Remember: Coffee Break is full of odds and ends I’d like to discuss including films I’m watching, links I like, stuff I’m into and oh yeah, coffee!
It has certainly been a while my fellow Coffee Break enthusiasts. I’ve been keeping myself busy but not always with FTS related tasks. Let’s take a second to catch up with what I’ve been up to over the past few months, starting with a stop for caffeine.
I’m just about finished drinking some Van Houtte Mexico dark roast coffee (one of my new favorite blends) while getting ready to finalize the notes for an upcoming recording of the FTS Podcast’s 200th episode. That’s bananas yall. FTS has been getting together almost every week for 4 years to record the show and it feels totally surreal.
Also take note of my new mug from a local shop The Mallow Bar – a small café that specializes in homemade marshmallows and caramels. There are bunches of tasty treats to be tried so if you feel your mouth watering just thinking about it, you can pick up some Mallows of your own at their online store.
As I stated earlier in the post, it has been some time since I’ve recapped recently watched films so I’ll just take a look at some easily categorized selections.
Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to make it out to see a few films at the 2014 Maryland Film Festival. I wish I would have been able to see a few more but damn that whole time/money thing, ya know? Anyways here is what I did catch:
Hellion: The first film I caught was Hellion, a character drama starring Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis and newcomers Josh Wiggins & Deke Garner. The movie centers on a strained family dynamic that exists in the aftermath of a mother’s death. Seen through Jacob’s (Wiggins) eyes, Hellion lingers on the turmoil created from a mixture of absentee parenting and the confusion of adolescence. Wiggins is fantastic as are the rest of the child actors in the movie. Writer/Director Kat Candler stated in a Q & A after the film that she scouted the younger actors at local schools and dirt bike races, often auditioning kids that had absolutely no prior acting experience. It definitely pays off for the film as the performances are easily its biggest assets. It’s a difficult film to outright enjoy, simply due to the subject matter, but it is worth a look and should put Candler’s work on any indie fan’s radar.
Fun Side Note: I sat directly behind John Waters at this screening. He was wearing goofy socks and using a Blackberry. I am a loser and did not approach him. I can still mark the occurrence off my Baltimore Bucket List.
Happy Christmas: Joe Swanberg’s new film was less than appealing to me at first because I generally can’t stand Lena Dunham but Joe Swanberger & Fries (as Jess calls him) was going to be there to do a Q&A so it kind of outweighed Dunham’s stupid cut off shirts. The movie focuses on a Husband/Wife duo Jeff and Kelly (Joe Swanberg & Melanie Lynskey) as they raise their young child (Swanberg’s scene stealing son) and deal with the disruption caused by Jeff’s sister Jenny (Anna Kendrick) when she comes to stay with the couple. Similar to Joe’s last movie Drinking Buddies, the flick is short and sweet, guided along by equal parts funny and cringe worthy moments. Swanberg revealed that while the script dictates a timeline as well as the starting and ending points for each scene, the actors completely improvise all of the dialog. It’s a risky filmmaking technique that can only pay off if the players involved can rise to the challenge. Luckily for Happy Christmas, the cast is great (even Dunham!) and works together with a comfortable ease. If you want to watch something light and airy, then this will suit you just fine.
Ping Pong Summer: This seemed to be the must see film of the festival. Writer/Director Michael Tully helms from Maryland and the film takes place in the super popular local vacation spot Ocean City. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the local love transferred over to the film which follows an adolescent’s time at Ocean City during the summer of 1985. Besides a few small quibbles I had with the feeling of the city, the story itself featured all of the tired 80’s clichés you can imagine and came across feeling much more corny than endearing. I had a few giggles but ultimately left feeling pretty underwhelmed.
Penny Dreadful: I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to be able to go whole hog on PD after watching the debut episode but after spilling through eps 2 I can easily say that I’m hooked. The production design – including both the sets and costumes – is really remarkable but you should be watching this for Eva Green’s performance alone. Holy shit.
Instagram This sounds silly but FTS just got an Instagram account! Hopefully, I won’t junk it up too much with any non-FTS related pics. If you would be so kind, please follow us @frenchtoastsunday
Summer Blockbusters: At this point I have already seen both Godzilla and X Men Days of Future Past twice in theaters (once at screenings and then again with my nerd life mate). Both flicks are super fun times at the theater and met all of my expectations. Hopefully Guardians of the Galaxy and 22 Jump Street can keep the summer blockbuster streak alive!
& PAGE 3 FOR PHOTOS FROM BOSTON AND A MUG SHOT