Movies You Missed 16: The Future

This week in movies you missed: What looked like an indie twee fest is actually the saddest film I have seen this year. And I have seen both Shame and Melancholia.

(Sidenote: If you want to see Melancholia on the big screen, hie thee to Merrill's Roxy right now. It may not linger, unlike Kirsten Dunst's character's depression.)

What You Missed

The Future is the second movie written and directed by Miranda July, who is known for play writing, dance, performance art and stories that get published in The New Yorker. As this New York Times profile explains, her success has sparked more than a little envy among thirtysomething struggling-artist types who find her work more precious than substantial.

The protagonists are Jason (Hamish Linklater) and Sophie (July), two nonfamous thirtysomething struggling-artist types who live in L.A. together. They are considering a huge step: adopting a cat from the Humane Society. The cat they've chosen has renal failure and a life expectancy of about six months, making this a manageable starter commitment in their view.

Burlington Decoded: Stereogum Dishes On 802 Music

Burlington's music scene got some national love today when online tastemaker Stereogum included the 802 in its "Area Codes" feature, an ongoing series profiling various lesser known music scenes around the country. The piece has some nice quotes about the Queen City from local music mavens Alex Crothers of Higher Ground and Nick Mavodones from Angioplasty Media. (Mavodones also works at HG, BTW.)

Although the 802 area code encompasses the entirety of the state, the Stereogum piece is particularly Burlington-centric. Aside from passing mentions of Brattleboro and Bennington, music made outside of the state's biggest little city is pretty much ignored. That's somewhat understandable, especially considering it's a short piece coming from a writer with an outside perspective. Some small acknowledgement of the great tunes coming down from the mountains woulda been nice. But that's a minor quibble. 

The piece does a admirable job of dispelling the myth that Burlington is still a jam band haven. (It ain't. And if you think it is, you should try getting out more often since 2001.) Mavodones in particular notes the city's burgeoning indie, experimental and hip-hop scenes. And the inclusion of some videos from the likes of indie space rockers Parmaga, Death's punk progeny Rough Francis and indie folk sweetheart Maryse Smith, as well as links to download tunes from Villanelles, the Vacant Lots and Lawrence Welks and Our Bear to Cross, among others, is some cool exposure. But to really capture BTV music — an admittedly tall order in a scant 500 words — it might have been wise for Stereogum to cast its gaze a little wider than the Angio/NNA Tapes crew and their associated acts. Not that those bands and labels don't deserve the love — they certainly do. But the piece feels a little clique-y and narrow in focus. Still, it's always nice to see the spotlight shone on our humble little corner of the world.

Here's a link to the entire story. And here's a new video from a great non-Burlington Vermont band, Wooden Dinosaur. 

 

Grazing: Oysters come to (down)town

I love, love, love oysters, but since I can't shuck them with any grace, I'm dependent on others to satisfy my addiction. Yet for some reason I rarely ventured up to Riverside Avenue to have them at Bluebird Tavern, where they were usually on the menu.

When the relocated Bluebird opened on St. Paul Street this week, though, the pusher had come to town. Shimmering bivalves a few blocks' walk from work?

State Regulator Denies Sale of Fletcher Allen Dialysis Clinics

State regulators Thursday preliminarily denied the sale of five outpatient dialysis clinics owned by Fletcher Allen Health Care to one of the nation's largest, for-profit dialysis providers. They claimed the sale could drastically increase rates.

The decision is not final.

FAHC and Fresenius will be able to contest the proposed decision issued by Steve Kimbell, commissioner of the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, at a January 18 hearing.

In his decision, Kimbell said BISHCA's analysis of the proposal found that dialysis rates would have to be increased fourfold by Fresenius in order to make the clinics profitable.

FAHC announced last year it wanted to sell off the clinics because they were losing about $1.8 million annually. Fresenius proposed to buy the clinics and run them through its subsidiary, Bio-Medical Care Holdings, based in New Hampshire.

Fletcher Allen operates five outpatient dialysis clinics, in South Burlington, St. Albans, Berlin, Rutland and Newport. They collectively serve about 241 people, with another 26 people receiving services in their homes. Had it taken place, the total sale was valued at more than $28 million.

Movies You Missed 15: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

This week in movies you missed: rednecks vs. college kids in a Canadian horror spoof that's actually funny.

Note: There were lots of notable video releases this week, so I'm doing two Movies You Missed posts. Look for a review of Miranda July's The Future tomorrow.

What You Missed

A group of college students heads into the wilderness for camping and necking. At a general store on their way, they meet a hulking hick who addresses a few stumbling words to them. But the kids are busy eyeing the giant scythe over his shoulder. Schooled on horror movies in which inbred hillbillies massacre innocent co-eds, from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre through Wrong Turn, they scurry for the car.

Only thing: The college kids aren't our protagonists. The hillbillies are.