Domestic Films, Part II
The best thing about most of these movies is that they are in the older section of the video store, so they're usually half-off to rent. Yes, I'm cheap. In no particular order:
The Color Purple
A film by Steven Spielberg. This is a powerful tale about a black family in the South and how their relationships crumble and are rebuilt. Oprah does a magnificent job in the film, as does Whoppie Goldberg and Danny Golver. This one was nominated for everything but Best Director at the Academy Awards (which of course he made up for with Schindler's List - rent that too if you haven't seen it).
The Last Emperor
An epic, if ever one was made. This is a double video about China's last emperor before the Communist Cultural Revolution. It was the first outside movie to get permission to film inside China's Forbidden City. This is an amazing, exotic bio-pic. Full of tension and suspense. Rightfully won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Amadeus
You may have seen this. If you haven't, do it. This is another bio-pic film. This one deals with the life of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, so you know that the soundtrack doesn't suck.
Jeffrey
Homophobic? Get over it, sphincter-boy. This film moves and feels like a play precisely because it was a play. A breezy script and a thoroughly campy cast make this film a joy to watch. Bob Dole picked Independence Day as a good family film; well, there's more family values to be found in Jeffrey that deal with human interactions, and I don't mean for just "family." Besides, who could resist watching Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) pull off a wonderfully effeminate gay decorator?
Short Cuts
Too good to miss. Too big to tell about. Two video cassettes.
Orlando
Ohhh... an exceptionally stylistic British film about a young lordling named Orlando who grows up and does not die. What's truly weird about this film is that it is treated like an historical film, yet impossibilities begin to creep into the film. The lead actress has a haunting stare. This is a good 'un.
Pulp Fiction
Haven't rented it yet? Do it. This is one movie that is semi-disturbing and disgusting and won't leave your mind. The dialogue sometimes seems hallow (hence the title), yet it sticks in your head and you know that it's working on another level, but you're not quite sure where. The editing of this film into several short sequences could not have been better made. Another film by the director, Quentin Tarentino, worth a shot is Reservoir Dogs (warning: there is a nasty, nasty gratuitous torture scene in it). He's known for disturbing, violent noir films, but the critics love him because there's something running underneath each of his films, though some say he lifts too much from other movies.
A Midwinter's Tale
Another Kenneth Branagh film, and another worthy endeavor. Shot completely in black and white, A Midwinter's Tale flows merrily along as a small band of thespian misfits eke out the fundamentals of Shakespeare's Hamlet. A witty script and a colorful ensemble flesh out Branagh's direction.
Looking for a marathon double video session? Check out:
- The Godfather
- The Godfather II (skip part III)
- Lawrence of Arabia (director's cut)
- JFK (director's cut)
- Jean de Fleuret and Manon of The Springs (four videos!)
The last two are French. In fact, give foreign films a shot. Unlike American films in our video stores, foreign films occupy only a small amount of shelf space so the quality of these movies is usually quite high.
© sklender, 1996 - Until My Death, and then three weeks beyond that.