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| Film | Commentary |
|---|---|
Chocolat | This is probably the closest a movie can get to being perfect for me. The storyline is coherent and lucid, with no gaps or incomprehensible subplots. The visuals are so stunning and beautiful that the picture alone lifts me up when I see it. In addition, it satisfies my personal needs for benevolent and uplifting stories and characters. An individualistic heroine endeavoring to overcome both the ghosts of her past and the irrational bigotry of the collective mob which surrounds her. And she succeeds, without sacrificing her independence or logical approach to life or benevolence toward the world. A true modern masterpiece. |
Legally Blonde | I consider this movie the mainstream, comical counterpart to Chocolat. Reese Witherspoon plays a heroic and successful college graduate who endeavors to make it through law school despite the ivory tower tyranny that surrounds her. Self-reliant and always optimistic, she finds as the story unfolds that her benevolent approach to life not only helps her to succeed, but reveals the illogical faults in the cynical defeatism of others. Her sunny and beautiful character is a shining symbol of true heroism to us all. |
Cold Comfort Farm | Lighthearted and hilarious, this movie stars the beautiful Kate Beckinsale in a wonderful recreation of Stella Gibbon's spoof on Jane Austen. Beckinsale plays the Emma-esque Flora, who seems to focus her entire life on managing the flaws of others. Successfully managing to turn her great aunt's farm upside-down, she gives it such a revolutionary makeover that it becomes the complete opposite to the cursed, dreary backdrop it was at the movie's opening. Flora finishes her job, gets her guy, and they all live happily ever after. I wish there were more movies with such a wonderful sense of lightness. |
Hamlet | The only modern film version of Hamlet to recreate Shakespear's entire masterpiece word-for-word. Set in a more Victorian era than the original play, Kenneth Branagh manages to show with more expression and intensity the true grandeur of of the story and characters. The stunning visuals amost put this in the background, though, and the whole slew of cameos by some of Hollywood's biggest names makes it a true novelty, if not a masterpiece in and of itself. |
All About Eve | All About Eve is one of the greatest movies of its era. It incorporates the delightful acting of some of Hollywood's legends with an immensely intriguingly tight storyline, which keeps you thinking and leaves no stone unturned. Whilst most popular films endeavor to gear themselves to a below-average viewer intelligence level, All About Eve allows one to truly get lost in teh story, being consumed in the numerous plot intricacies. Eve's character personifies evil in all of its self-destructive horror, and the trimphant ending is something we can all feel cheery about. |
Crash | A darker, more sinister film than I'm used to enjoying, Crash is nonetheless a treat for the senses. The very probability of the individuals and events portrayed by the film necessitate a sense of horror at the psychology of self-destruction, and its practitioners. |
South Park - Bigger, Longer & Uncut | We all need to unwind ever once and a while, and what better way than the theatrical premier of the most severly sarcastic television series ever concieved? Whilst the Simpsons adopted a more subdued and subliminal method of attack against the popular culture it portrays, South Park manages to spew the message directly onto your lap (or into your face, as the case may be). Who couldn't love a show which basically takes shots at every concievable segment of modern (and not-so-modern) culture all in one fell swoop. From race to sexuality to red necks to superstars to Jesus and Satan and Saddam Hussein, if you walk away unoffended, you're obviously ready to joing the screenwriting team. |
Dancer in the Dark | A sad, sad story, made bright primarily by the beautiful face of Bjork, her magical voice, and dutiful acting. A combination social commentary and psychological pictoral, Dancer in the Dark looks at the world through the distorted lenses of a woman on the verge (and finally under the veil) of blindness. The problems of cenceptualizing a reality one cannot see are artfully (if not necessarily accurately) portrayed. The soundtrack alone gives one perfect reason to view this film, and more than reason to revisit. |
The Fountainhead | An applaudable rendition of her own Novel of the same name, Ayn Rand herself composed the screenplay to this movie starring Gary Cooper and (at the time) introducing Patricia Neal. An individualistic architect (played passably by Cooper) struggles against the slimy underbelly of the increasingly collectivist society which wars against him. An idealist with an unbending character, Howard Roark maintains his integrity and never betrays the goals which led him on his path - from egoism to a firm belief in his own abilities, Roark trimphs against the odds and without the assistance of a single human being, save the unwaivering love of the woman who originally set out to bring him down. |
Not Another Teen Movie | Maybe I'm just sentimental, but this is one damn funny movie. I first saw it in the theatre on what was (for all intents and purposes) my first Christmas with David. With campy and silly references to just about every seemingly serious teen- and frat-age movie since Less than zero, Not Another takes cracks at such anti-anthemic tools as Higher Learning, Scream, and even Ferris Beuler. Look for a connection and you will find it. And you will laugh. |
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life | Nominated for the 1996 Best Documentary Oscar, this cohesive and entertaining look at one of the most intriguing personalities of the 20th century covers philosophy, politics, Hollywood and sex. Including interviews and commentary from some of Ayn Rand's closest associates and most deriding critics. A comprehensive journey through an amazing person's most amazing life. |
Fargo | An amusing and crude cosmodrama of a band of murderers, a married ouple, and the quirky population of the north plains, where everyone has a Norwegian accent (even the Asians) and no one can escape the wandering eyes of neighbors in towns too small for their own good. Not for those who need constant action, and worthy of repeated viewing to catch all the intricacies. |
Habit | Probably the most realistically made and believable vampire films ever made, this work is part of Larry Fessenden' Glass Eye Pix series of psychological horror stories, based on and around the metaphor as a method of human thought. I haven't seen much of his work, but Fessenden's acting and directing, as well as superb cinematography make this an increadibly memorable movie. Fessenden's character Sam meets the beautiful Anna, whose perverse sexual tendencies drag him further and further into addiction and dependency. One never quite knows whether the experiences of Sam and Anna are examples of real vamirism or merely metaphorical vampirism (as in human parasitism), but the events themselves make one truly believe that in some way, vampires do exist, if only as the ticks and leaches that destroy us at the end of every day... |
Nosferatu | Definately one of the best vampire flicks ever, even today. For those who have the constitution to tolerate silent films, this is one of the most rewarding motion pictures to watch. The ability of screen actors to express to the silent camera the emotion and meaning which many can only refect in words is a true lost talent. If you only see one silent film, this should be it. |