After Hours (1985)

An uptight pencil pusher (Griffin Dunne) travels downtown for what he hopes will be a little action with a young bohemian (Rosanna Arquette), and everything that can go wrong does go wrong. It's a hilarious battle of life and death...just to get back home.

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The early 80s was not a good time to be Martin Scorsese. Paramount had pulled the plug on his dream project The Last Temptation of Christ and the reviews for The King of Comedy were vicious. On top of this he had grown sluggish as a filmmaker spending days upon days to complete simple scenes. It seemed as though it was all over for this golden child of the 70s...until someone gave him this script.

Working with cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (who cut his teeth working with German speed-demon  Rainer Werner Fassbinder) Scorsese was able to crank this film out in a matter of weeks. The manic energy greatly aids the film and keeps it from ever getting boring and by the end you are just as worn out as the protagonist. After Hours is an absolute cinematic re-birth. Without it, the name Martin Scorsese might have just become a footnote in cinema history rather than a whole volume.

STONER BONUS: Keep an eye out for Cheech and Chong!

Zodiac (2007)

A cop, a reporter and a cartoonist (Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal) invest years of their lives into uncovering the identity of the famed Zodiac killer.

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If you are in the mood for a serial killer film, please do not watch this film. The final 2/3 of the film are 100% murder free. This is not a film about monsters, it is a film about the people who hunt them even when all good sense says you should stop. This is a film about obsession and what it can do to your life. 

Since the death of Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher has easily become the director most synonymous with the term "perfectionist". To borrow a line from another Fincher film, he knows all about, "the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't." All of the murders in this film were shot using digital blood because Fincher was aware how many takes would be necessary to 'get it right' and didn't want to ruin that many costumes. David knows obsession intimately and it is reflected in every single frame of this film. Not only is it there in the chillingly objective camera work, but also the eyes of these men who NEED to find out the truth.

Bamboozled (2000)

Fed up with the stereotypical "black" sitcoms his network is producing, frustrated TV writer Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans) decides to give them precisely what they want: a minstrel show...complete with black face. Things get really interesting when (lo and behold) the show is a hit.

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Spike Lee films are hard to categorize. He crams a LOT into each one. From the very beginning his films were loaded with diversions and non-sequiturs. Each and every movie he makes is a chance to unload his brain onto the screen. Race, sex, the media, etc. Spike has opinions on EVERYTHING. Sometimes this kitchen-sink mentality yields a masterpiece (Do The Right Thing) and other times it produces a mess of interesting moments, scenes, shots, ideas and performances that never really comes together as a convincing whole (Jungle Fever). Fortunately Bamboozled is one of the former. This is brutal, cutting satire at it's (pardon my diction) blackest. The laughs stick in your throat. Funny as it is, this movie is an emotional undertaking. By the time the it's over, you are drained, but it is absolutely worth the trip.

Oh and on a Spike Lee-esque side note: It is CRIMINAL that composer Terence Blanchard hasn't won an Oscar!

Don't Tell Me What To Do!

As you've probably gathered already, we here at Cinema Nerds are huge fans of The Criterion Collection. Just last night we were drooling over their new Blu-Ray of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Thanks to them, some of cinema's most important and hard to find films are now available to the masses with pristine transfers and enriching bonus features. As of right now there are 578 films in The Collection with new titles announced each month. Here are some suggestions to get them closer to that 600 mark.

The Chelsea Girls

6 years before Deep Throat, this was the movie that built a bridge between the underground and the mainstream. High society people flocked "downtown" to get a little culture by watching Andy Warhol & Paul Morrissey's 3hr 15min, double projected epic! Criterion already has a history of releasing Paul Morrissey films (Flesh For Frankenstein & Blood For Dracula) so this should be right up their alley. Also, there is apparently no longer a moratorium on releasing Warhol's films on home video so let's make this happen!

Johnny Guitar

Directed by Nicholas (Rebel Without A Cause) Ray, this film was worshiped by many of the men who went on to be known as La Nouvelle Vague. This is one weird little movie. Joan Crawford at her most butch and Sterling Hayden...well...being Sterling Hayden. 1954 audiences looking for a traditional western must have been thrown for quite a loop. Since Criterion has released more New Wave films than anyone else in the game, it would stand to reason that they would want to release one of the films that lead the way.

Crash (1996)

In a career spanning well over 30 years, David Cronenberg has produced more than his share of controversy. In the early days, that controversy was brought about through disturbing visuals. With Crash, it was the result of disturbing ideas. This essentially plotless film is a beautiful and frightening collision point between sex & violence. You'll never be able to look at a car accident the same way again. Obviously not to be confused with that "other" Crash movie.

Don't Look Now

Directed by Criterion favorite Nicolas Roeg, this mostly bloodless film is one of the creepiest and most beloved horror films of all time. A super-de-dooper edition already exists in the film's native England but here in Region 1 we are stuck with a lame "film only" edition. Come on! I demand a documentary on whether or not Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie were actually fucking!

Multiple Maniacs

Recently Criterion has started releasing hard to find black & white first films by respected auteurs (Gus Van Sant's Mala Noche, Allison Anders' Border Radio, etc.) so why not keep the ball rolling with John Waters' extremely hard to find first feature. It isn't fair that only a select few with the old VHS, have the privilege of watching Divine get violated by a giant lobster. Oh and did I mention David Lochary's miraculous moustache?

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) wants to date Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), but first he must defeat all seven of her evil Exs.

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Since you found your way to a blog that has the word "Nerd" in the title, it can be assumed that you have already seen this film. You already know how funny it is. You already know how awesome the action is. You already know how cute the romance is. You already know how rocking the music is. You already know the millions of video game and pop culture references. And in case you didn't know all of those things...now you do.

see this movie, SEE THIS MOVIE, SEE THIS MOVIE! 

It's criminal that this film did so poorly in theaters. But thankfully in less than a year it has become a cult sensation on DVD/Blu-Ray with special screenings popping up all over the place. I don't care if you don't like Michael Cera, rectify a wrong and see this movie as soon as possible. It's a Total K.O.

Dick (1999)

Dick is a hilarious take on the Watergate scandal, and asks the question "What if "Deepthroat", the anonymous source that exposed the lies of President Nixon, was really two ditzy 15 year olds?"

The ditzy teenage girls in question are Betsy and Arlene, played by Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams. The two girls meet President Nixon while on a field trip at the White House. He appoints them as his "secret youth advisers" and "offical White House dog walkers" to keep them quiet after they see a little too much of what goes on at the White House, and they learn that perhaps the President isn't all he's cracked up to be.

Dunst and Williams are hilarious as the airhead teens, as are the other actors in supporting roles, including Dan Hedaya as Nixon and Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch as Woodward and Bernstein. This is a fun, silly movie with rollerskating, disco music, pot cookies, and lots of ridiculousness. Don't take it too seriously, it's all about the dumb laughs!
Enjoy!

Jackie Brown (1997)

Middle-aged flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) finds herself caught between ATF agents (Michael Keaton & Michael Bowen) and the gunrunner they wish to bust (Samuel L. Jackson). Maybe with the help of an understanding bail-bondsman (Robert Forster) she will be able to come out ahead?

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Though on the surface Jackie Brown might seem to share a lot with it's predecessor Pulp Fiction (fast-talking, guns, drugs, feet), it's actually a horse of a different color. Under the surface, Jackie Brown is really about being middle-aged. About feeling that your "best" days are behind you. Is it too late to make a change? Is it too late to find love? That Tarantino was only 34 when he crafted this little gem (based on a novel by Elmore Leonard) makes it all the more impressive. This isn't the Tarantino film you put on at a party. This is the one you put on at night, alone, after a nice shower and perhaps with a smooooooooth drink.

Stream it on Netflix.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

I first saw this film when I was 17 or so, on TCM's "Silent Sunday Nights"...and I was amazed. Based on "The Arabian Nights", this silent gem is the oldest existing feature-length animated film. All of the figures are made from black cardboard, cut-out by the filmmaker and animated with string. The final result is completely breathtaking and original animation, and the ornate details are extraordinary.

I really wish more people knew about this lovely film. It really has to be seen to be believed. Lucky for us all, The Adventures of Prince Achmed is currently streamable on Netflix! Take a sneak peek below!

Breathless (1960)

After stealing a car and killing a cop, Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) needs to lay-low. And lay he does, with the beautiful American newspaper girl Patricia (Jean Seberg), but can she be trusted?

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Watching a Jean-Luc Godard film can be a challenge. Expressing how he was feeling  that day on set ALWAYS trumps plot. And as the 1960s progressed (war, riots, divorce) Godard's feelings and films became gradually more morose. This is why I recommend his first film, Breathless. The sheer energy of it is astounding. You can tell that Godard had a lot on his mind and was aching to get it all out at once. By the end of this cinematic tornado of staccato jump-cuts and free-wheeling camera moves, you feel as though you've run a marathon. You find yourself literally...breathless.

City of the Dead (aka Horror Hotel) (1960)

Beware of witches! City of the Dead is about a college student who travels to a mysterious village called Whitewood to do research on witchcraft for her class. She soon realizes that witches are alive and well in Whitewood and she appears to be their next victim! Dun dun dunnn!!

Christopher Lee plays the girl's professor, and while the rest of the cast are pretty much b-movie no-names (sorry, cast!), it's an entertaining watch if you're looking for some serious camp along with your 60s horror. From the spooky villagers to the naive student to the overly-foggy sets and witch chants, dead birds, the mute servant, and all the other bits of brilliance/nonsense, it's all just a lot of fun!

Keep an eye out for it in the bargain bin, as it appears Netflix doesn't have this little gem yet! Or, if you're bored, you can watch the whole thing right here!

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is lonely and angry, all of this changes when Lena (Emily Watson) enters his life. Now he just needs to handle the people trying to blackmail him.

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Everybody is fucked up in their own little ways. Obviously some of us are much more fucked up than others, but even the most "normal" person out there harbors some weird little eccentricities about themselves. And when you start to date a new person, life becomes an intense game of hiding/gradually revealing how insane we really are. This can sometimes result in disaster. Fortunately for movie lovers, it also resulted in a beautiful film about a beautiful relationship. By the time you reach the end of this film you have beautiful butterflies in your beautiful stomach. Here we go!

Los Angeles Plays Itself!

OK I'm sure this breaks all kinds of copyright laws, but since we didn't post it we don't care -

LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF IS ON YOUTUBE!

What is Los Angeles Plays Itself you ask? Why it's an amazing documentary/video essay by Thom Andersen about the various ways the city of Los Angeles (not LA) and it's architecture, have been used and misused over the course of film history! 

We know to many of you that sounds pretty damn dry but we also know that a small portion of you will find this film fascinating...or at least find it a suitable way to kill a few hours.

Also - this might be your only chance to ever see it since the film consists entirely of clips from other films and therefore will probably never be on DVD due to rights issues. 

Here's part 1 of 12:

Something Wild (1986)

Up-tight Charlie (Jeff Daniels) and free-spirit Lulu (Melanie Griffith) set out on a wild road trip that veers all over the map both geographically and emotionally.

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I love sub-genres. Comedy, action, foreign, etc are far too broad. It feels like heresy to have both My Sister's Keeper and The Godfather in the drama section at your local video store. I applaud Netflix for their use of genres like "Independent Underdog Comedies". I also applaud film critic Nathan Rubin for coining the term/type "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" because it created a sub-genre where Something Wild could be considered a masterpiece.

If you were to compile a list of the greatest "comedies" of all time, Something Wild would rank somewhere in the 500s if it was lucky. I'm not saying that it's an un-funny movie (in fact it's pretty hilarious (and also frightening at points)) but if you were to judge it against the works of Chaplin, Keaton, Brooks, Wilder, etc. it would have to take a back seat. Now if you were to instead make a list of the best "manic pixie dream girl films" of all time, Something Wild would come in pretty close to the top.

Though it's streaming on Netflix, I really recommend you check out the beautiful new DVD/Blu-Ray that Criterion just put out.

"Remember, no matter what, it's better to be a live dog than a dead lion."

Saved! (2004)

Ah, this is a fun one. Mary (Jena Malone) is a senior at her super-Christian high school. Her best friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) pretty much runs the school, she's looking forward to prom, and this will be the best year ever. Until she gets pregnant by her fresh-out-of-the-closet boyfriend and starts questioning everything. What's a girl to do?

Disclaimer: I'm not particularly religious. I think this movie is enjoyable by believers and non-believers alike. It's hilarious, well written, and has awesome performances all around, especially by Mandy Moore as she gets increasingly nutty and tries to exorcise Mary and "save" everyone.

This movie doesn't slam Christians OR atheists. It slams hypocrites and people who judge others. It encourages us to learn to live with each other and love our differences. And what's better than that?

The Descendents

Sometimes it's easy to follow up a hit, Sometimes it's hard. There's a lot to live up to. Well it's been seven years since everyone was told to hate Merlot via the film Sideways and finally we're getting a new Alexander Payne film. It's a very tiny clip but Payne has yet to disappointed so why should this be any exception. It stars George Clooney and was co-written by the guy who plays the Dean on Community!

2012...with a bang

If the world does in fact end on December 21, 2012, cineastes will have at least been able to see one more film a piece from three of the (arguably) greatest working American filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino just finished a script, Paul Thomas Anderson is set to start shooting in June and Wes Anderson already has a film already in front of the camera. It ALMOST makes up for the fact that the world won't make it to Christmas.

Oh yeah Batman and The Avengers too!

Still gonna miss Christmas though...

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Zombies are everywhere and a small band of survivors have locked themselves inside of a shopping mall.

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What distinguishes a great horror film from an average one is not the kills (though those can be really fun), but rather the way  people react and interact when put into such dire situations. The original Dawn of the Dead is a case study in deft observation. Rest assured there are amazing scenes of zombie carnage strung throughout the film, but the stretches in-between are just as delectable. This is what George Romero excels at: take a couple of different personality types, put them in a pressure cooker and what do you get? A true horror masterpiece.

Remake: The remake is pretty awesome too, but please see this original first.

On Women & Cinema

At last year's Oscars, everyone was celebrating Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first female Best Director winner for her film The Hurt Locker. And while we at Cinema Nerds were as pumped as anyone to see this victory for the fairer sex, the nagging question remains: How many years will it be until the NEXT female winner?

The upcoming Cannes premiere of We Need to Talk About Kevin will beLynne Ramsay's first film since Morvern Callar in 2002. This isn't to say that she wasn't trying during all those years betwen. Several years were spent working on an adaptation of Alice Sebold's book The Lovely Bones before it fell apart and became a Peter Jackson film.

This narrative of years and years between films isn't unique to Ramsay. On average, women filmmakers have to wait twice as long between films as male filmmakers. Only now is Allison Anders making her follow-up to 2001's Things Behind The Sun, and in order to do so she and her co-director had to call upon the assistance of fans through Kickstarter.

In an ironic twist, it has become far easier for a woman to be successful producing pornography, than making mainstream cinema. So what is the solution? What is a sister to do?

Some say the solution is to have more female executives so that they can green-light female fronted films. But then you must remember that the job title "Studio Executive" is one of the least secure in the world. It's a constant revolving door. One flop and you're out. A female executive is most likely going to do the same thing a male executive would do - play it as safe as possible.

I got it! The solution is to get more people to go see films made by females! Perhaps, but what about the women who want to make movies outside of the conventional genres? It's one thing to get a whole mess of people to go see an action film or a romantic comedy, it's another thing entirely to get people to plunk down their money for a film about a woman coming to terms with the fact that her son shot up his school. Back to square one.

We Need to Talk About Kevin clip 1 by Flixgr

So what IS the solution? Not really sure. Maybe there isn't one. This is after all just a film blog. We are simply just stating the depressing facts as we see them. Does that make you angry? Good! Prove us wrong!

Now get your ass out there and do something about it!

Pedro's New Skin

Check out this creepy teaser for Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming The Skin That I Live In which marks his reunion with Antonio Banderas and is set to premiere at Cannes in the next few weeks! Fortunately Sony Pictures Classic has already picked up US distribution rights so we shouldn't have to wait too long to see what devilishness Pedro has cooked up!

La Piel Que Habito Teaser by Flixgr

The Host (2006)

After years and years of wanton pollution, a giant creature emerges from South Korea's Han River. During its' rampage the monster takes a few "snacks" to eat later. The family of one such "snack" sets out on a quest to bring their little girl back.

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Outside of the original 1933 King Kong and 1954 Gojira, most giant monster films have been jokes. This is not to say that the films are worthless, just that they lack any substance at all. They're fun and campy and that's fine. But thankfully in 2006 we were given a film that reminded us that the "Giant Monster" genre could be more than just bad dubbing and cardboard sets. The Host is a crazy fun ride. It's scary, it's funny, it's action-packed and it's touching. Forget Cloverfield, this is the real shit...and you can stream it!

The Three Caballeros (1944)

In honor of Cinco De Mayo (yes, I know it's basically a made-up holiday), I thought I'd write about the underrated Disney film The Three Caballeros. The premise is simple: it's Donald Duck's birthday (which is listed only as Friday the 13th, dun dun dunnn!) and he gets presents from his friends Jose Carioca of Brazil and Panchito of Mexico! The movie is full of stunning animation, lively music, and even some live-action and animation interaction (although it's pretty rough...hey, it was only 1944!) There's also a fun trip-out sequence with psychedelic colors and singing women inside flowers.

If you've already seen this movie and would like to see something similar, Disney also made Saludos Amigos (1942), and the two go together very nicely (although I prefer Caballeros). I think it's obvious by now that I'm a bit of a vintage Disney nerd. Ah well!

A Shot in the Dark (1964)

Even though the evidence and bodies keep piling up, Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) refuses to believe that the beautiful Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) is capable of murder.

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When most people make lists of legendary actor/director pairings, the focus is usually on dramatic films. The romantic image of two gifted artists laboring to put real life up on the screen. But as the saying goes, "dying is easy, comedy is hard" so let us honor one of cinema's greatest COMEDIC actor/director pairings: Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards. In less than two decades they were able to generate enough laughs to last one-hundred years while simultaneously crafting one of film history's great clowns - Inspector Clouseau. Physical comedy, word play, embarrassing situations - they could do it all to perfection. A Shot in the Dark is their masterpiece and the sheer comic mastery on display should be enough to send all lesser comics into a "rit of fealous jage!"

BONUS TRIVIA: The screenwriter of this barrel of laughs is none other than William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist!

Blow Out (1981)

While out recording sound effects for a cheap horror film, Jack Terri (John Travolta) ends up recording something else - a political assassination.

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Blow Out consists of so many disparate elements that it ends up being something completely original and unique. It makes sense that this is one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films. It's a political thriller, with a serial killer subplot, about filmmaking, with a premise taken from a famous art film (Blow-Up) and shot in a high Hitchcockian style. There is something for everyone. It's scary, it's funny, it's tense, it's subversive and in the end it's insanely chilling, poignant and resonant. 

Just this past week the fine folks at The Criterion Collection released a fabulous DVD/Blu-Ray of this film. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

BONUS FOR DEXTER FANS: John Lithgow being creepy as all fuck!