My Top 10 “Under the Radar” Films of the Past 10 Years

 I’m all about the past ten years all of the sudden. I’m also all about lists. I love top 10′s, can you tell? Anyway, here’s a list of 10 movies that I thought haven’t gotten enough love and I want to point them out and maybe generate some renewed interest. They may not be the greatest films ever but I enjoyed them for what they were and thought they undeservedly went through the box office with nothing more than a whisper.   Note: I understand some of these films... Keep Reading...

Introspective: “Kids” (1995) Vs. “Dazed and Confused” (1993)

I have no idea where this came from. Maybe I was just thinking of teen movies and these two popped into my head randomly. It happens. But it got me thinking of the stark differences of the film “Kids” released in 1995, directed by Larry Clarke and written by then 19 year old Harmony Korine; and “Dazed and Confused” released in 1993 written and directed by Richard Linklater. OK, obvious thing jumps out first: one is a comedy, a retrospective piece of nostalgia; the other is... Keep Reading...

My Top 10 Favorite Movies of the Past 10 Years

*DISCLAIMER* This isn’t about the BEST 10 movies of the past 10 years. I probably haven’t seen the best 10 movies of the last 10 years. I’m sure I’ve missed out on some great obscure foreign film I’ve never heard of, or some documentary that I skipped over or something…this is just my list of 10 movies that I could watch over and over again and that I adore personally. Your lists will differ, I’m sure. But mine’s clearly the best. #10: The Descent (2005)  Written & directed... Keep Reading...

Idiocracy

Mike Judge, the prolific animator and voice talent turned filmmaker, took H.G. Wells’ envisioning of the future and turned its on its head in 2005. The release was a small one, and therefore the film has been re-discovered as a kind of cult classic in the past few years. The idea he works with is…what if 500 years from now, the world gets dumber and dumber to the point where everyone is stupid? And they still procreate just as much, if not more. So instead of the Eloi and Morlocks, we... Keep Reading...

Inland Empire

Within ten seconds of a David Lynch film, you know you’re watching a David Lynch film. He has a style and approach that is obviously one of the more unique of the past few generations of filmmakers. His latest film, “Inland Empire”, has been compared to “8 1/2″ among other atmospheric odyssies and it’s appropriate–however, it must be pointed out that Lynch had no idea what he was doing while shooting this film. He literally made it up as he went along. He’s... Keep Reading...

Zero Day

This is a very haunting film. It was done a few years after Columbine and is almost a replica of the “basement tapes” by Dylan and Eric, and the resemblances are purposeful and very well done. The two actors playing the kids are extremely believable, with one caveat–the blond haired kid does look a little too pretty to be considered “an outcast”. The entire movie is shot in the same style of the “basement tapes”; it’s all “footage”. You’d think that would get old after, say,... Keep Reading...

Slasher Classics: My Bloody Valentine (1981)

By 1981, slasher flick fever had definitely overtaken the American box office. There were a slew of horror flicks about guys in masks, killers at camps, and even Christmas time wasn’t safe anymore. But what about what was going on in Canada? Things okay up there? Well, not in the town of Valentine Bluffs. Even with free health care, relatively decent cost of living, and plenty of hockey, there were problems with the increase in crime rate. Of course, don’t tell Michael Moore that. This... Keep Reading...

Persepolis

“I had survived a war, and a banal love story nearly killed me.” –Marjane Satrapi This is my favorite line in “Persepolis”, spoken in narration since the film is a retrospective of her younger years and begins and end with her as an adult; the film is based on a graphic novel by Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, and tells the tale of her growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1978. This film is available on DVD, and was released last winter in limited theatres across America,... Keep Reading...

Slasher Classics: The Burning (1981)

I have a sneaking suspicion that the 80’s may become the biggest gold mine of cult classics in film history. So many movies that were discarded or disowned in the 80’s are seen as classic masterpieces by more and more people. “Howard the Duck” even has its own following. I believe most of this is due to the fact that there is so much more access to media these days, and movies that may have been long forgotten are now being brought back on DVD for cheap, and people are buying. “The Monster... Keep Reading...

Jesus Camp

If there was ever a person that could use a trip down to the amazon river or outback, or Antartica, with little to no provisions, and videotape her demise…it would be Becky Fischer. She’s the focal point of this disturbing and dark documentary about that Little America that people either ignore or don’t take very seriously. And that would be the evangelical movement. Children whose ages range from around 5 or 6 to 11 or 12 gather every summer for “Kids on Fire”, a Bible... Keep Reading...