The Director's Narrative

Movies You Should See #30: Wonder Boys • directed by Curtis Hanson

We’ve come to the last film in my series of movies you should see, and though my last film is the last simply because of the alphabetical order in which it came, I can’t help but be glad that the film I’m ending on is Wonder Boys.  I have a very short list of what I consider to be perfect films, and this one is on it.

An aged writer and college professor, Grady Tripp, is plagued by the fact that he once wrote a great American novel.  It’s made his classes popular, his editor anxious for the follow-up and left Grady constipated.  Instead of having writer’s block he has the complete opposite.  His follow-up novel is thousands of pages, single spaced, typewritten with no back-up - and it’s crap.  Grady knows it.  But he can’t stop writing.  His personal life is a mess, students constantly pulling on him, an affair with a married woman and his creative constipation is at the heart of it all.  In one weekend, as Grady’s personal life begins to spin out of control his professional life does too and Grady has to decide what he’s going to do as he reaches rock bottom.

This is one of the few films that is perfect on every level.  Wonder Boys is one of the best written, directed and edited films I’ve ever seen.  Steve Kloves, who wrote this film (and went on to pen most of the Harry Potter films) is the king of adaptations, and the novel this film is based on is by prolific writer Michael Chabon.  Together these two create a a wonderful text that is free of cliches, but filled with flawed characters that cannot be described as anything but beautifully human.  Curtis Hanson made this film as his follow-up to LA Confidential, and proved that his hand as a director is subtle and powerful - getting the best performances out of his talented cast (Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Tobey McGuire, Robert Downey Jr., and more) and delivering a picture that speaks of a generation that is trying to figure out what to do with the American dream.

I first saw this film as I was starting college, working at a video store and realizing that I wanted to make films.  I know that Curtis Hanson and Wonder Boys was a huge influence on me, probably more than I realize even now.  And when you watch this film, I hope it will influence you as well - even if it’s just a film that makes you see a little bit of beauty in the brokenness of people.

Movies You Should See #29: Women in Trouble • directed by Sebastian Gutierrez

A movie about a porn star, a psychiatrist, a flight attendant, a bar tender, some call girls and masseuse who all have one thing in common - they each are in a moment of crisis.  

In this film Sebastian Gutierrez weaves together multiple story lines to create an anthology film of sorts, the characters are only brought together through random acts of chance and most with momentary interactions that lead to the greater actions they take to solve their moments of desperation.  It is equal parts funny and touching and what I love most about Sebastian Gutierrez - unique.

Women in Trouble is a film that more people should watch because it’s a film that uniquely empowers women, and the cast of the film is some of the finest female actors working today.  

Carla Gugino is as always excellent in this film, and her role as Elekra - pregnant porn star - has led to her working with Gutierrez in two subsequent films.  The first being the sequel to Women in Trouble (and my favorite Gutierrez film) Elektra Luxx, and his newest film Hotel Noir.  Gugino is a diverse and interesting actress, and the roles she plays are always remarkable.  She is one of the reasons to see this film.

Movies You Should See #28: We Were Here • directed by David Weissman & Bill Weber

I appreciate a good documentary, but as a rule documentaries aren’t normally the kind of film I enjoy watching.  That being said, I love We Were Here.  This film is a poignant, funny, heart breaking and enlightening tale of the gay community in San Francisco when the AIDS epidemic hit.

I was born in 1982, AIDS has always been in the media for me, so I never truly have thought about a world that existed before AIDS, or what would have happened when AIDS hit the world stage.  But what makes We Were Here a captivating documentary is that it personalizes the AIDS epidemic by bringing the personal stories of those that were in San Francisco and saw this all first hand.

It’s a story of a community that has been forever changed, and a story that more people should know. 

Movies You Should See #27: The Usual Suspects • directed by Bryan Singer

This is my favorite film.  Hands down.  When I’m flipping through channels and I hear or see even just a few frames from this movie, I know I’m going to watch for the rest of the length of the film.  It’s that addicting.  And if saying it’s my favorite film isn’t enough for you, this is the film that Kevin Spacey won his first Oscar for.  Yet I’ve found that far too few people have seen this fine piece of filmmaking.

The reason to see this film is plain and simple, and very broad.  The Usual Suspects is an excellent piece of storytelling.

A neo-noir, thriller, the story alternates between past and present as Verbal Kint, a crippled criminal recounts to police the events that have led to he and his cohorts being in Los Angeles at the site of an international drug deal gone wrong.  

The cast of this film is incredible - from Kevin Spacey to Stephen Baldwin - the casting is perfect and everyone embodies their roles in a way that you know no one else could ever play them the same way.  This film is absorbing.

If you’ve never seen this film and have even the slight urge that you may like it, please make it the next movie you see.

Movies You Should See #26: Two Girls and a Guy • directed by James Toback

I first encountered this film because post-Iron Man I decided I wanted to explore the films of Robert Downey Jr.  Enter Netflix and I have not only viewed the majority of Mr. Downey’s films, but discovered a director he’s worked with repeatedly - James Toback.  Of Toback and Downey’s films together (three in total), Two Girls and a Guy is my favorite.

At the surface this is a very simple film.  Two girls, Lou and Carla, meet waiting outside a NYC apartment building while waiting to meet their boyfriends and come to quickly realize that both are dating the same man.  Enter Blake, who for the better part of a year has not only been working towards becomming a desired and up-and-coming actor, but having his cake and eating it too while keeping Carla and Lou a secret from each other.  The girls choose to confront Blake and for the next hour and a half of the film Blake tries to convince them why they should accept his error of having two girlfriends at once as a flattering act.

What makes this movie worth watching is of course Mr. Downey.  Released a few years before Downey’s infamous stint in jail/rehab, and knowing what Downey’s issues were with substance abuse, it’s amazing that he could effectively act through it all.  If you’ve only remember Downey’s work starting with 2008 (the year of Robert Downey Jr.), then this is one of the films I suggest watching.  As soon as possible.

This is a piece that takes place in one location, with only three real speaking roles - in the wrong directing hands, given to the wrong actors - this could be a hot mess.  But thanks to the talent of Downey and the entire cast, these characters become riveting, shocking and even likable.

Movies You Should See #25: TiMER • directed by Jac Schaeffer

TiMER is a little movie that hadn’t even come close to crossing my radar until I saw it streamed on Netflix, so I figured it was worth a watch - mostly because the synopsis about a computer device that predicts your true love.  It seemed equally intriguing and confusing, so I dove in.

The single best thing about this movie, aside from Emma Caufield getting the headlining spot, is the issue it deals with.  Now, this is a romantic comedy of sorts, but I don’t mean this issue to be finding true love.  That’s part of it.  But the primary intent of this film is discussing the process of finding your love.

With the timer device in this world, all guess work has been taken out of the dating process.  As early as 14 you can choose to be implanted with the timer and if your love has a timer too it will count down until midnight the day before you are destined to meet, beeping when you finally make eye contact for the first time.  Some people with their timers meet their soul mates in high school, right after implantation, some a few years down the line, but for the unlucky ones they find out they won’t meet their true love for decades - and for the even unluckier their timers remain blank as their love isn’t implanted with a device.  Such is Oona, played by Caufield, who has lived for over a decade with a blank timer, and her sister whose timer announces that she will meet her true love in over 14 years - when she is 43.  Both women lament their timers in very different ways as they watch couple after couple successfully use their timer to find their true love.

This if a film that wants the viewer to think about how we find love, how we even think about it.  TiMER asks what is more important as we search for true love - finding the right person, or the journeys our life takes on the way to finding them?