Choke
2008. 92 minutes. Rated R. Quote: “What would Jesus NOT do?” Choke, a dramatic comedy, is adapted from a 2001 Chuck Palahniuk novel by the same name. Like Fight Club, Palahniuk’s last book-to-Hollywood adaptation, the plot is flashy and lurid. It’s definitely not a film for kids. It’s supposed to make adults laugh guiltily and think about philosophical realities that they normally gloss over, or at least ones that they don’t usually...
Elizabethtown
2005. 123 minutes. Rated R. Can you imagine an entire life wrapped up in a shoe? First of all, this is NOT a bad movie. Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is a master of last looks. The groundbreaking shoe of his original design, the Spasmodica, ends up being groundbreaking only in its unprecedented failure. He loses his job, his status as shoe design wunderkid, and a ridiculously large amount of his company’s money. His career is so...
Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness
1992. 81 minutes. Rated R. “This is my boomstick.” Ash (Bruce Campbell) has battled the undead before, but he’s never been sucked through a time portal, sold as a slave, saved a castle from destruction, spawned an evil copy of himself, and then brought an army of skeletons to bear upon himself in pitched battle. All that and more awaits in the vague Medieval land where Ash must fight for his survival. His only...
Elvis and Madona
2010. 105 min. Unrated. Elvis and Madona together, live in color. Elvis and Madona is the glossiest of modern queer cinema: the tale of a very odd but lovable couple from Brazilian director Marcelo Lafitte. Elvis (Simone Spoladore) is a butch lesbian woman with a motorcycle. Madona (Igor Cotrim) is a femme gay man who wears dresses and makeup. After a series of unhappy relationships, they find one another and, against all odds, fall...
Fargo
1996. 98 minutes. Rated R. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’tcha know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day. In these icy times, we often seek icy movies. I do, anyway. I can’t speak for the rest of my reviewers, but this is just about the time of year when I like to bust out Fargo. Set on the North Dakota/Minnesota border, Fargo is the kind of movie that reminds you that, in...
