Compile de Cinephile
I like a good story... and the occasional gratuitous indulgence. This selection is NOT arranged in any particular order.
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- DirectorMarc CaroJean-Pierre JeunetStarsRon PerlmanDaniel EmilforkJudith VittetA scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.Ron Perlman is a genius. And here he shines among equals.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsJohnny DeppGary FarmerCrispin GloverOn the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Native American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.My pick for Jim Jarmusch's best film. One of my all-time favorite Westerns/Frontier films. Oozes a seamless blend of style and authenticity. And Neil Young's treatment is a perfect compliment.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsTim RobbinsPaul NewmanJennifer Jason LeighA naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.My favorite Coen Bros. film - ever. And my pick for JJL's best-ever performance (though Tralala was intense).
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsPaul MercurioTara MoriceBill HunterA maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner.Freaking brilliant. One of the most creative dance films I've ever experienced. Great storytelling.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsGiulietta MasinaFrançois PérierFranca MarziA waifish prostitute wanders the streets of Rome looking for true love but finds only heartbreak.Fellini's presence makes an appearance in almost every one of my favorite films.
- DirectorJohn PolsonStarsLinus RoacheDanielle CormackIan BlissA British man with a peculiar curse goes on a low-rent bus tour in Australia.Quirky brillance, beautifully understated.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.Thank you, Monica, for stuffing a grenade in my chest and smiling just long enough to reveal the pin between your teeth."
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.It's not easy to pull McCarthy's punches and still land a bunch of blows.
- 19641h 35mPG8.3 (520K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.So completely, cartoonishly over-the-top and yet so disturbingly real. History - and life - as farce.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Few things as satisfying as sipping whiskey neat and watching a Spaghetti Western, especially this one. Excellent, subversive storytelling that sets the bar.
- DirectorSusan SkoogStarsLiza WeilChad MorganFrederic ForrestA teen faces her impending adulthood in the carefree sex and drug revolution years of the early 80's prior to fears of AIDS. She lives with her bitter, divorced mother and her sadistic kid brother. Looking forward to a life based on her passion for art, she nevertheless gets in with the partying crowd which causes her to miss deadlines and poor grades which jeapordizes her future. Ultimately she ends up losing her virginity to an older artist wanna-be who she has had a long standing crush on.Stripping away Crowe's and Linklater's sentimentality and giving us a dose of whatever we are.
- DirectorLarry ClarkStarsLeo FitzpatrickJustin PierceChloë SevignyA day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.What I would expect from Dickens if he was a Gen X-er.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.No movie ever made is as much fun to attend. This one created the mould - and immediately smashed it to bits like Peter Townshend's guitar through every gender barrier humans have imprisoned themselves with.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsJack NicholsonKaren BlackBilly Green BushA dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.I can relate.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsMark WahlbergChristian BaleAmy AdamsBased on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.I have to respect Bale's dedication. When he hits he confirms his role as one of the greatest actors of his - and any - generation. And no one is so willing to physically destroy themselves to own a role.
- DirectorJim AbrahamsDavid ZuckerJerry ZuckerStarsRobert HaysJulie HagertyLeslie NielsenAfter the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers.Perhaps the best screwball comedy I've ever witnessed. Everything else feels derivative, even those in the genre that preceded it.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppWinona RyderDianne WiestThe solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.Gave me a whole new appreciation for hair stylists. Some seriously original storytelling.
- DirectorVictor FlemingKing VidorStarsJudy GarlandFrank MorganRay BolgerYoung Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.Even in this day and age of CGI and visual FX wizardry this groundbreaker still stuns me with its striking imagery. And it's a great story.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.Almost overwhelming for its intensity on every level. The logical evolution of a Grimm tale.
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.One of the best "dude" flicks ever.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.A true American(a) classic. And I'm pretty sure I've lived next door - and even with - every character in this movie at one point or another.
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsJan-Michael VincentWilliam KattGary BuseyThe lives of some California surfers from the early 1960s to the 1970s.The closest Hollywood has ever gotten to capturing the heart and soul of surf culture. No other film has ever come close. And even this one went softer than it could have.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsKevin SpaceyGabriel ByrneChazz PalminteriThe sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.Brilliantly crafted plot twists and turns. Anything else I say would just be gushing.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsJon VoightBurt ReynoldsNed BeattyIntent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.Come, see America.
- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsHope DavisAlan GelfantPhilip Seymour HoffmanAn unlucky in love nurse finds her life taking a detour when her mother places a personals ad in the paper, while on the other side of Boston, a plumber is trying to change careers.Few movies make me miss being in love. Real chivalry is defined by simplicity.