Good Stuff / Great Stuff

On the advice of a certain colleague, I have recently begun to refocus my movie-watching from new releases to movies that are considered classics and/or I have wanted to watch for a while. What a great experience this has been! Five out of the last six movies I watched have been superb (the one that wasn't was a new release).

- The Shining. Feeling in the mood for a good horror movie, I decided to dig up this one. As mentioned in an earlier post, it was excellent.

- The Exorcist (1973). The Shining was so rewarding that I was left wanting more classic horror. So I dug up this one.  Truly, one of the most horrifying horror movies ever created. A totally different type of horror movie than The Shining, but also excellent in its own right.

- Shaun of the Dead. This movie was probably the best, funniest comedy-zombie flick I've ever seen. Along the same lines as Hot Fuzz (as far as comedic styling goes). Really funny.

- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. For some reason, I resisted seeing this Wes Anderson movie for a long time. I don't know why... I have yet to see one of his movies that I haven't liked (well, Rushmore was just "OK" for me).  I am so glad that I decided to watch this movie. Probably my favorite Anderson movie that I have seen yet (although his movies are difficult to "rank" amongst each other because they are all excellent in their own unique way).

- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Another spectacular movie from Kubrick. Hilarious and extremely well-made, this movie gives the viewer a glimpse into the culture of atomic fear at the height of the Cold War. Sellers and Scott are both perfectly cast.