Indie Films

[walterick]

I would love to chat indie films with you all. I'm not an "indie snob" but several of the best (and most important!) films I have seen in the last 5 years have been indies. Got any favs? Shoot 'em out there!

A few of my favorite recent ones:
I Heart Huckabees - love it or hate it!
Thank You For Smoking - not as provocative as I had hoped, but interesting to see.
Transamerica - very good, Felicity Huffman did a damn good job!
Super Size Me - everyone needs to see this!
What the Bleep - see previous thread The extended (and better) version is coming out on DVD soon. (the original is not worth your time)
Fahrenheit 911 - not really a documentary, more of a commentary, but good to see.
Loose Change - a 911 conspiracy film available on the web for free, very worth your time!

I'm looking forward to seeing Fast Food Nation when it comes out (I think it's an indie.)

What ya got?!

[berrywise]

Primer - I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this movie. For the budget they had I think they did a fantastic job.

[walterick]

I tried renting this tonight at your recommendation and the video store didn't have it. Bummer. The online synopsis looked pretty good.

[walterick]

We just watched "Imagine Me and You" a story about a woman who falls in love with another woman shortly after getting married. Everything was right - the tension, the excitement, the anguish the characters were feeling of being in love, or knowing your partner was in love with another. The husbad was tormented, the lovers were in equal amounts of pain. And then it was like the director decided to go a completely different way with the final 20 minutes. We actually wondered if maybe there was originally a different ending that tested badly so they reshot the entire thing. Anyhow, the final 20 minutes were a train wreck. Like something out of an Ashton Kutcher movie. They ended up - yes, it's true! - in a car chase to the airport! HA! I kid you not. It was completely out of character with the rest of the movie. It's actually worth renting for the previous 60 minutes, though.

[molaselake]

Hmm....not quite sure if these are entirely indie, but here are a few:

Lawn Dogs - probably one of my all time favorite movies
Clay Pigeons - interesting and Vince Vaughn is delicious
The Safety of Objects - Glenn Close is marvelous
The Ice Store - great comment on family life and the dark side of it all
My Life Without Me - Amazing movie
Sling Blade - the relationship between the two main characters is perfect
Eulogy - hilarious
Ghost World - I love how it portrays art and artists these days
Tully - sweet and slow, but lovely little flick
Shopgirl - Jason Schwartzman is hilarious
The United States of Leland - Ryan Gosling is pretty damn good

How about foreign?

Venus Beauty Academy
Amelie
Das Experiment

[molaselake]

I didn't care for Primer...it took a little too long to get even slightly interesting.

[walterick]

Forgot to add this:

Saw A Prairie Home Companion a few weeks ago. Very charming film, if it is a bit slow. Garrison Keilor stars, along with Woody Harrelson, Lili Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Lindsay Lohan. I give it a B for charm

[Skyman]

clerks, amelie (love the camera work and lighting on that film), baraka, tristram shady (a cock and bull story) and 10 canoes are my current favourites.

[walterick]

Baraka! One of my favorites! How could I have forgotten.

[walterick]

Little Miss Sunshine

I saw this a few weeks ago and forgot to do a review. Then I heard on the radio today that it has been lingering in the top 10 for several weeks, due mainly to word of mouth. It reportedly is now the number 2 high-grossing film for Fox Searchlight (their "independent" division) after Sideways.

You will laugh in this movie The ending had to be the funniest finale I have seen in a decade. It is dark humor, be forwarned. Go see it! Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette.

[walterick]

I saw "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" last night. It was a pretty good movie. It really shows the peaceful, non-violent and loving nature that John and Oko exhibited in the late 60's and 70's during the Vietnam War. Strangely absent are the drugs John is famous for, but the movie is full of appearances and interviews with John and Oko pushing their "give peace a chance" message. His words were strangely calm and prophetic at times.

Be forewarned, you should be a hippy if you're going to see this movie, or not a lover of the Bush administration. The film clearly at times draws lines between the Vietnam War and The Iraq War. But you'll love it for the ample footage of John and the peaceful picture it paints of him.

[walterick]

Go Little Miss Sunshine! Nominated for Best Picture! Woo-hoo!