So, have you heard about the brainchild of Casey Pugh, a.k.a. The Chosen One? It's something called Star Wars: Uncut, wherein fans of the original Star Wars choose and remake up to three :15 segments of the 1977 classic. Here's the trailer:
How apt that the subtitle of Star Wars: Episode IV is “A New Hope.” A big ol’ digital quilting bee like this is exactly the way we shall realize the full promise and potential of the Internet. Lawrence Lessig has foreseen it:
Search your feelings; you know it to be true. This will restore balance to the universe, return us to the days of democratized content creation, where there was a lot less difference between those who make art and those who consume it. Things will be like they were—before the dark times, before the Empire.
Fortunately, I understand that, while Lucas has legions of underlings whose sole job is to maintain continuity among all the various narrative threads of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, he’s also said to be pretty tolerant of the fan creations his works inspire. In any case, this is really more parody than unauthorized derivative work; as such it would probably be easier to assert a fair-use defense. On the other hand, if it turned out that Lucas were to prevail in an infringement action, the statutory damages would be, well, more than you could imagine.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Boldly Going Where Many Have Gone Before
So, I finally caught the new Star Trek. The word that comes to mind to describe it—the thing that really makes it work—is verve. And verve covers a multitude of sins. In fact, on some levels, this the most satisfying interpretation of the well-traveled Trekkie mythology. JJ Abrams has managed to bring a freshness and a vitality to the proceedings that no other of the Enterprise’s many creative captains has been able to match.
At the outset, I should make it clear that I’m no fanboy. I’m a moderately geeky sci-fi consumer generally, with a slightly higher than average interest in and knowledge about Star Trek. As a kid, the original series was part of the regular weekday afternoon menu (bereft of much nutritive value) that included The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and Gilligan’s Island. I’m definitely not one of those people who got all exorcised about the “reimagining” of Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck’s a woman? Fine. Boomer’s a Cylon? Whatevs. As long as it makes for good storytelling, I’m on board; there are no sacred cows in my entertainment universe. I just want to be engaged and entertained with intelligence and wit. In that regard, Firefly was pretty nearly perfect, and, thus, doomed to fail.
To me, the Star Trek franchise peaked with The Next Generation and got less relevant/more cheesy with each subsequent iteration. One unintended consequence of this latest installment is that it renders all Star Treks almost unwatchably dorky, no matter how much Shakespearean thea-tuh credibility Patrick Stewart brought to the bridge. I think, though, that’s as much a function of timing and evolution—for its time, TNG was not only a great improvement on the original but a really strong sci-fi series in its own right. One thing that really drew me to the latter-day Battlestar Galactica was how deliberately un-sci-fi it was. But it also had the benefit of being higher up the evolutionary ladder in terms of creative and audience sophistication. So to give credit where it’s due, one big reason Abrams’ Star Trek works so well is that some of that BSG attitude—including a premium on plausibility that underlies other recent “reboots” from Bond to Batman—has rubbed off on it. Given how Abrams really made his bones reinventing the 1-hour TV action/drama, I’d love to see what he could have done with Enterprise. Talk about promise squandered right out of the gate.
I read somewhere how Abrams fretted over not alienating die-hard fans while not scaring away the (non-costumed members of the) mainstream audience. Happily, there’s no genuflecting to orthodoxy here. Abrams very shrewdly jettisoned most everything unnecessary, though he retained some fun atmospheric touches—the little ping-pew-ee-oo sonar on the bridge, a hover-cycle that sounds for all the world like George Jetson’s car, and a sick-bay nurse rocking a mini-skirt smock—as a comforting nod to nostalgia. Abrams succeeds by according the Star Trek myth just enough deference to function as setup for some pretty hilarious in-jokes. The film’s buoyant charm and winking humor even won over my wife—quite possibly the galaxy’s biggest sci-fi anti-fan—whom I’d dragged along almost caveman-style, but who emerged from the theatre gushing about it. I thought I’d gone through a worm-hole, let me tell you.
A few things don’t work—Scotty’s inadvertent beaming into the giant tube of otherwise harmless water was by turns reminiscent of Willy Wonka and Galaxy Quest. Never a good sign when your references point to a parody instead of the original thing. And the Delta-Vega monster chase/dénouement was rather baldly “Obi-wan scares the Sand People out of the Hoth Snow Cave.” Also, the time-travel crutch has become tiresome, but who can expect a guy like Abrams to leave that alone? In other words, none of these is a deal-breaker, given how irresistible and enjoyable the whole experience is. It’s as if Abrahams said to the writers and actors, “I need more fun!” And they all answered back, “Captain, we’re givin’ ‘er all she’s got!” Mr. Sulu, ahead, verve factor nine. Engage.
At the outset, I should make it clear that I’m no fanboy. I’m a moderately geeky sci-fi consumer generally, with a slightly higher than average interest in and knowledge about Star Trek. As a kid, the original series was part of the regular weekday afternoon menu (bereft of much nutritive value) that included The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and Gilligan’s Island. I’m definitely not one of those people who got all exorcised about the “reimagining” of Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck’s a woman? Fine. Boomer’s a Cylon? Whatevs. As long as it makes for good storytelling, I’m on board; there are no sacred cows in my entertainment universe. I just want to be engaged and entertained with intelligence and wit. In that regard, Firefly was pretty nearly perfect, and, thus, doomed to fail.To me, the Star Trek franchise peaked with The Next Generation and got less relevant/more cheesy with each subsequent iteration. One unintended consequence of this latest installment is that it renders all Star Treks almost unwatchably dorky, no matter how much Shakespearean thea-tuh credibility Patrick Stewart brought to the bridge. I think, though, that’s as much a function of timing and evolution—for its time, TNG was not only a great improvement on the original but a really strong sci-fi series in its own right. One thing that really drew me to the latter-day Battlestar Galactica was how deliberately un-sci-fi it was. But it also had the benefit of being higher up the evolutionary ladder in terms of creative and audience sophistication. So to give credit where it’s due, one big reason Abrams’ Star Trek works so well is that some of that BSG attitude—including a premium on plausibility that underlies other recent “reboots” from Bond to Batman—has rubbed off on it. Given how Abrams really made his bones reinventing the 1-hour TV action/drama, I’d love to see what he could have done with Enterprise. Talk about promise squandered right out of the gate.
I read somewhere how Abrams fretted over not alienating die-hard fans while not scaring away the (non-costumed members of the) mainstream audience. Happily, there’s no genuflecting to orthodoxy here. Abrams very shrewdly jettisoned most everything unnecessary, though he retained some fun atmospheric touches—the little ping-pew-ee-oo sonar on the bridge, a hover-cycle that sounds for all the world like George Jetson’s car, and a sick-bay nurse rocking a mini-skirt smock—as a comforting nod to nostalgia. Abrams succeeds by according the Star Trek myth just enough deference to function as setup for some pretty hilarious in-jokes. The film’s buoyant charm and winking humor even won over my wife—quite possibly the galaxy’s biggest sci-fi anti-fan—whom I’d dragged along almost caveman-style, but who emerged from the theatre gushing about it. I thought I’d gone through a worm-hole, let me tell you.
A few things don’t work—Scotty’s inadvertent beaming into the giant tube of otherwise harmless water was by turns reminiscent of Willy Wonka and Galaxy Quest. Never a good sign when your references point to a parody instead of the original thing. And the Delta-Vega monster chase/dénouement was rather baldly “Obi-wan scares the Sand People out of the Hoth Snow Cave.” Also, the time-travel crutch has become tiresome, but who can expect a guy like Abrams to leave that alone? In other words, none of these is a deal-breaker, given how irresistible and enjoyable the whole experience is. It’s as if Abrahams said to the writers and actors, “I need more fun!” And they all answered back, “Captain, we’re givin’ ‘er all she’s got!” Mr. Sulu, ahead, verve factor nine. Engage.
Our Germans are better than their Germans
All the hype around the new Audi spot got me thinking. They must really be banking on the evanescence of the average viewer’s pop-culture memory.
It strikes me as a bit of a strategic misfire to try beating up on their competitors’ brand images, especially BMW.* Especially given that Jason Statham drove a BMW 7-series in “The Transporter.” Moreover, that film, fun as it was, played like an extended version of one of the BMW “Hire” films, with Statham taking over the role of taciturn Brit from Clive Owen.
In my opinion, BMW did a much better job at establishing and maintaining its authenticity and credibility as a high-performance marque. Without a doubt, BMW was inspired by John Frankenheimer’s “Ronin,” which featured a jaw-dropping chase scene with—wait for it—an Audi A8. Indeed, Frankenheimer went on to direct the first installment of The Hire, “Ambush.”
My personal favorite of the Hire films, “Star,” was directed by Guy Ritchie, who was by then kind of a big deal for having made “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” notable for many reasons, not the least of which was introducing the world to a bald, beefy British badass named . . . Jason Statham.
Instead of trying to convince me that a new Audi is better than a 20-year-old Bimmer or a 30-year-old Benz (which only makes me wonder what’s the German word for “duh”?) Audi would be much better served by playing to its strengths: all-wheel drive innovation, racing and rallying heritage, etc. They won Le Mans a few years back—in a diesel. That might not mean much to the average Super Bowl viewer, but at least it's a story--their story--and not some lame retread of something BMW did better almost a decade ago.
*Full disclosure: I am a lifelong BMW fan, former owner of a Euro-spec 1979 323i and a 1970 2002, and future owner of a cherry Atlanikblau 1972 3.0CS, which is what I would get were I in a position to choose among the latest offerings from Munich, Ingolstadt, or Stuttgart. Plus, I’d have enough left over for a parts car, a 2002 project, an E3 sedan and an ‘80s vintage 535is--like the red one in the Audi spot--for daily flogging.
It strikes me as a bit of a strategic misfire to try beating up on their competitors’ brand images, especially BMW.* Especially given that Jason Statham drove a BMW 7-series in “The Transporter.” Moreover, that film, fun as it was, played like an extended version of one of the BMW “Hire” films, with Statham taking over the role of taciturn Brit from Clive Owen.
In my opinion, BMW did a much better job at establishing and maintaining its authenticity and credibility as a high-performance marque. Without a doubt, BMW was inspired by John Frankenheimer’s “Ronin,” which featured a jaw-dropping chase scene with—wait for it—an Audi A8. Indeed, Frankenheimer went on to direct the first installment of The Hire, “Ambush.”
My personal favorite of the Hire films, “Star,” was directed by Guy Ritchie, who was by then kind of a big deal for having made “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” notable for many reasons, not the least of which was introducing the world to a bald, beefy British badass named . . . Jason Statham.
Instead of trying to convince me that a new Audi is better than a 20-year-old Bimmer or a 30-year-old Benz (which only makes me wonder what’s the German word for “duh”?) Audi would be much better served by playing to its strengths: all-wheel drive innovation, racing and rallying heritage, etc. They won Le Mans a few years back—in a diesel. That might not mean much to the average Super Bowl viewer, but at least it's a story--their story--and not some lame retread of something BMW did better almost a decade ago.
*Full disclosure: I am a lifelong BMW fan, former owner of a Euro-spec 1979 323i and a 1970 2002, and future owner of a cherry Atlanikblau 1972 3.0CS, which is what I would get were I in a position to choose among the latest offerings from Munich, Ingolstadt, or Stuttgart. Plus, I’d have enough left over for a parts car, a 2002 project, an E3 sedan and an ‘80s vintage 535is--like the red one in the Audi spot--for daily flogging.
What wouldn't I give to be spat at in the face?
My answers to the latest SLIFR pop-culture query: “PROF. BRIAN O'BLIVION'S ALL-NEW FLESH FOR MEMORIAL DAY FILM (AND TV) QUIZ.”
Alec Baldwin, on “30 Rock.” It’s like everything he’s done up to this point has been in service to this.
2) Living film director you most miss seeing on the cultural landscape regularly
I would love to have seen more from Paul Brickman.
3) Eugene Pallette or Charles Coburn
Pallette purely on the strength of his addled patriarch in My Man Godfrey.
4) Fill in the blank: “I pray that no one ever turns _____________ into a movie.”
Any Geico TV commercial. Don’t scoff, it could happen.
5) Jane Greer or
6) What was the last movie you saw in a theater? On DVD? And why?
Theatre:
Tivo: Tristram Shandy, A Cock and Bull Story: For some unexplained reason, we’ve started getting IFC instead of TCM, and Tivo thought I would enjoy this. I did—especially the way it utterly disabuses the viewer of any thought about the “glamour” of being an actor. Makes kind of a good companion piece to Shakespeare in Love. I’d still rather have TCM, though.
7) Name an actor you think should be a star
Nathan Fillion. I’ve been unconsciously appreciative of him ever since he played the cad boyfriend in Blast from the Past; now, having thoroughly enjoyed his performance in Waitress and recently discovered “Firefly,” via Hulu.com, I consider him and grievously undervalued asset.
8) Foxy Brown or Coffy
Jackie Brown
9) Favorite TV show still without its own DVD box set
“The Six Million Dollar Man.” If the glimpses of similar childhood faves that I’ve gotten from Hulu are any indication (“Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”) I’m probably much better off with my memories of the show as seen through the uncritical eyes of a ten-year-old.
10) Jack Elam or Neville Brand
Big Jack.
11) What movies would top your list of movies you need to revisit, for whatever reason?
Given the number of answers that I’ve had to pass on for this quiz, it seems like I have a lot of catching up to do before I do any “revisiting.” In another year or two, my son will be old enough to start watching movies, and that should make for some pretty interesting revisitations.
12) Zodiac or All the President’s Men
It’s been a million years since I saw the latter and I have yet to see the former, though given all the praise that’s been heaped on it, that should be rectified soon.
13) Using our best reviewer-speak, what is an “important” film comedy? And what is to you the most important film comedy of the last 35 years?
An “important” film, regardless of genre, is one that challenges the status quo. An “important” comedy would be one that has all the wit and intelligence of a respectable drama, but gets authentic laughs in unexpected ways. Even though it wasn’t a film, I thought this was what made “Arrested Development” so great (if fatally misunderstood and underappreciated). Generally, it seems the most “important” comedies are probably satire and/or black comedies, a la Dr. Strangelove, Three Kings. ‘Course, pretty much everything the Coens have done has defied conventions, proving (at least to me) that even a just-for-kicks comedy can earn a place in the canon. Even though it didn’t quite live up to the hype, I thought Borat went fearlessly where film hadn’t before, though I doubt you could have Borat without This is Spinal Tap. And Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind definitely felt like a paradigm shift to me.
14) Describe the ideal environment for watching a movie.
Not to get too curmudgeony, but it’s really not fun to go to the movies nowadays. Between the general discourtesy that pervades and the fact that my home theatre 5.1 system is pound-for-pound as good or better than the average multiplex, the answer is: My sofa with my wife, some really great cheeses and pâtés, and a glass of Italian red (that, ironically, probably costs less than a coke at the theatre).
15) Michelle Williams or Eva Mendes
Anne Hathaway
16) What’s the worst movie title of all time?
C.H.U.D.
17) Best movie about teaching and/or learning
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Talk about “everything I need to know I life I learned . . . “ Now that I think about it, this might be a contender for #13.
18) Dracula (1931) or Horror of Dracula (1958)
Pass
19) Why do you blog? Or if you don’t, why do you read blogs? (Thanks, Girish)
I like to think of my blog as a virtual water cooler, around which I and anyone who cares to join me can hold forth on whatever pop-culture ephemera seems noteworthy. I read blogs for mostly the same reasons, though many of my regular blogs have more of a political bent to them. I wish that I spent more time blogging and less time reading blogs, but I have reconciled myself to the reality that I’m a deficit blogger—I will always consume more than I produce.
Adam Goldberg being slowly stabbed in Saving Private Ryan.
Robert Shaw. Robards is no slouch, but was he Quint and a Bond baddie? Didn’t think so. Oh, and Doyle Loneghan. And The Taking of Pelham 123. Yeah, Shaw was a total badass.
22) A good candidate for Most Blasphemous Movie Ever
If “blasphemy” is “an irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct,” then my answer is
Yikes. This might be in the running for #31 . . . I’ve seen snatches of both, but never really sat down and watched either.
David Fincher’s Mary Poppins
25) Bulle Ogier or Charlotte Rampling
I have no idea who Bulle Ogier is, but it’s immaterial: it would pretty much be Charlotte Rampling, regardless.
26) In the Realm of the Senses— yes or no?
No strong opinion, so . . . sure, why not?
27) Name a movie you think of as your own (Thanks, Jim!)
Apparently, any movie from the ‘80s that begins with the letter R:
28) Winged Migration or Microcosmos
Haven’t seen either. I have a feeling I’d be more of a Winged fan.
29) Your favorite football game featured in a movie
I’m tempted to say The Longest Yard (the original), and call it a day. I feel like I should throw Heaven Can Wait some love, even though the actual games are pretty tangential to the whole affair.
30) Wendy Hiller or Deborah Kerr
Kerr for Eternity.
31) Dirtiest secret you have that is related to the movies
Hanover Street and assorted crimes of omission too, too numerous and grievous to mention.
32) Name a favorite film and describe how it is illuminated and enriched by another favorite film.
Monster’s Inc.’s nod to Feed the Kitty. That’s not exactly the question, I know.
Equally lame but more to the point: High Anxiety (which I first saw as a young teen having only seen The Birds) became considerably funnier as I worked my way through the Hitchcock oeuvre. How about the way The Hudsucker Proxy riffs on Cool Hand Luke? “Lose a blue card, and they DOCK ya!”
33) It’s a Gift or Horsefeathers
Can’t say.
34) Your best story about seeing a movie at a drive-in
Best I can do is one of the typical “hide under a blanket in the back,” from the days before they charged by the carload.
35) Victor Mature or Tyrone Power
Man, I really need to get my TCM back.
36) What does film criticism mean to you? Where do you think it’s headed?
Right now, it doesn’t mean much. I’m pretty ambivalent about where it might be headed, though I’m thankful for the role that blogging generally, and Dennis’ blog especially, has played in letting regular Joe movie lovers participate in the conversation.
More than we can handle.
Twenty years ago this weekend, my wife and I went on our first date: a screening of Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Raising Arizona.” We had actually been working together for about three months before I finally screwed up my courage and asked her out. I had seen the movie several months before, and chatted her up about it to no end. When it came back for another engagement, that was all the pretext I needed. It turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between not only my eventual wife and me, but among us, the movies in general, and Coen brothers especially.
So I didn’t know quite what to make of it when I read a bit in Entertainment Weekly where Owen Gleiberman alleged that Raising Arizona is the movie that let the “quirky” Genie out of the bottle, leading a path to Juno, which is, you guessed it, the last movie we saw together.
Now, you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger connoisseur of the offbeat than me. Nor do I mind Raising Arizona being labeled the progenitor, or even the godfather, of quirky movies, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Yes, it uses language that pushes well past probability that the people saying it would be saying it, but for the fact that they’re in this Coen-verse of a film. But RA never flashes its badge of quirk as proof of its hipster bona fides. It’s a treasure trove of quotable lines, but no one says anything that’s going to make you wish you were guy saying it. And that’s where I think the genetic relationship with Raising Arizona parts company and Gleiberman’s comparison becomes one of apples and orangutans. What bugs me, is the implication that somehow by starting the quirky snowball rolling, Raising Arizona is to blame for the sins of Juno. And let me tell you: Juno has a lot of atoning to do.
In case it isn’t already clear, Juno drove me just batshit crazy. There was plenty to love about it; and I would even go so far as to call Oscar-worthy in places: the characters, rather than being extruded from some
Charlie Wilson's War
I have to admit, going in I was lukewarm at best about the prospects of "Charlie Wilson’s War." I like Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mike Nichols well enough, though not to any kind of completist degree. Julia Roberts, on the other hand, tends to be a deterrent.
The real wild card here was Aaron Sorkin.
I was an avid enthusiast of Sports Night, which at the time seemed like a revelation to me, and a huge* fan of The West Wing. But all the meta-wanking on Studio 60 really soured me on Sorkin, to such an extent that it actually began to retroactively affect my appreciation for TWW and SN. Turns out my apprehension was misplaced. I’m happy to report that adapting a non-fiction book about a skirt-chasing
The script crackles with the dialogue that made The West Wing sing, but the self-righteousness is kept to a low simmer, and the irksome self-referential shenanigans that plagued Studio 60 are nowhere to be seen. The writing is just what it should be—lean, forceful and evocative, deftly blending pathos and humor without ever sounding too pleased with itself. The final upshot of the film has just enough of a “hate to say I told you so” message to be satisfying (in a vexing way) without forcing you to acknowledge what a preternatural alchemist of politics and pop culture the screenwriter is.
The performances range from outstanding (Hoffman is his usual tour-de-force self) to serviceable to just plain maddening. Can someone please explain the Julia Roberts mystique to me? I don’t mind that she plays herself—in fact, I kind of liked her in Erin Brockovich (though I prefer to think of it as a Steven Soderberg film more than a Julia Roberts vehicle). But it’s when she adds a accent so half-assed and straight from the Foghorn Leghorn Big Book of Dialects that it becomes off-putting. It’s like watching the Bizarro World’s Meryl Streep. And I don’t understand why otherwise astute and capable directors don’t catch it. I suppose it has to do with the whole drawing power of a name like hers above the title, but it seem counter-intuitive to me to use a movie star to get people into the theatre, only to piss them off with an annoying performance that undermines the overall effectiveness of the film.
In any case, I was able to get past it and enjoy the film (no thanks to the septuagenarian chatty Cathys all around us). I'd love to see Sorkin get a nomination for adapted screenplay, though the award would and should go to the Coen's for "No Country for Old Men." "Charlie Wilson's War isn't in that league, but it was a perfect afternoon matinée/getaway with my wife.
*Anyone of appropriately sufficient TWW ardor will know this is properly pronounced “yoodj”
What are you people—on dope?!
The results of the OFC 100 Best Films survey are in. Overall, it’s a pretty good list, and it does what it set out to do—namely, recognize some cult and offbeat favorites that tend to get overlooked by the likes of the latest AFI list. It’s a noble ambition; one I’m proud and grateful to have participated in. Real film fans know, for example that "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best of all the "Star Wars" movies; we not only voted it onto the top 100 but ranked it above "Episode IV: A New Hope." Balance has been restored to The Force. Yet for all its iconoclastic intentions, the OFC list seems to have ended up, in some ways, as parochial as the AFI list.
While ironic, this is hardly unexpected. Any time you have a group of rag-tag outsiders trying to take on an established (and some might say elitist) entity, the outsiders invariably take on an elitist pall all their own. It’s simply the nature of an exercise like this. Even when the process is a result of backlash and outrage getting it on under the upturned nose of the AFI.
Nocturnal Omissions
Now, I know everyone is going to have his (or her) own little shit-storms of righteous indignation about things that didn’t make the list. But that’s one of the great things about blogging—whether it’s about films or quilting or whatever: you can participate in a discussion where, even if your opinion is in a statistically insignificant minority, your voice is still heard (if only by random blogosphere passers-by Googling the lyrics to drinking songs from movies). All that said, I can’t help but be appalled by the absence of films that deserve inclusion among the 500 greatest films ever made.
How is it possible to recognize "Silence of the Lambs," but not "Manhunter"? "Field of Dreams" but not "Bull Durham"? And how is it possible for "Die Hard" to finish at #30, but "A Room with a View" doesn't even rate a nomination?
Actually, I have a theory about that. The 502 nominees on the OFC list were compiled by about 50 Web site writers. Some are paid professional critics, but most are simply avid film enthusiast bloggers like me (with a few rather glaring differences in appreciation for the movies mentioned above). To be nominated, a film had to be included on at least three contributors’ lists. If you look at the list of contributors, it’s pretty easy to see how an Edwardian-era comedy of manners is not likely to get on the radar of two other mostly male movie watchers whose tastes apparently tend more toward, well, people punching each other (Raging Bull, Fight Club) and shit blowing up.
I guess what I’m saying is that I know—and truly appreciate—the genuine enthusiasm that everyone brought to the table, blind spots* and all. It really does make up (mostly) for the slights. And I long ago learned to live with the reality that The Right Stuff never seems to make the final 100.
Here’s my official ballot. One final note: because the final tally was based on the number of times a film was mentioned and how highly it was ranked, I tried to give some of my personal underdogs a boost. I don’t actually think that "Out of Sight" is objectively a better film than, say, "The Godfather." But "The Godfather" doesn't need any help topping the OFC list. Just like it did on the AFI list.
The Middlebrow OFC 100:
- Right Stuff, The (Kaufman, 1983)
- Young Frankenstein (Brooks, 1974)
- Out of Sight (Soderbergh, 1998)
- Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)
- Bridge on River Kwai, The (Lean, 1957)
- Raising
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Mulligan, 1962)
- Risky Business (Brickman, 1983)
- Lone Star (Sayles, 1996)
- Last of the Mohicans, The (Mann, 1992)
- Princess Bride, The (Reiner, 1987)
- Glengarry Glenn Ross (Foley, 1992)
- Life of Brian (Jones, 1979)
- Jackie Brown (Tarantino, 1997)
- Alien (R. Scott, 1979)
- It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946)
- Boogie Nights (PT Anderson, 1997)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Hill, 1969)
- High Fidelity (Frears, 2000)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980)
- Sideways (Payne, 2004)
- Day the Earth Stood Still, The (Wise, 1951)
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Kubrick, 1964)
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Hughes, 1986)
- Shawshank Redemption, The (Darabont, 1994)
- Blade Runner (R. Scott, 1982)
- Groundhog Day (Ramis, 1993)
- Election (Payne, 1999)
- Cinema Paradiso (Tornatore, 1988)
- Raiders of the Lost
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A Lee, 2000)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Spielberg, 1977)
- Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)
- Usual Suspects, The (Singer, 1995)
- Shining, The (Kubrick, 1980)
- Silence of the Lambs, The (Demme, 1991)
- Star Wars Episode IV: A
- Annie Hall (W. Allen, 1977)
- Graduate, The (Nichols, 1967)
- Tootsie (Pollack, 1982)
- Eternal Sunshine of theSpotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
- This is Spinal Tap (Reiner, 1984)
- Aliens (Cameron, 1986)
- Jaws (Spielberg, 1975)
- Three Kings (Russell, 1999)
- Incredibles, The (Bird, 2004)
- Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995)
- Monsters, Inc. (Docter/Silverman, 2001)
- Office Space (Judge, 1999)
- Untouchables, The (De Palma, 1987)
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Heckerling, 1982)
- Sullivan’s Travels (Sturges, 1941)
- A Fish Called Wanda (Chrichton/Cleese, 1988)
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Ritchie, 1998)
- Fifth Element, The (Besson, 1997)
- Godfather Part II, The (Coppola, 1974)
- Godfather, The (Coppola, 1972)
- Blow Out (De Palma, 1981)
- Goodfellas (Scorsese, 1990)
- Great Escape, The (Sturges, 1963)
- Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick, 1987)
- It Happened One Night (Capra, 1934)
- Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003)
- Field of Dreams (Robinson, 1989)
- Double Indemnity (Wilder, 1944)
- Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006)
- Brother, Where Art Thou? (Coen, 2000)
- Cool Hand Luke (Rosenburg, 1967)
- Almost Famous (Crowe, 2000)
- My Man Godfrey (La Cava, 1936)
- Royal Tenenbaums, The (Anderson, 2001)
- Amadeus (Forman, 1984)
- Blazing Saddles (Brooks, 1974)
- Apartment, The (Wilder, 1960)
- Conversation, The (Coppola, 1974)
- Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam/Jones, 1975)
- Bonnie & Clyde (Penn, 1967)
- Departed, The (Scorsese, 2006)
- Laura (Preminger, 1944)
- Planet of the Apes (Schaffner, 1968)
- Bourne Identity, The (Liman, 2002)
- Die Hard (McTiernan, 1988)
- Goldfinger (
- His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940)
- In the Heat of the Night (Jewison, 1967)
- Lady Eve, The (Sturges, 1941)
- Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring (
- Miller’s Crossing (Coen, 1990)
- Notorious (Hitchcock, 1946)
- Das Boot (W/ Petersen, 1981)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone, 1968)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
- Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg, 1998)
- McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Altman, 1971)
- Some Like it Hot (Wilder, 1959)
- Terminator, The (Cameron, 1984)
*In the interests of full disclosure and a willingness to acknowledge my own blind spots, here’s dozen films that I’ve resolved to see with all possible speed:
All About Eve
Army of Darkness
Days of Heaven
Dog Day Afternoon
Point Blank
The Professionals
On the Waterfront
Ride the High Country
Stalag 17
The Wild Bunch
Something by Bergman
Something by Fellini
The circle is now complete.
So here are 100 of my favorite movies, starting with my favorite, The Right Stuff, arranged such that each film has something in common with those that precede and follow it. A director, a star, a writer, a featured player, a composer. Of course, 100 connects back to number one. In some cases, the connection is pretty remote or fuzzy, though they're mostly all legit. Some of the them are downright inspired, if I say so myself. I tried not to have the connection be the same for more than two movies in a row. Yes, there are some glaring omissions, as well as some filler. Or what I like to call “mortar.” I’d much rather have gotten Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on the list than Test Pilot, for example. But Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy weren’t around when John Hughes started making movies. I can honestly say that there are no two “mortar” movies in a row. And these are all movies that I genuinely enjoy watching again and again.
Anyway, take a look and see if you can guess the connections. I’ve posted the leftovers at the end. If you can figure out how to work them in, I’m all ears.
The Middlebrow 100, Zen Edition:
- The Right Stuff
- Aliens
- Working Girl
- Three Kings
- Out of Sight
- Defending Your Life
- Men In Black
- Full Metal Jacket
- Dr. Strangelove
- Blazing Saddles
- Young Frankenstein
- Tootsie
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Star Wars
- The Bridge on the River Kwai
- The Great Escape
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- The Lady Eve
- Sullivan’s Travels
- Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
- Raising
- Moonstruck
- In the Heat of the Night
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
- The Lion in Winter
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Manhunter
- The Last of the Mohicans (Mann)
- A Room with a View
- Raiders of the Lost
- Lord of the Rings
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Collateral
- Risky Business
- Jerry Maguire
- High Fidelity
- Bull
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Stand By Me
- This is Spinal Tap
- A Few Good Men
- The Princess Bride
- The Incredibles
- Get Shorty
- Blowout
- The Untouchables
- Goldfinger
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- Casino Royale (2007)
- Shakespeare in Love
- The Royal Tennenbaums
- Groundhog Day
- Lost in Translation
- The Godfather
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Godfather, Part II
- Goodfellas
- Jackie Brown
- The Fifth Element
- Pulp Fiction
- So I Married an Axe Murderer
- Glengarry Glen Ross
- Mr. Roberts
- My Man Godfrey
- The Thin Man
- Test Pilot
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- It Happened One Night
- Run Silent, Run Deep
- The Day the Earth Stood Still
- Hud
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- The Graduate
- Jaws
- Rebecca
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- Night Shift
- Cars
- Cool Hand Luke
- The Hudsucker Proxy
- His Girl Friday
- The Awful Truth
- Notorious
- The Usual Suspects
- Eight Men Out
- Lone Star
- The Bourne Identity
- Ocean’s 11 (Soderberg)
- The Limey
- Boogie Nights
- Miller’s Crossing
- Monsters Inc.
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Blade Runner
- Alien
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High
- Clueless
- Blast from the Past
- Annie Hall
- Breaker Morant
- Black Robe
- Sideways
- Election
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Amadeus
- A Fish Called Wanda
- Monty Python’s Life of Brian
- Time Bandits
- Toy Story
- Laura
89% Pure Junk
Anyone who knows me knows I love lists. I love movies. And I love a good trivia challenge. So what he have here is one of those trifecta moments that I simply can’t resist.
I got 89% right. A pretty solid B+; maybe an A-, depending on generous you want to make the curve. I had a nice long unbroken streak between 91 and 67, and finished strong down the homestretch from 29 to 1. Plus, I didn’t miss two in a row. Not too shabby, right?
Of the eleven I didn’t get, I had seen only one (99). There were a few I guessed at based on actors (47, 48, 33, 34) or the setting and context of the scene (89), and a couple that I needed a little help from the IMDb. But I think 89 is pretty respectable.
I had #11 from the moment I saw it. But it really couldn’t have been anything else—if you’re even remotely aware of movie ephemera, you know what it is just by the number. Of course, I was giddy at 91.
Three cheers for "Agent Mosley." The complete answer key is here. My scorecard is below.
100: Night of the Living Dead
99:
98: Dead Poets Society
97: Blade Runner
96:
95: Ocean’s 11 (2001)
94: Star Wars
93: Midnight Run
92:
91: The Right Stuff
90: The Fugitive
89: The French Connection (?)
88: Back to the Future
87: Cast Away
86: Quiz Show
85: The Silence of the Lambs
84: Titanic
83: The Magnificent Seven
82: Rain Man
81: Galaxy Quest
80: Harold and Maude
79: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
78: The Day the Earth Stood Still(?)
77: The Apartment
76: The Great Escape
75: The Hustler (?)
74: Ed Wood
73: The Jerk
72: Raiders of the Lost Ark
71: When Harry Met Sally
70: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
69: M*A*S*H
68: The Breakfast Club
67: The King and I
66:
65: The Princess Bride
64:
63: Network
62: Mr. Roberts
61: Singles
60: Gone with the Wind
59: His Girl Friday
58: Goldfinger
57:
56: It’s a Wonderful Life
55: The Blues Brothers
54:
53: Midnight Express
52: Waking Ned Devine
51: Roman Holiday
50: Cool Hand Luke
49: The Taking of Pelham 123
48: The Adventures of Robin Hood (?)
47: The Big Sleep (?)
46:
45: The Hudsucker Proxy
44: Magnum Force
43: Monty Python
42: Finding Nemo
41:
40: Superman: The Movie
39: The 39 Steps (a gimmie!)
38: Aliens
37: Men In Black
36: Clerks
35: Harvey
34: Marty (?)
33: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
32:
31: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
30:
29: Young Frankenstein (It’s pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”)
28: The Bridge on the River Kwai
27: The Usual Suspects
26: North By Northwest
25: Sunset Boulevard
24: Escape From New York
23: The Wizard of Oz
22: Casablanca
21: The Lion in Winter
20: Boogie Nights
19: The Shawshank Redemption
18: Almost Famous
17: The Maltese Falcon
16: The Natural
15: Being John Malkovich
14: The Professionals (IMdB)
13: Lawrence of Arabia
12: Ghostbusters
11: This is Spinal Tap
10: Citizen Kane (?)
9: 12 Angry Men (?)
8: Office Space
7: To Kill a Mockingbird
6: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Chill, Winston!)
5: The Godfather
4: Fargo
3: L.A. Confidential
2: Once Upon a Time in the West
1: The Lord of the Rings
So, how'd you do?
I got 89% right. A pretty solid B+; maybe an A-, depending on generous you want to make the curve. I had a nice long unbroken streak between 91 and 67, and finished strong down the homestretch from 29 to 1. Plus, I didn’t miss two in a row. Not too shabby, right?
Of the eleven I didn’t get, I had seen only one (99). There were a few I guessed at based on actors (47, 48, 33, 34) or the setting and context of the scene (89), and a couple that I needed a little help from the IMDb. But I think 89 is pretty respectable.
I had #11 from the moment I saw it. But it really couldn’t have been anything else—if you’re even remotely aware of movie ephemera, you know what it is just by the number. Of course, I was giddy at 91.
Three cheers for "Agent Mosley." The complete answer key is here. My scorecard is below.
100: Night of the Living Dead
99:
98: Dead Poets Society
97: Blade Runner
96:
95: Ocean’s 11 (2001)
94: Star Wars
93: Midnight Run
92:
91: The Right Stuff
90: The Fugitive
89: The French Connection (?)
88: Back to the Future
87: Cast Away
86: Quiz Show
85: The Silence of the Lambs
84: Titanic
83: The Magnificent Seven
82: Rain Man
81: Galaxy Quest
80: Harold and Maude
79: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
78: The Day the Earth Stood Still(?)
77: The Apartment
76: The Great Escape
75: The Hustler (?)
74: Ed Wood
73: The Jerk
72: Raiders of the Lost Ark
71: When Harry Met Sally
70: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
69: M*A*S*H
68: The Breakfast Club
67: The King and I
66:
65: The Princess Bride
64:
63: Network
62: Mr. Roberts
61: Singles
60: Gone with the Wind
59: His Girl Friday
58: Goldfinger
57:
56: It’s a Wonderful Life
55: The Blues Brothers
54:
53: Midnight Express
52: Waking Ned Devine
51: Roman Holiday
50: Cool Hand Luke
49: The Taking of Pelham 123
48: The Adventures of Robin Hood (?)
47: The Big Sleep (?)
46:
45: The Hudsucker Proxy
44: Magnum Force
43: Monty Python
42: Finding Nemo
41:
40: Superman: The Movie
39: The 39 Steps (a gimmie!)
38: Aliens
37: Men In Black
36: Clerks
35: Harvey
34: Marty (?)
33: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
32:
31: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
30:
29: Young Frankenstein (It’s pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”)
28: The Bridge on the River Kwai
27: The Usual Suspects
26: North By Northwest
25: Sunset Boulevard
24: Escape From New York
23: The Wizard of Oz
22: Casablanca
21: The Lion in Winter
20: Boogie Nights
19: The Shawshank Redemption
18: Almost Famous
17: The Maltese Falcon
16: The Natural
15: Being John Malkovich
14: The Professionals (IMdB)
13: Lawrence of Arabia
12: Ghostbusters
11: This is Spinal Tap
10: Citizen Kane (?)
9: 12 Angry Men (?)
8: Office Space
7: To Kill a Mockingbird
6: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Chill, Winston!)
5: The Godfather
4: Fargo
3: L.A. Confidential
2: Once Upon a Time in the West
1: The Lord of the Rings
So, how'd you do?
An awesome piece of awesomeness*
Along with being pretty cool in general, I like this as an opportunity for my movie geek peeps and my ad-biz peeps to all join hands and sing "Misirlou" around the campfire. I believe the font used here is Royale with Cheese, bold condensed. Please feel free to correct me if I've gotten that wrong.
The motion-graphics artist who created it is Jarratt Moody. Thanks to AMG for the link.
*A possibly recurring feature that will showcase category-defying bits of pop-culture ephemera.
As an aside, can anyone tell me how to embed a quicktime movie into a post without uploading it to YouTube or another video hosting service? Is that even possible in Blogger?
The motion-graphics artist who created it is Jarratt Moody. Thanks to AMG for the link.
*A possibly recurring feature that will showcase category-defying bits of pop-culture ephemera.
As an aside, can anyone tell me how to embed a quicktime movie into a post without uploading it to YouTube or another video hosting service? Is that even possible in Blogger?
"Doesn't anybody fucking knock?!"*
Last week, the Onion A.V. Club, my go-to source for pop-culture insight and commentary, did one of their Inventory features: 15 Pop Songs Owned by Movie Scenes. As the name suggests, it’s a handful of pop songs not originally written for a movie with which the song has become inextricably linked in the collective consciousness. Follow the link to see theirs—along with some fun suggestions in the comments section. But first, check out mine and share yours below.
“Puttin’ on the Ritz” from Young Frankenstein bends the rules a bit since, while it is a pop song in the best sense of the word, it’s actually being performed by characters in the movie, not being played over the scene. Still, if the definition of “owning” the song is “scene that comes to mind when you hear the song,” then this is the reference standard, at least for me. Frankly, (or is it pronounced ‘fronkly?’) anyone who can hear "Puttin' on the Ritz" and not think of YF is clearly not of this earth. "Oooh-pah doo-pah!"
This one actually came to me out of the ether—before I had seen the OAVC feature: Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" from the latter-day Thomas Crown Affair. Probably a knock on the limits of my musical experience, but whatever. A great song that really elevates an okay movie.
Speaking of Pierce Brosnan...time will tell if it can claim permanent ownership, but the way The Matador uses “It’s Not Unusual” proves the old saying about possession being nine-tenths of the law.
The Isley Bros.’ "It's Your Thing" is currently in the possession of Out of Sight, especially the blue-filtered
Risky Business is of course the sole and irrevocable holder of Bob Seger’s “Old-Time Rock and Roll.” But for me, personally (and maybe this betrays how musically sheltered I was at the time I saw it) the pure, libidinous, harmonica-and-guitar grind of Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” will always bring to mind Joel’s “I concentrated on sales” montage. “You know what he said, afterwards? He said the lady had knowledge. And he was glad to get that knowledge. Because college girls can smell ignorance—like dog shit.”
I know I’m stuck in the ‘80s here, but I have to give credit to Reckless for introducing me to Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never.” For those scoring along at home in their lucky souvenir programs, this is also the movie that I came out of, smitten with the leggy blonde lead and, after trying to crib her identity from the one sheet, declared, “That Aidan Quinn is hot!” ‘Cause, seriously, who the hell names a girl Daryl? For that matter, who names a boy Aidan? Remember, these were the early ‘80s and I was still quite the naïf.
Finally, just for fun and under the heading of classical adaptations/appropriations version, I must include "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven's 9th) from Raising Arizona. Among classical tunes yodeled, whistled and rendered on banjo, it has no equal. “Or my name ain't Nathan Arizona!”
*This is of course the denouement line from the scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High that proves the concept of song "ownership." At least if you're a heterosexual man. It's not the Cars’ “Moving in Stereo.” Oh, no. That song belongs 100% to sweet Phoebe.
Give the people what they want, YouTube edition.
About a year or so ago, I did a post wherein I marveled at the number of people who happened by while searching for drinking songs. Actually, given the title of my blog, that wasn't so surprising (Yeats be damned). What was surprising--and remains so--is that easily half the drinking song questers were/are looking for the song(s) from Jaws. My ham-fisted analysis of these data suggests that of all the people looking for drinking songs, half of them are shark hunters. And most of them are completely hammered.
Last year, in the interests of cultivating a little good will on the interwebs, I posted the lyrics and a couple lame photos, for the Jaws bit and (because we're all about value) the lyrics to the Monty Python Australian Philosopher's Drinking Song as a special bonus if you click and comment before midnight tonight.
This year, I'm adding moving pictures and sound. Next year, who knows? Could be 3-D holograms or neural receptors that let you taste the beer. You just have to keep checking back. Because we here at A Drinking Song pride ourselves on providing cutting-edge entertainment technology.*
Enjoy!
*Actually, we're just shameless whores for visitors and comments.
Last year, in the interests of cultivating a little good will on the interwebs, I posted the lyrics and a couple lame photos, for the Jaws bit and (because we're all about value) the lyrics to the Monty Python Australian Philosopher's Drinking Song as a special bonus if you click and comment before midnight tonight.
This year, I'm adding moving pictures and sound. Next year, who knows? Could be 3-D holograms or neural receptors that let you taste the beer. You just have to keep checking back. Because we here at A Drinking Song pride ourselves on providing cutting-edge entertainment technology.*
Enjoy!
Show me the way to go home (bum, bum),
I’m tired and I wanna go to bed,
I had a little drink about an hour ago
and it went right to my head.
by land or sea or foam,
you can always hear me singing this song,
show me the way to go home…
The Philosophers Drinking Song
Emmanuel Kant was a real pissant
who was very rarely stable
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
who could think you under the table
David Hume could out-consume
Schopenhauer and Hegel
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as sloshed as Schlegel.
There’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach ye
‘bout the raisin o’ the wrist
Socrates himself was permanently pissed.
And John Stewart Mill (of his own free will)
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill
Plato, they say, could stick it away:
Half a crate of whiskey every day
Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle
Hobbes was fond of his dram
And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart:
“I drink, therefore I am!”
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed:
A lovely little thinker
But a bugger when he’s pissed!
*Actually, we're just shameless whores for visitors and comments.
Well, duh.
| Your Movie Buff Quotient: 92% | ||||||||
 You are a movie buff of the most obsessive variety. If a movie exists, chances are that you've seen it. You're an expert on movie facts and trivia. It's hard to stump you with a question about film. | ||||||||
Are You a Movie Buff?
Ok, so not exactly setting the world on fire in terms of original-content creation, but it's something, right?
To quote Bill Murray as the titular Bob: "Baby steps."
Ok, so not exactly setting the world on fire in terms of original-content creation, but it's something, right?
To quote Bill Murray as the titular Bob: "Baby steps."
For what it's worth, I am not the all-but-indiscriminate celluloid whore this would make me out to be. I have seen a lot of movies, and I have a borderline-freakish level of recall for quotes and other details. But I also have standards.
We appreciate your patience while on hold.
That low-frequency rumble/creaking/grinding you might have noticed is just the Middlebrow Industries, Inc. maintenance staff trying to get the old Blog-a-matic 3000™ to crank over.
Think Samuel L. Jackson in Jurrassic Park.: "Hold on to your butts!"
All of which is simply an exhortation to the faithful few who've checked in over the last few months for any sign of life to keep coming back; your quest shall not have been in vain.
And since we at Middlebrow Industries pride ourselves on being both timely and topical (and ironic!), please enjoy this nice bit of YouTubery with our compliments:
It's Kevin Smith holding forth for a very entertaining 20 minutes on the pleasures and pitfalls of taking a swing at the Man of Steel.
Think Samuel L. Jackson in Jurrassic Park.: "Hold on to your butts!"
All of which is simply an exhortation to the faithful few who've checked in over the last few months for any sign of life to keep coming back; your quest shall not have been in vain.
And since we at Middlebrow Industries pride ourselves on being both timely and topical (and ironic!), please enjoy this nice bit of YouTubery with our compliments:
It's Kevin Smith holding forth for a very entertaining 20 minutes on the pleasures and pitfalls of taking a swing at the Man of Steel.
Of Underdogs, Dangerfields and Perennial Bridesmaids: 125 films that deserve a second look.
Much as I’d like to claim it solely and totally as my own, the genesis of this survey is actually a DVD thread I posted to over on the Home Theater Spot forums a couple years ago. Thing is, most of the folks contributing to those boards are a little more into the sizzle than the steak. Now, lest that be read as a knock on those guys, let me say this: HTS is a first-rate online resource, for newbies and old hands alike, that’s mercifully light on fan-boy flame wars. Definitely check them out if you’re at all interested in moving your home-theater experience beyond the one or two crappy speakers built into your TV. Just don’t expect to find anyone parsing David Mamet dialogue.
Anyway, I’ve had this list rattling around in my head and my hard drive for a while now and I always thought the blog might be a good way to share it with people whose appreciation of film goes a little beyond whether the soundtrack has enough LFE to cure kidney stones. The combination of filling out Dennis Cozzalio’s/Prof. Van Helsing’s latest quiz and submitting a ballot of the ten most worthy Best Picture winners to Edward Copeland (and realizing how few of my favorite films were also Oscar winners) kind of reawakened the question.
So I put it to the People of Earth thusly:
Name ten movies you consider overlooked, underrated, offbeat and [/or] in general deserving of not being forgotten.
13 people responded, proffering 115 films (give or take a few duplicate suggestions).
In posting his list, Zach Campbell over at Elusive Lucidity quite rightly pointed out that, while "overlooked" and "underappreciated" share a long and fuzzy common border, they are not the same thing. I basically had a momentary lapse in conjunction function, using an “and” where I should have “or-ed.” Sorry. He also wondered,
Should I write about a film I chanced upon that very few people may know, or should I use the space to defend some oft-maligned film maudit? Highlight relative classics from cine-realms generally overlooked by the wider film geek scene I consider myself part of?“
One thing I noticed early on was the surprising number of sequels—particularly within a genre series—that were considered unduly unsung. I think the tendency is for viewers (myself included) to write off second and (especially) third installments as shameless cash-cow milking. Something Dennis says, at least in the case of Final Destination 2 and Jurassic Park III, is our loss, calling the latter:
lean, mean, brutal and exhilarating, a Jurassic sequel for those who thought the first two...were on the bloated side.
Edward Copleand also advocated on behalf of undervalued sequels like
Sure, it lacks the heart of the original, but it more than makes up for it with the head-spinning time-traveling permutations that keep the film moving at breakneck speed from beginning to end.
Much like Zach, Steve submitted a list that demonstrated just how relative “obscure,” “overlooked,” and “underrated” can be. I suppose I meant those in the context of relatively mainstream acknowledgement of the films. Maybe another way to put the question would have been: Name 10 movies you’d put on your personal recommendations shelf at a video store. In any case, another horizons-expanding list that, like many, championed a few titles that are almost 
universally dismissed (Kung Pao: Enter the Fist) or reviled (Freddy Got Fingered)—demonstrating another interesting and unexpected side effect of the survey. It got me thinking about what it means to be a true film lover (as opposed to merely a snob): The ability to recognize creative merit and, no matter how pervasive the tide of scorn or indifference, stand up and maintain the courage of your convictions.
That Little Round-Headed Boy and Ross Ruediger both submitted fun, diverse, thought-provoking lists combining films I've seen but failed to appreciate with some that are utterly unknown to me--either way, I'm eager to re/view them. While many commented that their lists were not definitive and could easily be expanded tenfold, TLRHB was the most vocal in decrying the 10-film limit. I know it’s sort of cruel to start with such an expansive, wide-open topic, then arbitrarily hold each person to ten films. 
But I think most everyone seemed to agree that, combined with not over-thinking what goes on the list, a cap helps to shake out the real gems—or at least the films people are genuinely passionate about. And TLRHB snuck in a coda of another 14 titles, including Men Don't Leave, so it's all good.
The Self-Styled Siren and Exiled in NJ each weighed in with some welcome feminine perspective (not to sell short the contributions of Ixtab and Tammara, regular patrons of ADS who happend by on what turned out to be film-geek night and were good sports to play along). Even though I’ve never seen (and barely know) any of the Siren’s picks, she shares my affinity for The Bridge on the River Kwai, so her list gets automatic benefit of the doubt. While The Siren represented for old-school
A couple submissions included movies that were on various iterations of my own list. My first response was slightly resentful ambivalence (“Man, he got to that one before I did.”) Because, sure, I want all the movies on my list to feel like my own personal cache of best-kept secrets. But, given the cine-literate chops of those submitting, I now take it as a validation of my own instincts about these films. (“See? Edward Copeland thinks Lone Star is the shiznit, too. Ipso facto, I’m a genius!”)
Among directors, Robert Altman got the most nods (for McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 3 Women, and A Wedding), although more people, including ADS gadfly Mister Underhill, rallied around David Cronenberg’s work, specifically
Naked Lunch and Videodrome. After that, several directors tied for perennial bridesmaid status with a pair of films each:
- John Sayles (Lone Star [EC, MM], The Secret of Roan Inish [Ixtab])
- Bruce Beresford (Black Robe [Fish, MM], Breaker Morant[MM])
- The Coen Bros. (Miller’s Crossing [EC], The Hudsucker Proxy [Patrick])
- Oliver Stone (
- Roman Polanski (Bitter Moon [RR]; MacBeth [ENJ])
- Albert Brooks (Lost in
- Michael Mann (Manhunter [MM], The Last of the Mohicans [ENJ])
- Steven Soderberg (Out of Sight; The Limey [MM])
So, other than fattening everybody’s Netflix queues, what’s the point of this?
My hope is that some of these will be complete (but pleasant) surprises, a few might elicit an “Oh, yeah, how could I have forgotten that?” and, with any luck, one or two might actually change your mind about something you’d dismissed for some reason. Ravenous, recommended by Ross Ruediger and seconded by Afraid (all the way from NZ!) fits neatly into that last category for me. I also appreciated the riffing eclecticism of Ross’ list, going from the darkness of Polanski’s Bitter Moon to the earnest buoyancy of Love Actually, which he cited as a personal benchmark:
The day I can write a screenplay that's as simultaneously light & complex as this one, I'll believe that I actually know a thing or two about filmmaking.
(Quick confession: this whole time, for some reason I was confusing Love Actually with Down with Love. Not sure how that happened. Just needed to make the adjustment in my head, replacing Rene Zellweger and Ewan MacGregor with, well, a whole raft of British ensemble players. Okay, got it. Carry on.)
In any case, here they are, in more or less the order they occurred to me: Ten films that I think ought not to be missed or forgotten.
True Stories (1986)
Written and directed by David Byrne (yes, the Talking Heads frontman, here trading his signature big suit for a comically large Stetson). It’s the amiably surreal story of a fictitious
Mostly Martha (Bella Martha) (2001)
Recently, someone asked Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman about great food movies. He responded with the usual suspects—Tampopo, Babette’s Feast, Big Night—but conspicuously omitted Mostly Martha. Which immediately qualified it officially as both Underrated and Overlooked, at least in my mind. I considered dashing off a missive to correct the oversight, but then remembered that my blog, with its readership easily double that of EW (and that’s just the people looking for drinking-song lyrics) would make a better forum.
This is a charming and bittersweet German romantic comedy (which might seem like a quadruple oxymoron, I know, but go with it) about a chef, the titular Martha, who has to learn how to live and enjoy life without always being in control. It could be said that the film plays up cultural stereotypes about Germans and Italians; I submit that it can be forgiven because it does so with such genuine affection. And because it makes such memorable and effective use of Paolo Conte's "Via con Me." (Something I’m now kicking myself for forgetting when Professor Brainerd posed a question about best use of a song in a movie.) It probably goes without saying that you'll feel like eating Italian afterward.
Breaker Morant (1980)
I have very fond memories of this as a great date flick from the early '80s (watched on VHS sometime in the late ‘80s with the future Mrs. Middlebrow). Kind of an Aussie western-cum-court-martial drama directed by Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Black Robe), it’s not so much overlooked or underrated (it actually generated a fair bit of acclaim as I recall); more one of those ‘Oh, yeah, that was a great flick’ sort of films. Next time you get a yen for something like Out of Africa, but with, y’know, actual drama, check this out. With Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, and Edward (The Equalizer) Woodward.
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)
How's this for obscure? Because it starred Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, and Madeline Kahn, and came out shortly after Young Frankenstein, people tended to mistake it for a Mel Brooks film; in fact it was written and directed by Wilder, who also plays the title character, Sigerson. Actually, ‘plays’ is far too understated a term for the mania that undergirded Gene Wilder’s acting style in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; certainly it gave The Producers, Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory their demonic charges. Though not nearly as good as YF, TA0SHSB is arguably a more serviceable genre parody/mad-cap romp than the lesser lights in the Brooks’ canon. Among some very funny moments is one with a giant buzz-saw. And at least one insidious song. "Come on and...hop! Hop! Come and do the Kangaroo Hop! Hop! That's the dance for me and you..."
Manhunter (1986)
The original screen adaptation of Thomas Harris’ "Red Dragon," which was recently (and unnecessarily) remade with Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. Basically the first of the Hannibal Lecter movies, although he's actually a secondary character in this. Directed by the versatile and underappreciated Michael Mann (The Insider, The Last o/t Mohicans, Heat, Thief, Collateral) and starring William Peterson (of C.S.I. fame). A stylish and adroitly made thriller that offers a compelling case for violence implied over violence depicted. This is an example of a film that the cognoscenti would never consider underrated; if anything, the making of Red Dragon probably helped boost its stature and, by extension, raise or renew the audience's appreciation for the fine job done by all involved the first time around.
Run Lola Run (1998)
Another fun German flick. Directed by Thom Tykver and starring his then-girlfriend, Franke Potente (from The Bourne Identity) in the title role. Basically, it’s a lesson in what to do when your idea for a film is good for only about 25 minutes of screen time: tell the same story four different ways. The result is kind of Rashomon with a wink and a nod (and a fluorescent pink fright-wig).
Out of Sight (1998)
Not exceedingly offbeat, per se; yet, after The Right Stuff, it is (to me) the quintessential example of a film that deserves much more recognition and appreciation than it ever got. One look at the poster tells me the studio clearly didn't know how to promote it; no wonder it got lost or overlooked. I suspect, too, that timing played a part: a lot of people tended to write it off as just another TV pretty boy trying to succeed where David Caruso had fallen on his pasty, pouty kisser. And there was certainly nothing about The Peacemaker to disabuse anyone of that notion. In fact, this turned out to be not only an expectations-defying, genre-transcending piece of work, but the beginning of a period of creative collaboration I consider on par with Scrocese and Deniro. George Clooney and a pre-J.Lo Jennifer Lopez have some of the best on-screen chemistry since, well, ever. But the real testament to Steven Soderberg's direction is how the chemistry crackles among all the characters. Of course, it helps that the supporting cast is utterly free of weak links: Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina, Steve Zahn, Ving Rhames, Katherine Keener, Luis Guzman, and Albert Brooks. And it's the last--and I think the best--in a troika of great Elmore Leonard adaptations (Get Shorty; Jackie Brown), so how can you miss?
Defending Your Life (1991)
Speaking of Albert Brooks. Among his fans, this probably isn’t obscure at all; I consider it his best film. In any case, it’s absolutely required watching for anyone stuck in an existential rut or generally feeling beaten down by life. Like It’s a Wonderful Life, it truly makes you want to live every moment. It's also pee-your-pants funny. But in that really smart, sophisticated yet nebbish Albert Brooks way. Also, Meryl Streep and Rip Torn provide a sweet/tart moderating influence that makes it all the better.
The Limey (1999)
Quick synopsis: Terrence Stamp kicks nine kinds of ass. The End.
Some might consider Steven Soderberg’s use of non-linear narrative a self-indulgent stunt; I think it makes Lem Dobbs’ crackerjack script and a tour-de-force leading performance backed by a first-rate ensemble into an even more enjoyable film-lover's movie. To me it’s an example of a director asking the viewer to engage on more than a superficial level, then rewarding that participation with something truly worthwhile. (It helps considerably that I saw back-to-back screenings of this on a transatlantic AirFrance flight.) This film marks a transition for Soderberg between his experimental phase (The Underneath, Schizopolis) and his ascendancy into mainstream success and fame (Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s 11). With Luis Guzman, Peter Fonda (?!), Lesley Ann Warren, and a deliciously snarky Nicky Katt (whom the Onion AV Club recently included on its list of Character Actors Who Should Be In Every Movie).
Hard Eight (a.k.a. Sydney) (1996)
Anyone who likes Paul Thomas Anderson's work (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) will likely enjoy his feature debut. Of course, no serious PTA fan would be unaware of this, right? Set in the seedy all-night motels and casinos of
The Imposters (1998)
More proof that, done properly by actors and filmmakers with a modicum of talent and a soupçon of passion, even a madcap farce can be worthwhile cinema. Stanley Tucci wrote and directed this slice of trifle as an apparent homage to Laruel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, et al. But, really, it’s Tucci and all his indie-movie pals cutting up and having a ball—as if someone brought a wind-up Bolex to the Big Night wrap party and things just sort of took off. It works—unlike similar formulas (cough*OCEAN’S 12*cough)—because they never stop including the audience in the fun. (Thankfully, no one thought it would be just hysterical to mention how much the famous actor Sir Jeremy Burtom resembled the famous actor Alfred Molina. What, me, bitter?) Worth a look if only for the way
Two more examples of how great minds think alike:
Black Robe (1991)
Fish summed this up so eloquently and completely in his submission that there’s little I can add. (Not that that will keep me from trying.)
It’s not really a surprise that Beresford’s stark, sometimes brutal, and always unflinching culture clash would be considered unpalatable to audiences still in throes of a Dances With Wolves contact buzz.
Even though I can honestly say I appreciated Black Robe on its merits, I didn’t really hold its lack of popular acclaim against DWW. I, like a lot of people, was taken in by Costner’s romanticism and, consequently, willfully ignored the revisionism of it. The film was a popular success because Costner gave people a view of the West as they wanted to believe it had been. I’m not sure DWW deserved the Oscar, but didn’t deserve the backlash that developed over it, either.
But that's all academic. The best film to compare with Black Robe isn’t Dances With Wolves--it’s Driving Miss Daisy. To me, the idea that they were both directed by Bruce Beresford is second most awe-inspiring thing about Black Robe. The first is, of course, everything Fish said about it, along with an establishing shot of the priest’s party setting out in canoes across an enormous lake—a visual as powerful, heartbreaking and compelling as anything John Ford ever committed to celluloid.
Edward Copeland had this on his list, along with an excellent summary. Here’s my $0.02:
Part mystery, part love story, this is my favorite John Sayles (Eight Men Out) film. Every time I watch it, I see some little nuance and appreciate just what a master storyteller this guy is. The cast, as in all Sayles' films, is outstanding, centered on Chris Cooper's (Adaptation) beautifully measured performance. One of the best-kept secrets in American cinema.
A final thought: I had hoped that more of my IRL friends and fellow-cinephiles would have weighed in. Maybe this will spark another round of submissions and suggestions (though, after trying to compile this digest, I’m not sure if this is a fear or a hope. Dennis, you have my sympathies--and a whole new level of respect.)
Okay, that's it. Show's over. Get thee to a video store and get busy.
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