Chase's Favorite Films
( i n n o p a r t i c u l a r o r d e r )| MAN BITES DOG | Spinal Tap meets Henry: Portrait of a Seriel Killer. Blockbuster editions of this film edit out the rape sequence and the kid who gets suffocated by a pillow. Damn them! |
| RESERVOIR DOGS | Post-modern take on a bank heist gone wrong. It's a bit darker than Pulp Fiction, but you should definitely check it out. |
| HEAVENLY CREATURES | Surreal tale of two girls which goes from funny to disturbing. You must see this on the big screen!!!! |
| SHALLOW GRAVE |
Three friends, one corpse, a case of cash, and plenty of laughs. |
| LA FEMME NIKITA | A female version of a James Bond-type movie, but with a more credible delivery. Leon, the main character in The Professional, is based upon Victor in this film. Nikita is by the same producer and features the same actor. |
| ...AND GOD SPOKE |
A mockumentary on making a movie based on the Bible. Comparable to Spinal Tap. I highly recommend this to fans of parody. |
| THE NASTY GIRL | Contrary to the title, this is not a porn. It's about a girl who exposes a Nazi-related cover up in her home town. It's a serious premise, but an entertaining film with a few post-modern touches. |
| ROMPER STOMPER | Some skinheads in Australia get chased out of their hometown by the larger Asian community. Check out Russell Crow (Virtuousity, Quick & The Dead, The Sum of Us, Proof) as he plays a tattooed skinhead. |
| DAZED AND CONFUSED | A '70's version of Fast Times, but with more realistic nostalgia-based humor. |
| FARGO | A dark Coen-esque film detailing a failed murder plot. The strength of this film is great dialogue and cool cinematography. |
| LIVING IN OBLIVION | An art comedy about the harsh reality of making an indie film, starring Steve Buscemi. |
| THE PLAYER | An excellent satire on the Hollywood movie industry. |
| THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN | Made by the same guy who did Delicatessen (and featuring most of the same actors) is this visually-captivating Brazil-meets-Dickens tale that's too weird to describe. |
| ONCE WERE WARRIORS | A look into New Zealand's contemporary Maori culture. This film is evenly split between the break down of a family and the thuglike lifestyle of Maori men. Plenty of tattoos and a few brutal barfights. |
| PULP FICTION | Gangsters, clever dialogue, and a touch of sodomy. Of course, you've already seen this |
| COLD COMFORT FARM |
Based on the trailers, this might seem like one of those boring Merchant Ivory period piece films, but it's actually a good comedy that will appeal to people who groove on Monty Python humor. |
| WALLACE & GROMIT : The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave | Claymation with a noir quality. The characters in W&G are better developed than any of the stars in Mission Impossible. |
Honorable Mention
| THE LAST SEDUCTION | This femme fatale movie might have a few questionable points, but overall it's cool and recommended. |
| CHASING AMY | Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, manages to match his excellent dialogue with people who can act, as opposed to the stilted guys he worked with on his debut. The storyline is about a straight cartoonist who falls in love with a lesbian. |
| SWIMMING WITH SHARKS | Imagine 9-5 meets Death & The Maiden; it's a grim comedy about a disgruntled employee who kidnaps his boss and tortures him. Hey, with Kevin Spacey (Seven, Usual Suspects) and Frank Whaley (Brad from Pulp Fiction), how can you go wrong? |
| RIDICULE | If you liked Dangerous Liasons, then the dark humor in this foreign film should be an enjoyable experience. The premise deals with how the only way to meet the king is to climb the social ladder, but this can only be accomplished by intelligently ridiculing those with more prestige. |
| TATIE DANIELLE | A dark comedy about a self-serving aunt with a cruel streak. |
| GOOD WILL HUNTING | Because this is getting a lot of hype, it will probably be considered "unhip" to document it's appeal, but I liked it a lot. It's about a blue collar kid who is actually a genius, but the best scenes involve Ben Afleck from Chasing Amy and Dazed & Confused. |
| THE LAST SUPPER | Landing somewhere between Shallow Grave and Heathers, is this killfest comedy that cashes in on the current trend in morbid humor. It's about a bunch of liberals who invite people to dinner who have conflicting viewpoints, and if the guests can't be "saved" by seeing the error in their beliefs, they kill them. |
| THE FULL MONTY | Yes, you've all heard the hype; it's a movie about blue collar workers who decide to become strippers. Fortunately, the hype machine is on the money this time. |
| THE CABLE GUY | This film got really poor reviews, primarily because it didn't pander to the PG market. I feel there are some classic bits of humor that make this a darker version of What About Bob? |
| SWINGERS | Although it's not a mindblowing film, it's defintely entertaining enough to see more than once. Picture a bunch of guys trying to be a part of the hip LA scene. |
| FREEWAY | A dark comedy about a white gangsta girl who gets involved with the law. Yeah, it's a vague description, but a cool film. |