May 22, 2004

• Some of you monkeys are going to fling poo at me for this: Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh version) Comedy (of course!), adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Ok, it's got Keanu Reeves as a mumbling, wooden villain, and an extremely American Denzel Washington as the Prince, but overall I found the movie exceedingly entertaining.
• Seen it, liked it, really enjoy Kenneth Branagh.
• I saw Shrek 2 last night, and thought it was nothing short of brilliant (points were scored by the inclusion of songs by Nick Cave and Tom Waits). I'm gonna see it again today, albeit at the matinee rate. If you're renting, one can recommend worse flicks for a bright spring morning than Revenge of the Nerds.
• No, no, you need to see Big Fish. That and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are the two best films I've seen so far this year.
• The Royal Tennennbaums if you haven't seen it. Wonderful black comedy of a film.
• One of the local theaters here is playing The Maltese Falcon next Tuesday. I have seen it about 20 times, never projected. Come Wednesday morning, I shall be a man. And you can tell the fat man I said so.
• Eternal Sunshine is a wonderful, wonderful film. Even this jaded hipster left the cinema with an enormous dumb grin on his face. If you're rentin', then, uh... And Your Mother Too is a good choice. A Mexican indie film that's both a teen road trip film and a rite of passage, and it contains a ludicrous amount of drugs, sex and swearing. So you can't go too wrong by it.
• I like www.rottentomatos.com for movie reviews. The layout is hideous but the site is rich. Theyre is also the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), the grandmommy of all movie sites - and with a far less obnoxious layout. If you're in the mood for an indy, you might want to try "American Splendour"....its about Harvey Picar, the guy who wrote the A.S. comic books, some of which were illustrated by R. Crumb. I found it repulsive and compelling, so i would say you'd definitely have to be in the mood. Also wins the Best Strategic Use of a Cat Award.
• Desk Set: the Tracy/Hepburn classic was recently released on DVD in all of it's widescreen glory. I can't recommend this film enough. If you're at all a knowledge freak, a fan of snappy writing and in general classic films this is a must see. Other goodness of more recent vintage: Pumpkin: an offbeat indie starring Christina Ricci. Secretary: a slightly disturbing, titalating indie with James Spader as the boss from hell/love of life for Maggie Gyllenhall who discovers the BDSM life makes her whole. Willard: Crispin Glover in the title role of Ben's 'master'. It's good to see Crispin Glover almost anytime. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Elephant: Gus Van Sant's take on the obviousness of school violence, good, but paralyzingly depressing. Some older stuff: Broadcast News: Holly Hunter at her manic peak as a news producer who struggles with everything. Accidental Tourist: finally on DVD and worth the wait. William Hurt stars as a travel writer who hates to travel, who finally finds a worthy travel companion in Geena Davis (who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Muriel Pritchett). Poison Ivy: 1992 pulpy cult classic starring Drew Barrymore. It's a guilt pleasure for sure. My New Gun: another 1992 film starring Diane Lane and James LeGros. It's a comedy about guns in suburbia. Good stuff.
• If you have (mild spoiler) suffered some familiar loss recently, and you're feeling a little masochistic, definitely Big Fish. A great movie, nonetheless. In the mood for some beffudlement: Donny Darko. If you're an 80's kid *cough*, you'll love the soundtrack. Need some laughs? Go to the extremes: Marx Bros. 'Duck Soup', Steve MArtin's 'L.A. Story' or Mel Brooks' 'Silent Movie'. For sheer eye candy, 'Minority Report' or 'Waking Life'.
• the city of lost children, the apartment, wet hot american summer, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, shrek 2 was surprisingly cute/clever at times and surprised me with its inclusion of jennifer saunders, john cleese, tom waits, and the buzzcocks in the form of a cover song, strangers on a train, punch-drunk love, the tao of steve, camp, network, best in show, heavy, the shop around the corner, brotherhood of the wolf, harold and maude, cold comfort farm, trees lounge, better off dead, unforgiven (eastwood's), high noon, rashoman (the kurosawa one, not the weird american one), the ice storm, 24 hour party people, the last time i committed suicide, all the real girls, anything by hal hartley (trust, surviving desire, the unbelievable truth, henry fool, simple men, amateur), stiff upper lips, boondock saints, miyazaki's stuff, stealing beauty, chris nolan's stuff besides memento if you've seen that one (following, insomnia), road to perdition, igby goes down, slacker (not slackers) or anything else by richard linklater (maybe see before sunrise to celebrate despite the fact they're making/made a sequel which is just so wrong; watch it and you'll know why), bad bad movies like manos: the hands of fate, the blob, tarantula, them, barbarella, flash gordan etc, the sting, dangerous liasions, fellini satyricon... i also recommend, if you can find it, the shortlived series fishing with john (as in john lurie). it's where john invites various musicians/artists/etc to go fishing with him, and it is surreal and hilarious. the jim jarmusch one, which includes jarmusch getting bored and just deciding to shoot bullets at the water in hopes of "catching" something, and the one with tom waits throwing up on the boat and later putting a red snapper in his pants for no good reason are recommended.
• And you know, the entire second season of "The Monkees" is now out on DVD.
• ifjuly: Is your skin a pasty white from never seeing sunshine? Seriously, thanks for all the suggestions. I'm hopeless at picking movies from the titles and box descriptions.
• ifjuly and ignorantslut, I've seen most on both your lists. PatB, I've got both sites in my 'bookmarks', and I'm going to hold off on 'American Splendour' - it's one I want to see but am waiting for a certain mood to watch it in. I haven't seen 'Big Fish' nor 'Eternal Sunshine..' because I haven't really heard any reviews for them. Sounds like those are two good possibilities. My problem is that I have seen ALOT of movies and it's painful to plod thru pure crap. I appreciate everyones input -- makes it so much easier. I do have a few to recommend for anyone interested. Excellent chick flick, 'Enchanted April' is a period piece with fine acting. Will leave you feeling good about relationships. HIGHLY recommend 'Wings of Desire' truly amazing movie with Peter Falk. 'Bridge on the River Kwai', you can't do better than this when it comes to old war movies. 'Dreams' for sheer beauty and a Kurosawa movie. And for ignorantslut, if you like Crispin Glover watch 'Rubin and Ed'.
• ifjuly, can I come to your house? I'll bring popcorn? Foreign Films? -Hable Con Ella -Amelie -Delicatessen How about some Coen Brothers? -Man Who Wasn't There -Raising Arizona -Barton Fink Flicks ifjuly missed? -Magnolia -Rushmore -Solaris (or if you have more than a few hours on your hands, Solyaris, the original) Blood? Guts? Firetrucks? -The Professional (aka Leon) -Miller's Corssing -28 Days Later Classics? -Rope (Hitchcock's overlooked masterpiece, take that North by Northwest!) -The Maltese Falcon -The Third Man
• I seem to have VERY different tastes than most of the posters, so here are my recommendations: Dawn of the dead (either version), Redneck Zombies, Terror Firmer, Blood Hook, the Dead Next Door, Sleepaway Camp, Leprechaun, Galaxy of the Dinosaurs, and pretty much any of those "10 Movie" packs put out by Brentwood (actually now they have 20 movies for $21.99 packs. That's less than $1.10 a movie!).
• The Falcon And The Snowman is one of my all-time faves - great acting and interesting plot (sort of teen-angst meets espionage during Watergate-era California.) And I second what Flagpole said about Donnie Darko above - great film. For comedy, I suggest Trading Places, (and not just because I used to trade frozen concentrated OJ. Really!) Also, Trainspotting, because once you get past the Scottish accents it's really both meaningful and hysterical.
• Stop Making Sense Or Something Wild. Back when Jonathan Demme was making cool movies.
• etre et avoir To be and to have. A French documentary about a rural school. It's in French, and doesn't sound like much, but it's priceless. If you want to watch something that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy, this is the one for you. You won't even need the subtitles. The joy is in the expressions of the kids as they react to each other.
• What everybody else said. I'd add two which haven't been mentioned yet (or I didn't see them if they were): - Master and Commander (IMDb, RT), which I just got round to seeing on DVD, is simply a superb historical action/character piece. Old-school moviemaking - stately, intelligent, thrilling, witty, and including one scene of the most perfectly orchestrated tragedy I've seen in many a year. - Blaise mentioned Y Tu Mama Tambien, I'd reccomend another recent Mexican offering, Amores Perros (IMDb, RT). Described (a lot) as the Mexican Pulp Fiction, mostly because of the pacing and narrative structure, it's just a terrifically exciting film weaving together several dark story strands, all of them connected by, er, dogs. And a car crash. I'd also second Donnie Darko or The City of Lost Children if you're looking for some weirdness, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind if you're... well, human.
• Jesus, ifjuly. How have I gotten through life without hearing about Fishing With John? That sounds absolutely incredible. I'll just second all of these (there are a few I haven't seen, but I've loved practically everything I've seen that's been mentioned here). Also, I really, really need to sleep with Michel Gondry. Just thought you guys should know.
• I saw Shrek 2 last nite too. Awesome and a lot of fun. I am bookmarking this post as a reference for my next trip to video store. Also, I recommend renting Run Lola Run Brazil Red or any of the Three Colors Trilogy (Blue, White, Red)
• Just watched Robin and Marian last night; a disillusioned Robin in his middle age returns from Richard's campaigns and tries to recappture his youth. Hepburn, Robert Share, and Richard Harris all superb, Shaun Connery good, and a funny, bittersweet wee gem of a movie. The last thing I saw before that was Kill Bill 2, which is fabbo.
• I'm still very excited about seeing Laputa aka Castle in the Sky a few weeks ago, so I immediately thought of movies by Hiyao Miyasaki and Studio Ghibli, if your taste runs to whimsical and original fantasy. And while I'm thinking of wonderful fantasy, I would reccomend Jim Henson's Storyteller series, which I now have on DVD (yay!). If you haven't seen it, Whalerider is definitely worth the hoopla; it's a family story, a growing up story - and a myth story. The Hanging Garden is another indie gem, though from the other side of the planet (Nova Scotia). A while ago, my friends and I were having trouble picking movies, but we had luck with movies that began with the letter H - Harold and Maude and The Hudsucker Proxy. And I'm always telling people they should see The Wedding Banquet. When Night is Falling is a very beautiful, sexy film, though a male friend did describe it as "the ultimate chick flick" (being a lesbian love story). Mmm...it seems all of the movies I have thought of are either fantasy (of a particular, but hard to describe kind), or semi-sweet, maybe a little strange indie-style (but not too indie) films. Very good for weekends, or anytime.
• Seen almost everything listed, though there are a few I will look into. Another good one is "Before Night Falls". It's about Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, definitely not for everyone, and has a very dark ending. Plus, for those who care, it also features Johnny Depp in, count 'em, two roles.
• I'll contribute with
  1.Songs from the Second Floor, A film poem inspired by the poet Caesar Vallejo
  2.Pi, mysticism and mathematics in sweet harmony.
• who knew a bunch of monekys had such great taste in movies?
• The mainstream of us won't admit it. :) I wholeheartedly second the Secretary and Royal Tenenbaums recommendations and I'll add to the slough of Spanish-language movies with "Como Agua Para Chocolate", which I've mentioned here before somewhere. It's a total tearjerker chick flick, but unique enough to be worthwhile. If you want film-noir style sci-fi/thriller, Dark City is good and the plot is, I think, just convoluted enough. I love Orgazmo, by the makers of South Park, for immature but, er, adult viewing. It's funny if the jokes get a little juvenile.
• Ever watched a 90 minute movie that was so dull it felt like it went on for hours and hours? Allow me to recommend two movies which will provide the opposite experience. One is 3 hours long, the other is 3 hours 45 minutes--and they both are so utterly delightful, they will seem to zip by in a few moments and leave you hungry for more. The first is Lagaan, which I held off on seeing for a long time, because a 3-and-three-quarter-hour-long Indian musical about cricket seemed like my idea of Hell. I finally heard so many good things about it that I rented it, and quickly realized that I was in movie heaven. If you've ever watched "Singin' In The Rain" or "7 Brides For 7 Brothers" and wondered why they don't make 'em like that any more... well, they do. They just make 'em in India. And you don't need to know anything about cricket to enjoy it any more than you need to know about baseball to enjoy "Bull Durham." The second movie is Les Enfants du Paradis, a film made in Vichy France in the waning days of Word War II, but set in a romanticized 18th century Paris. Some claim it's a subversive anti-Vichy metaphor, but I think it's just lush, irressistable escapism made by and for people desperately in need of escape. If Charles Dickens and Margeret Mitchell eloped to Paris and had a love child, this is the movie he would make. Incidentally, if the idea of watching a 3-hour-plus film in a single evening is intimidating, both films feature an intermission half way through, which makes a natural stopping point. Trust me, though--you aren't going to want either film to stop.
• I second Orgazmo. MORMON PORN STAR SUPERHERO. How can you go wrong?
• "LIVE! Direct from Hell!! SPINAL TAP!!!" and a third for Orgazmo - anyone know if it's out on DVD yet?
• I would fourth Orgasmo for this reason: "Dad, I don't want to do Hamster-style any more". (Martial arts, that is, not porn. That would be very bad). And on the juvenile, this really should suck but is actually brilliant side: Ali G InDaHouse. A Gangsta becomes an MP to save his 'hood', the quiet English suburb of West Staines. Immature humour at its best. Dashon - it sounds like you've seen many, many movies :) I really love movies, but never have much time to see them. In my residence, I've had Turner Classic movies and the American Movie Channel; they are the two cable channels I will miss when I move out this week. If you could buy just a few channels on cable, I would consider getting old movie channels like this - then there is always something good on.
• Definately, jb, I have gone through a love affair with old movies. In fact, I went years watching nothing but. Always good to fall back on those. I'll go ahead and fifth Orgasmo, too. Jacobw, I haven't seen either of your suggestions, but am looking forward to those. And I LOVE 3+ hour movies. Have seen Spinal Tap about ten times, plan on buying that one. Pi was awesome! Already own Master and Commander. Fabulous movie.
• Rather than list films, I'd like to recommend metacritic as a fine way to get a good range of views on stuff. Oh, and I can't leave without voting for Amelie. It moves me.
• Rather than criticism... go look at FilmAffinity Rate a bunch of films, and then see what people who liked the same films you saw, recommend. But that's why my name here is filmgeek.
• FilmAffinity: you should repost that to the frontpage. I was skeptical at first, seeing my "Soulmates" choices (Gladiator? I would rather watch Xena) - but I was also skeptical about the last movie recommendation system, and I was wrong and Tombstone was very good.
• I just watched Network. I fucking love that movie. So Prophetic.
• Well, this morning I played my year 11s Hiroshima mon amour. (No dumb links to imdb, amazon, or whatever. So solly. Get a hold of one of them google thingmatites.) Great great film. See it yourself for a very serious attempt to grapple with the notion of representation vs reality, and *how* one should consider making a film (ie a commercial product) about radical suffering. In fact, watch all of Resnais for a profound interrogation of memory, image, dissemination, and morals of same. Very salutary. /sounds like a didactic prick, but fed up with people switching to "entertain me" mode when viewing a film. Film is entirely as appropriate a mode for the expression of thought as literature is. (terrible rant)
• Please (please) Please go see some LIVE THEATRE and get your socks knocked off by REAL PEOPLE right in front of you in the SAME ROOM. It is like nothing else in the world. (And it pays my bills!)
• Dizzy, I actually go to live theatre many times a year. Especially since my folks and brothers are, at times, either acting, directing, doing sets/lights, or whatever, in the local theatre. I will even go to Seattle to see something if it has gotten particularly good reviews. In fact, it is because I was forced to go see 'Cats' at the Wintergarden that I am no longer "anti-musicals".
• So, Dizzy, are you currently in anything right now?
• I am presently "between gigs". Having moved from the Baltimore-DC region (where I was working three to four shows a year, a vigorous amount), to Massachussetts in March (Boston is just 45 minutes away), it could normally take me six-months to a year of auditioning to" break in" to this new market. (Or it could happen tomorrow--if "History is a drunken man riding a blind horse" then most theatre careers are a drunken horse to boot!--i.e.--except for the stars, the REST of us, the bread and butter actors who do most of the work across our country, rarely have long periods of linear work...) Sigh. People tend to cast who they've cast before, and fresh blood must prove itself, even with a substantial resume like mine. In the meantime I do voice-overs for various foolish products, I'm looking for teaching work at local colleges, and I spend too much time on MoFi!
• So, uh, Darshon... what did you end up watching last weekend? Inquiring minds want to know.
• Well, after all the wonderful offerings I ended up watching 'Waking Ned Devine' and 'Amelie' both of which I've seen twice. I was in the mood for some uplifting, sweetness and these two were guaranteed to do the trick. I am looking forward to seeing those in this thread that I haven't yet! Thanks again for the recommendations, everyone!
• Back to my comment above, I played an excerpt of Tarkovski's Ivan's Childhood to my film students today. They thought it was a bunch of crap. I, as a professional person, (sfx: laughter) managed not to garrot the lot of them as irredeemable philistines. But, believe me, I thought about it. Just for that, they're getting a Tarkovski extract in their exam. Let's see who's got a visual and aural sensitivity and who hasn't. *will regret this post in the morning, but needs to vent
• *gives Wolof a pat on the back*
• *Thanks the lovely Alnedra*
• Maybe you should have showed them "Stalker." That's probably one of my all-time top ten.
• Wolof, maybe you should show them the whole film to get the full effect. And they should understand that it was made in the early '60's. Why did they think it was crap?
• telling them it was made in the 60's will not help - tell them it was made in 1823 for all it's worth. Period comparisons have been smooshed like a poor little critter on the chimpformation stupidhighway. *sips caffiene* Ah! Why those loveable scamps just need some fresh air and a rousing round of Squish, Squash, Applesauce!
• It's over a month away, but geek that I am, I'm looking forward to "King Arthur." They're obviously taking huge liberties, but I'm glad someone made a film based (however loosely) on the history behind the legend. But knowing me, I'll probably have lost interest by the time it hits the theaters.
• FilmFilter is still alive, btw, though just barely. *performs CPR*
• I much prefer the legends, I think, to whatever historical 'truths' may lie behind it. From the first time I read Malory's Morte d'Arthur as a kid, I waxed wood over those tales.
• Oh, me too. I still adore the legends, but I am interested in the historical events too. Speaking of the legends, Sacred Texts has the essentials online.