Watch It

This week's suggestion is the 1993 comedy Watch It.
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It has the one of the best taglines ever: Four men and the women they annoy.
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Too bad the movie isn't quite as good as its tagline. I'm still recommending it, but don't be expecting a great movie. It's just good.
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It's all about relationships, but I would not call this a "chick-flick" by any stretch.
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John moves in with 3 house-mates, one who's his estranged cousin. It shows as he tries to reconnect with his cousin, along with the romantic relationships of the womanizing guys.
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It's got a lot of good actors: Peter Gallagher, Suzy Amis, John C. McGinley, Tom Sizemore, Cynthia Stevenson, and Lili Taylor. All of whom do good jobs here.
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It's rated R for it's vulgarity, and I found some scenes hard to sit though. So I won't say run right out and Watch It. But if you're looking for a brutally honest, yet funny film it's worth renting.

Tapeheads

This weeks suggestion is one of my favorite comedies of all time. 1988's quirky indictment of the music video industry, Tapeheads.
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It stars John Cusack and Tim Robbins as a pair of under-achievers who have a dream of making rock videos.
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This is Cusack and Robbins at their comedic bests. Cusack's character is kind of a sleaze, and he plays it perfectly. Robbins is equally good playing the artsy, creative type.
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It has a ton of musicians who make cameos: Ted Nugent, Weird Al, Jello Biafra, Michael Nesmith (who also produced) to name a few.
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It is rated R for some "adult situations" and for language. And it does get a little cheesy in parts. But it's also really entertaining.
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I read a review that called it "the next generation Blues Brothers". I don't know if I'd go quite that far. But I do love this movie. It's a light-hearted romp through the rock video business.

The Children of Huang Shi

Here's another film based on real events. 2008's The Children of Huang Shi.

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It's about George Hogg, a British journalist trying to report on the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. He soon discovers a new purpose at an orphanage where the children are without supervision. With a Australian nurse and a Chinese soldier he leads the children on an impossible trek to freedom.
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Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh (both from Crouching Tiger)are great in their supporting roles. I've heard some criticism for the leading roles by Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bend it Like Beckham) and Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black), but despite Radha's lack of an accent I really can't complain.

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This is a powerful and moving story, and it's my favorite film of this era. Yes, better than Empire of the Sun.

Snatch

This movie is a bit mainstream, but I know too many people who haven't seen it yet.
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It's Guy Ritchie's best film, I think. A crime thriller/comedy masterpiece from 2000, Snatch.
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Basically, this is about a guy trying to fence a huge diamond in London after a heist. But everyone and their dog, it seems, is after the diamond.
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It's hard to explain any more than that. There are too many stories overlapped and intertwined. And Ritchie does an amazing job mixing them all in seamlessly.
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This movie is packed full of violence and harsh language. So if you're easily upset you'll want to skip this one.
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But it's also packed with humor (often dark) and great characters.
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Brad Pitt has an amazing role as a pikey (english gypsy), who has an accent so odd it's hard to understand. The DVD has a "pikey translator" that gives subtitles every time he talks. But it's much more fun to watch it without, gradually you pick up more and more of what he's saying.
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I love this movie. And it stands up well to repeated viewings.