Untitled Document
January is traditionally the worst month for movies.
Hollywood releases its best product at the end of the year, then dumps the
junk in January. With awards season upon us, it’s a good time to
reflect on some of the best films of 2006. The current blockbuster
mentality prohibits the wide release of many of the best films, and smaller
markets such as Springfield are forced to wait for the DVD release. The
following three films are among the best and most challenging released in
the United States last year, and all can be found in your neighborhood
video store. Don’t Come Knocking (2005) is the latest American film from director Wim Wenders,
one of the major proponents of the New German Cinema of the ’70s.
Wenders may not inspire as much fanboy fanaticism as fellow countryman
Werner Herzog, but he makes better films. Sam Shepard is the writer and
star of this story of a has-been cowboy star who casually abandons a movie
production to return home to Montana. His visit brings a few surprises,
including grown children he didn’t know he had. Shepard imbues the
character of a womanizing alcoholic with an unexpected dopey innocence.
Few subjects are as disturbing as child molestation,
but Hard Candy (2005)
manages to shock in ways that are completely unexpected. The story begins
typically: A teenage girl (Ellen Page) makes contact with a man (Patrick
Wilson) over the Internet, and they agree to meet at a restaurant. Their
instant rapport will give anyone the creeps. He charms her and takes her
back to his house. If you think you know where the story is going, though,
you are sadly mistaken. I won’t reveal any more of the plot, but I
guarantee that some moments will make you squirm. Page is a revelation, and
I predict that we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the near future.
The Belgian film Calvaire (2004) is an arthouse version of those backwoods psycho
thrillers, but comparisons to The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre are a bit misleading. Calvaire also begins typically:
A young singer’s van break down as he travels along foggy backroads
to a gala show. A kindly innkeeper takes him in and offers to repair the
van. The innkeeper’s odd quirks are gradually revealed to be signs of
full-blown madness, and the innkeeper holds the singer hostage, claiming
that he is the innkeeper’s estranged wife. Yes, you read that
correctly. Many films show us madness, but here the film itself is
deranged.
New on DVD this Tuesday (Jan. 30):
One Night with the King, Open Season,
Flyboys, Catch a Fire, Facing the Giants,
The Marine, Unknown, and The Motel.
New on DVD this Tuesday (Jan. 30):
One Night with the King, Open Season,
Flyboys, Catch a Fire, Facing the Giants,
The Marine, Unknown, and The Motel.
