Five films you probably haven't seen (but should)

For lack of a more riveting topic, and a desire to escape from the political/BDSM/personal roller coaster my posts have been on, I decided to to tackle something a little more light-hearted. These are five films that you may not have seen, but that you should. It also probably tells you a lot about me. If, because of this, you go out and see one or more, let me know what you think. This is a pretty eclectic mix. Some were controversial, others accepted masterpieces. They are in no particular order.

1. American Beauty (1999). Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch and Mena Suvari. Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a man who wakes up one day to realize that he's pretty much been dead for the last several years. He is awakened from his stupor by the beauty and allure of his daughter's young friend. At the same time, his wife is struggling through her obsession with success, and his daughter has fallen for the "weird guy" drug dealer next door. Now, I've noticed that different people gravitate toward different storylines in this movie. I've heard people have a lot of sympathy for Lester, a lot of people relate to his daughter, and even a few relate to his wife. Personally, I find the core story of Burnham's reawakening to be the most endearing. The interplay between he and Mena is amazingly realistic. You watch enrapt at his transition from stuttering dud of a husband overwhelmed by this youthful siren into someone who has rediscovered his manhood, and only then does Mena's myriad of vulnerabilities and insecurities bubble to the surface. For some reason I don't empathize with his daughter as much as others do. I'm not a big fan of Wes Bently's "deep" drug dealer character. He's a bit overdone and I just never warmed up to him.

2. Exotica (1994). Directed by Atom Egoyan. Starring David Hemblem and Mia Kershner. Of all the films on this list, this is most likely the one you haven't seen. Surreal, startling and at times, disturbing, this film explores the intricate connections between an exotic dancer, a custom inspector who seems obsessed with her, her Deejay boyfriend, and the death of the inspector's daughter at the hands of a serial killer years ago. It is an amazing film, full of depth and nuance. There is so much of this film that's a surprise that it's hard to talk about it without giving some away. It explores sensuality in ways that most films wouldn't dare touch. And at the end, the director somehow gets you to sympathize, quite understandably, with the strange, voyeuristic pervert. You probably haven't seen this film. You probably should.

3. The Killer (1989). Directed by John Woo. Starring Chow Yun-Fat. The perrenial Hong Kong "two gun" action movie, this film is the first John Woo movie that caught the eye of American action movie fans. It details the efforts of a retiring assassin (Yun-Fat) to get the money he's owed for his last hit, in order to pay for an eye operation on a woman he accidentally blinded. The movie is brutal, unforgiving, wonderfully stylistic, and somewhere, admist the hail of bullets and bodies hitting the floor, even manages to show it has a big heart. Beware, however, the ending led to my friends and I dubbing this film the ultimate anti-date movie. Honorable mention goes to Hardboiled, which stars virtually the same cast, but casts Yun-Fat as a hardcore detective. Note that The Killer might also be found under the titles "Blood of Two Heroes" (the direct translation of the title from Chinese) or "Just Heroes" (the title it was released under in Australia).

4. Secretary (2002). Directed by Steven Shainberg. Starring James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Lesley Ann Warren. Can't say enough good about this film, especially as someone in the Dominance/submission lifestyle. Daring, sexy, and unpredictable, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a timid, disturbed young woman who goes to work for a domineering attorney, discovering that her "problems" stem from an unrealized submissive streak. However, she has to convince Spader's uptight attorney to continue what he's started once he begins questioning his choice of lifestyle. I love this film because it is a bdsm love story that is never, ever ashamed of itself. You watch Maggie's character blossom into sexuality and confidence, from stumbling, sniffling and drawn in to strutting to her Master's office with her arms cuffed to a spreader bar and the day's mail in her mouth looking like she could rule the world. Emotionally, it's very realistic for both the main characters, as well as the responses of friends and family. Even if you have no interest in the lifestyle, it's a good flick. If you ever wanted to know a bit of how D/s couples interact and feel, it's a good example (though there is no 'typical' couple). And if you are a couple...well, most couples have trouble finishing this movie in one sitting...

5. War in the Pocket (1989). Directed by Fumihiko Takayama. My one anime entry into this list. War in the Pocket is an offshoot of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and focuses on the adventures of a young boy during the One Year War, which is the baseline story for all things Gundam. Living on a neutral space colony, Al falls in with a Zion pilot (who most people consider the "bad guys") who is on a secret mission to destroy a secret weapon hidden on the colony illegally by the Federated Earth forces. During it all, Al learns that war isn't as nearly as fun as he thought it was. Get the subtitled version, the dubbed version is sucked dry of any real, believable emotion in the voice casting. The subtitled version's ending gives most people a lump in their throat, and might require you to have a box of tissue handy.