Plaided

I bought a used copy of Barton Fink a while back after renting it once, not sure why, but the movie is compelling to me. Not due to the fact that it makes a definite statement about anything in particular, rather it's just such a stylish, atmospheric, and occasionally hilarious film that watching it is always a totally captivating experience. The movie follows the travels of Barton, a fresh and critically celebrated playwright, who finds his way to Hollywood. What happens on his arrival entertaining and completely indescribable, so I won't even bother trying. It's an excellent movie, totally engrossing and watchable over and over again.

I was literally born into a world of Weird-Al. Being born in '83 and having an older brother who listened to quite a bit of Weird Al tapes and watched uhf countless times, I was needless to say exposed to his work very much. So, obviously I'm a bit biased when I rate this movie. Of course I gave it a 10.. this movie is literally a part of my heritage; every scene in it has associated with it some fond childhood memory of mine. Whether it was listening to the uhf soundtrack on a long car trip and laughing hysterically at the tough-guy Gandhi bit ("Give me a steak, medium rare", "HEY, BALDY! *BAM BAM BAM*") or watching the "drink from the firehose" scene on the screen.. this movie is a part of me, for better or worse (I'd say for better).

Can't recommend it enough.. though I'm not sure how it will seem to the first time viewer. Oh well, you'll love it or you'll hate it I guess.

Zelig is a fictitious biography of a man named Zelig. Zelig happens to be a human chameleon, able to take on the shape and personality of anyone who is in the room with him. The film is shot in such a way as to make it seem like an authentic documentary (with fictitious news footage, interviews, etc), which it of course isn't. It's filled with trademark Woody Allen humor, it's inventive, and it's entertaining. I thought it was an excellent film.