My 100 favorite movies- a big fat fucking list - Page 2

17. GROSSE POINT BLANK (George Armitage)

Yes, John Cusack is a golden god. After his gawky teen period of the eighties, it seemed like he tried to get into an adult’s skin with a series of modestly interesting films, from pedestrian potboilers like CITY HALL to ripping crime pictures in the vein of Stephen Frears’ excellent THE GRIFTERS. But he didn’t really become the awesome older version of Cusack until this small action indie. Cusack stars as Martin Blank, a disinterested career man in a career which happens to be contract killing who finds that an upcoming case will bring him to the same town that’s holding his ten year high school reunion. Little does he know that his old digs are now a breeding ground for hired killers, as his refusal to join a hitman union has led to a host of new enemies.

The hip eighties soundtrack and the nostalgia factor in display really helps Cusack, as Blank comes across as a character he might have played in the eighties- his youth is explained away by the fact that he ran off on the night of the senior prom to join the army in a fit of spontaneity, something a frustrated Lloyd Dobler might have done after realizing his work prospects were slim. The movie, co-written by Cusack, also makes space for a number of solid supporting perfs, from former jilted lover Minnie Driver (who’s got a playfully sexy comic side), Dan Ackroyd (not sleepwalking- funny but genuinely threatening as an opposing killer) and of course, Cusack pal Jeremy Piven (who, of course, shines).

GROSSE POINT BLANK has a wicked comic edge that’s somehow grounded in reality, a testament to director George Armitage for being able to juggle plot elements and craft a reasonably believable narrative. The threat of violence is very real, as bullets fly and knives stab, but a number of absurd set pieces (particularly a wild convenience store shootout) also provide laughs. The final shootout, in which Blank states his commitment to his lady love as he two-handedly tackles a number of assailants, including a cackling and insane Ackroyd, nicely brings the themes together and provides an emotional catharsis for Blank while allowing him to kick ass in the process.

Also see: SUICIDE KINGS (Peter O'Fallon)
Christopher Walken is everyone’s favorite actor. Really, is anyone so consistently watchable and involving? There is a Walken factor in each film he appears in that automatically makes every scene he’s in eight hundred times better (kind of like the reverse affect any of the Arquettes have). There are two types of Walken performances: one is the delicately crafted, truly actorly turn that Walken utilizes with characters that are really well-written, from THE DEER HUNTER to CATCH ME IF YOU CAN to even KING OF NEW YORK. The other Walken performance is for a character that’s clearly underwritten, leaving Walken to add his own mannerisms and quirks in order to flesh out skimpy material.

SUICIDE KINGS, something of an action-comedy in the vein of GROSSE POINT BLANK, features the most gregarious of the latter performances. It’s a greatest hits of definitive Walken. As a mob boss kidnapped by some underlings in a crime plot gone wrong, Walken runs circles around his fellow actors, a cast that includes Denis Leary, Jay Mohr and fantastic plastic Sean Patrick Flanery. The Walken moments reach their peak during a tonally sloppy flashback which features Walken disco dancing in the seventies, complete with bad hair and terrible wardrobe. While it’s really one of those definitive jumping the shark moments as far as films go, it’s a deliciously insane delight for Walken fans, moreso than the movie as a whole, which is merely okay.

16. THE EVIL DEAD (Sam Raimi)

The ultimate experience in grueling terror: a tagline that’s finally appropriate. I saw THE EVIL DEAD late at night, after my parents went to bed, and was not prepared for the craziness on display. It’s a grimy, nasty little film, and as the years go by, I get the feeling that Sam Raimi is embarrassed by it now. As creepy, bloody and exciting as the film is, I can see where he’s coming from: I can’t help watching this film every time only to think, “Man, whomever made this must be INSANE.” If someone told me it was an early Miike film, I’d believe it. The second one may be wackier and funnier, but this time around truly scares me, with it’s relentless, joyless bloodletting and fever dream of an ending... if I could attend a midnight screening of any film I’ve ever seen, it would be THE EVIL DEAD.

Also see: DARKMAN (Sam Raimi)
A lot of Raimi’s earlier work has innate charm because of his extremely high low-tech intellect. There’s a lot of stuff that’s just plain unrealistic in a hundred different ways in a Raimi film, but the imagination behind the effect adds to an overall tone Raimi strives for. This was never more evident than when the sides first met: low budget Raimi tackling a superhero studio film.

Liam Neeson, in a fairly atypical role compared to the ones he usually plays these days, is a scientist on the verge of perfecting a new experiment that allows for the creation of lifelike masks of the faces of those around him. However, before he can perfect it so that the masks last longer than an hour, a horrific accident scars his face, and he’s sent to the shadows as the masked, Phantom-like Darkman, dedicated to getting revenge on the evil Durant, a mobster who’s responsible for his disfigurement. Along the way, he hops many rooftops and dodges several fireballs, as he keeps researching a way to return to normal. And, of course, at the film’s close, what’s the final face Darkman puts on? Why, that of Bruce Campbell! What a handsome devil!

And also see: FRIDAY THE 13TH SERIES
Lest we forget another addition to the cabin horror genre, the oft-maligned FRIDAY THE 13TH movies. As the eighties wore on, many of the mainstream horror mainstays were milked for all their worth, and for audiences to keep watching their films, the murderers of these films became the heroes, the ones worth rooting for in a twisted world. This never made more sense than in the FRIDAY THE 13TH series.

From the second film on (the first representing, at least until the final moments, something of an excellent standalone cabin horror feature), Jason hacked and slashed his way through scores of horny campers eager for a quick fix. As a child with severe Down’s syndrome, he had attended Camp Crystal Lake, but his disfigurement and retardation was only met with mocking derision from the nasty campers and their horny, good looking counselors. As he drowned on that fateful day, screaming for help, what were his counselors doing? Why, having feverish, teenaged sex, of course.

Once he rose again, Jason used his machete to cut a swath through this sea of fornicating youths, a Reagan-era enforcer desperate to erase the scum from the planet. The fact that, unlike Charles Bronson’s DEATH WISH character, Jason didn’t use a gun but rather a penetrative tool, most often his trademark machete, because despite his virtues, inside he was a horny little boy himself, desperate for sexual satisfaction he’d never receive.

I tend to disregard part five (as Jason is replaced by some wannabes, leading to a triumphant return in the sixth film as a beefed up, full-fledged zombie) and FREDDY VS. JASON (where he’s some sort of idiot, suddenly afraid of the water he comfortably waded through in part six and then future films), but the spiritual journey Jason makes is identifiable to the BEOWULF saga, with Jason initially serving as Grendel. In the first film, while many consider the threat to be a resurrected Jason/Grendel, it’s actually his mother that’s the real threat, consumed by the desire to take revenge for her son’s death. However, popular demand brought Jason back after he sat out the fifth film (after the fourth was foolishly titled THE FINAL CHAPTER), to the point where the newly-bulked up slasher (now played by Kane Hodder, circa seventh film) was the valiant bruiser Beowulf, fighting the changing times and bankrupt values of the eighties generation. It’s no accident that the ship featured in the futuristic (and thematically underrated) JASON X is called “Grendel.”

15. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Edgar Wright)
I’m surprised this movie didn’t become a massive hit, as anyone who really loves horror movies should appreciate it. So affectionate and sweet, it’s like a love letter to all lovers of horror, zombies and gore, and despite it’s sea of homages, it works well enough without any sort of horrific involvement. Everyman Shaun is exactly like most of us, unwilling to let go of his simple life, unwilling to evolve for his girlfriend, not ready to become something more than a zombie. When everyone else becomes a zombie, however, he realizes that perhaps social expectation is a pressure he shouldn’t succumb to. SHAUN OF THE DEAD is an allegory for the everyday life that can swallow any of us whole, wrapped up in a neat zombie movie with scares, gore and classic zombie tropes, and featuring utterly loveable performances by the entire cast, particularly Simon Pegg, who never hits a false note and is an inspired comedic leading man.

Also see: ACCION MUTANTE (Alex de la Iglesia)
Unfortunately, this film, like many of de la Iglesia’s work, will never hit stateside. The specific reason? From what I’ve read, according to him, it’s because they don’t have the rights to the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme, featured extensively in the film. Never mind the conjoined twin who drags his dead brother around for half the film, never mind the anti-establishment message, never mind the surprisingly potent violence. Somewhat like SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ACCION MUTANTE is a genre-hopping comedy, focusing on a group of societal outsiders in the near future who have banded together to create violence and chaos where there is beauty and order. However, when a kidnapping plan hits a few snags (including a case of the ever popular Stockholm Syndrome), the group finds themselves torn at the seams. I haven’t seen de la Iglesia’s other works, but this one, his first, has a nice comic rhythm and go-for-broke punk attitude, with an inspired set design that recalls Jeunet and Gilliam.

And also see: GINGER SNAPS (John Fawcett)
Another rich horror comedy from this recent decade, this one features more of a horror angle, but still features it’s fair share of laughs, and might be the best werewolf movie of recent history. Katherine Isabelle’s Ginger and Emily Perkins’ Bridget (hot in real life) play two mismatched sisters who embrace the goth lifestyle as they face the horrors of high school. However, when Ginger starts to become more sexualized following a werewolf bite, the distance between them starts to grow, filled by a host of dead bodies. Also check out the DTV sequel, GINGER SNAPS UNLEASHED, which is surprisingly very good (though I haven’t seen GINGER SNAPS BACK- I suspect this has to do with an aversion to punny titles).

14. THE LIMEY (Steven Soderbergh)

Terence Stamp is the man. Who else would be able to pull off playing a later version of the same character decades later as a hardened ex-con badass? Footage of Stamp’s 1960's crime flick POOR COW was spliced into THE LIMEY as flashbacks, showcasing a past life for Stamp’s mysterious Wilson, giving his already mesmerizing performance an undercurrent of history that bulks up what’s already one of the coolest films ever made under the ninety minute mark in length.

Each elliptical moment of Soderbergh’s truly awesome crime flick is worth savoring for a number of reasons. On top of Cliff Martinez’ unpredictable score, there’s Luis Guzman in an excellent turn as a friend willing to help, while Peter Fonda plays a thinly-veiled version of himself, made into an amoral record producer who sees Wilson and immediately realizes he’d better run for his life. And, of course, the immortal Nicky Katt, who has a number of brilliant ad-libs as a dim thug asked to take out the trash. But nothing eclipses General Zod, who just totally owns this flick, taking out goons with a flurry of bullets and flailing fists.

Also see: GET CARTER (Mike Hodges)
While we’re on the subject of cockney asskickers, one cannot help but mention what was going on in the seventies. While American films were producing the likes of Richard Roundtree and Fred Williamson, Michael Caine was kicking eighteen amounts of ass in a series of cool crime flicks, none cooler than this 1971 classic. As Jack Carter, Caine was a man with a criminal past returning home for the funeral of his brother. He knows that his sibling was felled by foul play, however, and he’ll stop at nothing to get his revenge.

13. DAWN OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero)
I was too young to get DAWN OF THE DEAD when I first saw it. I just found it to be a particularly leisurely stroll through Dismembered Limb and Rotting Flesh, adult in tone and something bound to soar over my head. It took me a good eye and some distance to really appreciate it, as DAWN OF THE DEAD eventually became one of the first films I ever gave a close reading to. The themes of materialism as set from a mall come across clearly and effectively, but people tend to forget the broad survival aspect of the film. It’s not really a horror film, nor is it an action adventure (see: the remake), but rather a film about humanity departing during the most dire of times. The tension doesn’t always arise from the threat of zombie carnage, but rather the fact that the four protagonists at the heart of the story may be encountering distance from themselves the more time they spend together in what they perceive to be the eye of the storm.

It’s worth noting that the harrowing intro seems particularly relevant today. As the military struggles under the weight of continuing zombie mayhem in the wake of the apocalyptic ending of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, they proceed with a forceful evacuation of a poor tenement populated by minorities who refuse to leave. Eventually, bloodshed reigns as the vicious gunmen embark on a bloody siege of the building and encounter the most devastating examples of people abandoned by their government. Any of this sound familiar?

Also see: HOTEL RWANDA (Terry George)
I have to give kudos to someone else (can’t remember who) who drew this correlation. Both films feature a consistent dread that permeates the film, and both films end on slight notes of hope amid massive, dispiriting bloodshed, and it’s a testament to George Romero and Terry George that both films carry the immediacy of real-life tragedy and loss on their sleeves. HOTEL RWANDA tells the much-neglected story of the savage execution of thousands of Tutsi villagers in Africa by Hutu warriors, and one man, Paul Ruessebangia (Don Cheadle), who provided safe harbor for a small fraction of those under the blade by housing them for free in his hotel. My critical lens fails me, as I can’t quite pinpoint why this film fails to engage me on a completely artistic level, but it’s no-frills approach (with minor, effective dramatics) really helps buoy a story that is truly pivotal for the uneducated to learn. Really, a must-see, in the one instance that it’s more than just a movie.

12. DEAD ALIVE (Peter Jackson)

Oh, the many times I’ve seen this. My initial viewing of this film requires an apology. I saw it with my friend Larry, who owned a copy, when I was very young. He was over my house, and my mother wasn’t home, so I felt free to watch it, as there was no parental supervision in the way. Peter Jackson’s magnum opus is so over the top and insane, a real amazing feat of gore on film, and his imagination and gleeful enjoyment of dispensing gore exposes itself in a number of creative ways... truly, if the goriest film ever made would have to be shot, it would have to be by someone with enough genius to take full advantage. So, disappointingly, in the middle of the non-stop massacre that ends the film, my mother returned home. I knew I’d have to turn it off and put on something else. I asked Larry what else he had with him, and he took out ERASERHEAD. As my mother walked around the house, every once in awhile past the television set, she pretty much ignored whatever I was watching. Ten minutes into the movie, she left again, and it would be another five minutes when I’d ask Larry to put on DEAD ALIVE. I returned to it, at the point where Lionel returns to his house, lifting a lawnmower and shoving the blades into the faces of hundreds of zombies. Sorry, David Lynch, but that was unbelievably awesome.

Also see: BAD TASTE/HEAVENLY CREATURES (Peter Jackson)
Really, to see these films is to see two sides to a wide spectrum of talent that Peter Jackson has, the reason, really, why I have faith in anything he might choose to make. BAD TASTE, his first film, is rough around the edges, to the point where it’s often just plain stupid. Still, there’s some really fun gore and wit in this story of an alien race that shows up on Earth in order to open up a fast food chain in which the main course are humans. Jackson’s basest instincts are on display here, as characters play with their own brains, eat their own vomit and generally act unpleasantly gross towards each other. And if you’re a PJ fanatic (and why not?), it’s interesting to see how far he’s evolved.

And one might say that evolution peaked with HEAVENLY CREATURES. I remember hearing that Peter Jackson was doing the LORD OF THE RINGS pictures, and I honestly didn’t think he was capable of tackling a big budget fantasy series, let alone three films made at the same time. Then I saw HEAVENLY CREATURES, and the amazing fantasy sequences, stuff that makes Terry Gilliam cream his pants, totally sold me. HEAVENLY CREATURES is actually a sad true story of two young girls (Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynsky) who grow too close for their parents’ liking, and end up conceiving a plan to liberate themselves from their oppressive homes by escaping into fantasy worlds of their own devising, excursions that lead the two to contemplate murder. Also, look for the unforgettable actress who plays the decomposing Mrs. Cosgrove in DEAD ALIVE here as a schoolteacher (she also shows up in the extended edition of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING).

11. WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (David Wain)
It’s too bad, really: I don’t think any of the performers in this film will ever be as comedically on their game as they are here. It’s nice to know it’s one of those films that’s had a trickle-down effect of it’s cast, as they seem to all be friendly with each other in real life and probably have the same casting agents (and no doubt are background players in the Will Ferrell-Ben Stiller-Wilson brothers comedy frat), therefore ensuring them many more roles since them, and more to come (indeed, is “chicken wing” Elizabeth Banks not everywhere this year?).

Whatever the case, there aren’t many times I’ve laughed harder than during this film. Set during the 1980's, WHAS is an affectionate spoof of 80's summer camp comedies, and it’s surprising, considering such a niche target, that the film generally remains grounded and not at all meanspirited. The events of the last day at camp are on display here, from shy Coop’s (Michael Showalter) rescue of the bowlegged, bilingual Katie (Margueritte Moreau) from the clutches of unfaithful, dismissive boyfriend Andy (Paul Rudd, forever immortal), to Gene (Chris Meloni), the cook, dealing with his Vietnam experiences by lying to others about smearing mud on his ass, to McKinley (Michael Ian Black) and Ben’s (Bradley Cooper) unlikely union, to the romance between Beth (Janeane Garafolo, who responds to the concept of ‘mousse’ with a ludicrously funny pantomime) and visiting college associate (i.e. “less than”) professor Henry (David Hyde Pierce).

But oh, that double take. Seriously, Paul Rudd has probably the most amazing double take in the history of the world. If someone makes an avatar of that, I’ll freak. And then use it, but mostly freak. Seriously.

Also see: HEAVYWEIGHTS (Steven Brill)
This is a pretty pedestrian Disney comedy from the early nineties about kids at a fat camp who don’t succumb to the pressure of simply being like everyone else. It’s got your average messages about love, caring and all that other crap, but there’s one element to this film that stands out: Ben Stiller. As the camp’s muscleheaded founder, Stiller is playing a maniacal cousin to his somewhat recycled White Goodman character in DODGEBALL, only this time, it really seems like he’s in another dimension. This was before Stiller was famous enough to do his friends favors and have them pop up in his films, and really no one is on the bizarre frequency Stiller is on here. He’s actually quite scary as a nutcase task-master who charges into the kids’ rooms and announces, “Breakfast has been canceled due to lack of hustle. Deal with it.” There’s a moment when he becomes violently threatening towards the kids near the end, in front of all their parents, and they all being cries of, “You can’t get away with this!” (Which kind of makes you remember that he’s not trying to destroy the world like a Bond villain, although Stiller makes you forget). What’s Stiller’s response? He starts grabbing glasses of water from the tables and slamming them into the ground, walking over broken glass barefoot in their direction, as he slowly delivers a monologue of doom. Eerie.

10. HIGH FIDELITY (Stephen Frears)

The cult of manhood as addressed in films usually has to deal with the refusal to grow up and let go of dreams when they can be reality. In accordance, lists are made with the hope that one day, the items on said list can be crossed out. John Cusack’s Rob Gordon is a character I can relate to in that aspect, because, like me, he’s a compulsive list-maker who carries no weight to what a finished list would mean to him as much as it would be to other people like him, who know it’s what you like, not what you are like, that matters. Also, he’s a loser slut, who callously sleeps around until he realizes what really matters in a relationship (as evidenced by the last reel mixtape that closes the film). Have I gotten to that point? Not really; I’m still at the, “Charlie, you fucking bitch! We can work it out!” phase. But I’m getting there.

Also see: SWINGERS (Doug Liman)
I just recently saw this, and I’m glad, because I think this is where I’m at right now. Young but getting older, and looking for direction amidst a sea of people who seem cooler than myself but probably aren’t very cool at all. I think it’s more of a universal thing: I’d like to think every male my age can relate to this movie, particularly the multiple phone calls and the general malaise involved in the dating scene.

And also see: ABOUT A BOY (Paul Weitz)
Another Nick Hornby adaptation like HIGH FIDELITY, I don’t this film really succeeds as well as HIGH FIDELITY does. Still, the tale of a rougish cad (Hugh Grant) obsessed with pop culture bric-a-brac in favor of a real connection with anyone resonates most likely with anyone who’s realized a human connection is worthless with so little time in the day. It’s sweetness gets a bit overbearing at points, but Hugh Grant is very funny, and Toni Collette is as great as always as an overmedicated mother to the titular boy (Nicolas Hoult, also good).

And also see: TIME OUT (Laurent Cantet)
A bit darker than the previous offerings, this too is a story that deeply resonated with me. It’s based on a true story of a man who was fired from his job, but went ten years without telling his family, instead going off each day and taking out loans, doing odd jobs, and generally driving wherever he pleased, before eventually setting his house on fire and killing his family. TIME OUT is that rare film that actually tones down the true story: the film narrows the time frame to ten years, and features no such homicidal tendencies. The lead, Larry Miller lookalike actor Aurelian Recoing, is not unlike anyone else, in that he openly relishes doing nothing all day, but this isn’t OFFICE SPACE: scenes in which he walks into an office building in a suit and tie and takes in a meeting he has nothing to do with as nobody pays him any mind recall a ghostly sense of loss, regret, and discarded responsibility. It’s a really powerful, sad film, worth seeing for anyone who felt like abandoning their job.

9. THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Bryan Singer)
In my early days, when I first became enamored with films, I wanted to be a director. I wanted to call the shots, be in charge, and have my hands in the creative process of every moment of a film. It wasn’t until later when I realized that I didn’t have the first clue as to how to direct a film, or what really went into it. Ideally, I’d love to take a shot at directing one day, in a way that I’d love to run charging into a terrorist hideout, two-gunning it like Jack Bauer while never, ever being hit, safe in the knowledge that I was both invincible and the star of my own hit TV show. But it was THE USUAL SUSPECTS that placed my interest in another arena: acting.

Inevitably, I would realize how a great script could make even Stephen Baldwin seem like a mesmerizing screen presence, but at the point I had rented THE USUAL SUSPECTS, I was under the impression that I was witnessing top notch ensemble acting, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since stuff like GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and even TWELVE ANGRY MEN. Five lethal criminals, all in the same space, under the watchful eye of the mysterious Keyser Soze, ready to plot the perfect crime only to be vivisected by the harried Agent Kujan (Chazz Palmentari- where did his career go?) from the mouth of mercurial jabberjaw Verbal Kint. It was the latter performance, from then-God Kevin Spacey, that really nailed everything I dreamed of from acting. All you have to do is watch one five minute chunk of his performance, and you’ve got the pleasure, mystery and excitement of the entire story, a performance that runs the entire gamut of emotions and feels like a self-contained workshop onto itself.

Also see: LA CONFIDENTIAL (Curtis Hanson)
Post-PULP FICTION crime films tended to be faux-edgy exercises in style and snappy dialogue, filled with showboating camera angles and hammy performances. Fortunately, those types of films seem to be relegated to the DTV bin now (seriously, go to Blockbuster and catch how many B and C-List heavy crime films litter their shelves), while the crime film seems to have survived on the strength of some abnormally strong entries in the wake of Quentin Tarantino’s genre-busting flick. Along with THE USUAL SUSPECTS was the vastly impressive LA CONFIDENTIAL, a great film that some people somehow found inferior to that year’s box office and Oscar champion, TITANIC.

LA CONFIDENTIAL is powered by a great script, but really, something must be said about director Curtis Hanson’s almost supernatural skill in instantly elevating any material he might tackle, whether it be something hokey like THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE to a lightweight film like WONDER BOYS. Hanson is generous with his actors, to the point where LA CONFIDENTIAL is a showcase for one of the great ensembles in recent movie history, with Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe as an oil-and-water combination investigating a case that involves dirty cops, while Kevin Spacey and James Cromwell lend able support (and provide the movie’s best scene, involving the story of Rollo Tamasi) and Danny DeVito steals every scene he’s in. As far as the great films of the 90's, this should be near the top of everybody’s list.

8. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY (Adam McKay)

It’s easy to be pretty damn silly. It’s a bit harder, however, to commit yourself to true, unadulterated silliness, and I feel that’s not at all respected at all. For instance, there’s as much panache that goes into Will Ferrell’s pitch-perfect crafting of Ron Burgundy as Jodie Foster would have put into that nonsense-spewing wild child in NELL. Indeed, poor Ferrell- I grew up laughing at him for something like ten years on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and he pretty much got me cracking up more than any entertainer in history... but for me, he’ll never emerge from the shadow of Ron Burgundy.

There’s little details alive in this film that make multiple viewings rewarding. For one, the chemistry of the cast is without equal- Ferrell no doubt had a hand in casting, and instead of filling his supporting parts with big time comedic stars or flavor of the month standups, he went with four other professionals with minimum exposure.

-David Koechner, a former SNLer with Ferrell who seems to have a go-for-broke attitude towards comedy, and absolutely no question as to how far it’s worth going for a laugh.
-Steve Carrell, now something of a megastar, but formerly simply a member of comedy troupes who specialized straight-man work on THE DAILY SHOW.
-Paul Rudd, who, obviously, is a god, but who also has extensive experience with ensembles.
-And Christina Applegate, another left-field selection (as there are a number of bigger starlets who could have taken that role). She acquits herself memorably, never making her character entirely redeemable and never really letting the guys hog the action.

What this means is that no one tries to overcome each other, and every mid-range two-three-four shot features a number of laughs, because these actors know their characters, and they know each other. It’s the sort of chemistry you don’t see in many mainstream comedies, and it shows a respect and confidence in each other’s respective talents. It’s the little details- how Steve Carrell addresses the camera as he spreads cream cheese in a toaster, how Paul Rudd poses for a fight behind everyone else, how everyone cringes in a different way when David Koechner goes in a ranting, homoerotic monologue.

But nevermind the professionalism- this is my number one most quotable movie. In my last relationship, I didn’t do a lick of work, because I was too busy speaking to her like Ron Burgundy, grateful that it took her halfway through the time we spent together before she saw the damn movie and my ruse was up. There are so many repeatable lines in this film, and so many pitch-perfect deliveries of them, oh god, here I go...

(From memory)

-Ron, I know this is gonna sound cruel, but God doesn’t want her to live.
-Oh, it is so hot! Milk was a bad choice!
–Tonight, the streets run red... with Burgundy’s blood!
-Yeah, there were horses and a man on fire and I killed a guy with a trident!
-YOU BITCH! You woke the bears, why did you do that?
-I wanna be on you!
-I immediately regret this decision!
-It stings the nostrils... I’ve gotta be honest with you, that smells like pure gasoline.
-Would you like to go to the pants party? The party... with the pants?
-I ate a big red candle!*
-You ruined me! Because of your actions, we are through... you SCORPION WOMAN!
-And I’m Tits- er, I’m Ron Burgundy.
-If I were to give you some money out of my wallet, would that help ease the pain?
-I hear that bears can smell their periods. The bears can smell their men-struation!
-Where’d you buy your suits from... the toilet store?
-We have been coming to the same party for ten years and that is in no way depressing!


*In a disturbing trend, it seems as if many films’ theatrical releases are now becoming extinct, never to be released on any format. While much of the rage over this is dedicated to STAR WARS, that goes for ANCHORMAN as well, which is ONLY available in it’s unrated cut, featuring a few newer scenes but also, inexplicably removing this line in favor of the less funny, “I ate your pooped squirrel” moment. As is, there is no available copy of this film featuring this line.

Also see: TOMMY BOY (Peter Segal)
Of course, growing up on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE means a lot. There was a period from 1990 until I went to college where I pretty much caught every episode, either on first-run or as a repeat. I grew up with SNL’s most storied cast, the early nineties gang that seemed to consist only of people who are now millionaires (seriously, check out the roster in the Superman’s funeral sketch during the Sinbad-hosted episode- Chris Rock is the only guy they could get to play Robin, and he does nothing). As my tastes matured (to the point where I even stopped watching the horrid 20th season for a few episodes, which in retrospect were too esoteric even for the then-silent studio audience), the cast changed, to the seismic shift that got them roughly where they are today, with the cast that featured Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell and holdovers-turned-stars Norm Macdonald and Tim Meadows (R.I.P.**).

It was only then when, despite a solid run marred by growing pains, I learned to get beyond that cast and remember, and finally properly appreciate, that cast in the early nineties.

-Chris Rock had so little to do that he’s one of the few SNLers to ever only graduate simply to another sketch show, IN LIVING COLOR, but his “The Dark Side with Nat X” provided some hilarious moments.
-Mike Myers really only had about two to three actual voices at his disposal, but he made the most of it with some really bizarre writing, contributing one of the most insane and funniest recurring sketches in the show’s history, SPROCKETS (as well as that cute, endearing “Wayne’s World” which was never as clever as the two fun movies).
-Kevin Nealon was my favorite Weekend Update anchor because, unlike the others, he never broke character, and came across as a genuinely believable newscaster, even if he was saying stuff like, “Kathie Lee Gifford was voted the country’s best mother in the new issue of ‘Today’s Mother.’ But the magazine also included that the baddest mother is still Shaft. Happy Mother’s Day, Shaft.”
-Adam Sandler, an unbearable scamp in the movies, was actually pretty damn funny on the show, with lots of inspired, childish moments. While his songs were lame, his Operaman moments were among my favorites on the show. Also, he seemed to play a mental defective well- he still does.
-Phil Hartman, arguably the greatest SNLer of all time, who was usually the best thing about any sketch. God bless him, he’s missed so dearly, and is probably the only celebrity death I’ve felt devastated by. I feel terrible just writing that he’s dead- there was a point when Comedy Central, with the syndicated rights to SNL, would air the early nineties episodes all the time, and along with THE SIMPSONS, it could have been argued that I was hearing or seeing Phil Hartman literally every day of my life at one point. I can’t even say that about my parents.
-Dana Carvey, the one man whom I thought was the most talented of the crew. I laugh now, remembering that I thought, “This is a pretty good cast, but that Dana Carvey- he’s gonna be a star.” Kinda reminds me of that Rob Lowe monologue from an episode in the mid-nineties where he read his diary from the set of THE OUTSIDERS, predicting big things for C. Thomas Howell. Carvey could do no wrong- every impersonation on the show should have been done by him, and at times, it probably was.

I know, I know, I’m ranting. I feel a bit privileged to have had SNL all throughout my life. But let me wrap this up by discussing David Spade and Chris Farley, the stars of TOMMY BOY. Both were endearing, extremely likeable onscreen personalities on the show. Farley was this whirling dervish of chaos with good intentions and an extremely expressive forehead that belied a sweetness and tenderness- you HAD to like Farley, even if you didn’t think he was very funny and versatile (I felt very strongly that he was both). And Spade was doing stuff on SNL that you probably wouldn’t get away with now, with his sarcastic, biting characters and often nasty criticism of celebrities on that savage Hollywood Minute segment (which he seems to have parlayed into an entire show- ten years late, but still, good for him). Both were heroes- Spade for his tongue and Farley for his selflessness that ensured you knew he would put his massive body through any calamity, but ensure that he’d hate to see you do it.

Together, from what I had read, they were friends, which was perfect- Farley’s size and kindness, and Spade’s wit and tiny frame. It was a perfect match for this, maybe my favorite film completely derived from SNL (as opposed to ANCHORMAN, which doesn’t feature Lorne Michaels as a producer, nor does it capitalize on any of Farrell’s SNL legacy). Farley is such a sweetheart in this, that, despite his pratfalls, you desperately want him to succeed. It’s a really nice, underrated moment when near the end of the film, when all is lost, Spade finally melts and admits that Tommy/Farley is his only friend, because he’s too busy pushing people away with his sarcasm. It’s a shining scene in a film that features Tommy doing everything in his power to ensure that his loving, late dad’s company isn’t sold off, not unlike Farley emerging from Belushi’s shadow to prove himself outside of SNL despite overwhelming odds against him. After all those really wonderful years on SNL (my favorite sketch being that Matt Foley- Motivational Speaker sketches), my lasting memory of Farley is him, placing the tiny Spade’s jacket on himself and mischievously singing, “Fat guy in little coat!” only to have the jacket tear as his face contorts in shock, embarrassment, surprise and regret like a child that broke his favorite toy. We miss you, Chris.

**His career, not him. We miss you, Leon Phelps.

7. EL TOPO (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
Often regarded as the first ever midnight film, EL TOPO is a film I’m sure I’ll never forget. I know this because I remember someone else who apparently has felt the same thing. This is an anecdote.

One day at one of my prior jobs I was discussing my theories as to what MULHOLLAND DRIVE was really about. Someone overheard me, and they began to engage me in conversation. This guy was your average suburban dad, nice guy, well-read, friendly. He went into his own appreciation of the film and then compared it to a strange little film he saw back in 1970. He was barhopping in New York City with a friend when one of them started going on about EL TOPO. He seemed interested, and he asked when they should see it. His friend replied that they should see it THAT NIGHT, which they did. To this day, he remembers every moment of it.

When he told me this, I freaked out, finding someone in everyday life who had actually heard of Jodorowsky’s classic, and I urged him to see it again, as a local video store had three bootleg copies of the film, which has since been denied American release by rights-owner Allen Klein. I hope he caught it again, but if he didn’t, that’s ok, because it really is unforgettable. It’s my favorite western, and worth the detective work to find a copy.

Also see: LIQUID SKY (Slava Tsuckerman)

LIQUID SKY is a truly bizarro film emerging from the eighties New Wave scene in New York City, a sci-fi film teeming with insane sexuality, debauched drug use and other recreational disasters. The plot involves aliens coming to New York City to test out a new drug on unsuspecting humans, particularly affecting a young, skinny model and her boho neighbors. It’s another unforgettable, truly bizarre film, that captures a mood and sensibility that could only exist in 1980's NYC, one of the few places in American that aliens could successfully infiltrate without being noticed.

And also see: THE KINGDOM (Lars Von Trier)
Another entry in the batshit crazy bizarro fest, this Danish miniseries, collected here in America as a megamovie of sorts is from the mind of experimental Lars Von Trier. The ghost of a little girl haunts an old, dilapidated hospital, but the doctors are only worried about the bureaucracy, their sex lives and Danish scum. THE KINGDOM stars Stellan Skarsgaard and, in an unforgettable and demented appearance, Udo Kier (seriously, perhaps the greatest cameo in history- Crispin Glover could have sliced eight ninjas in half and it wouldn’t have been as crazy), but the real stars are the autistic kitchen hands who wax philosophically on the goings-on of the titular realm. It was recently remade into a Stephen King maxi-series, which I did not see, but I can’t imagine it captured the plainspoken weirdness of the original. There’s also a sequel, which still doesn’t have an American release.

6. CINEMA PARADISO (Giuseppe Tornatore)
I didn’t know what I was getting into when I first saw CINEMA PARADISO. I figured it was just a modest, likeable coming-of-age story with a nice European twist. Shame on everyone I knew who loved movies, however, for not recommending it to me earlier: CINEMA PARADISO is crystallized cinema love, as pure a distillation of infatuation of the silver screen as you’ll see. The young Salvatore grows up by the light of the cinema, constantly basking in the mercurial nature of the wicked art of film, as it guides him through the most meaningful experiences he’ll ever have, aging as the cinema does, watching a place and time build up and deteriorate, as he follows suit. CINEMA PARADISO is the only film that’s ever made me cry more than once in one viewing: it might be the rain-soaked kiss, or perhaps the dangerous burns suffered in the fire, or even the tearful return, but needless to say, CINEMA PARADISO features a number of touching, meaningful moments that would affect anyone who’s ever had a love affair with the cinema.


Also see: SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Kerry Conran)
It’s really a different kind of cinema-love in SKY CAPTAIN: the film pays homage to 1930's serials that I was not around to see, but it’s hard not to get wrapped up within the film’s bleach-palate wonderland and its strident dedication to mining the past for a brand new experience. Jude Law is absolutely dreamy as action hero Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan, while Gwenyth Paltrow’s Polly Perkins is a plucky, endearing romantic foil. Also, it’s not even ten minutes into the film when robots show up and start fucking shit up. If PRETTY WOMAN did that, it would have showed up somewhere in this list as well.

5. THE WARRIORS (Walter Hill)

This movie caused riots in the late seventies-early eighties, which sucks, because I wish I could have been around at the time. Let’s face it, a movie with a litany of not-based-in-reality New York gangs like the Baseball Furies, clad in pinstripes and clown makeup and cradling bats as weapons... what kind of riots were these, anyway? Whatever the case, it takes a lot for a film to reach the sort of awesometude this film achieves during about every minute. The multiculti Warriors are the centerpiece of a free-for-all involving the search for the mighty Cyrus’ killer: they maintain it was the Rogues, but the Rogues have placed the finger solely on them, and each gang (the Turnbull AC’s, the Lizzies, etc) is looking to settle the score. Loaded with violent fisticuffs, classic dialogue and one of the great intimidation scenes in film history (coke bottles, anyone?), THE WARRIORS is utterly perfect rewatchable stuff... say, anyone else wanna be a Warrior for Halloween?

Also see: REVENGE OF THE NERDS (Jeff Kanew)
I am disappointed that I spent the eighties ignoring THE WARRIORS, and only saw it recently to make up for past sins. My eighties film experience was limited to the likes of tacky AMERICAN NINJA sequels and schlocky sex comedies, but REVENGE OF THE NERDS stood head and shoulders above the competition. While I’m no Toby Radloff, I could probably wax poetically on the political and sexual (some might say they are the same) subtext of this genre classic. Sure, it’s broad, silly stuff, but the conviction of the performers (because of this, Robert will always be my favorite Carradine) and the sheer fantasy of the Tri-Lambdas defeating the hoity-toity Aryan Alpha-Betas is something anyone who thought they were a nerd can relate to.

And also see: THE ROCKY SERIES
Did somebody say 80's? The ROCKY movies can serve as a reliable gauge as to where cinema went and was headed in the late seventies and eighties. The first film is wonderfully acted and realized through Sylvester Stallone’s soft-hued but nicely understated script, while the second one is the genuine crowd-pleasing epilogue. But it’s the third and fourth films that are the real meat and potatoes.

The third film begins with perfection. As “Eye of the Tiger” blares, images of Rocky getting fat off his success are juxtaposed with the nastiness of Clubber Lang’s (Mr. T, always excellent) rise through the heavyweight ranks. As Clubber barks at reporters after chewing up opponents, Rocky is shown shooting commercials, as if there was a voiceover saying, “Success made him soft.” Then, a shot of Rocky and Adrian rolling together in a lone field is featured, framed against Mr. T’s scowl, as if to say, “Then, pussy made him weak!” This closes with Paulie (Burt Young, quite good) getting massively drunk and hurling a bottle at an arcade ROCKY pinball game, only to have it shatter in glorious slow motion, ending one of the greatest storytelling montages in film history. The film also succeeds in part because of Hulk Hogan’s winking work as Thunderlips, for the record.

The fourth one, though... man, that’s eighties. All the stops are pulled out, as the series delves into science-fiction with the genetically-enhanced Russian supersoldier Ivan Drago, so merciless that he shows his gratitude for Apollo Creed’s James Brown-hosted pre-fight spectacle that he kills him in the ring. Vowing revenge after now having lost Mickey and Creed in consecutive movies (and completely losing touch with Paulie), Rocky heads to Russia for a knockout battle with the monosyllabic killing machine, scaling mountains during rock montages before bringing the Drago reign to a halt during a match in which he takes time to give a speech that not only places the Russian audience on his side but also effectively ends the Cold War.

The fifth film didn’t happen.

4. RUSHMORE (Wes Anderson)

I saw RUSHMORE at a pretty broken down theater that was shut down as soon as the local Loews, where I now work, shut down pretty mercilessly. It had shoddy facilities, minimal employees, and not much attendance. As RUSHMORE began, the scenes of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman, transcending space and time) daydreaming about solving the world’s most difficult math problem, and the only thing I could hear was a strong, incessant buzzing. As Max solves the problem and is revered by his classmates, I remarked that the viciously aggressive sound effect was an interesting stylistic choice by Wes Anderson, and I was eager to see what he’d do with it. A minute or two later, the sound kicked in, and I rejoined the adventures of the students at Rushmore Academy, already in progress.

Whatever the case, RUSHMORE was tremendously influential. It was really the first time I could connect with an entirely unlikeable protagonist, simply looking for his Rushmore. Max and Herman Blume (Bill Murray) are essentially the same person, two boys dedicated to war, both looking for a cause celebre in life, both enticed by the challenge of pursuit and conquering more than what is actually being coveted. Max Fischer saved Latin- what did you ever do?

Also see: THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols)
It’s impossible to look at RUSHMORE and not see echoes of THE GRADUATE. Both films are soundtrack-driven (although RUSHMORE features an eclectic mix of non-original work, whereas GRADUATE features the excellent, then-groundbreaking use of Simon and Garfunkel’s original music), and both have a rhythmic, lowkey, laidback, jaunty feel to them. Both are also colorful coming of age tales and feature larger-than-life characters, specifically THE GRADUATE’s absolutely unforgettable Mrs. Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft in perhaps the sexiest performance of all bleedin’ time. And of course, both represent crucial viewing for young moviegoers in search of a direction in their lives.

3. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Spike Jonze)
I didn’t even consider becoming a screenwriter until I saw Charlie Kaufman’s first film, a science fiction tale revolving around a portal that leads into the head of actor John Malkovich. As bizarre a conceit as it is, Kaufman couldn’t have picked a better subject: Malkovich, a well respected thespian who gained mainstream popularity through a string of forgettable big studio films, si still considered an oddity, as many on the street cannot name a single film he’s been in, yet can spot him instantly. Perhaps the film’s “What is he famous for?” jabs are less funny and dated in this current entertainment landscape, where people are legitimately famous for no discernible reason (see: reality TV), but the idea of two low level clerks finding the commercial worthiness of giving regular people a chance to spend fifteen minutes as a celebrity (before being spit out of the New Jersey Turnpike- I haven’t heard in-depth analysis on why that place is relevant... I’m listening to any suggestions) is a simple concept, one with Kafka-flavored timeliness that gives the initial slapstick appeal of the film an added layer. Needless to say, the fifteen minutes are not an arbitrary number- Warhol, the prophet.

There’s moments of absurdity all over this film... Mr. Lester the “sex god” and his secretary with a Phd in speech impedimentology, the jarring monkey flashback, Charlie Sheen’s totally good-natured cameo (“Hot lesbian witches! That’s fucking genius!”), the terrifying fright Malkovich encounters when he enters his own portal... but the love triangle at the heart of it all is both hilarious and sad at the same time, with Craig loving Maxine, while Maxine lusts for Craig’s wife Lotte- but only while she’s in Malkovich. The entire film has a melancholic feel, it’s themes of loss and recovery, of our youth and of control over our destinies highlighted by Carter Burwell’s elegiac, mournful score. It’s easily my favorite of all time (there was a snippet in the recent trailer for the Jet Li actioner UNLEASHED).

Thanks for making me into a screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman.

Also see: WEIRD SCIENCE (John Hughes)
Bizarro, unconventional sci-fi is something I prefer over straightforward space travel stuff (which is why I shied away from it for so long, to the point where seeing SERENITY seemed like such a refreshing joy to me), and it’s too bad it gets the short shrift in conversations about great sci-fi. While WEIRD SCIENCE doesn’t really deserve to be with the likes of 2001 and BLADE RUNNER in that debate, it shouldn’t be discounted as a mere sex comedy. There’s a lot of imagination to John Hughes’ computer-powered sex romp, in which two horny teens create the most perfect woman. The shenanigans that result including brother Bill Paxton becoming some sort of shit monster, a massive party featuring extras from MAD MAX led by Michael Berryman, and a spaceship taking off from a boy’s room. Oh yeah, and Kelly LeBrock, who, for all intensive purposes, was pretty much the most perfect casting for me at such a young age... I went on a long time thinking that “that chick from WEIRD SCIENCE” was the pinnacle of hot, to the point where, never really seeing her anywhere else, I reasoned that she was artificially created for this film.

2. BERRY GORDY'S THE LAST DRAGON (John Schultz)

A couple of years ago, THE LAST DRAGON was finally released on DVD. I suppose I’ll probably buy it one day. Until then, I prefer watching this movie the way I first saw it: taped off television with a ratty 18 year old VHS, pan and scanned and edited for WPIX NY. Those WPIX Sunday double features were the stuff of beauty, before the WB purchased them and stared airing random shit and repeats of their shows at that time. Probably one of my favorite double features was when my parents went out of town for the day and I parked my young self down with a bucket of Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk for BATMAN followed by DICK TRACY. Aside from airing BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED all the time, these Sunday moviefests may have been what first sparked any interest I had in movies.

Anyway, DRAGON is pretty standard American, self-referential chop-socky stuff, highly derivative and loving towards the seventies kung-fu cinema of Bruce Lee. Taking place in seedy pre-Guliani Harlem, the film features single-named martial artist Taimak as the effervescent “Bruce” Leroy Green, a martial artist eager to reach the “final level” as his Miyagi-like sensei advises him, when he can become the “Last Dragon.” Taimak is quite a find: casually gorgeous and extremely built, he was not an actor before this film, which works to his credit: Green is such a neophyte to social connections that bringing the character out of his shell is like bringing the shy Taimak and his unprofessional but beaming smile into the limelight. Taimak was cast alongside the gorgeous Prince-follower Vanity (perhaps the first time two single-named entities were the two leads?), who shined as sexy singer Laura Charles, host of the “Soul Train” like dance show “7th Heaven”. She genuinely has a jonesing for Green, and Green returns the affections.

But wait, there’s trouble on the horizon, in a BATMAN-worthy duel villain attack. Arcade magnate Eddie Arkadian (it’s the eighties) is looking to get the music video of his untalented girlfriend on “7th Heaven”, constantly calling Charles’ assistant (hey Bill Macy). When his efforts fail, he tries to kidnap her, although his henchemen (hey Chazz Palmentari) are foiled by Bruce Leroy, and soon, a bloodthirsty vendetta is formed.

Enter Sho’nuff, tha Shogun of Harlem. As played by Julius Carrey III (of BRISCO COUNTY JR.) Sho’nuff is a blustery kung-fu master of the crime underworld, crusading on the streets of Harlem with his vicious gang of single-named bruisers (this gang includes Beast, Crush and Cyclone-where are the action figures?). He feels the onloy thing standing in his way of kung-fu dominance in Harlem in Green, and its not long before he and Arkadian puts their heads together to get Bruce Leroy out of the picture.

This culminates in a final showdown of epic proportions, as Bruce Leroy and his class of young kung-fu artists (hey, Ernie Reyes Jr.) take on a phalanx of colorfully dressed henchmen from Arkadian at 7th Heaven while kung-fu music videos play in the background. Music is prevalent through LAST DRAGON’s skimpy running time, as, being produced by record executive Berry Gordy, it was made primarily to sell albums. Still, for me, that’s the least relevant thing about the whole affair, a film loaded with seemingly hundreds of goofy characters and situations, packed to the brim with kung-fu action, and featuring Sho’nuff, the undisputable SHOGUN OF HARLEM. THE LAST DRAGON is a must-love movie.

Also see: BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (Stephen Herek)
I forgot whatever sort of relevance this has to THE LAST DRAGON, but I am surprised at how well it has aged. Keanu and Alex Winters are the members of Wyld Stallyns, dedicated towards rocking out, and not at all prepared for the magic phone booth that Rufus gives them. As they embark on a trip through space and time, they interact with history’s biggest names, from Napoleon to Joan of Ark, from Socrates to Abraham Lincoln. It’s all good clean fun, less meanspirited than any of the knockoffs this premise endured (from WAYNE’S WORLD to BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD- not all bad knockoffs) and buoyed by a most bodacious quote: “Be excellent to each other.”

1. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick)

Someone was once talking about “OK Computer” during one magazine’s seemly monthly, gooey Radiohead blowjob (and I love Radiohead, but c’mon, guys), and they said the first time any rock musician listens to the average rock album that rules, they say, “Wow, I feel like I can do that!” Whereas they listen to “OK Computer” and say, “Oh, shit, we’ll never get that, that’s impossible!” I feel like that when watching 2001. Holy shit, that’s impossible.

2001 is a testament to Kubrick’s claim that if it can be thought it can be filmed, a stirring portrait of civilization at its times of great evolution. Beginning with the mesmerizing ape sequences, Kubrick’s cut from a flying bone to a gliding spaceship has to be the most audacious cut in cinema history, unencumbered by any shift in the film’s soundtrack or the camera’s glacial movements. It’s from then when Kubrick shows us the inanity of what we have to look forward to in space travel: tasks are menial, uninteresting, dry. At that point in time, it was the least sexiest space travel on film, and really should have subverted how everyone thinks of sci-fi, but of course STAR WARS changed all that. Perhaps part of my residual resentment of STAR WARS comes from what Kubrick was trying to establish here.

People say 2001 is boring. For me, that’s the most damning and stupid criticism anyone can give- how much did you apply yourself to the film? Surely if you found the first two sections of the film boring, by the time HAL 9000 starts to make decisions on its own, you have to be involved. HAL’s actions are chilling and unsettling, and the moments when he sings “Daisy” while pleading for his life have to be some of the most blood-curdling stuff in cinema history.

The ending, in which David watches the Star Child, is something I’ve read as many different ways, and I love that. I refuse to read the book- my own interpretations for what happens are more enjoyable everytime I see this. I recently caught it on the big screen for the first time, and really, for lack of a better word, it was superbly cinematic, gripping and unforgettable. To be in a video store where 2001 lies is to be in the presence of greatness, and while I won’t disregard anything else, in my mind there’s only space for one film in the debate for which is the best ever made. That has nothing to do with my preferences: it just so happens that, this one time, they coincide.

Also see: BIRTH (Jonathan Glaser)
The very first scene of BIRTH is not only incredibly dense and multifaceted, drenched in subtextual dread, but it’s also a helluva audacious 2001 homage. The rest of the film also has many narrative parallels to 2001, but the most glaring is the similarly audaciously patient skill with the camera to Stanley Kubrick that Johnathan Glaser has. It’s a brilliant film, carried by Nicole Kidman’s chilling work and the strong turn from Camewron bright as the boy who claims to be Kidman’s resurrected beau. It’s also fascinating to watch Danny Huston: how he reacts in each scene changes every time, and his remarkably expressive face is not unlike our’s going through a string of hesitant emotions during this fascinating movie. It was unjustly buried and ignored when it was released: catch it now and remedy that.

Glad you guys liked it. Thanks for the feedback.