People always say things like "was that in a movie?. "Is that a quote from a movie?". But what is a movie? Technically, it's just something someone filmed. It doesn't have to have a huge budget and big name actors and caterers and boom operators and special effects guys and foley artists. I could just take my digital camera and film my foot for an hour and a half and that would be a movie. No one would even have to watch it. I wouldn't even watch it. But it would still exist as a movie. But if like Andy Warhol had made it then people might even be interested in watching it. Apart from the fact that he's dead. It'd play at Sundance or whatever. And people would actually go see it. They'd decide to go out and see it like that'd be a good thing to do. And If their friends asked the next day what they did last night, they'd have to say they saw a movie. And they may even have a discussion and try to figure out what it meant. I just filmed my freakin foot!

My Top 4 Surreal Movie Pleasures

1. The Conformist (1970) - This is perhaps the most beautifully shot film I have ever seen. There are countless images that stick in my head, all of which have the wispy texture of a vivid dream. I've actually only seen it once, which shows you how powerful it is, and I'm almost afraid to see it again, for fear of ruining the perfect image I have of it.



2. Brazil (1985) - Gotta love the Gilliam. I have a soft spot for dystopian visions (crosses fingers) and this one has the lovably quirky bite of a very long snake. A little comedy goes a long way with me, and this is as funny a vision of a crumbling future as you'll get. And on an somewhat unrelated note, I seriously wish they'd make a respectable adaptation of Brave New World, as that's one of my favorite books and I really enjoy turning it sideways.



3. Blue Velvet (1986) - I don't always warm to David Lynch films (I fell asleep during Inland Empire) but I always have respect for what he does. I think a little too often he drifts off into masturbatory weirdom, but when he manages to stay on the narrative track I am genuinely amazed by what he can do. Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive are two sides of the same coin to me, and I think both are masterpieces.

My Top 4 Movie Fairytales

I hesitated to use Fairytales in the title, as I'm not sure if Fairy Tales is actually correct . Anyway, here's the rough list, in no particular order:

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - All-time classic, not much to say here. So perfectly concise in both story and execution. The songs are fun, catchy and timeless. It's scary, funny, and, above all, enormously entertaining.
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991) - By far the best Disney film in my opinion, it feels like a classic Hollywood romance with the "Children's Movie" shell simply built around it. Amazingly good songs, realistic performances, and it's actually quite tense in places.
3. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) - Vibrant colors, picaresque street corners, and Catherine Deneuve being extraordinarily beautiful. The recitative dialogue is at worst quirky and at best absolutely enrapturing.
4. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) - Every time I come back to this I'm amazed at the level of creativeness and technical brilliance on display. Brazil may be more substantial, but it's not nearly as much fun.