Jackson Heights Life

Anyone watch the Japanese film The Woman in the Dunes?  Amazing film about an entomology teacher that gets trapped by locals into living and working in a sand dune in some far off desert.  He's forced to share a living space with a woman who has been working for monthly rations by shoveling sand into buckets that are collected nightly.  Without giving too much of the film away, it's interesting to see how the teacher develops an attraction to this unknown woman and how he manages to adjust to an extremely difficult lifestyle, and even goes so far as to develop a personal bond with the sand that now dominates his life.  There are phenomenal visual affects in this film involving sand storms and attempts at escape.  Huge thumb's up!

Prester, I didn't know this film was based on a book originally.  The film had been recommended to me, so I just added it to my queue.  Now I'll have to read the book.

Chuckster, I'm watching Peter Jackson's King Kong with Naomi Watts.  It's gross.  You'd like it.  It's freaking me out.

Buddy, that movie is very mild.  And you're right....I did like it.

So I watched an independent film last night called Open Water, loosely based on the true story of a young couple that gets inadvertently left behind in the ocean by a tour boat while on a scuba diving trip.  At first I thought this movie would be a cheesy attempt at replicating the drama of Jaws or similar box office hits, but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that the movie focused more on the plight of two people trying to maintain their calm while at the same time managing to avoid shark attacks.  The film is not a blood gore fest....nonetheless, I wouldn't recommend it for the squeamish type.  It runs approximately 1 1/2 hours and does manage to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next.

Another film from our horror movie night was El Orfanato (The Orphanage), produced by Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrinth.  I would classify this as more of a psychological thriller rather than horror with a few “ghosts” thrown in here and there for fear effect.  Geraldine Chaplin, the daughter of silent film star Charlie Chaplin plays a minor role as a medium in a séance scene.  The film, although not overly frightening, is effective in its use of creepy music, sound and visual effects and, of course, its haunted mansion (orphanage).  The story is centered on a young family that decides to operate a home for special needs children…the home originally being an orphanage where one of the main characters was raised.  Overall a well done movie, and I'd go so far as to say that it's even thought provoking.  At least for our small, horror movie loving group it was.   :coolsmiley:

I am a big Tarentino and Scorsese fan :rockon:, anything by them I highly recommend.  I forgot the name of the director, but one of my all time favs is the film noir The Bicycle Thief. 

I was thinking of this topic again today because a friend asked for help stocking up on movie recommendations.
Here is a list I came up with:

Favorite Directors (many of these are slow & subtle, not for everyone):

Jim Jarmusch - especially Down by Law (1986), Mystery Train (1989), Night on Earth (1991), Dead Man (1995), Ghost Dog (1999)

Krzysztof Kieslowski - especially Blue (1993), White (1994), Red (1994), The Double Life of Veronique (1991), and the Dekalog (1989-1990)

Wim Wenders - especially Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987)

Cohen Bros. - especially Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), No Country for Old Men (2007)

Neo Noir
Chinatown (1974)
Red Rock West (1992)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Inside Man (2006)

Classics
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Notorious (1946)
The Third Man (1949)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Anything with Powell & Loy, Tracy & Hepburn, or Bogart & anybody

Double Features
The Great Escape (1963) & Chicken Run (2000)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) & High Society (1956)

Other Favorites
Dog Day Afternoon (1973)
Tampopo (1985)
Brazil (1985)
Bagdad Cafe (1987)
Babette's Feast (1987)
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Europa Europa (1990)
Toto le héros (1991)
Run Lola Run (1998)
Amelie (2001)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The Cohen Bros are not slow OR subtle which is why they're one of my favorites also.

good list, todd.

Chuckster I'm a big John Cusack fan myself. SAY ANYTHING, MUST LOVE DOGS, HIGH FIDELITY, RUNAWAY JURY are a few favorites.

You left out Better Off Dead.

... and everyone has left out (or not seen) The Boondock Saints.   :rockon: