(tubi/YouTube)? Bonkers Canadian nightmare fuel for pre-teens that’s surreally entertaining for adults. Best if you go in blind, but if you must watch the trailer, it paints the film (well, TV film) as something simple and naive, but no, it is not that. Not that at all.
Film
JAWBREAKER (1999)
(Pluto/VOD) I saw this a few years after it was released and enjoyed it but, upon a recent rewatch, I finally fully appreciate it: a dark, whipsmart teen comedy, styled like a Barry Sonnefeld film and penned in the vein of HEATHERS, but still manages to be its own thing. On top of that, it features an astounding supporting cast — Pam Grier! Carol Kane! Judy Greer! — and an even better soundtrack. Hell, THE DONNAS even play at their prom!
1999 really was a banner year for smart teen comedies. 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU! DICK! BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER! DROP DEAD GORGEOUS! IDLE HANDS! Too bad we didn’t quite appreciate what was right in the front of our faces.
ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK (1989)
(AMC+/hoopla/Hulu/Prime/Shudder/tubi) Combining Elvira’s vaudeville MC schtick with a John Waters-type of cultural/sexual norms disruption was goddamn inspired. Yes, the male gaze interrupts the film’s flow every two minutes, but the self-aware winks and Elvira’s personal agency (mostly) subverts it. (I wish there was a better trailer for the film than this one.)
Also highly recommended: THE ELVIRA SHOW, which never made it further than the pilot.
Feels like THE GARRY SHANDLING SHOW but with Elvira. What more could you want?
MUD (2013)
(Hulu/Prime/tubi/VOD) A surprisingly uncomplicated thriller but also a coming-of-age film about a boy who believes in true love, despite being presented with numerous evidence to the contrary. Grounded by earnest dialogue and fantastic performances (despite McConaughey’s distracting teeth), it also features Mitchell himself: Joe Don Baker.
MADAME X (1966)
(VOD) Epic camp melodrama that never quite feels earnest enough, but is still a worthwhile display of a woman spiraling downwards, and the systems set in place that mean to put her in her place. (Also worth nothing: absinthe is a major plot point.)
REDS (1981)
(HBO MAX/VOD) I feel dumb for not realizing that THE AMERICANS cribbed liberally from Warren Beatty’s three-hour epic about American union organizers, socialists, and Soviet sympathizers. While it’s gorgeously shot, the written word and Diane Keaton are the complicated hearts of the film.
Fun fact: Sondheim was hired to score the film — at the same time as he was working on Merrily We Roll Along — and you can read more about it here:
MICKEY ONE (1965)
(VOD) Warren Beaty in Arther Penn’s (BONNIE AND CLYDE) most naked attempt at French New Wave within the American studio system and, yes, Beaty makes a damn fine Belmondo. It’s a bit of a maddening Kafka-esque mess that doesn’t completely cohere, but it remains a fascinating experiment (if all of the above sounds appealing).
It’s worth noting that it was an extremely formative film for Joe Dante, as he explains in this TRAILERS FROM HELL episode:
TULLY (2018)
(VOD) There aren’t enough films about motherhood mid-life crises, and this one has Charlize Theron AND Mackenzie Davis, with Diablo Cody putting words into their mouths. Cody’s come a long way since JUNO, tamping down on her writerly idiosyncrasies and has crafted an exceptional character piece.
As a sidenote: I love this trailer; I watch it at least once a month.
PRINCESS CYD (2017)
(Hulu/kanopy/mubi/tubi/VOD) Absolutely charming ‘summer of self-discovery’ film about a teen visiting her writer aunt in Ravenswood, Chicago. As I lived in Ravenswood for several years (and currently live adjacent to the neighborhood) I recognized -every single location- in the film, even down to the church the aunt attends, which means that the film’s home field advantage may unfairly tilt my critical scales, but it really is an extraordinarily delightful film. Pairs well with Showtime’s WORK IN PROGRESS.
(Warning: the trailer is less of a trailer and more of a highlight reel, so you may want to avoid it.)
THE GUEST (2014)
(IMDbTV/Netflix/tubi) YOU’RE NEXT’s Adam Wingard gave us this absolutely gonzo departure for DOWNTON ABBEY star Dan Stevens. A modern THE STEPFATHER that goes balls-to-the-wall in the final act, liberally cribbing from THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Also features an unappreciated Lance Reddick and one hell of a moody goth soundtrack.