Movies I Watched in March, Part 1

Here you go, cinema aficianados, the March recap arriving right under the wire...


I just finished reading Brian Raftery's "Best. Movie. Year. Ever," a very entertaining look at the amazing selection of films that arrived in theaters in 1999. Raftery naturally (and rightly) focuses plenty of attention on "The Sixth Sense," "The Matrix" and other big hits from that year, but he thankfully (and also rightly) spends some time with smaller films, including this gem from Steven Soderbergh. It's a small-scale but perfectly realized examination of the legacy of the 1960s that (a) manages to avoid all the usual baby boomer rah-rah-ism and (b) works as both an entertaining mystery and an emotionally powerful tale of loss. Terence Stamp (Sixties Icon #1) plays Wilson, an aging but still dangerous Brit who travels to Los Angeles to find out what happened to his estranged daughter, last seen in the company of record exec Peter Fonda (Sixties Icon #2). Soderbergh, editor Sarah Flack and cinematographer Ed Lachman turn Lem Dobb's twisty script into an even-more twisty, hypnotic viewing experience, with the time frame jumping back and forth (including scenes of a young Stamp from the 1967 movie "Poor Cow" repurposed as flashbacks) and Los Angeles becoming almost otherworldly. It was never the hit that Soderbergh's other movies managed to be, but it's at least as good. Probably better, in fact.


Holy shit. I'll be honest -- I avoided this movie for a bit, mostly because I somehow got the idea it was going to be nothing but misery porn, an excruciating journey into one family's tragedy. Thankfully, while avoiding the movie itself, I also managed to avoid spoilers, which let me go in cold and enjoy (is that the right word?) an excellent film that was, yes, an excruciating journey into one family's tragedy, but also so much more. I'm not going to spoil the plot here -- after watching  the movie unspoiled myself, I wouldn't think of it -- but if you're looking for a movie that's intelligent, powerful and consistently surprising (right up until the final shot, in fact), you need to watch this. But brace yourself. It's a rough ride. And the fact that Toni Collette didn't even get a nomination for her jaw-dropping performance is proof that the Oscars are worthless.


"Nightmare in Chicago" is a very obscure but nonetheless spellbinding 1964 TV movie about a serial killer being chased through the Chicagoland toll roads. Sounds goofy; works beautifully. It's surprisingly intense, and all the authentic (and authentically vintage) Chicago locations are fascinating all by themselves. Plus, check out this cast: Ted Knight, Charles McGraw, Carroll O'Connor, Philip Abbott (as the killer) and Robert Ridgely, with direction by -- wait for it -- Robert Altman. It originally aired as an episode of NBC's "Kraft Suspense Theater," but it's so intense and captivating it would've worked beautifully as a big-screen movie. (Bonus points for mentioning my own city of Rockford.) Sound intriguing? Want to watch it? Click here . (And special credit goes to the great Kliph Nesteroff for uncovering this on his excellent tumblr site. )

Up next: An Edward G. Robinson classic, a Joe E. Brown oddity and the latest from the guys who brought you "Nightcrawler" (the movie, not the mutant ... or the worm).