A. American Splendor:
-Think Adaptation, except without all the self-indulgence. This movie's got so much going on that at first you're not quite sure who's who. Paul Giamatti plays Harvey Pekar, famous for his comic books that the movie gets its title from. They're basically just about his own life and all the mundane things that happen to him on a daily basis. The scenes with Giamatti playing Pekar make up the majority of the movie. But then occasionally we cut to segments with the real Harvey, who's placed in front of a white screen and sitting at a table--just providing us with a little more narration--anything that the actor playing Pekar might have missed. (This summary is probably discouraging you from seeing it--but it's a very funny movie as well, and self-aware. Anything that can be as unpretentious as this gets many points.)B. Barton Fink:
-Managed to win just about
everything at Cannes in (?Whatever year it was made?) and still is overlooked when going through the nest of the Coen Brothers movies. It's better than Lebowski. It's better than Arizona. It's definitely better than O Brother, and it's better than Fargo. (Though the proximity between it and that last one mentioned is very close.) John Turturro and John Goodman are both creepy/excellent, and at the top of their game.C. Cheats:
-This one is kind of obscure, but I felt like I had to add it, considering the fact that I watched it at least six times, all the way through, on HBO. I don't know what the deal was with the release of this movie. It definitely was not in theaters, but it was on T.V. a lot around 2004. It's hilarious, and it's hard to find. So.......Netflix is necessary. (Of course, it's ridiculous, and marketed toward teen outcasts, if anyone. But I love it.)D. The Departed:
-Not so obscure. But I got the chance to watch it again recently, and it just...makes me so happy that Scorsese still has it, and can still do the gangster movie with fresh methods. If you've seen it already, go back again and just pay attention to the editing. That alone is entertaining. Now I'll stop with this one, or I'll just go off on the ending and how much I love it, and that would, of course, be a spoiler.
E. Election:
-Alexander Payne went on to do Sideways, and I almost want to say this one is better, but it isn't. It is, however, one of the funniest movies to come out of the last ten years. You know, if you're into all that dark humor and stuff.
F. Fight Club:
-Whatever, man. I got no other F's.
G. Good Burger:
-No. It's not a joke. On my list of five-star movies, all I had in the G department was this and Goodfellas. And Scorsese's already on this list. So let me explain this: I grew up worshipping Nickelodeon, and anything Kenan and Kel touched. This movie cracked me up at six, and cracks me up now. I don't know why. Maybe 'cause it's so aesthetically nostalgic.
H. Happiness:
-I think I can honestly say this is the most disturbing movie that I've ever seen. It's also in my top fifteen movies of all time. The taboos here range from murder to pedophilia to obscene phone calls to infidelity to etcetera. No incest though. That's about all it's missing. But don't let that disappoint you. It's still incredibly good.
I. In the Company of Men:
-Just another movie about two guys working in an office, who go and ruin a deaf girl's life. I actually don't know if it's supposed to be some kind of satire, or if it's just really, really, really cruel.
J. Jesus Camp:
-I'd heard much buzzzz about this "chilling" documentary before I walked into it. I expected to be either shocked or angered by the cult-like christianity pressed all over young children like tear gas. But my only reaction was laughter. Could have been some kind of way to cope. I dunno.
K. Kill Bill, Vol. 2:
-I'm a much bigger fan of the story-oriented Tarantino than I am the crazybloodsplatteraction Tarantino. And that's what he focuses on in the second part of his four-and-a-half hour long epic about The Bride's revenge. Plus, we've got much more Michael Madsen in this one, and that's always a good thing.
...stick around for the exciting conclusion!
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