I had an e-mail exchange with a friend earlier this week that went like this...
She: What exactly (or do I want to know) were you doing up all night? Reading, watching TV, surfing the internet for porn??
Me: This will be unbelievable to those who know me well, so I will NOT blog it (well, that and I have a curmudgeonly image to uphold)... but I watched a couple of great movies. [...] I've discovered the indie movie channels lurking way up high in the channel line-up and there's some good stuff there... which is to say a dearth of explosions but lotsa titties. So, surfin' for porn? Sorta. Heh.
OK, so I lied about the "not blogging it" bits but that's only because I'm fresh out of other ideers and/or blog-fodder. I've stayed up all damned night this week watching "little movies," which is to say the sorts of flicks that are oftentimes made outside the US, play in Big City art houses, film festivals, and on those channels no one watches but me and a few other socially-impaired geeks. I've thrown in a few 1950s and early '60s vintage westerns, too. I've yet to see a big-ass explosion or ANY computer-generated special effects fuckery in the flicks I've watched and that's mebbe the best part. Wait. No... no it ain't. I forgot about the titties.
IFC is highly addictive, Buck, you've been warned.
ReplyDeleteYou are SO right, tim. That's exactly where I've been hangin' (mostly) this week.
ReplyDeleteFor a youngster like me, I find it takes a while to calibrate my expectations so that a lack of constant 'splosions doesn't seem odd. Once that's done, some of the older and lower budget movies come across very, very well.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to give that a try -- my culture level has taken a serious nosedive as of late. When Pepper was out of town recently, I found myself watching three -- count 'em, three -- Adam Sandler movies! And I don't even particularly care for Adam Sandler.
ReplyDeleteAndy: I have the opposite problem, obviously. I abandoned movies, for the most part, back when those "constant explosions" became a substitute for strong plot lines. That and the political content of a lot of stuff these days.
ReplyDeleteMoogie: Another plus of "little movies" I forgot to mention is the almost complete absence of cloying or adrenaline-infused soundtracks. All you get is dialog and/or ambient sounds... no director's take on what or how you should feel. I REALLY like that.
I think you'll like the stuff on the indie movie channels. Couldn't hurt to try!
Well done for you Buck! Classic movies, indie films - what next? White wine????
ReplyDelete:-)
My favorite movie is a black and white flick that the Catholic church said was the most obscene movie ever made. Crap, you have to see it after a review like that.
ReplyDeleteIt was called "Baby Doll" and made in 1956. Obscene then maybe, but it's a snore now. But the acting is top notch, and Carroll Baker was/is gorgeous.
The French title was "La poupée de chair" which is even more enticing as "The doll of flesh."
It's your typical film about the south in a dying town of a dying lifestyle.
I don't think women would get anything out of it, so it's not a chick-flick, but any true male will lean closer to the TV when Carroll starts licking her ice-cream cone...
Anyway, there are explosions, but mostly it's just your ears popping with the pressure changes...
I like old black & whites. Back before bad acting was covered up by special effects.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the Navy, the minimum requirements for a move were: tits, ass, and ordnance.
I don't watch too many movies anymore. Too busy with horses.
Oh, to find a good movie to watch. Must be nice.
ReplyDeleteDo you have Netflix, Buck? You can watch some awesome movies on your computer or TV (if you have a wii).
ReplyDeleteI watched Dear Zachary yesterday afternoon, one of the best independent films I've ever seen.
Oh Moogie, Adam Sandler! You may have hit bottom.
ReplyDeleteI love movies, although I do not see many. Going to the theater is a big treat, and we have had movie night with NetFlix all summer - new and old movies. It has been a while since I have seen a modern day movie that knocked my socks off, but still, I watch them.
I just saw "Inception" which had an interesting plot, lots of explosions, mediocre acting, and was a bit too intense for me. The discussion afterwards centered on whether the movie had deeper meaning - I think Hollywood is not smart enough to have made that deep of a movie. It was what it was.
Oh come on - Adam Sandler is terrific; not early stuff like Happy Madison (ick). But his later stuff - like 50 First Dates and his latest Grown Ups - these are all movies you can watch with your kids if you want to. Just good clean fun films.
ReplyDeleteGrown Ups was freaking hilarious; we laughed until we cried.
Now for old B&W, nothing beats Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn for me.
"Videodrome." Them's Debbie Harry's lips, ca. 1983.
ReplyDeleteBilly Madison
ReplyDeleteHappy Gilmore
Sorry, couldn't help it.
Actually, for "stupid funny" watch The Hangover. I honestly laughed outloud. Thought it was going to be awful and, yes, there are just some terrible jokes, but damn it, it's funny.
ReplyDeletewhat next? White wine????
ReplyDeleteYeah, Kris. Fer sure. That will be my beverage o' choice when I take up interior decorating. ;-)
It was called "Baby Doll" and made in 1956. Obscene then maybe, but it's a snore now. But the acting is top notch, and Carroll Baker was/is gorgeous.
I'll chase that up, Anon, IF I go to the next step... Netflix. That's a Giant Economy Sized "if," tho.
I don't watch too many movies anymore. Too busy with horses.
As noted elsewhere, BR: you have a GOOD life. I wouldn't watch too many movies were I you, either.
Must be nice.
It IS, Kath. I didn't realize I could be so easily amused.
Daph: I've resisted the Red Envelope for a long time but I may check out their inventory.
Lou: I can't handle the theatre these days for a number of reasons, mostly revolving around perceived value for money. That and the fact I NEED to be able to turn away or turn it off if I don't like what I'm seeing.
Sam: I'm thinkin' I could get into "Happy Gilmore" based on what I read after the google search.
Kath: Ahem. "Funny" and "hangover" do NOT belong in the same sentence. Just sayin'.
"Inception" was definitely worth the (ridiculously inflated) price of admission. The special effects are actually believeable (and there are an adequate number of explosions).
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, "The Hangover" had me laughing so hard I thought I'd have to excuse myself. A real "man date" movie, as Elder Daughter would say.
That being admitted, I'll true-confess that I actually kinda liked "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry." I have no idea why.
OK, my curiosity is sufficiently piqued. I'll have to check out some Sandler.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I will watch Adam Sandler, and I will laugh, but he is not a favorite.
ReplyDeleteI saw Inception at the cheap show on cheap night for $3.00. It was worth the price.