"Everyone wants to be young and skinny.  This is awful.  Curves are marvelous.  Wrinkles are hypnotizing.  Why not just be happy with who you are?"
- Alber Elbaz

Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin 

Why I'm Looking Forward to The Veronica Mars Movie

The original cast shot a movie this summer, six years after the television series was cancelled.

Here's why I care:

1.  Veronica, herself:  She's such a smart, funny, badass female character, played with charm and nuance by Kristen Bell.  Plenty of smart, funny, badass females exist in the world, but we're totally under-represented in mass media.  (ha!)

2.  The production:  The upcoming movie was funded entirely by fans through Kickstarter, and set a record for the largest amount of money raised in the shortest amount of time for a film project.   Is this is a spark of hope that discriminating audiences may soon have more of a say in what their entertainment options are?  That would be a significant triumph in the eternal battle between art and commerce.  If Twitter is the democratization of news, Kickstarter might be the democratization of culture.

3.  The strength of the series:  The writing, dark humor, and character development on the show are kickass.  You're instantly drawn into the wacky, gritty world of Neptune, California with its dirty secrets and its simmering tensions between ethnic groups and economic classes.  In the wake of widespread economic recession, the Occupy movement, and the high-profile Trayvon Martin murder case, these issues seem just as simmering and relevant now as ever.  The 'have-nots' can't escape the constant reminders that life surely isn't fair, and must work much harder (Veronica) or turn to crime (Eli) to cultivate opportunities.  Alternatively, the 'haves' enjoy privilege through no achievement of their own, which can lead to ennui or identity crisis - a struggle to step out from under their parents' long shadows (Duncan), and maybe the frightening realization that status does not ascribe meaning (Logan).  All sides naturally feel threatened by, and express disdain for the others.  And of course, rounding things out, we've got the smart (Mac), the sweet (Wallace), the comically ditzy (Dick), the psychotic (Aaron), the lazy (Don), the wise (Keith), and the delightfully sleazy (Vinnie).  (No, they're not Disney Dwarves.  ha ha!)  Basically, the writers skillfully illustrate that everyone's coming from somewhere.  And when it's very different from what you're used to, it's easy to be suspicious and make snap judgments... 

The characters and the mysteries have many layers, but the continuity rocks.  I think it's a testament to the writing and acting that the show can stay fresh through its dramatic plot twists, without resorting to inauthentic emotions, or implausible mysteries.  (When Veronica investigates cases, she often has to briefly assume some sort of alternate identity.   So you get some of the fun of that kind of device (like on say, Alias), but the episodic cases are more richly developed and require less of a suspension of disbelief.  I think it's a strength of the show that you really could imagine the cases she investigates happening to your friends and neighbours.)  In some ways it's quite ambitious - attempting comedy, drama, mystery, romance, and action.   (Yes, there are plenty of fight scenes.)   Plus, the noir mood gives it more texture than many of its contemporaries (like, say, The O.C.).  It manages to successfully mashup a sarcastic, modern vibe with a throwback, hard-boiled Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler vibe.  Overall, the best thing about the show is the tone - despite its dark themes, it somehow never seems to take itself too seriously.  The jokes are bawdy and the repartée is deliciously witty.  I don't know if Mr. Joss Whedon (king of snappy dialogue) is an influence, but he does make a brief appearance in the series...

Technology, with its positive and negative contributions to society, is almost a character in the series as well.  One thing has changed, though... I used to find it slightly far fetched that Veronica had a password to a web portal that could identify people by seemingly random details about them... because it would have to be linked to such a large aggregate of databases.  Er, unfortunately, I no longer feel that way.  (Hello, PRISM!)

4.  The unresolved relationship between Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls:  After three seasons, the series got cancelled and viewers were left in limbo.

Logan and Veronica start the series as antagonists.  They represent two of the opposing factions - he comes from wealth, fame, and privilege, and she comes from working class infamy.  His dad's a movie star, her private investigator father has just been disgraced and removed from his sheriff position - and at first glance they appear to be opposites.  But this is not your typical stock "opposites attract" plot.  As they get to know each other (and as we get to know them) it becomes clear that they have a dark history, and a surprising amount in common.    Both are cursed with blessed with razor sharp intelligence, curiosity, and a near-constant drive for honesty about issues that many in their lives and community prefer not to face.  These qualities manifest in near-obsessive detective digging from Veronica, and in smart-ass, aggressive boundary-pushing from Logan.  Their characters are conflicted, morally ambiguous, and complex - neither are above using other people to meet their needs, but both also demonstrate a surprising capacity for loyalty.  

And when these two smart-alecks interact, sparks fly - sometimes positively, and sometimes negatively.  They have crazy chemistry!  (Word is that the characters were originally intended to remain enemies, but the chemistry between actors Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring led to plot revisions.  It's the viewers' good fortune that the writers recognized what they had and capitalized on it.)   Fans love their chemistry and also obviously identify with the show's truth that being an intelligent, honest, passionate person in the world young adult in high school & college can in itself be a recipe for pain.  

Pain is of course one of the things Logan and Veronica share.  They're both highly self-reliant, in part because of their self-absorbed, negligent mothers.  Consequently both end up feeling abandoned, but without the true closure and freedom to grieve that normally accompany the death of a parent.  Both are more impacted by their fathers' life choices than your average student.  And both have lost friends to murder, have had their hearts broken, and their young lives violently threatened.  Through his family, and through her work, they have both seen enough of the worst of people to prematurely age and jade them.  Perhaps because of this, both also have an underlying intensity that doesn't allow them to chill out and just be kids.  Recognizing this in each other is certainly one source of the magnetic attraction between them. 

Veronica's charm comes from the three R's: her resourcefulness, relatability, and resilience.  What Dashiell Hammett might've called "pluck".   It's awesome to have a female character that demonstrates such initiative and confidence.  And there's genuine compassion and generosity in her efforts to help others (with each detective case that she manages to juggle alongside classes and a part-time job).  But there's another reason she does it: to comfort herself by feeling that she can restore some sense of order and justice to her world.  It's like she's compelled to run straight at what she's afraid of, often putting herself in harm's way in the process, in order to keep her fears at bay.  In those dramatic moments she gives me a bit of a Clarice Starling vibe. 

Though he's shockingly rude at times, Logan is riveting because he always tells the truth.  Veronica's sarcastic quips are funny, but Logan's knack for pushing people's buttons is downright hilarious.  (ie: "How much easier would your life be if you were indifferent to me?")  He can be unnerving or even plain mean, but there's plenty of insight and self-flagellation going on as well.  At times he's like a younger, more-redeemable Gregory House.  Aside from his casual frankness, Logan's appeal comes from his smoldering, accessible form of brooding, and from his surprising vulnerability.  His charm increases with his demonstrated ability to grow in response to Veronica's kindness, and his development of chivalrous, protective instincts toward her.  His character progresses in depth in a really authentic arc that's so much more interesting to watch than if he had started out good, or remained evil.  

We were left at just that crossroad when the series ended.  The societal forces pulling our heroes apart pale in comparison to the internal forces (pride, fear, desire for vengeance) that Veronica and Logan are grappling with.  It's much more interesting and relatable to watch a couple struggle with character and ego and trust, rather than just external circumstance, as we often see on TV.  Viewers can enjoy the show on both levels - as simple pulpy entertainment, or as a philosophical study in questions of identity and control...  How much control do we really have (or need) over the events that shape our lives?  What coping mechanisms do we rely on to manage uncertainty?  She soothes her gnawing doubts with (metaphorical) scab-picking and indulges in illusions of control by taking charge with a white-knuckle vigilance, and a reckless amount of bravado.  He goes the other way, and embraces anarchy and fatalism, attempting to numb his loneliness and doubt with less noble reckless indulgences.  (Think fisticuffs and floozies.)  She appears to believe that her relentless methods are just exposing truth.   But what he seems to recognize better than she does, is that you alter anything by interacting with it.

Relationships like Veronica & Logan's are the reason Facebook's "it's complicated" status was invented.   Will these two misanthropes-in-the-making ever admit that they are secretly idealists, and find the courage to risk the vulnerability required to actively pursue love and happiness?  Having lived through such trying circumstances, are they even capable of recognizing happiness?  Chaos has almost become their "normal" - would greater stability seem boring by comparison?  Though they're both survivors - each, in his or her own way, veers across the line toward self-destruction through their (sometimes misguided) efforts at self-preservation.   Surely we can all recognize something of ourselves in that.  

Watching them is cathartic, as their adventures really are pretty "epic."  (The word a drunk Logan uses to describe their relationship in Season 2, Episode 20.)

As in this clip, each also bravely sets aside their ego for the other, on occasion.  But the timing of those occasions doesn't often align.  (Think 'Pride and Prejudice' rather than 'Romeo and Juliet'.)  And because of the intensity of the feelings involved, any emotional risk that ends badly results in humiliation.  A viewer is left wondering what they might achieve if only they could build enough trust to stop using up all of their energy just dancing around each other.  Will these two crazy kids ever get over themselves long enough to connect to each other's humanity?  Or will their personal coping mechanisms form the walls that keep them apart?

Their experiences bind them, almost like they've been through a war together.  And this sense of 'intertwined fates' is what makes viewers crave more resolution with respect to their relationship.  But being truly understood by another person can be both comforting and intimidating.  They challenge each other in a way that's invigorating, but also exhausting.  Does this mean they're better off together or apart?  Can they find their equilibrium?  I, for one, am interested to find out.  I'm pulling for them!  But either way, I love that theirs is an intense, roller-coaster of a dance, infused with poignance and crackling with chemistry. 

...

Creator Rob Thomas (no, not that Rob Thomas) really got it right with the series - every little detail is tight and the cast really gels - and that doesn't happen by accident.  I trust that he can do it again with the same players in the film.  And how fitting is it that they found an innovative way to use technology to collaborate with fans to make the movie happen?  Interestingly, with respect to Hollywood, I find it's sometimes the restrictions of a low budget that necessitate the creativity required to make a passion project that resonates.  I join close to 100,000 Kickstarter backers in hoping that's the case with this one.  Until then, seems like a good time to show the series some love on DVD.

(I don't own any of the clips - copyright belongs to their respective owners.)

The Truth About Healing and Loss

I really dislike it when people say, "Everything happens for a reason."
They're usually trying to be profound (or smug, or lazy), but that's like saying, "Everything is composed of matter."
So what?!  How is that supposed to be of any real comfort or significance at this moment?

When someone says that, all I hear is a less honest variation of, "I have no idea what the possible explanation could be for why this happened."  And also possibly, "I'm actually just comforting myself that this recent traumatic event is not a sign that life is more unpredictable than I would like to admit.  So let's turn off our brains now, as insurance."  Or maybe even, "You must somehow deserve whatever happened."

My intention is not to be negative or fatalistic - it's simply to be realistic, awake.  Because life is unpredictable and unfair, so pretending it's not seems like ignoring half of what the experience of living is about!  Like walking through life without peripheral vision, or something... wouldn't you miss a lot?  A dismissive, "Everything happens for a reason," seems to chalk adversity up to some whim of the gods that we don't need to concern our little selves about.  It absolves us of any responsibility (or opportunity) to recognize the significance of this experience for ourselves, personally.

No, we can't necessarily divine the cause of any particular event, but we do have the opportunity to choose to define what it means for us.  And if we don't do that, we're just sleepwalking, aren't we? Nobody wants to experience pain, but we know that from time to time it's unavoidable.  So if, from time to time, experiencing pain is part of what it means to be alive - why not try to get something out of it? Because, dammit, if I have to suffer, I might as well look for some kind of bloody value in the experience...

I vastly prefer how the heroic Augusten Burroughs looks at it.
His wise words (possibly because they are hard-won?) really are comforting.
[Emphasis mine.]


"Heal is a television word.
It's satisfying to see somebody who has gone through adversity and come out the other side, healed.
That's almost word for word, how they might introduce a segment on healing on a talk show. 'Come out the other side.'  Like a tunnel.

But here's the thing: there are some things in life from which you do not heal.
The tunnel never ends.  There is no other side of it.

...

This is among the oldest, deepest, most primal truths: the facts of life may be, at times, unbearably painful.  But the core, the bones of life are generous beyond all reason or belief. Those things that ought to kill us do not.  This should be taken as encouragement to continue.

...

Because all of us are made not only of what we have but of what we lost.

And loss is not a subtraction.  As an experience, it is an addition.

Even when we lose a leg or an arm, there's not less of us but more.  Human experience weighs more than human tissue."

- Augusten Burroughs / 'How to Be'

Craig Cutler

Si vous demandez à une femme, "Comment vas-tu?"

Elle dira, "Triste à propos de x, heureux à propos de y, et un peu frustré à propos de z. Comment vas-tu?"

Si vous demandez à un homme, "Comment vas-tu?" 

Il dira, "Soif."

My Oscar 2013 Ballot

It's more fun if you put down some wagers or play a drinking game, right? ;)

my picks on the LA Times ballot

"I think acting is about forgetting yourself in order to give the best of yourself. It's passing through you more than you're creating it. You're not the flower, but the vase which holds the flower." 
- Juliette Binoche

Christian Kettiger

I think this insightful quote applies just as accurately to life as to acting...  My friend B and I had this conversation once about how we screw things up when we care about them too much.  It's cringe-worthy and funny, 'cuz it's true.  I think there's definite credence to the notion that self-consciousness infects the purity of the creative process, or even the natural fluidity of relationships.  I myself am certainly most poised, most zen, when my focus is entirely on an activity or another person.  When self awareness creeps in, part of your attention naturally splits off, and then your focus/poise/creativity (whatever you want to call it) fragments, and your ability be a vessel for greatness is radically diminished. 

I've mentioned photographer Christian Kettiger's great work before here.