Dirty Recommendations

[b.miller]

Originally Posted by the mongoose

>>DALLAS 362<<

I rented this based on your reco, mongoose....


it was pretty good. For a low-budget indie movie made with a bunch of friends, I'd say it's really good. I thought Goldblum's performance and character was awesome, but found a few things kinda hokey. Still though, you could definitely do worse with a movie choice. that's for sure.

PS. it doesn't actually take place in Dallas, in case that was holding anyone back

[kid cue]

BUMP because i never got to participate in this thread ...

Pickpocket - only the second Robert Bresson film i've seen. it's essentially about a guy who becomes a pickpocket (duh). Bresson's attention to gestures and texture is so ravishing (and weird when you think about it) that i just want to eat parts of the movie. another reason i enjoyed it was because it was like a film-length exploration of that pickpocket scene in the beginning of the first TMNT movie, which awed a 10-or-so year-old me.

Kings and Queen - a recent one by Arnaud Desplechin, which weaves together two storylines and is alternately somber, absurd, hilarious, and tragic. it's an incredibly ambitious, epic film that largely succeeds IMO. completely maximal, overflowing with ideas and moments. the use of intricate cuts makes it feel like a very long film (it also is one), and seems very fresh compared to other very long, epic films with less youthful dispositions.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - a Romanian film about a man's trip through a very fucked-up medical system. it treads a very fine line between satire and documentary, and is extremely effective because it's believable. not as bleak as the title sounds, and relentlessly (if cynically) entertaining.

Cafe Lumiere - this Hou Hsiao-Hsien film about a young Japanese freelance writer and a guy who goes around recording subway noises is one of my favorites. because it's incredibly understated, nothing seems to happen, yet i can't stop thinking about it. used bookstores, coffee shops, train rides, guy wth big headphones, etc.

Patlabor WXIII - anime. i still haven't seen the first two, directed by Oshii, but this third one has been wrongly maligned IMO. the story, about a monster on a rampage, is very familiar, but every shot drips with atmosphere, and there is a pretty sophisticated handle on tone and an implied longer story throughout (similar to the above). i guess you might call it a midlife crisis version of Akira's teenage angst.

eXistenZ - i still think this is an incredibly underrated Cronenberg classic. the tale of virtual reality games is tired but the execution is sublime, and the referenes to classic adventure gaming are very endearing. i love how Cronenberg films seem to slither across the screen.

Le Cercle Rouge - i saw this a while ago but have been itching to see it again. it's a masterpiece of form and style. has anyone seen Le Samourai?

Vengeance Is Mine - a 1970s Japanese film about a black sheep son who goes on a killing spree and then tries to hide in the city. it's amazingly funny at times and unflinchingly violent at others. the ending, which is haunting and very unforeseen, makes the preceding story rather transcendent, if that makes any sense. i haven't managed to untangle the generational angst that was being sorted out (or maybe it was just straight nihilism), but it's a surprisingly versatile "portrait of a killer" type film. the funky intro and end music is also kickass.