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Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Big Lebow-wowski

"You don't fuck with the Fleasus."

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

I'ma Gonna Watch Wreck-It Ralph!!!

Bradley just loaned me his Wreck-It Ralph Blu-Ray, and I am going to watch the shit out of this! I've been wanting to see this since I saw the trailer last summer, but my darling misanthrope husband hates animation (except for Madagascar 2!?), and I don't often go to the movies without him. This is happening tonight! 101 minutes of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, and a brilliant premise. It is ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Bradley!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Lucy's Top 100 Movies: 50 - 41

50. Pulp Fiction

On the one hand, this is an homage to film noir (pardon my French), but on the other hand it is like nothing else before it. The only thing that could have possibly made this picture better is if Quentin Tarantino cast Daniel Day Lewis as Vincent Vega instead of John Travolta. Rumor has it Day Lewis wanted the part and was rejected. If this is true then so be it. Still a definitive film.

"I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take ME out and do WHATEVER I WANTED. Now I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good."

Also Check out Mia and Marsellus Walrus as drawn by your's truly.

49. Wild at Heart

David Lynch took leave from Twin Peaks to make this movie. For this reason, I should have deep feelings of resentment here - the series went downhill due to his inauspicious absence - but it's a really good movie, and I can't stay mad at David Lynch.

Lula: One of these days the sun's gonna come up and burn a hole clean through the planet like a giant electrical x-ray.

Sailor: I wouldn't worry about that, Peanut. By then people'll prob'ly be drivin' Buicks to the moon.

48. Being John Malkovich

Possibly the most surreal film of my generation, this movie proves definitively that Charlie Kaufman + Spike Jonze = superior craft work. To Bradley Pooper's chagrin, no doubt, this is also by FAR my favorite Cameron Diaz movie.

"Do you know what a metaphysical can of worms this portal is?"

47. Django Unchained

Can you tell that I like Quentin Tarantino movies yet? His newest flick (at time of posting) is every bit as creative and daring as his previous works. His movies blend comedy, drama, and action seamlessly, so while they are often over the top, they are also in many ways more realistic than movies that are narrowly confined to a single genre. While I'm not fond of the violent and gruesome, I can appreciate why a film like this needs to be splattered in blood. The acting is very good throughout, but Christopher Waltz is once again phenomenal.

"So as I see it, when it comes to the subject of what to do next, you gentlemen have two choices. One: Once I'm gone, you could lift that beast off the remaining Speck, then carry him to the nearest town., which would be at least 37 miles back the way you came. Or two: You could unshackle yourselves, take that rifle, put a bullet in his head, bury the two of them deep, and then make your way to a more enlightened area of this country. The choice is yours. Oh, and on the off chance there are any astronomy aficionados amongst you, the North Star is that one. Tata."

46. Amelie

This film is bewitching and sweet. Audrey Tautou is perfectly cast as the whimsical, good-hearted, titular mischief maker. She and male lead Mathieu Kassovitz are also both stunningly good-looking. I could watch this movie 100 times and not get bored.
It also features the work of one of my favorite living artists, Michael Sowa.

How can you resist that coquettish little smile?

45. Down By Law

Prison sucks. Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, and John Lurie rock. Jim Jarmusch is a great storyteller.

"I scream! You Scream! We all scream for ice cream!"

44. The Dark Knight

From start to end, this movie had my attention. It is bleak at times, and darkly comic, and it is everything a superhero movie should be.

"And...here...we...go!"

43. Rocky Horror Picture Show

This movie is fun. It is weird, and energetic, and funny, and campy, and FUN! The only thing that comes close to Rocky Horror is the musical episode from season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sadly, I've not seen this in the theater, but I fully intend to do so before the end of the decade.

42. The Matrix

When this first came out it blew my mind. It is the first film I ever went to see twice in the theaters, 'cause it is awesome. The action had my heart pounding like I'd just swam the English Channel, and the story was very original at the time, though so many movies have riffed off it since that now the whole "reality isn't real" thing seems done to death.

Also, the detail in this movie is borderline psychotic. Check out Cracked.com's article on the subject.

41. The Big Lebowski

Some of the funniest dialogue of any movie ever.

"Blond Treehorn Thug: [holding up a bowling ball] What the fuck is this?

The Dude: Obviously you're not a golfer."

Lucy's Top 100: Numbers 100-91

Lucy's Top 100: Numbers 90-81

Lucy's Top 100: Numbers 80-71

Lucy's Top 100: Numbers 70-61

Lucy's Top 100: Numbers 60-51

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Lucy's Top 100 Movies: 60 - 51

60. Fight Club

I like Chuck Palahniuk. I've read three of his books (Invisible Monsters, Choke, and Lullaby), and his crazy plot twists surprise me every time. The same is true for Fight Club. Maybe I should have seen it. Maybe I'm just simple. In any event, I love it when a story surprises me and makes me rethink all the events leading up to that point. It also prominently features the song "Where is My Mind" by the Pixies, my favorite band ever.

"I am Jack's smirking revenge."

59. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

This is surely the best possible adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. It's got Ulysses, Penelope, Sirens, the Cyclops, and so much more, yet it isn't fantastical. George Clooney's character has some of the best dialogue ever captured on celluloid.

"Damn! We're in a tight spot."

58. Inception

This is an exceptionally creative, complicated film. I appreciate the ambiguity because it encourages the audience to actually think about and actively engage with the plot instead of passively watching it. I for one have a very strong opinion about the ending, and maybe I will expand upon that in another post, but not here because I don't want any spoilers.

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."

57. Adaptation

This is the perfect showcase for screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's talent for blurring the line between fiction and reality. It is the apotheosis of meta. A good film for a thinker.

John Laroche: Who's gonna play me?

Susan Orlean: Well, I've gotta write the book first, John. Then, you know, they get somebody to write the screenplay.

John Laroche: Hey, I think I should play me.

56. Rescue Dawn

Werner Herzog told this story once before with the documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly." His fascination is totally justified, as it is an inspiring and compelling lesson in the human experience. I've heard that Christian Bale was thrilled to play this part, as he is a huge Herzog fan. Because of his admiration for the director, and because of his own tendency to dedicate himself to his craft beyond what many would deem reasonable, Christian Bale often put himself in harm's way during filming. Aside from losing 55 pounds, he did almost all his own stunts and ate real worms. The plane crash sequence was the only scene in which a stunt double was used, and the double apparently sustained burns to his face.

"I remember, I was in the attic with my brother. We were looking out, and we see this fighter plane, beautiful, coming right at us. And it's firing from its wings. And I see the machine gun, it's flashing and - whooosh - it goes flying past the house. It's so close. I mean, it's *feet* away from the house. And the canopy was open. And this pilot, he had his goggles up on his helmet. And I could see his eyes. And he was looking at me. Right at me. He's looking right at me. And then as he turns to go, he's starting back, he's looking right at me still. And the thing is, from that moment on, little Dieter, he needed to fly."

55. Heathers

This gave me nightmares about ingesting household cleaning products, but I nevertheless have always loved this super-dark high school comedy. Maybe it helps that I could never fit in with the popular crowd, like Winona Ryder's character. It certainly helps that Christian Slater has a big part. In any event, I dig this film.

1988 - When the power suit combined with high school girls to create one of the greatest fashion chimeras of all time.

54. The Royal Tenenbaums/The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I couldn't choose between these two titles, and I like them both for the same exact reason, so while two titles in one spot ≠ a proper list, I would rather tout their combined merits than distinguish between them. I like Wes Anderson. Not everybody is so smitten with his quirky humor and his love of the surreal, but it speaks deeply to an oddball like me.

"Anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers and hittin' the cemetery?" - Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums

"Don't point that gun at him! He's an unpaid intern." - Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

53. Do the Right Thing

I like that this movie leaves you asking more questions than when you came in. It is a multi-faceted depiction of of a community, showing what that community means to different people and how race is a critical component of that definition.
Bonus: Barack and Michelle Obama saw this movie on their first date.

By the way, that is Giancarlo Esposito on the right, a.k.a Gus Fring from Breaking Bad.

52. Life of Brian

Blasphemy done right.

51. The Jerk

In the TV show "Freaks & Geeks," Sam breaks up with his girlfriend Cindy after she complains that The Jerk wasn't funny. That was a smart move. How can you build a relationship with someone who lacks such basic comedic sensibility? It's impossible.