Ten Canoes

Great movie about an ancient aboriginal tale that even little ones will enjoy, if only for the mesmerizing visual beauty of this film.

The Dude

I love the scene from ‘The Big Lebowski’ where ‘the Dude’ is shopping at the local grocer, in his bathrobe, while he pinches a carton of milk, and then sidles up to the checker with milk all over his lips--perfect! He sums up…he is dudeness. Something way down inside me really admires this guy--his lack of guile, simplicity, and complete disregard for the façade we all show to one another.

At this point in time, it’s not a matter of what I’m going to be when I grow up, that’s already been settled, but who or what I will be. I guess I need to believe that is still up for grabs. So, ‘the Dude’ pretty much does it for me, gives me goose bumps every time I see that scene from the movie. I’m thinking a cross between or perhaps inhabiting the space between ‘the Dude’ and someone like Henry Gieger would be good.

Seksmisja

My kids frequent the movie library at the local university and come home with the wildest stuff.

Seksmisja is better known in these parts by the lurid and suggestive english title, Sexmission. This classic of Polish cinema is a weird combo of comedy and sci-fi and is, in fact, the most popular movie ever made in Poland (honest, it said so on the DVD cover).

Albert and Maksymilian agree to be frozen and returned to life after a period of three years as part of a science experiment. In the meantime, WWIII breaks out and they are forgotten until sometime in the future, when they are revived by the League of Women’s Lib. It turns out they are the only two men left on earth (the women have developed a form of parthenogenesis so men are unnecessary). So, these guys think they're going to get real lucky and some of the women seem interested, but the league eventually decides that, for them to live, they must dispense with their…uh…‘manhood’…all of it. Being two red blooded males in the prime of their lifes, they of course refuse…and escape…you’ll have to see the movie to discover what happens next (not a huge surprise, but why give it all away.

Personally, I was entralled during the entire film...you just never know.

The Fast Runner...

...is the first and only film made in the Inuit language. Using an old Inuit folk tale as the basis for the plot, it is a stunning, almost surreal, and superbly crafted film about the lives and ancient culture of these incredible people. Popular culture has silly notions about the Eskimos and their existence on the ice and snow, but to see the reality is a shocker...I mean, where is the nearest Safeway? At times I have this conceit that my life is tough-what a joke…it’s just a game I play. The Inuit hardly seem miserable, quite the opposite, but they do lead very strenuous and difficult lives. Me--I go to the grocer and can’t decide what fruit or veggie to eat that day--the Inuit eat raw meat, when they’re lucky.

Imagine a life living in a house made of ice…impossible (for me at least)…watch this great film and see for the first time what it’s really like.

LA Story

Nobody (guys that is) likes a chick-flick, since most are mediocre and not really worth watching. I’m no exception. To be fair, most movies are mediocre, just ‘product’ and not film. But, every so often, a romance comes along that hits the mark, and when it’s good, it’s the best! LA Story is one such film. Up there with the likes of ‘A Room With a View’, ‘Moonstruck’, and the BBC version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, it is one great movie.

Time Out

One of those great French films that break down barriers and show us a portrait of domestic middle-class life that is instantly recognizable. After an education and life spent immersed in a somewhat chauvinistic Anglo-American mindset, where the culture of Latin Europe is almost completely ignored or at best downplayed, to see a portrait of life so familiar, here on the frontier of the western world in Spokane WA, is a revelation.

Time Out is the story of Vincent, a consultant/bureaucrat type…etc who loses his position and cannot bring himself to tell his family. The film examines the interlude between positions and the evasions and turmoil of Vincent's life. One of my favorite scenes is of Vincent walking, in the dark, along the outside of the building housing his old firm, watching his former colleagues give presentations and so on. I guess one has to walk in those shoes to know what it feels like. You may feel like your work is dull and repetitious at times, but when seen from the outside, it seems like everything.

This film has an emotional honesty and resonance not typically seen in your typical Hollywood production. Again, to feel that this person could be me from a culture I’ve always been taught to regard as so foreign, so yesteryear, gives the lie as to our supposed dissimilarities. The makers of this film are depicting a world of values and practices more true to my own than almost all the homegrown crap I’ve seen lately. Crap that at times meets its goal of providing entertainment, but doesn’t enlighten. Time Out does just that.

Metropolis

Perhaps I should change the name of the blog-Spokane is kind of getting short shrift so far. But at least you now know where the blog name came from-from my perch high above West Riverside, Spokane is Metropolis (well, sort of, if you drink a lot of beer and squint your eyes).

The original Blade Runner, Metropolis takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor (with a lot of dramatic license thrown in, kind of like the difference between West Riverside and say West First in downtown Spokane).

Unfortunately, a large chunk of the original movie has been lost. But the recent Kino Video version released in Dec? 2003 is the most complete version in 75 years. The storyline is simplistic but the images will sear intro your brain, probably forever-in short, an impressive film.

Nosferatu

Me on a bad day (or good depending on your perspective). No, just probably the best vampire move ever, especially if you're only considering movies made in 1922. Check it out for yourself. Run to your local video place and demand they hand over their copy. You'll be glad-trust me.