John Cassavetes‘ Shadows (1959)
My first Cassavetes film, and I only really remember him in Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. Originally conceptualized as a film full of improvisational acting and dialgoue, it was eventually scripted. It does have that uneven spontaneity, but who the f*ck am I to criticize a classic?
John Waters’ Pecker (1998)
My first Waters film, and the fourth photography related DVD in my collection (there’s Antonioni’s Blow Up, the docu Arakimentari, and a collection of Anton Corbijn’s works). Was it photographer-inspiring? No, but it was a funny poke at them art-folk.
Fun movie, not to-be-dismissed for the cheekiness at all. Last movie of the legendary drag-queen Divine. Oh, and there’s a remake, with John Travolta assuming the Edna Turnblad role. See, Divine probably weighs less than a half-ton, and was actually very convincing as a woman. Travolta? Really now.
Lars Von Trier’s Manderlay (2005)
There’s something about Bryce Dallas Howard, that I just can’t put a finger on. Oh yes, I like her, but I’m not sure why. Manderlay is a sequel to Dogville, and there’s a lot less of the pretentiousness of a stage-play-on-film here, which is all too-prevalent in the the Nicole Kidman starrer. However some would consider this an art-house film, I’d rather file this under afternoon boredom-buster.
Thomas Winterberg’s Dear Wendy (2005)
My second Winterberg film (the first was Festen, or The Celebration), this one was written by Von Trier, about a group of self-proclaimed losers, who became the Dandies, a gun-toting Care for a brave comment? Once you’ve seen and carefully analyzed one of these Danish films, you’ll more than likely know what to expect the next time you see another one. Ha! Definitely an unfair generalization, but I do feel that way at times. Nonetheless, interesting stuff.
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001)
I’ve probably seen this more than once, but I don’t have my own copy anymore. It was a delight seeing my apartment-mates finally glued to the TV watching a DVD I bought (they don’t usually do, since, oh, you know, I’m an oddball most times with most things) until the film ended. Just found out this was originally meant to be a TV series instead of a movie.
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I always do try to watch the movie again with the director’s commentary. I find it ridiculous not even wanting to know how a good film was made, when all you have to do is change the sound settings.