The Mind of Marc
A brand new section here!! This is called Marc's Picks, and this features some things...well, Marc picks. (= These lists are courtesy of Comedycentral.com. (You guys kick-ass. The bios rock.) Enjoy Marc's Picks! These are from the Mind of Marc...Movie Geek Extraordinaire.
"Ten Things a Movie Geek Must Have"
1. An original, 27" x 41" one-sheet movie poster.
Those reprints you find in record stores and mall memorabilia shops DO NOT COUNT. It must be a real poster, preferably from a theatre or at least a store that sells the real McCoys. Folds, tears, and pinholes can be unsightly and reduce its value on eBay, but it does signal authenticity and the struggle you had to go through to get it.
2. At least one grey-market (re: bootleg) videotape of a movie either not legally available in America, or heavily edited in its available version.
While you feel guilt for taking money out of the pockets of filmmakers you love, you know that it is the only way for you and your friends to see the really challenging, interesting stuff. The hope is that by exposing people, you will help increase the interest and demand for a clean, legal version to hit the market. And in some cases, such as Todd Haynes' "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" or Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo," this will be the only means for years to come.
3. "Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide."
Yes, it's a bit shallow, Maltin hasn't written for it in years, and I personally prefer Roger Ebert's review collections. But for simple, one-stop quick-referencing, it's the best: Simpler and smaller than Halliwell's, more obscurities than "MovieHound," and even when the reviews are full of bunk, it's a good starting point for future research in a pinch.
4. A Martin Scorsese video.
Any Martin Scorsese video. Show me a purported movie geek who doesn't own Scorsese, or indeed thinks Scorsese is overrated, and I'll show you a wanna-be, someone trying to appear hip and above-it-all by using controversial contrarianism to bolster their facade. Get over the hype, get over yourself. Scorsese is The Game. He is That. Damned. Good.
5. "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film" by Michael Weldon.
This is the reference volume that helped me learn to love the horror, exploitation, and just plain odd films that I now gravitate eagerly towards. Witty, full of eye-popping original ads and pictures, when you pick it up, you just fly through it. The sequel, "The Psychotronic Video Guide," is okay too, but start here first. A true movie geek must be able to appreciate the sublime pleasures of a Mexican wrestling film or an overblown Hugo Haas drama.
6. You must own one of, if not all of these incredibly influential short films:
"Un Chien Andalou" by Luis Buñuel, the gold standard of surrealistic imagery and
editing; "Powers Of Ten" by Charles and Ray Eames, a film that uses an ordinary picnic to send us to the expanse of space and the minutia of the cell in ten second increments; "La Jetee" by Chris Marker, proof that what is essentially a 22 minute slide show can be dramatically compelling, especially when one of those still images comes to life when we don't expect it.
7. "The Kid Stays in the Picture" by Robert Evans.
One of our greatest living producers and studio presidents tells you of his good gambles and stupid mistakes in his many years in Hollywood. If you can, get the book on tape and listen to that velvety voice explain how he saved Paramount with a single 16mm short film, how he wooed, won, and lost Ali MacGraw, and other tall tales. It is he who said there are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth, and nobody is lying. Listen to the man's wisdom. Read it. Know it. Live it.
8. At least one tape's worth of either Tex Avery or Chuck Jones cartoons.
Nothing, not even the Marx Brothers or Richard Pryor on their finest days, can make you laugh like a wolf going arrow-stiff for a curvy Red Riding Hood or an egotistical black duck being victimized by a whimsical animator. Then look deeper at their manipulations of space, character, storytelling, everything, and you will learn what makes the funny funny.
9. At least one tape's worth of various movie trailers, or previews if you will.
You could have the greatest movie ever made, but if you don't sell it properly no one will see it. And it is a delicate art to take two hours of horrid movie and package it into two minutes or less of compelling, I-gotta-see-that trailer time. Having these around as a reference work will help you see the tricks, recognize the clichés, and make you appreciate how nowadays, you really are getting too much info during the previews.
10. Various Artists, "Great Motion Picture Themes," United Artists Records.
This simple, no frills collection of original and rerecorded movie themes with the stark black cover, as well as its many follow-up albums, can almost always be found in any good vintage record store, and chances are good your parents or grandparents still own it. Maybe the prospect of listening to Ferrante and Teicher on piano sounds like squaresville to you, but if you want an idea of how music can convey the mood of a movie, and not just take up space like the average score, own this record. The hard truth is if you played for most people the purported themes to many recent films of the last 20 years, few would recognize the movies in question. But you can often find people whistling or humming "Smile" from CITY LIGHTS, or "Waltzing Matilda" from ON THE BEACH. Learn why.
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