As previously mentioned, I’ve been spending a lot of time alone in hotels the last few months. A natural corollary of this Have Laptop Will Travel lifestyle is that I’ve spent a lot of evenings in said hotels re-watching DVDs I own on said laptop. And over time I’ve noticed a weird sort of coherence creeping into the stuff I’ve been grabbing off the shelf to take with me. Here’s a brief list:
Brick
Buffalo Soldiers
Feeling Minnesota
In Bruges
King of California
Layer Cake
The Lookout
One False Move
Palookaville
Reservoir Dogs
Stickmen
Tape
Thick As Thieves
Two Hands
Wonder Boys
At first, I thought I was hitting some kind of noir burn here, but that won’t wash – you’d really stretch to include something like Wonder Boys, Tape or King of California under the noir umbrella, and besides four of my favourite movies of all time – Bladerunner, Heat, Miller’s Crossing, Training Day – would have to be in there somewhere, and they’re not. So then I thought we might be in Overlooked Gems territory, but then you’d have to strike Reservoir Dogs from the list straight off, probably In Bruges and Wonder Boys too. And issues of origin provide no greater clarification – you’ve got movies here out of New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, the UK as well as a fair crop of Hollywood. It isn’t just a question of quality either. Sure, the scripts here are outstanding in every case, the acting is superb, the characterisation is rich and engaging, you can watch these movies over and over again, and pick up new detail each time – but once again, that applies to those four favourite movies listed above, and a whole crop of others I own as well.
So I’m left with this vague sensation that this is another one of those Shape of Life deals; that it’s some kind of unwitting hack into the human condition, and has something to do with a combination of humour (a particularly dark and understated type of which seems to inhabit the core of all these films) and a lack of grandeur or widescreen scale. And it’s the combination of those factors that seems to be vital – once again, Miller’s Crossing scores high in the black humour stakes, probably higher than some of the films on this list, but Miller’s Crossing also has a sweeping period grandeur to its cinematography, and, at one level anyway, is a tale about a battle for dominance of a whole city. The movies on this list all have far smaller contexts – the emotions and actions contained can be shatteringly powerful and violent, but they remain at the level of individual humans struggling in a small scale arenas for small scale gains. There is, in a word, an odd, underbelly humility to them.
And then I’m reminded of a lyric line from the Joni Mitchell classic Refuge of the Roads: the one about Heart and Humour and Humility Lightening Up your Heavy Load.
Heart and Humour and Humility – could that be it?
Layer Cake and In Bruges. Solid flicks for different reasons.
Maybe you can add the splendid Moon to your list? It’s a decidedly small story containing larger themes. Saw it in the cinema and it works just as well on DVD.
What, no love for LA Confidential ?
Crank 2 is so bad I haven’t seen it.
@ Rich
Heh, in fairness, I only put my comment because Crank 2 is pretty much the antithesis of everything he wrote. I enjoyed the post on the level that you described.
I’m trying to get it recognised as the worst film ever. If anybody ever says to you that “x” is the worst film evaaarr, and it’s not Crank 2, poke them in the eye.
I think you kids are missing the point. It’s HIS list. I mean, truth be told, there isn’t a single movie on here that would be on mine, but that’s because we’re two entirely different folks, with way different tastes and needs. So, saying that this flick or that flick needs to be on the list is kind of assuming responsibility for his taste.
Crank 2: High Voltage should totally be in that list.
Very pleased to see the fantastic Brick amongst your selections. If anyone can point me in the direction of similar fare I’d be much obliged.
Well said Daphne. C’mon Richard, sci-fi writers are the punk rockers of the literary world. You should be trashing those hotel rooms, not watching dvd’s in em. As your fans we demand you start living out the life of our fantasies immediately. You can start by ordering in some hookers and a massive pile of coke. Then maybe punch out the room service guy and expose yourself to a maid, after which you can jump into your ferrari and wrap it round a tree before emerging unscathed and asking the emergency services to get you a vodka martini.
What is a sexy man such as yourself doing holing up with movies? You should be driving a Jaguar, smoking cigars, and contemplating your final marriage.
Just a thought.
Oh yeah and Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book (much better than his other stuff)
You might go for these
Spun
The Two Jakes
Chinatown
Stormy Monday
Charlie Wilson’s War
Yeah.. about Moon. I got that, on your recommendation (well, to be truthful, and because so many folks agreed with you about it) .
Watched it once and gave it away. Wish I hadn’t subjected myself to even the single viewing. Amazing how you can write fiction I like so much, but your taste in movie fare is so far removed from mine.
In fact, this is a good point. See, I really liked LA Confidential – but it still wouldn’t make it onto that list, if I were to extrapolate. I’m really not sure why.
Moon, on the other hand, I think probably would (though that’s only probably, I’m not quite sure, and again for reasons I still can’t pin down)
Phro – The Lookout is exactly similar fare in that it has Joseph Gordon-Levitt, beautifully-lit cinematography, a noir theme, tightly observed character and superbly realised plot. Plus added Jeff Daniels goodness. Perhaps not as stylised as Brick, but then it doesn’t have to be as the characters are that much older and so out in the “real” world. A natural progression from Brick if ever I saw one, and JG-L is swiftly becoming my go-to for strong indie cinema. See it!
Alice Cooper, the great rock and roll icon that forever teaches young rockers howit should be done, said not so long ago :
“When you’re on the road, you get so bored, you look for anything to let out steam. Trashing your hotel room is easy. NOT trashing it is the hardest part. THAT is real rebellion.”
Aside from that, movie-wise, well, apart from In Bruges and King of California, seems we have very different tastes in movies :p
Is that the one where he’s afflicted with that “Memento” like memory failure? I think I caught that at some point but I’ll definitely go back for a closer look.
I saw this trailer a while back but haven’t decided if it’s gimmicky or worth checking out. Certainly interesting looking.
I’d like to see a modern day remake of the Last Temptation of Christ. Me starring as the innocent angelic girl who politely prods Christ down from the cross and accuses his father of being a terrible tyrant.
As a child, I admired the swindler Rhett Butler. He was an indencent bastard that made Ashley look pale in comparison.
Somewhat smitten with the man. He’s still clinging desperately to the video collection as I attempt to get him to return an email..
I’m strangely gratified to see that one of my favorite authors recognizes the brilliance of Miller’s Crossing. Even the Coen brothers seem to fail to recognize its’ genius.
The world’s playboy gone awry. Enough stated. Call me later??
Although late with my comments, many of the movies on your list are great repeaters. Also I enjoy watching Training Day and Chinatown over and over.
I wonder if it is the 60′s child in us that draws so many to the same movies?
May I suggest Street Kings and the Book of Eli the next time you grap movies from your shelf.
Brick is such an underrated movie and it’s a shame, because it really is excellent. Everyone I’ve forced into watching it has enjoyed it.
Well, well, Two Hands and Buffalo Soldiers, Gregor will be pleased.
Did you notice, Richard that the good guys in hands drive Holdens, while the baddies drive fords?
Some solid Aussie kulture for ya.
Thanks for the books man, I am in awe.
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