This week has been one of major progress, less in the world of actual filmed work but primarily in the launch of the website (byadamevans.com) and this Substack.
By now, there are two posts that hopefully are doing well, but a tradition I want to keep up with is to highlight some of the things I watched, read, bought, or couldn’t stop thinking about that week.
A chill dispatch that maybe can inspire some of your viewing/reading over the weekend. So let’s dive in:
What I Watched:
Rewatched Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie and loved it even more this time around. I was aware of Matt Johnson primarily through his other films, including what I think is an amazing performance by him in Blackberry. He has such a unique style of delivery that feels so authentic that demands you keep your eyes on him.
NTBTSTM follows Matt and his buddy Jay as they continually try to get a show at the Rivoli, a venue in Toronto for their band. Starting as a webshow, developing into a TV show and then to this movie, it blends wild storylines with footage in public that is just so damn funny. The real marvel of this film is the blending of these styles and doing so through time as the movie is a parody of Back to the Future. Through the magic (and it feels like magic) of editing in this film, they blend scenes shot in 2008 with scenes shot today, and it feels so seamless.
This came out a bit ago and was lucky enough to see it in theaters despite not knowing anything about it. I remembered some of their early Youtube videos (like the Wii shop song) but hadn’t really been tuned into their work. It’s not unlike Nathan For You or How To… with John Wilson both of which I’m also a big fan of.
The difference is how the public is involved and how it feels less like pulling one over on the public and more of just placing them in the middle of these crazy scenes. They aren’t out to make anyone look like a fool or to make fun of anyone, relying on the utter confusion or weird elements that pop up in real life to create the humor.
I’m now addicted. I love it. It’s the funniest movie i’ve seen in a long time and uses the form to create a pretty unique sensibility. I can’t recommend it enough.
What I Read:
I read Tim Kreider’s “I Know What You Think of Me” this week and kept coming back to his line: “If we want the rewards of being loved we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.”
That’s probably as good a description as any for starting this Substack. A lot of this is me trying to stop waiting until the work, the career, or even my own sense of self feels perfectly settled before letting people encounter it.
There’s a version of creative ambition that wants to stay hidden until everything is undeniable. Until the body of work is clean and the audience can arrive to find something complete. But that’s not really how any of this works. If I want to build a real audience for the films, then I probably have to let people know me a little before the films get here.
That’s the gamble in this whole thing: Being legible enough that people can start to connect the dots while I’m still in motion. It’s uncomfortable, and I think part of me will always want to retreat back into privacy and polish. But hiding forever has its own cost too. Kreider’s line stuck with me because it gets at that bargain so cleanly: if I want the deeper rewards of connection, trust, and recognition around the work, I probably have to accept some version of being seen before I feel fully ready.
What I Picked Up:
Circling back to Nirvana the Band the Show The Movie, I picked up Matt Johnson’s first feature The Dirties, which Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment released in a beautiful Collector’s Edition. Between the exchange rate, shipping and tariffs, I ended up paying a solid amount for this but its a great, albeit controversial film and I think supporting Physical Media is more important than ever, especially from boutique labels like Umbrella who put a lot of care and effort into the releases.
Of the back of the promotional tour for NTBTSTM, I’ve been consuming a lot of Matt Johnson content as I think he’s a brilliant filmmaker who not only is super well read when it comes to film, but has a ton of interesting things to say about it. The various videos Matt and Jay did with TIFF (which I’m only realizing is actually an extended interview from 2018!) are super insightful and entertaining.
So I was really looking forward to the Umbrella release which has a lot of stellar bonus content, including the book that Umbrella put together for the Collector’s Edition featuring an iconic headshot of Matt Johnson.
Anyway, what are you planning on checking out this weekend? Any thoughts on distribution? What’s a physical release you’ve been eyeing up or recommend?
Let me know below!
-Adam
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