On Niagara Falls and Inanimate Objects-- "Wonderfalls" Review

I think I need to start by supplying a bit of a road map, so let's go back in time a bit. A few months ago, I decided to get back in touch with some old friends, so I called them up and proposed going to the newly released Breaking Dawn Part 2. The only other movie from this franchise I had seen was the first one, which, to put it eloquently, sucked, so I only chose this because I didn't feel like seeing an action movie or a horror. I didn't have very high expectations for the movie, and as it turned out rightly so, but either way it didn't matter because as I previously stated I was with my friends so it was more of a "drool over the hot guys" night. The group quickly divided into Team Jacob and Team Edward, but being the little rebel I am I loudly declared that the hottest guy in the franchise was the "grungy one with the eyebrows!" Which led me to Google him. Which led me to the Lee Pace tumblr tag. Which led to an unhealthy amount of fangirling, and creeping, and stalking, which led me to Pushing Daisies, in which Lee Pace starred. Pushing Daisies was directed by Bryan Fuller, and was prematurely taken off the air, but I fell in love and re-watched far too many episodes. But soon I got curious, so I Googled Bryan Fuller (Google is my best friend), and it turned out he had directed Dead Like Me as well as Wonderfalls. I realized I had watched Dead Like Me before, and I ended up not liking it due solely to the fact that the main character's face annoyed me ( a problem I did not have in Pushing Daisies). So that left Wonderfalls. All I need to say is that I marathonned the whole thing in one weekend.

A NOTE ON BRYAN FULLER SHOWS

They are quirky.

They are cute. 

They are really strange(and slightly offensive?) at times.

They are perfect.

But honestly, he has a very distinct aesthetic that I haven't really seen in anything else. Wonderfalls took place in Niagara Falls--like who sets a show there-- and follows the adventures...misadventures... of a young twenty-something Brown University graduate named Jaye. Jaye is the youngest of three siblings, and although she went to Brown and has a philosophy degree, she lives in a trailer park and works in a gift shop, and is devoted to getting away with being as lazy as she can possibly be. The quirk in the series is that inanimate objects begin talking to her, telling her to do things without explanation. Creepy, right? Except it's Bryan Fuller so, no, it's simply imaginative and cute. And all these objects have great little personalities, they become characters in the show. In any case, the things that they are telling Jaye to do seem to not make sense throughout the episode, but end up leading her to do good. 

I really loved the characters in this show, especially Jaye(Caroline Dhavernas). Possibly because I can connect with her about a lot of things.

1.) She is the youngest child. She has two older siblings, both leading very successful lives, and feels like she doesn't compare to them, so decides to go in a different direction altogether. I think she said it best in the show when she stated that everyone in her family works hard and is stressed out and is unsatisfied with their lives, so she can be unsatisfied with her life without working at all. She makes a point of not going for a very good job or leading a "successful" life, but just taking it as it comes, and trying to get by and enjoy herself, which is an attitude I can identify with.

2.) She's not a big fan of people. She's combative and doesn't make an effort to get people to like her, and she only has a couple of close friends. She's not distinctly spiteful, though. She's not going to spend any effort or energy being nice or mean to people.

I think that it's really great the way that the main character is a very strong girl, and not concocted to be especially palatable. She's not really someone that you would want to be friends with, but she's very much an individual and not any kind of stereo-typical tv personality. I think that people can connect with her so much for that reason; she's very real, and that includes the good and bad parts of being a real person. 

I'd just like to give a shout-out to the character of Sharon Tyler, Jaye's sister. She's the oldest of the siblings, and has seemingly got her life together, being an accomplished lawyer. The dynamic between her and Jaye was very believable as sisters; they have a lot of petty conflict and fight, but you can tell that Sharon is always there for Jaye and cares about her very much. Something that took me by surprise in the first episode is that you find out that Sharon is a lesbian, and I think for this Bryan Fuller deserves a round of applause, especially for the way he weaved it into the plot. When I watched this show I only came to realize that I've never really watched anything where a lesbian was a central character. It seems that the television industry has accepted and marketed gay guys recently, but lesbians have been exceedingly elusive in TV, and when they are there the point of their character is to be "the lesbian". In this show, Sharon was just a rounded out character, and being lesbian was a part of that character, but not focused on overly much. I think it was a really bold move. 

Side note about Sharon: She is ALWAYS eating. I liked that about her, because I think we all know that person (if we aren't one ourselves) that walks into a house and busies themselves with finding something to eat, and just likes to snack a lot. The thing though, is that they didn't focus on that. Sharon wasn't fat, and I'd be halfway through a scene before realizing that Sharon had been eating through the whole thing. It was a little perfect.

YES EVERYONE LEE PACE WAS IN THIS SHOW.

He actually didn't have a very big part but I feel as though I need to address it because....it's Lee Pace.

And also, I can't even believe the Lee Pace fandom on Tumblr, because I looked up Wonderfalls and I would have to say about 80% of the material was Lee Pace (from his like 20 minutes in the show MY GOD)

In any case, Lee Pace played Aaron Tyler, Jaye's brother, and the middle child. Aaron studied comparative religion and was working on his dissertation for his doctorate. Or something like that. I felt like Aaron Tyler was a weaker character than most in the show. He played parts in the plot that needed to be played, but his character didn't really stand on it's own as much as the rest of the family. I did like that Bryan Fuller had him studying religion, though- it was a theme that was constantly underlying the show. Were these talking objects that were making Jaye do benevolent acts the voice of God, or something like that? Aaron was the character that was asking that question, and it was never answered, which I don't mind. It's for you to think about, and Bryan Fuller isn't advocating for religion. I think that the show actually came out with an agnostic vibe. You just got the feel that there was good in the universe, and everything would work itself out in the end.

PS-- My two cents on the Majandra and Aaron romance. Majandra(Mahandra?) was Jaye's best friend, and like a part of Jaye's family. She got together with Aaron later in the series AND I DID NOT LIKE IT. I DID NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT. It was just too convenient and it happened too suddenly; I felt like it didn't have a very strong basis. And also Lee Pace is mine.

The romance between Jaye and Eric in this show was so sweet. Eric had come to Niagara on his honeymoon, but had caught his wife cheating on him and refused to go back home with her, instead becoming a bartender and living in the back of the bar. I liked that his character was really sweet and sensitive, and obviously had problems that he was struggling to work out for himself. He and Jaye became friends quickly, and stayed that way for most of the series. *Everyone knows relationships built on friendships are the best ones* 

AND FOR ANYONE THAT MEMORIZED ALL THE WORDS TO THE OPENING THEME LIKE ME----

Oh my god I can't stop listening to it....

In conclusion I really loved this show, and I would give it 4 stars. It was extremely original in it's plot and characters, and although out there it was very easy to connect to and get involved in. Sadly there were only thirteen episodes due to the fact that it got cancelled only a couple episodes in, and the rest of the episodes were released on DVD. It wrapped up well, though, and the ending was satisfying and the perfect end to the series. Definitely a must-watch!

An Online To-Do List

I haven't written in forever! I started sailing last week, so I've been getting home around eight o'clock every night after a good few hours of strenuous workout in the freezing cold, so yes I have a legitimate excuse YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID. In any case, I've contracted some sort of cold/ throat sicky thing and now I'm stuck at home with all the time in the world to write blog posts. So in the future few days I shall be writing----

A REVIEW OF PAN'S LABYRINTH
I watched this a little while ago, and I really hated it actually. I think I need to watch it again to refresh my anger toward it, because it really did leave me feeling like I'd wasted two hours of my life. I know that's a little bit of a contrary point of view, but haters gon' hate. Haters being me.

A REVIEW OF LIFE OF PI
I watched this one a few days ago, so I think I'll write this first because it's still fresh in my mind. Another one I hated! My lord I am a hateful person aren't I? I mean, there really aren't a lot of movies I like though. It's pretty hard to impress me.

A REVIEW OF WONDERFALLS
Aaaaaahhhhh Bryan Fuller you've done it again! *fangirling* Oh god I love Bryan Fuller he's an amazing TV show producer. And I absolutely LOVE LOVED LOVED Wonderfalls. It was so perfect and made me feel good and happy and whimsical inside like all Bryan Fuller shows have a way of doing. And anyone that claims I only liked Wonderfalls because Lee Pace was in it is so entirely wrong, because I actually happened to dislike his character in this show. But honestly I think that is the only downside to the show that I noticed; I would still say Pushing Daisies is my favorite over this one, but I'll give four and 7/8 stars.
P.S. Bryan Fuller is coming out with a new show in like, two weeks called Hannibal and it's about Hannibal Lecter(doink). It seems a lot different from the kind of shows Bryan Fuller normally does, but, I mean, it's Bryan Fuller so I have high hopes for it.

A REVIEW OF PUSHING DAISIES

I really, really, REALLY need to get around to doing this one, considering Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite shows. And yes, it's by Bryan Fuller. And yes, Lee Pace is lookin' fiiiiiiine in it. It's a really great show that has lovable characters, a great plot, and very unique artistic direction; it's the whole package. It's a shame that it got cancelled before it had a chance to really round out it's plot, but it's definitely a worthwhile watch!

And I'll probably throw in an Amy Winehouse music post, considering I just re-discovered my love of her music. While you're waiting, this song is my obsession right now. (No really, I listened to it on repeat for forty five minutes straight today. I have a problem.)

Stronger Than Me by Amy Winehouse

Also, an update on my perfume obsession....

Twirl by Kate Spade

So I'll get to writing! Check back for new posts!

"The Fall" Review

I recently watched the movie The Fall directed by Tarsem and starring Lee Pace and Cantinca Untaru. I can honestly say that this movie is now settled solidly up on my favorite movies list. It premiered in 2006, and mainly fell under the radar, which was quite a shame. I personally found it at the end of a long journey of Lee Pace fangirling that led me through Breaking Dawn and Pushing Daisies, and deposited me at this movie.

This movie is really what I would call a work of art in all aspects of the phrase. The costume design, the music, the landscapes, the character development, I thought everything was right on point. The story takes place in 1915 in Los Angeles, the era of silent movies. The main character is a stuntman name Roy (Lee Pace) who winds up in the hospital after breaking both his legs while doing a stunt. Alexandria (Cantinca Untaru) is a five year old immigrant who broke her arm when she fell picking oranges, and therefore winds up in the same hospital as Roy. The two meet by chance and Roy forges a fake friendship with her, designed to manipulate her to attain pills for him so he can go through with suicide; he's heartbroken after losing his girlfriend to the star of the movie. As incentive Roy offers to tell her a story, and here is where the other dimension of the movie is introduced. Roy weaves a grandiose tale of five bandits, all seeking revenge against the invidious Governor Odious, who wronged all of them. As Roy tells the story Alexandria envisions it, drawing on familiar faces and objects to create the fantasy world. The movie switches back and forth between the epic story and the mundane hospital, and as the movie goes on, these two dimensions become more and more entwined and bleed into each other. 

A strong point of the film was how the subtle feelings and relationships in the hospital were played out more obviously in the story Roy was telling, the strongest case for this being the relationship between Alexandria and Roy. The attitudes of the characters towards each other in the beginning seem disinterested; they're both stuck in the hospital and likely bored out of their minds. Roy soon begins to see her as a tool to get pills, but you realize very soon that Alexandria is beginning to see him as a father figure; she tells Roy that her father is dead. There is a moment in the movie where she asks Roy why he narrates the Red Bandit in an accent, and he informs her that it's supposed to be her father. She tells Roy that she wants the Bandit to speak like him, and shortly after the bandit removes his mask and  you see that she envisions him as Roy. Although throughout quite a bit of the movie Roy seems to see her only for what she can do for him, Alexandria's view of Roy grows, coming a time in the movie where she tells Roy that she is his daughter in the story. After Alexandria falls and hurts her head trying to get morphine for Roy, he comes to her room drunk and finishes the story, having all the characters die. He is about to make the Red Bandit die, but Alexandria protests, and this is the scene where Roy seems to accept Alexandria's view of him; he tells her that the Red Bandit isn't really her father, and she tells him simply that she loves him. This love seems to heal his broken heart, and he gives up on suicide. What I found out after I watched the movie amazed me: almost all of Alexandria's parts were unscripted. To me it made the whole movie that much more sincere.

I may have died a little at this.

 

 The costume design in the movie was done by  Eiko Ishioka, one of Japan's most well-known graphic designers. The saturated colors and eye-catching designs of the outfits in the fantasy story are a sharp contrast  to the dull and plain outfits in the hospital, and they contribute a great deal to the artistic quality of the film, as well as to the personalities of the characters themselves. I kept noticing throughout the film how well the palettes of each of the character's outfits went so well together, and how they complemented each other.

The outfits of Nurse Evelyn never ceased to amaze me. They are completely fitting to the story Roy is painting and Alexandria imagining; over-the-top in the most elegant and beautiful way. I also love the fact that they call attention to themselves; so often in movies the outfits are supposed to go subtly unnoticed, simply blending with the scene and not getting in the way of anything that is happening. The costumes' roles in this movie were to add to the visual beauty, not to go unnoticed, and I loved that.

A fun fact I noticed only the second time I watched the film- the armor of Odius's men is the same as the gear of the man working the X-Ray room in the hospital. This is a perfect example of what I love about this movie; ideas taken from real life are swirled around in a five-year old's head and spit into this story she's imagining in the way she really feels about them. She was afraid of the X-ray operator, and so that fear was amplified in the story. This happened with the feelings of both characters, enabling you to really feel like you could understand their feelings so much better because you were seeing them portrayed through a different medium.

I would just like to quickly say that I thought the music selections for this movie were perfect. There doesn't seem to be an official sound track for the movie that I can find, but I do know that the theme song was Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in Allegretto. It seemed an odd choice to use Beethoven as a movie soundtrack, but it fits into the movie so perfectly; it adds to the grandiose air of the story. I would also like to note this scene:

The way the music kicked in, echoing what Nurse Evelyn was saying almost as if she was singing the lyrics, was just a gorgeous touch. I loved how the music in the movie really interacted with what was going on, and I love how the camera zooms out a few times. I'd like to note that Tarsem is a music video director, and I thought that he really brought that aspect to the movie in an interesting way.

I could honestly go on and on about this movie for hours and hours and pages and pages, but I would just like to reiterate that it really is one of my favorite movies. I went online after I watched it, and read reviews about, and I was honestly so surprised because people were, like, HATING on this film. That's why I wanted to write this review in the first place- I wanted to contribute my positive thoughts on the movie. It's obviously not a typical movie: it's not supposed to be. I feel like to watch it you have to relax your view of what a movie is; like I said before, I consider this art. The costumes, the settings, the actors, the music, it's all coming together to create something beautiful and stunning, not to just support a story line. I felt like the movie was equally about those things. To me, it seemed like something made out of love, something that didn't want to be mass marketed, something that was created for the sake of bringing something beautiful into being, and I completely respect that. Because of these things, I felt a sort of sincerity from the film that I don't feel from other works. I could feel Tarsem in every single aspect of the piece, and I didn't mind that in the least.