Because there has been no rain on the land the farmers are dismayed; they cover their heads.
There is a concerned pronouncement around these parts – the parts of a college twenty-something kid – in the form of a question; an evolution cornered into a “say it right now, what do you say” moment. What’s your favorite food, someone might say, & it’s the kind of ice breaker that is easy because there is no real discussion, no thought into memory: you like dumplings, yea that’s neat, I like tomato soup; END. The arts will set fire to judgment, commitment, & the lack thereof (of both), though, & it’s impossible to not sound, in the words of the snobbiest English major’s best friend Holden Caulfield, corny. Every time the question turns to “What’s your favorite movie?” it’s the immortal (& immortally hilarious) “Does this make me look fat” cyclical joke; rather, it is an unanswerable question with a scoff attached on the other end (& there are two types of scoffs to the Art Audience: the “what a stupid answer” huff & the “I’ve never heard of that, you Art Snob” puff). We are all guilty of being on both ends of this, & for that reason I present to you a completely in-no-way comprehensive, utterly in-the-moment, against-my-good-judgment Top 3 Favorite Movies.
No.3] Vernon, Florida//the hour-long Errol Morris documentary that I swear could be “about” anything. I choose God, so sue me (or read the ten-page paper I posted below instead, it might be quicker after all).
No.2] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre//the original, not the remake, & pretty much only because I consider the way-too-long, way-too-dark chase scene to be the most thrilling film scene I could ever imagine. Also, on the DVD Extras (which I promise I don’t usually watch) there’s a deleted scene of a dead dog that the director found on the roadside & just started filming, so for what it’s worth that seems like the weirdest life/movie border I’ve ever witnessed being straddled (precariously, very very precariously).
No.1] Magnolia//just because there’s nothing like seeing William H. Macy being smashed in the face by a frog (min. 3:27):
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