What movie should I rent?

[twickster]

I seem to be date-free for tomorrow night -- harrumph -- so am thinking I'll swing by Hollywood Video and see what's up.

Last weekend I saw "Shattered Glass" (liked it a lot), "Mona Lisa Smile" (not as bad as I feared, but I liked it less than my suitor did), and "School of Rock" (kind of dumb, but cute and funny).

The last recommendation from a fellow doper was cartooniverse's "Mystery Men," which I enjoyed.

Of recent releases, I kind of want to see the David Spade flick ("Dickie Roberts Child Star"? is that it?), but I don't necessarily need to see a recent release.

My favorite genre is, of course, musicals -- but I also like comedies. Sci-fi not so much, though I like parodies like "Mystery Men" or "Galaxy Quest." Lacking sufficient testosterone, I'm not too into action -- though one of my suitors ran "XXX" for me a couple of weeks ago and I didn't hate it. Nothing scary, but dramas or mysteries are fine.

So, guys -- pick a movie for me!

[DeadlyAccurate]

Have you seen any of these movies?

Pirates of the Caribbean
Seabiscuit
Bend It Like Beckham
X-Men and X-Men 2
The Hours
Traffic

Those are some of the movies I've really liked.

[twickster]

Pirates of the Caribbean -- yeah, on the list. thanks for reminding me.

Bend it Like Beckham -- saw it and loved it.

Traffic -- too grim. I forgot to mention, I don't do "grim." :D

My sister hated "The Hours," and I'm willing to take her word on it.

I'll check out the others -- thanks!

[RogueRacer]

If you haven't seen Pirates, I think you have found your movie for the night. It's definitely good. Enjoy!

[norinew]

I'll third Pirates of the Caribbean. It was much better than I expected it to be. And Orland Bloom is a cutie.

[yojimbo]

Zoolander is very funny

[ultrafilter]

Zoolander is a very funny movie, but no one would ever accuse it of being intelligent.

It's going to be tough to find, but if you haven't seen Fritz Lang's Metropolis, you owe it to yourself to track it down. It's a sci-fi film from the late 1920's (no talking), and it's good enough to still be worth seeing today. Find it.

[twickster]

ultrafilter, I have no problems with "dumb" in a comedy, so it's looking like a double feature of "Pirates" and "Zoolander" (hm, "men in ruffled shirts" theme developing here?) -- unless someone comes along with a better idea.

I have seen "Metropolis," but it was a couple of decades ago, when I was in college. I'm guessing Hollywood Video won't have it -- but my local library might. I'll keep an eye out.

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone -- keep 'em coming! (There's a minuscule possibility that I may have at least one more dateless Saturday night between now and my death...)

[Munch]

My parents were in town last weekend, and we rented Pieces of April. It was fantastic (and includes a well-earned Academy Award nominee performance for Best Supporting Actress). I highly recommend it.

[ultrafilter]

ultrafilter, I have no problems with "dumb" in a comedy, so it's looking like a double feature of "Pirates" and "Zoolander" (hm, "men in ruffled shirts" theme developing here?) -- unless someone comes along with a better idea.

Hey, I never said I didn't like it. :)

[Miss Purl McKnittington]

Have you seen Frida? It's about Frida Kahlo (understandably), starring Salma Hayek. It's really . . . ack, the only word I can come up with is "good", but it was more than good. I like it so much, than when I try to tell someone how good it is, all I can do is use the inflection of my voice to get it across. "It was sooo gooood. I looooved it." Of course, my apellido in Spanish class was Kahlo, so I was already happy to watch anything about her, even if it was LIES. Which this movie isn't.

It's a great movie just to see -- to look at. They do a great job of incorporating her art into the movie itself. And there's some crazy Mexican drinking songs in it, if you want music in your movies.

[Walloon]

My favorite genre is, of course, musicals -- but I also like comedies.On the Town (1949), Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin are three sailors on weekend leave in New York, New York, "a wonderful town". Taxi drver Betty Garrett, the late great Ann Miller, and Vera-Ellen are the three women they meet. Songs by Leonard Bernstein, directed by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain) and Gene Kelly.
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Writer-director Jacques Demy's tribute to the Hollywood musical, with Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac as twin sisters looking for love. Music by Michel Legrand.
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Julie Andrews is a 1920s flapper in the big city. With James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, and a particularly campy Carol Channing.
Finian's Rainbow (1968), Fred Astaire as a mysterious Irishman who arrives with his beautiful daughter (pop star Petula Clark) in a Southern town. Songs include "Look to the Rainbow" and "If This Isn't Love". Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Sweet Charity (1968), with Shirley MacLaine as the hooker with the heart of gold. Songs include "Hey Big Spender" and "If They Could See Me Now". Directed by Bob Fosse (Cabaret).
Godspell (1973), A modern-day Jesus teaches a group of followers, with New York City as their vast playground. An Indian summer of '60s flower power. Songs include "Day By Day".

All are available on DVD. Enjoy!

[twickster]

On the Town Own it. Hell, I own Take Me Out to the Ball Game. :rolleyes:

The Young Girls of Rochefort Never even heard of it -- sounds well worth looking for. (**jots note to self**)

Thoroughly Modern Millie Not to date myself, but I saw it when it came out -- !!! Saw it again a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. The running gag about the elevator is very cute.

Finian's Rainbow Never seen it, believe it or not -- despite the fact that I worship at Mr. Astaire's altar. Perhaps because? He's pretty damn old at that point...

Sweet Charity Doesn't do it for me. Shirley McLaine gets on my nerves.

Godspell Saw it on stage -- in Ford's Theater in DC, of all the bizarre places.

Thanks for the recommendations, Wallloon -- I assume you know some of my faves, like Neptune's Daughter and Ken Russell's version of The Boy Friend?

Did you see 8 Women, btw? what did you think?

And lillalette, I'm not ignoring you -- thanks for the tip, but I don't think today will be the day for that.

Thanks, everyone!

[Walloon]

Stephanie Zacharek reviews The Young Girls of Rochefort in Salon: The Colors of Love (http://dir.salon.com/ent/movies/reviews/1998/09/18reviewd.html?CP=SAL&DN=110).

[twickster]

Thanks, Walloon -- it sounds wonderful, I went ahead and ordered a copy.

Merci!

;)

[Tusculan]

I second The Young Girls of Rochefort, provided you like movies where people burst into song at regular intervals. Saw it in the theatre two years ago; it was good fun. If you haven't seen it yet, I would recommend The umbrellas of Cherbourgh, which preceded it and is even better.

8 Women is actually a movie much in the same style, except that instead of a light-hearted romance it has a whodunnit as backstory. I didn't find that story very convincing, but seeing so many famous french actresses together, singing and dancing, was enough to give me a good time. (rereading the thread I notice you probably already saw it)

[Liberal]

I recommend Billy Elliot.

[Pythagras]

Let's see, non-grim films in my dvd collection include:

Pleasantville
American Beauty
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Snatch (might be considered grim, but in a damn funny way)
Shakespeare in Love
Spinal Tap
SLC Punk
Any Given Sunday
High Fidelity
Contact

I recommend any of these if you haven't seen them.

[vl_mungo]

Five of my all time favorites that I would recommend to anyone...

Arsenic and Old Lace (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0036613/)
Brazil (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/) Fresh (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0109842/)
The Stunt Man (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0081568/)
The Three Musketeers (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/) (1973)

[Tentacle Monster]

If you can hunt it down, Silent Movie by Mel Brooks is hilarious.

[Tremmie]

If you like musicals and comedies maybe you would enjoy Southpark: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, as long as you dont mind ALOT of cussing. Let me just say i envy you getting to watch Pirates and Zoolander for the first time on the same night.

[bookbuster]

Everyone will laugh at me for this one...

OK, so I like Jackie Chan. I like the revenge plots (you killed my master, now I will learn the Snake technique and avenge him, you will die) of the 70's, the big budget action movies (Police Story (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089374/)) of the 80's, and the masterpeices (Drunken Master 2 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111512/)) of the 90's.

I don't expect too many people to join me with this fascination.

However, yesterday I saw the film Miracles (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098019/). This film was a response to the criticism that Jackie is a one-hat filmmaker. I was awe-struck. Great engaging characters, hiliarious moments, you may cry at the end! I know you have seen Rush Hour or Rumble in the Bronx, give Jackie one more chance and rent Miracles!

[koeeoaddi]

You've probably seen all these twicks but here are the ones I rent over and over:

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Strangelove
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
and the great political BBC mini-series with Ian Richardson - House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009MGGI/104-0194828-9576728?v=glance)

[twickster]

Well, as promised, I rented Pirates and Zoolander -- plus a third movie, which I'd never heard of but came across when I was looking for Pirates (which I guess has been out for a while! I was looking for shelves and shelves of it, and it was only about a half-shelf's worth) --On Edge (http://imdb.com/title/tt0206184/), a mockumentary about figure-skating, a sport I've been following avidly for more than 15 years. I've got to figure out who I was talking to recently who was teasing me about this, and tell him or her that the movie he or she said should have been made, has been.

So, anyway, I watched that first -- very fun, fans of the sport will really enjoy some of the cameos and in-jokes, others will enjoy having their prejudices reinforced. :p

Then I watched Zoolander, which really is pretty damn funny. The fate of Derek's posse was great, and I loved all the bizarre cameos -- I almost shit when David Bowie popped up.

Pirates maybe this afternoon -- it looks like it's going to be a miserable, cold, rainy day here.

To respond to some of the suggestions made: Pythagoras, I've seen all but three of the films you mention, and liked them all, so I'll definitely look for those three, since you seem to have intuited my taste!

bookbuster, the only Jackie Chan flicks I've seen are Shanghai Noon, which blew me away, and Shanghai Knights, which I didn't hate quite as much as a lot of people did. I'll keep an eye out for Witness

Silent Movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, Brazil, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir -- all great flicks!

Keep the suggestions coming, gang -- I'm going to print out this thread and keep it in my purse for future trips to the video store.

[twickster]

bookbuster -- Miracles[b/], not [b]Witness. I'm not going to even try to figure out that synaptical short-circuit; apparently I was only looking at coding, not content, when I previewed.

[The Scrivener]

I love the oddball, offbeat cult flicks, and here (once again) are three of my all-time faves:

1) Withnail & I(1986; set in 1969). Honestly, the funniest funny/sad movie ever made, full of the sort of dialogue that fans love to quote in long stretches. Two destitute, long-unemployed actors living in a London slum leave the city for a weekend in a primitive country cottage owned by one of the actor's rich, gay uncle -- and, as the cliche goes, "hilarity ensues". (Actually, the hilarity sets in immediately; the whole thing is a howling riot.) Rent the Criterion DVD if you can find it (2 minutes' worth of dialogue snipped from the original U.S. release and VHS version, plus a wonderful documentary, and a superior anamorphic transfer of the film.) The improvised "Withnail" drinking game that some fans are said to play (basically, trying to keep up with the on-screen boozing) is absolutely lethal.

2) The Wicker Man(1972). Often cited by critics as one of the very best horror movies ever made (or, alternatively, as the best British horror film), it's not really a conventional horror flick at all -- as it's more accurately described as a musical detective thriller/murder mystery and religious melodrama, with an art-house sexploitation sensibility and a uniquely haunting soundtrack. Made partly by naifs who had never before directed, acted (all those Scottish villagers/extras, that is; the cast includes Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee) or composed music for movies, but it all comes off wonderfully.

3) Dark Star(1974). John Carpenter's storied UCLA (or was it USC?) student film that he, uh, reconfiscated to develop and release. Co-creators included Dan O'Bannon, who would later go on to write "Alien" -- a story that shares a certain similarity to this one. The fractured plot: a skeleton crew of four hippy burnouts doggedly pursue their mission, which is to travel endlessly through space, seeking "unstable planets" to destroy with their nuclear bombs. Meanwhile, these unkempt space hippies get on each other's nerves, tire of their finite stocks of comic books and porn, accidentally jettison their supplies of toilet paper, and take on board a "pet alien" -- a cute critter obviously made on the cheap with a red beach ball with big feet attached to it. As is the case with "Withnail," the plot isn't half as important as the characterizations and great dialogues -- like when the captain attempts to reason with a sentient (but malfunctioning) nuclear bomb which becomes obsessed with questions of epistemology and metaphysics. Made on a near-zero budget, this flick has a special appeal for stoners and/or former philosophy majors and fans of the sort of electronic primitivism that characterized the dawn of the computer age. :cool:

[RogueRacer]

So twickster, how was Pirates for you?

[twickster]

I actually curled up and read for a couple of hours last night -- :eek: -- so haven't watched it yet -- probably tonight, though.

[Kalhoun]

I saw Gothika last night and liked it a lot. Much better than I thought I would.

I also saw School of Rock and got a major kick out of it.