Tuesday, September 14, 2004

#8 - TODD SOLONDZ

WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE (1995)

After such heart-wrenching pictures of suburban hell and general human dysfunction as 1995's Welcome to the Dollhouse and 1998's Happiness, Todd Solondz has firmly established himself as the miscreant's director. Dollhouse tells the bleak, perverse tale of outcast teenager Dawn "Wienerdog" Wiener (played expertly by Heather Matarazzo). When Dawn asks a fellow student at her junior high why he hates her so much, he unhesitatingly replies, "Because you're ugly." We come to learn that Dawn isn't so much the stereotypical loser who's naturally uncomfortable in her own skin, as she is the stereotypical loser who's made to feel uncomfortable in her own skin by the fact that other people project their own insecurities onto her.

However, Welcome to the Dollhouse was a mere prelude to Solondz's more mature--and certainly more uncomfortable--black comedy, Happiness. In the words of producer Christine Vachon, Happiness is a "nonjudgmental film about a pedophile." One of its central plotlines--about a father who has an unnatural attraction to his young son's friends--caused sizable unhappiness among various critics and cultural watchdogs. However, the film also won considerable acclaim, premiering at the 1998 Cannes Festival to a positive reception and going on to establish Solondz further as one of the most original and provocative directors of his era.

Solondz's eagerly anticipated next film, Palindromes, is scheduled for release later this year.

92 Comments:

At 3:53 PM, beautiful idiot said...

I like your blog.

 
At 6:49 PM, Anonymous said...

That makes two of us! =)

-X

 
At 9:27 PM, Anonymous said...

Yeah, me too. I was disappointed you didn't post more last summer. Your thoughts on HLS and life in general are pretty apt a lot of the time. You should spend more time on this blog, I think people will appreciate it.

 
At 5:05 AM, munkeigh said...

good boy.

:)

 
At 5:07 AM, munkeigh said...

Have you seen Storytelling?

 
At 4:16 PM, Anonymous said...

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 4:18 PM, Anonymous said...

I have seen STORYTELLING, but I thought it was uneven at best. Controversial, certainly. But it didn't have the rich focus of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE or HAPPINESS. I'm hoping PALINDROMES is more akin to HAPPINESS than STORYTELLING.

Interestingly, STORYTELLING originally included a vignette starring James Van Der Beek, whose performance in Roger Avary's THE RULES OF ATTRACTION redeemed him in every conceivable way as an actor capable of so much more than just the pretty-boy roles he usually takes on. His part of STORYTELLING was ultimately deleted for unspecified reasons. One can only wonder what could have been.

-X

 
At 5:08 PM, munkeigh said...

Well. I definitely agree that Storytelling was uneven. It wasn't the best of his movies. But I really liked it. I think, actually, I am really interested in the content rather than than the film as a film. But I just wanted to make mention it so it wouldn't feel left out. :)


Besides something of similar manner happened to me in a creative writing class. Except with weird sex with the professor. And the dating a guy with a handicap, and... ok uh... nevermind.

 
At 5:08 PM, munkeigh said...

I mean there was no weird sex.
NO WEIRD SEX.

Must clarify.

 
At 2:34 PM, Buy Levitra said...

Great article! Thanks.

 
At 8:10 PM, Phentermine said...

Thanks for interesting article.

 
At 5:44 PM, Anonimous said...

Nice! Nice site! Good resources here. I will bookmark!

 
At 3:28 AM, Maxwells said...

I see first time your site guys. I like you :)

 
At 11:36 AM, Anonimous said...

Excellent website. Good work. Very useful. I will bookmark!

 
At 11:29 AM, PaydayLoans said...

N5OQ3a You have a talant! Write more!

 
At 9:31 PM, Auto insurance company said...

xX3n6s Please write anything else!

 
At 3:05 AM, Hydrocodone said...

mCwTxr The best blog you have!

 
At 12:41 PM, fairmont specialty insurance group said...

5vO58P Thanks to author.

 
At 1:32 PM, alumni tour said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 2:14 PM, buy fioricet site said...

Good job!

 
At 3:23 PM, celebrex and indications said...

Nice Article.

 
At 4:23 PM, bests reccommended insurance adjusters said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

 
At 5:54 AM, phentermine result said...

Magnific!

 
At 10:32 AM, lunesta and xanax said...

Good job!

 
At 11:34 AM, tramadol 100 ea said...

Good job!

 
At 12:32 PM, ingerdients of vicodin said...

Good job!

 
At 1:19 PM, fake phentermine pills said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 10:19 AM, JohnBraun said...

ob62zJ write more, thanks.

 
At 10:54 PM, convos cyber sex said...

Magnific!

 
At 11:28 PM, drawn sex passwprd said...

Wonderful blog.

 
At 1:19 AM, animated sex gif said...

Hello all!

 
At 1:53 AM, lesbeon sex boobs said...

Please write anything else!

 
At 2:56 AM, senior sex partners said...

Magnific!

 
At 3:28 AM, ellen barkin sex said...

Magnific!

 
At 3:57 AM, oung teen sex said...

Hello all!

 
At 4:35 AM, beautiful girls sex said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

 
At 5:18 AM, bbs sex teen said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 5:57 AM, cyber sex predators said...

Hello all!

 
At 6:27 AM, hot transexual sex said...

Wonderful blog.

 
At 6:58 AM, profiling sex offenders said...

Wonderful blog.

 
At 7:34 AM, mardi gra sex said...

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

 
At 8:11 AM, nicole narain sex said...

What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

 
At 8:41 AM, dog anul sex said...

Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?

 
At 9:08 AM, free internet sex porn said...

C++ should have been called B

 
At 9:42 AM, brazillian sex clips said...

Good job!

 
At 10:15 AM, brazil free sex said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 10:49 AM, ala sex offenders said...

Hello all!

 
At 11:20 AM, japanese sex music said...

Save the whales, collect the whole set

 
At 11:51 AM, ibuprofen canine toxic said...

Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.

 
At 12:23 PM, buy cialis shop tadalafil said...

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.

 
At 12:57 PM, cheap ultram said...

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

 
At 1:40 PM, japan 500 sex said...

When there's a will, I want to be in it.

 
At 2:20 PM, bestiality sex games said...

Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

 
At 2:55 PM, girl sex sleepover said...

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

 
At 3:30 PM, arab hot sex said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

 
At 4:02 PM, amateur sex pics said...

Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.

 
At 4:29 PM, sex aunt polly said...

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

 
At 4:59 PM, desperate sex cam said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

 
At 5:25 PM, offender public sex said...

Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?

 
At 5:55 PM, cocaine free base said...

All generalizations are false, including this one.

 
At 6:29 PM, name said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 7:02 PM, forn porn said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 7:38 PM, saddle tramps porn said...

Wonderful blog.

 
At 8:12 PM, abselutly free hard core porn said...

Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.

 
At 8:44 PM, lingerie stocking sex said...

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies

 
At 9:15 PM, babe sex workout said...

Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.

 
At 9:48 PM, gangbangers porn said...

640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81

 
At 10:31 PM, classic porn movie trailers said...

Hello all!

 
At 11:13 PM, hidden camera in glasses porn said...

What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

 
At 11:47 PM, anal sex and anal beeds said...

Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER

 
At 12:27 AM, full sex sue said...

Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

 
At 1:00 AM, porn star deiree west said...

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

 
At 1:33 AM, health sex etc said...

Wonderful blog.

 
At 2:14 AM, idiopa said...

Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

 
At 2:56 AM, celebrites sex videos said...

A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.

 
At 3:41 AM, pink sex pics said...

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

 
At 4:29 AM, brutal sex bdsm said...

Please write anything else!

 
At 5:10 AM, car sex hidden said...

When there's a will, I want to be in it.

 
At 5:51 AM, free asians sex said...

C++ should have been called B

 
At 6:41 AM, ipod porn blog teen said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

 
At 7:35 AM, interracial sex movies said...

Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.

 
At 8:24 AM, utube porn said...

Thanks to author.

 
At 9:05 AM, jasmin live sex said...

Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

 
At 9:44 AM, premier fois sex said...

A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.

 
At 10:22 AM, antonella barbosa porn said...

Hello all!

 
At 10:57 AM, korean sex college said...

640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81

 
At 11:36 AM, black transsexuals porn said...

What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

 
At 1:00 PM, petite xxx sex said...

Calvin, we will not have an anatomically correct snowman!

 
At 1:44 PM, phentermine no doctor said...

A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.

 
At 2:35 PM, new york buy phentermine online discount purcha said...

Magnific!

 
At 3:20 PM, purchase yellow phentermine without prescriptio said...

Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.

 
At 3:58 PM, humor in sex said...

All generalizations are false, including this one.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home