Blu-ray Review: Some Days Are Better Than Others

Straight from one of the many artistes that Portland, Oregon has to offer (and there are an awful lot of ’em) comes an indie drama about the everyday lives for three very average, every day individuals (and there are a lot of those out there, too). Some Days Are Better Than Others is the latest moving picture from writer/director Matt McCormick — the man responsible for a number of other independent films (mostly short ones) that you most likely never saw — and was produced in 2010. Two years on, the folks at Palisades Tartan have released this tale of ho-hummery to home video in a fittingly straightforward release.

Some Days Are Better Than Others is one of those movies that just sort of starts up and plays through without really ever making much of an impact to the viewer. The story switches back and forth through the lives of several people — a nerdy chick (Portlandia‘s Carrie Brownstein) obsessed with becoming a Reality TV star (ew), a temp worker (musician James Mercer of The Shins) with some really bad luck, and a thrift store employee (Renee Roman Nose) who discovers an urn containing the ashes of a child in the donation bin.

Katrina (Brownstein) discovers her boyfriend has decided to leave her by hacking his email, and records her own thoughts on video, playing both the interviewer and interviewee. Eli (Mercer) wanders from one job to another along with his step-grandfather (David Wodehouse) — a man who records soap bubbles up close and personal — in tow, taking time out to sing a karaoke cover of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” alone in his bedroom. Meanwhile, Camille (Nose) attempts to locate the family of the deceased child — a process that ultimately proves futile.

As the film nears its conclusion (and really, I just described the whole plot), the unrelated characters cross paths (directly or indirectly), with the promise of a better day ahead. Those of you who don’t enjoy movies in the “slacker” and/or “mumblecore” genres this one probably fits into will probably be writing in agony during this 93-minute drama. If you have a yen for indie flicks though, you might just find Some Days Are Better Than Others to be an emotionally-satisfying journey into the lives of three ordinary people. Personally, I’m on the fence with this one: I wasn’t eyeing the “Eject” button the whole time, but I didn’t think it was ultimately fulfilling, either.

I guess it helps if you’re a Portland person to begin with, eh?

Shot on digital video, Palisades Tartan brings us Some Days Are Better Than Others in a better-than-average 1080p presentation with a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack that does a fine job, considering there isn’t much to pack the audio mix with in the first place. Special features include two deleted scenes, Matt McCormick’s short film Light Tiger Eye, and theatrical trailers for this and other Palisades Tartan releases.

I say “rent it.”