Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Brief summary:

Probably the greatest camp parody movie, ever made!!! Camp movies are always fun, whether it’s Meatballs, Poison Ivy, Camp Nowhere, or the myriad of others I don’t know about. But this is the cream of the crop.

It’s by the comedy troupe Stella, which mainly consists of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain (director). The three also created and starred in MTV’s The State (mid-90s), which may be the greatest comedy show ever made… or close to it. Frequent collaborators include Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Janeane Garafolo, etc…. and their creativity cannot be understated.

You like Judd Apatow films? I sure as fuck do (Adventureland, Superbad, etc). This is totally in the vein, as all of Stella’s films are.

The film takes place in summer 1981. Janeane Garafolo is camp director at a very aloof summer camp, with a wide variety of kids… the coolest of which tend to be the nerdy ones (who’d have guessed that?). Her co-workers are a mix of promiscuous women, batshit-crazy counselors and kitchen cooks, perverted guys, and slacker idiot bad-boys. Together, they barely run the camp safely. Kids almost drown, the boys are always sleeping in the girls’ bunks, campers are barely escaping being severely injured… you name it. In between shifts at the camp, the counselors are constantly drunk, high, and getting into some wild and stupid adventures.

I won’t spoil anything for you. Just know that this film is god damn hilarious. Exceptionally well-written, superbly-acted, and downright stupid (dialogue, body language, the whole nine). And the arena-rock/soft-rock of the 70s and early 80s is just the icing on the cake. The songs are carefully-chosen and really add to the hilarity of the film. And there are also some perfectly-edited “tense” scenes…… such as the motorcycle chase and the river rapids scare. If you don’t laugh out loud, especially during those scenes, you have no sense of humor.

Definitely not a movie for kids. There are mentally-disturbing moments of dialogue and some adult-themed stuff going on throughout. Keep your mind open and be prepared to laugh your ass off.

Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com

END HATE. END RACISM.
END HOMOPHOBIA & END TRANSPHOBIA.

EQUALITY, LOVE, WORLD PEACE,
COMPASSION, AND EMPATHY. NOW.

trailer:

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Brief summary:

I’ve always heard about this great movie which people rarely talk about… but never saw it in full until this morning. Tremendous.

Long story short, the film is about a couple in a custody battle. The father Ted (Dustin Hoffman) is forced to raise his son Billy (Justin Henry, from Sixteen Candles) when his wife (Meryl Streep) walks out on him after several years of marriage. At first, things are tough between Ted and his son, but they soon bond and Ted busts his ass to make sure Billy is raised right, and has everything he needs, from toys, to breakfast every morning, and daily communication.

One day, Billy is playing on the jungle gym and has a severe accident on the gym which disfigures his face with a large scar. Ted continues to be there, every step of the way, for Billy.

About a year and a half after Billy’s mother left, she returns to claim full custody, even though she hasn’t been there much and while she was raising him, she wasn’t exactly a good or patient mother.

What happens next is for you to discover…. don’t sleep on this brilliant, award-winning film. It may be almost 40 years old, but that doesn’t mean it’s not captivating, brilliantly-acted, superbly-written, and absolutely engaging. Believe the hype (if you’ve heard anything about it at all), as it’s that good.

Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com

END HATE. END RACISM.
END HOMOPHOBIA & END TRANSPHOBIA.

EQUALITY, LOVE, WORLD PEACE,
COMPASSION, AND EMPATHY. NOW.

 

Cherish (2002)

Brief summary:

Cherish is in the top 5 of my all-time favorite indie films. Talk about character development! This film is all about character development, namely that of Zoe Adler, the main character (perfectly acted by Robin Tunney).

Zoe is a nerdy, kind of homely-looking graphics designer. She has basically zero social skills, and her life is about to get a lot worse.

One unlucky night, Zoe has a bit too much to drink while on a bad date, and a crazy guy who seems to be her stalker jumps into her car as she’s about to leave the bar, and he tells her to drive away, slowly. A bicycle cop then notices that something’s a bit weird, when she’s stopped at a light. He sees the guy in the car pop his head up, and also sees a very distressed-looking Zoe at the wheel. He commands her to pull over, but the guy in the car steps on her gas and she winds up killing the cop with her car, and then flees when Zoe crashes her car shortly after.

Zoe tries to tell police she was not alone in the car, and the guy is the one who actually got the cop killed…. but no one believes her, as the story seems ridiculous, plus… she was heavily intoxicated.

After a meeting with a prosecutor and other legal people, Zoe is allowed to avoid prison time by agreeing to be placed under house arrest in a dilapidated apartment, in a rough San Francisco neighborhood.

What follows is a personal journey of exploration, discovery, horrible revelations, and interactions with a detective that show promise, in Zoe trying to prove her innocence.

Will Zoe ever be free of her restrictive ankle bracelet and its alarm? Will she be able to find the guy who was fully responsible for the cop’s death? Check out Cherish to find out.

Criminally underrated film with a perfect 70s & 80s pop/new wave soundtrack (which by the way, is the driving force behind the film’s main character and the plot, as she is obsessed with great classic pop music.)

Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com

END HATE. END RACISM.
END HOMOPHOBIA & END TRANSPHOBIA.

EQUALITY, LOVE, WORLD PEACE,
COMPASSION, AND EMPATHY. NOW.

 

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)

Brief summary:

I’ve been told that my movie taste is that of a 14-year old girl.

Good!!!

I’d rather watch movies about high school kids with great music taste, than some 18th-century period piece (though I do love the Jane Austen adaptations, specially Pride and Prejudice… how could one not love those Austen masterpieces?). I do love all movies, but my favorite genre is romantic-comedy, especially if it centers around the magic of young love. And this film fits the mold.

It’s originally a book co-authored by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (who make a tiny cameo near the middle-end of the film).

It’s about a night out, between two high schoolers, Nick and Norah.

Nick is the only straight member of a gay indie rock band called The Jerk-Offs, and Norah is the daughter of a prominent record label executive. Nick’s just been dumped by his flaky (and bitchy) girlfriend Tris, and he’s not exactly able to quickly get over it (he makes her mix CDs constantly, with personal commentary about why he doesn’t understand why she left him, etc). Norah knows Tris and is somewhat friends with her, but she dislikes Tris greatly, especially because of the way she treats Nick, who Norah doesn’t know, at least until 20 minutes into the movie.

Both Nick and Norah have superb music taste, but they really don’t know that fact, about the other. They find themselves stuck in New York City one night, after Nick’s gig with his band (side note: his singer and guitarist are the sweetest/kindest guys, ever). Norah’s drunk friend Caroline has gone missing, shortly after the gig. Nick, Norah, and the band are desperately trying to find out where their favorite indie band, Where’s Fluffy?, is playing an ultra-secret show… all the while searching for Caroline, who only gives Norah vague clues about her location, every time she drunkenly answers her phone.

A lot of people would find this movie cheesy or stupid (or would they? Who knows… I know nothing about the masses film taste, only that comic book/superhero films have been the main thing in Hollywood since at least 2009– I could care less about a majority of those).

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist really holds up, over time. It’s basically almost a decade old, now (god, time flies)… but, it’s still as charming and good as the first time I saw it.

I don’t even need to mention how perfect the soundtrack is (Devendra Banhart, We Are Scientists, Vampire Weekend, The Real Tuesday Weld, Chris Bell, Band of Horses, and the obscure Rogue Wave song that plays during the end credits)…. the songs “After Hours” and “Last Words” alone really tug at my heartstrings. They’re so perfectly-placed in the movie, and they’re just killer songs.

Give this film a shot. If you remotely like good music and the whole “indie rock/hipster” world (I’ve never been cool enough for it, but still love it)… you’ll definitely appreciate this movie. The acting’s great, too, especially by Michael Cera and his band. And Kat Dennings is her usual jaded/cynical/bittersweet self… something about her. She always comes off as utterly real. Not to mention she’s pretty easy on the eyes.

So yeah… good times. GREAT film with GREAT music.

-Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com

END HATE. END RACISM.
END HOMOPHOBIA & END TRANSPHOBIA.

EQUALITY, LOVE, PEACE, COMPASSION,
AND EMPATHY. NOW.

Men, Women & Children (2014)

Brief summary:

A film that is almost universally panned (shows how little critics know about the art of filmmaking and storytelling, in general)… I find this film brilliant!

It’s heartbreaking and utterly depressing (especially seeing where we currently are, with technology/social media/smartphones/internet, etc, which is truly sucking the life out of each and every human’s life).

The film ultimately tells a depressing story of how poorly humans tend to interact, when social media and the internet is involved. Some of the characters in the film can communicate well with others (such as Kaitlyn Dever as Brandy), and understand there is life outside of the social media hell we are trapped in, and on the other hand, most of the characters (namely Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Jennifer Garner’s) can’t communicate well with others, and represent a lot of us in the real world. Oftentimes, it is our actions which lead us into drama and hopeless or anger-driven situations.

Do yourself a favor, and watch this film with an extremely open mind and heart. If you do, it will teach you things you may not have been ready to deal with, or things you may never be.

Overwhelmingly recommended.

Based on the novel by Chad Kultgen, and co-directed by Jason Reitman and Eric Cressida Wilson.

-Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com

END HATE. END RACISM. END HOMOPHOBIA & TRANSPHOBIA.

EQUALITY, LOVE, PEACE, COMPASSION, AND EMPATHY. NOW.

The Accused (1988)

Brief summary:

I can’t even go into how god damn motherfucking brilliant and important this movie is. I can’t even. Just…. NOW. NOW. NOW. Watch. Buy DVD. NOW. NOW. NOW.

Jodie Foster is FUCKING SUPERB in this… so is Kelly McGillis. Whoa.

Based on a true story… and holy SHIT is it a messed-up story.

Intense. Intense. Intense…. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS FILM. It is almost 30 fucking years old…. one of the most criminally-underrated 80s films, period. SUPERB.

-Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net

TRAILER:

I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)

Brief summary:

In light of all the hatred present in America and the media, especially since November 8th, 2016… I invite all of you to check out this heartfelt 90s movie with Jeanne Moreau, Claire Danes, Jude Law, and Dawson himself, James Van Der Beek. It’s hard to tell what the movie’s about from the poster… it’s a lot darker than the cute, smiling Jude Law shown here.

The film centers around Daisy (Claire Danes), a bookish Jewish girl, and her tight relationship with her grandmother, Nana (Jeanne Moreau). Daisy is a hopeless romantic, and a bit awkward… and falls for a Catholic boy named Ethan (Jude Law). Ethan lets Daisy believe that he’s really into her, but it’s clear that their romantic adventure is a bit one-sided. Ethan’s friends judge Daisy harshly: for one, the two of them differ religiously, and her background makes him uncomfortable because of his bigotry, and two, she’s a bookworm, and her faith leaves her subject to a lot of antisemitic judgment and cruelty, especially from other students.

As Daisy tries to navigate her feelings for Ethan and all the judgment and bullying she receives at school, her relationship with Nana suffers greatly. They both try to understand each other, and find themselves failing at every turn.

Heartfelt, poignant, and important, especially today, 2017…. brilliant and beautiful story. If this film teaches you nothing except empathy and compassion, it’s done its job, and done it well.

Love and peace. In 2017, and forever onward.

-Chris Caulder

http://chriscaulder.net
http://youtube.com/chriscauldermusic
http://oustedrecords.bandcamp.com
http://oustedrecords.tumblr.com

http://soundcloud.com/tentative-plans
http://seldomfamily.bandcamp.com