Out of the Past: The Week In Film

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
48 Hours (1982) Dir. Walter Hill – US

Of Interest:
Cropsey (2009) Dir. Barbara Brancaccio & Joshua Zeman – US
Adam’s Apples (2005) Dir. Anders Thomas Jensen – Denmark
9 Songs (2004) Dir. Michael Winterbottom - UK

Recommended:
Queen of Blood (1966) Dir. Curtis Harrington – US
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog (2008) Dir. Joss Whedon – US

Essential Cinema:
Sleep, My Lovely (1948) Dir. Douglas Sirk – US
The Wrong Man (1956) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock - US
The Doll (1919) Dir. Ernst Lubitsch – Germany
Holiday (1938) Dir. George Cukor – US
Jennifer (1953) Dir. Joel Newton – US
The Lady Vanishes (1938) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock – UK
La Jetee (1962) Dir. Chris Marker - France
Wild Is the Wind (1957) Dir. George Cukor – US
Valhalla Rising (2009) Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn – Denmark/UK
Paths of Glory (1957) Dir. Stanley Kubrick – US

Theatrical Screenings:
The Tourist (2010) Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – US 4/10
Leaving (2009) Dir. Catherine Corsini – France 10/10

Out of the Past: The Week In Film

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
Vampire In Brooklyn (1995) Dir. Wes Craven
Someone’s Knocking at the Door (2009) Dir. Chad Ferrin

Of Interest:
Scanners (1981) Dir. David Cronenberg – Canada
Tank Girl (1995) Dir. Rachel Talalay – US
Funny Girl (1968) Dir. William Wyler – US

Recommended:
Mermaids (1990) Dir. Richard Benjamin – US

Essential Cinema:
Ossos (1997) Dir. Pedro Costa – Portugal
Solo Quiero Caminar (2008) Dir. Agustin Diaz Yanes - Spain
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Dir. Sidney Lumet - US

Theatrical Screenings:
Undertow (2009) Dir. Javier Fuentes-Leon – Peru 9/10
127 Hours (2010) Dir. Danny Boyle – US 9/10
Tiny Furniture (2010) Dir. Lena Dunham – US 10/10

Out of the Past: The Week In Film

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
Primal Fear (1996) Dir. Gregory Hoblit – US

Recommended:
Don’t Look Back (2009) Dir. Marina De Van – France
Dinner at Eight (1933) Dir. George Cukor – US
The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek (1944) Dir. Preston Sturges - US


Essential Cinema:
The Awful Truth (1937) Dir. Leo McCarey – US
Waiting For Guffman (1996) Dir. Christopher Guest – US
To Be or Not to Be (1942) Dir. Ernst Lubitsch – US
The 39 Steps (1935) Dir. Alfred Hithcock – UK


Theatrical Screenings:
Burlesque (2010) Dir. Steve Antin – US 6/10
Sunnyside (1919) Dir. Charles Chaplin – US 10/10
Modern Times (1936) Dir. Charles Chaplin – US 10/10

Rewatched Goodies:
Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009) Dir. Kevin Hamedani – US 9/10
A Map of the World (1999) Dir. Scott Elliott – US 10/10

Out of the Past: The Week In Film

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
Robin Hood (2010) Dir. Ridley Scott – US
MacGruber (2010) Dir. Jorma Taccone – US
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) Dir. Kerry Conran - US

Of Interest:
The Wagoner (1966) Dir. Ousmane Sembene – Senegal

Essential Cinema:
A Snake of June (2002) Dir. Shinya Tsukamoto – Japan
Branded to Kill (1967) Dir. Seijun Suzuki – Japan
Band of Outsiders (1964) Dir. Jean-Luc Godard – France
Black Girl (1966) Dir. Ousmane Sembene – France/Senegal
Joy House (1964) Dir. Rene Clement – France
Purple Noon (1960) Dir. Rene Clement – France
Kuroneko (1968) Dir. Kaneto Shindo - Japan
Badlands (1973) Dir. Terence Malick – US

Theatrical Screenings:
All About Evil (2010) Dir. Joshua Grannell – US 9/10
For Colored Girls (2010) Dir. Tyler Perry – US 10/10

Sunday, December 12, 2010: Matricide Mass - A Treatise on Dirty Pillows & Blood Curses

The next fabulous movie night theme will be matricide! Our unlucky matrons will be Piper Laurie in Brian De Palma's horror classic Carrie (1976) and Grace Zabriskie in Werner Herzog's hilariously strange 2009 film My Son My Son What Have Ye Done.

Now, the subject may make some of you a little uneasy, but it's a taboo rife with cinematic possibilities. I had wanted to show the ultimate matricide tragedy, Electra (1962) starring Greek thespian Irene Pappas, but then I didn't want to make everyone depressed and miserable (but I still want to impress upon you all to check it out if you get the chance). I also toyed with screening Heavenly Creatures (1994) or something more light like Throw Momma From the Train (1987)---but Herzog's 2009 feature was my 2nd favorite film from 2009 (it would have been first place, but then Avatar had Sigourney Weaver in it, so I was being petty and biased) so I just had to share this strange little gem with a group. And as for Carrie, well it's been a few years since I've seen it, but if you've never had the chance, the time has come. Carrie also sees auteur Brian De Palma in prime form and, in my opinion, he has never made better films than his offerings from the 1970's (I am a nut for his film Sisters, 1974, Obsession, 1976, and Dressed to Kill, 1980). Prom has never been more horrific or iconic (sorry John Hughes) than in this film, and Piper Laurie knocks the crazy mama motif out of the park.

In honor of matricidal tendencies, there will be a Dirty Pillow Cover Contest! Whoever can bring me the best Dirty Pillow Cover (we will vote) will win a prize---and if you don't get the reference, well, you'll just have to see Carrie.

Our thematic treats that the hubby and I will be serving:

Matricidal Meatballs (because they sound good)

Clytemnestra Casserole (Electra's ole lady)

Treacherous Tres Leches (red "mother's milk")

Please RSVP!

Out of the Past: The Week In Film

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
1. Hood of Horror (2007) Dir. Stacy Title – US
2. The Greatest (2009) Dir. Shana Feste – US
3. Shelter (2009) Dir. Mans Marlind & Bjorn Stein - US

Of Interest:
1. And Soon the Darkness (1970) Dir. Robert Fuest – UK

Recommended:
1. The Entity (1981) Dir. Sidney J. Furie – US

Essential Cinema:
3. Mr. Skeffington (1944) Dir. Vincent Sherman – US
2. True Grit (1969) Dir. Henry Hathaway – US
1. The Fly (1986) Dir. David Cronenberg – US

Theatrical Screenings:
4. Vision (2009) Dir. Margarethe Von Trotta – Germany 7/10
3. Stone (2010) Dir. John Curran – US 10/10
2. Fair Game (2010) Dir. Doug Liman – US 10/10
1. For Colored Girls (2010) Dir. Tyler Perry – US 10/10

Out of the Past: The Week In Film

Cess Pool Cinema:
1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) Dir. Samuel Bayer - US

The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
1. The Sicilian Girl (2009) Dir. Marco Amenta – Italy

2. 50 Dead Men Walking (2008) Dir. Kari Skogland - UK

Of Interest:
1. Get Him to the Greek (2010) Dir. Nicholas Stoller - US

Recommended:
1. Nacho Libre (2006) Dir. Jared Hess – US
2. Eve’s Bayou (1997) Dir. Kasi Lemmons - US

Essential Cinema:
2. Atonement (2007) Dir. Joe Wright – UK
1. Desk Set (1957) Dir. Walter Lang - US

Theatrical Screenings:
3. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) Dir. Tod Williams – US 4/10
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009) Dir. Daniel Alfedson – Sweden 7/10
1. Carlos (2010) Dir. Olivier Assayas – France/Germany 10/10

Rewatched Goodies:
1. Dressed to Kill (1980) Dir. Brian De Palma – US 10/10