Movies You Love Part 2: Brick, Waking Life, and others
Welcome back to Movies You Love, a weekly blog about movies recommended by you, watched by me.
Several months back, I eloquently demanded on Facebook, “tell me what movie is ur fav that u ask people to watch all the time but u know they never watch it. b/c I'm gonna watch it.” Art can mean so much to someone, for better or for worse. Films, in particular, can pair with good or bad memories or even stimulate personal growth. Everyone in the World could watch the same film, but have a different interpretation of and emotional connection to it.
We’ve all recommended that ONE movie to our friends over and over. It might be a bit odd, a bit slow, a bit cheesy, deeply dark, or emotionally taxing, but we love it so much we want everyone else to love it as well. That’s what we have here. The people have spoken. These are the films that mean the most to you. The films no one ever watches even when you beg. I’ve watched them, and now I wanna chat.
----------------------------------------------------
Film: Waking Life (2001) Recommended By: Evan Thomas
Richard Linklater crafts an animated docu-drama that debuted at Sundance in 2001. Waking Life focuses on human life and reality, free will, existentialism, and many other philosophical questions. An interesting animation technique and complex topic make the film hard to digest, but worth the watch.
Evan: I first saw Waking Life in high school. I was a member of the weekly film club, and Waking Life was one of the selections. As a high schooler, many of the concepts introduced in the film were much too complex for my grasp. Yet the film stuck with me like none other, and I found my mind drifting back to it many times during that week between the watch and the discussion. The discussion came and I did not have much to say, other than '" liked it."
After multiple rewatches, I began to understand WHY I liked it. I quickly learned that 'WHY?' was the central question of the film. Waking Life is one of those films that reminds you where you came from and instills wonder on where you’re going. It asks why we exist, why we think, and why we do. Despite this seemingly despondent unpacking of reality, the film has that human element that pervades much of director Richard Linklater’s work. It has a pulse, a soul, and, most importantly, a breath. The technique of rotoscoping, which involves filming live actors and then drawing over them after, is employed to dazzling effect here. Everything on the screen breathes and has life, adding a heavy visual weight to the themes addressed throughout the film through ever-changing brush strokes. These themes, explored in passing conversations and monologues, paint a picture that every viewer will analyze differently. That’s the beauty of this film, and what keeps me coming back. I pick up something new each time I watch it and it’s still just as thought-provoking as that first time so I recommend it frequently.
Film: Brick (2005) Recommended by: Jeremy Nielsen
Rian Johnson’s directorial debut follows Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an absurdly intelligent high schooler on the quest to find out the truth in his crime-ridden school. A neo-noir thriller that is bloody, plot heavy, and filled with intense music, everything you could expect from modern day film noir.
Jeremy: I first watched Brick on IFC in the middle of the night when I was a freshman in high school. I couldn’t sleep and I was just absentmindedly flipping through channels, trying to find something to watch, so I started watching a movie. I can’t even remember what that movie was but I clearly remember Brick being on after this movie.
Brick changed my life. That’s corny as all get out but it’s true. It was the first time I realized what you could do in a film and that I wanted to be involved in film as a career. My obsession with film came from this faithful viewing and the next day I went to a Blockbuster (RIP) and bought a used copy, which has now been worn out from repeated viewings. I’ve gone through three copies of Brick. I used to watch it every week, three times a week; I’ve slowed down now to maybe once every three months. It’s nice to revisit it.
It showed me what a director actually does. I was so used to cookie cutter blockbusters, studio projects, etc. I had not really delved deep into the indie world at that point in my life. I think about the images in it regularly. Meagan Good’s Kara in the dressing room when Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Brendan first starts asking questions and she swings her leg around the chair to face him...the shot of Brendan discovering the body of his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin.)..I could go on for hours about this. I got a lot of flack in college for saying it was my favorite film. I had numerous people tell me to watch real noir films; I would say I did watch them, but nothing had an effect on me like Brick did. Whenever someone doesn’t watch it after I recommend it, I feel a little hurt. It’s a part of who I am.
Film: Primer (2004)
Recommended by: Christopher Gooding
Primer is a low budget, thriller, sci-fi, cult classic. Shane Carruth acted, directed, wrote, composed, produced, edited, and quite literally created this entire film with his own two hands.
Christopher: When it comes to film recommendations, I very much believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I tend to follow a 'Philippians 4:8' philosophy regarding art in all its forms: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” In my opinion, independent film tends to be ripe with strong stories and good storytelling techniques because they typically don’t have the budget to pull off a Michael Bay explosion fest or a Lucasfilm SFXtravaganza.
One of my all-time favorite films is Primer. It’s a little sci-fi time travel flick from Sundance 2004 that few people would know about today. You can’t name any of the stars. I came across it in the early days of Hulu, I think . You can now view it in its entirety on YouTube. Primer was made at a cost of $7000. So know going in that this film is bare bones in its production value. Seriously, it’s just a notch above student productions in this regard. But the intricate timelines in the story are very engaging, the tension between the main characters is very believable, and the base human nature on display as the characters devolve is challenging to watch. This is a film that can’t rely on glitz and name stars – rather, it relies on the exploration of an idea. Isn’t that what science fiction is supposed to be about?
Film: Louder Than A Bomb (2011)
Recommended by: Ari Koontz
A touching documentary about a slam poetry competition in Chicago. It follows the story of four schools, their teams, their peers, their heartaches, their victories, and their battles. In the process, it beautifully crafts a narrative that shows how young people will change the world with their words.
Ari: You know those films that fill you up, the ones that just get you? Not because of the cinematic excellence or the high production value or the special effects, but because of the human element-the pure emotion at their core. These films feel real to you in a way that you can't explain, a way that you think nobody else could possibly understand, and yet you know you have to share them with everyone immediately.
For me, there's exactly one documentary that makes me feel this way. When I first watched Louder Than A Bomb in my tenth-grade creative writing class, I had never been to a poetry slam in my life. I didn't even know what a poetry slam was, and imagined it must bear some resemblance to the stiff formality of a theatrical performance or the awkward nervousness of sharing work in front of your class. As it turns out, neither of those things are correct (at least not if you're doing it right). This documentary completely transformed poetry for me from a solitary act to a gift that can and should be shared with the world, a form of art that is alive and gasping and brave. And the kids in this film--oh, god, the kids. They are nothing short of dynamite. Every single one of them has such an incredible and important story to tell, and they do so in a way that only they can: through words and breath and passion and community. The support they have for one another, the genuine love and admiration they share....this is what keeps my heart beating.
I love poetry, and I love young writers, and I love this movie. And you will too.
Check back each week to find a new group of films recommended by my friends. And if you have a suggestion, feel free to email me or write in the comments. I’d love to add you to my list.