14. I (Heart) Huckabees
(David O Russell, 2004)
What’s The Story? (Environ)mentalist Albert (Jason Schwartzman) hires ‘existential detectives’ Bernard and Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to investigate a bizarre minor coincidence, but soon gets mixed up with a rival nihilist philosopher (Isabelle Huppert), convenience store kings The Huckabees and a paranoid fireman (Mark Wahlberg). Result? Enlightenment!
What’s It About? Existentialism 101: the practical anti-philosophy that discounts conceptual/spiritual moral frameworks. Only through shared human experience might we one day achieve transcendence.
Weird Fact: Hoffman’s character wears a completely faceless watch: no hands, no numbers. A timeless classic, etc.
13. Jacob’s Ladder
(Adrian Lyne, 1990)
What’s The Story? Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam vet pummelled by sizzling fevers and hallucinogenic panic-attacks... And menaced by shadowy G-men with vibrating faces.
He vents all to sympathetic chiropractor Louis (Danny Aiello), but when his war buddies start getting picked off in dodgy accidents, Jacob is forced to decide if he’s going brain-mental from experimental drug tests back in ‘Nam or if he’s about to get popped for real...
What’s It About? He’s in purgatory, and the vibratey-faced men are demons out to claim him for Hell, while Louis is a guiding angel, trying to work out his fears and regrets and get him into Heaven...
(“If you’re frightened of dying and you’re holding on, you’ll see devils tearing your life away. But if you’ve made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth”).
This is all backed up by the opening scene – a ‘Nam flashback – where Jacob is ambushed and bayoneted. So, the film is all a metaphysical allegory for his journey from death to afterlife. Easy.
Weird Fact: Louis’ speech is sampled in UNKLE/Thom Yorke’s ‘Rabbit In Your Headlights’.
12. Schizopolis
(Steven Soderbergh, 1996)
What’s The Story? Suburban schlub Fletcher Munson (Steven Soderbergh) works for Scientology-alike group Eventualism as his life disintegrates.
His wife (Betsy Brantley) is having an affair with the dentist next door, Dr Korchek (also Soderbergh), and someone’s trying to kill his boss...
What’s It About? Having just made Crisscross remake The Underneath, Soderbergh was bored out of his mind and desperate to recapture the spirit that had driven sex, lies & videotape to landscape-shaping Cannes glory.
The resulting mix of mid-life introspection and slapstick served as an artistic reboot, exorcising demons and allowing Soderbergh to climb out of “the arthouse ghetto”, make Out Of Sight and partner with George Clooney to produce some of the noughties' most entertaining and provocative films.
Weird Fact: Soderbergh’s real-life ex played his on-screen missus, lending a keen edge to the post-modern frippery.
Comments
bentgaga
Jul 21st 2009, 0:22
RUBY slippers..
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scabo33
Jul 21st 2009, 17:00
Absolutle a**e.. The wizard of oz is a fairy tale!.. Not a opportunity for propaganda ?
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pazozo
Jul 23rd 2009, 1:37
silver slippers in the book, which is what the synopsis is refering to
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DanzierRebirth
Jul 26th 2009, 10:31
political or not! the film is fabulous and come on what films now a days dont carry a political message or two .. Wall-E please its saying that the government lies to us!! HELLO wakey wakey!!!
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SCY385
Aug 20th 2009, 23:20
Except for Dune, David Lynch's films give me the worst kind of migraines you can think of. I really don't understand a one of them.
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lolaarcana
Apr 4th 2011, 17:05
"Existentialism 101: the practical anti-philosophy that discounts conceptual/spiritual moral frameworks. Only through shared human experience might we one day achieve transcendence." You need to check what Existentialism means. You are currently operating with Bad Faith.
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