THE SPECIAL EDITION: 03.31.09

I had an idea for a subset column for The Special Edition. Many people
want to have Criterions in their collection. Many people pretend to
like half of the films that Criterion releases. But, what about those
people that honestly can’t be bothered to be told what to like. What
about them?

That’s why I want to test the waters and see if
this floats. I want the readers of CHUD and this dear article to head
to the Boards and nominate their Personal Criterion Collection entry. I
want to see explanations and not just mindless listing of entries,
people.

All titles eligible are previously released DVD/BR media that you believe to be essential/necessary to the collection of the Home Entertainment enthusiast.

THE FIRST ENTRIES

1. The Fountain

2. Videodrome

3. Seven Men from Now

4. Stalker

5. The Last Days of Disco
6. Paris, Texas
7. Vanishing Point
8. The Stunt Man
9. The Deer Hunter
10. The Third Man
11. Southland Tales

and today’s entry suggested by Malmordo.

12) Head. (click on box art to buy it at Amazon)

A bizarre, ingenious musical comedy poking fun at the prefabricated
image of The Monkees, a rock band conceived by producer/director Bob
Rafelson for a television show that ran from 1966-68. Where the show
was goofy, juvenile and aimed at teenyboppers, the film is satirical,
disturbing (despite its G rating), and right up the alley of weird
cinema enthusiasts. Three of the four leading longhairs were limited as
musicians but talented as actors, and Jack Nicholson’s “story” has all
of them tripping through a funhouse of hallucinatory visuals: Micky
Dolenz’s tank battle with a Coke machine, Mike Nesmith’s psychedelic
journey to a surprise birthday party, concert footage that intersperses
Vietnam casualties with screaming fans, and the band’s final
plunge/career suicide. Though a cult favorite 40 years on, the film
deserves a wider audience for its daring, free-form structure, its
inventive experiments with music and image, its witty dialogue, its
foot-tapping soundtrack (including Gerry Goffin & Carole King’s
excellent “Porpoise Song,” later borrowed for VANILLA SKY).

The Rhino disc is still in print but sounds like crap, and isn’t even
in the proper aspect ratio. HEAD premiered in Los Angeles at 110
minutes and was whittled down to 86 for subsequent viewings. Fingers
crossed: a special edition with the missing 24 minutes plus commentary
by Rafelson, Nicholson, and all four band members. I can dig that.


HERE’S THE LINK TO NOMINATE MORE TITLES.