Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)Funny story starring a roommate who drove me nuts and this DVD: I'd been out of town for the weekend and she would routinely raid my collection for stuff to watch. And that's fine, she was more than welcome. But for someone who would list movies as her #1 hobby, she was pretty clueless. When I came back, she told me she tried to get through it, but had to quit after about 20 minutes and asked me "Is the whole thing like that?" My answer: "Yeah, it's that kind of irreverent documentary..." Her: "Oh it's a documentary." Never mind the fact that at the height of Michael Moore's notoriety, she had never heard of Bowling for Columbine, but after 20 minutes of viewing, she hadn't figured out it was a documentary...
Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)This is the Criterion Collection edition, with three DVDs, really. Terry Gilliam's actual cut, the butchered "Love Conquers All" Hollywood cut, and the documentary The Battle for Brazil that shows how Gilliam went to war for the former. You know, there's a lot to like in Brazil, but it's never been my favorite film (it actually gets better with repeat viewings, but the fantasy sequences, while necessary, do look dated). However, that there documentary made it all worth it.
Bride of the Monster (Ed Wood, 1955)Part of the Ed Wood boxed set my kid sister gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago, which sadly doesn't contain that stripper zombie movie he made, it's actually the most engaging film he's done. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty badly made, but it's a nice piece of camp, especially Lugosi's scenes. I know Plan 9 is meant to be the "masterpiece", but there are a lot of longueurs. In this one too, but not as much. So I'm defending Bride of the Monster. Wanna make something of it?
Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch 2005)A beautiful, beautiful film, which no doubt gets compared to Lost in Translation because of Bill Murray's similar role and subtle, restrained performance. I think I like it better though. It's very quiet and slow, but it has a real emotional core and no easy answers. That's what I appreciate most, I think. The ending caught me totally by surprise and touched me. So I'd like to thank Roger Ebert for recommending it back in the day.
Bubba Ho-Tep (Don Coscarelli, 2002)A still-living Elvis and a black JFK fight an ancient mummy in a retirement home. How could I resist? How could I resist this Joe Lansdale adaptation? How could I resist B-movie legend Bruce Campbell's best ever performance? Answer: I couldn't and would never want to. Though the premise is silly, there's real poignancy here, in large part thanks to the beautifully atmospheric music. They couldn't get the rights to any Elvis songs, but that's for the better. Man, sometimes, I pop in this disc just to listen to the score. Extra points for an alternate commentary starring Campbell as the "real" Elvis Presley (discussing his favorite Elvis movies and why he would never curse like the film's interpretation). If you haven't seen this, I think you might be surprised.
But what did YOU think? Next: Buckaroo Banzai to Casino Royale.
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