EASTERN PROMISES. Any movie where a buck-naked man thrashes a gang of thugs in a bathhouse is worthy of discussion. Some terrifying characters here, and Viggo nails his part. I’d never have guessed this was directed by Cronenberg.
EDMOND. Didn't do it for me. Some of Mamet's stuff just doesn't translate well to the big screen and should stay on the stage. Long scenes that are very "showy" with extensive existential monologues. That's why actors line up for it. But it's lacking the visual element to make it complete, and it felt unfinished. I rarely say this, but a couple extra scenes or even flashbacks to earlier ones could've really helped develop the theme more clearly. The trailer spells out practically the whole movie. Great cast and performances, though, and some memorable lines, of course. It wanted to be a philosophical Falling Down or bourgeois American Psycho, but fell well short of either. If the film itself worked better, I'd say Bill Macy might be nomination-worthy.
EL TOPO. Essential viewing. This is a pants-shittingly bizarre flick. Imagine Roger Corman held David Lynch at gunpoint and forced him to interpret a Robert Rodriguez script. One example: a man with no legs rides in a harness on a man with no arms, forming one symbiotic person. The worst sound editing I've ever heard. It's a flute-playing, blood spattering, lamb-crucifying, cactus-as-cunnilingus-metaphor good time under the right circumstances. Preferably stoned ones.
ELECTION. One of my all-time underappreciated favorites. Read the script if you get a chance; it's one of those rare ones that successfully blueprints the film's quirks in spite of the inherent confines of the medium (translation: it's as entertaining to read as to watch). I'm on record as not generally being a Reese Witherspoon fan, but that actually serves to enhance her effectiveness here. And don't let the ironic casting of the frustrated teacher best known for playing Ferris Bueller escape you. The film has an inspired visual style with excellent pacing and some memorably-vulgar characters.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. While undergoing a procedure to have girlfriend Kate Winslet erased from his memories, Jim Carrey changes his mind (once he forgets their recent troubles, everything seems peachy again) and tries to hide her in his other memory-scenes before she disappears. The film explores themes of free will versus destiny, the attraction of opposites, and revisionist history. It's told out of order, which is disorienting at first (try reading the script!), but ultimately it helps us simulate Carrey's experience in a sort of Memento way. Winslet's hair color is a good way to gauge the timeline. Michel Gondry is the perfect director to bring Charlie Kaufman's words to life on screen. Who else would dare try to show what fading memories look like, much less be able to pull them off mostly through in-camera effects?
EVIL DEAD II. The original is okay, and Army of Darkness doesn't hold up as well for me as it once did, but the middle installment of the trilogy remains the standard by which all horror/comedies will forever be judged. Sam Raimi and his crew created more low-budget innovations on this film than perhaps any other in memory, in addition to some great campy stop-motion photography, multiple exposures, and monofilament work. If the Academy gave out an award for most on-set abuse endured by an actor, Bruce "Ash" Cambell would sweep the category.
Any movie where a buck-naked man thrashes a gang of thugs in a bathhouse is worthy of discussion. Some terrifying characters here, and Viggo nails his part. I’d never have guessed this was directed by Cronenberg.
Didn't do it for me. Some of Mamet's stuff just doesn't translate well to the big screen and should stay on the stage. Long scenes that are very "showy" with extensive existential monologues. That's why actors line up for it. But it's lacking the visual element to make it complete, and it felt unfinished. I rarely say this, but a couple extra scenes or even flashbacks to earlier ones could've really helped develop the theme more clearly. The trailer spells out practically the whole movie. Great cast and performances, though, and some memorable lines, of course. It wanted to be a philosophical Falling Down or bourgeois American Psycho, but fell well short of either. If the film itself worked better, I'd say Bill Macy might be nomination-worthy.
Essential viewing. This is a pants-shittingly bizarre flick. Imagine Roger Corman held David Lynch at gunpoint and forced him to interpret a Robert Rodriguez script. One example: a man with no legs rides in a harness on a man with no arms, forming one symbiotic person. The worst sound editing I've ever heard. It's a flute-playing, blood spattering, lamb-crucifying, cactus-as-cunnilingus-metaphor good time under the right circumstances. Preferably stoned ones.
While undergoing a procedure to have girlfriend Kate Winslet erased from his memories, Jim Carrey changes his mind (once he forgets their recent troubles, everything seems peachy again) and tries to hide her in his other memory-scenes before she disappears. The film explores themes of free will versus destiny, the attraction of opposites, and revisionist history. It's told out of order, which is disorienting at first (try reading the script!), but ultimately it helps us simulate Carrey's experience in a sort of Memento way. Winslet's hair color is a good way to gauge the timeline. Michel Gondry is the perfect director to bring Charlie Kaufman's words to life on screen. Who else would dare try to show what fading memories look like, much less be able to pull them off mostly through in-camera effects?