The Big Sick (2017)

As someone who listens to massive amounts of podcasts I was already extremely familiar with this story going in. Emily and Kumail's courtship is a cornerstone of the comedy podcasting world. They've told this story separately, they've told this story together, they've told it on other people's podcasts, they've told it on their own (now defunct) podcast. And that's just the number of times they've done it on mic. You know they've had to tell this story a million times at various social gatherings with friends and family. And then they wrote a screenplay about it. And then they got notes from Judd Apatow and Michael Showalter. Yet somehow this story did not become stale. I knew exactly where this was going and I was still hanging off of every word and scene. All that podcasting and such paid off. Like the great comedians they are, they honed this material into its ideal form. They know where the laughs are and where the tears are. They are able to play the audience like a fiddle. And they do it expertly.

Chasing Amy (1997)

To many, liking the work of Kevin Smith is grounds for having your cinephile card revoked. Even I will concede that his most recent work (Tusk, Yoga Hosers, etc.) is near impossible to defend. But doesn't anyone remember those early years? Lately, I've been thinking a lot about Chasing Amy. Smith's tale of a hetero man who is unable to accept his girlfriend's fluid sexuality was more than a decade ahead of it's time. Long before terms like "pansexuality" were able to enter the broader pop cultural lexicon via celebrities like Miley Cyrus or shows like Broad City, there was Joey Lauren Adams as Alyssa Jones delivering impassioned monologues about refusing to conform to what heteronormative society thinks is proper and insisting on loving whomever the hell she wants to love. Sure this message would have been more authentic and nuanced coming from a Queer filmmaker rather than from Smith, but because it came from him, it was able to reach a whole lot of immature boys who just wanted to hear dick and fart jokes. I know this because that's how I found my way to this film. I like to think that in some small way, Chasing Amy helped to move me towards becoming the ally that I try to be. And that's why I paid money to see Cop Out in a theater.

Married to the Mob (1988)

The instant we meet Angela de Marco we know that she doesn't fit in this world. She looks the part of a mob wife with her big hair and hoop earrings, but there is a look in her eyes that tells us she wants more. She is distracted. She is somewhere else. She isn't like all the other catty broads in this beauty salon.

There were a lot of movies like this in the 80's, about trying to break out of the conformity. Usually it's a story about leaving behind square, yuppie suburbia for something more exciting. Jonathan Demme even made one of these films two years prior with the masterful Something Wild. But what makes this film stand out from the pack is the decision to substitute Reagan's America with the world of organized crime. It makes Angela's urge to flee a bit more understandable to the average viewer. It also makes a nice parallel between the Reagan Administration and gangsters. Bonus points for having a female protagonist. It's sort of odd that this is the film that preceded The Silence of the Lambs, but it also makes sense.

Appropriate Behavior (2014)

When this movie came out, that still of writer/director/star Desiree Akhavan sitting on the toilet was all over my tumblr feed. And then there was the poster with her staring at the straight, kissing couple. The moody photography of these images combined with the bisexuality and the whole Iranian aspect had me pre-judging this film in all sorts of ways. And while this film is about all those things, it's also really damn funny. Why didn't they play up that angle? For some reason they sold this film like NyQuil when it's actually Dimetapp. This film is bubblegum amoxicillin. I guess I would have been just as reluctant if they had played up the comedy. Could you imagine a poster with a rainbow flag on one side, an Iranian flag on the other side and Shirin in the middle looking quirkily confused? When a film is one dimensional it's fine to pick an angle and stick to it like glue. But when a film is as unique and nuanced as this one, you're doing it a disservice by making it out to be just one thing. Or maybe going in with pre-judgements helped me to like this movie better. Maybe I liked it this much because of all the ways it defied my expectations. Well, either way it's a good movie. You should see it!

Sabrina (1954)

Looking through the filmography of Billy Wilder, this film seems to be a bit of a left turn after the overwhelming darkness of the films that preceded it. To follow up alcoholism, murder, betrayal, opportunism and prison camps with a Cinderella story? Perhaps this was Wilder's attempt to lighten up. But as they say, it's pretty hard for a leopard to change its spots. While we love to focus on Audrey Hepburn in her Givenchy gowns swaying go La Vie En Rose, that is to ignore the fact that this film begins with a suicide attempt. It's also a film with an extremely cynical take on class and Capitalism in America. "I like to think of life as a limousine. Though we are all riding together, we must remember our places. There's a front seat and a back seat and a window in between." No matter how pink you make the glass of that window, it will always be there.

Broadcast News (1987)

This film is a mess. It wants to be a cute romance while also being brutally honest about how our heart will often lead us down a path our brain knows to be wrong. It also wants to be an indictment of the ethics in TV journalism, but it stops short of having a real villain. At more than two hours it is far longer than any comedy should ever be. It also wants to be both witty and broad at the same time. It wants to be everything. And somehow it sort of succeeds.

Most films this ambitious end up missing every single target. While never managing a real bulls-eye, this film somehow manages to at least graze every target it was aiming for. It might not be a masterpiece, but it is certainly a joy to watch. 99% of that is due to the phenomenal cast. Just like in network news, likability goes a long way.

Defending Your Life (1991)

I really should hate this movie. It's a high concept comedy, shot in an unremarkable style, designed as a showcase for one man's comedic sensibilities, that turns poignant at the end. I just described every single Adam Sandler or Kevin James film. But this is an Albert Brooks film. Rather than using a mere 3% of its brain, this film uses the whole damn thing. It's funny, it's thoughtful and it's also rather romantic. While no explanation is needed for why Albert Brooks falls for Meryl Streep, we really shouldn't buy how quickly Streep falls for Brooks. But thanks to their performances and the writing and the filmmaking, we get it. We are in love too. This film shouldn't work, but it does! It leaves me with all sorts of warm, optimistic, hopeful feelings. It makes the fear go away.

They All Laughed (1981)

The first time I saw this movie I remember being perplexed by the amount of Country Music on the soundtrack. This isn’t some downhome story about good ol’ boys. This film takes place entirely on the island of Manhattan, home of the Yankees. But on this second viewing it all made perfect sense. As rollicking and toe-tapping as most Country Music can be, it is always underscored by a deep sense of sadness. Tales of absent parents, doomed love affairs and having to make tough decisions that benefit others but leave you alone. That’s precisely what this film is about. Of course there are plenty of wonderful, beautiful, romantic, hilarious moments strewn throughout its runtime, but the prevailing undercurrent is one of sadness. It’s the definition of, “bitter-sweet”. I absolutely get why this was a formative work for Wes Anderson. Perhaps Anderson’s next film will feature an all Country soundtrack too.

Obvious Child (2014)

Going into this film, all of the press was about how this was “the abortion movie” and the "anti-Juno". All that hype had me prepared for a turgid and impassioned defense of a woman’s right to choose that would be scarce on laughs and border on preachy. Had this film not starred the amazing Jenny Slate I might have just waited for video. I’m really glad that I didn’t wait. Sure there’s an abortion in there, but this film is about so much more. It’s about relationships, it’s about family, it’s about friendship, and it’s about growing up. It’s also one of the best on-screen depictions of stand-up comedy that I have ever seen and absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious. Just as a woman should never allow herself to be defined by the fact that she chose to have an abortion, this film boldly refuses to allow itself to be defined by the fact that its protagonist chooses to have an abortion. It’s a wonderful film that defies easy definition about a wonderful woman who isn't easy to define, and I love it for that!

Manhattan (1979)

A divorced New York writer (Woody Allen) finds himself caught between his 17-year-old girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway) and his friend's mistress (Diane Keaton).

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I know everyone loves to goo all over the opening of Manhattan (when you’ve got Gershwin laid over beautiful Gordon Willis photography it’s kind of hard not to) but for me the film is really all about Tracy’s final line and Isaac’s reaction to it. Yes the film is funny, and yes the film is beautiful, but it’s that perfect ending which makes this film transcendent. Everything comes together beautifully: the music, the acting, the writing, the photography, etc. I don’t think I’m overstating anything when I say this is a small miracle, as great endings are so hard to get right. I’ve seen so many potentially great films crash and burn while coming in for a landing. Sometimes I’ll even get nervous as I sense things coming to a close. Will they get it right? When they don’t, it’s heartbreaking. But when they get it right, it’s something you want to tell the whole world about.

Damsels In Distress (2012)

I feel like I should preface this by saying that I have not seen any of Whit Stillman's previous films, so I had no preconceptions of what this film should live up to nor about his style.

I think the best way to sum up how I felt after first watching Damsels in Distress is 'delightfully bewildered'. I wasn't entirely sure what I'd seen but I knew that I liked it. I possibly even loved it.

The film centers on three college girls lead by Violet (Greta Gerwig) who take on transfer student, Lily (Analeigh Tipton) as their latest in a series of projects. They also run the suicide prevention center (where donuts and dance classes prevail in favor of more traditional methods) and have encounters with a series of men, including wannabe-womanizer Charlie (Adam Brody) and idiotic frat-boys like Frank (Ryan Metcalf).

This film is really just...odd. But in a nice way. The dialogue is awkward and stilted and there seems to be a lack of 'brain to mouth' filter in many of the characters but that's part of the overall atmosphere.

As fantastical as this world can be, it's still somewhat based in reality. Stillman seems to be drawing his inspiration from the American (east coast) University culture that he grew up in. And though my knowledge of this world comes entirely via cultural osmosis, this did not hinder my enjoyment in the least.

Its episodic structure appealed to me, too, as these kinds of films, especially as they tend to be slower paced, feel quite calming to me. Instead of jump-cuts and BLAH we are left to meander along with the characters like a whimsical stroll in the park.

The film is largely dialogue driven so you need to be able to keep up with that. I feel that watching a lot of older films is a great way to get used to dialogue heavy scripts.

Overall highlights: the ridiculously roundabout description of anal sex that went over my head for a good while; the awkward dance sequence to 'Things Are Looking Up' an homage to A Damsel in Distress (1937) presumably the inspiration for Stillman's title; Violet's obsession with dance crazes and the closing scene with her own dance craze, The Sambola.

Oh, and I've fallen more than just a little bit in love with Greta Gerwig.

As Good As It Gets (1997)

A gay artist (Greg Kinnear), a single mother (Helen Hunt) and an obsessive compulsive author (Jack Nicholson) find themselves together on a road trip.

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I'm pretty sure that Romantic Comedy is the most reviled genre among cineastes. Countless Gary Marshall films have helped to hammer this knee-jerk reaction into our collective unconscious. The mere mention of the term can call up horrific thoughts of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey like you're a 'nam vet with a bad case of PTSD. But let us not forget that Harold & Maude is a romantic comedy. Annie Hall and Punch-Drunk Love are too. Oh and of course there are the countless classic comedies of Hollywood's Golden Age like His Girl Friday, Ninotchka and The Apartment. In the hands of the right creative team, romantic comedy can be a marvelous thing. Back in 1997 while everyone else was gorging themselves on Titanic, I saw As Good As It Gets three times in a theater. Films like this are the reason Wes Anderson and Cameron Crowe speak of James L. Brooks in such reverent tones. This film can rightfully stand shoulder to shoulder with all of the aforementioned classics because it's funny, it's romantic, it's well made, it's well acted and boy is it charming. To this day I am still in love with Helen Hunt. What can I say? She makes me want to be a better man.

Listening to Amélie (2001)

Amélie is the tale of a sweet and quirky young woman living in Paris, who has recently decided to be a do-gooder and win the heart of a man she doesn't really know. The movie is colorful, whimsical, a bit like a fairy-tale, and it has a beautiful soundtrack to match (original music by Yann Tiersen).

The score to this film has a special place in my heart, because I actually bought the soundtrack before I had ever seen the film. When I was able to finally watch the movie it had a special sense of familiarity hearing the wonderful music again...it was like revisiting an old friend.

The music transports you right to a picture perfect ideal of Paris. You hear the accordions, and your mind's eye sees the little French cafes, the Eiffel Tower, the ferris wheels. Some of the tracks are upbeat, energetic, but my favorites are the piano pieces. They are truly gorgeous, melodic and more peaceful. I actually use a few of the pieces on a playlist I made for my job as a toddler teacher during naptime. The soundtrack also throws in a couple pre-1950s songs to add some vintage charm to the overall feel of the film. All in all it's a wonderful score that perfectly complements the film, but just as easily stands on its own.

I was going to find a youtube of a track from the film to share, and then I remembered that I uploaded a video of myself playing a piece from the film back in January! Pardon my slip-ups, and enjoy!