How about suggestions for the huddled masses about what to rent, next time you sign on to your queue (or, for those well behind these Netflixy times, next time you ask your local troupe of theatrickal performers to put on a show)?
My suggestions:
John already mentioned “California Split,” which I second. I think it’s Altman’s best film.
“Mikey and Nicky”–Elaine May’s astonishingly dark sort-of-gangster flick, with Peter Falk and John Cassavetes. (Favreau’s “Made,” which isn’t too bad itself, gets most of its inspiration from this film.) Falk is astonishing.
some cool Hong Kong action stuff (beyond John Woo): “Infernal Affairs,” “The Mission,” “Fulltime Killer”.
Films by Takashi Miike, sure to enrage or dazzle or confuzle: “Gozu,” “Audition,” the “Dead or Alive” series.
“The Business of Fancydancing,” Sherman Alexie’s second film–he actually directed–and I think smarter, funnier, more complicated and engrossing than “Smoke Signals.”
“Rancho Deluxe,” an eccentric little comedy with Jeff Bridges, written by Tom McGuane, who writes a better sentence than almost anyone alive. If you can get past Sam Waterston as an Indian, the film is pretty damn fine ’70s cinema.
“The Son”–a Belgian film, following a carpentry teacher around, the majority of the camera work from behind his shoulder. His son, we discover, was killed a few years before, and the kid who did it is now a student at his school. The lead actor is amazing. If I call it a suspense film, you’ll have the wrong impression; not much happens. But there is tremendous tension in every shot as we unravel what’s going on and what might happen.
All right, that’ll do. Oh, what the hell: “Versus.” A yakuza-zombie-time-travel film. Heads do roll a-plenty.
making movie recommendations to reynolds is like recommending sex-toys to kincaid, but allow me to make a few:
“company”–a bollywood noir based not so loosely on real-life gang wars in bombay in the 90s. no songs, gritty, dark. made by the enfant terrible of bollywood, ram gopal varma. sunhee really liked this one, by the way, which may suggest that it translates well. i’m not sure why no one picked up “company” for american distribution–it would have been a huge hit with the tarantino crowd. if you like it see also his “satya”–also about the bombay underworld but with songs. there’s this guy named manoj bajpai in “satya” who gives a blockbuster performance, by the way.
i’m guessing you’ve seen takeshi kitano’s “brother”–if not, rent it. ditto for “the saddest music in the world”.
I broke my wrist last week, so the comments will be short and typo-prone. My suggestions:
“The Double Life of Veronique” for the puppet show.
“A Matter of Life and Death” for the camera obscura.
“Russian Ark” for the audacity it took to do the film in one take.
I’m thinking visual spectacle only. I prefer not to watch movies at home and — smaller screen aside — I rarely get caught up in dialogue the way I do in a theater.
amy, can i suggest that you learn to type with your feet? “the double life of veronique” has more than the puppet show to recommend it–i much preferred it to his later “blue” which seemed to go over some of the same ground. haven’t seen the other two on your list–will add them.
I have Veronique, Ark, and now Company on my queue, and second Matter as a great flick.
I love Kitano, Arnab; saw Brother, which wasn’t a favorite, but… Have you seen Kikujiro or Zatoichi?