Top 5: May 18, 2010

Plastic Bag, being miserable, Lourdes, Treats, and Mark Ronson's Circuit Breaker video

By Bryan Johnson
Published: May 18th, 2010 | 4:25pm

1. Plastic Bag

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Part of a series from Futurestates.tv about how the future may look, the new voice of the American independent cinema Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart and Chop Shop) writes, directs, and edits this short film about a plastic bag searching for meaning in its life. He also enlists the voice of world independent cinema, Werner Herzog, as the voice of the plastic bag. At times reminiscent of The Giving Tree, the film, which is also featured on the latest "Wholphin" DVD collection, is sad, funny, and poignant.

2. Being Miserable

Between the DVD debut of what is arguably MTV’s all-time greatest series, Daria, the release of comic(book) genius Daniel Clowes’s new graphic novel, Wilson, about a lonely middle-aged loser, and the return of Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky) to general misanthropy with the Cannes premiere of Another Year, being miserable seems to be very in at the moment.

3. Jessica Hausner’s Lourdes

In the tradition of her former employer Michael Haneke, Jessica Hausner crafts a slow, calculated, darkly comic film (in theaters now) about a wheelchair-bound woman who seeks a miracle from Lourdes, the renowned holy site in France. The subtle film doesn’t appear to have much in the way of action at first, but when examined a little deeper, questions arise— about faith, jealousy, what it means to be a good person, and life’s meaning. Just don’t expect any easy answers.

4. Sleigh Bells' debut album, Treats

After nearly nine months of anticipation, the debut album from Sleigh Bells finally arrives and does not disappoint. The duo of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss hit all the right notes by making simple, noisy, sweet songs that will make a perfect soundtrack for summer. Buy it:

5. Mark Ronson’s "Circuit Breaker" video

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Did you love spending hours playing Nintendo as a kid, making it to the boss and saving the princess? Do you still reminisce about the awesome 8-bit soundtracks of beeps and buzzes. Mark Ronson, along with directors Jordan Galland and Gary Breslin, has just the video for you.

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Bryan Johnson is an LA-based TV producer who writes about film and culture for Venus Zine