QUICK FIX Movies To Watch #6-10 are intelligent, introspective films
Quick Fix Movies To Watch is a weekly column of mixed movie suggestions for both the avid film fan and the casual movie-goer. Dive in, swim around a little bit, and come up with a new movie or two you think is worth watching. They’re all great!
This week’s Quick Fix picks takes a look at The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road, Miller’s Crossing, Midnight in Paris, and Adaptation.
QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #6: THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Release: 2007 Rating: R Director: Andrew Dominik
Stars: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Jeremy Renner, Mary-Louise Parker
Accounting the life and crimes of Jesse James and his James Gang, this slow-burn character study is pretty fantastic. From Brad Pitt’s slowly unraveling Jesse James to the all-star cast that surround him I found myself thoroughly enjoying this cold, bleak look at the last days of the wild west outlaw. Granted, the pacing won’t be for everyone, and if you’re the type who needs an explosion or car chase every 15 minutes I fear this won’t be for you.
HIDDEN GEM: This was probably the first movie in a long time that I really noticed the beauty behind each shot. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is stunning and was a force of its own throughout the film.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #7: INTERSTATE 60: EPISODES OF THE ROAD
Release: 2002 Rating: R Director: Bob Gale
Stars: James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Kurt Russell, Amy Smart
I love everything about this movie, plain and simple. From it’s not-so-over-the-90’s feel to the eclectic cast of characters it all worked for me. A hidden interstate where anything is possible. Gary Oldman as a ginger-haired living leprechaun of sorts. Christopher Lloyd as a mystical man with ulterior motives. A magic 8 ball that’s more than meets the eye. Kurt Russell as the sheriff of a town where psychedelic substances are legal. Chris Cooper as the most honest man in the world. A mystery killer on the loose. Oh man, I could go on and on. This is one of the few movies that I can pop in and enjoy again and again for all the right reasons.
HIDDEN GEM: Gary Oldman in particular is a hoot through-and-through. There’s one particular scene where he and Marsden pick up a rather promiscuous hitchhiker that makes me laugh out loud every time. Priceless.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #8: MILLER’S CROSSING
Release: 1990 Rating: R Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Stars: Albert Finney, Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi
Every word of dialogue drips with honey in this earlier work from the Coen brothers. The story is a little hard to follow, but from start to finish this is a gritty gangster tale framed by prohibition and double-crosses. It’s soft when it needs to be and hard on more than one occasion. Gabriel Byrne’s Tom Reagan takes thorough beatings throughout, and when all is said and done, even after multiple veiwings, I can never tell if he masterminded everything or if it was all just dumb luck. Highly recommended.
HIDDEN GEM: The scene in the forest with John Turturro always comes up when Miller’s Crossing is being praised for one thing or another. It’s a powerful scene no doubt, and Turturro shines. But my favorite scene in the movie has to be Albert Finney going crazy with a Thompson sub-machine gun for a good 5 minutes. Awesome!
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #9: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Release: 2011 Rating: PG-13 Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hiddleston, Allison Pill, Adrien Brody
This is the kind of movie that makes me, as a writer, love writing and the magic that surrounds the craft. Owen Wilson turns in a very-subdued performance (as a surrogate Woody Allen I’m sure) as a struggling writer who gets a little more of Paris than he expected while on vacation. Partying and discussing writing with the likes of Cole Porter, Zelda & F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ernerst Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and a whole cast of classic characters brought to life by some fantastic talents is a lot of fun. The whimsy of light time travel and a love for the written word put this pleasant film right up there with some of my favorites.
HIDDEN GEM: Ernest Hemingway is by far my favorite character in the film, and the way he approaches life and writing is raw and inspiring. Truly a pleasure every time he’s on screen. Also, I’d be doing this movie a disservice if I didn’t mention Adrien Brody’s short-but-sweet cameo as Salvador Dali. Everything out of his mouth is hilarious.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #10: ADAPTATION
Release: 2002 Rating: R Director: Spike Jonze
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton, Judy Greer, Maggie Gyllenhaal
When I first saw Adaptation, and somewhat shamefully still today, I felt a lot like Meryl Streep’s character – longing to be enthralled by something passionately. It’s a beautiful movie, and one that keeps reminding me that Nicolas Cage is capable of greatness when given the right material. Here he plays brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman. The former actually wrote the movie (and managed to write himself into it superbly) and the latter is a fictional twin brother. Nicolas Cage pulls off playing both of them very well, and the depressed, lost Charlie along with the upbeat, happy-go-lucky Donald are yin and yang siblings who really just want the best for each other. Adaptation is experimental drama at its finest.
HIDDEN GEM: Chris Cooper’s John Laroche character and his ability to devote months to a passion and then move on to the next like it’s nothing is both a curse and a cure from his past. You can’t help sympathize for his situation and admire the man for his passion. There’s that word again, passion. If anything, that’s what I’d say this movie is about.