Tag: film
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Perfect Movies: I ♥ Huckabees
“What am I doing? I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m doing the best that I can. I know that’s all I can ask of myself. Is that good enough? Is my work doing any good? Is anybody paying attention? Is it hopeless to try and change things? The African guy is a sign, right?…
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10 Radical 90s Movies That Captured The Decade
O 1990s America, where art thou? This fantastic decade – the last of the American Century that found the country at the height of its powers economically, socially, and politically – can easily be considered a high watermark in American history. With a booming economy, a culture that was dominating the world through its film…
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Awesome Garbage: Cool as Ice
At one point in the history of America -specifically the beautiful, stupid early 1990s – there was an awkward transition in pop culture when rap music was on the verge of being a mainstream genre and something entertainers aped to seem hip without actually working too hard at making their rap good or authentic. While…
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Perfect Movies: American Psycho
“You like Huey Lewis & The News?” I sure do, and Patrick Bateman makes a solidargument for the strengths of their 1983 breakthrough album, Sports. It would be a great moment in any retro film for the main character to espouse his love of mainstream contemporary music, but becoming a counterpoint to the action depicted…
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Cult Classics: Cabin Boy
Chris Elliott’s comedy is not for everybody. Having first launched his career as a writer and performer on David Letterman’s old late night show in the 1980s as an absurdist figure who would do bits playing odd characters with names like “The Panicky Guy” and “The Guy Under The Seats,” usually ineffectual characters who had…
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Cult Classics: Fantastic Planet
Cult films seem to depict two worlds: a heightened, askew version of reality as we know it, and a bizarre reality that is barely recognizable. Of the former, previous entries like True Stories or personal favorite The Burbs seem to fall into that category, while the latter refers to otherworldly madness like David Lynch’s Eraserhead,…
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Totally 80’s: Villains!
What would a movie be without an antagonist? The counterpoint to our hero, villains exist in fiction to provide urgency to our main character’s quest and largely set the plot in motion. After all, where would Daniel-son be without Cobra Kai and Johnny to fight? Or Schwarzenegger’s Dutch without the Predator? Or Indy without the…
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Sleepaway Camp
I never went to camp as a kid. Growing up in Missouri, there was plenty of available open space and fresh air right where I lived, and besides that, my folks were never the type to want to ship their kids off for extended periods (also, I was a real sweety pie). After watching Sleepaway…
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Perfect Movies: Dazed and Confused
Nostalgia is a powerful force. The sentimental longing for the past as it connects to personal and positive memories is the kind of feeling that, when brought up in conversation, makes older people unbearable to younger generations. Meanwhile, those who have gained a certain experience in life know that the callous youth that reject their nostalgic…
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Perfect Movies: The Endless Summer
Every movie needs a goal for its heroes to work towards–a holy grail or treasure they seek. In romances, it’s love; in action movies, it’s defeating an enemy; in comedies it’s winning over an adversary. In The Endless Summer, it’s the perfect wave. Along their journey, our intrepid heroes Mike Hynson and Robert August find…
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Perfect Movies: Terrence Malick’s First 5 Films
Terrence Malick is one of the most interesting directors of both the 20th and 21st century. For decades known as a reclusive auteur who rarely made a film–and when he did they were universally hailed for their meditative tone and brilliant cinematography–Malick abruptly broke away from the rarity of his releases and within the past…
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Cult Classics: Better Off Dead
Lane Meyer wishes he were dead. He tries over and over – self-immolation, carbon monoxide poisoning, jumping from a bridge, even hanging. But like most things in his life, it never quite goes his way. Did I mention this is a major plot point in an 80’s teen comedy? Better Off Dead isn’t just another…
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