You Might Have Missed...

This day, on which I have started work for the second day in a row at 4am, I have had some time to think - and though lately, no time to go out and see new movies, I have had time to revisit some old ones - not necessarily all-time favourites, but maybe ones you haven't seen.

1. The Rundown

Yes, the one with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. And Stifler. Honestly, if you dismissed this movie because of who was in it, give it a shot. It's fun as hell, and features in one scene a guy getting a record player tossed at his back. Also, Rosario Dawson looking phenomenal, and Christopher Walken attempting to explain the tooth fairy to Brazilians. Recommended.

2. War of the Worlds

Another one I suspect some folks may have skipped over thanks to Tom 'I'm going to mention placenta during an interview' Cruise. I've never had an issue with him, beyond that his range is limited. But here, he's used in utterly unsympathetic light to begin with, barely functioning as the patriarch guiding his kids through the alien attack on earth. The tripods, visualized long ago in illustrations for the H.G. Wells original, are brought to graceful and terrifying life here by ILM. I'd say this is worth checking out just to see the mise en scene. Also Tim Robbins digs a tunnel, which, hopefully someone will remember, is not the only thing he can do.

3. Wet Hot American Summer

Get stoned and watch this. And cry laughing. I saw this when I was much younger (for those of us in our mid-twenties, much-younger is anything below 18 I guess) and didn't get it. But then, I didn't get Rushmore the first time I saw it either. Summer is amazingly absurd, just the right amount of random, and light enough to watch during the summer (it's been raining, so there's something you can do).

4. Brick

This is an all-time favourite. Everyone I know, well, they've heard me talk about Brick, but I never get tired of it. It's the detective novel goes to high school story of drugs and a murder, revealed in dialogue that couldn't possibly have been common in the 30s, let alone now. It's awesome, despite this. I have an admitted dude crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is good enough to play this material straight as an arrow, despite a couple scenes where the writing clearly winks at some of the inherent absurdity. The film's world sticks to its conventions, and to that end, you get a backdrop of broken rules, sidestepped law, and femme fatales. This, combined with TV's Veronica Mars, is my noir template for the new millenium.

5. Spirited Away

Honestly, the more I think about it, I think I either wasn't paying attention when I first saw this, or fell asleep, because upon re-watching it, I had the kind of experience you only get when you have not seen what you're seeing, ever before. I would never claim to be an expert on Japanese animation, so this film really blew my brain up. It is vibrant and imaginative and bold in a way (and with a tone) that doesn't exist on this continent. Mesmerizing.

6. The Insider

This, too, is one that has never left me since the first time I watched it. A little research reveals that the story as told in this film is skewed against CBS more than a little, and knowing that doesn't affect my enjoyment at all. This is the story of a corporate whistle-blower, the first to openly and with inside-knowledge, out the addictive quality of cigarettes. A producer for 60 Minutes draws the story out of him against great resistance and inevitably high stakes, then has to deal with corporate maneuvaring to make sure it even gets aired. Al Pacino and Russell Crowe play very well together, lending dimension and completely understandable motivation to their characters. Michael Mann directs, pulling everything together in a phenomenally sober, nimble and elegant package. It's his best movie, and I do love Heat, as well.


That's it for now, god willing I'll be reviewing something new soon.