R3VIEZWs!! (of Movies) | Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Written by Derek Connolly 

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson & Karan Soni

THE RUNDOWN  

• A Festival Entree
• Anti-Typecasting Gem 
• Disparate genres working like glue
• An indie filmmaker's indie film

THE BASICS

"From the producers of Little Miss Sunshine - When an unusual classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle magazine employees to look for the story behind it, they discover a mysterious eccentric named Kenneth, a likable but paranoid supermarket clerk, who believes he's solved the riddle of time travel and intends to depart again soon. Together, they embark on a hilarious, smart, and unexpectedly heartfelt journey that reveals how far believing can take you."

THE BASES

I've already watched this film twice this week. The first watch was complete immersion and emphatic bliss. The second was a deep appreciation for the process by which this film executed its thematic premise, and each of the cogs of the machine that helped pave the way for its well-deserved critical acclaim and Connolly's warm reception at this year's Sundance Film Festival, where he took how the Screenwriting Award for his work on this movie.

There are few movies out there that have truly, "something for everyone". Any movie needs that target audience, and banks on the formulas and story beats that ensure a proftiable turn out for that said audience. We're talking Hollywood machine here -- indie films have it better and worse. The creative control gives you a sandbox of opportunity to play and create. The limited budgets and unreliability (and probably consistently crippling doubt of one's own capabilities) is a necessary trade-off. But if, by divine intervention, the stars align, a movie like Safety Not Guaranteed is the result.

First off, the casting: As director Colin Trevorrow and producer/actor Mark Duplass have stated in multiple interviews, this was before Parks and Recreation had started its legs and skyrocketed Aubrey Plaza and her enigma of a personality into a net-generation sensation. And this was before New Girl even existed for Jake Johnson to be wooed by a huge fanbase. Good thing they did, because they for sure noticed the acting chops these two had. And Mark Duplass' expansive career as just a filmdoer (producer, director, writer, actor) helped in it as well -- and probably his character is the most impressive part of this whole endeavour. But these main guys, including the introduction of Karan Soni -- which again, kudos to the casting director for making such conscious and effective choices in the retrospect -- make this movie bounce off the screen and into your heart. For reals.

The story ties directly into these performances: Connolly has written one of the slickest scripts I've seen on screen. In terms of handling the romance of these characters, it's an onion. Layers on layers. Mark Duplass's character, Kenneth Calloway, screams off the page as this guy who could possibly be the most ridiculous fellow and push this movie into slapstick territory, but as directors and producers have stated in several interviews, Duplass managed to ground him in an honest humanity that captivates you the more screentime happens. Conolly crafted him as the tonal core of the film, and seeing all three characters orbit around him is such a fulfilling experience come the end of the film.

The best movies have recognizable and relevant themes to them, but they're not shoved up into the surface. They float below the water, and you need to change perspectives to actually catch a glimpse of what lies underneath (like a shark. Fuck yeah, sharks). And this is a film that forces you to change perspectives, look at things differently and, if it's possible, take a step back and be aware of that change going on. Connolly does that, in my opinion. And the result? Feels.

This is a story about believing, about the importance and power it can have over someone. It's about what we look at in ourselves when we see our past, our present, and our future. It's about regret, love, and loss. It has some amazing monologues that hit home, universally, and some amazingly funny scenes of physical comedy. The dialogue is razor sharp with wit and spark. These performances heighten everything about what was written. And let's get to the visuals of these brilliant peace:

THE BRASS TACKS

The film was shot on-location in Washington State, and after signing on to be cast, Duplass became executive producer and connected the crew to names he knew in Seattle. As a result, the first half of the film becomes the style I like to call "cinematic tourism" in the cinematographic sense. Static shots of obscure, tacky, tourist-y locations. The Ocean View location gives the film a calmness to it that never takes away from the energy happening over top of it. The forests and horizons are just visual treats you can't get enough of. Put a very pretty Aubrey Plaza in it, sassed up in costume design that got my roommate quite hot and bothered (can't say I didn't either), and you have some bonafide wallpaper material. It's a visual tribute for Seattle -- a noble goal indeed.

It's all slow edits, graceful pacing, and then bouts of innocent energy supported by the characters and the quirkiness of their actions. If you find this explanation pretentious, then go test it out for yourself, and see if you can find a better description of it. The visuals reflect the interior changes going on in each of these characters, and I love how seamlessly the film juggles around the dramatic changes going on in each of our characters' lives. They're intertwined so well, the satisfaction factor is high come the final act.

The original score, supplied by Ryan Miller has that emphasis on subtle energy as well, with up-beat acoustics accompanying the plot most of the way. The action-y scenes even require that touch of sincerity that keeps it away from the fine line of goofballness it could have crossed. Again, costume design worked very well to exemplify these personalities, from Jeff's wearing farm-plaid to fit in with his former high-school girlfriend's lifestyle, to Plaza's all-purpose grey toque -- not to mention Kenneth's mullet and jean jacket -- give those bursts of character right from the get-go. The production design was ubiquitous, always sitting away from the spotlight to let camera and character play within. All tools to make a great sculpture. All sucessfully pulled off.

THE TAKE-AWAY

Sundance loves this shit -- it was made for that festival. There's so much there for the indie crowd, and it's not conceited in any way, that's just the nature of the film's style and tone. For a beyond-modest budget of under a million, what else can you expect? These were stars-in-the-making, unknown of their talent, committing to a strong, unexpected stoy (with a taste of reality in it, making it all the more awesome). A director and writer team with film-school comraraderie and trust (NYU Grads). Watch this film for its theme, its story, or its characters. They're all winners.  You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll hold your heart out for them. Movies like this?

They're why I love movies.

R3VI3WZ!! (of Comics) | Saga Vol. 1

Written by Brian K. Vaughn, Art by Fiona Staples

 THE RUNDOWN

• Space is a big, scary place.
• Human-Animal combination animels are the best kind
• FEMALE ARTIST.
• Concept, you're doing it right!

Comic books are a weird thing, it's so much series to create a new kind of story, an original set piece that could be inspired by different predecessors or contemporaries, but ultimately a creator is making a new kind of story to introduce into the plethora of content saturating the modern comic book market.

And yet, with the power of the Big Two driving most of comic book sales, we have cross-overs, team-ups, cameos, company-wide events, relaunches, reboots, ret-cons, and a ton of other tactics to keep these ninety-year old franchises alive. Well, cause they have too -- there is no world without Superman or Spider-Man (just accept it).

So when a guy like Brian K. Vaughn comes along, or a guy like Robert Kirkman, hash out crazy successful series like Y: The Last Man and The Walking Dead, it's a blessing. Image itself has become one of the indie publishers that get right into the new content to tell audiences, which I am so glad for. Today, there's even more presence of original series not associated with preconceived franchises than ever before. It's such a breath of fresh air for comic book fans. And here's where a story like Saga comes into play.

Vaughn's second big project with artist Fiona Staples is a space epic set against the backdrop of inter-planetary war, though it's technically not, between a planet and one of its moons -- both civilizations are locked in conflict that is heated and never-ending. Unless, a solider on one side and a prisoner on the other end up falling in love and having a kid -- then things get complicated.

The premise of Saga itself is a complicated and nuanced experience. There's a huge reliance on close, human themes amidst an insanely high-concept story world. There's robots, bounty hunters, royalty, secret agencies, magic, wings, horns, and a mixture of genres that dips its toes into everything it can. And it comes out a cohesive read. Brian K Vaughn's conceptual ability is something to be marveled at, and without a doubt, respected.

He ties it together with two central characters that jump off the page immediately -- from panel one. Strong characters are a glue that can hold even the craziest concepts together, and the read gets only more enjoyable form there. Alana and Marko are two backstories that couldn't create more inherent drama even before hearing and seeing them -- they are the proverbial 'star-crossed lovers', only one is feisty as hell and has insect wings on her back, and the other his a horn-bearing magic-wielder who gets into fits of rage when those he loves are put in danger.

If anything, read this book for the cast alone. I love how Vaughn and Staples have gone the route of character designing these foreign worlds in the human form, not only to bring the themes into more relatable territory, but it's just refreshing to see a unique take (ironically, consideirng they're more human than alien) of extraterrestials. It places the plotline in a weird place with these almost-human characters encountering noticably more alien experiences. But a supporting cast of weird-ass bounty hunters and robots with television screens for heads just adds to the intensity of Vaughn's world.

BRASS TACKS: THE VISUALS

Fiona Staples is quickly becoming one of my favourite comic book artists. The fluidity of her linework and how casual it all comes together, not to mention doing the coloring for the first volume as well, is a huge selling point. One could demand a visually overwhelming, double-page spread kind of sci-fi book to boast the story world Vaughn's created, but Staples kind of goes in another direction.

All of it's loose and light, and yet it still jumps off the page. But when those spreads do come, Staples manages to piece together some outstanding images that stick in your mind long after you've turned the page. Her command of movement and pacing in those key action sequences -- trying to wrap your head around armed battle mixed with medieval-style magic in one page is pretty damn hard. But for me, I was stuck on certain pages, finding detail that I would have missed if I didn't browse the goods. And there are a lot.

The last thing that should sell you on this book if nothing else, is Staple's cover art. Of this particular volume, it's just beautifully designed. Simple as that. It puts Vaughn's incredible characters in the centre to pique the reader's interest, and the title and background give enough hint to what a reader can expect. And it's just super pretty too look at.

Note: Female artists in the comic book industry deserve this kind of recognition. Cause they're out there and comic book fans have to motivate more female artists to try it in the industry. It's been long enough that we've either unintentionally, or more disappointing, intentionally ostracized an entire potential audience. Support female comic book artists and writers!

THE VERDICT

The price tag on this awesome book is a measley $9.99 at your bookstore or comic book store. This isn't even a debate. Vaughn and Staples are sacrificing the revenue stream for more of a readership motivated to pick up a brand new property from an independent creative team. This is the definition of bang-for-your-buck. The story is fresh, it's rejuvinating and it captures you from page one. The art is pristine and flows in sync with the storytelling extremely well. The story world is one to marvel at. And it's only $10. Go get it, read it, and follow this book because it's going to blow up very soon.