Once (2007)

Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
Director: John Carney
Country: Ireland
Genre: Musical

Everything works together in perfect harmony.

It’s hard to classify this as a musical when thinking of the genre as a whole. The term springs to mind images of corsets and top hats, so there’s an inclination to say this film is about music more than it is a musical. However, each song progresses the story and characters further down their path, and without them there would be no movie. Musicians Glen Hansard (The Frames) and Markéta Irglová head up this wonderful tale of, well, musicians who find each other by chance and inspire each others work. What is striking about this film is its candor. It’s almost like seeing the chunk of events that happen that inspire an album to be written. And the music is some of the most beautiful ever put on screen. Everything works together in perfect harmony to create a very special film.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Starring: John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Pitt, Andrea Martin
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Country: USA
Genre: Music

It’s not so much a performance as it is a genesis.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch serves up a bizarre viewing experience that’s half train wreck, half raw emotion, and half heart attack. The result is one and a half times the exploits of a normal film. The character is a bit paradoxical in that on the surface most of the audience shouldn’t be able to connect with a transgender lead singer of a punk rock band from East Berlin… but for whatever unabashed reason, it’s almost impossible not to.  It feels outlandish saying it, but Hedwig and the Angry Inch wears its heart on its sleeve, and that opens up an emotional link with the audience that’s unavoidable. Did I mention it’s a rock opera? A performance piece? A pseudo-documentary? The character of Hedwig has so much depth, that John Cameron Mitchell doesn’t create so much of a performance as he does a genesis. I’d been putting this film off for far too long, after too many recommendations, and am finally glad to be recommending it to others.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Starring:
Director: Sylvain Chomet
Country: France
Genre: Foreign, Animation

Triplets isn’t for everyone, but anyone seeking an animation that doesn’t involve talking animals or crotch shots should look this one up.

I don’t know what I was expecting going into this one, but whatever it was I didn’t get. Or maybe I got it with so much more. I’ll tell you this, I never expected to see old ladies in a chase scene with the mob. I didn’t expect to see anyone killed. The Triplets of Belleville is a bizarre and wonderful delight of adult animation. The reputation of the film’s music preceded the film for me, and for great reason. It’s some of the more innovative and eclectic tunes I’ve ever heard. This film is a perfect argument that traditional hand drawn animation can provide just as much eye candy as anything computer generated.

C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

Starring: Marc-André Grondin, Michel Côté, Danielle Proulx
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Country: Canada
Genre: Foreign, Drama

Named after a Patsy Cline song, C.R.A.Z.Y. evokes the same qualities as the ballad in which it indirectly revolves around. It follows the middle child of a family from birth through his thirties as he desperately tries to find his place in the world by exploring his sexuality, experimenting with some drugs, and taking solace in some great music. This is an incredibly personal film told with such candor that it’s hard not to respect it. Vallée has pitch-peftect directing giving us a realistic look into this family’s life, while allowing himself to indulge in some fun moments, (one particularly strong one involves a Rolling Stones song at church.) It deals with some heavy issues, but it never forgets that it’s here to tell a personal and entertaining story. Plus it has an awesome soundtrack.

The Visitor (2008)

Starring: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, Hiam Abbass
Director: Thomas McCarthy
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Independent

Some could argue that this film might’ve been more effective if it had been released sooner after 9/11 because of its apparent issues with racial profiling, but my view is that coming seven years after the fact only allowed the issues, which are even still apparent, marinate and swell to a point where immediate safety might no longer be the cause for it. The race issues are a little too on-the-nose, but the real gem of this film is the journey of the main character, (the familiar and usually underused Richard Jenkins,) who shows that you can never be too old to come-of-age. It’s his re-emergence into the world from the chains of his personal captivity that make this heavy-themed film a delight to watch. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone not only discover their passion, but what that passion represents.

High Fidelity (2000)

Starring: John Cusack, Jack Black, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso
Director: Stephen Frears
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy, Drama

There’s a part of me that has a great affection for this story. It may not quite be a hugely influential film, but it definitely carved itself a tiny little niche in pop culture at the turn of the century. If people didn’t want to work at a music store after Empire Records, they certainly did after this film. I was certainly drawn to the lure of listening to music all day and being unfair to people with bad taste, by the constant over-analyzing of every detail of a relationship, and of course, the top ten lists, (which might be partly to blame for this site’s existence!) It’s a great story, greatly cast, greatly told, but it’s obvious that not everyone can to connect with a selfish main character wallowing in his own pity. For me, I relate, and having since read the book, I find the film even more entertaining. Top 5 John Cusack In The Rain Films, go:

Almost Famous (2000)

Starring: Patrick Fugit, Billy Cruddup, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee
Director: Cameron Crowe
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Comedy

Hollywood and audiences love biopics of musicians. They eat them up, as we’ve seen proof of this decade (Walk the Line, Ray, La Vie En Rose, etc.) But in your humble writer’s opinion, most biopics tend to drag on, they feel inflated, yet never really seeming to capture the entire span of its subject’s life or career, (or in some cases, can’t decide which to focus on.) Which is why doing a biopic of a fictional band is nearly a stroke of genius. Enter Almost Famous. It starts at the most interesting point in a band’s career, on the brink of success, and doesn’t have to pay heed to it’s roots to appease fans, nor does it have to go to extraneous lengths to bring us up-to-date with the band. It allows for a natural arc to develop, and thus lets its characters shine. While Almost Famous isn’t quite as hip as it thinks it is, it still provides an entertaining look behind the curtains of the rock world from a semi-autobiographical point of view from writer/director Cameron Crowe. And while his movies are usually wrought with way too many songs, (Elizabethtown, I’m looking at you,) I don’t believe you can ever have enough classic 70’s rock ‘n roll in a movie.