Le Cinema #4: Heathers (1989)

This is by far one of the best movies ever.  It is eminently quotable and many of its lines have worked their way into my regular speech.  Winona Ryder can use a crappy accent in as many period films as she wants; she will forever get a pass for this (and Beetlejuice, and “Strangers With Candy”) in my book.  Jawbreaker tried to be this movie and sucked royally.  Mean Girls always gets compared to this one, and while I think they’re equally enjoyable and well-made, I don’t think Heathers could ever be anything Oprah could get into, if you know what I mean.

Check this jawn out, and wait till the end!

Le Cinema #3: Do the Right Thing (1989)

Elvis was a hero to many but he ain’t never meant shit to me~ Public Enemy

This was on TV today.  I don’t tend to watch gritty urban dramas but I really love this film.  Whereas Crash tends to come off as Ethnic Studies for Dummies, Do the Right Thing, in spite of being nearly twenty years old now, still feels completely fresh, authentic, and current.

Le Cinema #2: Blow-up (1966)

Another one of my favorite movies. It’s definitely not for everyone, as there’s not much of a plot, but it’s got loads of style and attitude. Definitely has convinced me that although I can’t go back in time to Swinging London, I’m for sure living there one day. Visuals and directing aside, I think the film is an incredible meditation on how each individual defines their own reality. This scene has nothing to do with all the high-minded stuff, and you may be familiar with it because it’s been parodied tons of times.

Also, how hot is David Hemmings.

Le Cinema #1: M (1931)

Here is my favorite clip from M, one of my favorite movies. In it, Peter Lorre, in the role that put him on the path to Household Name, plays a serial killer of children. His performance not only manages to make such a despicable creature sympathetic, but is also remarkably current and timeless as well, and not at all in the overly mannered acting style that you might see in another film of this era. I don’t normally like to use cliches, but this is one of the few instances where I might accurately use the word “bone-chilling” as that is exactly the effect of this final monologue.