Movies, Actors, Etc
There are too many good and great movies to list.
What we have here are a few of the movies (that I can remember) that are particularly
special to me (in no significant order).
- Almost anything directed by John Woo (e.g.. A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The
Killer, Hardboiled) (by the way, if you pay any attention to these movies, you'll find
that Mr. Woo is interested in more than just amazing gun/action scenes...he always shows
the import of honor and humanity)
- Almost anything starring Chow Yun Fat (trust me, this guy is a superstar)
- Almost anything starring Johnny Depp (amazing actor, with a knack for picking quirky yet
powerful screenplays)
- Almost anything starring John Malkovich (one of the world's finest and most talented
living actors on stage and on the big screen) The Killing Fields, Death of a Salesman,
Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice and Men, Heart of Darkness, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, etc
etc . . .
- The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (best, most original, most touching
coming-of-age film I've seen), read the book, its even better.
-
BUBBA HO-TEP is Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell's amazing film based on a short
story by acclaimed mojo author Joe R. Lansdale. Leaving the theater
after this film, I was not the most excited or moved as I'd ever been. I
was affected, touched by this story and haunted by it. This film is
exceptional, and it keeps growing... Pretty impressive for a limited budget
job concerning Elvis, JFK, and a re-animated Egyptian mummy. The whole effort
is touching, comic, tragic, and honest all at the same time. The film works.
Bruce Campbell (as Elvis) gives the performance of a lifetime, and Ossie Davis
(as JFK) is touching. Brian Tyler's score is an integral part of the whole,
and yet the CD is worthwhile on its own.
- Almost anything starring Jodie Foster (her beauty, grace, talent, and
character defy [my] words)
- Watch for Chloe Sevigny; awesome talent, looks, and way cool sense of what
scripts to accept
- Uma Thurman is an actress worth looking out for too
- Milla Jovovich - I nearly always enjoy her in movies. She can sing and
perform well too! (I was lucky enough to see her after the debut of her CD, performing
with her band in a small club [the Tinker Street Cafe] in Woodstock)
- "O" (Tim Blake Nelson's [remember him from 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?]
modern story of Othello. Believe it or not, this is the most powerful
(and most upsetting) version that I've ever seen)
- Monster's Ball - the more I watch this, the more I appreciate it.
The movie reminds me of how hard, yet how important it is to be who you are,
no matter what family, friends and others might think.
- Almost anything by Sergio Leone, but particularly his 'Man with no name
trilogy' ('A Fistful of Dollars', 'For a Few Dollars More', and 'The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly'). 'Once Upon a Time in the West' is classic too
- High Plains Drifter
- The Magnificent Seven (and of course The Seven Samurai)
- Meet Joe Black
- The Princess Bride
- West Side Story
- Romeo and Juliet (Zeferelli's and the 1990s version)
- Almost all the James Bond movies
- Diva
- Man Facing Southeast
- Elling (wonderful, warm, different. check out this Norwegian fare!)
- Lost in Translation
- Brother From Another Planet
- The Omega Man
- Alice's Restaurant
- Kill Bill Vol. I (great just as an action movie, one of the best
movies I've seen (from a film aficionado perspective))
- Kill Bill Vol. II (different, more subtle. Vol. I was a volley of visual
machine gun blasts, Vol. II is story, Tarantino twists and dialog, and in the
end: human)
- Pulp Fiction (obviously I like Tarantino's style, plus we grew up watching
and absorbing the same movies and culture - I relate)
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (how can I NOT like a movie whose message is "Be
Excellent to Each Other"?? Maybe if we were all a bit more naively unassuming, the
world would be a more excellent place)
- El Mariachi, Desperado, Dawn 'til Dusk (Rodriguez / Tarantino)
- The Crow
- Almost any old 'Godzilla', 'Mothra', 'Gamera', etc etc movie
- Ciao Professore
- Room with a View
- Chung King Express (contains an adorable chinese version of the Cranberries' song:
"Dreams")
- Shakespeare In Love
- Don Juan DeMarco (a wonderful, fun movie, especially for those who wish, hope and
dream... )
- Wizards (an animated film by Ralph Bakshi. A hard fantasy of Good conquering Evil. Some
of Bakshi's best trademark animation genre. As usual, a good deal of comic tongue in
cheek. Did I mention Good versus Evil?!)
- What Happened Was... (Sundance Grand Jury prize winner. A 2-actor tour-de-force. Written
by Tom Noonan. Starring Tom Noonan and Karen Sillas. One of the most humanly powerful (and
disturbing) movies you may see. It is 'just' a blind-date. . .the two find themselves
straying deeper into the unmapped territories of their carefully guarded personal
illusions, passionate longings, and long-buried secrets.)
- When Night is Falling (A compelling and beautiful film from Canada. Strong performances
by Henry Czerny and David Fox; entrancing performances by Pascale Bussieres and Rachael
Crawford; fascinating locales/settings. The primary settings are a theological university,
contrasted ingeniously with the temporary home of an artistic and dreamy (like Cirque du
Soleil) band of circus performers. Oddly (you'll have to watch the film) this is one of
the purest, most wonderful,and most beautiful loves that I have ever seen portrayed. Hey,
throw in 'running away with the circus', and a joyous ending-sequence (watch the credits)
and you'll find that this is a truly rare, and touching film.)
- The Iron Giant (An animated feature of (what used to be) a VERY rare
British children's book (I have a mint copy somewhere). I was 1st introduced
to the story by Pete Townsend's rock opera also based on the book)
- Roy Orbison Black and White Night (Proves that magic is black and white...
all I can say is WOW!)
- My Life as a Dog
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
- The Wall
- My Cousin Vinny
- sex and lucia (a neat flick)
- Two Family House
- Enchanted April
- Heathers
- The Sleeping Dictionary
- Illuminata
- The Shootist
- The Quiet Man
- George Washington (interesting story of young black boys, bound together
by a secret)
Ok, I give up for now. . .
See ya!
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