QUICK FIX Movies To Watch #21-25 are both introspective and a little wild
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 takes a look at Run Ronnie Run, Primer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Heart Huckabees, and Attack the Block.
QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #21: RUN RONNIE RUN
Release: 2002 Rating: R Director: Troy Miller
Stars: David Cross, David Koechner, Bob Odenkirk, Jack Black, M. C. Gainey
When I saw this very under-watched comedy for the first time I thought it was the best laugh-out-loud film I’d seen in a long while. Full of comedic cameos from some of the funniest people out there, Jack Black’s Mary Poppins parody is particularly fantastic, Run Ronnie Run is a movie you’ll be sharing with your “gotta laugh and laugh hard” friends. The premise is simple – a failing TV salesman sees a light at the end of the tunnel when he comes across one Ronnie Dobbs, who has a knack for getting himself arrested in amusing ways, and decides to make Ronnie’s reality into a television show. What ensues is a rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-jail-to-riches-to-hilarity sandwich that’s just a great time to munch down.
HIDDEN GEM: So, truly hidden, but Jeff Goldblum has a deleted scene moment in the special features that’s just awesome. Are they filming? Is he aware they’re filming? Is he bored out of his mind? Hilarious. Also, there’s a music video mid-movie that’s ridiculous in all the right ways. “A peanut girl! A lonely little peanut!” And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention David Koechner as Clay. Best role he’s had yet.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #22: PRIMER
Release: 2004 Rating: PG-13 Director: Shane Carruth
Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden
Primer is the most practical time travel movie I’ve ever seen, and it’s a pretty damn good movie made for next to nothing. A group of intelligent buddies build a strange box in their garage without a clue as to what it does, and over the course of the film they discover what they’ve created, build something larger to house a human, and start intelligently (seriously, this film is smart all the way through) experimenting with time travel. What would you do if only you and a few other guys had the greatest invention in history at your disposal? Would you abuse the power? Would you use it for good? Is that even possible? All questions we see answered by the time credits roll. A must-watch for indie film fans and anyone who considers themselves a time travel enthusiast. Highly recommended.
HIDDEN GEM: I hate resorting to this, but this movie in itself is a pretty hidden gem. Made for only thousands of dollars (IMDB says $7,000), Primer is a movie that gives me hope for creatives and artistic visionaries everywhere. If you’ve got a will backed by some film knowledge it’s very possible to create something exceptional with very little money. Knowing that Shane Carruth (director, writer, star) was consulted during Looper’s creation for his time travel input is awesome, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Carruth’s newest project Upstream Color.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #23: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Release: 2004 Rating: R Director: Michel Gondry
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson
I think this was a film that showed a lot of people that Jim Carrey isn’t all fart jokes and crazy faces. Written (in part) by Charlie Kaufman (the amazing mind behind Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Synecdoche, New York) and directed by the equally amazing Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep) this is an indie kid’s wet dream. Every piece is placed just right to create this crazily shaped puzzle of what a man’s conscious and subconscious existence would be like if he decided to physically remove memories of a past love. I won’t spoil anything, as a lot relies on understanding and following the relationship throughout the film, but Eternal Sunshine is one of my favorites.
HIDDEN GEM: Again, Jim Carrey surprises here if all you know is his Ace Ventura schtick (which he resorts to far too often), and I’m not sure he would have tried tackling I Love You Phillip Morris if he didn’t have Eternal Sunshine under his belt. Also, there’s an extremely well done forced perspective scene under a kitchen table that’s a testament to fine film making. Very cool.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #24: I HEART HUCKABEES
Release: 2004 Rating: R Director: David O. Russell
Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, Lily Tomlin, Naomi Watts
I’ve heard, and seen, some crazy things in regards to David O. Russell’s approach to film. The man is, in some minds, a film Nazi in the respect that he has a vision and won’t settle for anything less. (look up his fued with Lily Tomlin during the making of this movie to see what I’m talking about) But, if the results he gets are the end product of his strict direction I have to say…more power to him. I Heart Huckabees is a smorgasbord of metaphysical and existential thought that’s pure joy to take a deep dive into. How does one explain existentialism in a paragraph? It can’t be done justly, so just know everything about this movie is a meditation on what it means to live, and live fully. Lots of great material here to ponder over!
HIDDEN GEM: Dustin Hoffman’s character puts things so simply it’s hard not to be swayed to his way of thinking. We are the blanket. That is all. Also, Mark Wahlberg is great. He’s confused, and in his confusion is willing to sample a little bit of everything offered to him. His emotion level is high, and his exploration is a lot of fun.
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QUICK FIX Movie To Watch #25: ATTACK THE BLOCK
Release: 2011 Rating: R Director: Joe Cornish
Stars: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Nick Frost
This was a film that many casual movie-goers missed out on simply because it flew under a lot of radars. But I’m here to tell you Attack the Block is an awesome monster/alien invasion movie. Set in Britain’s equivalent of the projects (somewhat run-down, smashed together apartments stacked on top of each other in multi-story towers), the movie follows a group of young hoodlums who wouldn’t think twice about robbing or cutting you late at night as creatures start to rain down on their neighborhood. The kids use their knowledge of the area coupled with some impromptu weapons like baseball bats, fireworks, and squirt guns filled with gasoline to fight back, and I loved every minute of it.
HIDDEN GEM: The creature design here is pretty great. There’s no wet tentacles, no strangely shaped craniums, and no over-used human-like features. These monsters are pitch black and their teeth glow a crazy neon so sometimes that’s all you see in the shadows – a big, menacing pair of glowing teeth.
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