Old Reviews: Harold & Maude and Chinatown

Classics. I'm cheating this week by recommending two classics from the 70s instead of giving more of a variety. The first is Hal Ashby's 1971 "Harold & Maude." I have only just recently watched this for the first time. It was great and really captures interesting features of the time. I won't ruin who dies. Soundtrack by Cat Stevens! It's only on Netflix Instant for one more week!

The second is Roman Polanski's 1974 neo-noir "Chinatown." I must say that this is a very complex movie. I had to watch a few times to fully appreciate all the details of the plot and mystery. Well, or maybe I just got older as I watched it again and again. The cinematography is very enjoyable. Jack Nicholson, as usual, is perfect. (Speaking of Jack Nicholson, everyone should give "The Shining" a recent viewing as the documentary on it "Room 237" is coming soon!) It's only on Netflix Instant for one more week! Look for the Roman Polanski cameo!

Old Reviews: Groundhog Day and The Crying Game

Popcorn flicks. Harold Ramis's 1993 "Groundhog Day" is only on Netflix Instant for one more week! It's like the pop version of Bela Tarr's 2011 "Turin Horse." It's a movie that is really funny and witty. Bill Murray classic.

Neil Jordan's 1992 romance/thriller "The Crying Game" is my other popcorn flick o' the week. I remember when my grandma showed me this, and the "shock" was really shocking. But having just recently rewatched this gem, I think it was fairly obvious. So naive, I was. This movie is interesting because it's almost like two different movies wrapped into one. A decent comparison might be a cross between David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" and Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." It's on Netflix Instant!

Old Reviews: Metropolis and The Piano

Art House. For the main course of art house fare this week, I'm serving up Fritz Lang's classic 1927 "Metropolis." A bit of German expressionism at it's best. I absolutely love the "Moloch" scene and the humanoid's sexy dance number. The lighting, art direction, and special effects are all pretty friggin fantastic for the time and even now. You really don't want to miss out one this experience. "Metropolis" has inspired many other science fiction films including Ridley Scott's 1982 "Blade Runner." Catch "Metropolis" on Netflix Instant!

English-language art house fare on the menu this week is Jane Campion's 1993 "The Piano." This is a very, very beautiful feminist movie, which takes place in New Zealand. The blues and greens of the New Zealand landscape are breathtaking. Two scenes are incredibly heartbreaking/awesome (depending on how you're watching it), but I can't describe them without ruining the movie. You just have to watch it! Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, and Sam Neill (but no dinosaurs) are all stunningly good. Oh yeah: Anna Paquin is also in it! She's adorable! Thanks to my granny for showing me this one so long ago. Haven't forgotten about it since. Catch it on Netflix Instant y'all!

Old Reviews: Sherlock Jr. and The Conversation

Classics. Classic from the 20s-40s goes to Buster Keaton's short 1924 "Sherlock Jr." Last week I recommended Charlie Chaplin's "Gold Rush," so, it seemed only fitting to balance it out with my favorite Keaton movie this week. Any everyone should watch it because it's only 44mins! You pretty much have no excuse! This one's just as good, if not better, than his extremely popular "The General." "Sherlock Jr." went on to inspire other great movies like Woody Allen's 1985 "Purple Rose of Cairo." Seriously, everyone watch it on Netflix Instant! Get into the slapstick spirit!

Classic from the 50s-70s goes to Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 "The Conversation." The more I ponder it, the more I really think that this, more than "Apocalypse Now" or the first two "Godfather" films, is my favorite Coppola movie. The ending scene and the hotel scene are some of the best in cinematic history! Chills just went up my spine thinking about them. The opening scene is also one of the most memorable. Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, and Robert Duvall are all a force to be reckoned with. It was inspired by the 1966 film "Blow-up" by Michelangelo Antonioni (one of my all-time favs). Watch it on Netflix Instant!

Old Reviews: The Pianist and Reservoir Dogs

Popcorn Flicks. Popcorn drama of the week goes to Roman Polanski's 2002 "The Pianist." I must say, it's time for a rewatch for me. I remember really loving this movie, but it's been years since I've seen it. It's about a Polish-Jewish pianist (Adrien Brody) during WWII. It's based on the memoirs of the main character. Surely one of the best of the last decade. It's on Netflix Instant!

Popcorn genre (heist/crime) flick of the week goes to Quentin Tarantino's 1992 "Reservoir Dogs." I recently had the pleasure of seeing this on the big screen for the first time in my life. It was wonderful! I have to say, this is probably my favorite Tarantino movie. After I watch a Tarantino movie, I usually think, "now that's my favorite Tarantino movie," but then time passes and I always come running back to Mr. Pink and friends (well, or "Jackie Brown" haha). It's on Netflix Instant!

Old Reviews: Zero Dark Thirty

My initial review is a thumbs down. Other than Argo, this is the most overrated movie of 2012. Here's how I see it. Kathryn Bigelow faced a dilemma before making this movie. On the one hand, she makes an institutional-level procedural with a matter-of-fact tone. If she chooses this path, she must focus on more than one character, must not make other characters (e.g., bosses and military personnel) one-dimensional and she must therefore make a mini-series or a tv show on HBO to give the entire institution it's due. Perhaps David Simon could write it for her. On the other hand, she makes a movie about a decade of subjective experience with a, well, subjective tone. If she chooses this path, she must focus on one or two characters and make a less than three hour movie. Kathryn Bigelow chose neither. Instead she choose the matter-of-fact tone with a focus on one character. I did not hate this movie (it has some redeeming qualities (e.g., there's no manipulation of emotions as in Hurt Locker)), but it is not a good movie. I do not recommend it based on this opinion. But I do recommend watching it so that you can form your own opinion. Well maybe I do and maybe I don't. I don't want to make this movie seem more important than it is (hell, maybe that's why I didn't have a positive experience; after all Ebert called it a "slam-bang action picture" really?). Bigelow seems to have a skill set that only allows her to make military men on a mission interesting.

Old Reviews: Days of Heaven and Let the Right One In

Art House. Ah yeah, here we go, y'all! For an English-language film that I consider "art house," I'm choosing Terrence Malick's 1978 "Days of Heaven." Terrence Malick is one of the most consistent directors of all-time/still working today. "Days of Heaven" was his second feature film. As with most Malick films, it's less about story-arc and dialogue and more about visuals and atmosphere. Haskell Wexler did the interesting hand-held cinematography at the beginning of the film, but Nestor Almendros's work in the rest of the film is THE reason to watch this movie. Most of the movie was filmed during magic hour, so, it took forever to shoot. However, it's all the better for it. Of course, the night-time locusts scene is stunning as well. Netflix Instant!!!

For a foreign-language art film, I'm choosing Tomas Alfredson's 2008 "Let the Right One In." Forget the pointless English-language remake. Trust me, I watched both. Why remake something that's already perfect? Ugh. Anyway, I'm recommending this for at least two reasons. First, it's one of my favorite movies of the last decade. Hands down. Second, I noticed that some crappy horror movie called "Texas Chainsaw 3D" is making a lot of money in theaters right now. Well, if you want horror, watch this rather than spend your money on that. This movie has interesting romantic elements as well. BUT IT AIN'T NO TWILIGHT SAGA! So watch this instead of that as well. The cinematography is brilliant. It's on Netflix Instant!!!