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"Beasts of the Southern Wild"/Lady Gaga's "Fame" Perfume
Friday, August 24th, 2012 01:16 pmIn Movies:
Beasts of the Southern Wild: I am so glad that I had a chance to see this on the big screen, because the acting from everyone involved is simply amazing, and the landscapes of post-Katrina Louisiana, even though they were once familiar sights, look truly alien when they're enlarged.
The most amazing acting job comes from the star of the film, 6-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis. This little girl has such a force of personality that at one particular plot point, I would not have been surprised if the forces of the universe realigned themselves to reflect her view of reality. The character she plays, Hushpuppy, lives with her father, Wink, in The Bathtub, a decrepit Bayou community directly in the path of the Hurricane. Poverty is everywhere around her, yet she's not bowed down by it (or anything, really.) The places and people she cares about are unreliable at best, and she's often adrift in a rickety boat, at sea. Yet there is nothing to suggest that the viewer should pity her or bemoan her losses. This is simply her reality, and she's going to negotiate it as best she can.
In many ways, this movie reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki at his best. The titular beasts, when they appear, would not be out of place in Princess Mononoke, and Hushpuppy's heroic efforts in the face of adversity place her aside Sen in Spirited Away. But this movie is its own story, in no way a retelling of someone else's story. In some ways, I think it's the most uniquely American movie I've ever seen, although its vision of America is not altogether a positive one. The magical realism that permeates the plot is what separates it from a simply depressing tale of a poor little girl and her alcoholic, dying father. In this story, actions have consequences, and the consequences make all the characters the people who they are. That the consequences are giant, magical beasts makes no difference to Hushpuppy and her friends; they're there to be faced and dealt with, and then moved on from.
One word of warning to those with sensitive stomachs: much of this film is shot with a handheld camera, and sometimes the results are a little nauseating (although, again, given whose perspective this story is being told from, dizzying makes sense.) It's a really beautiful story even with all the sad parts in it, and it would make a great family movie for older children who are prepared to handle the pathos in the story. As I said, it's well worth seeing on the big screen, and I hope it gets a lot more press--and hopefully, Oscar nominations all around.
And now for something completely different:
Lady Gaga's "Fame" (Black Fluid version): This product is made of crazy, and as with all things Lady Gaga, it's so crazy that I can't help but love it for its over-the-top, obvious shamelessness. That said, I have no intention of buying a bottle, especially not for $79 a pop. "Fame" is reportedly the first perfume that is black (it looks like watery India Ink in the bottle, which was also attacked by a gold-plated, insectoid Chthulu monster that got smacked into the cap and decided to stay there) but sprays on transparent. It does in fact spray on transparent, and the scent is... well, this isn't what I think "fame" smells like. For all of the hype surrounding its release, I think this is a really conventional scent. It's perfume-y: a little alcoholic, slightly musky, not floral or girly. It's reminiscent of the more interesting things that Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab does, but it doesn't surpass those, at least not the ones I've tried and liked. But the thing that I found most annoying is that it scent didn't last. This seems to be a big issue with all the modern perfumes I've bought, even the good BPAL ones: unless you douse yourself in the liquid, the smell's pretty much gone in a few hours. And, while I don't want to be reeking of a particular scent for hours and hours, it would be nice if it would last, say, an evening. "Fame" lasted for barely two, and by the end, it was a ghost of its former, wafting self.
It's entirely possible that this is a meta construction of the perfume itself, that Lady Gaga and her perfume designers want to make part of this experience something like the fleeting nature of fame itself... except that I don't think that's it at all. I think the more you apply this, the sooner you'll buy another bottle; I also think that the ingredients to make this truly last would jack up the price something fierce. And since this is a high-end product, but not so high-end that Macy's can't sell it, that would be counter-productive for the company and stores. So it's a short-lived fragrance.
My biggest/silliest quibble, though, remains: this isn't what "fame" smells like, at least in my mind. Fame would smell something like tabloid magazine ink, champagne, caviar, and celluloid all mixed together, which I can only guess would be disgusting. (Sean John's "Unforgivable" cologne has the same problem--it needs to smell like cheap booze, cheaper perfume, and desperation, not like a generic musk.) I think I'd be more on board with this perfume if it were called something like, "Monsters' Ball" or "Bad Romance". Right now, of course, my opposition to it remains largely an ideological convenience, designed to keep my money safely in my wallet.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: I am so glad that I had a chance to see this on the big screen, because the acting from everyone involved is simply amazing, and the landscapes of post-Katrina Louisiana, even though they were once familiar sights, look truly alien when they're enlarged.
The most amazing acting job comes from the star of the film, 6-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis. This little girl has such a force of personality that at one particular plot point, I would not have been surprised if the forces of the universe realigned themselves to reflect her view of reality. The character she plays, Hushpuppy, lives with her father, Wink, in The Bathtub, a decrepit Bayou community directly in the path of the Hurricane. Poverty is everywhere around her, yet she's not bowed down by it (or anything, really.) The places and people she cares about are unreliable at best, and she's often adrift in a rickety boat, at sea. Yet there is nothing to suggest that the viewer should pity her or bemoan her losses. This is simply her reality, and she's going to negotiate it as best she can.
In many ways, this movie reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki at his best. The titular beasts, when they appear, would not be out of place in Princess Mononoke, and Hushpuppy's heroic efforts in the face of adversity place her aside Sen in Spirited Away. But this movie is its own story, in no way a retelling of someone else's story. In some ways, I think it's the most uniquely American movie I've ever seen, although its vision of America is not altogether a positive one. The magical realism that permeates the plot is what separates it from a simply depressing tale of a poor little girl and her alcoholic, dying father. In this story, actions have consequences, and the consequences make all the characters the people who they are. That the consequences are giant, magical beasts makes no difference to Hushpuppy and her friends; they're there to be faced and dealt with, and then moved on from.
One word of warning to those with sensitive stomachs: much of this film is shot with a handheld camera, and sometimes the results are a little nauseating (although, again, given whose perspective this story is being told from, dizzying makes sense.) It's a really beautiful story even with all the sad parts in it, and it would make a great family movie for older children who are prepared to handle the pathos in the story. As I said, it's well worth seeing on the big screen, and I hope it gets a lot more press--and hopefully, Oscar nominations all around.
And now for something completely different:
Lady Gaga's "Fame" (Black Fluid version): This product is made of crazy, and as with all things Lady Gaga, it's so crazy that I can't help but love it for its over-the-top, obvious shamelessness. That said, I have no intention of buying a bottle, especially not for $79 a pop. "Fame" is reportedly the first perfume that is black (it looks like watery India Ink in the bottle, which was also attacked by a gold-plated, insectoid Chthulu monster that got smacked into the cap and decided to stay there) but sprays on transparent. It does in fact spray on transparent, and the scent is... well, this isn't what I think "fame" smells like. For all of the hype surrounding its release, I think this is a really conventional scent. It's perfume-y: a little alcoholic, slightly musky, not floral or girly. It's reminiscent of the more interesting things that Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab does, but it doesn't surpass those, at least not the ones I've tried and liked. But the thing that I found most annoying is that it scent didn't last. This seems to be a big issue with all the modern perfumes I've bought, even the good BPAL ones: unless you douse yourself in the liquid, the smell's pretty much gone in a few hours. And, while I don't want to be reeking of a particular scent for hours and hours, it would be nice if it would last, say, an evening. "Fame" lasted for barely two, and by the end, it was a ghost of its former, wafting self.
It's entirely possible that this is a meta construction of the perfume itself, that Lady Gaga and her perfume designers want to make part of this experience something like the fleeting nature of fame itself... except that I don't think that's it at all. I think the more you apply this, the sooner you'll buy another bottle; I also think that the ingredients to make this truly last would jack up the price something fierce. And since this is a high-end product, but not so high-end that Macy's can't sell it, that would be counter-productive for the company and stores. So it's a short-lived fragrance.
My biggest/silliest quibble, though, remains: this isn't what "fame" smells like, at least in my mind. Fame would smell something like tabloid magazine ink, champagne, caviar, and celluloid all mixed together, which I can only guess would be disgusting. (Sean John's "Unforgivable" cologne has the same problem--it needs to smell like cheap booze, cheaper perfume, and desperation, not like a generic musk.) I think I'd be more on board with this perfume if it were called something like, "Monsters' Ball" or "Bad Romance". Right now, of course, my opposition to it remains largely an ideological convenience, designed to keep my money safely in my wallet.
