The dazzling, imaginative world of indie films

By Joe Weindl
Special to the Saipan Tribune

The American public is predictable. With a 30-second television commercial, it seems we can be convinced of anything. Budweiser tastes good. Subway sandwiches are healthy. The Day After Tomorrow is a good movie. George W. Bush has strong values, and is therefore best suited to be the leader of the free world, regardless of his double-digit IQ. Truth in advertising, of course, is elusive, but we buy into the bull-excrement, anyway.

Gone are the days of Hollywood when the only way a movie could make a ton of cash was if it was a great movie. Back in the day, you see, the multiplex didn’t exist, meaning that a movie could only be viewed on one screen at a time. People would line up to watch the debut. Then if, and only if, it got positive word-of-mouth, more people would line up, and the movie would run for weeks and months.

Nowadays, it isn’t unusual for a movie to be shown on five or six screens in the same theater. People don’t have to line up, anymore. Now, all a movie needs to pile up the Benjamins is an effective advertising campaign. End result = most Hollywood productions are formulaic, and offer nothing of value. This is one of the many reasons I hate the multiplex.

That doesn’t mean great films aren’t still being made, though. All it means is that many of them are “indie”, meaning they are financed and filmed outside of the big Hollywood studios. Here are a few of my favorite indies.

Best in Show (2000)

Twenty years ago, the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap skewered heavy-metal bands, showing just how ridiculous they are, if that wasn’t already obvious. One of the stars and “screenwriters” (it was mostly improvised) of that movie, Christopher Guest, has moved on to become the reigning king of the mockumentary (spoof of documentary).

Best in Show is a behind-the-scenes look at the pageantry and tense competition involved in a dog show. As is true with all of Guest’s mockumentaries, Best in Show is character-driven. As eccentric as all of his characters are, they’re somehow very believable, and extremely funny. If you like Best in Show, I’d also strongly suggest Guest’s previous film, Waiting for Guffman.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

If you’re one of the few that hasn’t yet seen this one, put it on your must-see list; The Usual Suspects is universally loved. I’m even going to go so far to say that it’s the best crime thriller I’ve ever seen.

Centered on a major jewel heist, The Usual Suspects is equal parts mystery and comedy. As we try to figure out who Kaiser Soze is, the man allegedly responsible for bringing the criminals together, we are entertained by a group of hilarious criminal characters. The Usual Suspects has an ensemble cast, highlighted by great performances from Kevin Spacey, Garbriel Byrne, and Benicio Del Toro.

Memento (2001)

Memento is a mystery, brilliantly written to keep the audience guessing at every step along the way. The lead character of the story is an insurance agent, madly driven to avenge the brutal rape and murder of his wife. In addition to losing his wife, he also lost his short-term memory in the same tragic incident. Incapable of forming new short term memories, he compensates by writing everything down; his body becomes a template for tattooing the clues to help him find his wife’s killer.

It’s become popular in Hollywood to use non-linear timelines. Memento uses a linear timeline, but here’s the catch—it’s backwards. With this reverse timeline, the audience is in the same shoes as the hero of the story; we don’t know what’s happened five minutes ago, because we haven’t seen it yet. Memento is unpredictable, engrossing, and the twists and turns all fit perfectly together, making it one heck of a mystery.

Independent?

The best of the best indie films get picked up by major distributors and end up seen by wide audiences. The following is a list of movies that are, believe it or not, “indie”. Pulp Fiction remains to be Quentin Tarantino’s funniest and best movie, to date. Silence of the Lambs is one of the most taut, suspenseful and horrifying movies ever made. It includes brilliant performances by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, and spurred a sequel (Hannibal) and a prequel (Red Dragon). Fargo is one of the few crime-thrillers that is actually poignant, and equally funny. Good Will Hunting was the breakout movie for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (they wrote and starred in it). It is an excellent, heartfelt drama, and includes Robin Williams’ best performance, yet.

(Comments? E-mail Weindl at joewatchesmovies.com.)