FIrst Rule of Movie Club is: you don't talk about Movie Club. But you do share, because sharing is caring.
Rob Reiner has had a rollercoaster of a career, having directed three of the best 80's comedies America has to offer, and later giving us a long, long string of terrible clunkers that impressed neither critics nor audiences alike. But somewhere in that mess lies a sweet, forgotten little comedy that made John Cusack a … Continue reading The Sure Thing
Saturday Night Live, for all of the hours of comedy it has given Americans since the 1970's, has very little to show for itself beyond overdone sketches with one-note jokes belabored to death by rotating casts of "up and coming" comics who may or may not go on to have big careers. But one thing … Continue reading Nothing Lasts Forever
Patricia Rozema is not a household name, and she's made an odd smattering of films, including one for the American Girl series... and yet she's been a fiercely independent filmmaker in every sense of the word since the 1980's, the decade she first wrote, directed, edited, and produced her debut, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. … Continue reading I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing
The most successful South African film in history, Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy is a lot of things- clever, ridiculous, offensive, insightful, funny- but most of all, its like no other film out there, which is the best reason to watch it. An idiosyncratic combination of anthropological documentary and old-fashioned slapstick comedy, Gods … Continue reading The Gods Must Be Crazy
Bill Forsyth is one of those quiet, under-the-radar filmmakers who somehow managed to carve out a career making quirky, underplayed, heartfelt comedies that don't really stand out in any obvious way, yet somehow manage to assert themselves as unique pieces of art all the same. Comfort and Joy is his follow-up to critical fave Local … Continue reading Comfort and Joy
Love him or hate him, Woody Allen is an undeniable part of American Cinema’s tapestry, having steadily cranked out one fascinating exploration into his neurotic psyche after another. Zelig is one of his best- a beautiful formalist experiment in the service of comedy, blending archival footage with Allen’s own footage to create a fictional account … Continue reading Zelig
Here's an exclusive by request from a German Movie Club fan- the crazy, zany 80's rock n' roll comedy adventure, Panische Zeiten! English speakers beware- this film has no subtitles, but don't let that deter you from enjoying this silly, but oddly satisfying flick. German rock star Udo Lindenberg wrote, directed and starred in this … Continue reading Panische Zeiten
So, Osamu Tezuka is basically the godfather of modern manga, and arguably the greatest manga artists in history. I mean, his comics- from Astroboy to Buddha- are brilliant and influential. His storytelling techniques have been copied a million times over by pretty much everyone else, and he could pretty much do anything he wanted and … Continue reading Hoshikuzu Kyôdai No Densetsu (The Legend of the Stardust Brothers)
Savage Steve Holland's now-classic 80's comedy is certainly not a masterpiece of cinema, nor a forgotten, obscure movie in need of revival. And yet, thanks to the magic of our convoluted copyright laws and corporate greed, it's almost impossible for you to watch this movie right now, unless you happen to own an old VHS … Continue reading Better off Dead
Local Hero It's almost impossible for me to picture the pitch session that got Bill Forsyth's underplayed gem made. An American goes to Scotland to negotiate a land deal for the oil company he works for... and that's pretty much it. But the film is so sweet, in such a simple, genuine, natural way, you … Continue reading Local Hero
Movie Club 