I Recommend to Anyone

I recommend this film because it's touching without being trite. The subject is serious, and one that we'd like to avoid, but blooms with comedy and becomes approachable and real.

I love this film because it's multi-layered. There is a storyline with characters who say and do things. But there is another plot underneath, that has very little to do with anything said or done. It's deep and thought-provoking.

Bubba Ho-tep is a favorite because it does one of my favorite things. It takes a serious theme and wraps it in irreverent comedy. It's an excellent example of low-budget, tight-deadline, true-substance magic. It works, in part, because the spirit is pure and, in part, because of the elbow grease and sweat of the cast and crew.

This movie has one of the most touching scenes, and some of the best acting, I've ever seen. During the opera scene, I can see an internal change in Miller. He doesn't say anything, his face is 99% still, but it's there. Suddenly, a man dying of a shameful thing sheds the burden of preconceptions and becomes a man, dying. How could a moment or a message be more human?

This one is another fun one! I love this film for many reasons, not the least of which is that Val Kilmer stars. But it manages to work a growing up story, with an outcast twist, into an unbelievably funny roller coaster ride. Old, but good!

Another great performance by Denzel Washington. This one brings me to tears every time. It's a broad theme crammed into a narrow story to become personal. There's something in it that reminds me of one-set plays. What's important isn't necessarily what's going on on the stage, but what's going on in the minds of the characters.

I wanted to see this from the moment I saw the first screen-shots. It's a beautiful movie, full of imaginative effects and nods to familiar folklore. But it's also dark, unapologetically so, which draws me in. You may spend the first viewing wondering what's real and what isn't, but by the second time, you'll know that reality isn't what matters here. Stunning.

I never thought I'd enjoy a movie about writers. Writers are too stationary. I know. I are one. :P But this film does a great job of drawing out the world of the writer, our eccentric views of right and wrong, acceptability, boundaries and erotica. Full of dry humor, angst, irony and hope. "Sound like anybody we know?"

Ok, so the themes aren't new, the effects aren't exactly dazzling, and the songs are a bit outdated. But Labyrinth is still the most symbolically rich film I've ever studied. Besides, it has Bowie in tights. Need I say more?

I think every modern Pagan should see this film. It opens up so many lines of discussion that we (as a community) don't want to face. Is it a reasonable horror movie? A spoof? A shameful exploitation? Watch it, and talk it out with someone. Believe me, it's worth it.

Cheeseburgers, race issues, marijuana, self-esteem, chase scenes, evaluation of beauty, convenience store kayaking, individuality within expectation, raccoons, religion, grand theft auto, and the balance of law and personal choice. Watch this one with some think-y friends and talk about it afterward. There's a lot of serious stuff here, along with some serious comedy.