The film of the week this time is IRONWEED.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093277/

Ironweed is one of the most underrated films of the 80's. It came out in an era where most people wanted to see more upbeat films with happy endings. It also has one of Jack Nicholson, and Meryl streep's best performances. This came out before Nicholson was starting to become a parody of himself. It is a very bleak story of a drifter who spends Halloween in his home town after not returning for years. He abandoned his family after accidently dropping his young son and killing him. He meets with his drinking partner Helen. This is not a very happy film. Most of the uplifting moments are soon shattered by more depression. There really isn't much in the way of redemption either, which some might not like. There isn't much of a story either.

The main characters wander around the city, drinking too much and barely staying alive. It's a film about loss, and trying to find your way in the world. It also has Tom Waits in a small role. The film was directed by Hector Babenco, who also made Pixote, and Kiss of the Spider woman. I recommend it if you like character based films. However, I wouldn't recommend it if you want to watch something to put you in a good mood.

The film of the week this time is THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074806/

This is a weird choice. I saw this recently, and it has been on my mind. The film is about a young girl Rynn who lives in a house by herself. She is taught to be independent, and she will protect her home at all costs. There is a lot more to it than that, but I don't want to spoil the story. It stars a very young Jodie Foster, who does a great job. It's a hell of a role for a kid to play. The film is a bit similar to those evil kid movies like The Bad Seeds, and The Omen. However this one has a lot more depth. The kid in this isn't just an evil brat. Her character supposedly lives alone, and when someone comes to the door she says her father is either away or too busy to greet his guests. One day the landlady starts getting suspicious, and her perverted son takes a liking to Rynn.

All she wants to do is live her life without fear of being told what to do by others. It was advertised as a horror film, but it more of a slow paced character study. There are some creepy moments, and terrific atmosphere but don't watch it thinking you are going to see a slasher. I think Jodie Foster's acting was more impressive when she was a kid than she was older, and I usually don't like child actors much. She has a very natural screen presence that not many kids have. Oh, and Martin Sheen plays the perverted son who takes a liking to Rynn, and he goes a fantastic job. It has aged a bit, and the music is pretty cheesy at times but I still recommend it. Actually its a film that I wouldn't mind seeing remade. Maybe Chloe Moretz, or Elle Fanning could play the lead.

the film of the week this time is EMPEROR OF THE NORTH.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070030/

Lee Marvin is one of the manliest actors ever. That word manly is very overused, just like awesome. Both apply to Marvin though. You don't get many actors like him these days. Guys like Lee Marvin were not only great actors but they looked tough as well. Sure, they probably weren't in real life since they were acting after all. For whatever reason they were a lot more authentic than the actors these days for the most part. Maybe it's because they aren't handsome in an unrealistic way. They look more like real people compared to the overly glossy model actors in a lot of films these days. Enough rambling though, I should get to talking about this film at some point.

Emperor of the North is directed by Robert Aldrich, who I think is a very underrated director. He was a bit hit and miss, but he made some great films like The Dirty Dozen, Longest Yard, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, and What ever happened to Baby Jane. His films are not very subtle, so art film lovers might not like them. They are very direct with their stories. No dull arty shots where a character stares at nature for 5 minutes, or symbolism. He gets the job done, and moves on. I respect that. This film is set during the great depression where many people are homeless.

Nobody hates them more than Shack, played by the great Ernest Borgnine, who swears that no hobo will ever ride his train for free. Lee Marvin plays A No. 1 who is ready to risk his life to ride Shack's train and survive. What I find interesting about this film is that it's based on a real guy. Look up Leon Ray Livingston. He was a real hobo who traveled around America, and wrote about his journeys.

The film of the week this time is COMPANEROS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066612/

There's something special about a good western. Sure they are pretty similar overall if you watch a lot of them, but spaghetti westerns are more fun than most. This one especially is a bit lighter than most of the best rated westerns, but it's tone is part of what makes it so good. The film stars the great spaghetti western legend Franco Nero as a Swedish arms dealer who wants to make a sale to guerilla Mongo. Unfortunately, the money is locked in a bank safe and the only person who knows the combination is a prisoner of the Americans.

Like The Wild Bunch, this film is set during the Mexican Revolution. Unlike the Wild Bunch though, it has a lot more humor. The Wild Bunch has fun moments, but this is a much lighter film overall. That doesn't make less of a film. It's a very fun western with a great soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, and fantastic chemistry between the two leads. It was also directed by Sergio Corbucci, whose contribution to the western genre tends to get overlooked compared to Sergio Leone. I highly recommend this film to fans of The Good, the bad, and the ugly, and westerns in general.

The film of the week this time is LONELY ARE THE BRAVE.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056195/

Lonely are the brave was Kirk Douglas trying to do a more arty film. It actually works for the most part. It was written by the great writer Dalton Trumbo, and it's a fairly sad story about a modern era cowboy who tries to break his friend out of prison. Kirk Douglas is fantastic as the cowboy who resents the modern day. This is one of the most underrated westerns. It got good reviews when it came out, but it seems to be more forgotten these days. When he tries to break his friend out of prison, he discovers that his friend doesn't want to leave.

This is where the film gets more interesting. Douglas goes on the run after the failed attempt at saving his friend. I highly recommend it to western fans. There's something about westerns that I love. Sure they can be pretty similar, but there is the exception like this. Films about the death of the west like this and The Wild Bunch are sometimes more interesting to me. There isn't much more you can do with the western that hasn't already by tried, however I would love to see more of them these days.

The film of the week this time is THE LAST PICTURE SHOW.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067328/

I love slice of life films like this. The Last picture show is a fantastic look at small town America. It is set in a small bleak town in Texas that is slowly dieing and the lives of a group of high schoolers who live there. The film has a great ensemble cast including Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, and Timothy Bottoms. It is the kind of film we don't really see much anymore. A slow paced character study with a real sense of place and time.

The story centers around Bridges, and Bottoms whose lives we see change as they transition to adulthood. I won't go into the plot anymore, but i will say that it is very engrossing for a film that doesn't sound very exciting. Every character is interesting, even the lesser ones. It is a beautiful and melancholy look at small town America. I highly recommend it.

The film of the week this time is PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070518/

This is a film that had a lot of potential to be a masterpiece. It has a great director, Sam Peckinpah, and two fairly good actors. Unfortunately, it also has some flaws that hold it back from greatness. Despite that though it is quite a fascinating film. The film is about aging Pat Garrett getting assigned to hunt down his old friend Billy the kid. Garrett is played very well by the usually reliable James Coburn. He is one of those actors who has a great expressive face for acting, but he did tons of really bland and campy films that typecast him as the charming leading man. I'm not saying he isn't charming, but it worked against him when those films became less popular. He is able to show a lot more depth and emotional range when he got older. This, and Cross of Iron show him at his best. Kris Kristofferson is good too, despite being way too old to play Billy the kid.

The one weak link in the cast is Bob Dylan. He is a really wooden actor. He really should have been recast because all his scenes are really dull. Speaking of Dylan, his soundtrack to the film is one you will either love or hate. There are two versions of it from what I know. One with lyrics, and one without. I personally prefer the instrumental version because the one with lyrics is way too heavy handed to me. It spoon feeds you the emotional content and feels way too obvious. The film has some great moments, but it is also very unfocused. I don't mind character based films which don't need a lot of plot, but this one just feels aimless for a while. Wow, I'm really doing a terrible job at selling this film aren't I? Despite my criticisms, this is actually a pretty good film. I recommend it to western fans.

The film of the week this time is AMELIE.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

Feel good films are very hit and miss. I love the idea of them, but very few actually achieve their goal of making me feel all warm and fuzzy like someone is rubbing kittens all over my soul. Amelie is one of the few feel good films that actually makes me smile. Usually I am a cold and bitter husk of a human being, but this film manages to put me in a better mood. A lot of feel good films tend to be too sickly sweet to the point where they feel almost condescending. What makes this film so lovely is it's story. Amelie is a naive girl living in Paris who had a somewhat sad childhood.

She wasn't abused or anything, but she never had a lot of love when she was growing up. Now she makes up for that by trying to help as many people as she can. Her intentions are good, but she doesn't always understand the world in the way that most people do. Her innocense gives her character a charm that is undeniable. It also helps that the lead actress is quite charming. The film also has fantastic music. The visuals can be a bit gimmicky at times, but it's still a great film that I highly recommend.

The film of the week this time is THIS IS SPINAL TAP.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/

Spinal Tap is one of my old favorites. I remember a friend of mine showing it to me and I was loved it. It's one of the few films where it actually feels like the comedy is based in reality. I can see a band like this existing at some point. Metal is a ridiculous genre, which makes it ripe for parody. That's one of the main reasons the film hasn't aged at all. Metal is just as crazy now as it was back then. Even more so actually. This is coming from a fan of the genre.

Even though Christopher Guest is a big part of this film, I think a lot of people tend to forget that Rob Reiner directed it. A bit like how most people I know think that Tim Burton directed Nightmare before Christmas, even though that was Henry Selick. Anyway, this is a damn funny film. I won't go on for too long about it because I don't want to ruin the best parts.

The film of the week this time is COME AND SEE.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/

Come and See is one of the best war film ever made. No other film has managed to portray the brutality of war in such an effective way. Others have tried and while they can be good in their own ways, they still can't match this film. The film is about a young boy who gets unwillingly thrust into WW2 fighting for a resistance that is hopelessly unequipped to fight the Germans. The heart of the story is the boy Floyra. It is essentially a coming of age story in WW2. The boy loses his innocence as he see's more and more horror. His face starts to look progressively more haggard the more he see's. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil why this film is so good. I highly recommend it to fans of war films.