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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