Only The Young

Number one in my films I didn't see regrets is Only The Young....

I love you. That's the matter.

A scene from 'Four Nights of A Dreamer" a super rare Bresson print I saw in the cinema last year. You can, of course watch the whole thing here on the YouTubes.

Also I wrote this about Four Nights of A Dreamer and a bunch of other Bresson gems, that you should watch ASAP.

Ms.45

Just watched Abel Ferrara's rape revenge movie Ms. 45. I haven't seen heaps of his stuff, but I was really struck by Zoe Lund in a clip I saw randomly on YouTube so I just had to watch the whole thing, about 60 minutes. Lund is totally amazing as the victim turned vigilante, also she's mute, which makes acting even more of a challenge.

Ferrara owns the streets of NYC. Also the costumes really kick ass.

New favourite director ALERT!

I saw Joachim Trier's film, 'Oslo, 31 August' at TIFF last year, and I totally loved everything about it. Understated, starring semi-hip 20-somethings, who are contemplative and somewhat morose, quirky narrative style - yes, I'm SO on board! Not that I want in anyway to reduce a beautiful, affecting, work of art like 'Oslo, 31 August' to a bunch of conventions that I just happen to always love, because well, its better than that. Definitely one of my faves of last year, that I feel like not many people saw, and as such, I'm kicking myself that I forgot it for The Playlist Underrated/Overrated.

I'm also halfway through Reprise (his first film), and I can't believe I love it as much as 'Oslo, 31 August', maybe more! I hope I don't have to wait another 5 years for the next Joachim Trier movie (say it ain't so).

“There's a lot of things in life worth living for, isn't there.”

Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966)  - George Kuchar

I finally saw It Came from Kuchar, which was so good and so inspiring, I totally recommend it. The Kuchar's has such a positive can-do attitude towards film making, which I feel is rare, at least among me and my friends, we are more likely to obsess over 5 seconds rather than just make something 5 minutes thats pretty good.

I've also really got to track down some of their films, but the clips I saw from Hold Me While I'm Naked, especially resonated with me, and the ending!

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

One of Nicholas Ray's best - "In A Lonely Place"

Best Movies You've Never Seen #12

Flannel Pajamas (2006) - Jeff Lipsky

This film feels like it was made in the 90s - which is about as high a compliment as I can give. Not quite up to the dialogue of that period but it does have that great low budget feel and relationship focus that just makes me shiver all over. My movie turn-ons include - overly talky (preferably relationship focused), low budget aesthetic and brunette leads. Flannel PJ's ticks dem boxes.

O Rebelde!

Confession - I haven't actually watched Tuff Turf as yet. It stars a very young, very pretty, very swoonable - did I mention pretty? - James Spader (ps. SWOON).

Judging by the outfits and narrated trailer alone, I'm gonna bet this is a film that will be added to the hallowed halls of the best movies you've (I've) never seen. I like how it reflects my up and down relationship with 80s fashion - the more conservative everyone else dresses (aka North America I'm looking at chu) the more I long for some colour and sex AKA personal style beyond Urban Outfitters. 80s you ain't looking so bad.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #11

Broken English (2007) - Zoe R. Cassavetes

Parker Posey is my Spirit Animal.

I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

'I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With' is one of my all time favourite titles. Apparently it makes Larry David uncomfortable because it ends with a preposition - 'with' (just in case you were wondering) - which is amazing to know because Larry David uncomfortable is about as unfathomable to me as time travel.

This movie contains a lot of my favourite things like Second City and stars both Jeff Garlin (of 'Curbed') and Sarah Silverman (of awesome-town).

If you in anyway doubt Sarah Silverman's devotion to cheese please watch the below.



Also she recently published a novel(!) called 'The Bedwetter' which is about well, pee from what I can gather - you can read the first chapter here.

ALSO she recently got dissed on via Twitter by the TED/AOL crew for her TED talk (which no one will ever see I guess but you can get the lowdown here). Peep the Twitter back and forth - kinda shows why you don't get into a pissing contest with a former bedwetter right?

P.A.G.A.N. (People Against Goodness And Normalcy)

I'm about to watch Dragnet (1987) based on this video alone (how GOOD is Tom Hanks rapping?) can't believe I haven't seen this yet. This is going to be a good weekend - I can tell.

(via NOGOODFORME)

Best Movies You've Never Seen #10

Zero Effect (1998) - Jake Kasdan

I love Bill Pullman - I was in a movie recently that hit a lull and Bill Pullman randomly showed up in the film for 5 minutes and people literally cheered. I love Ben Stiller too but not quite as much. Anyway Zero Effect is like a 90s Sherlock Holmes with an awesome soundtrack.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #9

The Baxter (2005) - Michael Showalter

I love Michael Showalter. Confession, I may have missed The State but I've seen both The Ten and Wet Hot American Summer both enough times to make up for it. Though I totally get that both of those movies are a certain brand of humour I'd say that The Baxter is the film that would unify pro-Showalters with Showalter-haters. That is if anyone saw it.

An ode to the romantically challenged (which for film nerds is like shooting fish in a barrel right?) The Baxter is about the guy who gets left at the altar in your typical romantic comedy - and how will-he-won't-he finally figure out how to get the girl. Its kinda like Showalter's take on Woody Allen - yet unlike Allen in most of his film Showalter seems less virile and more dull, nice and likeable - but still funny of course.

Basically if there was a prize for the best rom com of the last ten years this would be my choice.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #8

Citizen Ruth (1996) - Alexander Payne

"Ruth: You wanna send a message? I ain't no fucking telegram, bitch!"

So its pretty much a given that Alexander Payne is a genius (at least pre-2002) 'About Schmidt' and 'Election' were both absolutely brilliant black comedies - same goes for 'Citizen Ruth' - a black comedy about abortion. You'd have to be some sort've comic mastermind to pull this off - I have no idea why someone this smart got sucked into the mishmash of crap that was 'Paris J'taime'.

Also did I mention Laura Dern stars as the loveable/hateable pregnant Citizen Ruth?

Both offensive and insightful, this is one the best films that it really seems nobody has seen.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #7

La double vie de Véronique (1991) - Krzysztof Kieślowski

So I'm trying to include things that aren't French into my viewing schedule but I still seem to be magnetically drawn to the 90s era of filmmaking - I can't help it!

I am one of these people that still hasn't seen the Three Colours Cycle - yet, its something I hope to remedy ASAP - so this was my first Kieślowski film. I loved it so much. My attitude to Kieślowski reminds me of how I avoided reading Camus because everyone loves him so much and bangs on about how great he is, including a lot of people whose taste you doubt, but then you finally read him and realise why everybody loves him - because he's awesome.

Back to the film, I love the idea of fate vs free will and all that, so the subject matter was was totally up my alley. Also it has the most beautiful soundtrack - something that both me and my mother (and grandmother) would probably love if you get my drift. All that and dual-lead Irene Jacob is absolutely amazing in this as well. I now want to track down some of her other films as well.

TRIVIA - Harvey Weinstein asked Kieślowski for an alternate ending for the US release of 'The Double Life of Veronika' which of course is included in the Criterion edition - oh Criterion how I love/loathe you equally. Like I don't have enough on my Criterion wishlist anyway!

Best Movies You've Never Seen #6

Do The Right Thing (1989) - Spike Lee

I can't imagine walking into a cinema in 1989 and seeing the opening credits for Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing' it must have been the best feeling in the entire world. It still stands in my mind as the BEST opening credit sequence of all time. Also the rest of the film looks and sounds just as fresh, bright and exciting it literally pops off the screen. I think I've convinced myself to watch it again soon.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #5

Kicking and Screaming (1995) - Noah Baumbach

"I'm nostalgic for conversations I had yesterday. I've begun reminiscing events before they even occur. I'm reminiscing this right now."

Theres a certain breed of 90s films which I just adore. There are usually just post coming of age, almost like what comes after university where a bunch of young slackers sit around and talk crap about life and relationships. Sounds boring but the scripts were always absolutely winning - incredibly insightful, quotable and funny (see above). The characters were also half charming and half hopeless and there were rarely any proper happy endings which appealed to the eternal romantic cynic in me. Noah Baumbach (who cuts quite the dapper headshot) made a few of these films most notably 'Kicking and Screaming', but also 'Highball' and 'Mr Jealousy' - before he started delving into the darker side of his family history with 'Squid and The Whale' and 'Margot at the Wedding'.

He's also got a new film out called 'Greenberg' which looks like 'Kicking and Screaming' for the over-40s with a bit of Manic Pixie Mumblecore Girl thrown in. I want to like it so much I'm having trouble figuring out why I hated it? If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

you're my girl, i'm your girl

Speaking of all things women in rock, and as I am talking about 'My So Called Life' whenever I can, I thought I should mention a film that I saw in my teens that I became totally obsessed with - and in my mind is (or was) a precursor to 'My So Called Life' - called 'Girl'.



Girl (dir. Jonathan Kahn, 1998)

'Girl' starred late 90s ingenue Dominiqe Swain in the lead role and yes she does look a bit like Claire Danes with the fair skin and red hair, and yes one was called Andrea and the other Angela, AND both had a penchant for over-thinking, um, everything - but the main thing that 'MSCL' and 'Girl' have in common is the story line about a mid-teens middle class girl throwing in her safe middle-of-the-road high-achieving lifestyle for a more "dangerous" grunge crowd - hello the 90s - and also allowing them to pursue their fantasy man from the wrong side of the tracks who also happens to be in a band.

Both 'Girl' and 'MSCL' are incredibly well down, and authentically "of the time". Honestly I don't know why it seems so hard for people in film and TV to create complex characters and relative simple story's like these but its so rare that its done right.

Just an aside but the whole groupie storyline also makes it a great companion for double feature screenings with 'Almost Famous' another favourite from my adolescence.

'Girl' is based on the book by Blake Nelson (which yes, I own and yes he is such a DUDE e.g. Girl started as 3 part excerpts in Sassy Magazine) and had a ridiculously good late 90s cast including Selma Blair, Tara Reid (as the lesbian punk skater no less), Summer Phoenix, Portia de Rossi and a brief but pivotal cameo by Adam Scott which I've mentioned before here. Yet it still went straight to video? What is wrong with these distribs?

TRIVIA! Just for real nerds of either 'Girl or 'My So Called Life' though - everyone else please skip ahead:

• theres a scene in both where they accidentally walk into a room with their fantasy object of desire man and the door locks behind them.
• AND there is also a moment in both where they hanging out late at venue - past curfew - waiting for said fantasy man and they get put in a car just as said man arrives but they share a long gaze - which anybody who ever had a teenage crush will know is manna from heaven.
• I'm sure theres more but these are just a couple of 'similarities' that spring to mind.

Now I just have one more thing to get out of my system - The Colour Green! Todd Sparrow! Cow Print Dress! OK I'm done. See this movie.

I'm perfect! But nobody in this shithole gets me, because I don't put out!

In honour of my Runaways obsession I thought I should also mention two of my all time favourite girl-group movies as well. These are definite must-see's - some of the best quotes and fashions as well as of course amazing soundtracks.



Satisfaction (1988) - Joan Freeman

Satisfaction stars not only a very young Julia Roberts (check the Bo Derek hair) but also a smooth faced Liam Neeson. 'Mystery' the band in the movie (4 girls and yr token male keyboardist) mainly rocked covers but rocked them hard - seriously I get tired watching them play in this film. They don't take crap from any of the men in the film either - even the ones they love and they also had the most incredibly inspiring hair - particularly bad-ass drummer Mooch whose massive curly do (plus model perfect face) made her way too gorgeous to be portraying the awkward tomboy.

I love it when they try and make the most beautiful girls look ugly to fit a character stereotype and then suddenly put them in a dress and everyone's like 'Woah! Who knew that was under there?'. Pfft.



Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982) - Lou Adler

This film is so hard to find so if you get an opportunity to see it - just go! Or if your desperate. I dare you to leave not wanting to be Corinne "Third Degree" Burns (played be a then young and incredibly precocious Diane Lane). Also stars the always amazing Laura Dern whose mother objected to the 13-year-old's presence on the set of the film, but a defiant Dern sued for emancipation - very rock n' roll.

One of the many great things about this film is the songs in this movie are also great - especially 'Waste of Time' and as the girls rise to the top their skunk stripe hair and lack of clothes (some might say these days Lady Gaga-esque) become a all the rage with young girls everywhere and their slogan "We Don't Put Out" becomes the anthem of girl power. They really don't make them like this any more.

Best Movies You've Never Seen #4

Walking and Talking (1996) - Nicole Holofcener

This is the only clip I could find of this film - I think it was uploaded by some dwarf bowling enthusiasts. Anyway this film is one of those awesome 90s more talking than walking (awful pun) films about life and relationships - covering off everything from 'the ugly guy' to 'the boyfriend-to friend-back to boyfriend' as well as the pitfalls to sharing a pet with your best friend among other things. Awesome cast and best film Holofcener ever did in my opinion. Its totally adorable and sweet (and mean and funny) and I just want to smoosh its cheeks and watch it again.

In other new news Holofcnener and her muse Keener have a new film out in 2010 called 'Please Give' doesn't look as good as Walking and Talking but when has a lacklustre preview stopped me before?