We’re about to enter the doom and gloom of a COVID Winter. Despite the fact that Chicago is in the middle of about a week’s worth of seventy-degree highs, winter is still coming. Gone will be the days of social distancing outside, sitting in public parks, or backyards. At least for everyone who lives north of the United State’s tropical zones. To heap pain on top of pain, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. Days that normally would have been spent traveling and planning for the big days will now have to be spent inside dreaming of celebrations past. Winter activities such as ice skating, Christmas markets, and light shows are being cancelled, for good reason. In order to stop people the world round from turning into Norwegian-style poets who write in terse depressive verse about the unending eternity of snow, Dang Dude has compiled some movies for you to watch. Note: These are NOT Christmas movies. But nothing is stopping you from watching them around the holiday season.
Naked Lunch – David Cronenberg
This movie, inspired by the classic Beat Generation novel Naked Lunch, is not for everyone. If you don’t like bugs, drugs, surrealism, or aliens, then do not watch this movie. If, however, you do like those things, or they at least don’t bother you, then go ahead and enjoy this little gem of a movie. Not a direct adaption of its source material, Naked Lunch instead uses characters, settings, and language from the novel to tell a metafictional story of the novel’s writing. Very cool. Besides the clever premise, it’s well acted, looks fantastic, and has some interesting things to say about the process of writing. As a bonus, it includes early FX work from future Mythbuster Jamie Hyneman.
Mulholland Drive – David Lynch
A classic of cinema. A movie lover’s dream. The film that kick-started Naomi Watts’s career. Just a real all-around trip. David Lynch tells a story of love and loss in LA, or possibly not. It’s hard to say. Mulholland Drive leaves you asking questions. Not in the superficial Lost way, but in a way that makes you want to obsessively pore over every detail of the movie. Starring Justin Theroux in addition to Naomi Watts, Twin Peaks fanswill see several other actors that they recognize from that show. A film that starts as a murder mystery and turns into something much, much more.
Black Narcissus - Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
An erotic movie about nuns during the British Raj. Not exactly a tag line a lot of modern movies would use. Released near the end of the British occupation of India this film looks at a newly formed convent of nuns and how they deal with various pressures. Filmed entirely on a soundstage, the use of matte paintings to evoke the scenery has never been bettered. It also manages to evoke near constant tension, despite taking place at a convent. It should be noted that this film is highly problematic, in that it has several white British actors playing leading roles in brownface. So very understandable if you want to skip this one.
Klute – Alan J. Pakula
Jane Fonda won her first of two Best Actress Oscars for this movie. The first of Pakula’s “Paranoia Trilogy,” which includes All the President’s Men and Parallax View. Klute follows the eponymous Klute (Donald Sutherland) as he searches for a missing husband. His only lead comes in the form of model/sex worker Bree Daniels. The film follows the pair as they attempt to uncover what happened to the missing husband. The film’s direction, use of light, and the score constantly build the tension, bringing the viewer into the same paranoid state as the lead characters. An all-around winner. Parallax View and AllThe President’s Men are also official Dang Dude recommendations.
The Invisible Man - Leigh Whannell
When I first saw this trailer I rolled my eyes and wrote it off as another attempt to start a Marvel like film franchise. However, after it received rave reviews from multiple sources, I figured I had better check it out. The reviews held up. This is a movie that manages to make empty hallways frightening. Featuring a bravura performance from Elisabeth Moss, who has to act against no one for most of the film, The Invisible Man manages to keep its tension going, even after the big reveal. It never slides into foolishness and maintains its sense of taut atmosphere throughout the whole movie. A wonderful picture.
Vivarium – Lorcan Finnegan
Jesse Eisenberg gets a lot of shit. As he should. But from time to time a script comes along that perfectly fits the one role he is able to do. Vivarium is one of those scripts. Featuring Eisenberg and Imogen Poots, this psychological horror film follows a couple as they attempt to buy a house. I won’t say anything else for fear of ruining it. While Vivarium never reaches the heights of some of the more recent horror masterpieces – think The Witch, Midsommar – it is a fine work in the genre. Even if you don’t like Eisenberg that much.
The Manchurian Candidate – John Frankenheimer
I’ve owned this movie on DVD since high school I believe. I’ve forgotten how I came to own it, but I’ve watched it at least two dozen times in the intervening years. A proto-70s paranoia film, The Manchurian Candidate fits in right alongside Klute and the next movie on the list The Conversation. Starring Ol’ Blue Eyes himself Frank Sinatra, this film follows a Korean War vet as he attempts to figure out what the deal with his nightmares is. While this was remade in 2004 as a Denzel vehicle, I like the original better. A black and white film, Sinatra manages to pull his own weight acting wise, and it features some incredible cinematography. A must watch.
The Conversation – Francis Ford Coppola
Another 70s paranoia film, this one stars Gene Hackman and was directed by Ford Coppola in between shooting Godfather Part I and Part II. It follows private detective and reconnaissance man extraordinaire Gene Hackman, as he deals with rivals, and a crisis of conscience. Expertly shot and acted, this movie will have you believe that someone is listening to your every word at every moment. Which, truth be told, they probably are. Featuring a famous last scene, this film stands as one of Coppola’s best, despite not getting the same recognition that his other works do.
The Uninvited – Lewis Allen
One of the first haunted house films, this movie probably won’t make modern audiences scream. Despite that, it’s still worth a watch. Taking place in a long-abandoned manor in the English countryside, The Uninvited follows a brother and a sister as they take up residence in the house of their dreams. Full of haunting vistas, quite good special effects work, and superb acting, The Uninvited brings plenty of suspense and thrills along the way. As an added bonus, the haunted house is absolutely gorgeous to look at.
The Conjuring – James Wan
While The Uninvited may not make modern audiences jump out of their seats, The Conjuring certainly will. One of the most successful horror movies of this century, The Conjuring has inspired an entire universe of spin-offs, sequels, and other paraphernalia. None of them live up to the original. Following the story of real-life ghost hunters, and claiming to tell the true story of a house on the East Coast, The Conjuring follows a family as they attempt to move into a new house of their dreams. While jump scares are often derided, The Conjuring masterfully executes them, bringing them to a whole new level. So too does it build a wonderful aura of suspense and terror. Starring the guy from Office Space, The Conjuring is a must see for those who can take a little bit of spookiness.