One of my obsessions has to do with movies, or what John Ford liked to refer to as "pitchers." Now, this doesn't mean I see thousands of films every year, or that I'm the most skilled at analyzing them. But I do have some opinions about a group of films that I enjoy and which I fear have fallen too far under the radar of accessibility. You won't find Hollywood blockbusters in my list, nor movies which so often surface in everyone's top-hundred-films-of-all-time listings; nor are they so obscure that you must become an archivist and comb the basements of silent movie star homes in hopes of uncovering the last remaining nitrate print. I'd guess that Netflix has many of them, or a good video store. There are a few exceptions, however, which are difficult to find and hence by referring to them in my list I hope to throw a lasso around at least their memory. After all, I saw them, and I'm not a cinephile exactly. Hopefully, I won't insinuate that you're a dumb bastard for not agreeing with my taste, I'll leave that to the film reviewers at the L.A. Weekly (with the sole exception of Ella Taylor).
One of the nicest by-products of watching movies, besides the popcorn and Goobers, is knowing that when all is said and done, "I like what I like." Certainly more egalitarian than the art world per se, and with hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, motion pictures cover a sprectrum as diverse as a Macbeth color chart. But though each year brings lots of new movies to the cineplex from Saginaw to Shanghai, there is an inordinate amount of terrible Hollywood froth, or Parisian formula, or tedious Hong Kong wire work, or Japanese existential shock. Bollywood has always been so flambouyant and mind-numbingly vapid that I believe they rival Hollywood for bad taste. Certainly good films squeak through and hopefully the audience rewards the film makers by watching and recommending them. After all this is the spawn of commerce and entertainment. If art should happen to enter into the discussion it's a rarity, and we all know how dull some of those intentionally clever art films can be to watch. But I ramble.
My intention is to make a list of 30 or so films and when I feel like it, maybe write a little on why the movie is rewarding to me, and why I think it a shame that more people aren't offered the opportunity to view the film easily. More probably I'll just stroll along memories' misty palisades and try to remember what impact the screening of each movie had upon me, or those I knew. These are films that in some cases have been forgotten, many won awards in their day, but have had a sketchy half-life on the Vhs market or the DVD distributor's shelves. Enterprises like the Criterion Collection pride themselves on re-releasing worthwhile films which have fallen down the trim bin of interest and I'm glad they're successful at it. I just wish the price of a dvd wasn't on a par with tickets to a Yankee game on opening day.
So, here's the list of MOVIES THAT DESERVE ANOTHER LOOK. It's certainly not a long list, nor an all encompassing one. Each of you can make a similar compendium. The imdb sites are filled with such lists, but most of the participants are great fans of George Romero, George Lukas, George of the Jungle, or George (ina) Spelvin--but I won't call them dumb bastards, no siree. Because, if I don't agree with many of their interests in movies, I do recognize them as gonzo, obsessive movie lovers, and in the end I must respect them. I may not want to tattoo the face of "Pumpkinhead" on my chest, or go to work dressed in an Imperial Stormtrooper outfit, but at least they're not Hedge Fund Managers or something equally as heinous (what can be worse than a self-righteous Republican? Hmm, how about someone who thinks Forrest Gump is a great movie?). Anyhow, enough slander, here's my list:
- THE NICKEL RIDE, Robert Mulligan
- W.U.S.A., Stuart Rosenberg
- THE MIRACLE, Neil Jordan
- NOTHING BUT A MAN, Michael Roemer
- A TASTE OF WATER, Orlow Seunke (Danish)
- LES BONS DEBARRAS (GOOD RIDDANCE), Francis Mankiewicz (Fr. Quebec)
- PLAY IT AS IT LAYS, Frank Perry
- THE EXILES, Kent MacKenzie
- AN
- THE LUSTY MEN, Nicholas Ray
- THE ANNUNCIATION, Andras Jeles (
- DUSTY AND SWEETS McGEE, Floyd Mutrux
- THE WHISPERERS, Bryan Forbes
- REGENERATION, Raoul Walsh (Silent)
- YAABA, Idrissa Ouedraogo (Burkino Faso)
- RADIO ON, Christopher Petit
- COOL WORLD, Shirley Clarke
- MAN’S CASTLE, Frank Borzage
- ILLUSION RIDES A STREETCAR, Luis Bunuel (Spanish)
- PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS, Shohei Imamura (Japanese)
- MAGDELENA VIRAGA, Nina Menkes
- A COLD WIND IN AUGUST, Alexander Singer
- H 3, Les Blair
- A WOMAN’S TALE, Paul Cox
- MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT
- THE RUNNER, Amir Naderi (
- 92 IN THE SHADE, Tom McGuane
- THE DAY THE SUN TURNED COLD, Ho-Yim (
- EROICA, Andrzej Munk (
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