On what seems to be a daily basis, I find myself berating some person for not having seen X or Y movie that I think is supremely cool. To be fair, there are many movies I have not seen that I should have. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are people out there who haven’t seen “Grosse Pointe Blank” or “Gattaca.”
So here’s what I propose: I tell you what movies you should see and you tell me what movies I should see. E-mail gives us a forum where we can compliment and critique each other as if we were real live friends! But it’s better because you can’t punch me over the Web.
When looking for good movies on campus, the UO Cultural Forum film series is a great place to start. The series is already going strong, having played “Run Lola Run,” which is worth a watch, and “The Princess and the Warrior.”

Tonight, the screen gets heated up with Peter Greenaway’s “The Pillow Book.” This film, which takes its title from the 11th century Japanese memoir, “The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon,” follows a female Japanese writer as she makes her own pillow book by writing on naked men. Ewan McGregor fans should consider this movie a must-see, not that you could miss, ummm… it. I mean, DAyumn!
“The Pillow Book” is sensual and erotic, in keeping with other Greenaway films such as “Drowning by Numbers” and “The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover.” Let’s just say it’s not the best movie for a first date.
While we’re talking artsy fartsy, “Koyaanisqatsi” was recently released on DVD. Godfrey Reggio’s 1983 film is one of the coolest and weirdest things I’ve ever seen. It is perhaps the definition of an art film, having no plot or even any dialogue. What it does have is shot after shot of absolute beauty presented in a visual rise and fall set to an outstanding score by Philip Glass. The thought of watching it in Dolby 5.1 surround makes me drool.
I should say, however, that while I love the score, it makes many people go insane. In fact, the movie itself makes many people freak out. Almost the whole thing is done in time-lapse photography, which makes nature look gorgeous. But a 20-minute sequence showing vast cityscapes and industrial process in hyper speed tests your viewing mettle. But the rewards! I can only think of a handful of films that have deeply taken hold of my emotions, and “Koyaanisqatsi” sits near the top of those.
But let’s come back down to earth. Sometimes we just want to watch movies, not think about them. But that doesn’t mean we’re all stuck watching “The Scorpion King.” The Bijou plays some great movies that don’t come from foreign countries and have coherent plots.
Case in point: “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys.” One might think that this movie would be about priests sexually abusing little boys. As much as we all really want to see that movie, “Altar Boys” is merely a touching coming-of-age story of four disaffected Catholic school students’ love of comics and loathing of authority, which leads them on adventures.
The boys depict their fantasy adventures in a comic book called “The Atomic Trinity,” (even though there are four of them) which comes to life in animated sequences by Spawn creator and toy god, Todd McFarlane. Other big names include Vincent D’Onofrio and Jodie Foster, who has a small part as the nun whom the boys represent in their comic as the villainous Peg Leg. “Altar Boys” feels like a more uplifting version of “The Virgin Suicides” for guys.
But to get back to this open discourse thing, let’s talk “Red Dragon.” Have you seen it? Because I couldn’t make up my mind. The cast makes me want to believe, but the crappiness of “Hannibal” made me lose so much faith. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Contact the Pulse columnist at [email protected]. His opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.