Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson - 2009
George Clooney does the voice of Mr. Fox which in itself is enough to recommend a movie. I found the story and content to be more suitable for an older audience, and what's in it for the kids is the furry puppets. Mr. Fox hustles for a living and alcoholic apple cider is key player in this film. My little brother and I really loved how this film modified use of profanity. For instance, if a character were to ask,"What the #$%@ do you think you’re doing?" it would turn out, "What the cuss do you think you’re doing?" A drinking game to this movie where you took a shot everytime a character said "cuss" would get you sloshy. The film has very high replay value and will be apart of my personal collection soon.
Look out for: Magical blueberries
Rating: []Like It []Love It [X]Gotta Have It
The Great Dictator - Charles Chaplin - 1940
I’m a big Charlie Chaplin fan and have been trying to watch this movie for years. This satirical film is definitely one of Chaplin’s best works. Charlie’s character is a naïve and good natured Jewish barber who saved an anti-Semitic soldier’s life. However, the accident put Charlie in the hospital for 20 years. Upon his discharge he’s oblivious to the change in political climate in his hometown. Luckily, even though he is anti-Semitic, the soldier who was saved by Charlie remembers his Jewish Barber amigo and does what he can to protect him and his friends. A crucial source of conflict and confusion for the characters is that Charlie looks exactly like Hynkel, the comical yet bad as shi*t dictator. His harangues are gibberized adaptations of what sounds like German. Hilarious. Charlie Chaplin plays both characters and this is one of the few films with full dialogue. I highly recommend this film for any history enthusiast looking for a laugh. Personally, this movie was a little long for my taste.
*Did you know that Hitler sports Chaplin's signature mustache--not the other way around. Hitler wanted to win popularity with the Americans so he adopted Chaplin's mustache, which what what we recognize today as a very taboo facial hair choice.
Look out for: Hynkel’s scene where he plays with a giant inflated globe with the grace of a ballerina.
Rating: [X]Like It []Love It []Gotta Have It
Monster’s Ball - Marc Forster - 2001
Recommended by: S Nair
Two of the hottest names in hop hip (Puff Daddy/P. Diddy and Mos Def) join Halle Berry, Heath Ledger and Billie Bob Thorton in this heavy drama about ::gasp:: racism and bigotry. This film is a Hollywood powerhouse. Puffy's performance was a little bland, which I guess if your character is about to get executed you don't have that much life left in you anyway. Lots of sex in this movie so don't invite your mom or little brother to watch this with you. Puffy and Mos should stick to rapping but the performances by the other 3 celebs were stellar. Very good character development and the dramatic scenes were certainly gripping. The theme of forgiveness fuels the plot with a satisfying amount of motifs and symbols.
Look out for: The Mighty Mos Mechanic and Puffy trades writing raps for drawing charicatures.
Rating: [X]Like It []Love It []Gotta Have It
Amelie - Jean-Pierre Jeunet - 2001
Recommended by: SD Parker
This French flick stars Audrey Tatou as a woman who has this child-like fascination with the world. She kind of lived a messed up childhood which the film retells in a very clever and humorous way; the beginning of the movie is one of the best moments of the film. As an adult she is a bit awkward and inexperienced so this can be seen as a coming-of-age film in an odd way. The challenge with foreign films is that if I turn my head for just a a few seconds I could miss some integral pieces of the plot. That happened watching this film. It deserves another viewing. Artfully shot, colorful, trippy, playful.. your imagination has been fiending for a movie like this. Amelie plays this game with a man whose photo album she found. They have never met, so they're on a hunt to find eachother. Going through the plot is somewhat like playing a videogame.
Look out for: Amelie's imaginary friends
Rating: []Like It [X]Love It []Gotta Have It
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