Top 10 Movie Pet Peeves

We all have them: distractions that completely take us out of a film. Those clichéd tendencies that cause our eyes to roll, our attitudes to shift, our breath to exhale forcefully. We all have movie pet peeves that annoy us to no end, no matter how common they may be.

But look, I’m not trying to be a hater here. Seriously. To watch a movie (any movie) is to suspend disbelief. Even documentaries (as “real” as some of them claim to be) manipulate truth through editing, narration, and so on. I don’t expect any move to be a perfect representation of real life, I’m just calmly point out a few flick gimmicks that irritate me.

In Character: Nick Nolte

One of America’s greatest living actors is a man of impeccable range, whose eccentric life struggles are, at times, as memorable as the roles he takes. Nick Nolte was a Midwestern good old boy who played football, modeled for magazines, became a movie star, became a playboy, became a thespian and ultimately became, well, whatever the hell he is today. Despite his shenanigans off screen (or because of them, as one role below will prove), Nolte has long since established himself as a volcanic powerhouse.

Perhaps best known for the trademark rage most of his characters are equipped with, Nolte is expert at making himself an immediate force to be reckoned with. Dude plays mad men. Often. But that’s all just surface. While most of the characters below are angry men, all of them are capable of vulnerability and restraint. Behind Nolte’s impressive, hulking frame, there rests a gentle beast begging to be understood.

My Favorite Scene: American History X

American History X has always been about more than the grand surface themes it depicts. While this isn’t to say the film gets the themes of gang warfare, racism, Nazism, and prison survival wrong, the film, to me, is chiefly about boys seeking approval from their fathers.

It’s about family legacy, and how, when mixed with assumption, honor and approval, proves to be toxic. Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) wants nothing more than to please his dad (who, in flashbacks, is revealed to be a pleasant family man, dedicated firefighter, and ardent racist). When his dad dies, Derek honors his memory by heightening his father’s rhetoric, because, in Derek’s eyes, that may have been what daddy secretly wanted. When Derek is sent to prison, his younger brother, Danny (Edward Furlong) attempts to continue the family legacy for Derek (who is a father figure to Danny in many ways). It’s a vicious cycle of young, underdeveloped, angry men attempting to be what they assume others want them to be.

In Character Turns 50

Yesterday’s post on prolific character actor Dan Hedaya marked my 50^th In Character article on a specific actor. I’ve highlighted the casts of a few character actor-friendly films, and discussed which character actors in general deserve more work, but Hedaya makes the 50^th actual person. And damn if that doesn’t have me elated.

In Character: Dan Hedaya

Maybe you know him as that consistently furious, short statured fella with a thick Brooklyn accent. Maybe you know him for the plentiful number of mafiosos he’s portrayed on screen. The slouched criminal. The wise-cracking thug. Alicia Silverstone’s dad. No matter what you recognize him from, there’s no doubting that you do indeed recognize the weathered face of Dan Hedaya. Dude has been living and breathing character roles since his breakthrough on Cheers (which, incidentally, I have never had an interest in seeing, and will not be mentioned below).

I love the hell out of this guy, and his ceaseless, amusing angst.

Spring Breakers

Cinematically speaking, there’s nothing that turns me on more than the art of something new. A vision, while possibly drawing comparison to others, that remains wholly unique. A story I’ve never seen before, or, just as effectively, a story I’ve seen a hundred times, but now with a fresh spin. It’s no matter how the originality comes to be –through story, execution, tone –so long as it’s new. Give me something new, and I’ll give you my full appreciation.

Top 10 Scenes that Make Me Hungry

Title is pretty self explanatory, but for one reason or another (and, admittedly, some of these are random), the scenes listed below all give me insatiable cravings. It is interesting that many of these scenes were first witnessed when I was a child. An analyst might have fun with that. Be sure to tell me which movie scenes most make your stomach rumble in the comments over at Movie Mezzanine!

Stoker

I’m going to get the silly stuff out of the way first. The big, pointless question surrounding Chan-wook Park’s domestic thriller, Stoker, is if it is a worthy, American inclusion to the famed Korean’s filmography. Stoker is Park’s first American-made film, and the conversation has mostly focused on whether his trademarked macabre sensibilities will cross over. And take it from me, a great Park admirer, that Stoker fits snuggly in his oeuvre of human depravity. There’s no doubt who you’re watching, and every doubt as to where it will go, which is about as fine a compliment I can bestow a Park film.

Top 10 Scenes of People Receiving the Best News of Their Lives

Yesterday, we admired movie characters at their absolute worst, and today, we marvel at their very best. Perhaps more than yesterday’s list, the amount of scenes that could occupy a spot here is boundless. So do feel free to share some of your favorites. Enjoy!

Top 10 Scenes of People Receiving the Worst News of Their Lives

When I present a list as random as this one, I typically use the introductory paragraph(s) to justify why you might want to read it, and how I came up with the idea in the first place. And the honest truth is, I have no idea where the basis for most of my lists come from. I get an idea and off it goes.

With that in mind, I can’t particularly pin point what caused me to rank 10 movie scenes in which people receive incredibly troubling news. Other than the fact that scenes like these usually lend themselves to gut wrenching acting. I hope you enjoy my picks, and to prove I’m not a heartless bastard who enjoys watching people (fictional or otherwise) suffer, I’m going to post the inverse of this list tomorrow.

For now, revel in the pain, and be sure to tell me some of your most memorable moments of cinematic despair in the comments. The possibilities are endless.

In Character: Peter Sarsgaard

There are many facets to a perfect Peter Sarsgaard performance. To achieve greatness, you might see him play hopeless, you might hear him scream, you might see him charm – sometimes all at once, occasionally one at a time. He’s an actor that can do so little, but really be doing much more. For him, it’s all about restraint, which is difficult to accomplish. Sarsgaard always seems dialed in and aware of his characters’ motivations, even if we haven’t the slightest clue where they’re headed. He reveals himself with humility, which often leads those watching him to become fully entranced.

Top 10 Controversial Films that Aren’t Really that Controversial

Controversial hype is a tricky hand to get dealt. On one end, controversy can help allure an audience, but inversely, it can shy viewers away. All of the films on this list have been victim to one or the other, and in watching them all, I’m curious as to why.

Good or bad, classic or dud, the films below were labeled as controversial from the onset, but the point I’m getting at is: what’s all the fuss about?

Head over to Movie Mezzanine to view the list.

Top 13 Things I Love About Mulholland Dr. (that no one talks about)

David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. is a film so tightly wound in mystery, that some shots, moments, or hell, entire characters, are bound to be ignored. Upon rewatching the film recently, I was struck by 13 specific things that never seem to gain much attention from viewers. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Lynch’s beautiful dark twisted masterpiece, and be sure to tell me your favorite overlooked moments from the movie!

the Directors: David Lynch

For all intents and purposes, David Lynch is a seemingly normal guy. Bear with me here, but really, think about it. He’s said he grew up in picturesque Middle America, with “milkmen, backyard forts, blue skies, picket fences, green grass,” and so on. And today, to paint a very surface picture, Lynch creates, he smokes, he makes coffee, talks about the weather – normal things people do. And that is precisely what makes David Lynch so captivating: somewhere along the way, whether through experience or interest, he became… David Lynch. Our most popular living surrealist, a cultural icon, a man who will forever have a type of art dedicated to his name. That of Lynchian art.

In Character: Laura Dern

Laura Dern was born to act. The daughter of two accomplished thespians (Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd), Dern was cast in her first movie at age 6 and has more or less been killing it ever since. An initial (and some might argue, continued) muse of David Lynch, Dern has made a name for herself in nearly every genre, allowing her to forever step out of the shadow of her parents. Choosing six roles to highlight certainly wasn’t easy here – she’s simply that good in everything, always.