week sixteen - mumblecore

Alicia Van Couvering, “What I Meant to Say.”

2. Broadly speaking, what characteristics define mumblecore?
The generalization of mumblecore films tends to be "slacker" films, focusing on the lives and situations of everyday people. Although these 'people' tend to be middle-class, educated white folk (probably much like the filmmakers themselves). But thats the whole point, these are slice-of-life films that are direct interpretations of the writers and directors about how life currently is for them. There seems to be improvised performances and naturalistic dialogue, often performed by non-actors. Plots hinge on everyday events, often times obviously as a direct reflection of it's creators. There are handheld camera shots and long takes, and tiny budgets as with most independent films. And as Van Couvering points out: there is an abundance of road trips.





S.T. VanAirsdale “Mumblecore Inc.”

5. What have been some of the negative consequences of the mumblecore label?
The major negative consequence to the mumblecore label (as with any genre labeling) lies in the fact that once it becomes grouped together with other so-called "movies of its kind," it is held up to a set of regulations and expectations that other movies aren't. So by being considered a "mumblecore" film, there are certain things that people may expect your film to contain or not contain, and may therefore garner less understanding or appreciation than it would if it were to be taken out of context of a genre and classified as it's own film.


6. IFC Films picked up Hannah Takes the Stairs for “day-and-date” distribution. What does this mean?
Day-and-date distribution means that IFC Films picks a film and a day to release it on, and come that date, it opens the IFC Center series, and then subsequently becomes available for download on IFC on Demand.




Amy Taubin, “All Talk?”


9. What are Taubin’s main objections to the work of Joe Swanberg.
Taubin's main objections to Swanberg and his work are that he's a self-indulgent asshole, hellbent on sex and self-involvement, and his films mirror that. His comment that he had nothing to say about the war in Iraq, and the only movies he can currently make are those focused he and his friends lives makes Taubin feel like he is just as "smug and blatantly lazy" as his films are. In addition, theres too much sexual exploitation, and self-obsession with the young, white male (the filmmaker).

10. Which two mumblecore directors does Taubin characterize as “breakout talents,” and why?
Taubin calls Andrew Bujalski and Aaron Katz "breakout talents," citing that Bujalski has an uncanny ability to direct performers and stage a scene so that "actions speak louder than words," as well as being a great writer; and she says that Katz's lyrically poetic use of DV far surpasses that cinematography of what's normally created digitally.