The Video Rental Thread

[SiliasRuby]

JD's Revenge

*Spoliers*
A very serious Blaxploitation film thats undeniably 70's. It couldn't have been made in any other decade. The basic plot is that a mild mannered law school student/cabdriver gets possessed by a 1940's pimp/gangster who's out for revenge again the man who killed him and his family. Its pure odd, cool, ridiculousness. Glynn Turman's ('Cooley High'; Mayor Clarence Royce in "The Wire")dive into the demented feels all too real and natural. Playing two characters simultaneously with ease you can see the prowess, his passion, his intensity. Coming out the same year as 'Taxi Driver', you can't help but compare the two performances. It almost rivals De Niro's transformation in Scorsese's Classic but the more I think about it the more I think about Glynn was trying to emulate some similarities to what Bob did with Travis.

Anyway, its seriously disturbing and more than a couple notches than most of the blaxploitation films of the 70's. Check it out if that floats your boat. Its streaming on netflix now.

[Stefen]

Has anyone seen The Troll Hunter?





It looks like a lot of fun. I love these types of documentaryish monster movies. I really liked Cloverfield minus the stupid characters and this looks to be in the same style.

There's a copy floating around online, but it doesn't have hard coded subs and since I stream to my 360 and PS3, I need to have them. Hate watching movies on my little 17in computer monitor.

[SiliasRuby]

How To Kill Your Neighbor's Dog

A curmudgeon of a writer tries to find inspiration in 'horrible' LA...
I know-great log line but I found myself more and more intrigued and sympathetic with the protagonist who is kind of a ugly person.
I really enjoyed better than I thought it would be and more people should really see it.

[SiliasRuby]

'Sid and Nancy

A wonderful portrait of one of the most volitile love couples that ever collided with one another. It also shows a clique of people who's 'fuck it all' attitude ruled the world for a short amount of time. Now, every once in a long while someone meets their soul mate-someone they were meant to be with.... This is one such couple.

[I Love a Magician]

moved last month and my roku box hasn't turned on since. been renting from this place in town, Wild and Woolly, and watching more movies than i have in a long time

- house of games
- homicide
- the verdict
- hardcore (schrader)
- videodrome
- dead ringers
- 3 women
- the hit
- insignificance
- blow out
- something wild
- wise blood
- tell them anything you want: a portrait of maurice sendak

suck it, netflix

[Stefen]

^Do you see any similarities between Wise Blood and PTA?

Does anyone else go through this and the I just bought thread to try and find the next thing to add to your Netflix queue when you send a movie back?

[SiliasRuby]

'30 days of night'

This is a brutal and disgusting B horror film about vampires that is worth checking out. Josh Hartnett goes with the flow like Nic cage is doing now and really has fun in this ridiculous and utterly riveiting-so wrong its right-movie. Surprising and wild this gives an interesting spin on the vampire movie. Only one scare though....

[tpfkabi]

Has anyone seen The Census Taker?
This TV played it and it sounded interesting so I recorded it. Like films such as Troll 2 and The Room this has midnight movie cult hit written all over it. A lot of scenes are of the quality of the aforementioned, but they are some good bits and it even has a weird, unique soundtrack by The Residents. Despite it's low points, it was fun to watch and I do feel it actually is a good story idea.

[SiliasRuby]

'Do You remember Dolly Bell'

This is a sweet heartbreaking film about falling in love with a hooker. Its one the best hooker movies ever produced. It really touched me in a deep way.

[SiliasRuby]

'Rush'

Possibly one of the best depictions of drug addiction ad drug culture that I've ever seen and from what I've heard it was also one of the first ones that really impressed the critics. let me tell you. The critics don't lie. Excellent piece of celloid and they don't make it fun to watch at all.

[SiliasRuby]

Stephen Kings Desperation
A above average adaptation of one of my favorite stephen king novels. I had a real ball and the cast did an amazing job of portraying the characters as they were supposed to be portrayed. Ron Pearlman is righteous as the embodiment of Tak.

[SiliasRuby]

'The Hospital'

This is possibly one of the darkest satires/dramas I've seen from the 1970's. Creative, interesting, and really surprising. It danced with my emotions. Make me inspired to want to write films again. So many things are happening in this film that sometimes its tough to keep up with everything. Our grizzled hero (George C Scott) is distraught and feeling ugly in this bold drama. See it. Do it. Make it happen.

[Neil]

I recently realized that the library is way cooler than netflix and Hulu, and the best part is that i'm already paying for the library.  So, i've been able to see tons of awesome flicks that i'd never seen and in some cases never heard of.  I posted some of these in another thread but this seems more appropriate to list here.  There will most likely be spoils.  There will also probably dumb things said, because i don't properly know how to discuss film.

Persona - Having read nothing about this film, I'm not entirely sure what it is about.  I took it at face value from the get-go, but by the end I was wondering if they were the same person, or who was analyzing who.  It seems like this film is much deeper than I understand, but the editing in the beginning is just wild.  It's almost like telling you, "you're watching a constructed film," then we see an erect penis, yada yada yada. After this crazy avant garde editing sequence, we cut to someone being crucified.  Wow.  There's just such a modern take on film, I can't even begin to discuss. We're constantly reminded of a constructed narrative and then seeing the film crew at the end. JEEEZ. Neato.  I watched this with my girlfriend and she actually squirmed and gasped as Elisabeth walked back and forth by the broken glass. So, it just works on so many different levels.  It's the only Bergman film i've seen thus far.

Blowup and Blow-out - I watched Blow-out first, knowing nothing about the film Blowup.  I thought it was a great film about making movies and a great thriller.  When watching Baumbach interview De Palma on some of the special features, I noticed that he wasn't quick to identify his film with Blowup and after watching Blowup I found out why.  Blow-out, though it's an awesome film, is far more shallow than Blowup.  Blow-out is great, but it's pretty much a what you see is what you get type of movie.  I mean this in the sense that, Blowup leaves a lot up to the viewer and Blow-out takes more of a Hitchcokian turn with restricted and unrestricted knowledge.   Although Blowup is the only Antonioni film i've seen, I love the deep ideas that it toys with.  The first idea I love in the film, is the idea that, in order to gain knowledge and perspective on something, one must be more than just a voyeur.  One must participate in it, and when he or she begins to do that they can comment on it or try and figure it out with more accuracy. I don't think I believe in that idea necessarily, but it works well within the film.  I've not read the short story for Blowup, but I've been told it can explain some of the film.  Originally I thought the film was saying, "the closer you look at something the less you know about it, sort of like Tony Shalhoub's uncertainty dialogue in, "the man who wasn't there."  but, i'm not so sure if that's what the film is trying to convey.

Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia - Well, what an awesome premise and a brilliant way to treat your characters.  I just loved Bennie in this film.  I read somewhere that he Warren Oates was doing his best Peckinpah impersonation which makes the myth of Peckinpah ring truer and truer.  I just loved the entire layout and pacing of this film.  Nearly two hours long and it works down to each minute. So much is accomplished in this film it just blows my mind.  It's a pure action romp but that doesn't take away from the film whatsoever.

Night of the hunter - Easily one of the most terrifying stories ever put to screen and harshly believable.  Another tale where you get minimal details but there's nothing else you need to know to get wrapped up in it.  Charles Laughton directs one of the most fatastic films i've ever seen.  The sets are so elaborate and so realistic and a Good vs. Evil story line has never been so good.  Also the device of using "Love" and "Hate" tattooed on the knuckles was used brilliantly.  I truly wish I had more to say about it.  But there's just something really creepy about a serial killer who is a zealot as well.  It's what i secretly think most religious zealots are up to.


Others include:

The Blob
Sullivan's Travels
Out of the Past
The Lickerish Quartet
Jazz on a Summer's Day

[SiliasRuby]

Croupier
Something that Clive Owen fans will adore, this drama/mystery will astound you and make you want to watch it again for clues and hints that lead to the ending that has such a left turn that anyone will be surprised.  A smart delight of a celloid classic that will be known as a unappreciated gem as time goes by.

Wristcutters
A love story for overtramatized suicide teens and 20 somethings that is clever but slightly indulgent. I think I liked the premise and overall idea more than the film itself. Its the performances that sparkle in this depression of a film.

Brubaker
Really epic prison movie that came out in 1980, a film thats really a 1970's film. An under-rated performance by redford and his last performance before he went on a extended hiatus that was lifted with 1984's The Natural.

[SiliasRuby]

'The Perfect Host'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334553/
A Solid film with a hellava couple twists you won't see. Think this would be a better play than a movie. Really clever and very witty.

'Morning Glory'
A Grizzled Harrison Ford, a peppy albeit Rachel McAdams, and a Whiny Diane Keaton makes this comedy trying to be 'Broadcast News' really shine. Its worth it if you have a girlfriend who wants to see a romantic comedy that isn't too sweet or saccharine. I have to admit-I laughed out loud at some of the ridiculous screwball moments in the flick.