I also didn't think I'd get an awful cold with a chest-rattling cough in the middle of August. I was wrong.
I'd like to say that this weekend was relaxing but instead I ended up with an awful case of cabin fever. Everyone was busy and although I was sick I desperately needed to get out of the house. The only solace I had was a trip to the record store that I took at my most fidgety moment and stretched far longer than it needed to be by looking through virtually every row of records and engaging the clerk in conversation.
On a related note, my Wii baseball team had a hell of a weekend.
Video for the day that I won't say any more about for reasons you may soon find out: St. Andrews by Bedouin Soundclash.
#22: Visioneers
I saw the preview for this movie not long after it premiered at a few minor independent film festivals and I immediately wanted to see it. Unfortunately it wasn't available for a long time and I somehow missed a very limited offer to view it for free online. When I found Zach Galifianakis' Twitter (God bless technology) the first update I saw was that Visioneers was finally to be made available on DVD. I immediately went on Amazon and preordered it.
I got it in the mail (along with my Watchmen preorder) and it had what I thought was a sticker on the DVD. As it turned out it was not a sticker but actually printed on the cover. The label read "Featuring star of The Hangover Zach Galifianakis." That is, of course, a true statement, but it has absolutely no bearing on this movie. Anyone out there who loved The Hangover would probably hate Zach Galifianakis' stand-up and the rest of his work. Similarly, anyone who actually appreciates Zach Galifianakis probably would hate The Hangover. Anyone who wants a true feel for him needs to see his bizarre but hysterical Absolut ads, some of the skits he does online with other equally-talented comedians, or his disjointed and irreverent stand-up comedy complete with over-the-top tantrums and hilarious non sequiturs. By the way, I had a link for the last one but it is far too vulgar for me to be promoting here. Youtube him if you're interested.
The point of that whole anecdote is this: Visioneers is the true Zach Galifianakis--the comedian I have adored since the first time I saw his act. So much of his material seems to have been written because he, himself found it funny, and if anyone who watches finds it funny as well then that's just a nice bonus. I firmly believe the best comedy comes from that philosophy because it isn't forced or cliche like so many of the punchlines in the stereotypical teen comedy that's recycled in theaters every month.
I have a strange obsession with works of art that represent dystopias (1984 and A Scanner Darkly are good examples) and this film created a memorable one. The story was incredibly similar to that of Orwell's but less as a knock-off than an homage. The plot revolves around the Jeffers Corporation which employs Visioneers--but the movie makes it a point never to elaborate on the nature of their mundane work or what it is exactly that the company does. The interesting twist comes with the fact that those employees who harbor a dissatisfaction with a highly-restricted life and a seemingly meaningless job reach a breaking point at which they explode. No, not metaphorically. They actually explode. The KA-BOOM kind.
Despite obvious social commentary in the same vain as 1984, the movie is punctuated by dry humor flawlessly delivered by Galifianakis. Some times it resides in an absurd line he delivers with a completely straight face. Every character, for example, inexplicably pronounces the word "chaos" with the ch sound (an affricate for you English enthusiasts out there!) and it is obvious that the writers went out of their way to include the word enough times to establish an inside joke with the viewers. Other times it can be found in simple but intelligent slapstick that is funny not in the mere act of one person hitting another or someone made to look silly but rather through the contrast with the serious context of a genuinely numbing society. If any of you can watch the scene in which Zach Galifianakis and his brother grapple ultimately swinging each other into an awkward fall without laughing you have no sense of humor.
However absurd the movie seems the tone remains brilliantly dark. Don't let the bright scenery and silly physical humor fool you; there's a great piece here. The deterioration of the protagonist's marriage coinciding with devolution of his wife all at the hands of a frightening dystopia makes the film a focused work of art first and a crazy comedy second. Writing and directing duo Jared and Brandon Drake have as much to say as Orwell, Gilliam, or Bradbury but are still able to seamlessly integrate comedy to emphasize the darkness of society through contrast.
The difference between 1984 and Visioneers is a happy ending for the latter. This may be the nature of comedy--dark or otherwise--that an unhappy ending would seem incongruous--simultaneously hampering the humor and succumbing to bathos by naively appealing to sentiments. The ending, though, is one of my favorite parts about this movie. It's exhausting living in a world that reminds us you can't spell critical without critic and that repeatedly suggests that "reality" connotes disappointment and dismality. While dystopian art is obviously dismal in nature, happy endings don't have to be mawkish--reserved for the romcoms and grocery store novels of the world. I think the Drake brothers make a bold statement in wrapping up their memorable dystopia with a personal victory. Sometimes Goliath needs to fall.
I have to apologize for the daunting entry but I think it adequately expresses how much there is to be said about this film. Having secured a physical release I think the Drake brothers' work has paved the way to become a cult success in the same vain as Brazil. Galifianakis is a truly talented actor that should trademark the intentionally awkward scenario as he's the king of the trade. The supporting cast makes the most of minimal roles acting appropriately conflicted--at times emotionless, at times distraught. And the concept, while seemingly immature, holds much more grandeur than it suggests on paper. Visioneers is a true success that few are likely to see--at least not until its celebrated in retrospect.
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