2010 Fav Flix!

So last year I composed a list of 25 movies I loved and recommended to people just starting to get into the film world. I watched so many many flix in 2010, what was life before Netflix, and therefore felt compelled to make a new list of my top favs. You can always email me for the complete rundown. Here are my top five. Wait, let me just say the first three a brilliant for the score alone. Alright, now look:

1.  Umberto D. (1952) It's a very simple premise, an old Italian pensioner is struggling to pay his rent. There is something about the feel of this movie that makes you fall in love with it. For me it's the score, Carlo Battisti's subtle yet emotive performance, and the gorgeous shots of an Italian town in a state of decay. Oh Umberto, you've got my heart. Here's a clip:



2. A very, very close second is Fellini's I Vitelloni (1953). Watch the trailer. I'd say Scorsese's quote captures the film best.




3. Elevator to the Gallows (1958), is about the coolest suspense movie you will ever see. Miles Davis is the soundtrack which gives this film noir/French New Wave Masterpiece a warm breezy flow.  Peep the trailer and don't even try to tell me it's not some sexy shit!



4. Shoot the Piano Player (1960) - So we'll stay in Paris, because it's wonderful there and the French make brilliant movies. Charlie is a piano player who's swept back into his criminal family's drama without warning. We learn about his professional career, past loves, and regrets in two days of his life. The trailer's a bit funky but the movie is grand!




5. A Prophet (2009) Whoaaaaa, wait 2009? Ms Christiana doesn't only watch old movies? Answer to that, sometimes. And films like this made me realize there is some really good shit out there now that I'm missing out on. Netflix threw this movie my way and honestly, I only watched it because it's French. And let me tell you something friends, it is no joke. Tahar Rahim plays Malik, a young North African new to the French prison system. He is muscled into working for the Corsican gang which places him at odds with the Arab community. That's just a basic synopsis, it goes really deep from there. The directing and cinematography is bold, inventive, and exhilarating. And hey, it's in color!

Speaking of Simpler Times . . .

I finally watched The Last Picture Show on Saturday, it had been on my queue forever. I'm not exactly sure how it ended up there but I'm so glad I finally got around to it.  The film is definitely more character than plot driven. It doesn't have many high peaks or melodrama, but it successfully depicts the grayness of life in a dying town. there are many heart clenching moments and events but the characters accept these tragedies as part of everyday life. I grew up in a small nothing town in Jersey and although I wasn't the least bit happy there, and ostracized quite a bit, I do feel for and understand the people I grew up around. Watching The Last Picture Show reminded me of that connection. I found myself pondering, what type of life can you make for yourself when you're poor, white, and disenfranchised? What is your imprint on the world? What's your existence worth? Okay so if that's a bit too heavy for you, watch it for the amazing cast! Many of the actors were just getting their start in the picture business. Stellar performances by: Ellen Burstyn, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepard, Jeff bridges, Randy Quaid, & Chloris Leachman to name a few. Peep the trailer:

Black Dynamite, I Dig!

Friends of mine know my heart longs for the 70's. The clothes, the music, the orgies, sigh . . . born too late. Black Dynamite is my kind of shit. The movie cleverly captured the look, feel, & melodrama of Blaxploitation Films. The brolick Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, a former CIA agent on a mission to rid the city of drugs & avenge his brother's death. One thing I really enjoyed was all the cameo appearances by so many underused black comedians. Scrawny & permed up Tommy Davidson was hilarious as Cream Corn. Also keep an eye out for Kym Whitley, John Salley, Arsenio hall, Phil Morris, & Cedric Yarbrough . Be sure to stay for the out takes during the credits. Peep the video bar for clips!