Welcome back to Cut the Cord.
One year ago, for our May edition, I did a list of “movies just because.”
Most editions of this newsletter center around a certain theme, from documentaries to films directed by women to exploitation cinema. But, to be honest, it can be a little limiting sometimes. I want to watch some of these great films found on free streaming services, but I have to make sure I watch all of these movies that feature ballpoint pens or movies with Michael Shannon cameos or whatever the theme happens to be.
So think of this edition's theme as themeless, random, a grab-bag, interesting movies because...
Legally Blonde (2001)
Fashionable sorority queen Elle Woods has it all, but, she wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But he dumps her before heading to Harvard Law School. Elle rallies all of her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. While there, she figures out that there is more to herself than just good looks.
People seem to have strong opinions about the phrase "guilty pleasure" and whether or not such a thing can even exist. Should you feel bad for liking the things that you like? I don't find myself particularly interested in the semantics, but I will say this: if guilty pleasures do exist, Legally Blonde is toward the top of my list.
In high school, I was in the musical version. I know just about every word after watching the Broadway pro-shot so many times. And because of my back-of-my-hand knowledge of that material, a lot of goodwill has been built up for the original film - which is a four star movie made by a two star director. But hey, Reese, Luke, and Jennifer Coolidge!
And this will not be the last Oz Perkins movie on the list...
Blow Out (1981)
While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.
Blow Out is a movie that I've grown to appreciate. After sort of shrugging off my first watch, I've watched a lot more De Palma (and loved some), done some research (I've mentioned Laurent Bouzereau's book The De Palma Decade many times - it's great!), and gone back to the inspirations (we reviewed Blow-Up here). It's only now that I feel like I've got it.
A decent amount of De Palma is streaming for free (I even recommended Snake Eyes in our last edition), so have yourself a marathon!
The Conversation (1974)
A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.
We had to include at least one tribute to the late great Gene Hackman, so why not go with one of his most iconic films? In between Godfather entries, Francis Ford Coppola just casually made one of the great paranoid thrillers. Hackman is great, obviously, and the final moments of the movie have always stayed with me.
For a paranoid double, watch it right after Blow Out! For a double feature Hackman-featuring spiritual successor, watch Enemy of the State - which isn't currently streaming for free but your local library probably has it!
Party Girl (1995)
Although Mary has little income, she still finds ways to spend her nights at clubs. After being arrested for throwing an illegal rave, she asks her aunt Judy for bail money. Judy then finds Mary a job at her library so that Mary can repay her. Initially, Mary finds the job as a clerk boring and stifling, and prefers to get to know a street food vendor whom she likes. However, Mary must refocus her life once she loses her job and apartment.
If you lived in my household during the run of the latest White Lotus season, you were subjected to several Parker Posey films for further study and review. I say subjected, of course, because anyone with the displeasure of bringing her up in my presence has had to listen to my story of the time she didn't learn her lines for an Off-Broadway play we saw, (I told the story on the podcast - lucky for you, I won't repeat it here). Needless to say, she and I have beef.
But oh my god she's so good in Party Girl.
There are not a lot of movies about women who want to become librarians and date Lebanese street vendors. In fact, this is the only one that I know of. So not only does that make it the best, I also have to give it points for originality. And then it just knocks it out of the park...
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie, Melody and Val are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realize they are pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. They must clear their names, even if it means losing fame and fortune.
We follow that up with another Parker Posey movie.
Josie and the Pussycats is a fantastic satire of commercialism, consumerism, and other words that start with "c" and end with "ism." If you haven't seen it (I hadn't until a few weeks ago), you might assume it's just another Y2K-era popstar music video or MTV commercial, but that's actually the exact thing it's making fun of. It's smart, it's silly, and it's damn fun.
And I know that all of the ladies are great (Posey, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson), but Alan Cumming sure tries his best to still the whole damn thing.
Josie and The Pussycats is The Best Movie Ever - JOIN THE ARMY
Longlegs (2024)
FBI Agent Lee Harker is a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer. As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.
Longlegs was one of the more divisive films of 2024, but I stand ten toes down on the I had a great time side of the debate. Yeah, maybe it's derivative. Occasionally silly. Often incomprehensibly convenient.
But damn, I had a great time! Oz Perkins (I told you that he would return on this list!) understands vibe and it brings enough creepy energy to make up for any misgivings. Maika Monroe is the closest thing we have to a modern-day scream queen, Blair Underwood should get better roles, and seeing that Nic Cage performance with a sold-out crowd was one of my favorite theatregoings of last year.
Shattered Glass (2003)
The true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass, who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at The New Republic for three years. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down.
You might not expect a movie about a journalist who lies a bunch to be absolutely thrilling, but this one is. Hayden Christensen, proving that George Lucas was the problem and not Hayden Christensen, gives a great performance as the young hot-shot journalist who will do anything for a great story...including just make up the whole thing. Peter Sarsgaard plays the editor who wants to take his side but slowly learns that he can't (is Peter Sarsgaard a great freakin' actor? Just thinking out loud...), there's a live-action Hank Azaria jump-scare, and Billy Ray never directed a great movie again.
Flashpoint (2008-2012)
The Strategic Response Unit (SRU) is an elite team of cops who specialize in high-risk critical incidents. Trained in tactics and psychology, they deal with extreme situations, where split-second decisions could save a life...or cost one.
Since this is a "random" edition of the newsletter, let's end it with a tv show!
I used to be obsessed with Flashpoint, a Canadian procedural all about what is essentially a SWAT team. It was an anchor of Ion Television, tucked in between reruns of Without a Trace and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It's pretty thrilling on the broadcast television scale, and the cast is filled with a ton of great That Guy From That Things. This is laundry-folding television in its absolute highest form.
Credit: Each plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.
I know I'm aging myself, but my husband and I saw Josie and the Pussycats on our first date, and we both loved it. Later, we bought the DVD and re-watched it dozens of times. We quote lines from it all the time. We're celebrating our 20th anniversary in October.