I’m not unique. We all have our movies. Hidden Gems that grace your DVD shelves and digital collections but are not the normal standbys for the masses. These films deserve more love. And I would like to spread that love like a nice salve over a horrifically blistered patch of ass. I’ll be careful with the word “Classics” but some of these are damn close. We’re going to do this in chunks so let’s start with Animated Films. Here we go, in no particular order.
American Pop– I was floored by this film when I first saw it at 14 years old. Over the years, I return to the movie every so often and I can say with some certainty that this is one of my top 10 favorite films of all time. Of All Time!!
What is fascinating about American Pop is that on the surface it doesn’t NEED to be an animated film. It is populated by humans dealing with very human problems. It spans a century starting in Russia and ending up on the streets of New York as Punk Rock spawns from the gutters. It’s a drama filled with heartbreaking moments.
But Ralph Bakshi always pushed the medium throughout his career. Why does a cartoon have to be about a talking rabbit sexually assaulting Elmer Fudd? It doesn’t. Bakshi made subversive films like Fritz the Cat and Wizards but American Pop is his masterpiece. A culmination of work from a man who re-invented a medium and kicked the Disney formula right in the nuts. You can find it HERE
Mary and Max– Have you seen Mary and Max? If not I want you to stop reading this bullshit right now and go and WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!
It is amazing. A stop-motion film out of Australia about an 8 year old girl in Melbourne who becomes pen pals with an autistic 44 year old man who is living in New York. Most of the film’s narrative is told through these letters and this unlikely duo helps each other navigate the rough waters of life.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is unrecognizable as the voice of Max and Toni Collette brings genuine sweetness to Mary. And, besides all of the fantastic character work and wonderful writing it is gorgeous to look at. A sad masterpiece that deserves your time. You can find it HERE
The Animatrix– More of a compilation than an actual film, The Animatrix was released on DVD in 2003 as a companion piece to the sequels. The dense, lifeless sequels that took the great ideas of the original and overthought them. The Animatrix rose to the level of the first film, however, and is filled with eye-splitting visuals, mind-melting concepts and heart-pounding action.
Just about all of the segments hit the mark with contributions from the filmmakers behind Vampire Hunter D, Akira, and Cowboy Bebop. You don’t have to be a fan of Anime to love the hell out of this film. It will hurt a little though as you realize how great The Matrix truly was and how the trilogy squandered away so much potential. If you ain’t got it buy it HERE
Fantastic Mr. Fox– Why the curse is this not one of your favorite movies? One of America’s true auteurs brings to life a story by one of the most beloved children’s authors and casts the biggest and brightest stars. Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s book is nothing but amazing.
Anderson has a very distinct cinematic style that borders on a Kubrickian level of obsessive detail. In a way, Anderson has been making live-action animated films he entire career. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a perfect culmination of his sensibilities and has a charming handmade quality that is very rare for such a high profile film. This is Art. Available HERE
Rango– As of this writing, I also refer to this 2011 film as The Last Great Johnny Depp Film. Rango is a twisted, bizarre cartoon flick masquerading as a kid’s movie. It is not.
Depp plays an ordinary chameleon that accidently finds himself in a western town named Dirt. Nothing is normal about this film. The character design is almost morbidly ugly. The animation is photo realistic in quality and fascinating to look at. The voices were captured by director Gore Verbinski as the actors play-acted the entire movie in a studio. Not motion capture. Just the voice work as the actors played off each other.
Wonderful stuff that deserves another look.
Available HERE