Recently I've been providing you invaluable insight into my personal entertainment preferences, and I've decided that today I'll continue the trend by unveiling a little something I'm calling The Spoonbender Presents My Five Favorite Movies of All Time, July 22nd Edition. Don't expect to understand my choices, as they are very high level. My intellect is vast nearly and my tastes are extremely refined. But by all means try. It is the weekend, after all -- the perfect time for renting a few DVD's, cracking an ice cold 40 oz. Crazy Horse, and cuddling up with your sweetums' rectums.

5. Meeting People is Easy
Number five is a tough slot on any Top Five list because it's the last one filled. There are so many contenders for the spot and, while they're not your favorite, it's difficult to settle on one. Lesser men would list them here, but that's a cop out and I'm not a lesser man. I settled on Grant Gee's 1999 documentary on Radiohead's tour behind their breakthrough record OK Computer for a number of reasons. I'm a big fan of the rock band documentary genre, generally speaking, but this one stands head and shoulders above all others -- I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, The Last Waltz, Woodstock, The Kids Are Alright.... Only The Song Remains the Same comes close, and not very. A lot of music documentaries attempt to make the audience feel "what it's like," but it takes more than backstage footage and shots out at the audience from the stage. Meeting People Is Easy is about the insulated surreal world in which bands like Radiohead live while on tour, and it's a little disconcerting.

4. The Falls
When people talk about "mockumentaries," they usually say 1984's This Is Spinal Tap was the first. In a way, I suppose it is. But in 1980 Peter Greenaway released a fake documentary-style comedy called The Falls. It's a far cry from anything Christopher Guest has done, but it's hilarious in its own very dry, very absurd way. It's just over three hours, but that just adds to the utter weirdness of it.

3. Almost Famous
Now, I know you're all probably going to take this opportunity to mock me. Go ahead. If loving Cameron Crowe's very personal, very touching rock and roll coming of age masterpiece is wrong, I just don't want to be right.

2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
That this film wasn't as well received as either Rushmore or The Royal Tennenbaums is criminal. Objectively speaking, because I can even when talking about my preference in art, this movie is more funny, more touching, and more fancifully shot. And if there are three things I love in a movies, they're funny, touchy, and fancy.

1. Sherman's March
This film was intended, by the director and some of those paying for it, to be about the lingering impact of General Sherman's destructive march through the south. But a breakup just before filming begins results in months of McElwee staying with his parents and crashing on couches around the south, filming himself and his friends, and musing about life and love. My description does the movie no justice. Just trust me.

Analogcabin @ 2:26 PM
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