5 Fantastic Films You May Have Missed
2009-11-18It is not particularly uncommon for myself - having spent so many countless hours in front of phosphorous monitors and luminescent screens - to realize that a favourite film of mine has not gained the exposure I presumed.
I think it's worth mentioning that many of these films would not have been apparent to me were it not for my beloved web show, The Totally Rad Show.
I present to you now, five films that I feel deserve a greater audience of recognition and appreciation. (Matrix not included)
Timecrimes
The Future is Never the Same Twice.
{ I would have included a trailer with this, except after watching it I realized that it blatantly gives away the entire film. Do not actively seek out this trailer if you intend to watch this, it will ruin your experience.
A spanish science fiction film about time travel. Need I say more? I like the sound of my own voice/text, so I'll continue anyway.
Our main character finds himself traveling through time to escape peril and finds himself in the midst of what many geeks will recognize as classic sci-fi paradoxes.
The nature of the story means there will be many times where you, the audience, will be ahead of the characters, but that didn't make the film any less enjoyable for me. There was certainly the odd surprise as well.
I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind reading subtitles for a film and loves science fiction stories. For those of you who can't stand the subtitles, there is apparently a remake in the works scheduled for 2011.
The Brothers Bloom
The perfect con is one where everyone involved gets just the thing they wanted.
{ More than any other element, the score is really what stuck with me afterwards. I loved the score so much, in fact, that I purchased it separately (something I rarely do) and mentally placed it on the highest pedestal for film scores, supplanting the score for Sunshine.
What's great about this film is not the fact that it's about con artists or heists. It's the mixture of humour with a great deal of sincerity and heartfelt stories of love between these two brothers.
The King of Kong
I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. I play video games, which I think is a far superior addiction to a other ones.
{ A documentary about a relatively normal guy, Steve Wiebe and his fight to be the world's best Donkey Kong player. The previous record holder being Billy Mitchell.
This was a fantastically entertaining documentary that manages to celebrate a retro gaming culture that is dying without pointing and laughing at nerds for the most part.
The people within the film are so animated that you nearly forget they are real people and begin to perceive them rather as characters within a story. Especially Billy Mitchell and all of his ego that seems to have infected those around him.
Watch this film for an insight behind the scenes into competitive gaming and the incredible rivalry between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell.
Dear Zachary
A letter to a son about his father.
{ Another documentary has made the list. Surprising, considering I really don't care much for that genre. Though the way these people's lives unfold before you as they celebrate the birth of a son and the terrible loss of his father is heart-wrenching and infuriating and even a little joyous at times. More than one at the same time even.
The story is told through the journey of a friend when he learns that his dearest friend has been murdered and the woman responsible is now pregnant with his friend's child. We follow him as he meets his friend's son for the first time and the new grandparents of a son they've lost.
There will be tears of sorrow and fury the likes of which you've never experienced. So pick a quiet time and place away from the rest of the world and prepare yourself for the most emotionally intense film you've ever seen.
500 Days of Summer
This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know up front, this is not a love story.
{ I must have waited at least a month before I finally persuaded someone else to see this film with me (I'm particularly effeminate that way). Eventually my cousin Lisa joined me to see the film in a small theater in Waterloo, ON.
The director, Marc Webb, is actually best known for his videography in music videos and other short productions, so it's tough imagine anything short of a series of musical montages à la Across the Universe. However, Webb manages to incorporate music into this film in such a beautifully unique manner without becoming terribly cliché. There is one particular scene in the film where I had to suppress the urge to leap out of my chair and dance like a maniac in the aisle.
I love everything about this movie. The writing, acting, narration, soundtrack, Zooey Deschanel, etc. This is perhaps the best relationship movie I've seen, and yet I would not go so far as to group it into a chick-flick. There are indescribable qualities that exist within that I feel sets it apart from that genre.