Bubba Ho-Tep - Don Coscarelli - 2002

Inside a nursing home, a man that believes he is Elvis joins forces with a black man believing to be J.F.K in order to fight a soul sucking redneck mummy. That is the plot of Bubba Ho-Tep and if that alone isn't enough to make you want to see the film than nothing I say will.

The film follows in the footsteps of other classic B-movie horror films with a ridiculous plot and lots of cheap thrills and cheaper special effects. But there is something special about Bubba Ho-Tep that separates it from most other B films, and that is the likable main characters.

Bruce Campbell gives what is probably his best performance as a saddened and lonely man who believes to be Elvis, so much so that you begin to believe it to be true yourself. Not to be outdone is Ossie Davis who plays a gentle man who believes that he is J.F.K and that the government dyed his skin black and filled his skull with a bag of sand. Both characters are funny and have an innocence about them.

Bubba Ho- Tep is a film that you are either going to love or hate. Is it technically a well made film with a complex narrative, no... but it is a fun film to watch if you are in the mood for a fun modern B-Movie.

Down By Law - Jim Jarmusch - 1986

Down By Law is an offbeat comedy about three men (Jack, Zack and Roberto) who meet in prison, escape from prison to find themselves knee deep in the Louisiana Bayou.

The film isn't too reliant on plot, Jarmusch adds some plot in the beginning to bring the characters together but then relies on the characters themselves to do the work. With that being said the characters really hold the film up and are really fun to watch, especially Zack (Tom Waits) and Roberto (Roberto Benigni). Both actors essentially are just playing the part of their everyday public personas which are perfectly fine by me because their two people who are fun to watch on their own.

The cinematography of the film is excellent. It is black and white with long stretching shadows and landscapes. Including the opening sequence which is a series of long dolly shots with "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" by Tom Waits in the background.

Down By Law is a film that is one that is off the beaten path. It's a cool film with a lot of humor and beautiful images and is a can't miss for any Waits fan.

Unbreakable - M. Night Shayamalan - 2000

M. Night Shayamalan is a director that is often the subject of debate among film nerds like myself. The debate is usually about his talent which is due to the fact that his past few films have been both critical and box office flops. With that being said Shayamalan does have some really solid films under his belt, my favorite of which is Unbreakable.

There is a lot I like about this film, which is a bleak and beautifully shot superhero origin story that has a feeling like no other. Bruce Willis plays David, a security guard who when he is the sole survivor of a terrible accident is approached by a local comic book store owner (Samuel. L Jackson) claiming that David may have superhuman abilities.

The pacing of this film as well as the overall structure of the narrative are completely different than any other film in the superhero genre and feels, and is, far more of a slowly paced character study.

The performances of the film are fantastic and subtle, in particular Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of a fragile comic book store owner in search for a real life hero. Jackson really goes against type in this film, he is known as an actor whose intensity causes him to scream a lot, but in this film he is able to channel his intensity in a different way which really made him standout in the film.

Unbreakable is an incredibly interesting and overlooked film that deserves multiple viewings.

Let The Right One In - Thomas Alfredson - 2008 - Sweden

Who would have thought that one of the best films from 2008 would be a coming of age Vampire film from Sweden. But in the same year that Twilight began to ruin everything about Vampires, Let The Right One In was giving the overdone genre a much needed breath of fresh air.

Let The Right One In is more of a coming of age tale about friendship than it is a hardcore gore fest of a horror film, but don't worry the film had plenty of horror packed in. But the horror of the film is balanced with the beautiful subtlety of the rest of the film, a subtlety that was missing from the American remake.

The story follows a young outcast named Oskar who is constantly physically abused by his fellow classmates. He then meets Eli a seemingly shy girl who lives in his apartment building. As the two bond we find out that Eli is a lot more different (and older) that Oskar originally thought. The film isn't too plot heavy but does feature some really interesting subplots that don't seem important at first but end up tying into the main plot quite nicely.

The film's coming of age angle is highlighted by a beautiful use of ambiguous space. There are times when we have to stop and think about where we are in the world, much like the way that Oskar is trying to figure out his world.

Let The Right One In is prof that there are new ways of re-imagining classic horror stories without dumbing them down and is one of the best films (in general not even just horror) of the past 10 years.

Strangers On a Train - Alfred Hitchcock - 1951

Strangers On A Train is a great introduction into Hitchcock's body of work. It is a film that gets dark but never feels too dark as it is balanced with humor.

The plot follows two men, one a world class tennis pro named Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and the psychotic Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). The two men's paths cross when Bruno suggests a way of them committing two perfect murders.

The film is a great example of Hitchcock's ability to tell a story visually. He paid great attention to what went into each frame and each shot adds to the story. A good example of this is the opening sequence when we see the two men's feet walking to the train, the similar shots are intercut to show how the two characters are similar but are heading in different directions. Another good example is the cris-crossing train tracks during the opening credits.

Strangers On A Train is a fun film that is a must see, whether you're a hardcore Hitchcock fan or someone who is just discovering his work.

Jacob's Ladder - Adrian Lyne - 1990

Jacob's Ladder is a terrifying and freaky film from the director of Flashdance. It follows a Vietnam veteran (Tim Robbins) who upon returning home finds himself plagued by nightmarish visions including horned monsters and his dead son.

Personally I'm not a fan of horror films that try to be weird just to be weird which is something that plagued a lot of horror films in the 80's and 90's, with that being said I feel that Jacob's Ladder is the exception. The reason behind my fondness of this film lies in the protagonist Jacob who is a likable character (how can you not root for Tim Robbins). This is something that a lot of bad horror films get wrong. I personally felt empathy for all that he was going through and rooted for him to get out of his insurmountably hard situation.

Jacob's Ladder is a weird and disturbing film that will leave you thinking about what you just saw. If you're a fan of horror films this unique film is a can't miss.

Macbeth - Roman Polanski - 1971

In 1969 Roman Polanski's wife Sharon Tate and their unborn child were senselessly murdered by members of the Manson "family". Polanski was obviously distraught and angry, he used these feelings to fuel his next project which was a bloody and somber version of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Polanski's version of this Shakespeare classic is like no other. First of all we see more of Macbeth's view of the world than in previous versions. In the film he is not a tragic character at all and is presented as despicably as any character in cinema history.

The violence in the film is at times quite jarring and you really get a feeling of how Polanski was feeling during the filmmaking process. The most shocking and hard hitting sequence is the sacking of Macduffs home, something that had to have felt a little to close to home for Polanski.

The color palate of the film is gray and dirty with heavy sequences of fog. At times you are thirsty for blood just to see some color on the screen.

Macbeth is an interesting film to watch and study for a wide variety of reasons. It is an insightful and artistic view into the minds of one of the most controversial filmmakers of all time going through the toughest time of his life.

Memento - Christopher Nolan - 2000

Memento is the film that put Christopher Nolan (one of the most talented and most sought after auteurs working today) on the map. It is a film that shows off Nolan's grasp on storytelling.

The film follows Leonard Shelby(Guy Pearce), a man with short term memory loss who tries to find the man who killed his wife. He gets notes tattooed all over his body and takes polaroids to help himself keep track of everything that is going on.

What makes Memento so special is that the films narrative is backwards. By that I don't mean that the characters walk and talk backwards, but the scenes are in a reverse order. Instead of going scene 1, scene 2, scene 3. The scenes are ordered 3, 2, 1. What this does is it helps the viewer see the world though the forgetful eyes of Leonard, in that we don't know what happened in the previous scene the same way that Leonard doesn't know.

The film is extremely well written, we still get the basic three act structure (Situation,Confrontation, Resolution) despite is being backwards. The film is challenging and multi layered leaving the audience searching for the truth which is hard to do since the protagonist doesn't have a grip on reality.

Memento is a film that demands multiple viewing all of which will keep you glued to the screen as you try to figure out more and more about what is going on.

La Jetee - Chris Marker - 1962 - France

La Jetee is a triumph of a short film and is considered by many to be the greatest short film eer created. Which is a lot to say considering that the film is almost completely comprised of still images. In fact there is only one shot in the film that is not a still image.

The film has a lot of plot for it's 28 minute runtime. To put it simply the film is a post-apocalyptic time traveling love story. Chris Market set out to take a feature length story and compact it into a short film, which he did with success as the film never really feels too big for it's britches.

The composition of each shot should be studied by anyone wanting to direct a film as this film helped me personally get a better grasp on being selective with the way each shot works within the.

La Jetee is a film that you wont soon forget. So the next time you have a free half hour you should check it out.

This Is Spinal Tap - Rob Reiner - 1984

This Is Spinal Tap is a film I'm recommending solely on the fact that it is so damn funny. It is not a film that has great examples of Mis En Scen or Montage editing. But what it does have is some of the funniest comedy set pieces you will ever find.

The film is a mockumentary about Spinal Tap, a failing metal band who runs into every type of setback as they desperately to cling on to whatever fame they had with a tour and a new album. The problems that the band encounter are funny in their own right, but are highlighted by the pure stupidity in the way that the characters handle them.

The dialogue in the film is funny, crisp, and unique with great comedic timing that keeps you laughing throughout the film.

This Is Spinal Tap is a classic in it's mockumentary sub genre and should be seen by all.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - Terry Gilliam - 2009

I do not smoke marijuana, however since today is a day that pot smokers celebrate I figured it would be a good day to post a recommendation for a film that would probably be interesting to watch if you were high.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a trippy and purposely ludicrous film that has a plot that makes sense in the film but would be far too complicated for me to sum up in any way that would make sense.

The film is most known for being Heath Ledger's last film. He died before production ended so three other well known actors stepped up and finished the role in his memory. Those actors are Jonny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. The script was rewritten in a way that you would never know that the had to change it, as the fact that Ledger's character looks different at times is actually worked into the story.

The film has some other noteworthy performance from it's small cast of mostly well known actors including Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Verne Toyer, and Lily Cole. However, the standout performance for me was given by Tom Waits, who plays the devil, known in the film as Mt. Nick. Admittedly I may be a little bias since Waits is my favorite musician and #1 on the list of people I'd share a meal with. Even without my boas towards Waits his performance would have still stolen the show for me, as his interpretation of the Devil feels really fresh, which is saying a lot considering the character has been around as long as storytelling.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a trippy fun film that takes place in a world where anything is possible, except for redemption.

Hard As Nails - David Holbrooke - 2007

I wanted the first documentary entry on this blog to be about a film that really got me hooked on documentaries. Even though this isn't my favorite documentary, or the best documentary I've ever seen, it is the one that seems to have stayed with me the most over the years.

This HBO documentary follows Justin Fatica, an in your face leader of the Hard as Nails youth ministry, an organization whose methods are so radical that they are being questioned, even by members of their own church.

We follow Justin and his group as they travel around, spreading the word of god at churches and even public schools. One of which tells them not to come back because the school did not have enough counselors to deal with the aftermath of the Tough As Nails presentation.

Something that is present too often in documentary is the filmmakers voice, they try and tell us what to think rather than allowing us to form our own opinion on the subject. They do through either editing or by voiceover.

What I appreciated most about Tough As Nails is that the filmmaker's voice is seemingly missing throughout the whole film. The viewer is allowed to watch the film and gather their own opinion about the subject (based on the IMDB message boards those opinions are very diverse).

Tough As Nails is an interesting film and well worth a watch no matter what your religious views are.

The Conversation - Francis Ford Coppola - 1974

Francis Ford Coppola made The Conversation between Godfather and Godfather 2 and many people (myself included) think The Conversation is the best film of the three.

The film follows Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) one of the worlds best personal surveillance experts who fears that a couple that he was recently hired to spy on may be in danger. He struggles both internally and externally as he debates the morality of his profession.

Like Antonioni's Blow Up, The Conversation is a film that was inspired by Hitchcock's Rear Window and deals heavily with similar themes like privacy and solitude. Mise en scene is used heavily in the film to push these themes. Caul always seems to be stuck behind some sort of barrier or constrained by his nearly see through membrane looking trench coat.

Harry Caul is an interesting protagonist as he is a man who would crumble without his own personal sense of security. Which is highlighted by a scene where he looses it on a rival wiretapper who secretly mics him as a prank.

The Conversation is an interesting film that requires multiple viewings, and is a film that gets better with each viewing.

Bella - Alejandro Monteverde - 2006

Bella is a film that was wrongfully panned by about half of it's critics when it was released, and split audiences down the middle as well. Those who thought negatively of the film did so because they believed it was a film that was trying to force it's message on the audience.

While the film can become a little heavy handed at times, it shouldn't be pigeonholed as a film that's just about the political issue it deals with. Instead, it is a film about two people who come together on a hot New York day and deal with issues from the past and future. It is a film that is more about redemption and regrets

The performances are subtle and real in particular the two relatively unknown leads Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard leads .The film has a beautiful look to it. The colors, in particular blue really have a pop to them.

Peeping Tom - Michael Powell - 1960

Last night I went and saw The Cabin in the Woods a film that comments on genre cliches and the filmmaking process in a very fun and enjoyable way (I recommend it). So I thought I would post a recommendation for a film that has similar commentary but presents it in a dark and terrifying way.

Peeping Tom follows a young loner cameraman who turns out to be a serial killer who mounts a knife to his camera and kills women while capturing their terrified final moments. At the time of it's release it was considered garbage and had many people wanting to destroy it. Today, however, it is considered by many to be one of Britain's most interesting films and is considered to be one of the great films on the filmmaking process.

One thing the film comments heavily is the objectification of women in our culture which is commented on heavily throughout the film including an early scene where a young girl walks into a store to buy a candy bar. She is surrounded by images of naked women and is even interrupting a man who is trying to buy pornographic images. She walks in calmly and thinks nothing of the objectified women surrounding her.

The controversy surrounding this film helped Hitchcock re market a similar film that he was about to release, Psycho. In fact many people consider Peeping Tom the British Psycho.

The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford - Andrew Dominik - 2007

Like the previous year, 2007 was a great year for film. The biggest suprise of the year for me was this film The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford. It is a film that didn't get much attention at the time of it's release but is slowly building a solid fan base.

What surprised me the most about the film was director Andrew Dominik's patience with the film's pace, and his resistance to change it after heavy pressure from the studio. The studio felt that the film was too slow and long (the original cut was 4 hours, the current cut is 2 hours 40 minutes), the studio wanted to cut a lot of the character sequences to make the film feel more like a traditional action packed western. Had Dominik gave in the film would not be nearly as special as it is.

The film, based on the novel by the same name, blends fact with dramatic fiction as it explores the relationship between Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and the man who will eventually kill him Robert Ford (Casey Afleck). The plot only gets marginally thicker from there as this is not a film with a complex story filled with twists and turns. Instead we follow these two men, both together and separately as their paths cross and eventually collide.

One interesting aspect of the film is how we see the world through both of the character's points of view, similarly to the omniscient third person point of view that the novel has. The most obvious examples of this is during the plain voiced narrator's voiceovers we see the world with a very hallow point of view surrounded by burred edges which helps us get into Jesse's obscure point of view.

The performances from the two leads are fantastic and the two are supported by a large cast of people who are now big names in Hollywood (Zooey Deschanel, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Renner).

The stunning visuals and the strong repetitive score work together in a bleak and beautiful harmony that create a mood like no other film.

Eyes Without A Face - Georges Franjo - 1960 - France

Eyes Without A Face is a film that will stay with you for a long long time. It is a film that is as deeply layered as it is deeply disturbing, and is a beautifully shot as it is extremely gory (especially since it came out in 1960).

The film follows a brilliant surgeon who kidnaps young women and surgically removes their faces in order to try to graft them onto his daughter who lost her face in a car accident.

The plot is kept fairly simple in order to make room for the characters who are all unique, complex, and sympathetic. The doctor (Pierre Brasseur) has times where he is as scary as movie characters get, but there are scenes where he has moments of true tenderness. In fact, a scene of him talking to a young boy in a hospital was the only scene cut from the original U.S. debut because it made him too sympathetic. He even shows remorse for the things he has done stating "I've done so much wrong to perform this miracle."

The disfigured daughter (Edith Scob) is very complex in that she feels grief for her own disfigurement while feeling terrible about the girls who are loosing their lives in order to restore her face. She even rejects her temporary mask, not wanting to conceal what she has become.

While the performances and characters are great, the real star of the film is the striking visuals (especially the closing shot). The film is lit beautifully in ways that are reminiscent of both film noir and early german expressionism. The semi surrealist sets add to the striking beauty of the film.

Eyes Without a Face is a film that not only has stood the test of time, but is finding a bigger appreciation now that when it was first released.

If you want to watch the film(as you should) it can be found on IMDB for free

here: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi4109410329/

Blow-Up - Michaelangelo Anotonioni - 1966

Blow- Up is a film that both requires and rewards audience participation. Simply stated you get what you give when watching the film in that it is a film that has multiple levels of meaning and can be seen in a number of ways and unique to every viewer.

On the surface Blow-Up is a film about a hot shot photographer who notices something strange in the background of one of his photos of a park. So he enlarges the photo again and again until he realizes what he has shot... a body. He then undergoes a journey of self discovery as he tries to uncover the truth.

On a deeper level the film can be seen as a metaphor for reality, specifically the search for a deeper level of reality and even a deeper level of being. We see a character grow and change as he claws his way out from a spoiled world filled with money and sex into a world where possessions don't seem to matter at all and he envies those who have nothing.

This was a film that both inspired by Hitchcock (Rear Window) and inspired Hitchcock with it's use of camera while shooting on location.

The film is challenging but rewarding, weather you're looking for a well made simple mystery or a complex metaphor of life and reality.

The Big Lebowski - 1998 - The Coen Brothers

The Big Lebowski is my other favorite film of all time and is a film that I love more each time that I see. In fact I am not recommending that you see it once, I recommend that you see it at least 3 times as it is a film that you grow to love more and more each time that you see it.

The plot follows Jeff Lebowski aka The Dude (Jeff Bridges) a pot smoking bowling slacker who is mistaken for a millionaire by two thugs who pee on his cherished rug. When The Dude tries to get his rug replaced by the millionaire Lebowski he is thrown in the middle of a kidnapping investigation.

Things get worse for the easy going dude when he enlists the help of his bowling teammate Walter (John Goodman), a Jew(ish) Vietnam vet with a short fuse and terrible ideas. The two friends, along with their confused friend Donny (Steve Buscemi) try to figure out how to get out of the confusing web that The Dude is stuck in.

The relationship between these 3 characters is brilliant as there always seems to be two conversations happening at the same time, one between Walter and The Dude and the other between an angry Walter and Donny. The relationship between these 3 have even been described as a metaphor for some of Nietzsche's views. (http://www.imjeee.com/best-big-lebowski-explanation-ive-ever-read/)

The Coen brothers are two of my favorite storytellers today as they are always coming out with great films, all of which are completely different from the others. The Big Lebowski is unlike any film that you will see. It is a film that ties together film noir with a comedy of errors with a lot of F words.

This review is really doing the film no justice as it is one of the funniest films I've ever seen and is likely to be known as one of (if not the) biggest cult films of all time.

True Romance - Tony Scott - 1993

When someone asks me what my favorite film is, I hesitate because there are two films that I consider my favorite. I either tell them one, the other, or both. True Romance is one of the two films and is the first film I usually go to when I answer. (The other film I will discuss tomorrow)

True Romance is a violent, fun, and somewhat cheesy film that I fell in love with at first viewing. The plot follows Clarence (Christian Slater) an Elvis loving comic book store clerk who meets a call girl named (Alabama). They fall in love instantly, however, Clarence can't live with the fact that Alabama's pimp (Gary Oldman) might be looking for her. So he ends up killing the pimp and the two love birds end up fleeing to Los Angeles with a suitcase full of cocaine. Things go from frantic to terrible when Clarence and Alabama are being trailed by not only the mafia, but the police as well.

One thing that the film is known for is that there is an all star cast of people who only are in the film for a quick scene or two; including Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Samuel L Jackson, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, and Val Kilmer. The scenes that their small characters are in really steal the show, Oldman's performance as Drexl a dreadlock clad pimp and Pitt's performance as Floyd a stoner who never leaves the couch are both fantastic. The best scene in the film (and my favorite scene of all time), is shared by Walken and Hopper.

Tony Scott did a great job un-Tarantinoing the script which was originally written to be non linear, which for lack of a better term would have sucked ass. After reading the script it's amazing how Scott was able to structure the film in a way that had the Tarantino touch of dialogue while still being able to create tension.

If you ever wanted to see a bloodier Bonnie and Clyde with cocaine and the mafia then True Romance is a can't miss.

Rebecca - Alfred Hitchcock - 1940

Rebecca is based on the Daphne Du Maurier book of the same name (which happens to be my favorite book). It as a beautifully shot film about a shy self conscious girl (Joan Fontane) who marries a wealthy widower named Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier) and moves into his mansion which is still haunted with the memory of his dead wife. To make things worse the estate is run by a sadistic housekeeper (Judith Anderson) who seems hell bent on destroying the second Mrs. De Winter.

Rebecca was not a film that Hitchcock enjoyed making, however, it was an experience that proved to be a key element in shaping the career as Hitchcock. First of all it was Hitchcock's first American film. David O. Selznick, a powerful producer at the time, decided to fly Hitchcock across the Atlantic to direct the film. The relationship between Selznick and Hitchcock was so awful that it helped shape Hitchcock into the filmmaker that he became.

First of all, Hitchcock was not allowed to do anything in post production. His job ended as soon as production stopped. This meant that the way that the film turned out was completely up to the editor. Which was a problem because Hitchcock at the time was shooting a lot of footage. After this film Hitchcock began shooting less footage so that the film could only be constructed the way that he wanted.

Another hurtle that Hitchcock faced was that censorship in the 40's was a lot harsher that it is today which means that Hitchcock had to change key elements of the film so that it could pass the censorship code. This proved to be extremely difficult because the book relied heavily on elements that had to be altered and themes that had to be toned down.

With that being said there are plenty of elements in the film that are pure Hitchcock both artistically and thematically. Artistically the film has a Hitchcock feel with the blocking, lighting, and camera placement all having a purpose. Thematically it balances romanticism with tension in ways that mirror later classic Hitchcock films like Notorious and Vertigo.

Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn - 2011

Drive was both the biggest surprise of 2011 and my favorite film of 2011. I will try to hold back on my review/recommendation because I could talk about this film for hours, which wouldn't help anyone who hasn't seen it because it is best to come into Drive with as little knowledge about the film as possible.

Drive follows a character only known as the Driver (Ryan Gosling), a stunt man by day and a getaway driver by night who winds up over his head when his neighbor's (Carey Mulligan) imprisoned husband comes back home, bringing trouble with him.

Despite the title, the character's name, and occupation(s); Drive is not they typical high octane car movie (i.s. Fast and the Furious) and doesn't even contain that much driving. Instead it is an existential retelling of the fable "The Scorpion and the Frog". It's a violent character study of a man, doing the only thing he knows to protect the only people he really cares about. With an emphasis on violence, as this film has several scenes that will eek out those who cringe easily, which fits in with director Nicolas Winding Refn who is notoriously violent.

One thing I really loved about Drive was the lack of dialogue, especially with Gosling's Driver. He and Mulligan share many moments in the film where they just stare at each-other. We feel what they are feeling rather than being told about it. Mulligan commented on this in an interview saying that her experience making the film was just "staring longingly at Ryan Gosling for hours each day."

Even with the lack of dialogue, Drive is a film with many noteworthy performances. Gosling and Mulligan are both great in the film, as is Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston. However, the biggest surprise performance was given by Albert Brooks who is completely against type in his scary role. And is now the last man I would want coming after me with a knife.

The last thing I will say about Drive is it is highly stylized in a way that is unforgetable. The elements in the film don't sound like they would fit together on paper (80's sounding music, extreme gore, a hollywood heartthrob, existentialism, pink credits, etc.) but they come together beautifully in a way that made me personally think in my head "this is the coolest thing I've ever seen" and that was just during the opening credits.

Drive is a film that is different than most films that you will see today and deserves multiple viewings. Just don't expect Fast and the Furious.

Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly - 2001

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it. I figured today, being easter I would recommend a film with a bunny in it, so I figured I would go with the most demented looking one and recommend Donnie Darko.

Donnie Darko is a bazaar and somewhat confusing film to say the least. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the title character, a confused dark teenager who is told that the world will end in 28 days 6 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds by a large bunny named Frank. Darko's life begins to then spiral out of control, especially since Frank the Bunny keeps coming back and has him commit different crimes. Time Travel, Premonitions, Bullying, Existentialism, Pedophilia, and Smurf Sex are topics that this strange independent film touches on.

One thing that Donnie Darko as a film did that really impressed me was that it was a film that looked like the era that it took place in. Meaning that the film looks like it was shot in the 80's, which is aided by the 80's soundtrack. It's something you don't see too often, especially with the success that Darko had.

The casting of the film is impressive, especially since it's presented in such a low budget way. Jake Gyllenhaal is great in the film and is supported by a good cast of known actors such as his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal (Double dose of Gyllenhaal), Drew Barrymore (who also produced the film) Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Mary McDonnell, and Jena Malone who managed to not be that annoying in the film. There is also a small role played by Seth Rogan who is kind of a dick in the film.

Donnie Darko is a film that I came back to several times to try to figure everything out. It's a film that has many questions that you have to go back and look for answers which is something I personally enjoy.

Do The Right Thing - Spike Lee - 1989

Do The Right Thing is a film that took me by surprise. It is a film filled with a lot of anger and sadness disguised and hidden by funny likable characters who charm you at first and then surprise you during the explosive ending.

The film is about a hot day in Brooklyn's Bed Stuy neighborhood, a day that ends with an ugly explosion of violence and hate in the form of a race riot. The film however, is not about the riot itself or by any means is it a call for racial violence. Instead, Spike Lee made you see the characters doing their daily routines as they interact with each other. Almost all of the characters are sympathetic which makes the tension at the end far more meaningful.

The performances in the film are all around fantastic. Including Spike Lee himself who plays Mookie, the character who we see most of the world through. Other noteworthy performances are given by Ossie Davis, Danny Aiello, Giancarlo Esposito (Gus from Breaking Bad), Ruby Dee and John Turturro.

The film is about how common misunderstandings and miscommunications can lead to violence if enough pressure is added. It is entertaining and sad and leaves an impression.

A side note: This film also shows how unjust the Oscar voting can be as this film was not nominated for Best Picture but Driving Miss Daisy (a film with a far more watered down tone of racism) won.

La Strada - Federico Fellini - 1954 - Italy

La Strada is a film that I rolled my eyes at when I first heard I had to watch it for class but then fell in love with the film, in particular the characters.

The film is about a young girl Gelsomina (Giuliette Masina) a strange and quiet girl who is sold by her mother to Zampano (Anthony Quinn) an aging traveling strongman. At first Zampano doesn't treat her well, he abuses her both physically and mentally, however the two realize that they need each other in the barren world that they travel.

The film is a road movie that only Fellini could do with it's dark moments being mixed in with sequences of physical comedy that give the feeling of a Chaplin film.

One thing that I really admired about this film is how Fellini allowed his characters actions to speak louder than words and let us form our own opinions on what theses characters were really like on the inside. Our view of the characters morph and grow the same way the characters do.