Previously on Jeffscpresents.blogspot.com, I mentioned a few movies. A coming of age journalistic music dramedy, a tragic romance set in the not too distant future, a pseudo-sequel to a classic zombie movie, one of the most ambitious sci-fi movies of its time, and a Greek mythology adventure fantasy. A great batch, but there are better ones. Here they are.
dir. Mike Nichols
Drama
The ultimate chamber/bottle drama, this is the kind of movie you can only like and appreciate if you have a fondness for acting and dialogue, because that's 95% of what this movie is. Pair the incredible cast and dialogue (strangely enough there has been some contention over whether the screenplay is really responsible for a bulk of the dialogue) with that wonderful black and white cinematography and you've got a film that's full of little treats. There's a snarling, biting nature to the way these characters interact, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton giving the best performances of their careers opposite each other. It's equal parts uncomfortable, jarring, hilarious, and heartbreaking, and this all translates through sometimes very subtle cues. It's the only movie to ever be nominated for an Oscar in every single category it was eligible in, and I'd say it deserved wins across the board.
dir. Scott Sanders
Comedy/Action
It was 2009 and I wasn't nearly as deep down the rabbit hole of so-bad-it's-good movies, but I saw about this movie somewhere (someone I knew mentioned it in passing), and decided to give it a go. I acquired it by totally legal means and watched it. It was fun. Cut to years later, I find it in Best Buy for $10 and remember how much fun I had with it. I bring it home, watched it again, made my then-girlfriend-now-fiance watch it, and I fell in love with it. This is the story behind me realizing I loved this movie, as for the movie itself you have to have a fondness for blaxsploitation, intentionally goofy fourth-wall breaks, and some extreme craziness to really love or get it. It's just wonderful. On an additional sidenote, back when I had a twitter I actually used, Black Dynamite himself (Michael Jai White) followed me. You may kiss my hand if you wish.
dir. Gareth Evans
Action
I really enjoy action movies, but to be totally honest, very few of them actually impress me. But this one, for all its failure (singular, as the only problem with it is the lack of developed characters) is almost mindblowing in how well it choreographs, blocks, and adapts with its action. Shifting from guns and ammo to fists and blades as the characters run low on bullets, this twist of sorts allows the film to take the destructible sets and give this setting a whole new life by letting doors change from just being cover to potential weapons. The cinematography moves fast and keeps up with the pace while still never obscuring the action, and the music from the USA release by Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park) does a great job at beefing up the action with electronic and dubstep-esque tracks. It's an incredible achievement for an action movie, and it's one that I can't help but to get excited for every time I put it on.
dir. Wes Anderson
Drama/Comedy/Adventure
Of all the hipstery movies made by King of the hipster filmmakers, this is my favorite. Fitting, since it's his least popular by almost every metric. Instead of warm yellows and browns like most Anderson movies, this movie introduces a brighter color palette with the underwater and submarine giving the movie blues and pinks that really pop. Pair this different look with his usual style and self-loathing and surprisingly complex characters, and you've got a charming little movie. The music is playful at times and introspective at others, which matches the tone of the movie -- how often could you find a Willem Dafoe character adorable at all? There are powerful emotions throughout this movie, with a few key scenes near the tail-end really standing out, but the adventurous and hilarious tone remains, filling every scene with a sense of whimsy and exploration that makes it wonderful every time I watch it. By my estimation, this is the best performance of Bill Murray's career.
dir. Ingmar Bergman
Drama/Fantasy
The sense of existential dread I feel when I watch this movie is very hard to escape, but it's the kind of emotional distress that I find almost addictive. I've always had a deep fascination and interest in movies with literal interpretations of God, Satan, or Death, and the way this movie handles Death is endlessly fascinating to me. The wonderful visual of Death playing a game of chess for the life of a knight whose time is nearing an end is among my favorite images in film, but the movie is far more than that. Set during the time of the black death, there's an omnipresent air of despair, rot, and decay that follows the characters as they try to escape their fates. But isn't death always inevitable in the end? There are deep religious and existential themes at work here, with incredible visuals, performances (Max Von Sydow and Gunnar Bjornstrand in particular stand out), and writing. There's really nothing about this movie that doesn't work for me. It's long been one of my favorites, and every subsequent viewing does nothing but confirm how much I love it. It's the kind of film that makes me think, it makes me feel, and completely sucks me in every single time without fail.
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