Top Five Things I Watched: Tyler RE Smith

Just like Mr. Peltier’s more impressive list, this is a quick gathering of 5 things I watched in 2013–not necessarily 2013 US theatrical releases. It’s also a cross-platform list that’s sensitive to where I watched what I watched. Because watching LAWRENCE OF ARABIA on your iPhone doesn’t hold a candle (or match) to watching… see numero uno.

One common thread to my picks–all of them pay close attention to the specificity of their settings. I love when something puts me there, into the world of the show.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA on the big screen!

Surprisingly, I missed this whenever it was played at the Normal Theater, but I finally caught it at one-day screening at a Baton Rouge multiplex–part of an on-going classics series. Peter O’Toole. Omar Sharif. David Lean. I don’t remember a whole hell of a lot of plot specifics, but I do remember being pressed back into my seat by the endless beautiful desertscapes. Gorgeous. And a viewing experience not likely to be repeated in the near future.

MOONE BOY on Hulu+

A good blending of sweet and mean, this perfectly-cast Irish sitcom from Chris O’Dowd takes place in a very specific time and place: Boyle, Ireland in 1989. The series hits its stride after dumping some of the more fantastical elements of the first episode. Bonus points for introducing me to Wheatabix.

GRAVITY at Alamo Drafthouse in Austin Fuckin’ Texas

Pure popcorn spectacle from Alfonso Cuaron. A shipwreck story with Sandra Bullock doing her best sad nerd and George Clooney doing his best George Clooney. It’s a simple story bolstered by ratcheting tension and some pleasing technical wizardry. Also the first movie I saw at the Alamo Drafthouse–so it gets an unfair bump due to the Drafthouse rebooting my faith in the movie-going experience. Suck it, all other theaters.

HIGH MAINTENANCE a webseries on Vimeo

The webseries, elevated. The episodes are tied together by the appearance of a nameless pot peddler. Outside of our bearded dealer, each ep has a different cast and a monster of the week feel–only the “monster” is something plaguing young urbanites. Suffering through a passover seder. Being an AirBnB host. Cancer. Hey, it ain’t all jokes. Sharp sharp sharp.

TOP OF THE LAKE on Netflix

A moody Kiwi import from Jane Campion that features one of my favorite actors David Wenham. A big city cop played by Elisabeth Moss comes home to small-town New Zealand and gets caught up in the disappearance of a local girl. Unpredictable, cool, twisty, and twisted. Big characters and incredible scenery. I wish my regular running route took me past sublime craggy coastlines and primeval rainforests. But I’m glad it doesn’t take me through the misogyny, incest, pedophilia, and murder that haunts the inhabitants in the series.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The last 20 minutes of CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Stunning filmmaking and acting.
ARCHER. Forever sploosh.
BESIDE STILL WATERS. Shit title, great movie. Fave of Austin Film Fest.
CRACKHEADS. Another AFF fave. I met up with the filmmakers–accessible, enthusiastic, and funny filmmakers.