BURT'S BUZZ

Last night I finally watched the documentary Burt's Buzz. I had watched a trailer for it a while back when I was taking my documentary class and had wanted to watch it for some time now but never had the chance, so you can imagine how happy I was when I learned it is now on Netflix!

(Don't worry, I won't give anything away. Promise.)
This documentary tells the life of Burt Shavitz, the co-founder of Burt's Bees. Burt definitely isn't your typical entrepreneur and I think that's what I love about him and about this documentary. I've always been fascinated with people who reject the modern world and continue to live a simple life. It's appealing because deep down I would love to live a life like this. I want to own a house on a good piece of land on the river and be self-sufficient. I want to grow my own fruits and vegetables, grow trees and cut them down myself for firewood, prepare food from my land, and just learn to truly live off the land. (The other side of me wants to live the other extreme and be rich and live in an apartment in the middle of NYC but that's for another discussion.)

As strange of a person as Burt might seem at first, I found myself relating to him quite a bit throughout the film. While discussing the simple life he has chosen in Maine he said, "A good day is when no one shows up and you don't have to go anywhere" and I couldn't agree more. I still love seeing friends and family but I can definitely relate to longing for alone time without any responsibilities or immediate plans. I like the idea of doing what you love throughout your life but especially for a career, and Burt does exactly that.

If you like the company Burt's Bees, love documentaries, or just don't know what to click on next on Netflix, maybe treat yourself to Burt's Buzz. 

TRAILER

THE SKELETON TWINS

Last Saturday, I went down to my favorite movie theater in SLC to watch The Skeleton Twins. It's my favorite theater because it shows all my favorite indie movies that never come to any other theater. The Skeleton Twins is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in a long time! It was the perfect mix of hilarious moments that leave your cheeks hurting from laughing so much, and heartwrenching moments that cut right to the core of you before you even know what hit you. The trailer does not do the movie justice in the slightest bit because it's far funnier than it appears to be. I kind of like when trailers are vague like that though; I don't want to know the whole story before I even sit down to watch it.

I don't know if I was in an especially weird state of mind Saturday night or if the movie would have impacted me as much as it did if I had watched it any other day, but something about this movie really hit close to home for me. If you have a history of dealing with depression in your family this might hit close to home for you as well.

So if you find you have an extra $8-12 in your pocket and you don't mind rated R movies (I'm looking at you, Mormons), then head on down to your nearest movie theater and treat yourself to one of the best movies you'll see this year. It'll make you laugh, make you bawl your eyes out, and inspire you. If any of you have already watched it or go out to see it, let me know, I'm excited to talk to people about one of my new favorite movies!

THE SKELETON TWINS TRAILER: