 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
Summer is the time for chilling out and finally getting to do the things you actually want to do with your spare time. For those of you who are tired of reading (we don't blame you), the Life&Arts staff has decided to share our summer viewing list of movies we either want to see for the first time or rewatch. Happy viewing! 15. Great Expectations (1998) The remake of "Great Expecatations" starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke blends soundtrack with cinematography in total harmony. It's a tale of wishful thinking and karma in an everlasting green setting, which is common to Alfonso Cuarón's work. It's a pleasant movie you can watch over and over again to get that tingly feeling when Pip and Esthella kiss in the fountain, and then later on again under the rain with a full orchestra revisiting the musical theme.
- Raquel Villarreal 14. Full Metal Jacket (1987) "Full Metal Jacket" was Kubrick's comeback film after a seven-year hiatus and is often regarded as a true masterpiece, highlighting the effects of the Vietnam War in the most disturbing of ways.
Even if it's a stinker (I doubt it though), Kubrick was most certainly one of the geniuses in the history of cinema, and everything he's ever created should be admired and enjoyed by all.
- Robert Rich 13. Waking Life (2001) "Waking Life" is an immersion into pop-philosophy and lucid dreaming. Austin-based Director Richard Linklater commissioned a set of illustrators to draw on top of the film (rotoscoping) to create a hyper-realist film. Characters float from dreams to reality and touch on deep, philosophical questions. It will get you thinking about waking in your sleep and controlling your dreams. Definitely a movie that sparks thought and debate, and if you haven't seen it yet, is a must-see for anyone studying in Austin.
- RV 12. The Warriors (1979) "The Warriors" is a cult classic that takes place in an alternate New York City. Gangs rule the night and identify themselves with strange and often comical names and costumes, such as "The Orphans," "The Lizzies" and the "The Baseball Furies," just to name a few. The Warriors is the protagonist gang that has been wrongfully accused of killing a rival gang leader and must make it back to their turf - which laughably is Coney Island - before the other gangs catch them. The movie is oftentimes ridiculous but always fun. Make sure to watch this one with a friend or two. (Drinking games are optional.)
- Vanessa Orr 11. Ravenous (1999) Period movies are a strange breed, only sometimes working magnificently. But there's one thing you can't mess up, no matter when it's happening: cannibalism.
"Ravenous" details the journey of Colqhoun, who stumbles upon a group of soldiers in a desolate military outpost in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. There, he tells them about traveling with a group of settlers and resorting to cannibalism when the food supply ran out. A version of cabin fever sets in and the loneliness of their position, coupled with Colqhoun's graphic accounts of his own ordeal, casts a psychological effect on the men and drives them mad.
These are the kind of situations that make the best movies: isolation, its effects on the human psyche and the horrors that can result from it. "Ravenous" is an underrated film in the landscape of cinema, but it's time to give it some recognition.
- RR 10. Dance Party, USA (2006) Never released in theaters, "Dance Party, USA" is a 65-minute feature film shot on Mini DV that came to the 2006 SXSW Film Festival. Writer-director Aaron Katz's film could've easily fallen into all the pitfalls of low-budget indie features (boring characters, pointless, endless scenes), but while his story about a group of apathetic high school kids over a hard-partying weekend doesn't have a straightforward plot and much of the dialogue feels improvised, the movie retains a sense of sympathy and love for its confused young characters. In its low-budget, small way, "Dance Party, USA" is perfect.
- Jack Frink 9. Good Bye Lenin! (2003) "Good Bye Lenin!" is, believe it or not, from the plot description, a comedy. The movie is set in 1990, and its main character is Alex, who lives in East Germany. His mother is deeply committed to the socialist ideals of the GDR (or East Germany, as we Americans know it.) Before the Berlin Wall falls, though, she suffers a heart attack and slips into a coma. When she awakes, the Berlin Wall has fallen, and doctors warn Alex that any shock could kill his fragile mother. He subsequently begins an elaborate hoax to make his mother think East Germany still exists. The movie not only has its share of laugh-out-loud moments, but it also has deeply meditative undertones on the complications of Germany's reunification. Don't let the subtitles scare you off; it's a great movie for anyone to enjoy.
- VO 8. A League of Their Own (1992) Summertime: time for vacations, lazy days, catching up on movies and for a lot of people, time for baseball season. Whether you are a hanging on to support the Texas Rangers or more of a Houston Astros fan, baseball season brings out devoted people who truly love the sport.
"A League of Their Own" captures a time in America's history where women literally had to step up to the plate. Starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna and Jon Lovitz to name a few, this summer film tells the story of the first female professional baseball league during WWII. When the men went off to war and baseball was put on hold, a women's league was started to keep the sport going. But beyond an interesting look into part of baseball past, "A League of Their Own" is a great story that leaves for nothing but an entertaining, feel good movie that everyone should see - even if you are not a baseball fan.
- Kate Hull 7. Kontroll (2003) In 2007, Nimrod Antal directed the superior horror film "Vacancy" with Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. That this film was so effective and frightening came as no surprise to the small group that had already seen Antal's breakout feature "Kontroll." "Kontroll" is a haunting, epic, thought-provoking thriller set in the labyrinth subway system of Budapest, Hungary. Although the plotline involves a serial killer pushing people onto the tracks, the focus of the film is kontroller (read: ticket taker) Bulscu's existential crisis as he lives in the subway and tries to find redemption from the isolation of the modern urban world. It's beautiful and strange and one of the best movies you've never seen and, of course, there's a heart-stopping chase sequence to end it all.
- JF 6. A Life Less Ordinary (1997) "A Life Less Ordinary" is one of director Danny Boyle's collaborations with actor Ewan McGregor. In this surreal romantic comedy, a pre-"Moulin Rouge!" McGregor and a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Cameron Diaz have to fall in love in order for angels Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo to return home. Featuring an awesome soundtrack, "A Life Less Ordinary" is a great change in pace when it comes to romantic comedies to watch over the summer.
- VO
