THIS ISN'T REALLY AN ODE IN THE CLASSIC SENSE BUT AN APPRECIATION OF LENA D. AND HER DEBUT FILM TINY FURNITURE WHICH I WATCHED LAST NIGHT ON NETFLIX AND IS GETTING A RELEASE BY THE CRITERION COLLECTION ON FEB.14.I WAS FULLY PREPARED TO HATE BOTH HER AND HER MOVIE BUT IT WAS APPARENT AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES THAT LD HAS THE SAME THING THAT EVERY GREAT MOVIE STAR,GREAT SINGER OR MC HAS-I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT THING IS CALLED BUT IT MADE ME WANT TO WATCH/LISTEN TO WHAT SHE WAS DOING OR HAD TO SAY.PEOPLE TAKE CLASSES FOR YEARS AND SPEND UNTOLD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO TRY AND GET WHAT SHE WAS BORN WITH.I WISH I COULD PUT A NAME TO IT,BUT I GUESS IT'S KIND OF CHARISMA + LIKABILITY.THE CHARACTER SHE PLAYS IN THE MOVIE-AURA-HAS JUST GRADUATED FROM A COLLEGE IN OHIO (NEVER NAMED BUT OBVIOUSLY OBERLIN) AND RETURNED HOME TO HER MOTHER'S LOFT IN TRIBECA TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT.I'M NOT GOING TO SUMMARIZE THE WHOLE MOVIE BUT ONE OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS IS A HIPSTER TYPE WHO MAKES VIDEOS FOR YOUTUBE THAT CONSIST OF HIM READING NIETZCHE WHILE RIDING ONE OF THOSE MECHANICAL HORSES THAT USED TO BE IN FRONT OF EVERY DRUG STORE 30 YEARS AGO.THE HANDLING OF THIS CHARACTER,AS WELL AS AURA'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND CHARLOTTE AND THE CHARACTERS HER REAL LIFE MOTHER AND SISTER PLAY,IS ABSOLUTELY PITCH PERFECT. EFFORTLESSLY WRITTEN AND PERFORMED..MY MIND WANDERED BACK TO DIABLO CODY'S SCREENPLAY FOR JUNO,ANOTHER MOVIE ABOUT A YOUNG GIRL AT A CROSSROADS,AND ALTHOUGH COMPARING THE 2 IS REALLY APPLES AND ORANGES-IT WAS THE FORCED ARTIFICIALITY OF CODY'S TONE DEAF DIALOGUE AND THE STRAIN IT PUT ON THE ACTORS (AND MY WINCE REFLEX) THAT DESTROYED WHATEVER CHANCE THAT FILM HAD...SO MUCH OF TINY FURNITURE COULD HAVE BEEN SO AWFUL (THE ENNUI OF A WHITE UPPER CLASS 22 YEAR OLD COLLEGE GRAD FROM NYC IS NOT A SUBJECT OF WHICH I FEEL DEPRIVED) BUT DUNHAM IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY WITH HER CASTING CHOICES (SHE REALLY DID GET HER MOM AND SISTER TO BE IN THE PICTURE-BOTH ABSOLUTE NATURALS) HER DIALOGUE,THE EDITING,THE SPARSE USE OF MUSIC AND THE EXCELLENT CINEMATOGRAPHER SHE USED.IF YOU LOOK AROUND THE INTERNET YOU'LL SEE THIS MOVIE HAS ALOT OF HATERS. BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE ANY OF THEM MAKE A FEATURE LENGTH FILM THIS COHERENT FOR $20,000.THAT'S $20,000 IN NEW YORK CITY BTW...DUNHAM DESERVES ALOT OF CREDIT FOR GOING ALL THE WAY WITH HER MATERIAL.I MEAN WOULD YOU FILM YRSELF GETTING FUCKED IN A STEEL PIPE AT A VACANT CONSTRUCTION SITE IN YOUR DEBUT FILM??YOUR DEBUT FILM YR MOM ALSO HAPPENS TO BE IN??THE GIRL'S GOT BALLS.SHE'S A TRUE NYC ARTIST AND THOSE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN THESE DAYS.I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT SHE DOES NEXT....
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