Le cinéma

This summer has been all about movies: old ones, new ones, theater ones, laying on the couch ones. Here are some of my favorites, which I hereby recommend to you:

1.  When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts dir. Spike Lee

The documentary clocks in at four hours, but it’s worth every minute spent watching it. As we creep towards the four year anniversary of the collective heartache and failure of governmental structures that encompass Hurricane Katrina, this may be a good moment to reflect upon those events. Even if you don’t like Spike Lee, watch this. For serious.

2.  Humpday dir. Lynn Shelton

I watched this primarily because the director is from Seattle, the film was shot in Seattle, and the central plot device is an amateur porn festival in Seattle. The good news for non-Seattleites is that you really don’t need to care about our fair Emerald City to find the film interesting and engaging.

3.  Joy Division dir. Grant Gee

I watched Control earlier this summer. While I dug the cinematography and Samantha Morton as Deborah Curtis, I couldn’t really connect with the story (based on Deborah Curtis’ book “Touching from a Distance”). After seeking out the documentary by Gee, I was immediately more satisfied with the result. If you are a fan of the band, I highly recommend checking this out.

4. Irreversible dir. Gaspar Noé

I can’t remember the last time I was sat through a scene of a movie twisted into myself and hands covering my face, my physical and mental processes melding into one. While the scene made me nauseaus and uncomfortable, it was rewarding nonetheless.  Don’t get me wrong – there are problems with the movie (especially with the very literal camera movements signposting changing chronology) – but it made me think afterwards, which is a rewarding experience as a film lover.

5. (500) Days of Summer dir.  Mark Webb

I heart me some Zooey Deschanel. And ever since watching Brick earlier this summer, I’ve shrugged off my misgivings about Joseph Gordon-Levitt being a dweeby pre-teen from the terrible television show “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Actor approval coupled with a good soundtrack and a refreshing take on gender behavior in romance sold me. Overall it was solid, though maybe not awesome.

So what have you been watching? Give me some good suggestions.