574 Life During Wartime

[swo17]

This movie is about forgiveness, which is something we will all have to be prepared to do when Criterion realizes that they should have paired it with Happiness and corrects this oversight. (Spine 575 is as of yet unclaimed, so there's still hope!)

[swo17]

We love both films and would be happy to release Happiness if we get the chance, but this opportunity presented itself first, and we decided to seize it. We've wanted to work on a Solondz film for a long time.

[Grand Wazoo]

Beaver

[swo17]

- Ask Todd, an audio Q&A with director Todd Solondz in which he responds to viewers’ questions

Someone might want to update this spec to read:

- Questions by swo17 and some other people, answered by some guy

[knives]

Oh, cool. Don't have the DVD yet, but which question is yours?

[swo17]

I think it's #8, on casting decisions.

[mfunk9786]

I wonder if he answered my submission ("What would happen if you went out in the sun for a prolonged period of time?")

[MoonlitKnight]

Whaddya know -- Deep Discount sent me this enough in advance that I was able to receive it a whole 3 days before its actual release date. \:D/

[knives]

Does Solondz sound and talk like Tommy Wiseau to anyone else?

[CSM126]

^That just sold a copy. I HAVE to hear this now.

[knives]

He takes down some of the grammatical ticks as gets more into it, but he really does sound like Wiseau mixed with my grandmother.

[med]

I recall him appearing on Letterman around the time Happiness came out. The audience laughed at the first couple of things he said, even though it wasn't anything funny.

[MoonlitKnight]

He definitely sounds like one of his characters, that's for sure. :-s

[dustybooks]

I'm a huge fan of Solondz's prior four features, especially Happiness and Palindromes. I just finally saw Life During Wartime; though it didn't quite grip me emotionally to the extent that his others have, I did like it a lot and I have to single out one scene in particular --

Spoiler

that between Billy and his father in the dorm room

-- as being just perfect: the understated emotion, the dialogue, the two performances, everything. It's not unexpected for me to be moved by a Solondz film, but this seemed one of the most affecting moments he's presented to date.

The camera work seems to branch out a bit here from its more "invisible" status in the previous Solondz films -- though I agree with the above comments that there's a digitally washed out look to many shots that makes them rather unattractive.

[bainbridgezu]

Solondz is set to begin production on his new film Weiner-Dog, which will feature an adult Dawn Weiner played by Greta Gerwig. Julie Delpy may also star. No part of this news is not amazing.

[knives]

But isn't Dawn dead by the start of Palindromes?