Directed by Gus Van Sant Last Days is a slightly fictional account of Kurt Cobain's final days before his suicide in 1994.  It follows Blake (Michael Pitt), a guy who might as well be Kurt Cobain, based on his similarly long blond hair, female sunglasses and the setting of the film.  But other than that, … Continue reading Last Days (2005)

Directed by Gus Van Sant There is a certain degree of fatalism in Paranoid Park.  Everything feels singed at the edges, like the paper is burning from the outside, and it's only a matter of time before it all disappears.  Paranoid Park was made after Elephant and Last Days, Van Sant's two previous feature films which both deal … Continue reading Paranoid Park (2007)

Directed by Gus Van Sant In Mala Noche, people are destined to get hurt.  Walt (Tim Streeter) falls in love with a Mexican immigrant named Johnny and later his friend Pepper, and he is more interested in their pain and exclusion from a heteronormative world dominated by white men than he is the actual person. Over … Continue reading Mala Noche (1986)

Directed by Sam Raimi A Simple Plan is Fargo-lite with a little Macbeth mixed in.  It's a story in which five people die, yet the whole thing ends up feeling melodramatic.  At the same time it's quite entertaining, as it's just off the rails enough that you never know where it's going to go.  Once you buy … Continue reading A Simple Plan (1998)

Directed by David Lynch Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) is the eye of the storm in Eraserhead, with everything swirling around him, haunting him, terrifying him or simply unsettling us.  In the climactic moments of the film, Henry is as stunned as we are, despite mostly going along with the strange behavior and gore of the people … Continue reading Eraserhead (1977)

Directed by Gus Van Sant There's a grimy beauty to My Own Private Idaho.  It depicts a not so savory world of prostitution, street life and troubled kids, but there is a real tenderness between Mike and Scott and the people they surround themselves with. The first thing the film tells us is the definition of … Continue reading My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Directed by Hal Ashby Everything about Harold and Maude, from the titular characters' names to the gothic wealth of Harold's family to the soundtrack, all make this film feel incredibly old fashioned.  It surprised me to learn that this film took place in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Based on the large, dark, empty home in … Continue reading Harold and Maude (1971)

Directed by Robert Altman California Split traces the friendship between two gamblers, Bill (George Segal) and Charlie (Elliott Gould) as they make and lose money, get beat up, make bets on everything and ultimately go their separate ways.  Bill is facing tough times when we're introduced to him, and Charlie, well it feels like nothing … Continue reading California Split (1974)

Directed by Richard Linklater Waking Life is all a dream, but it's not a dream like Inception is a dream.  The point is never really to determine whether or not you're awake or dreaming.  The point is to just go with it. The protagonist is an unnamed character, a young man played by Wiley Wiggins who … Continue reading Waking Life (2001)

Directed by Hal Ashby Being There is a comedy, but it starts off feeling much more somber and quiet than most comedies, and in the end it feels sharper and edgier than any comedy I've seen in a while.  Hal Ashby's first film, The Landlord, dealt with a protagonist similarly clueless to the protagonist in Being There, Chauncey … Continue reading Being There (1979)