Free time

One of the biggest perks of this lifestyle I have at the moment is the free time that comes with it.

I have more time to watch movies, more times to read, more time to write. For the first time in a few months I've been taking advantage of my Netflix subscription.

Like any artist, it's necessary for a filmmaker to expose themselves to a wide range of work within their field. I believe the most original and beautiful work weaves inspiration from the collective library stored within the artist's mind, so in essence the more art one exposes themselves too, the greater the potential pool of material one can draw from to sew together a wholly new design.

The complex web of art is what perhaps draws me to film, where the overlap and global effect/affect is abundantly apparent. Already my own ideas and work owes the world to Gilliam, the Coens and Miyazaki, among numerous others. And beyond that lies the inspiration of Kafka, Borges, Matisse, Gauguin, Bob Dylan...

Thus, the importance of Netflix and the BPL to my continuing self-subjection to art in the hopes it will inspire and enhance my own work.

(read on only if you want to take the risk of being sufficiently bored by the conclusion)

Lately I've been interested in the minimal, which is interesting for me because I'm a self-proclaimed "hater" of realism. Yet I find myself drawn to the likes of Altman, Linklater and Jarmusch, among others. Perhaps it's my fascination with using subtlety to the greatest effect. I believe one of the most interesting aspects of film is not what you can show, but what you choose not to show...what sounds are not heard, what lines are not spoken. While the stage thrives in excess, film succeeds in restraint. This is true of acting, lighting, directing...and many other aspects. Of course, there are exceptions (and wonderful exceptions at that).

Personally, I find my interests lie with the clash of the fantastical, the "real" and the minimal. I grew up watching and reading fantasy and science fiction, utterly in awe of the amazing creations of the human mind that only exist on paper or the screen. Now, though, as I grow as a filmmaker and a person, I recognize the subtlety of the art of filmmaking, and I'm beginning to respect the works of those I mentioned above. Like my childhood awe at the inventions of Star Wars, my newly budding adult mind finds itself watching in wonderment the minimalistic violence of No Country for Old Men, the simple brooding of Before Sunrise and the amazing complexity with which Altman weaves seemingly endless and unconnected story-lines together in Nashville.

And now I find myself at the center, drawn to the magical realist works of Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the similarly beautiful films of Terry Gilliam. Film is life, but life is just too boring to film, I find--but sprinkle in some magic and pull it back so that only the bones remain, and I believe there might just be something there worth watching...or at least something I'd want to make.

Anyway, here are some recent movies I've Netflixed I'd recommend watching to anyone still reading: "Bleu" from the Trois Couleurs trilogy by Krzystof Kieslowki, "The Fountain" by Darren Aronofsky, "Dancer in the Dark" by Lars Von Trier (reallllly want to see "Antichrist" btw), and "Jesus Son" by Allison MacLean. Enjoy!