Bloggish review blog

Under discussion:

Wondrous Oblivion  (2003)

I was pretty skeptical when I recieved "Wondrous Oblivion" in the mail, looked at the cover, and read the movie's synopsis. At first glance, this seemed like just another after-school special feel good movie. For the most part, it is. The plot is about young David Wiseman (Sam Smith), a jewish boy obsessed who's obsessed with cricket, but doesn't have an ounce of talent. He lives with his family in a white middle-class neighborhood in South London, where they experience a fair share of anti-semitism, especially after their neighbors, the only other jewish family on the block, moves out.

The neighbors are replaced by the Jamaican Samuels family, headed by Dennis (Delroy Lindo) who wastes no time showing their devotion to the game of cricket by putting up a playing net in their backyard. Acting according to formula, David starts going next door to get coaching from Dennis, much to the dismay of his parents, strikes up a friendship with Dennis' daughter Judy, gains skill in cricket, and eventually brings both families together in friendship in the midst of the racist neighbors.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is an enjoyable film, one that doesn't require much emotional investment or thought. It's a movie that might best be compared to rice pudding. It's nice, and goes down easy, but it's nothing terribly special. Just by reading the synopsis and looking at the pictures on the back of the DVD case, I could almost tell exactly how the movie would go. "Wondrous Oblivion" didn't really have any aspects I had problems with, but then, there weren't really any distinctive features to begin with, so there weren't any aspects of the film that I found particularly interesting or attention-grabbing. In fact, I might not have minded if there were some point I contested with, since that would mean there was something out of line about this movie, instead of the straightforward, feel-good family piece that it is.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is a good movie for families to watch together. For film buffs looking for a good piece of cinematic art, however, it is utterly forgettable. It blends into the beige tapestry that is social issue-conscious family-friendly film, along with the myriad "Wonderful World of Disney" special presentation TV movies about the American civil rights movement. Or apartheid. Or the holocaust. Or...well, you get the idea.

Under discussion:

You're Gonna Miss Me  (2005)

In the 1960s, Roky Erickson was the frenetic, hugely talented frontman of the 13th Floor Elevators, a band that played a major role in inventing the term "psychedelic rock" and became an inspiration to hugely important artists like Janis Joplin. But, after all the LSD trips, the concerts and the myriad broken relationships, Erickson slowly descended into a nearly-vegetative state, practically unrecognizable as the attractive, bold force of talent he had once been. "You're Gonna Miss Me" is a documentary that chronicles Erickson's long, painful fall, its effects on his family, and one brother's journey to help Roky out of the hole he's made for himself.

The story of "You're Gonna Miss Me" could have been about any dysfunctional family struggling with one member's mental illness. The struggles and situations depicted could be about any family, anywhere. The fact that it's about a former rock star makes it all the more shocking. We're introduced to Roky Erickson in clips from early performances of the Elevators, where we see a confident, powerful singer backed by an enthusiastic band. The scenes that follow show Erickson in his current state: as a bloated, numb man with rotting teeth and hair matted into a wad at the back of his head. This Roky Erickson mistakes Mr. Potato Heads as balls to throw for his dog, and can't sleep without white noise eminating from five or six different electical appliances. These scenes totally floored me. Looking at Erickson while his old recordings play in the background, it's almost impossible to imagine that this sad lump of a person was ever capable of putting out this great music.

Roky is taken care of by his mother, Evelyn, who is in scarcely better shape than her son. Evelyn lives in a decrepit house that looks like a yard sale from hell, covered with collages she makes out of cardboard and old photos of herself and her sons. It's clear that Evelyn, who was once a talented singer herself, has always been starved for attention, and Roky is the closest she ever came to getting the amount she wanted. Evelyn is controlling, and refuses to allow Roky medication, or a doctor, despite the constant pleading of her three younger sons, who all have plenty of psychological problems of their own.  Sumner, the youngest of the Erickson boys, ends up taking a particularly active role in his brother's well-being, and ultimately sets Roky back on the road to recovery.

 Although the documentary is pretty strong overall, and remains nicely objective, it does have a few weaknesses. Roky's father Roger only appears very late in the film, and his role in the overall development and eventual falling apart of his family is hardly discussed. What little does come to light made me think that perhaps there was more going on than the audience was being told, which was a little irritating. Also, it might have helped for the documentary to have some form of narrative voice. As it was, there wasn't much perspective, and it felt a little like a very long trailer.

Through interviews with artists, friends, family and former bandmates, director Kevin McAlester has painted a painful portrait of a burned-out artist that is simultaneously inspiring and deeply depressing. The Elevators and, later, Roky and his backup band, the Aliens, were obviously important in the development of music as we know it today. Without bands like the Elevators, without the advent of psychedelic rock, we might not have half the musical acts we have today. Bands such as the Flaming Lips and Animal Collective owe a huge debt to people like Roky Erickson. To know that such an important person has fallen so far is shocking, unbelievable and sad. It's nice to know that Erickson is back on the way to restoring his mind, but it's doubtful he'll ever be as great as he once was.