I don't watch allot of documentaries, but if I watch one I enjoy I make these people my family. With American Movies family doesn't get any more dysfunctional, but that's not a bad thing. The main star is mid 30's Wisconsin native Mark Borchardt; who spends two years on film trying to finish and screen his 35 minute opus "Coven". Coven is a horror film about a recovering alcoholic (Mark) who enters the wrong 12 step program. Shooting on 16mm (this is 96-97, I was in high school) is expensive, Mark does not have allot of money. For anyone who is ever worked on their own films (hand up) everything costs and everything that's free is so tough! Mark has two good friends; Mike Schank and Ken Keen, who also do just about everything on Mike's films. Mike has done WAY to much acid and Ken gets arrested mid way through the film. Please watch this movie you will enjoy it!
Check out the link below about the special 15 year anniversary screening they had for American Movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The event happened last August, I missed it because I was on a trip that weekend.
Not to be confused with the equally amazing District 9, B13 is the action movie that this list needed. B13 was produced by Luc Besson(who has done everything) and directed by Pierre Morel who later worked for Mr. Besson on Taken. This film starts with two spectacular action sequences. The first involves parkour legend David Belle free running through the title French neighborhood. The 2nd has police officer Cyril Raffaelli breaking up a underground casino. Both action scenes are notable for there lack of wires or CG. Check this flick out you won't regret it!
With Timecrimes Spanish native Nacho Vigalondo has made one of my favorite time travel movies, it's up there with Primer and Back to the Future. This movie has allot going for it, a scary looking dude, a very terrified main star, a time loop and an amazing twist! The other thing about Timecrimes is they had no money what so ever and yet they still made an awesome flick! Please watch this one!
After Hours is my favorite Martin Scorsese film and also his funniest. This film is about Griffin Dunne's early 80's word processor Paul and his misadventures in the city that never sleeps. This movie is so funny, in a very dark way, this is the rare occasion where suicide is hilarious. The characters that Paul runs into during the course of the film are what really sell this flick. Cheech & Chong bring a few laughs, John Heard is a really nice bar tender, Linda Fiorentino has never looked sexier & Will Patton never scarier. Paul does something to women, they go insane. like a Shakespeare play we have three women for three acts. Rosanna Arquette, Terri Garr and bat shit crazy Catherine O'Hara way before she was Kevin's mom in Home Alone. Watch this flick I promise you some good laughs.
Rubber is a film about a tire that comes to life, rolls around and blows peoples heads up with it's mind! I know how that sounds ad guess what, it's even weirder than that. This film is from French director Quentin Dupieux/ French electronic musician Mr. Oizo. If I only had one word for Rubber it would be absurd, besides that it's equal part black comedy and satire. Please watch this one if you want a one of a kind experience.
The plot of Mute Witness is as follows; deaf American Billy Hughes(played by an awesome Russian actress Marina Zudina) is in Moscow doing special effects on a cheap horror movie her brother in law is directing. Twenty minutes into the film things take off, Billy watches two members of the crew shooting a snuff film. The next 30 minutes is Billy being chased around the empty studio. The film was directed in 1994 by director Anthony Waller in Moscow and it shows a much darker place then the present day metropolis of the east. This film is amazing and known for a surprise appearance by Obi-Won himself Alec Guiness. The story goes Alec was approached at the 84 Hamburg festival by a then student Waller to shoot a scene as crime boss The Reaper. Alec showed up 7:30 the next morning, shot for an hour then hopped a plane. Ten years later Waller finishes the film and cuts the scenes together seamlessly. Enjoy this shocker!!
I saw this flick at the AFI fest in 2010, I had been wanting to see it since I read a pretty good review about it's SXSW premiere. This film is like Dazed and Confused, except these Michigan kids don't smoke weed. It's also the last day of summer not the last day of school. We've all seen these kind of flicks before. A bunch of people go out, get lost meet new people and unexpected romance blooms. Well this is not 200 Cigarettes, these characters are real people with real problems, even at 17. Some of it doesn't work, the older brother(Brett Jacobson, I met him and his wife at Trader Joes, they were super cool) going to the college to is a little out there, but who cares! The scenes involving Claire Sloma's Maggie are great and even better when she meets potential suitor the lifeguard. That made no sense did it, just watch the movie.
This is tough film to describe, I shouldn't even say anything about it, I should just make you watch it. Party People follows the music scene of Manchester; from late 70's punk up to the late 90's and the rave & drug culture. This movie is so fun for so many reasons. The first is one of my favorite UK actors, Steve Coogan playing Tony Wilson tv personality and founder of Factory Records. The film starts with Tony going to the first Manchester Sex Pistols show, this gets him involved in the scene and the likes of Joy Division, New Order, The Buzzcocks and producer Martin Hannett. Director Michael Winterbottom works wonders letting the actors (Coogan inparticular) break the 4th wall and talk directly to the audience with great insights. Please watch this movie, I promise you will enjoy it.
Even though Halloween just passed I'm still in a the mood to watch a horror movie. Suspiria is a bat shit crazy film about a coven of witches at a German dance school. Jessica Harper (Woody Allen's amazing "Pennies from Heaven") stars as Suzy Bannion is an American ballet student in Germany to attend the well known and regarded Freiburg academy. I love this movie because it just gets right into it, Suzy lands (strangest airport of all time) goes to the dance academy and then one of the gnarliest double death scenes ever imagined happens. There is a reason that the Whannell & Wan the guys behind Saw love Dario Argento. Who is Dario Argento you ask? Dario is co-writer and director of this crazy little flick and one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. He is known as the Italian Hitchcock, which sounds cool but as a fan I would put him in his own class entirely. I recently watched this flick with a 24 year old friend, and it still holds up, he jumped at all the right spots!! The other highlights of this film include the amazing score recorded by Italian prog rockers Goblin and the beautifully shot primary colors on the imbibition technicolor prints.
As the months pass you will hear about Mr. Argento and his band of choice Goblin several more times. Enjoy!!
Check out this crazy fan made trailer. It has allot of spoilers so you might want to just watch the movie or maybe the original US trailer below.
