Blood Simple, dirs. Joel & Ethan Cohen (1985)
OK, so forget the typical-Hollywood crap these guys have done otherwise, like O, Brother Where Art Thou (ham-fisted and contrived) or Intolerable Cruelty (no, thanks), Blood Simple is totally underrated and deserves a watch by anyone who's into film noir, Giallos, complicated murder thrillers etc. To me, it's their best work in pairing with Fargo. It's basically one of those noir-vibe stories where a murder plot spins way out of control, and folks die needlessly due to paranoia, etc. Reminds me of some kind of combination between a Dennis Lehane novel and an Alfred Hitchcock film. The cinematography is fucking gorgeous, though, killer scenery shots and colors that just nail the sleazy atmosphere perfectly. Plus, a young and smoking hot Frances McDormand plays a pretty badass character that might just be even better than her character in Fargo. If you liked that one and haven't seen this, there's no reason at all to skip this one, you will definitely like it.
More recent viewings: Factotum, dir. Brent Hamer (2005) - Matt Dillon plays a Charles Bukowski pastiche of the author, drifting through life looking for booze and trying to spend as much time as possible alone. Funny and oddly hypnotic but no real plot to speak of, worth only one viewing if that.
Leaving Las Vegas, dir. Mike Figgis (1995) - Everyone already knows all about this movie. Nicholas Cage plays another pastiche of the eponymous book author (John O'Brien) on his mission to drink himself to death. Good, but Elizabeth Shue is perhaps the stronger actor/performance here. Had to watch this because I've known too many folks that've literally drunk themselves to death. It's not this romantic in real life, not by a long shot.
The Exorcist, dir. William Friedkin (1973) - Needs no explanation. On previous viewings, didn't catch the detail that Father Karras' crisis of faith occurs not just because of his dilemma with his mother, but because he's gay. The detective compares him to Sal Mineo, to which he just smiles. When Father Dyer is playing piano at the party, he's nearly on a Liberace level of flamboyance, then later when consoling Karras and drinking, he removes his shoes and puts him to bed, lingering a bit before leaving (check out Ruth 4:8 in the Bible, in a Catholic context, this is a very intimate gesture). Later, Dyer weeps like a bereaved lover when giving Karras last rites. Toward the end, Regan's smooch on Dyer's cheek as a thank-you-for-saving me seems to come from Karras within her, which Dyer seems to recognize. I guess the "shove it up your ass, you faggot" comment from Pazuzu seems more appropriate now, heh...details like that are why I revisit the same movies again and again.
Bringing Out The Dead, dir. Martin Scorcese (1999) - Box-office flop that should've gotten the recognition it deserves, some of Scorsese's best work. Nick Cage plays an NYC ambulance driver who is seriously losing his shit, quickly. Takes a black comedy approach that's somewhere between Taxi Driver and The King Of Comedy in dealing with urban bleakness and the pointlessness of life - John Goodman and Ving Rhames give excellent performances as his paramedic partners in earlier scenes. One of the funniest movies I've ever seen, easily. To be fair, the approach to the soundtrack is annoying and grating, even for Scorsese, but it somehow works. The idea of ambulance drivers drinking on the job is just perfect...
