Watch a Kajillion Times

On this, the penultimate day of Pride Month, I’m here to recommend an undiscovered gem of a movie. I posted about the trailer last August, when I wondered if it contained anything even remotely queer. Well, kittens, the answer is yes. The movie from offbeat filmmaker Miranda July (if you ever saw “You Me and Everyone We know,” you’ll know exactly what I mean by offbeat) is as offbeat as you would suspect. It stars Evan Rachel Wood (doing her best Elizabeth Holmes voice), Gina Rodriguez (who, goodness, can she fill out a simple T-shirt pair of jeans) and a nearly unrecognizable Debra Winger (I really did pause the trailer to make sure that was here). It’s hard to explain what this movie (essentially about a family of low-level grifters and the stranger who enters their lives) is truly about other than to say it’s about family dysfunction and finally finding the tenderness you need. Go into it without expectations and just enjoy its unhurried unfurling. It’s streaming right now on HBO Max. Did I mention Evan & Gina have great chemistry? Because, yeah, they do.

If you’ve watched the movie, watch the clip below. If you have not watched the movie, DO NOT WATCH THE CLIP BELOW. It’s basically the entire end of the movie. But goodness, did I rewatch the heck out of it after finishing the movie. Hello.

Kajillionaire in the Making

If you’ve seen any of Miranda July’s work you’ll know that is very specifically odd, but also strangely beautiful in a haunting way that sticks with you long after the credits roll. I mean, I still sometimes think about “You Me and Everyone We Know.” Something about the stilted normality of her aesthetic is so weirdly captivating. She’s like the ultimate normcore ambassador. Her newest, “Kajillionaire,” looks just as weird and just as dorkily engaging. I mean it doesn’t hurt that it has Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez and an almost unrecognizable Debra Winger (like, I seriously had to watch it again and pause it on her face to confirm, yep, Debra Winger). I particularly like the exaggerated deep voice Evan uses in the role, just another oddball delight amid what appears to be a meditation on bad parenting and finding one’s self at last. I have no idea if anything even remotely queer will happen in the film, but I love seeing women discovering their agency. Plus, anything where people dance out their feelings is a good thing in today’s world. Now, unlike the coronavirus delayed Wonder Woman, the release date is an optimistic September in theaters. But, yeah, we shall see about that. So, otherwise, thoughts?

Cute as a…

Monday mornings are, let’s be blunt, complete crap. Nobody likes them, nobody looks forward to them. Just ask Garfield or the coffee mug on your co-worker’s desk that screams “I hate Mondays!” at you ever time you walk by. So, what better way to ease into your work week than with something sublimely silly. When you have a spare 5 minutes, please allow Miranda July to show you “How to Make a Button.” Watch to the end, it’s worth it.

Something about that just made me smile. Silly. Simple. Surprisingly sweet. If you’re familiar with Miranda, you know the multi-hyphenate (writer-artist-musician-actress-director) is an oddball in the best sense of the word. She is also bisexual, which is really neither here nor there but might account for the cute tie she has on in the video. My exposure to her has been limited mostly to her 2005 debut film “Me and You and Everyone We Know.”

But watching her little instructional video reminded me how much I enjoyed the off-beat and original charm of that film. So I started to poke around and found a link to a website Miranda created last year for her collection of essays, “No One Belongs Here More Than You.” Again, I urge you to click and keep clicking (31 clicks in all) until the end. If you don’t enjoy it, I’ll buy you a ham sandwich.*

They say art, like obscenity, is in the eye of the beholder. Just ask Marcel Duchamp and the world’s most famous urinal. Miranda July makes art and there’s nothing subjective about that. It might not be up your alley, but it is always interesting. And, really, what more can you ask for from a Monday morning?

*Legal Note: Ms. Snarker more than likely won’t actually be able to buy you a ham sandwich. Why? 1) she has about $3 in her wallet and 2) ham sandwiches don’t mail well.