Movie Maven

A quick post today, as I am all hopped-up on uppers and Mountain Dew and will be spending the night catching up on reading about anti-Whig politics in The Scarlet Letter. Any adult who dares tell me again about the days of wine and roses that is higher education can kiss my strung-out, sleep-deprived, painfully-indebted ass.

On a happier note, Sundance ended today with a bang, and several intriguing little indie morsels should be coming our way very soon (read coverage here and here, from people who are lucky enough to bask in the shameless self-absorption and absurd wind chill factor of Park City, UT). The film that has my canine-like ears pricked up is Black Snake Moan, with my beloved Samuel L., Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. Ricci plays a nymphomaniac who is chained to a radiator by Samuel L., who wants to save her soul.

It's southern, just go with it.

Anywho, Samuel L. sings the blues in it, and the few bits I've heard are raw and haunting to listen to, filled with Southern Gothic humidity and growling, wrenching sorrow. A little download provided for your listening pleasure is below.

Samuel L. Jackson- Stackolee

Enjoy!

Here is my list of the Top Ten Movies of 2006. Let it be known that I am only doing this because all the cool kids are doing it, and I want to be cool too. After this I'm going to go start smoking and doing whippets.

Let it also be known that I have not seen many of the films that have universally been considered to be the best this year including The Queen, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, Shortbus, and Half Nelson. This is because that, unlike the other cool kids, I am not paid to do this. I do this because I have a big ego.

So here's the list. Those I have reviewed, I'll link to that review, and those I've been too lazy to review, I'll give a brief mention as to why I love them.

Now then.

The Top Ten Best Movies of 2006 (among those I have seen):

1. Little Miss Sunshine
2. Borat
I kept meaning to write a review of this little number, which is probably the funniest, most subversive movie of the year. But I got lazy, and then I got busy, and then I was otherwise occupied stuffing my face over Christmas. But, to keep things moving, let's just say it was filthy, offensive, exploiting and unbelievably hilarious. I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks and my stomach hurt from the workout. I also exited deeply ashamed at the preponderance of the greedy, hate-filled, racist, sexist, bastard Americans that are highlighted in the film (and who are now all suing for being portrayed as the loathsome creatures they are.)
3. Thank You for Smoking
4. Brick
5. The Science of Sleep
6. V for Vendetta
7. When the Levees Broke
While everyone else will mention one of the Iraq docs, and, of course, An Inconvenient Truth, as the best docs of the year, for me it was Spike Lees requiem for New Orleans that had the most value as a documentary. It's alternately captivating, enraging and reflective- an undulating serpent on the spectrum of human emotion. Rent the DVD immediately.
8. An Inconvenient Truth
9. The Notorious Bettie Page
10. Snakes on a Plane
Let me explain. While the film is, technically bad, it's also the most bloody entertaining movie of the year. It gives credence to the philosophy that sometimes a movie doesn't need to have a moral, or anything important to say. Sometimes you just want to see snakes devour people. And that's enough.