Against the Wall [aka Quality of Life] (2004, dir. Benjamin Morgan)

Against the Wall [aka Quality of Life] (2004, dir. Benjamin Morgan)

What Is It?: A well-crafted and heartfelt indie film about two graf writers living in the Mission District in San Francisco.

What About It?: Following Basquiat and Bomb the System, this film, though without the pedigree of the first and without the cash and caché that comes from its NYC location, Against the Wall is honestly a better film than both. Honest being the key word in that this is one of the more genuine films we've seen lately. The story is fairly simple -- and kinda besides the point -- but the director tells it exceedingly well, making the life that these two artists lead more lived in than a spectacle to watch. It doesn't feel like we're watching the characters in a zoo. It's neither preachy nor hectoring about the question of the ethics of street art, and makes the act of "bombing" seem as exciting as to make the characters as junked out as they are about it.

Why Should I See It?: It's a really good film, well-acted and -shot and -directed. And graffiti can be very cool.

What Else Is It Like?: The Graffiti Artist, Groove, Los Angeles Street Art.

Sadly, it's not available at the library as of this writing, but it is available at your local video store and here. Or harass the Multnomah County Library into ordering it.

--ddt/pdx

Basquiat (1996, dir. Julian Schnabel)

Basquiat (1996, dir. Julian Schnabel)

What Is It?: A biopic about the meteoric rise and swift demise of street artist-turned-New York-Art-Scene-Darling Jean-Michel Basquiat.

What About It?: The impressive directorial debut of 80's Art World superstar-cum-chubby egotist, Julian Schnabel, Basquiat is a well-crafted, vibrant -- if ultimately empty -- portrait of one of the first street artists to gain "legitimate" fame on the walls of galleries and museums. In his first starring vehicle, the perfectly cast Jeffery Wright disappears into the role and adds considerable depth to an otherwise shallow script. Fun cameos abound from Gary Oldman as Schnabel himself to David Bowie as Andy Warhol, wearing Warhol's actual hairpieces.

Why Should I See It?: An excellent example of the oft-tedious, completely fairly maligned genre of the biopic, Basquiat is both engaging and entertaining while giving the impression that we're learning about the enigmatic titular artist. That Wright turns in a terrific performance and Schnabel makes a colorful, well-edited film seems to be almost a bonus.

What Else Is It Like?: Love is the Devil, Vincent and Theo, the Scorsese bit of New York Stories.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

Darkman (1990, dir. Sam Raimi)

Darkman (1990, dir. Sam Raimi)

What Is It?: A superhero B-movie made by the (future) maker of the Spider-Man series.

What About It?: Though Sam Raimi is not the Lost Classic's favorite, he sure did know how to liven up the superhero genre. This was his first mainstream flick after great cult success making Evil Dead I and II: Dead by Dawn. It's a fast-paced, visually restless comic book flick about a brilliant scientist way unfairly dipped into acid by evil real estate magnates, exacting his revenge as he slowly loses his mind.

Why Should I See It?: The DP Bill Pope and Raimi have a singular feel for camera placement that many of his generation lack. It's enjoyable all by itself and neat to see a once cult filmmaker make his first steps into the mainstream juggernaut that he's become. Interesting that two of the most successful filmmakers of the last decade, -- both critically and financially -- Raimi and Peter Jackson both were initially splatter-horror underground shooters before moving on to the Main of the

What Else Is It Like?: RoboCop, Face/Off, The Crow.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

Stagecoach (1939, dir. John Ford)

Stagecoach (1939, dir. John Ford)

What Is It?: It's an action-adventure-western in which John Wayne is made from a bit player into the iconic star we know today.

What About It?: We're hard-pressed to think of a movie that's more fun than Stagecoach. One can look at the titular stage and see a microcosm of America or see the tensions between the classes as a statement on the America contemporaneous to the film, or you can just enjoy the archetype for most westerns -- not to mention most actioners, period -- that followed. Ford's beloved Monument Valley also makes its debut in this rollicking good-time of a film.

Why Should I See It?: Because the film is pure cinematic fun. From the first focus-pull on Wayne as the stage comes around the bend to the hilarious asides from Andy Devine, we can't think of a more enjoyable western -- and one that holds up so well.

What Else Is It Like?: Rio Bravo, The Plainsman, Ride the High Country.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

Lenny (1974, dir. Bob Fosse)

Lenny (1974, dir. Bob Fosse)

What Is It?: The story of the rise and fall of seminal stand-up, Lenny Bruce.

What About It?: Bob Fosse, famed choreographer, directed this as his follow-up to the brilliant Cabaret. Though it doesn't reach that film's heights (how many do, though?), it is one of the best biopics of all time. Some critics complained upon release of its chilliness, or cold detachment, but we at the Lost Classic think they're looking at what the film isn't rather than what the film is. And what it is is one of the most beautifully shot, artfully cut (edited with a jazz-like acuity, perfectly married to the Miles Davis score) and masterfully acted film.

Why Should I See It?: For many reasons, we suppose, but first and foremost for Dustin Hoffman's staggering portrayal. Far more than a brilliant mimic of Bruce (though it is that, too), Hoffman brings Bruce to vivid life, disappearing into the role. One of the best perfomances in a decade rife with them.

What Else Is It Like?: Raging Bull, Man on the Moon, All That Jazz.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

Modern Romance (1981, dir. Albert Brooks)

Modern Romance (1981, dir. Albert Brooks)

What Is It?: A romantic comedy about a neurotic film editor and the poor woman he tortures with his massive insecurities.

What About It?: The Lost Classic supposes that one either "gets" Albert Brooks or one doesn't. As he's more of an acquired taste than Woody can get stuck in folks' craw. We think he was pretty funny in his day, and Modern Romance is a fine example of a free-form comedy made in the wake of Annie Hall. Super Dave Osborne (aka Bob Einstein) and director James L. Brooks have very funny cameos as a shoe salesman and a hack film director respectively.

Why Should I See It?: It's very funny. The Super Dave scene wherein he's a pushy shoe salesman is worth the price of admission alone. Brooks taking a quaalude while in the throes of his self-imposed break-up is doubly so.

What Else Is It Like?: Annie Hall, Walking and Talking, Barcelona.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

--ddt/pdx

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

What Is It?: A thriller of the highest order about an Uncle who may not be what he seems to his loving neice.

What About It?: Maybe Hitchcock's greatest film, oddly and woefully overlooked among contemporary film lovers, this is truly a Lost Classic in every sense of the term. The primary pleasure in this is you may not have seen it, and now you get to. Shadow boasts what might be Hitch's best screenplay -- written, in part, by Thornton Wilder, and a sublime performance from Joseph Cotten as Uncle Charlie and an atypical Hitchcock heroine (not blonde, not evil, not doomed) in Teresa Wright. It's about family, identity and loss of innocence.

Why Should I See It?: Because you love movies and you want to see one of the best ever made. Duh.

What Else Is It Like?: The Fallen Idol, Suspicion, Blue Velvet.

Reserve it at the Multnomah County Library.

-- ddt/pdx