Rec. #343: Stories We Tell

What: In the twisty documentary Stories We Tell, filmmaker/writer/actress Sarah Polley traces the threads of a particular knot in her family's history. Several of the people involved also happen to be actors and/or writers, and some of them had already mentally claimed this particular story for themselves. Tension ensues.

What could have been a kind of icky family exploitation is instead a thoughtful meditation on how we choose to narrate ourselves --- and who gets the right to tell someone else's story.

Representative quote: "When you're in the middle of a story, it isn't a story at all but rather a confusion, a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood ... It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all, when you're telling it to yourself or someone else."

How to get it: Currently available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Sarah Polley had a key role in the third season of Slings and Arrows (Rec. #287). Her dad, though, was in almost every single episode of the series. It's true. He's that one guy. You'll see.

Rec. #342: The Beginning of Spring (abbrev.)

What: Penelope Fitzgerald, print-works, Moscow, 1913, pre-revolution, British business, comedy of manners, Tolstoyan bookkeeper

Representative quote: "With the ruthlessness of the timid, Miss Kinsman was coming after him now to suggest that she would be suitable for the post of governess at 22 Lipka Street."

Connections to previous Wreckage: Fitzgerald also wrote The Blue Flower (Rec. #164), The Gate of Angels (Rec. #79), and Innocence (Rec. #243).

The Beginning of Spring was part of List #22: A Few of the Best Books I Read in 2012.

Quote from a Fictional Character #31

 "She's a great reader and anything literary she's down on like a pack of wolves."

--- Sam Adams [on daughter Heather],

The Old Bank House, Angela Thirkell, 1949

Also:

Cheerfulness Breaks In (Rec. #240)

Summer Half (Rec. #40)

Quote from a Fictional Character #12

List #41: Audrey Hepburn Runs Around Paris

Happy Birthday, Miss Hepburn! No one else runs around Paris quite so well.

1. Sabrina (1954)

Who/what she's running from: Teenage awkwardness.

Who/what she's running with: In Paris, a makeover montage sequence. After Paris, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden.

Representative Audrey quote: "Paris isn't for changing planes, it's... it's for changing your outlook, for... for throwing open the windows and letting in... letting in la vie en rose."

2. Funny Face (1957)

Who/what she's running from: The potential trappings of commercial success.

Who/what she's running with: Fred Astaire, playing a Richard Avedon-esque photographer.

Representative Audrey quote: "Take the picture, take the picture!"

3. Love in the Afternoon (1957)

Who/what she's running from: A woman-of-the-world past that she's completely made up.

Who/what she's running with: Gary Cooper, whose man-of-the-world past is entirely real.

Representative Audrey quote: "You know who I am, Mr. Flannagan. I'm the girl in the afternoon."

4. Charade (1963)

[Rec. #97]

Who/what she's running from: Several murderous bad guys.

Who/what she's running with: Cary Grant, who is not who he claims to be.

Representative Audrey quote: "Of course, you won't be able to lie on your back for a while but then you can lie from any position, can't you?"

5. Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

Who/what she's running from: Writer's block.

Who/what she's running with: William Holden, the writer who needs to be un-blocked.

Representative Audrey quote: "It's quite all right, really. I once worked for an American novelist who could only write in the bathtub. I'm used to anything."

6. How to Steal a Million (1966)

[Rec. #205]

Who/what she's running from: The police.

Who/what she's running with: Peter O'Toole, the best partner in crime a girl could have.

Representative Audrey quote: "For a burglar you're not very brave, are you?"

Also, not in Paris:

Wait Until Dark (Rec. #26)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #3: Case Histories

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Kate Atkinson's first foray into crime fiction was a massive success and an Orange Prize nominee for best novel of 2005. An award-winning literary novelist [currently being celebrated for Life After Life], Atkinson proves with Case Histories that genre divisions are, frankly, kind of silly. 

She introduces us to private detective Jackson Brodie, whose work on three cold cases we see through alternating points of view. Brodie's investigations continue in One Good Turn, When Will There Be Good News? (my personal fave), and Started Early, Took My Dog.

Comparable to: There's a bit of a Deborah Crombie flavor in the characterizations, but approached through a Mark Haddon-ish tone.

Representative quote: "Rosemary, their mother, said that she wished Olivia could stay at this age forever because she was so lovable. They had never heard her use that word to describe any of them. They had not even realized that such a word existed in her vocabulary."

You might not like it if: You are a bit squeamish about stories in which kids get disappeared.

How to get it: Available at most libraries and bookstores. Plus, there's a BBC1 series based on the Jackson Brodie novels. (I'm afraid to watch it because unless it's absolutely perfect, I will hate it so hard.)

Connections to other Wreckage: To review, the Jackson Brodie novels go in this order:

1. Case Histories

2. One Good Turn (Rec. #69)

3. When Will There Be Good News? [thebestbestbest] (Rec. #192)

4. Started Early, Took My Dog (Rec. #270)

[Originally posted 1/2/11.]

Rec. #341: Exactitudes

What: Exactitudes.com is a mesmerizing photo project that captures how clothing choice signals social group identity. "I wear this, so I belong to this, not to that" is a universal language, separating the rebels from the vagabonds from the mohawks. Plus, you know, cool pictures, like whoa.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Exactitudes was part of List #21: If I Had the Sort of Job Where I Could Spend Time Doing Things on the Internet, Here Are Some of the Things I Would Spend Time Doing. It's a good list.

Rec. #340: Orphan Black, season 1

What: Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Maslany.

OK, now that that's out of the way: If you somehow haven't already been plot-spoiled about this show, I'm not going to be the one to do it.

All you need to know is that Orphan Black is fast, it's rough, and it tumbles out in ways you don't expect. Also, Felix gets all the best lines*.

Some of Felix's best lines:
"Do not snap towels at me, Bobby. I had a very traumatic childhood."

"Is every man in your life a complete wanker, except me?"

"Divorces do really strange things to normals, Sarah. They lose their fake happiness, they forget the way to the mall, and then they come downtown to find themselves."

"I need to change clothes. Fetch me something gay."


How to get it: Season 1 of Orphan Black is available to stream for free with Amazon Prime. Also, at this moment at least, you can stream the first episode of season 2 on BBCAmerica.com.

Connections to previous Wreckage: See a bonus Felix quote in QfFC #10. Also, Orphan Black was part of List #37: Some of the Best TV I Watched in 2013.



*Actually, it could be argued that Alison gets the best lines. Almost all of her quotes contain spoilers, though, so shhhhhhh . . .

Quote from a Fictional Character #30

"I have no use for noble souls; what I need is an accomplice."

--- Electra, 

The Flies (Les Mouches), Jean-Paul Sartre, 1943

Friday Flashback: Rec. #72: Black Swan Green

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: The list of living authors whose books I will always read is a very short one, but David Mitchell makes the cut. He's an impressively versatile writer, and he excels in multi-perspective, layered narratives, such as his intricate puzzle-box of a novel, Cloud Atlas. With Black Swan Green, his fourth book, Mitchell simplifies everything, as if to prove that he's not all about fancy footwork and narrative sleight-of-hand. 

The stripped-down, straightforward novel tells the story of Jason Taylor, a thirteen-year-old boy in an English village in 1982. No flashbacks; no complex matryoshka-doll structure; no sweeping, multi-national settings; no tricks. Without the overarching structural flourishes, Mitchell's equal dexterity on a sentence level gets center stage.

Comparable to: I'd compare it to other coming-of-age stories, but, really, I haven't come across another book that succeeds in making a thirteen-year-old boy so human and likable.

Representative quote: "I cleaned my teeth without mercy. Mum and Dad can be as ratty or sarcastic or angry as they want to be, but if I ever show a flicker of being pissed off then they act like I've murdered babies . . . Kids can never complain about unfairness 'cause everyone knows kids always complain about that."

You might not like it if: You want all of David Mitchell's books to be like Cloud Atlas.

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able.

Connections to previous Wreckage: David Mitchell's first novel was Ghostwritten (Rec. #180) and his third novel was Cloud Atlas (Rec. #140).

[Originally posted 1/12/11.]

Rec. #339: The More the Merrier

What: During WW2, there's a housing shortage in Washington, D.C. There is much apartment subletting, which makes for some interesting flatmate combinations.

This not-quite-screwball comedy stars Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, and Joel McCrea (who seems to make a habit of having his characters' lives steered by eccentric millionaires --- see also The Palm Beach Story).

Representative dialogue:
Benjamin Dingle: What's your name?

Joe Carter: Carter.

Benjamin Dingle: Bill Carter?

Joe Carter: Joe Carter.

Benjamin Dingle: I used to know a fellow named Bill Carter.

Joe Carter: Wasn't me.

Benjamin Dingle: Don't you suppose I know that?
Joe Carter: What'd you ask for, then?

Benjamin Dingle: I guess I know what Bill Carter looked like.

Joe Carter: Not like me.
Benjamin Dingle: Oh, then, you know Bill Carter.

Joe Carter: No, I don't, but he sounds like a great guy.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Here, Joel McCrea's character is bossed around/helped by a guy named Dingle. In The Palm Beach Story (Rec. #17), his life is changed by the Wienie King. So the guy has form.

Rec. #338: Welcome to My Planet (Where English Is Sometimes Spoken)

What: Shannon Olson is the author's name and is also the name of this novel's main character, but try to let that go. They're not really the same person. The Shannon in the story is having a difficult time dealing with adulthood.

Opening lines: "You have such trouble living in the moment, says the counselor, sighing. I believe she's losing patience with me ... One of my problems is denial. Another is not listening, which is pretty much the same as denial. Another is not taking her advice."

Representative quote: "Maybe this is a strategy I should adopt. When my mom asks me how my thesis is going, I could answer, 'I'm learning a lot,' without extrapolating. I'm learning a lot about what it means to be addicted to television. I'm learning a lot about what it means to run your credit cards up to unmanageable levels."

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able. The covers for most editions are terrible.

Connection to previous Wreckage: The sequel has a better title --- Children of God Go Bowling (Rec. #93).

Quote from a Fictional Character #29

"What did I look forward to? To anything, everything --- to time, chance, circumstance, slow effects, sudden bursts, perseverance and weariness, health and sickness."

--- Frank Churchill,

Emma, Jane Austen, 1815

Friday Flashback: Rec. #20: Rage

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: In this talking-head film from Sally Potter, a death at a fashion show goes from "accidental" to "murder investigation," and a student blogger who is filming behind the scenes captures some telling footage.

The marvelous cast includes (deep breath): Judi Dench, Steve Buscemi, Bob Balaban, Lily Cole, Eddie Izzard, Jude Law (striking in drag), John Leguizamo, and Dianne Wiest. 

For me, the highlight is not just the cast, but the casting. The actors were clearly painstakingly chosen for their specific roles. This is important, because the short monologues, tightly shot, don't allow any room for shortcuts or cheats.

Comparable to: The piece-y, character-driven qualities of Altman films.

Representative quote: "Humans are, quite simply, the greatest destroyers of all time."

You might not like it if: You can't get past the pretensions of the premise. (It's supposedly shot on a cell phone by a blogger, themes include the democratization of art, etc.) Or if you think it's boring to watch people talk.

How to get it: It actually works best if you watch it on a smaller screen.



[Originally posted 1/19/11.]

Rec. #337: Bel Canto

What: Ann Patchett's Bel Canto is inspired by a real-life event, and you can see why. The premise "hostages and hostage-takers closed in a house together for months in South America" is the poli-sci equivalent of a murder mystery set at a manor in the English countryside. Plus, you know, opera! Because why not.

Opening lines: "When the lights went off the accompanist kissed her."

Representative quote: "Years later when this period of internment was remembered by the people who were actually there, they saw it in two distinct periods: before the box and after the box."

You might not like it if: Your response to the ending is, "What? What? What? Excuse me, what?"

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able. There's also an audio version, but I can't vouch for that.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Bel Canto previously showed up in List #22 and QfFC #19.

Quote from a Fictional Character #28

"I hate to be a bad host, but I'm sort of exhausted from chasing your coffin."

--- Ned, the Piemaker

Pushing Daisies, 2007

(Rec. #233)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #13: Loitering with Intent

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Loitering with Intent is a novel about a novel. It is very funny, very dry, and very loosely autobiographical. The story begins with Fleur Talbot working as the secretary for the Autobiographical Association while she finishes her first novel, Warrender Chase. When her employer filches the manuscript, scenes from the book start coming true. 

Soon, members of the association want very badly to see the book destroyed. Muriel Spark manages to make the fictitious manuscript Warrender Chase the riveting focus without actually including excerpts from it. This proves to be an excellent strategy.*

Comparable to: For some reason, I have a slight tendency to confuse Spark with A.S. Byatt. This is odd because the two authors really are not very similar. If anything, Spark's style is more like that of Byatt's sister, Margaret Drabble.

Representative quote: "The memoirs written by the members of the Autobiographical Association, although none had got beyond the first chapter, already had a number of factors in common. One of them was nostalgia, another was paranoia, a third was a transparent craving on the part of the authors to appear likable."

You might not like it if: Thrillers about people stealing manuscripts don't thrill you.

How to get it: There are several different editions floating around out there in libraries and bookstores. None of them have good covers.

*Note to writers: When one of your characters is supposed to be a very talented author, it is never a good idea to include examples of that character's writing. The reader's response is, inevitably, "Eh." (Also, it is kind of like boasting, and no one likes that.)

[Originally posted 1/12/11.]

Rec. #336: An Ideal Husband

What: Oscar Wilde tackles politics and blackmail and scandal and HATS with his trademark wit. In this adaptation, Jeremy Northam and Cate Blanchett do the politics, Rupert Everett and Minnie Driver do the quips, and Julianne Moore does the blackmail.

Representative quote: "Even you are not rich enough to buy back your past, Sir Robert. No man is."

Representative Wilde one-liner: "I love talking about nothing --- it's the only thing I know anything about."

Representative dialogue:
"My dear Mrs. Cheveley, I should make you a very bad husband."
"I don't mind bad husbands. I've had two. They amused me immensely."

How to get it: Available to stream on Netflix and Amazon.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Oscar Wilde also wrote Lady Windermere's Fan, which was Rec. #148.

Quote from a Fictional Character #27

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."

--- Ford Prefect,

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 1979

(Rec. #42)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #59: Happy Accidents

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Vincent D'Onofrio is Sam, a guy who claims to have traveled from the future. He reveals this to girlfriend Ruby (Marisa Tomei), who has a history of bad relationship choices, and she struggles to determine whether Sam is delusional or actually telling the truth. Delightfully, the movie also features delightful Holland Taylor and delightful Tovah Feldshuh.

Comparable to: It's actually very Next Stop Wonderland-ish . . . largely because both films are from writer-director Brad Anderson.

Representative quote: "You're gay! You're a Jew for Jesus? It's that tattoo. It's a cult. You're in a cult. You're a Branch Davidian? You're a survivalist?"

You might not like it if: You really, really haven't liked Vincent D'Onofrio since his L&O twitches. Would it help if I told you he's more likable here than he's been since he was Thor in Adventures in Babysitting?

How to get it: Available to stream on Netflix and Amazon.

Also: Next Stop, Wonderland was Rec. #253.

[Originally posted 2/27/11.]

Rec. #335: Cat's Cradle

What: In Cat's Cradle, the satirically inclined author Kurt Vonnegut skewers (and sideways-celebrates) religion, science, government, and technology. Ingredients include a new religion, a deadly environmental weapon, and a fictional Caribbean island.

Representative quote: "People have to talk about something just to keep their voice boxes in working order so they'll have good voice boxes in case there's ever anything really meaningful to say."

Bonus representation quote: "As Bokonon says: 'Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from god.'"

You might not like it if: You do know that dystopian satires don't tend to have happy endings, right?

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able