In part 6, I wrote about a game-changing gothic horror, a classic body horror fantasy, an ensemble bottle drama, a highly unconventional western, and a(n underrated) cult classic B-movie. Now for part 7.
dir. Damien Chazelle
Drama
A movie I became mildly obsessed with when it first came out and I watched about 5 times over the course of just a couple weeks, Whiplash is virtually flawless and features one of the most entertaining and intense characters/performances of the past 20 years in J.K. Simmons' Terence Fletcher. This movie looks great, has incredible editing (both video and audio), and contains some great performances and individual moments that all help define it as one of the great unconventional thrillers of modern film. What's particularly impressive is how nearly impossible it is to pinpoint flaws in the editing in regards to the actual playing of instruments. It matches up so closely, you never doubt the players really know what they're doing even when the audio is (sometimes) recorded by someone else. It's a wonderful movie.
dir. Akiva Schaffer
Comedy
The single movie that's managed to make me laugh with the greatest consistency over dozens of viewings, and I can say that without even the slightest hint of embarrassment. This is a ridiculously dumb movie filled with nonsensical one-liners, dorky physical comedy, and scenes that just make me laugh like an idiot without fail. It's a pretty light movie that I wouldn't expect 90% of people to enjoy even half as much as I do, but when I put it on I can count on having a total blast every time, even when I'm in a terrible mood. I've watched this movie back-to-back before and still laughed as much the second time around. Pretty much every scene is filled with these hilarious nuggets of absurdity and throwaway lines that make me laugh at just how bizarre they are. Also, it's got one of the most out-of-nowhere appearances by Ian McShane, which is always a joy.
dir. Terry Gilliam
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comedy
One of the great dystopian films ever made (that shares many similarities to George Orwell's 1984, from which it took a page or two or twelve) and it does it while still managing to be funny. Gilliam goes full-blown absurd during segments of this, capturing a vibe totally unlike a majority of science fiction or dystopian movies. Jonathan Pryce plays the lead, a man whose entire life is spent in frustrated delusion and fantasy who finds himself wrapped up in a story of terrorism and anarchy all over a simple clerical error. Not many movies can make something like paperwork feel so daunting and life-threatening. I love the look of this movie, which blends massive sets with painted backdrops, and plenty of other visual trickery we rarely see implemented in film anymore. It's been a favorite of mine for years now, and I'm sure that's not gonna change anytime soon.
dir. Paul Verhouven
Action/Sci-Fi
One of the great action films ever made and one I disregarded for years due to my stupid belief that it would be a dumb mindless 'splosionfest. Not to say it doesn't have some awesome 'splosions, gunfire, gore, and effects work, but it does a great job at creating a believably dark future and blends that with some hilarious satire. Kurtwood Smith makes for an amazing villain, Peter Weller is a great hero, and the minimal use of stop-motion makes me very happy indeed. I've got a bit of a love/hate thing with Paul Verhouven, since he made this, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers, but is also responsible for Showgirls, one of the most justifiably loathed movies ever made. But that's just how he rolls. Uncompromising, gritty, and not always the easiest to digest. But RoboCop is very digestible, and has a brain to go along with the awesome action.
dir. Larry Blamire
Comedy/Sci-Fi/Horror
A few years back I wrote a several hundred word review on this movie, and that pretty much all still stands with me. As a fan of '50s sci-fi, horror, and creature features, this movie captured pretty much everything I admire about these particular movies and condensed it all into a single movie filled with more one-liners than I care to count. While Larry Blamire hasn't had the consistent stream of movies like Christopher R. Mihm has, the few he has made have probably been better, and this is easily on the top of the pile. It's got aliens, an alien monster, a woman who is 4 woodland creatures scienced together, scientists, Ranger Brad, an evil skeleton, a scientist's wife, and much much more! This movie has everything it needed to have and does more with them than I ever could have expected. It's got a small cult following, but it deserves a massive one.
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