Unemployed, Yet Entertained.

Being unemployed has given me time to watch a lot of great films this winter. The best ones are at the top of the list.

• Smoke

My favorite movies are ones with rich and deep character developments about random people who connect. This New York story holds down that standard to a T. Each character draws you in closely, until youre personally invested. The acting is superb and novelist Paul Auster deserves an award for his brilliant writing.  This film has won itself a spot on my list of ten favorite movies of all time.

• Serial Mom (watch this clip, its HILARIOUS!!)
  

  (….212 Fuck You? Hahahaha!)

  Kathleen Turner is simply GENIUS in this role as a psychopathic homemaker.  True to form, this movie is everything a John Waters’ film should be; side splittingly funny, disturbing, colorful, and dark. Loves it!

• I love You, Man

I think this was one of those films that came out when I was in Japan because I hadnt even heard of it until Emma played it for me one hung-over afternoon. Despite my original skepticism, this movie is actually funny and charming, which these days seems to be a hard combination to pull off.  But I should probably confess that part of the reason I love this film is because it turns out actor Jason Segal (dude whos doing the spot on Andre the Giant impression) is major boner material.  I have since developed a huge crush on him. Shortly after watching this movie, I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Swooooon!

• The Departed

Yeah, yeah…. I cant believe I havent seen this film until now, either. Yet despite waiting until years of hype to pass, this movie did not disappoint. Mark Wahlberg was born to play this role– he makes for the perfect asshole. His character is by far my favorite in this movie. But of course Jack Nicholson has some pretty priceless moments as well, namely when he’s throwing handfuls of coke at big breasted hookers. And Leo. Oh Leo. Who knew you could be so hot as a tatted up jailbird. I will forever love you.

• The Big Chill

This movie is like the Breakfast Club for 30 year olds. Its cheesy and cliched, but oh so lovable. And usually I hate Kevin Klien, but I was able to look past his annoying character to find at the heart, a heartwarming story about friends, idealism, and youth gone sour.

• Revolution Road

Talk about heavy. Revolution Road carries so much weight, you feel like you’ve just eaten an anvil after digesting this movie. Yet its so very beautiful, precisely because its so tragic. I feel director Sam Mendes was very brave in taking on this sort of material, but he manages to create one of the most powerful films I’ve seen in a long time. It really left me breathless.

• Last Year at Marienbad

This movie was aiiite. But the trailer is cool and the film itself is stunning.

• Singing in the Rain
• The Cruise
• Manhattan
• Radio Days
• Hannah and Her Sisters
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
• The Apartment
• An Education
• Volver
• Shutter Island
• The Aviator
• Basketball Diaries
• Give Me Shelter
• Food Inc.
• The Big Sleep
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Joe Strummer- The Future is Unwritten
• The Secret to My Success (Michael J Fox’s next best work, after Back to the Future)
• Malcolm X
• The Hang Over
• BIG
• Up in the Air
• Knocked Up
• Humpday
• Milk
• Away We Go
• Its Complicated
• Taking Woodstock
• The Secret in their Eyes