Our reviewers select and review the best independent and foreign films on amazon.com, cd universe, and netflix

Title: Killer of Sheep
Year: 1977
Director: Charles Burnett (To Sleep With Anger)
Writer: Charles Burnett
Stars: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett

The Story: A worn-out sheep butcher in the dirt-poor Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles tries to put on a happy face for his family. Meanwhile, we get to see the struggles, failures, and occasional victories of his close-knit community.

Why It’s Great: There had already been a handful of well-made independent films about the black underclass by white directors (one of which I’ll cover next week), but those films inevitably boiled down to one question: What is to be done about this? Burnett, one of the first major black independent filmmakers, is more interested in listening to the rhythms of everyday life that persist even in seemingly untenable conditions. The question here is not “what is to be done?” but simply “what’s going on?” This material could have easily become too bleak, but, like his hero Jean Renoir, Burnett finds passing joys where he can in little vignettes… Two guys try to carry an engine that’s too heavy for them out of a house. A man puts on a record to slow-dance with his wife. Kids gather to enjoy the show as a different husband, caught cheating, hides from his pistol-wielding wife…

Two more reasons at Cockeyed Caravan.

Title: Hero
Year: 2002
Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Zhang Yimou, Feng Li, Bin Wang
Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen

The Story: 2000 years ago, at the birth of imperial China. A local prefect takes it upon himself to eliminate the three assassins that threaten his new emperor. But when he is invited to the palace to explain how he did it, the emperor quickly becomes suspicious of his story…

One Reason Why It’s Great: In the ’80s and ’90s, a lot of action films, especially Asian action films, were marketed as being “balletic” or “poetic”. In most cases, this was an insult to the arts of ballet and poetry. It does a director like John Woo (Zhang’s contemporary from neighboring Hong Kong) no favors to ascribe high-minded aspirations to his movies. He shows exquisite craft, but he has very little to say. Zhang, on the other hand, takes this challenge seriously. This is one of the few movies that actually attempts to incorporate the formal beauty and intellectual rigor of poetry into the action genre. So who’s the hero? That question remains unanswered at the end. This is ultimately not a war of swords, but a war of dueling stories. History belongs not to those with military might, but to those who can best exploit the people’s fatal weakness for heroic narratives.

Two more reasons over at Cockeyed Caravan.

Title: Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Year: 1976
Director: Paul Mazursky
Writers: Paul Mazursky
Stars: Lenny Baker, Shelly Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith, Chris Walken

The Story: A jokey would-be actor leaves his castrating mother behind in Brooklyn and makes a life for himself in the burgeoning bohemia of 1953 Greenwich Village. (His rent? $25 a month.)

One Reason Why It’s Great: I have no idea why Mazursky is no longer a household name, or how his half-dozen masterpieces have come to be forgotten. Discovering his work is like finding a lost treasure trove of collaborations between Woody Allen and Robert Altman. Mazursky is lovingly recreating his own coming-of-age here. People are wary of autobiographical films with good reason. Most filmmakers can’t resist the temptation to settle old scores and/or live out their fantasies of what should have happened. Mazursky does nothing of the sort. Baker-as-Mazursky is portrayed neither as martyr nor misunderstood genius, just a sympathetic schmuck learning his lessons in the school of hard knocks.

Two more reasons over at: Cockeyed Caravan

Title: Antz

Year: 1998
Director: Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson
Writers: Todd Alcott, Chris and Paul Weitz
Stars: Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Danny Glover

The Story: A worker-ant is determined to win the love of the next queen, even if it means shattering the rigid caste system of his colony. Unfortunately, she’s engaged to a hard-charging army-ant with a genocidal agenda.

One Reason Why It’s Great: This movie went head-to-head with a very similar movie, Pixar’s A Bug’s Life. At the time, critics preferred this one, but since Dreamworks’ subsequent CGI output has been weak, and Pixar has become a masterpiece-making-machine, there’s a tendency to assume that, in retrospect, the critics must have been wrong. They weren’t. Not only does this one have superior animation, but the story is about a thousand times stronger –in both the comedy and the drama. What happens when you combine elements of Ayn Rand’s libertarian novel Anthem with Sergei Eisenstein’s Soviet film Potemkin? You’d think the world would explode, right? Instead you get Antz. Amazingly, it all works. If the characters talked about juggling these ideologies, we’d laugh them out of the theater, but the movie instead creates an elegant allegory that shows us how these apparently conflicting value systems might be reconcilable. It’s a beautifully structured, wildly ambitious story.

more reasons atCockeyed Caravan.

This is one of the cleverest self-promotions using movies that I have seen, and it really deserves all the publicity Jennifer Johnson wants for her nursing school search site. We received an email early this morning asking if we would post Jennifer’s list of the Top Ten Medical Movies of All Time. The idea is: if you are home sick, these are good ones to watch. You can see them below, or go to her site: http://nursepractitionerschools.org/top-10-medical-movies-of-all-time/ I’ve got to hand it to her, this is a great. It was picked up by current. com, time.com and who knows how many others. One sure way to a blogger’s heart: give him content he doesn’t have to write.

I suggested that she join us and do reviews as Nurse Netflix. So if you are home with H1N1 take a look at these. PS: don’t try the links, they go all over the place but not to necessarily to Netflix.

Top 10 Medical Movies of all Time

Are you home sick with the flu or maybe you or someone you care about are suffering from something more serious? Then grab the remote, a DVD, and check out the top ten medical movies of all time. They will make you laugh, cry, inspire, and best of all: believe.

1. The Song of Bernadette
   Made in 1943, this medical movie was nominated for twelve Academy Awards. It tells the story of a young girl who stumbles across a miracle in her hometown of Lourdes, France. The site of this vision is still visited by people from all over the world to this day. With an opening line of“For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible�, the film is a must for all those who believe in, or need, a miracle.
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
   This is one of the few movies in history to take all five major Oscars including director, screenplay, actor, actress, and film. Made in 1975, a young Jack Nicholson stars as a mental patient who inspires the others to fight back against the totalitarian and now infamous “Nurse Ratched.� If you want to learn more, visit the website, which is used as a study guide.
3. Erin Brockovich
   Another Oscar contender, this movie centers around an underdog’s fight against a corporate giant. The true life story of Erin Brockovich and the law firm she worked for is especially compelling in the true life stories of the hundreds of victims. A must view medical movie for seeing what can happen when people stand as one against all odds. A visit to the website can also tell you more from Erin herself.
4. A Beautiful Mind
   This 2001 picture won four Academy Awards, including for best picture. Russell Crowe plays John Forbes Nash, Jr., a brilliant mathematician and economist. His life was forever changed when he developed schizophrenia. See what can be achieved despite illness in this moving film. The website also has more on Nash’s work and even brain teasers.
5. Philadelphia
   In the early days of AIDS, society knew little about the disease and less about how to treat those who do have it. Tom Hanks plays a lawyer in this award winning film whose disease and sexual preference are suspected of leading to his termination. He then hires a lawyer to fight for his rights, while simultaneously fighting for his life. An excellent medical movie for showing that the ill still have rights.
6. MASH
   Before it was a ground breaking show, “MASH� was an award winning film. The war/comedy movie follows the doctors and nurses at a surgical hospital during the Korean War. Proving that war is indeed hell, this group of misfits do what they both can and have to survive and keep their sanity.
7. Article 99
   Although it didn’t perform well at the box office, this film is a medical movie must for its portrayal of doctors going above and beyond their already large call of duty. Ray Liotta and Kiefer Sutherland star in this 1992 medical thriller about a band of renegade doctors at a VA hospital who decide to help patients, even if the top brass says “no,� with harrowing results.
8. The Doctor
   Ever had a doctor who didn’t make eye contact and seemed to care little for his patients? Then you’ll recognize the main character in this medical movie. After contracting cancer, he switches roles from patient to doctor, with life changing results. A standout for any patient who wants to see an indifferent doctor get a taste of his own medicine.
9. Florence Nightingale
   One of the most famous nurses in history, she is also known as “The Lady of the Lamp.� During the Crimean War in Great Britain, she became famous for lobbying the government to better the horrible conditions of the hospitals on the battlefield. This 1985 film stars Jacyln Smith as Florence and shows how one nurse can achieve anything. Available to watch for free by clicking the link.
10. Extraordinary Measures
    Inspired by the true life story of John Crowley, this film is about a man who defied the odds and risked a lucrative career to work for a cure for his children’s life threatening disease. Together with a brilliant and unappreciated scientist, they form a biotech company. See the lengths they are willing to go to in order to accomplish their goals by checking out this film.

Whether a patient, doctor, or other health professional, there are tons of inspiration to be found in these top ten medical movies of all time. They are especially useful for getting a sense of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.

Title: Stage Door
Year: 1937
Director: Gregory LaCava (My Man Godfrey)
Writers: Morrie Riskind and Anthony Veiller, based on the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman
Stars: Katherine Hepburn (Holiday), Ginger Rogers (Swing Time), Adolphe Menjou (The Sniper), Andrea Leeds, Lucille Ball

The Story: Desperate, out-of-work actresses struggle together in a ladies’ boarding house on Broadway.

One Reason Why It’s Great: My wife can always tell whether a “women’s picture” was written by a man or a woman because male writers won’t let sympathetic women be sarcastic. No worries here. Ferber was not exactly a feminist, but she gives everybody their due.These women rip, snort and tear each other up with glee. Ginger Rogers had a wonderful career as a comedienne before she disappeared into Fred Astaire’s shadow. She’s so funny and sharp here that she makes the movie her own. Thankfully, she would get at least one more chance to show off her comedic skills in 1952′s Monkey Business.

Two more reasons over at Cockeyed Caravan.

Title: Funny Ha Ha
Year: 2005
Director: Andrew Bujalski
Writer: Andrew Bujalski
Stars: Kate Dollenmayer, Andrew Bujalski, Justin Rice

The Story: A 23 year old woman hangs out with friends, works lousy temp jobs and drinks too much. After some humiliating realizations, she finally tries to pull her life together.

One Reason Why It’s Great: Are you ready to mumble?? This was the movie that launched the whole “mumblecore” genre of ultra-low-budget, affectless, plotless comedy/dramas about downwardly-mobile gen-y slackers. When mumblecore movies fail to connect, they are horrifically unpleasant, but when they work they seem so honest and accurate that they resonate deep down in your bones. Dollenmayer’s delicately-detailed characterization of this young woman can be alternately devastating and inspiring if you open yourself up to the movie’s awkward charm.

Three more reasons over at Cockeyed Caravan.

The Great Buck Howard (USA 2008, 90 min dir: Sean McGinly, cast: John Malkovich, Colin Hanks)

When I was a very young producer I did a film about a comedian. He was the star of a show within the movie. The director and I finished our cut with the comedian ending his act. The studio executives ordered us to change it. “The main character is the innocent girl drawn into the showbiz world,” they said. “You’ve got to end on her or you’re abandoning the main character.” We followed orders. The film stank. They were wrong. She may have been the main character in the script, but thing had changed. Movies leap from emotional moment to emotional moment; scripted logic takes a seat in the last row.

The Great Buck Howard has a similar problem. Troy (Colin Hanks) is the young innocent who signs on as a “gofer” for Buck Howard, the world’s greatest mentalist (as in go fer coffee, go fer cigarettes). Buck insists he is not a magician, he is a “mentalist” and he goes from cow town to prairie city playing his show and ending with his signature trick: asking the audience to pick one person to hide Buck’s pay for the night. Buck bets his salary he can walk among them and pick the person. And he always does. It brings down the house.

The Great Buck Howard is fascinating until you get to the end. Because the guy the story follows at the end is Troy, not Buck. No! No! They got it wrong! Buck (John Malkovich) is the compelling character. If we can’t learn how Buck did the trick, at least let us learn why we can’t know it. It’s nice that Troy gets his life together, but it is not satisfying.

See this movie for John Malkovich’s brilliant performance that never let’s you tire of him doing the Buck act. Also see it to better understand a lesson in moviemaking. And finally, see it because it is really interesting and based on a real character. How did he do that trick?

Title: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Year: 2007
Writer and Director: Seth Gordon
Stars: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell

The Story: A laid-off family man decides that the only way to redeem himself is to become a world champion at the arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Unfortunately, the current record holder declares all-out war, even if it means throwing out all the rules.

One Reason Why It’s Great: Most of the Oscar nominees that year were Bush administration take-downs, but this documentary-as-allegory tells a more universal version of the same story. In this tiny microcosm, a lot of big questions are raised: How and why do conspiracies form on-the-fly during intense situations? What happens when the people in charge start bending their own rules? How long can you manipulate your followers before they get fed up? It doesn’t hurt that the reigning champion is a jingoistic chicken-wing king who’s more than happy to paint himself as the embodiment of American triumphalism.

Three more reasons over at Cockeyed Caravan!

Sleep Dealer (Mexico 2008, 90 min. dir: Alex Rivera, cast: Luz Martinez, Jacob Vargas, Luis Fernando Pena

Cheap Mexican labor does the work we won’t, but in this futuristic vision we’ve figured out how to use them without ever letting them across the border. Alex Rivera’s ingenious “what if” movie shows a world that is the inheritor of H.G. Wells, “The Time Machine.” In that famous novel, humanity is divided between carefree people who live on the surface of the earth and busy themselves with frivolities; and the lowly workers who live below in lightless caverns. The Morlock,s below, churn out the food and materials that allow the Eloi, above, to be carefree. Only problem: the Morlocks often snuck above at night and ate the Eloi.

Anyone who lives near the Mexican border knows about maquiladores. These are the sweatshop factories built on the other side (the dark side) near border cities. Low-paid Mexicans churn out toasters and table chairs for Wal-Mart. It’s all perfectly legal under the NAFTA treaty. They work for us but we don’t let them in.

Sleep Dealer has gone a step further. Mexicans who want to work are first fitted with metal receptors pierced into their flesh. They can then go to work in giant factories fitted with probes that fit the receptors. Once hooked up and wearing special vision goggles, they find themselves manipulating their arms and legs to control robots up in the US that do anything from baby sitting to picking fruit to working heavy construction.

The perfect solution to immigration! Import only the robots and let the drugged out, sleep deprived Mexicans do the hard labor so they can pay our giant corporations for their water, electricity, and food. Sleep Dealer is a small movie that has a lot to say, and what it says is so condemning that it is amazing so few have seen or listened.