Category: Movies

Some Like It Hot

March 21, 2007 /

I have weird feelings about this movie. I first watched it at GSP, almost ten years ago, when HOLY SHIT TEN YEARS I’M OLD

Let’s try that again. I watched it and I thought it was hilarious, which was remarkable in itself, given my stupid prejudice against anything made before 1981. In 1998 that was the kind of thing you thought about it. On vacation in summer 2000, we watched it get named the funniest American film ever and I pretty much agreed (given AFI’s own stupid but inevitable prejudices). Since then I’ve only trotted it out to prove that yes, I do like something made before I was born.

I watched it again last night with Holly and Kevan, neither of whom had seen it before. Now I’m all jumbled.

There are a lot of one-liners, but does that make a funny movie? I think improv training, the Daily Show and Arrested Development have done something to my humor palate such that those didn’t satisfy me. So I didn’t laugh much at it. But I did find it stunningly subversive.

Now, was it subversive when it was released? Certainly–it helped end the Production Code–but not in the way I’m thinking. A lot of the jokes now can be read as sly commentary on gay marriage, “cures” for homosexuality, and, er, Marilyn Monroe’s death. I don’t know if I’m reaching too far to do that. An English major would say no, but I got my degree in theatre.

January 2, 2007 /

Okay, my real top ten:

  1. Brick
  2. Hackers
  3. Sneakers
  4. Punch-Drunk Love
  5. Grosse Point Blank
  6. Spirited Away
  7. The Matrix
  8. Unbreakable
  9. Dancer in the Dark
  10. Toy Story 2 (or maybe The Incredibles, this one is pretty close)

Honorable Mention: The part of High Fidelity where Moby hits Tim Robbins in the face with a telephone

You’ll notice that only two of these movies are older than ten years, and none of them older than twenty. If I get through even a quarter of my Netflix queue this year, this list will probably change a lot; I become more aware daily that I haven’t seen most of the movies that I would like, particularly with regard to noir.

Still, I’d say seven of the above are unassailable. (Consider Hackers pre-assailed.)

It’s not really Moby, that guy just reminds me of Moby

October 11, 2006 /

Remember that one scene in High Fidelity where John Cusack leans over to Moby and says “I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by The Beta Band?” And then he plays “Dry the Rain” over the PA, and he’s right. Then you go out after the movie is over and buy The Three EPs yourself, and it turns out that “Dry the Rain” is the only good song so you sell it to a guy named Leslie?

I hate that.

I will now sell five copies of Annasthesia by The Cinematic Underground, the same guys who did the score for this one movie I liked. I will do it by directing you to click the “hi” link next to the song “My Dear Self.” You can listen to the whole album that way, if you like, in which case you’ll quickly find it’s not the only good song. Just the best.

August 22, 2006 /

It occurred to me last night that yes, they must be getting ready to make a The Dark is Rising movie, and sure enough. Aside from the two attached names so far, I’m concerned that Ian McKellen already appears to be doing three movies next year. That doesn’t leave a lot of spare time, and come on, can you even conceive of anyone else playing Merriman?

June 6, 2006 /

The Baxter is dropping Brick this week already! WHAT A SURPRISE. If you are one of the remaining few people I know in Louisville who didn’t get dragged to see it last Friday, let me know and we can go together. I will be seeing it again either tomorrow or Thursday.

June 5, 2006 /

Argh. For the record, I figured out why everybody reading this via RSS or LJ got the last fifteen entries today–I didn’t close a span tag when I edited the Brick rave, and RSS readers decided that the whole document was now a) different and b) invalid but readable. Sorry.

Sneakers, Punch-Drunk Love, Grosse Point Blank; Unbreakable just fell out of the top five

June 3, 2006 /

It took what, ten years? But early indications are that the #1 spot has finally changed hands. The fact is I know I can’t trust my judgment in the immediate aftermath of a revelatory experience, especially one I’ve been anticipating this much, so I’ll have to wait and see it again before I can make this official.

But I don’t think I’ll change my mind. Sorry, Hackers. Brick is probably the best movie I’ve ever seen.*

* Disclaimer: do not ingest this recommendation without salt. Consider my previous favorite, and that any low-budget indie high school western noir with its own slang dialect and a protagonist named Brendan is pretty much made just for me. Side effects may include shortness of breath and a desire for subtitles. See our ad in Nature. Brick: Thick As What All.