what to watch: "girl, interrupted."

 

movies about crazy people are either really entertaining or just laundry list of facts.

"girl, interrupted" was that happy medium of bringing awareness to mental illness and still being a great film to indulge in.

 

i had seen the film before, multiple times even. but there was something about watching it this time that put everything in perspective for me.

 

 

it stars some of the nineties great actresses: winona ryder, angelina jolie, brittany murphy (in probably my favorite role of hers), clea duvall, and whoopi goldberg as valerie, the mother superior figure of any mental hospital: the head RN.

 

 

"girl, interrupted" is the story of susanna kaysen (winona ryder) and her trials at the claymoore mental hospital after she checks herself in after a botched suicide attempt. here, susanna is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and spends her time figuring out what this means; befriending a sociopathic lisa (angelina jolie), who takes her under her wing. susanna becomes dependent on lisa, and agrees to go to flee the hospital and go to florida to get jobs at disney world. while, on route, they visit a former patient, daisy (brittany murphy). daisy, often cold and abrupt, seems happy in her newfound freedom. lisa uses this as a tactic to bring up the truth about daisy: bulimic, obsessive-compulsive, incestuous. the next day, daisy hangs herself and when susanna witnesses lisa's disdain for the death, she heads back to the hospital on her own.

 

watching "girl, interrupted" stirred up thoughts of my own mental illness; thoughts i usually try to black out.

 

can one truly overcome their illness?

 

get over it?

deal with it?

 

jas

what to watch: "new waterford girl"

 

hooray for more indies! aren't you starting to see a pattern? welp. in any case, new waterford girl was one of the first movies to assimilate me to the indie culture. because yes, it is a culture. it is a lifestyle. it is a religion! *steps down from soapbox* starring winona ryder look-alike, liane balaban plays, moonie, a nova-scotian teen with big city dreams. truly a 'big fish in a little pond' film, moonie's dreams of becoming an artist and moving to manhattan are stifled in her small coal mining town of new waterford. she gets inspired however when a mother and daughter from the bronx move in next door. moonie and lou become a powerhouse duo in town all due to a little plan to get moonie out of new waterford for good.

 

 

a highly original film with the tagline: get pregnant now. lose virginity later.

 

 

 

 

can you guess how they try to get moonie out of new waterford now?

 

enjoy

 

jas.

what to watch: "welcome to the dollhouse"

 

 

 you ever use a movie to define your childhood? not to necessarily mirror it, but just one that you'd watch over and over again. finding more and more resemblances between you and the central character? well, mine was, "welcome to the dollhouse." i found it one night on the sundance channel and from then on i was obsessed! its an indie (of course) by celebrated filmmaker todd solondz that sheds light on a homely and devastatingly unpopular 12 year old named dawn wiener. she's ignored by her parents, ridiculed by the entire student body (even the nerds hate her) and deriled by her teachers. todd solondz takes it up a notch by including acerbic humor and a insightful look on the horror of pre-teen angst. starring indie favorites, heather matarazzo of "the princess diaries" fame and brendan sexton III, "welcome to the dollhouse" is a darkly comedic film portrayal of real life and how happy endings are very far and few.

 

you'll find yourself laughing and crying, and somehow i think that's the greatest thing about the film

 

try it on for size and tell me what you think

 

jas

what to watch: "tiny furniture"

 

 

 i'm no stranger to the indie movie movement. ever since we got cable and i was able to watch ifc and sundance 24 hours a day, i've embraced the good, the bad, and the devastating of it all. luckily, i was able to find a gem amongst the, well, shit. "tiny furniture" is a 2010 indie comedy/drama written by the best new thing in the film world, Lena Dunham. I'm not gonna tell you what awards it's won because honestly, i don't care. however, if you've ever been a post graduate and had to move back home with your parents, this movie will definitely resonate with you. i'm not gonna tell you what it's about either because i didn't when i saw it myself. What i will say is that there is a nietzschean cowboy, a dead hamster named gilda, cum omelets, 1970 porn star tits, a dyslexic stripper, and a partridge in a pear tree.

 

 

 

 

it's a fresh take on the post collegiate experience, good natured in its intent, and extremely witty in its delivery.

it even mirrors a wes anderson movie during its opening credits.

nothing wrong with that.

 

it's def one of my favorites to watch over and over again.

 

try it on for size and tell me what you think.

 

jas.