I am a big fan of finding and renting awesome movies that flew under the radar. I will give you my recommendations, however, you may not find some of them at your local video store. They are definitely available via the mail order rental places such as "netflix" and blockbuster mail order. I found these by surfing roger eberts website and searching for 4 star "R" rated movies.
1)"Bound" - This is a twist on classic mob thrillers featuring 2 lesbians. Plenty of action, lesbian and otherwise. I highly recommend this one.
"Corky, is an ex-con renovating the apartment next door to where Violet lives. Violet is the moll of psychotic gangster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), who uses the apartment as an occasional location for meetings and beatings, and also uses Violet as an occasional plaything for his Mob cronies. Violet is attracted to the super-sexy Corky, and the two begin an intense affair. Corky hatches a plot to escape with $2 million that Caesar is planning to give to a Mob boss, and the mayhem escalates from there."
2)"Exotica" - I am very good at figuring out plot twists and turns except for this movie. This one had stumped and surprised and entertained me the whole way though. A very trippy flick. Thats all I will say except to post the blockbuster summary review:
"The action in Canadian provocateur Atom Egoyan's cryptic Exotica revolves largely around the strip club, which lends the film its name, a faux-tropical hothouse where young female dancers cater to their customers' sexual and psychological needs. Among the regulars is Francis (Bruce Greenwood), a troubled taxman haunted by Christina, a young stripper played by Mia Kirshner. As the film hypnotically unfolds, their relationship is slowly explored, the narrative dovetailing with the stories of a gay pet shop owner (Don McKellar), the Exotica's pregnant owner (Arsinee Khanjian), and its embittered DJ (Elias Koteas). Like all of Egoyan's films, Exotica is a riddle, its answers only fostering more questions. The director's recurring themes of family breakdowns, voyeurism and obsession are all in the mix here as well, but essayed with a new clarity of vision and intensity."
3)"May" - a horror flick that casts a female as the "villain". Very quirky and original. Here is a partial write up:
"A young social outcast goes to great measures to find the perfect friend in this debut horror feature from director Lucky McKee. Set apart from her peers as a child due to her lazy eye, May's only friend and confidant was a delicate doll encased in glass. Though as a young adult May has learned to control her lazy eye with glasses and contacts, her introverted tendencies always seem to hinder her search for the perfect friend. Walking down the street one day, May happens across a young man ...As May and Adam (Jeremy Sisto) begin to spend more time together, the quirky couple seem to have much in common, and May believes that she might have finally happened across the perfect boy. Her deep-rooted psychological problems slowly surface, however, and Adam is gradually driven away, leaving the vulnerable May in the company of amorous co-worker Polly (Anna Faris)."
4) "welcome to the dollhouse" - this is a great black comedy about a how a quirky social outkast perserveres and prevails. Here is a synopsis:
"Twelve-year-old Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo) is perhaps the most put-upon adolescent in film history in Todd Solondz's bitterly hilarious black comedy Welcome to the Dollhouse. Dawn is bright but awkward, both physically and socially, and is appallingly unpopular among her peers, to whom she's better known as "Wienerdog." Possessing little charm or grace and perhaps the most misguided fashion sense of her generation, Dawn is not an easy girl to like and practically no one seems interested in making the effort."
5) "touch of evil" - The orson welles late fifties crime classic atmospheric "film noir". It is in black and white and takes place between tijuana mexico and the us with crooked cops, the mexican mafia, and marlene dietrich as a brothel madam. It has a great late fifties rock and roll soundtrack as well and a memorable 3 minute uncut opening shot.
That should keep everyone going for now.
GX |