Jackson Heights Life

Seeing that the Oscars were awarded recently, I should have started this thread sooner.  Hey, better late than never...right?  Anyway, being the huge movie fan that I am, I'd love to get some recommendations on your favorite movies.  I just recently joined Netflix, and am looking to add some movies to my queue.  I'm looking forward to renting No Country for Old Men and La Vie en Rose, but since there's still a long wait for these and other popular movies, I thought I'd enlist your help.  So, please post your favorites.  All genres are acceptable...remember, I love movies. 

If anyone is interested, I think it would be fun to start something like a Jackson Heights movie club where we can watch a movie (at our leisure of course), and then post comments, etc.

Here are some of my recent rental favorites:

Pan's Labyrinth
Eastern Promises
The Namesake
Marie Antoinette
Tales from the Crypt
Hotel Rwanda
Volver
The Devil's Backbone

Hubby and I have a nice selection of the old classic Hollywood movies at home, so if anyone wants a recommendation on that front, please say so.

P.S.  Horror movie fan here!

Horror fan, huh?  I like weird horror not Texas Chainsaw stuff or science fiction better so my faves are:

Eraserhead (1977)
Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Them (1954)
The Thing (1982)

Wow!  Eraserhead.  I haven't watched this movie since I was a teen and perhaps much too young to appreciate it.  Thanks for pointing it out Buddy.  I'll definitely add it to my list and even invite a few friends over for movie night.  Interesting pick!

B movie recommendation:  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey and Jude Law.

If anyone is into odd type movies, I recommend Being John Malkovich.  We're big John Cusack fans, and will watch pretty much any movie he stars in.  I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with Room 1408, his most recent horror flick...strange ending.  Classic Cusack -- Say Anything and Sixteen Candles.  I'm still in love with those!

NYCMac -- Last King of Scotland was amazing, and Notes on a Scandal is currently on my queue.  I'll have to move it to the top.  All the Bourne movies are highly rated here as well.  My husband loves the intrigue and the incredible special effects, and how about that Moby song?  I recently read that Matt Damon will not be playing the role of Jason Bourne anymore.  He's afraid of being typecast in this type of role.  I'm not sure how successful another Bourne movie would be without Damon though.  His involvement is a huge contributing factor to the success these movies have experienced.

Buddy, I noticed that you have Shawshank Redemption on your list.  Have you see The Green Mile?  I've never been a Stephen King fan, but these two movies were outstanding in my opinion and rate right up there with The Shining, one of my all time favorites.

Silent Movie pick:  Speedy -- 1928 Harold LLoyd classic.  Babe Ruth has a cameo appearance in this movie as well as a few Civil War vets.  TCM just recently played it, so I'm not sure if this is available for rental from a club.  I'd say this film can be classified as a silent action film with amazing views of New York City.  It was filmed on location throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.  A definite must see!

Has anyone seen Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man, starring Henry Fonda and Vera Miles?  This is the movie that was partially filmed in Jackson Heights.  I'll have to check Netflix to see if they have it.  There's a trailer for the movie at Turner Classic Movies:

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=96319

YEP.  That's the one!  Did you watch the trailer?  You have to be quick, otherwise you miss the Jackson Heights street scenes.

NYCMac, I've found many of the more obscure horror flicks at Netflix.  I confess, I'll watch any type of horror, but nothing beats an old fashioned tale of the supernatural for true chills.  I'll also continue going to the movies.  Hey, where else can two people catch a movie, eat processed food and pay $40+?  I'm being sarcastic of course.  I've enjoyed the theater scene since the days when the Rocky Horror Picture Show was all the rage.  Yes, we dressed in costume and made terrible fools of ourselves!  What were we thinking?

Dated?  I suppose one can make that claim on many of the older movies.  Todd, so you feel your general perception of the movie was affected given the fact that you live in Jackson Heights today?  Interesting.  It hadn't occurred to me that my actual experience in the neighborhood could somehow affect my judgment of the movie.   Now you've made me even more curious!  Straight to the top of my queue!  Consider this an experiment in sociological filmography, if there is such a thing!   

Have you seen The Godfather?  This film, widely known as a classic, has been labeled "dated" by few.  I happen to disagree.

In my defense, I am also a tremendous fan of old films.  I thoroughly enjoy classics like "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" even though it, too, takes place in a very different world from today.

In my view, the Wrong Man isn't as artistic or suspenseful as Hitchcock's best.  Its central story only works from a dramatic point of view if the viewer sees the character's situation as outrageous or ridiculous.  In today's context, what the lead character experiences is not at all uncommon, so it was hard for me to muster the surprise or outrage necessary to experience the film as Hitchcock intended it.

In any case, I'm glad I saw it because of the scenes in the subway station and because the lead character has my exact commute.  I just wouldn't put it high on my recommendation list.

I'll put together a list of the films I have enjoyed recently, and will post it later tonight.

I've seen over 300 movies on Netflix over the past 3 years... egads!  And it turns out that the majority of these have either been kids' videos or new releases.  Before having kids, I would see new releases in the theaters, and mostly rent classics.

In any case, looking down my list, here are some recent films I've seen on Netflix that were particularly interesting or memorable:
Paris, Je T'aime (2007)
Paprika (2007)
The Lives of Others (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
The Prestige (2006)
The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
Volver (2006)
Inside Man (2006)
Street Fight (2005)
The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Rang de Basanti (2006)
Lackawana Blues (2005)
Everything is Illuminated (2005)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
American Splendor (2003)
Talk to Her (2002)
Rabbit Proof Fence (2002)
Shaolin Soccer (2001)

In the comedy/horror genre:
The League of Gentlemen (1999) (bizarre BBC miniseries)
Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Buddy, what's hysterical about Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is that many of the antics that the Myra Loy and Cary Grant characters go through while building their country home are events that plague builders/renovators even today.   Cary Grant's comedic timing is right on as the frustrated husband, and Myrna Loy, elegant as ever, plays the composed and determined wife.  A true classic.

Todd, I've enjoyed about 4 of the of the movies from your list so far.  One of them, Volver struck me as a dark comedy.   The cemetery scene at the very beginning was the clincher for me...plenty of fear potential here.  Penelope Cruz truly demonstrates that she's more than just a pretty face and she's very believable in her role.  Also, the relationships between sisters, mothers and daughters, as well as the superstitions most believe in, are very true to what you would encounter in many small towns in Latin America and in Spain.  I'm partial to Pedro Almodovar, but this happens to be one of my favorites.

If you like foreign films, I recommend Live-in Maid, an Argentinean film detailing the relationship between a down on her luck socialite and her humble live-in maid.