Because sometimes you just want friends to tell you about cool things… the Brew House team offers up its weekly mix of author-supported goodness.
A certain segment of the population knows Lena Dunham as the New York-bred, tattooed creator and protagonist of the HBO series “Girls”. But I, myself, must admit I’ve never seen an episode of the ultra-trendy (and maybe sort of controversial*) series. (Blame my schedule and lack of an HBO subscription.)
*For that matter, I also wasn’t conscious of the mini-controversy surrounding the show’s lack of diversity and exclusionary nature.
These facts, however, won’t stop me from (lightly*) recommending Dunham’s movie “Tiny Furniture”, the 2010 independent film that paved the way for HBO greenlighting “Girls”. The film isn’t perfect. It is, ostensibly, about a recent college graduate (Dunham) who returns home to New York to find her artist family completely unsympathetic to her plight as an entitled millennial with no job, no prospects and no directions.
*Disclaimer: I’d probably only watch this movie for free on a low-key weekend night.
If the movie had a little more sweetness (and perhaps a more popular soundtrack) maybe it would have matched Zach Braff’s “Garden State” in the category of “Coming Of Age Indie Tale That Connects With A Large Audience.” But maybe it’s a good thing it didn’t. Instead, the film’s most memorable scene may be Dunham and a potential love interest finishing a date with some awkward pipe sex. And now, you can find Dunham’s work languishing on Netflix Streaming.
Alas, Dunham is only 26, another thing that sparked my interest. And she’s a talented writer. And the moderate success of “Tiny Furniture “ did ensure that “Girls” would flood the hipster-leaning blogosphere (and show up on Fresh Air with Terry Gross). Now, if I could only find an HBO subscription. — Rustin Dodd
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Shoes: Keds
When I was growing up, I considered Keds a patently uncool brand of shoe. Everything about Keds — from its/their singularly plural name (it just sounds so…Canadian) to the fact that my mom and lots of other moms wore them to their not being Airwalks or Jordans or even Adidas — was lame. Fast forward 13 or 14 years: my past two shoe purchases have been Keds.
Like Chucks, hey have a slim, low profile that makes my oversized feet look less clownish. They don’t carry any of the extra bulk that Vans do or that too-casual feel New Balance and other sneakers exude. They don’t fall apart on wear number three like those generic Urban Outfitters plimsoll. They’re comfortable enough for weekends and subtle enough for the work week. Either my mom is a lot cooler than I thought or I’m a lot less cool than I think. Probably a little of both. – Asher Fusco
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Proposed Utopia: A Carless Society
So, like most everyone knows, I’m moving soon. I’m moving from Dallas to Pennsylvania, which means that come October, more than two feet of snow will fall every single day. This poses a problem for me regarding transportation because, right now, unfortunately STILL, I own a Ford Mustang. Mustangs work as well in the snow as bare feet.
The last two weeks I have been trying to sell the Mustang while trying to buy a new car, attempting to rapidly accelerate the process in the last few days. Problem is, doing so is impossible. It is FREAKING impossible to sell a car for a decent price, and now I have, like, five days left. Five days. If I don’t sell it by then, I am going to have to live out of the new car I buy because I won’t be able to afford any proper lodging, not even residency at an extended stay motel (I’ve checked!).
All of this stress has led me to the only appropriate conclusion. I need to move to an island where cars are useless, and people realize that cars are actually a detriment to society. This utopia would be the anti-Dallas, a city that was founded by Henry Ford and whoever the hell invented Chevrolet. But wait, I guess that place exists. Manhattan. –Mark Dent
