I've been a little anti-past lately, what with threatening Facebook messages about ten year reunion planning peppering my inbox.
But, also strangely thanks to Facebook, I got news yesterday that my high school sweetheart, the one, the only Katy "Fucking" Browning was just recently engaged to a good friend of mine Nathan Stoltenberg.
A few reactions:
1. Awesome. Nathan Stoltenberg (though I don't stay in touch well enough because, well, I'm shitty at those types of things) is a man I've loved like a distant relative for a long while. Be it fantasy books, hip-hop, blunts, ping-pong tourneys in the midst of tragic break-ups, little league baseball, or Ford SHO's, I feel like Stoltenberg and I have shared some memories and the fact the he's getting married to the one, the only, Katy Browning , just plasters a toothy grin on my face.
2. Surreal. Not only is my ten-year high school reunion hurtling down the shoot towards me, but now these two fantastic folk are tying the knot? I've known both these kids since I was in elementary school, when I was still wearing collared galaxy shirts and glasses that wrapped around my oddly shaped ears. Life's changed drastically for me, and for everyone in the last year or so, and I got to admit, it spins me for a loop to know such old chums are finally leaping in to the marriage ring.
3. Age. Yup, I'm, you're, we all are getting old. I was pondering just the other day when my friends, notoriously slow on the marriage tip, were going to start throwing rings on fingers, and then popping out wee ones, and hell, look what I get for wondering. Is this the first rock in the marriage avalanche?
It's as if I can feel the grey hairs starting to fill in the Hair Phoenix.
Regardless, congrats Nate and Katy, I hope your wedding has an open bar.
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The Movie: Objectified (2009)
The Director: Gary Hustwit (Helvetica)
The Experience: Alex is a sneaky monkey and every time I'd leave the room for longer than five minutes, I'd come back and she'd have watched another ten minutes. Thus my experience with this fantastic film was in spurts and stops with a few gaping holes in between.
Something Interestin': This is the second film in a proposed trilogy. Hustwit's first was Helvetica, about the beloved typefont and there's been rumors that his third film will focus on the always fascinating subject of architecture. I, for one, am on the edge of my seat in anticipation.
Quick Notes:
1. What a mood. There's a real simple, elegance to this little film about industrial design and it's importance in our lives. It's a very clean, melodic film, packed with beautiful imagery. All of this should be, as Hustwit is interviewing designers of products. If the film were a shambly mess, I'd be suspect. It's not though, oh no, it's streamlined, short, and a true joy to watch.
2. A subject you never thought was interesting, made interesting. It's what great documentaries do my friends, make the mundane seem fascinating and Hustwit has done just that. Industrial design isn't something we think about all the time, but it's constantly with us. Every thing we touch or sit on or read or interact with has been, to one degree or another, "designed" and, in most occasions, not without some thought put in to it. The world of objects is a hyper-reality constantly battering against us (much like the fonts of Helvetica) and to hear some of the top industrial designers in the world discuss their ideas makes just sitting in a hip little coffee shop seem all the more interesting. Every thing has concept behind it ladies and gentlemen, and this film helps to see what some of those concepts might be.
Final Thoughts: Hustwit's a refreshing new voice in documentary cinema. I poo-pooed his first film a long while ago, but I blame the viewing experience. All-a-tingly to see what Hustwit does next.
Tuesday: Fucking a, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (102)
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