Movie Recs
I watch at least three movies every weekend because Netflix loves me. I rarely post about them here, but I thought I'd go through and pick out a few of my recent favorites - mostly the ones that I believe don't get the attention they should.
Dear Wendy
I'm a gun owner, and I carry my gun concealed for self defense purposes. Keeping that in mind, I think that pro-gun and anti-gun people can enjoy this movie. It tells the tale of a boy (in late teens) who lives in a small town. He stumbles across an antique gun that he originally believes to be a toy. It is unnerving to him because he is a self-proclaimed pacifist. Having the gun in his possession slowly changes him in positive and negative ways. Eventually, he gathers a group of his peers who are outcasts and/or socially awkward. They form a club and call themselves The Dandies. Their club revolves around each member having a gun of their own and treating that gun as an extension of their person, even going so far as naming the gun. They spend their days hiding away in an abandoned mine, watching films on bullet wounds and listening to The Zombies. They all vow never to use their guns for violence, only target practice. All in all, it is a cult movie in the making. My favorite (Lars von Trier) wrote the script, so I had to love it.
Apartment Zero
I can get half my flist on board by saying that Colin Firth in this movie. As I was watching this one, I wasn't quite sure if I hated it or loved it, but I was unavoidably drawn to it either way. I couldn't stop watching; I couldn't fall asleep; I couldn't walk away. I wanted to understand what was going on in the very weird relationship between this two very odd men. In the end, I decided that I loved it, of course. Adrian, an Englishman, lives in Buenos Aires with his sick mother. When she becomes too ill for their home, he sends her to a hospital and rents out her room to an American man named Jack. Adrian is uncomfortable, socially awkward, and obviously somewhat mentally ill. He is strongly attracted to the charismatic and easy-going Jack. However, it is obvious that Jack has problems and demons of his own. The movie has very obvious homosexual undertones, and even references many gay (or rumored to be gay) classic film stars. The movie is billed as a political thriller, and it is that, but it is also so much more.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Melquiades, an illegal immigrant from Mexico working as a ranch hand, is shot and buried in a shallow grave in Texas. His employer and friend, Pete, embarks on a quest to find his friend's killer. Pete had also promised Melquiades to return his body to his home in Mexico. He eventually identifies and kidnaps the border patrolman who accidentally shot Melquiades and forces him to assist in returning the body to a small village in Mexico. The story is told, in part, through flashbacks. I really came to care for many of the characters in this movie. Pete's grief over his friend's death and his mindless quest to return the body to Mexico was heartbreaking.
This is England
I'm not extremely knowledgeable about the skinhead subculture of the early '80s, but Jason is familiar with it due to his interest in punk and hardcore music of that time. He claims that this movie came across as very true-to-life to him, and I wouldn't disagree. It is a movie, based around the life of the writer/director, that follows a young boy in his decent into the skinhead lifestyle. At first, the gang he joins is simply a group of friends who get up to mischief and cause general mayhem in the neighborhood. However, as the skinhead movement grows, and neo-Nazis begin to target the youth as new recruits, the gang devolves into turmoil. Some of the blatant hate, racism, and violence in the later part of the movie actually made me sick to my stomach. And, I take that as proof that it is a very powerful film.
Roman
This movie is, from the start, obviously extremely low budget and independent. It follows a lonely man named Roman. He falls obsessively in love with a woman who lives in his apartment complex after she pays him some attention. He begins to look forward to their awkward interactions when he leaves his monotonous job as a factory welder each day. I don't want to say much more than this, simply because what I've written here is only the very beginning of the movie, and the rest would be so much better if it were to come as a surprise. The movie itself has such a claustrophobic and paranoid feel to it. I think that mood really helped enhance the film itself. I would not classify this as a horror movie, despite the DVD cover. At any rate, if you can find it for rent and you like things with a darker twist, then I highly recommend this one.
Dear Wendy
I'm a gun owner, and I carry my gun concealed for self defense purposes. Keeping that in mind, I think that pro-gun and anti-gun people can enjoy this movie. It tells the tale of a boy (in late teens) who lives in a small town. He stumbles across an antique gun that he originally believes to be a toy. It is unnerving to him because he is a self-proclaimed pacifist. Having the gun in his possession slowly changes him in positive and negative ways. Eventually, he gathers a group of his peers who are outcasts and/or socially awkward. They form a club and call themselves The Dandies. Their club revolves around each member having a gun of their own and treating that gun as an extension of their person, even going so far as naming the gun. They spend their days hiding away in an abandoned mine, watching films on bullet wounds and listening to The Zombies. They all vow never to use their guns for violence, only target practice. All in all, it is a cult movie in the making. My favorite (Lars von Trier) wrote the script, so I had to love it.
Apartment Zero
I can get half my flist on board by saying that Colin Firth in this movie. As I was watching this one, I wasn't quite sure if I hated it or loved it, but I was unavoidably drawn to it either way. I couldn't stop watching; I couldn't fall asleep; I couldn't walk away. I wanted to understand what was going on in the very weird relationship between this two very odd men. In the end, I decided that I loved it, of course. Adrian, an Englishman, lives in Buenos Aires with his sick mother. When she becomes too ill for their home, he sends her to a hospital and rents out her room to an American man named Jack. Adrian is uncomfortable, socially awkward, and obviously somewhat mentally ill. He is strongly attracted to the charismatic and easy-going Jack. However, it is obvious that Jack has problems and demons of his own. The movie has very obvious homosexual undertones, and even references many gay (or rumored to be gay) classic film stars. The movie is billed as a political thriller, and it is that, but it is also so much more.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Melquiades, an illegal immigrant from Mexico working as a ranch hand, is shot and buried in a shallow grave in Texas. His employer and friend, Pete, embarks on a quest to find his friend's killer. Pete had also promised Melquiades to return his body to his home in Mexico. He eventually identifies and kidnaps the border patrolman who accidentally shot Melquiades and forces him to assist in returning the body to a small village in Mexico. The story is told, in part, through flashbacks. I really came to care for many of the characters in this movie. Pete's grief over his friend's death and his mindless quest to return the body to Mexico was heartbreaking.
This is England
I'm not extremely knowledgeable about the skinhead subculture of the early '80s, but Jason is familiar with it due to his interest in punk and hardcore music of that time. He claims that this movie came across as very true-to-life to him, and I wouldn't disagree. It is a movie, based around the life of the writer/director, that follows a young boy in his decent into the skinhead lifestyle. At first, the gang he joins is simply a group of friends who get up to mischief and cause general mayhem in the neighborhood. However, as the skinhead movement grows, and neo-Nazis begin to target the youth as new recruits, the gang devolves into turmoil. Some of the blatant hate, racism, and violence in the later part of the movie actually made me sick to my stomach. And, I take that as proof that it is a very powerful film.
Roman
This movie is, from the start, obviously extremely low budget and independent. It follows a lonely man named Roman. He falls obsessively in love with a woman who lives in his apartment complex after she pays him some attention. He begins to look forward to their awkward interactions when he leaves his monotonous job as a factory welder each day. I don't want to say much more than this, simply because what I've written here is only the very beginning of the movie, and the rest would be so much better if it were to come as a surprise. The movie itself has such a claustrophobic and paranoid feel to it. I think that mood really helped enhance the film itself. I would not classify this as a horror movie, despite the DVD cover. At any rate, if you can find it for rent and you like things with a darker twist, then I highly recommend this one.