Another week has gone by and it's time again for
Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by
Wandering Through the Shelves. This week one story isn't enough and we are asked to pick three to five movies that has a story within a story aka complex and compelling movies.
Adaptation. (2002)
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (yes, that Charlie Kaufman) is hired to write an adaptation of a book called The Orchid Thief. But he suffers from writer's block so what does he do? He writes a script about his inability to write the script. It is way more complicated than it sounds. There's the whole Orchid Thief storyline interview with Kaufman's and it requires a lot of thinking. But it's a hell of a movie. Words can't do this film justice so go watch it if you haven't already.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
An unsatisfied art curator starts reading the manuscript of a novel by her ex-husband. The novel is about a man seeking revenge for the assassination of his wife and daughter and she slowly becomes haunted by it. This is one of the most fascinating and enthralling films I've seen in a while. It deals with so many themes, it's visually stunning and the acting is amazing.
The Princess Bride (1987)
A young boy is home sick in bed and his grandfather decides to read him a story called The Princess Bride, which is a tale of love and adventure that has pretty much everything one needs, including pirate sword fights. I didn't love this film, but it's a lot of fun and the characters are memorable especially Mandy Patinkin's Inigo Montoya. If you killed his father, prepare to die.
Special Mention (Because I've already picked it) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
It's 1985, a young approaches the grave of a writer and starts reading from the author's book. The author then begins narrating the tale about his trip to the Grand Budapest Hotel in 1968. There he met Zero Moustafa, the hotel's owner who starts telling him the story of how he took ownership of the hotel. This film has a special place in my heart because it's the first Anderson movie I saw and it made me fall in love with him. The storytelling is outstanding, the acting is great and the visually, this film is a masterpiece.
Grand Budapest is a great pick too. I really phoned it in this week. lol
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI love The Grand Budapest Hotel but, I too, used that film before. The only other one I have seen is The Princess bride which I really enjoyed. I loved all the characters especially Andre The Giant
ReplyDeleteHe was nice but my fav is Inigo. I just love the guy.
DeleteI've only seen Nocturnal Animals (which I also picked!) and The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is really good. I get that Wes Anderson feeling, the same happened to me with this movie. I had seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited before, but Budapest was the one where I really fell in love with his films!
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me I still haven't seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited.
DeleteGeez I HATED Adaptation and couldn't wait for it to end which seemed to take an eternity. I haven't seen Nocturnal Animals yet, I really liked Ford's A Single Man but my complete indifference to Amy Adams and much bad word of mouth has kept me from this one.
ReplyDeleteHowever The Princess Bride is an absolute charmer with a terrific group of performers all perfectly cast. I'm not surprised that it appears to be one of the big titles of the week, especially since this is a theme with a narrower range of choices than most.
Like I said the scope this week is tight so choices were much thinner on the ground but I did end up finding these three.
Hellzapoppin’ (1941)- Projectionist Shemp Howard (ya one of the Three Stooges) is running a filmed dance number that turns into a funhouse ride collapsing into Hell where the dancers are tortured by demons until comics Olsen & Johnson arrive in a taxi and disrupt the scene. They call the scriptwriter in and we discover we’re in Miracle Pictures Studios (their slogan “If it’s a good picture, it’s a Miracle!”) where the boys are attempting to translate their Broadway hit show into a movie. Crazy patchwork quilt of a film throws everything, including a kitchen sink! into the mix and comes up with unrestrained lunacy that might make little linear sense since it bounces back and forth between stories but adds up to a very enjoyable viewing experience. Good cast with a standout Martha Raye. The source play was the longest running musical in history up to that point.
The Locket (1946) - Because of a false accusation of theft as a young girl a woman (Laraine Day) sets out for revenge on the world becoming a kleptomaniac, chronic liar, and eventually a murderess. The story is told in layered flashbacks (flashbacks within flashbacks) from different points of view. Complex thriller has many noirish touches and a good cast including a young Robert Mitchum.
The Fall (2006)-In a hospital ward in 20’s Los Angeles a young girl with a broken arm meets a seriously injured stunt man (Lee Pace) who as their friendship grows weaves elaborate stories in extravagant settings of different men who share a mission. As each story ends he asks her to forage in the hospital infirmary for morphine to help him endure his pain. Cryptic and challenging.
The Fall was so popular this week. I'll have to give it a chance.
DeleteI loved The Princess bride
ReplyDeleteGlad you did
DeleteGood pick with The Grand Budapest Hotel. What a fun movie! I haven't seen any of your actual picks...even The Princess Bride. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI watched it myself only some months ago, and only because it made it to Empire's 100 Greatest Movies.
DeleteI forgot all about the storytelling aspect of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
ReplyDelete:O
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