I got this idea from the always hip intellectual cinema journal "Film Comment," edited by our good friend Gavin Smith (well, I don't know him personally, but I did meet him in Park City, Utah, in 2002).
A lot of these films deal with the sixties though none of them actually came out then. Surprisingly enough, none of these are foreign films and none of these movies are actually currently playing in cinemas aside from retro-screenings:
1. The Camden 28 (doc-2007)
2. The Foutain (2006)
3. The Private Life of a Cat (doc-1944)
4. Hearts and Minds (doc-1974)
5. You Kill Me (2007)
6. Taking Woodstock (2009)
7. JCVD (2008)
8. Goodbye Solo (2008)
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (pictured-1975)
10. The Big Lebowski (1998)*
Just some random notes on some of these films:
"The Camden 28" is a documentary about 28 anti-war activists who took part in a draft office break-in in their hometown of Camden, NJ, in 1973 while the Vietnam War was in its waning stages.
"The Private Life of a Cat" is a silent/experimental documentary I saw on Youtube. It was made by Alexander Hammond and Maya Deren (1917-1961). Though she died at a young age, Deren who was born in Kiev, Ukraine, before immigrating to the West was a pioneer in experimental film-making.
"Taking Woodstock" was released in theatres last year, and I think it's a relatively good film though not among the best films of director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain," "The Ice Storm"). The film, of course as the title implies, takes place around the famous Woodstock Music Festival which was held in New York State. I once lived in a town called Woodstock, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley where I worked as a newspaper reporter. I checked on the town's web site, and they are having a "Spring Clean-Up" there this week!
"JCVD" is a strange Belgian film starring Jean Claude Van Damme. I'm not sure if it should be described as an arthouse film or a thriller. I first heard about it because it played at the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is one of my favorite cinemas in the country.
"Goodbye Solo" is an exceptional independent film which was shot just down the road in Winston-Salem, NC.
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" really stands the proverbial test of time. After seeing the film again for the first time in 20 years, I checked out the original novel by the late Ken Kesey from a local library and I read in one night!
And, I saw "The Big Lebowski" at a special grand opening screening for my good friend Jason Garnett's new moviehouse The Shadowbox Cinema in Roanoke, Va. I actually ran into a very attractive young woman there. We were talking but then the movie started. Yes, cinemas are not a good place to pick up babes, but the Shadowbox is simply awesome!
NOTE: This was quite to my shock and horror one of the harder blog entries I've had to post in a while and it was supposed to be a relatively simple one. The print was not meant to appear in blue, but considering all the other fiascoes I've had with this post, it's time to move on!
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