2004 Summer Weekly Movies!
The summer of 2005 was more successful than the summer of 2004,
although not as successful as some previous seasons. Special
congratulations go to JaEun for her perfect attendance, despite her
extreme aversion to violence in films. Here is a list of the films we
watched and general impressions of the way the crowd responded:
- The Yes Men - Suggested by me, this documentary about two men
who play practical jokes related to the World Trade Organization was one
of the most successful movie nights of the summer. The main characters
have a website which parodies the WTO, and this site is often mistaken
for the real website; because of this, the owners of the site sometimes
get invited to give presentations on behalf of the WTO, and when they do,
they accept! Much of the movie is extremely funny.
- Keep the River on Your Right - Suggested by Yaniv, this is
another documentary, this time about a man from New York who spent some
time in his past living with a trive of cannibals. The stories are
interesting, and most of the crowd liked the movie, although some thought
the film making itself was not great.
- Freaks - Suggested by Alex, this 1932 classic by Tod Browning
involves circus side show performers who have reason to hold a grudge
against a beautiful woman. It is referred to in recent movies including
The Player and The Dreamers. I believe that every one of us liked this a
lot; it is surprisingly "freaky" and impressive.
- The Cruise - Suggested by Spencer, this an independent
documentary from 1998 about a Manhattan tour bus driver who loves the city
and gives a very unique tour, often discussing his off beat philosophies.
He is a very memorable character, and I think everyone agreed taht is's a
fun movie.
- Bad Boy Bubby - Bad Boy Bubby, my own suggestion, has the honor
of being the first film watched a second time as a summer weekly movie
(the first time during the summer of 2000). Once again, everyone liked
the movie, or at least found it interesting! It has become one of my all
time favorite films. The plot involves Bubby, a 35 year old man who has
never left his apartment; everything he knows, he has learned from his
mother, with hom he has an incestual relationship. Something happens
early in the film which releases Bubby into the real world, and then we
see how he copes.
- Scenes From a Marriage - Suggested by Yaniv, this Bergman film
was originally shot for Swedish television, and we watched it over two
weeks. It is considered a very influential film. Our group had somewhat
mixed reactions to the film, spanning from terrible to great.
- Wild at Heart - My own pick, this is my favorite David Lynch
film. The plot takes place after Sailor (played by Nicolas Cage) gets of
of jail and reunites with his girlfriend Lula (Laura Dern). Sailor breaks
bail as the two take off. Lula's mother is upset about this for reasons
that are not initially clear, and she sends a hitman after them to kill
Sailor. As with most Lynch movies, however, the plot is not as
significant as usual; it is more about the characters and the very weird
style. I think almost everyone liked the movie, except JaEun who was
disturbed by the violence.
- Dead Man - This Jim Jarmusch film was also one of my own picks.
The plot of Dead Man, starring Johnny Depp, concerns an accountant (Depp)
who travels to the wild west for a job he thinks is waiting for him there.
After a skirmish with a rich man's son, he winds up on the run for his
life being tracked by three hired killers, and he befriends an American
Indian. The plot is really not that important; a Jarmush film, like a
Lynch film, is about style and characters. I think everyone attending
liked the movie.
- Faithless - Suggested by Yaniv, this Swedish film was directed
by Liv Ullman, who starred in Scenes From a Marriage which we watched
earlier in the summer. Due to a mishap the first week, we had to meet a
second week to watch this. Most people did not like it, including me.
- Dark Days - The final movie night of the summer was also the
summer's fourth documentary. The movie is about homeless people living in
NYC's subways. I think everyone found it interesting.
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