remembering the films that the audience forgot
“I didn’t read reviews earlier in my career, but I read them now as I’m older. I read them all.”
— Steven Spielberg
Davey is an unpublished writer driving around New Mexico with his brother giving readings of his short stories and trying to sell a few copies of his book. One night in his motel he gets a call from Nicole. He doesn't know who she is, but they end up having phone sex - and so begins Easier With Practice.
Read MoreWorld's Greatest Dad is a dark comedy from the mind of Bobcat Goldthwait. Who you might remember from his role in three of the Police Academy movies. Or from his infamous appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno back in 1994 when, on impulse, he set the couch on fire. Or maybe you are familiar with his first film, 1991s Shakes The Clown? No? Well, it doesn't matter, because based on that resume one would probably not be expecting much from World's Greatest Dad. But, much is exactly what we got (and I mean that in a very good way).
Read MoreAt Home By Myself... With You is a small Canadian film I discovered back in the day on Netflix Canada (not sure if it’s still there). Now, don't let the "quirky" "romantic" Netflix tags scare you off. We all know that romantic comedies - quirky or not - are generally predictable by nature, not always that interesting and often not really that funny. But, it doesn't have to be that way, as At Home By Myself... With You proves.
Read MoreThe first thing that struck me during - but more so after - watching The Notorious Bettie Page, was how the film didn't feel like a typical bio pic. Now, to be honest, I'm not sure why that is, but I have a few ideas.
Read MoreFour Minutes (Vier Minuten) is about an elderly piano teacher who trains a young convict at a women's penitentiary. Wait, don't go!!! I know what you’re thinking... It’s Dangerous Minds meets Freedom Writers meets (insert names of any of the dozen other movies where troubled youth are helped by a teach/mentor and everything turns out good in the end). This isn't that though...
Read MoreWhen Colin finds out his wife has been unfaithful, his friends kidnap the wife's lover and hold him captive so that Colin can get his revenge. So is the story of 44 Inch Chest. The film stars Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and Ian McShane - and they are all in top form here.
Read MoreAway We Go is a great little romantic-dramedy that takes our main couple (Burt and Verona) on a road trip of sorts, as they try to decide where to make their life with their baby that is due in three months.
Sam Mendes, known from much darker and dramatic fare (American Beauty, Road To Perdition, Revolutionary Road, 1917...) does a really great job with this film. And the script from Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (Eggers' wife) is great.
Read MoreCurse Of The Golden Flower was a 2006 film spectacle from acclaimed Chinese director Yimou Zhang, and I mean spectacle in the best sense of the word. Anyone familiar with his other films, Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, will know exactly how good his spectacles are.
Read MoreElegy: a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, esp. a funeral song or a lament for the dead.
The first film I saw from director Isabel Coixet was The Secret Life of Words. And that was by accident, when my PVR recorded the wrong movie. However, it was a happy accident because I really liked that film. So, back in 2008 when Elegy was released I made a point of going to see it in the theatre. And, I was very happy I did.
Read MoreBug is a film that came and went, back in 2007, with relatively little fanfare. Which I remember finding somewhat surprising given that it was directed by William Friedkin. Although, maybe I shouldn’t have been, given that most of the general film-going public probably wouldn’t recognize the name or his place in film history.
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