THE DANMAN CAN

I'm pretty sure that I had seen parts of About Schmidt (2002) before but I don't recall ever having seen the film in its entirety. While I enjoyed it quite a bit—as I make my way through his filmography for the first time (I had only seen  Election   (1999) ( review ) previously)—it's my least favorite  Alexander Payne  feature so far. There are undoubtedly indelible moments,  Jack Nicholson  is really good, and especially too is  Kathy Bates . But it also feels the most emotionally manipulative and lackluster (which befits the subject matter)—opting for a more dramatic and less comedic approach than either Election  or  Citizen Ruth   (1996) ( review ). It reminded me of  Charlie Kaufman  without the bite, devoid of the satire of Payne's first two films. Alexander Payne Feature Films Ranked

Election   (1999) is a dark high school comedy on par with another favorite of mine,  Heathers  (1989) ( review ).  Alexander Payne 's superb sophomore satire continues to remain relevant, hilarious, relatable, and quotable. I can't claim to be much of a  Reese Witherspoon  fan, but she's brilliant in  Election , as is  Matthew Broderick —in a role reversal of his most famous character, Ferris Bueller—here basically playing a version of Ed Rooney. Morally and ethically I love this film.  Alexander Payne Feature Films Ranked

Alexander Payne 's feature debut, Citizen Ruth  (1996) is a highly amusing satire of the still pertinent hot button topic of abortion and the fanaticism surrounding it. The excellent cast, which reunites  Laura Dern  (superb here) and  Mary Kay Place —who starred together in  Joyce Chopra 's 1985  Smooth Talk   ( review )—approaches caricature but there is undeniable level of truth to their portrayals. Payne's film attempts to remain objective on the issue, instead highlighting Dern's character's desire (and sometimes confusion) about what to do with her life, being caught in the middle of a media circus and those on both sides seeking gain for their cause. Nowhere is this more implicit than in  Ruth ’s pitch perfect ending. Alexander Payne Feature Films Ranked

In Don Coscarelli 's  Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), Bruce Campbell  delivers one of his best performances as an aging Elvis who, along with fellow nursing home resident JFK ( Ossie Davis ), does battle with an ancient Egyptian mummy. For a film with as whacky a premise as that, Coscarelli's cult hit is surprisingly poignant and low key. There are plenty of laughs, amusingly crude dialogue, and elements of horror, to be sure. But there is also a melancholic and reflective quality to  BHT , in which Campbell gives the right amount of TLC to TCB. Don Coscarelli Feature Films Ranked

John Sturges ' The Magnificent Seven  (1960) is the rare remake (of  Akira Kurosawa 's 1954 masterpiece  Seven Samurai ) that became a classic in its own right. TM7 features a stacked ensemble of fantastic actors delivering indelible performances, stylish cinematography by Charles Lang (who shot some of the best-looking pictures of the 1950s and '60s), and  Elmer Bernstein 's immensely  memorable theme. Three years later, Sturges would reteam with three of the seven ( Steve McQueen , Charles Bronson , and James Coburn ) plus Bernstein to make the even more exciting  The Great Escape  ( review ). A heroic and straightforward western with plenty of action and adventure,  TM7 is undoubtably  magnificent entertainment. John Sturges Films Ranked

I'm not sure  Parasite (1982) would be all that much better in 3D, but in plain ol' 2D it's an entertaining enough little dystopian, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi monster flick, I suppose. Other than seeing  Demi Moore in her second role, Cherie Currie  (of The Runaways fame) getting parasitic, a few fun gore gags (the best of which involves Vivian Blaine (of  Guys And Dolls   (1955) ( review ) fame; thanks Stan Winston ), and a government stooge driving around in a Lambo, blasting people with lasers, this slow-paced B movie doesn't offer a whole lot. All of that probably sounds really cool but there's not enough "oomph" here to push this into any kind of cult classic status. Parasite was Charles Band 's third directorial effort (of many, many cheapies) and it's the first of his directed features that I've seen. Band has served as producer on close to 400 (!) features—11 of which I've seen, most of which are also...entertaining enough (many...

Mathieu Kassovitz ’s The Crimson Rivers (2000) is an above-average psychological thriller with an enticing, isolated snowy mountain setting (featuring the beautiful Mont Blanc ) backed by an intriguing, Bernard Herrmann esque score by Bruno Coulais .  Its beats are familiar for anyone versed in the serial killer cinema playbook but there is enough stylish cinematography and strong performances (plus a random and hilarious but awesome techno-soundtracked fight scene) to keep the film entertaining throughout. The ending may seem to come out of left field but it’s perfectly suitable for those with a love of gialli .  Recommended for fans of  The Silence Of The Lambs  (1991) ( review ), Insomnia (both its 1997 and 2002  ( review ) incarnations), Se7en   (1995), and  Alfred Hitchcock .

John Schlesinger 's paranoiac  Marathon Man  (1976) is one of those stylish 1970s slow burn thrillers that I love.  William Goldman , who wrote the screenplay from his novel, was on fire in the '70s. The direction is assured, the performances are strong, the slow pace is punctuated by sudden bursts of brutal violence, and  Michael Small 's score—similar to his stellar work on 1971's  Klute  ( review )—features a wide range of instruments, running the gamut from melancholic to tense to frenetic.

Tsui Hark 's Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain  (1983) is an endlessly imaginative, brain-bustlingly frenetic, supernatural martial arts fantasy assault on the senses. This just-turned 40  wuxia  has insane camera- and wirework, eye-popping production and costume design, smile-inducing (and gravity-defying) stunts and special effects, and over the top performances. It will appeal to your inner 12-year-old, if you're in the mood for a good-vs-evil adventure where the narrative is less important than the spectacle. Recommended for fans of  Big Trouble In Little China  (1986) ( review ) (a film that  John Carpenter  acknowledged was heavily influenced by Zu ),  Duel To The Death   (1983) ( review ), and  House (1977) ( blogpost ).