What I'm Listening To: The Shins- "So Now What"

Saturday, July 12, 2014

I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of the band, The Shins, although it seemed like a lot of people went gaga over them after they were featured on the soundtrack to Garden State. To me, the band's music was too soft and light and made me want to fall asleep. But now that I'm a little older and I just previewed Zach Braff's newest film, Wish I Was Here via Kickstarter (a crowd funding website for independent projects), I can't get their song, "So Now What", out of my head. I guess tastes change.

So I guess I should disclose that I was able to preview the film before it's release because I was a Kickstarter backer; and I know that the fact that Zach Braff asked for funding via Kickstarter and later received funding from an movie backer has been met with some controversy  and it has polarized many peoples opinions of the film even before it's been released (some people really love the idea of using Kickstarter to get backing for films that may otherwise have not been produced, while others feel like Braff took advantage of his fans and Kickstarter backers because he's obviously not poor and had other means and connections that he could have used to get funding). I chose to back the project because I enjoyed Braff's previous film, Garden State, and I liked the concept and casting ideas for this new project, plus it enabled me to feel like I played a tiny role in helping a major motion picture get made which is not an opportunity that most Midwestern girls/ UK transports get to have. And I felt like the perks of getting updates about the film as it was being made and being able to watch the film at home before it's release was an even greater reward for my small contribution (which was close to the equivalent of a British Cineworld movie ticket).

The film has a stellar cast including Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Donald Faison as well as Braff himself (that's right, J.D. and Turk are back together again), and the film very much carries on the same tone as Garden State, as we find the main character facing a major crossroad in life. But, this film has a more mature story-line as the characters struggle with parenting, taking care of a sick parent, perusing their dreams, and struggles with work. You'll relate with the characters, you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll love this film. I Wish I Was Here hits US theaters on July 18th, Singapore July 31st, France August 13th, the UK September 19th, and Germany October 9th.

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