Three weeks to go until the Mixtape Movies blogathon as promised I plan to post one Mixtape of my own each week until the 22nd, here is number two.
A group of films that are vividly beautiful in their own way but share an unreal otherworldliness, sometimes because of their setting others because of their dreamlike quality. Some of the movies you will all know, hopefully like all great mixtapes there will be a few surprises:
Streets of Fire (1984) directed by Walter Hill: Singer, Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) is kidnapped by a biker gang (led by Willem Dafoe) while performing a benefit concert in her rundown hometown. The police won’t do anything so its left to her ex Tom Cody (Michael Paré) and her nerdy manager (Rick Moranis) to rescue her.
The Dead Can’t Lie aka Gotham (1988) directed by Lloyd Fonvielle: New York detective Eddie Mallard (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired by a wealthy businessman to stop his ex-wife (Virginia Madsen) from harassing him, things get weird why he discovers she has been dead for ten years. It was actually made for TV but don’t let that stop you, it’s a great atmospheric noir thriller.
The Isle original Korean title “Seom” (2000) directed by Ki-duk Kim: A man on the run hides out on a floating fishing hut in the Korean wilderness. He forms a difficult relationship with the mute woman who rented the hut and looks after the fishermen.
Mud (2012) directed by Jeff Nichols: A newer pick than the others, so new you may still catch it in UK cinemas. Two young teenage boys find fugitive living in a boat stranded in a tree on a river island. They agree to help him despite the obvious dangers.
Trouble in Mind (1985) directed by Alan Rudolph: Rather than a plot synopsis I will just tell you a little about the cast: Hawk (Kris Kristofferson) a former cop fresh out of prison for murder, Wanda (Geneviève Bujold) a diner owner and Hawk’s ex-lover, Coop (Keith Carradine) and Georgia (Lori Singer) a penniless young couple with a baby, Hilly Blue (a rare none drag performance from Divine) a mob boss.
Wildcard pick – Lost In Translation (2003) directed by Sofia Coppola: All the movies have an underlying story involving crime except the wildcard: What is left to say about Lost In Translation? Well firstly, as hard as is to believe, it will be ten years old later this year. If you love it as much as I do, its time to watch it again. If you don’t like it, its time to give it a second chance.
Fandango Groovers Movie Blog 