It's time for another Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. The rules are very simple, each Thursday we pick three to five films to fit the week's theme.
This week is pretty self-explanatory so I'll leave you with my picks
This week is pretty self-explanatory so I'll leave you with my picks
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Olive is a seven-year-old with one goal, to win a beauty pageant. In order to achieve that, she takes a cross-country trip with her dysfunctional family. Needless to say, it'll be a bumpy trip. This is one of the most brilliant dark comedies ever made. It's as charming and sweet as its leading actress, Abigail Breslin.
Memento (2000)
Leonard is a man with a huge problem, his short-term memory has been destroyed and he takes note and Polaroid photos to keep track of what happens to him over the course of a day. He also has one goal, to find the man who raped and murdered his wife. Nolan's made a lot of fantastic movies but this one is easily my favourite. It's twisted and intriguing and Guy Pearce is fantastic.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Verbal Kint is one of the only two survivors of a massacre at the Port of Los Angeles and when interrogated by the police, he tells a story about the events that led him and his partners on that ship and about a mysterious Turkish criminal known by the name of Keyser Söze. If you still haven't seen this one please watch it asap, it's a fantastic neo-noir with fantastic performances and one of the best plot twists ever. This one is also one of my all-time favourites.
Love your first two picks very much. Miss Sunshine is just full of heart and all the performers are at the top of their games making it endlessly rewatchable.
ReplyDeleteMemento is fascinatingly complex. You really have to be present when you're viewing the film to catch all its idiosyncrasies.
Unfortunately I hate, hated The Usual Suspects-odd since I'm an enormous noir fan-but it's one of the few films that I fell asleep during in a movie theatre. I though perhaps it was the circumstances so I gave it another try but I was left cold once again.
The theme is self explanatory but I had to look up to see which films qualified.
Silverlake Life: The View from Here (1993) - Won the Grand Jury Documentary Prize at Sundance. Mark Massi and Tom Joslin are in a long time committed relationship, they have also both been diagnosed with AIDS which at the time was a death sentence. We live through their final journey with them. The film has touches of gallows humor but it is a harrowing, heartbreaking trip to an inevitable destination that will leave you emotionally bereft.
Big Night (1996) - Won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci-who co-wrote and co-directed this film) are immigrant brothers who operate an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is a culinary genius, but hot tempered and determined not to squander his expertise making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. Their friendly competitor who owns a nearby enormously successful restaurant offers a solution, a special benefit lead by a big-time jazz musician who is a friend of his. Excitedly Primo begins to prepare his feast of a lifetime for the brothers' big night. Amusing comic drama with a terrific cast alongside Tucci and Shalhoub including Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver and Live Schreiber.
You Can Count on Me (2000) - Won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. Independent, responsible Sammy Prescott (Laura Linney) is a single mother working as a loan officer in upstate New York who is at first delighted when her errant, feckless brother Terry (Mark Ruffalo) shows up unexpectedly for a visit after a long period of not being in touch. When his short visit stretches into an extended stay they both slowly begin to reexamine their lives as their childhood bond strengthens anew. Beautifully acted this is one of the best looks at sibling rivalry and connection ever made.
I'm so sorry to hear you hated The Usual Suspects. I love that movie, and I will never get tired of watching it.
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks but they sound interesting. I think I'll check them out.
I love all three of these movies. The first has become something of a family favorite around my house, the other two might find themselves on the list of my all-tine favorites whenever I finish it. (FYI, title-typo - it's Little Miss Sunshine.)
ReplyDeleteLol thanks! I was too tired when I wrote this
DeleteAll picks I think I've seen. I'm not sure about The Usual Suspects but I think I've seen it. Memento I saw ages ago and have luckily mostly forgotten about it so I'm waiting for a time to rewatch it with and be blown away. Little Miss Sunshine was a meh for me, I liked it, but I wasn't in love with it.
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky! I wish I could forget Memento to experience it again.
DeleteMemento is such a mindblowing movie. The first time I watched it I literally got a headache from having to remember how each scene started
ReplyDeleteI didn't struggle that much to keep track but it's arguably very complex.
DeleteAlways love Little Miss Sunshine. Still not see Usual Suspects the whole way through nor Memento.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to see them soon. They are amazing.
DeleteLove them all! Haven't seen Memento in way too long. Thanks for the reminder. Little Miss Sunshine holds up really well. Re-watched it not long ago. Great picks!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I also need to rewatch Memento. I haven't seen it in year!
DeleteYou know what? If I would have played this week, we would have matched 3 for 3 because these are the 3 I marked down to write about just before getting the call to go to my mom. I was with her when she passed away. I’m glad you picked these 3
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about your loss :( at least now she isn't suffering anymore.
DeleteIt's interesting that you picked both Memento and The Usual Suspects, as they both have one of those "twist endings" that make you look at the film differently on second viewing. The problem for me with Usual Suspects is that I think that the twist really only works once, whereas with Memento, I find it constantly fascinating and endlessly rewatchable. I like The Usual Suspects, really enjoyed the performances and the reveal is really well-done, but after that first viewing, it's pretty much played its hand. Meanwhile, Memento plays like a much different film every time I watch it because there's always some little detail that provides clues or context that I never noticed before.
ReplyDeleteLittle Miss Sunshine is just <3
I don't know, I've seen The Usual Suspects many times and each time that twist gives me the chills.
DeleteI like all your picks. Memento is one that I want to see again as I remember it the least.
ReplyDeleteI need to rewatch it too.
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