This month we honor filmmakers turning the camera towards themselves and their cohorts, where the movie-making process becomes their subject. From the reverent to the sardonic, we take a trip behind the scenes, getting closer to the people and the places where movie magic happens. Below are just a few of the many titles currently available from the 2nd floor DVD display, come check them out!
Chris recommends The Trip. This comedy features Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing (not-so) exaggerated versions of themselves, as the stars drive through the English countryside, sampling the haute-est of haute cuisine for a magazine assignment. With their careers potentially hitting a plateau, they use their time together to reflect upon their successes and disappointments in the entertainment business, interrupted by frequent detours into competitive impersonations. Shot in an unhurried, almost documentary-like pace, Coogan and Brydon’s natural rapport is allowed to carry the movie into memorable scenes of unhinged hilarity and a few surprising moments of emotional depth. See it now while the follow up, The Trip to Italy, is still in theaters.
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Shadow of the Vampire, which reimagines the filming of F.W. Murnau’s classic Nosferatu, with the lead played by a method actor whose unwavering dedication to the role reveals itself to be increasingly suspicious and dangerous as the shoot goes on. Outstanding performances from John Malkovich and Willem Defoe, the director and actor respectively, lift the film out of the province of camp and into more genuinely unsettling territory.
Heather recommends Living in Oblivion, a comedy about the pitfalls of making an independent film. Nick Reve (played by the inimitable Steve Buscemi) is filming the low-budget movie of his nightmares: neither cast nor crew is making it easy for him to realize his artistic vision. Buscemi's performance is pitch-perfect as always, and Peter Dinklage's characterization of Tito shows off his comedic talent despite the fact that he doesn't get much screen time. The three "takes" make for an interesting story structure. The film is well-written and well-executed, and won a screenwriting award at the Sundance Film Festival in '95. More importantly, Roger Ebert liked it. So you should definitely see it.
