Underground might be the best Serbian historical tragicomedy ever made. Wacky, heartbreaking and filled with life, the film earned director Emir Kusturica his second Palme d’Or from Cannes in 1995. It’s as much a live-action cartoon as a political allegory, aiming for high-brow concepts in a low-brow world. Continue reading
Diggstown isn’t the Muhammad Ali of cinema, but it sneaks up on you like a tricky left hook and leaves more of a mark than you might have expected. The tale is a simple one: a group of hustlers compete with a small-town tyrant to fix the fights in an epic boxing marathon and reap a huge payout. It’s one part sports and one part heist, with plenty of quips and action along the way. Continue reading
Living in Oblivion is a 1990s indie movie about 1990s indie movies. Writer/director Tom DiCillo never joined the ranks of Tarantino, Smith or Soderbergh, but he excelled at skewering the disappointments, pretension and dysfunction of the film biz. Anyone who has struggled against adversity to realize their artistic vision, or to get through any kind of collaborative project, will likely find a lot to appreciate in this movie. Continue reading
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