing a movie that's not ‘My Left Foot,’ ‘Mask,’ ‘The Sweet Hereafter,’ ‘Brian's Song,’ ‘Terms of Endearment,’ or anything else that might sap my will to live.
SELECTOR Comments:
Well, shit.
I’m not sure where to begin. Ah, yes-
For those that made it back to my place after the film, I am sorry you had to see that. I melted down. If it isn’t already clear, I take movies seriously. Movienight? I take it very seriously. The loss of the Coolbaughs, the loss of our Back Yard, the nail-biting day I had last week trying to install our system in the Wiener’s New Back Yard before the sun went down – the stress has been building for me. So when Amy and I arrived at the Wiener’s Back Yard yesterday to paint the purple wall white and instead discovered the whole porch demolished, I was crestfallen.
But Movienight must go on.
It was phenomenal yesterday afternoon that when the thought of canceling the screening was uttered by Nubs and I, it was flat out refused. Amy refused to hear it. WildCard Slim refused to hear it. Mr. Wiener refused to hear it. To me, that’s a beautiful thing. Thank you guys for treating Movienight with such sincere respect.
But still, the stress.
I have been very stressed about Movienight and despite everyone’s stalwart assistance, I have felt that keeping it alive has been my responsibility. So when we finally had the new Stucco ready for the show last night, I took a deep breath and hoped all would go well.
But then the freaking title of the film was revealed prematurely. And then Netti and Nubs wanted to move the chez lounge chairs around. And then Velvet barked over the whole fucking movie. And then my System shattered for the second week in a row. And then I lost my shit.
I won’t repeat the lessons I learned showing ‘Network,’ but I learned them again last night. ‘The Sea Inside’ is a remarkable film. But it was too precious to me, and that preciousness ruined my experience last night, and I fear my stress about it all ruined the film for others. I’m not certain how it went over with the Crew, but I am prepared for many ‘Wings of Desire’ comparisons. Still, under different circumstances, I believe this film would have worked, and worked well.
Mr. Wiener, you have the singular ability to not find Velvet’s barking irritating. You can focus past it, and it seems become totally unaware that she is making any noise at all. I don’t have that talent. As guests in your and Velvet’s home, I hesitate to suggest this, but would it be possible to keep Velvet indoors for the duration of the Selection on Movienight? You can only watch a film for the first time once, and the magic of cinema that ‘The Sea Inside’ speaks to at its start, has a hard time working with a very vocal dachshund protecting her Back Yard. If this is unworkable, please teach me how to not hear her. You know I love that dog - I have visited her in the hospital, I have spent hours playing the pool game with her, I have had her in my home. But man, does Velvet not get Movienight.
Anyways, I love this film. I chose it because it speaks to finding joy in sorrow. Living in dying. Hope in desperation. It may be that it would never work in the Back Yard under any circumstance, but as is true of ‘Wings of Desire,’ it is undeniably brilliant film making.
To Mr. Wiener, my continued thanks for your hospitality and continuing effort in keeping Movienight alive. Thank you for tolerating my efforts to curb Velvet, I hope you don’t feel I treated her shabbily.
To WildCard Slim, thanks for your ongoing help in moving Movienight here and there, your help over the last few weeks has meant the world to me.
To Nubs, thanks as well for the help yesterday, it was very nice to see you get your hands dirty for Movienight.
To Amy, thanks for trying to paint the wall, and getting me through the day.
To everyone, my apologies for being so high strung last night. I hope you understand that despite the pressure I have felt, if the choice was between fighting to keep Movienight alive, or letting it die with dignity, I would make a very different decision than Ramón.
Onwards.
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