Theoretical Film Festival

There's a meme going around now where you get to pick 12 movies to program into 6 nights at a theoretical film festival. And I've been tagged twice on this one (SamuraiFrog, and Ms Go) so I will be making this a 12 night festival, 6 nights for each tag.

The rules (from meme-originator Piper):

1) Choose 12 Films to be featured. They could be random selections or part of a greater theme. Whatever you want.

2) Explain why you chose the films.

3) Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre so I can have hundreds of links and I can take those links and spread them all out on the bed and then roll around in them.

4) The people selected then have to turn around and select 5 more people.


Night 1- Night of the Living Bread/ The American Nightmare/ Dawn of the Dead (American Horror Night)


To start off the opening night of the movie festival the short film Night of the Living Bread a fun parody of Night of the Living Dead with dangerous bread attacking from everywhere instead of the zombies from the original flick. Really funny!

Horror films have often been more than simple scares. At their best, they reflect society's anxiety's and concerns. In The American Nightmare, major horror film makers such as George Romero and Tobe Hooper discuss the creation of their films in the 1960s and '70s and how they related to contemporary events while interviewed intellectuals give their own opinions. Possibly the best horror film documentary I've seen.

In Dawn of the Dead the sequel to Night of the Living Dead, it's a few weeks later after the events of Night and the situation is getting worse. Two reporters, along with two SWAT team members, decide to steal a helicopter to find a place where they can hide from flesh eating zombies. They find a secluded mall and decide to stop there for the night in order to get some sleep. Deciding to stay in the mall, they barricade themselves in while defending themselves against zombies.

Night 2- Candy/ Barbarella (A Night of Terry Southern and Friends)


Trying to explain the plot of Candy is nearly impossible and ruins it's magic... but here goes... Candy Christian is an innocent young girl who finds herself in tight situations with an alcoholic Welsh poet (Richard Burton), a Columbian gardener (Ringo Starr), her father and his twin brother (both men played by John Astin), crazy General Smight (Walter Mattahu), an ego-maniacal brain surgeon Dr. Krankeit (James Coburn)and the great hindu Guru Grindl (Marlon Brando). Based loosely on Voltaire's Candide it's really kind of about Candy's spiritual journey and growth to awareness set to a soundtrack by The Byrds. SWEET!

The year is 40,000. Peacefully floating around in zero-gravity Barbarella (sexy Jane Fonda) is suddenly interrupted by a call from the President of Earth. A young scientist, Durand Durand, is threatening the ancient universal peace and Barbarella is chosen to find him and save the universe. During her mission, Barbarella never finds herself in a situation where it isn't possible to lose at least part of her already minimal dressing.

Night 3- Head/ Magical Mystery Tour (Mysteriously Weird/ Fun Music Movies)


In the surreal rock movie Head; Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith - with the aid of writer Jack Nicholson, tackle such topics as film making, the media treatment and madness of the Vietnam War, Davy Jones' "way with the ladies", and, most importantly, commercialization. In Head they finally get to play their own instruments but get a little song writing help from Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Carole King. It's a really weird...jaw-droppingly weird movie.

Directed by The Beatles themselves (mainly Paul McCartney) Magical Mystery Tour is the slightly incoherent story of a bus load of eccentric characters on a magic journey through the English countryside. Rather than a unified narrative, it becomes a series of psychedelic clips promoting various songs including "The Fool on the Hill," "Blue Jay Way," "Your Mother Should Know," (the highlight of the film watch for John's phony smile) "I Am the Walrus" and "Magical Mystery Tour." The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are seen in a strip club playing "Death Cab for Cutie" while a super cute go-go dancer does her thing.

Night 4- The Killer/ Peace Hotel (Chow Yun Fat Double Feature)


The Killer is a bloody tale of loyalty and friendship, Jeffrey (Chow Yun Fat)is an assassin who wishes to leave the business so he can take care of Jennie, a beautiful lounge singer who he inadvertently blinded during a previous assignment. Danny Lee plays the determined cop who will stop at nothing to bring him in. To top it all off Jeffrey's employers refuse to pay him for his last job, money which is needed to restore Jennie's eyesight. Brilliant John Woo flick that's been ripped off in countless American movies.

Set circa 1930, "The King of Killers" (Chow Yun Fat), a one-man killing machine who, after his wife's murder, has decided to set up the Peace Hotel, a sanctuary where anyone can stay and be protected from those who want to harm them. Although he has pledged never to kick anyone out of the Peace Hotel, he is put to the test when a penniless female swindler, who is wanted by a vicious gang for murdering their boss, shows up. Now he has to decide whether to risk an all-out war with the gang, or whether to ask her to leave the hotel.

Night 5- Vixen!/ Female Trouble (Unbridled Females Double Feature)


Vixen Palmer (Erica Gavin) lives in a Canadian mountain resort with her naive pilot husband. While he's away flying in tourists, she gets it on with practically everybody including a husband and his wife, and even her biker brother. This is one of the first films to receive an X rating.

Female Trouble is the story of Dawn Davenport (Divine), showing her progress from loving schoolgirl to crazed mass murderer - all of which stems from her parents' refusal to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas (see parents...SEE!). She runs away from home, is raped, becomes a single mother, criminal and glamorous model before her inevitable rendezvous with the electric chair...

Night 6- Valmont/ Dangerous Liasons 1960 (Les liaisons dangereuses Double Feature)


Tonights fest features two film versions of Choderlos de Laclos french novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Merteuil (Annette Benning) is a scheming widow and her lover Valmont (Colin Firth) make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. Valmont a famous cad bets that he can seduce her, even though she is an honorable woman. If he wins, he can have his lover to do as he will. However, in the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont falls in love. This film is much supperior to the Pfeiffer, Malkovich Dangerous Liasons made at the same time.

Dangerous Liasons 1960 is a modern french retelling of the tale staring Jeanne Moreau (Juliette Merteuil) and Gérard Philipe (Valmont) as a sophisticated couple, always looking for fun and excitement. Both have sexual affairs with others and share their experiences with one another. But there is one rule: never fall in love. But this time Valmont falls madly in love with a girl he meets at a ski resort, Marianne (and who could blame him as Marianne is played by the beautiful Annette Vadim).

Night 7- All the Colors of the Dark/ Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (The two sides of Edwidge Fenech)


Edwidge Fenech is possibly the most beautiful actress to ever grace the silver...er...technicolor screen and here are two films that feature her range as an actress...and her...um...range as an actress...

In All the Colors of the Dark Fenech plays Jane who lives in London with Richard, her boyfriend. Jane has suffered much tragedy in her life first when she was five, her mother was murdered, and more recently she lost a baby in a car crash. To top it all off she's plagued by nightmares of a knife-wielding, blue-eyed man. Richard, thinks the cure is vitamins; Jane's sister Barbara, who works for a psychiatrist, recommends analysis; a neighbor Jane's just met promises that if Jane participates in a Black Mass, all her fears will disappear. Jane tries the Mass, but it seems to bring her nightmares to life. Is there any way out for her short of death or a living Hell?

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (great title) is the story of a burned-out writer Oliverio, living at his estate near Venice, his dead mother dominating his imagination. He is also a degenerate: sleeps with his maid, his ex-student and his neice, it's not uncommon for him to host Bacchanalias for local hippies, and loves to humiliate his wife Irina in front of strangers. When a young woman is murdered, police suspect Oliviero. Things get complicated when his young, beautiful, and self-confident niece, Floriana (Fenech), pays an unexpected visit. Watching all is a black cat named Satan.

Night 8- Faster Pusycat Kill! Kill! / Deathproof (uncut)(Hot Girls in Fast Cars Night)


Russ Meyer's genius film Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill! is the story of three wild women in three fast cars take time off from stripping in clubs to go on a murder rampage. They kidnap and drug the girlfriend of one of their victims and hole up at a secluded ranch owned by a wheelchair-bound man and his two sons. IF you haven't seen this movie you must. In fact stop reading this blog turn off the computer and find it...now...seriously.

Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is a former Hollywood stunt race car driver who targets and kills women with his "Death Proof" stunt car. What more do you need to know? Except there are 3 pretty foxy ladies and one super sweet car featured in the climax. Super sweet! The film fest would feature the uncut version of this film that was released on DVD only. It's a bit longer but it really fleshes things out just the right amount.

Night 9- In Bruges/ The Long Good Friday (Brit Crime Double Feature)


Harry Waters, a London thug, sends Irish hitmen Ken (Brendan Gleeson) and Ray (Colin Farrell) to Bruges to lie low after a job goes awry in a London church. Ken's the old hand, fascinated by Medieval Bruges, with a fatherly attitude toward Ray, who's young and bored but chastised after the London job. Ray's disposition changes when he meets Chloë, a hip young woman who sells drugs on the local set of a movie featuring Jimmy, an American dwarf. Harry calls with irrevocable instructions involving Ray. Ken balks, setting up a showdown in the town square. A pregnant innkeeper, dumdum bullets, and a code of conduct play into the resolution In Bruges (See I knew I could work the title into this entry).

Harold (Bob Hoskins), a prosperous English gangster, is about to close a lucrative new deal when bombs start showing up in very inconvenient places. A mysterious syndicate is trying to muscle in on his action, and Harold wants to know who they are. He finds out soon enough, and bloody mayhem ensues on The Long Good Friday! (see I did it again).

Night 10- Blood and Roses/ Girl on a Motorcycle (Motorcycles and Roses Night)


In Blood and Roses we meet young Carmilla (Anette Vadim) who is jealous of her close friend's recent engagement. Growing obsessed she somehow finds herself at the tomb of a ancestor and rumored female vampire. The vampire possesses her and leads her to kill and terrorize the inhabitants of the estate. But is it all in her mind, or is she really under the control of an ancient vampire ancestor? Wonderfully sophisticated horror from the mind of Roger Vadim.

Girl on a Motorcycle is the wonderfully psychedelic tale of newly-married Rebecca (Marianne Faithful) who leaves her husband each day on her prized motorbike to visit her lover in Heidelberg. En route she indulges in psychedelic reveries and relives her changing relationship with the two men on the screen. Beautiful and weird film from Jack Cardiff.

Night 11- Die! Die! My Darling/ Straw Dogs (2 Good Reasons Not to Live in the Countryside)


In Die! Die! My Darling, while on holiday in the English countryside Pat (Stefanie Powers) decides to pay a courtesy call on the mother of her dead fiance Stephen, who was killed in an auto accident several years earlier. The overbearing/ creepy mother, Mrs. Trefoile (Tallulah Bankhead) is very controlling/ creepy and presses Pat to stay overnight and go to church with her in the morning. In short order, we discover Mrs. Trefoile is a religious fanatic who uses her servants to enforce her creepy will and keep Pat as her prisoner. Creepy. Great flick though.

Straw Dogs is the story of married couple David (Dustin Hoffman) and Amy (Susan George) who decide to move into a country house where Amy grew up. Astrophysicist David seems like an easy mark and before you know it he is being bullied and taken advantage of by the locals. When David finally takes a stand it escalates quickly into a bloody battle as the locals assault his house. Peckinpah at his best!

Night 12- F is For Fake/ Chopper (Reality Cinema night)


Reality TV is a hit right so why not reality cinema? Well not really I guess F is For Fake is a fantastic sort of free-form documentary made by Orsen Welles that focuses on various fakeries including notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory and Elmyr's biographer, Clifford Irving, who wrote the famously fraudulent Howard Hughes autobiography and even mentions a few tricks a certain director...and radio star used to convince the world Martians had landed in Grovers Mill.

Chopper tells the story of the charismatic criminal Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote a best-selling autobiography while serving a murder sentence in prison. The movie was based on this book (obviously I suppose) and has one hell of an amazing performance from Eric Bana as Mark Read.

Now I get to tag 5 people! Please remember that I was tagged twice aso I did 12 days instead of the 6 that the rules called for. I'm looking forward to see what people pick...but if this isn't your kind of thing please don't feel obligated to do this meme :)

1. Ben
2. Bill
3. Gilligan
4. PJ
5. Lee (I know you don't usually like memes but it sounded like something you might have fun with!)

Guess That Movie Quote: Week 50

The rules:
If you know or think you know the source of the movie quote please leave your guess in the comments section. As people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog. Any person who wins 5 weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) will earn a Movie Master award and must then refrain from guessing for 5 weeks but a master can email quote suggestions for the game.

And now the guessing!

1. "It's gonna take me a while to fix up your car there, so if you boys like, you can go on inside, get yourselves something to drink, wash up, fuck my wife, watch TV - anything you want. Mi casa es su casa. Just don't do anything the Good Lord wouldn't do." rab

2. "I am proud of you, my sons. Tonight you have learned the final and greatest truth of the Ninja: that ultimate mastering comes not from the body, but from the mind. Together, there is nothing your four minds cannot accomplish. Help each other, draw upon one another, and always remember the power that binds you. The same is what brought me here tonight, that which I gladly return with my final words: I love you all, my sons." Splotchy

3. "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach, all the damn vampires." Splotchy

4. "Come on, man. I doubt if you'd recognize a hippie. I'm a capitalist, baby. I work for my living, not suck off somebody else."

5. "Falkon, may I give you a word of advice? Put him over your knee and beat some manners into him." John

6. "Here I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you; you took no notice." Fletch

7. "Want to hear a poem I wrote? "I love you, you love me. Going down the sugar tree. We'll go down the sugar tree, and see lots of bees: playing, playing. But the bees won't sting, because you love me." That's it." Bradda

8. "Josh, he's nobody's boyfriend, he's just this guy that Becky and I like to torture." Splotchy

9. "How the fuck do you always have like two good-looking girls who want you? You're the most hideous fucking chud I've ever met, and you always have a pair of girls fighting over you." Matt

10. "Forget it Nick... it's Sandford." J.D.

**UPDATE**
Sorry I'm a day late but better late then never! Now on to the winner...congrats to Splotchy who wins his fifth quote quiz! That means he becomes our latest movie master award recipient! Great work Splotchy you may collect your award below:


Of course this means that you'll have to sit the next five weeks out but that's okay since you'll be busy with movie stuff anyways :) So enjoy your time off and we'll see you back for more guessing fun on September 9th.

And thanks to everyone else for playing and come on back next tuesday for another round of quote quiz fun! I will now post the answers in the comments.

Toy Giants

These are some really great toy portraits by Daniel and Geo Fuchs, they have a really great sense of humor and I thought it would be fun to share!

Shoko Nakagawa as Barbarella

Overlooked Movie: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

"Thinking about it as fairytale, thinking about it as metaphor, in a sense she's going into her own mind. She's opening up her own head and in her own head all these things come down." ~ Director Steven Shainberg on the Fur

In 1958, in New York City, the upper class Diane Arbus is a frustrated and lonely woman with a conventional marriage with two daughters. Her husband is a photographer sponsored by the wealthy parents of Diane, and she works as his assistant. When Lionel Sweeney, a mysterious man with hypertrichosis (a.k.a. werewolf syndrome, a disease that causes excessive body hair), comes to live in the apartment in the upper floor, Diane feels a great attraction for him and is introduced to the world of freaks and marginalized people.


Fun Trivia:
MGM origionaly optioned the biography upon which this film is based (Arbus by Patricia Bosworth) in 1984 as a possible starring vehicle for Diane Keaton.

Robert Downey Jr. has a previous connection to the Arbus family. His father, filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. made Greaser's Palace starring Diane Arbus' ex-husband Allan, with young Robert in a small part.

Downey's character Lionel was made up for the film. The director Steven Shainberg wanted to make the movie about the relationship between Diane and a single photographic subject. He decided to make Lionel suffer from hypertrichosis to draw a connection between her father who was a furrier spending his day—in her mind, possibly—killing beautiful animals to make coats. It was his way to make a crazy mysterious unconscious connection between the woman who becomes Diane Arbus and that little girl.

Well known designer Chip Kidd created the poster for this film.


Fun Quotes:
Diane Arbus: I want to take a portrait of you and your wife.
Lionel Sweeney: I don't have a wife.
Diane Arbus: Then I want to take a portrait of you. Just you.
Lionel Sweeney: Why do you want to take a portrait of someone you've never seen, Diane?

Diane Arbus: What is it?
Lionel Sweeney: Well, every month or so I'm able to breathe about five percent less. My lungs are disintegrating. It's getting harder and harder for me to breathe... deeply. In a matter of months, I'll drown without even swimming, because there'll be nothing left... of my lungs.
Diane Arbus: You're not dying.
Lionel Sweeney: Yes, I am.
Diane Arbus: No, you're not.

Some more recent drawings!

Inspired by that fabulous Dustin Nguyen Batman watercolor I posted earlier this week I drew this. It's no where near as good as his but it was fun and I really like the way it turned out.

Here is The Endless family from The Sandman. It's been years since I've read this comic but ran accross a photo from the comic and got a bug to draw the family.

And finally pretty, pretty Barbarella and The Black Queen. I watched Barbarella tonight and doodled this out. God damn I love that movie.

Supergirl Drawing

A recent drawing of Supergirl hanging round.

Happy Birthday Daniel Radcliffe!

It's Daniel Radcliffe's 19th birthday and to celebrate the birthday of this talented young actor here are 5 facts you may or may not have known! By the way someone needs to cast him as John Lennon the resemblance is sometimes disturbing...


1. Has stated that 1957's 12 Angry Men is the first black & white film he ever saw and is also his favorite film.

2. He can rotate his arm 360 degrees.

3. His agent Sue Latimer is the mother (and agent) to his friend and fellow actor Freddie Highmore.

4. At the age of sixteen, Radcliffe became the youngest non-royal ever to have an individual portrait in Britain's National Portrait Gallery. On 13 April 2006, his portrait, drawn by Stuart Pearson Wright, was unveiled as part of a new exhibition opening at London's Royal National Theatre, then moved to the National Portrait Gallery where it resides. Radcliffe was fourteen at the time of the portrait's creation.

5. Not only does he play the bass guitar but he was taught by Gary Oldman...sweet...

Guess That Movie Quote: Week 49

Hooray it's another theme week! This time in honor of the release of the super awesome wonderful Dark Knight all of this week's quotes come from one of the many Batman movies.

Some great Batman art by Dustin Nguyen

The rules:
If you know or think you know the source of the movie quote please leave your guess in the comments section. As people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog. Any person who wins 5 weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) will earn a Movie Master award and must then refrain from guessing for 5 weeks but a master can email quote suggestions for the game.

Now on to the guessing!

1. "Vengeance blackens the soul, Bruce. I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, but you haven't fallen in and I thank heaven for that."

2. "Soon my little "Box" will be on countless TVs around the world. Feeding me, credit card numbers, bank codes, sexual fantasies, and little white lies. Into my head they'll go. Victory is inevitable." Shadoian

3. "Ignorance is bliss, my friend. Don't burden yourself with the secrets of scary people." Shadoian

4. "Let me get this straight. You think that your employer, one of the richest men in the world, is spending his nights running around the city beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands? And your plan is to blackmail him? Good luck with that." Shadoian

5. "You're just jealous, because I'm a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask!" Shadoian

6. "There's just something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl's lips." Shadoian

7. "See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like gunpowder...and dynamite...and gasoline! Do you know what all of these things have in common? They're cheap!" Shadoian

8. "Who knows, Robin? This strange mixing of minds may be the greatest single service ever performed for humanity! Let's go, but, inconspicuously, through the window. We'll use our Batropes. Our job is finished." Arkonbey

9. "I was everything they wanted me to be. I was never more beautiful. Never more powerful. And then I turned 40 and they threw me away." Mob

10. "Now comes the part where I relieve you, the little people, of the burden of your failed and useless lives. But, as my plastic surgeon always said: if you gotta go, go with a smile." Arkonbey

**Update**
Well the winner was clear yesterday but I thought I'd give it another day and see if anyone could answer the remaining quotes. In any case congrats to the super Batman knowledgeable Shadoian who batusi'ed his way to winning the contest! Way to go Shadoian you may collect your award below:


And thanks to everyone for playing and don't forget to come back next week, same bat time, same bat channel for more guessing fun! The answers are in the comments.

Classic B-Movie Posters #18: Boy Slaves

I understand this is quite a dramatic almost serious movie but whats with that poster? Too crazy!

Claudia Schiffer Goes Pin-up!

The Lovely Sharon Tate

Movie Meme: My Life in Movies!

Got this meme from over at SamuraiFrog's blog and thought it looked like a ton of fun! So I think I have to try it!

So the idea behind the meme is to make a list of what you think was the best movie from every year since you were born. Of course this is really probably more like a list of my favorites and not really the gold standard of movie from each year so don't be surprised if there are some trivial or silly entries that make you laugh or puke. Mmmm puke....

Feel free to leave comments on any of my choices and be as positive or negative as you'd like. Also feel free to steal the meme I think it would be pretty neat to see what other people's choices are!

1976: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
The strangest Jodie Foster movie you'll ever see. Excellent weird movie about a 13 year old girl living on her own and being stalked by an adult Martin Sheen. See it if you haven't.

1977: Suspiria
Possibly my favorite horror movie of all time, worth seeing for the kaleidoscope of vividly colored gore. Brilliant Argento!


1978: Soldier of Orange
One of Paul Verhoeven's early Dutch movies he made before coming to the US and started making movies like Robocop. A really great WWII drama about a group of friends and how the war effects and separates them. Great performances from very young Rutger Hauer and Jerome Crabe

1979: All That Jazz
The bigger than life biopic of Bob Fosse is like watching candy dance and sing on a movie screen. I resisted seeing this for years, boy was I missing out!

1980: Flash Gordon
Ultra-cheesy but ultra-fun! You'd be surprised how much this movie looks like the old comic strip...filtered through the 70's of course.

1981: Time Bandits/ Excalibur
Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man! How do I choose? I have seen both these GREAT movies soooo many times I've lost count! I think I have to pick both. My meme, my rules!


1982: The Last Unicorn
The animated version of one of my favorite books! The animation is beautiful (the team who made this movie later went on to work for Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli) and the voice casting is perfect (aside from Mia Farrow's singing of course).

1983: Return of the Jedi
Yeah, yeah I know hard-core Star Wars fans say that Empire is best but I've always had a weak spot for Jedi. It's got Jabba the Hutt and his menagerie, that really awesome speeder chase on Endor, Ewoks and that awesome Luke vs Vader vs the Emperor ending! I really miss the original Ewok song at the end of the movie instead of the recent jazzy thing they've added.

1984: Amadeus
This movie is enjoyable from beginning to end! Every time I catch part of it on TV I wind up sitting and watching the whole thing, mark of a great movie. Jeffery Jones as the king always cracks me up, gosh I love Jeffery Jones what the heck is he up to these days? I know there was that child pornography thing...is he still tied up in that battle?

1985: The Goonies
Every kid who saw this movie in 1985 wanted to be or thought of themselves as a Goonie. This might be the movie I've seen most in my life...


1986: Big Trouble in Little China/ Labyrinth
Oh god no again! How do I pick between Labyrinth and Big Trouble in Little China? Bowie or Russell? It's like having to choose between your children! Now I know how Meryl Streep felt in Sophie's Choice ;)

1987: Raising Arizona
Ear-Bending Cellmate: ...and when there was no meat, we ate fowl and when there was no fowl, we ate crawdad and when there was no crawdad to be found, we ate sand.
H.I.: You ate what?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: We ate sand.
H.I.: You ate SAND?
Ear-Bending Cellmate: That's right!

Great quote but what you don't see in the non-wide screen versions is that the Ear-Bending cellmate has a photo of Nixon right next to his bunk. CLASSIC!

1988: A Fish Called Wanda
Damn funny movie that gets funnier every time I see it!

Otto West: Don't call me stupid.
Wanda: Oh, right! To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you. I've worn dresses with higher IQs. But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto West: Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don't understand it. Now let me correct you on a couple of things, OK? Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself." And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up.

1989: KiKi's Delivery Service
I always thought of this as one of the lesser Miyazaki movies (up there with Nausicaa and Laputa) but I recently sat down to rewatch it and really enjoyed it quite a bit! I've watched it a couple more times since and just appreciate it more and more every time.

1990: Mountains of the Moon
This completely overlooked biopic of Sir Richard Burton is filled with action, adventure and an amazing performance by Patrick Bergin. It's a must see.

1991: The Rocketeer
This movie has everything! Rockets, planes, Nazis, G-men, a cafe shaped like a bulldog, a zeppelin, and Jennifer Connelly before she got all skeletal thin.

1992: Army of Darkness
I think everyone has finally seen this movie now right? Bruce Campbell is a God among actors it's too bad he doesn't get more juicy roles.

1993: Groundhog Day
Every time I see Ned Ryerson I crack up.

1994: Heavenly Creatures
Gosh 94 is a big year too! The Crow, Ed Wood, Clerks, Leon, Little Women, Sirens, Treasure Hunt! What a great year for movies! But I think my favorite from this year is Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures I can't tell you how many times I've seen it and how well I can relate to it. Boy that's a terrible admission isn't it.


1995: Rob Roy
It's all about the amazing sword fight at the end of this movie! Great stuff. Liam Neeson is super sexy in his kilt. There I said it!

1996: The Frighteners
Horror comedies seem to be some of the hardiest films to make but Peter Jackson really does it well. Michael J. Fox is really good here but Jeffrey Combs steals the show as the crazy Dammers.

1997: Artemisia
A beautiful French movie about the youth of Artemiasia Gentileschi one of the first well-known female painters. Gentileschi is one of my favorite artists and I was thrilled to see a movie about her even if it isn't strictly 100% accurate. If I had seen it a bit too much lately and wasn't too over familiar with it right now I probably would have said Contact.


1998: The Big Lebowski
It really ties this list together.

1999: The Mummy
One of the best adventure movies ever made! There are not nearly enough good adventure movies being made today, gosh I really hope the new movie is as good as the other two.

2000: Quills
I'm a sucker for a movie about the Marquis De Sade one of those stupid obsessions I have and this one is maybe my favorite. Geoffrey Rush gives a perfect performance along with Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix and Michale Caine ("Can't make a movie without Michael Caine" and if you know the source of that quote you have earned my respect and admiration).

2001: Brotherhood of the Wolf
Remember how I said The Rocketeer had everything? Well this movie has more everything! Werewolves, gypsies, kung fu, Indians, crypto-zoology, Monica Bellucci...

2002: Hero
Possibly the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. I love the way it tells the same story over and over but with different perspectives and takes.

2003: Lost in Translation
I think they planned to get together at the end of the movie...otherwise why were they smiling?

2004: Howl's Moving Castle
Another Miyazaki masterpiece, colorful, magical and romantic of course I love it.

2005: The Devil's Rejects
You can really tell that Rob Zombie is a giant movie fan and this one feels like an homage to dirty Peckinpahesque road movies. Zombie is one of my favorite filmmakers I can't wait to see what he does next!

2006: Clerks II
I love this movie not just because it's funny, it is...really funny...but because it feels like it's directed at my generation and I really can relate to Randall and Dante. This is definitely my favorite Smith film.

2007: Death Proof
Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell and Tarintino make a great team! And I love this movie, especially the extended cut they released on DVD.


2008: Iron Man
I know 2008 isn't over yet and there are a number of movies I haven't seen yet but so far my favorite has been Iron Man. It's really nice to see a thinking super hero movie for adults every once in awhile. I'm really looking forward to seeing the sequel they've been talking about making.

Super Cute Sci-fi

Some creative soul out there is making adorable little pop culture themed stuffed mice and I thought they were too cool not to share a few of the pictures!

Sgt Pepper Beatles Mice

Chewbacca Mouse

Zombie Mouse

Frankenfurter Mouse (I love his little fishnets and pearls!)

They have lots more designs like The Hulk, Harry Potter, a ton more Star Wars and lots more! Visit The House of Mouse's website to see the rest. Too cute, too hilarious!