More Movies Worth Seeing

So I don't go to the theater often. I like to rent movies more now since I don't pay for them and I can watch them at my leisure. So when I do movie reviews, they are usually older new movies and are rentals. So if you are sitting around, bored, go and rent these next to movies. Here are my reviews for:

Lucky Number Slevin

My inital thoughts on what this movie would be like was a crappy heist film. However, I add it to the lexicon of movies that should not be judged based on trailers and buzz. Lucky Number Slevin is a noir peice. Not totally in the way Brick was but not far from it. The story follows Slevin (Josh Hartnett... trust me... he's pretty excellent in this) who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is stuck in the worst case of mistaken identity. He supposedly owes money all over town and is indebted to two different mobster bosses. The Boss (Morgan Freeman) and the Rabbi (Sir Ben Kingsley.) The first half hour so, we get acquinted with the shitty situation at hand in a rather comical way. But then things become serious once the jobs need to be done. The Good Cat (Willis) is an enigma to the very end and Slevin only has the help of a nosey neighbor, but a hot one at that (Lucy Liu)... or does he? It's a really twisting turning narrative with ridiculous wordplay. It's not a straight up action film. A lot of story telling, but it builds the suspense. It wasn't impossible to figure out, but it was still a fun ride.

Don't Come Knockin'

This movie is a bit different than Slevin. It is directed by Wim Wenders who did the original City of Angels (it was called something else and had Columbo in it) and a much acredited German director. It was written by and starring Sam Shephard who has been in everything under the sun. The movie is about an aging actor going through a midlife crisis and searching for what he has left behind. He leaves the set of the western he is shooting on horseback. He visits his mom (Eva Marie Saint), an old flame (Jessica Lange) and runs into an array of other characters including long lost children. He is being stalked by a bond company man (who is far from a Stooge... fucking Tim Roth!) This movie has a great quietude to it. I know that really isn't a word, but the visuals tell the story of lonliness. The American West has a beauty to it that is perfect for the story at hand. If you are looking for a great character film, this one is worth the look see.

Man Bites Dog

I wonder if these young, French films students liked A Clockwork Orange. Good thing they did. In this bizarre mockumentary, some young-gun film students follow around Benoit, a serial killer. They watch him galavant around Paris murdering people with no real point behind his motives besides collecting money from their homes. He murders no names as to not create waves in society. He writes poetry. He sings, although he isn't good. It's a very dark, yet utterly hilarious film that looks at our violent society and puts it in a strange perspective. The film is super low budget, but the visuals are great. Any true film lover can appreciate it for its use of sound, editing and its unique direction style. I can't stress enough how ridiculous this movie was. Check it out sometime.