In brainstorming for the best blog post idea ever, I came across the radically mind-banteringly fascinating  gun-dungaree  skip hoppin’ idea of picking 5 notable movies we’ve received in the store this week. 5 flavors for 5 days, Monday through Friday or Sunday through Thursday (whatever you like, french fry).

First film. Say Anything. That’s right. Anything you want. This pretty picture features John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler, an average day teen, chillin’ in Seattle, graduating and all that. College is surely on everyone’s minds, sept for Lloyd, whose main concern regards asking out the super smart and popular Diane Court. Featuring that one scene and directed by Cameron Crowe, this movie helped set the 80s as the decade for teenage tomfoolery. Fun fact: when Lloyd drives down 45th, he passes the Guild 45th theater which happens to be playing another Cusack flick, Tapeheads. Reality just got pretty crazy in this mud!

Second film. 12 Monkeys. Originally not conceived as a TV biopic based around the casting dilemmas behind a fictionalized 1960s pop group, 12 Monkeys was eventually adapted by Terry Gilliam as a futuristic sci-fi thriller where a virus has killed millions and survivors such as Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt must live underground. A bunch of stuff happens. Fun fact: Director Gilliam gave Bruce Willis a list of “Willis acting clichés” that he was refused to use during filming (such as the “steely blue eyes look”).

Third film. Memento. Directed by one of my favorites, Christopher Nolan, this film is a crazy ride where Guy Pearce repeatedly loses his short-term memory, relying on sticky notes to remember just what the hell he’s been up to. Throw in some mystery and murder and you’ve got yourself a fascinating driller (drama-thriller… insanely clever, i know). Fun fact: Christopher Nolan originally wanted Alec Baldwin for Guy Pearce’s roll. Let me tell you, it’s a good thing they didn’t have any costumes fitted for the character beforehand… Because Alec Baldwin is pretty large and Guy Pearce isn’t. Okay, not funny. Moving on.

Fourth Film. White Chicks. Directed by Kenan Ivory Wayans, this film features his brothers Shawn and Marlon as two kind of crappy FBI agents who are told to go undercover in an abduction case by disguising themselves as the daughters of a tycoon (hence, “white chicks”). What could possibly go wrong? Fun Fact: The original title of the movie was called the Miltons, in attempts to showcase a more direct spoof of the Hilton family.

Fifth Film. No. Fifth TV Show. No. First TV Show. The Kids in the Hall: Season 1. A wonderous sketch comedy show anyone my age should recognize from reruns on Comedy Central, this Canadian sketch comedy show originally aired in 1988 under the guise of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Most of the sketch comedy is wild and out there, reminiscent of Shakespeare, with most female roles being commandeered by the all-male cast. Great late 80s/early 90s comedy. Fun fact: The name of the troupe comes from comic personality Sid Caesar, who, when telling a joke that didn’t go over well, attributed it to “the kids in the hall”.

I’ve mentioned before I have a weak spot for movies about con artists and heists and the like, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of my favorite writer/directors is David Mamet. For some, his dialogue-driven style is cumbersome, but I really love the way his characters seem to be both very real and very stylized all at the same time. And I love that he comes back to the “who’s being conned here, anyhow” well again and again. It works for me, anyhow. That, and I love that he frequently works with people like Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay.

The following list is in no way meant to represent the best of Mamet’s work, nor a “top 8 list” of my own personal favorites. The thing is, a lot of what I wanted to choose wasn’t in stock, and since I was putting stuff on the Wall O’ Cool, I went with what we actually have right now. So this isn’t a dis to great movies like Glengarry Glen Ross, The Spanish Prisoner, Heist, State And Main, The Untouchables, Homicide or The Winslow Boy, it’s just what we happen to have in stock at the time.

One of my new favorite actors (well, recent) is Chiwetel Ejiofor (you may remember him as “The Operative” in Serenity). In Redbelt, he’s a jiu-jitsu master who has chosen to lead an honorable life rather than become involved in the prize-fighting circuit. A chance meeting with a lawyer and an off-duty cop throws him into a tangled web that forces him to do the thing he’s worked so hard to avoid. Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay appear as fight promoters and Tim Allen is kind of hilarious as a very Chuck Norris-like action star. (written and directed by Mamet)

A lot of people didn’t really like the third (or fourth if you count correctly) installment in the Hannibal Lecter series, Hannibal, based on the book by Thomas Harris. I did, though. I felt like it stuck closely enough to the story in the book and that Julianne Moore did a pretty good job of taking over Jodi Foster’s role of Clarice Starling. Having read the book, I knew what to expect from the Lecter/Starling relationship and I really loved Gary Oldman’s villainous Mason Verger. yeesh, I get the willies just thinking about it. (screenplay by Mamet, though it was rewritten by Steve Zaillian)

Mamet’s talky-mind-games style of dialogue really shines in The Edge. After their plane crashes in the wilderness on the way to a remote photo shoot, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin find themselves in a struggle for survival, not just against nature (and bears!) but also fear, suspicion and treachery. Good stuff here. (written by Mamet)

After a tarot reader tells him “You’re not where you belong”, Edmond (William H. Macy in a fantastic performance) leaves his wife and embarks on a dark and terrifying descent into his own personal hell. Telling you more would be a disservice. This is a hard movie to watch, but for fans of Mamet and Macy, well worth the effort.  (screenplay by Mamet, based on his play)

This one came as a bit of a surprise to me as I wasn’t aware that Mamet was involved. Ronin stars Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno as mercenary assassins, available to the highest bidder for whatever post-Cold War task the powers-that-be desire. Now, they’ve been called to France to steal a mysterious briefcase that not only are world-leaders after, but underworld-leaders, too. The Ronin must trust each other if any of them hope to get out of this alive.  (screenplay by Mamet)

Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange heat up the screen in The Postman Always Rings Twice, a steamy thriller about a drifter who finds work in a diner and falls for the owner’s wife. Deciding he’ll do anything to get her, he becomes entwined in a plot to murder the young woman’s much older husband. Bad, Jack. Bad. (screenplay by Mamet)

Filled with international intrigue and double-crosses, Spartan features Val Kilmer as a super-secret agent sent on a mission to recover the apparently kidnapped daughter of a US official from a white slavery ring. Of course, since this is a political thriller and it’s written by Mamet, is anything what it seems to be? (written by Mamet)

Finally, we come to my first exposure to Mamet’s work, and maybe my third favorite Mamet flick after Glengarry Glen Ross and Heist. I’m talking about House Of Games. Set in Seattle and starring Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay (of course) and featuring an incredibly wooden performance from Lindsay Crouse (which I can completely overlook because the dialogue and the story are so freaking amazing), it’s the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to help a patient get out of a gambling debt, only to be reeled in to the devious world of the con man. Ultimately, she finds herself locked in a high-stakes game of with Joe and his crew. I. Love. This. Movie. (written and directed by Mamet)

We also have the first season of the highly-rated black-ops show The Unit, which was created by and is written by Mr. Mamet.

So there you go, loads of cool stuff to choose from here!

Is it Tuesday again already? It would appear that it is, and that means new releases are out today! Let’s take a look and see what’s hitting the shelves today…

Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt star in Five Minutes Of Heaven, a drama based on the murder of a young Catholic man by a young Protestant man in 1975 Ireland during the fighting between British loyalists and the IRA. The killer has done his time in prison and emerged a changed man, while the brother of his victim has dreamed only of revenge. Now, a TV crew has arranged a meeting between the two for an attempt at reconciliation.

In It’s Complicated, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin have been divorced for ten years but remain friendly. Into their already busy lives, complete with a smitten romantic interest and a new spouse respectively, they’ve somehow managed to rekindle the flame they once had. Comic romance ensues!

Finally, the much talked about Terry Gilliam flick The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, starring Heath Ledger (in his final role), Johnny Depp, Jude  Law and Colin Farrell as the mysterious Tony and Christopher Plummer as Doctor Parnassus, the proprietor of a traveling show. Turns out the good Doctor had, many years before, made a deal with Mr. Nick and payment is almost due… If Terry Gilliam’s other work is any clue, Imaginarium promises to be a wild ride indeed.

We also still have new copies of Pirate Radio, One Peace At A Time, The Lovely Bones, The Young Victoria and Peacock, too!

Come in and see us.