275 of 1001 Movies: Breaking the Waves (1996)

After seeing a couple of movies from controversial director, Lars Von Trier, I thought I was prepared to go into watching Breaking the Waves knowing it would be dark and odd, but unlike the other movies I've seen from him this had an ingredient the others didn't quite have, and that was heart. With performances that actually feel real, and not just odd for the sake of being weird you actually begin to feel the emotions happening in the movie. This was a good movie, but so emotional that I could only watch it once. It made me feel what the movie was feeling, but I also would never want to experience it again.

Summary: Bess feels on top of the world after she is married to the man she loves, Jan. She is warned by her very religious and uptight village though that she shouldn't marry a man that is unfamiliar to their village. Soon after they are married Jan has to return to his job as an oilman. Bess is devastated that he is gone, and is desperate to find any way she can have him return sooner. She prays that God will bring him home, and well she gets her prayer fulfilled. Jan does come home, but only after an incident leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. Now Bess believes that the more sexual acts she does with other men the chances of him healing can happen.

262 of 1001 Movies: The English Patient (1996)

With competition like Fargo the year it won Best Picture, there was a lot of upset over The English Patient winning. It has caused a huge divide in how people perceive it as well. While some love it others actually hate it. If you're a fan of tragedies and romance then this is one of the most epic ones of the past almost twenty years. A very long story, and lots of sexy scenes make this one that lives up to the hype. The movie is led by great acting from the main cast though who seems to embrace the chemistry and story of their characters, and in a way that is the best thing about the movie.

Summary: Almasy is a mapmaker who has been hired by the Royal Geographical Society to chart. After a plane crash he is left trying to piece together his memories. Hana, a nurse, is caring for him. Through a series of flashbacks the love affair and life of Almasy is revealed. But the repercussions of Almasy's past are happening within the place he is being cared for as a string of people arrive including Caravaggio, who seems to be secretive about who he is, and Kip.

Wednesday Movie Night: Bottle Rocket (1996)

I enjoy Wes Anderson movie, and I can't think of a one I haven't liked. The stories may not always be the best plotted or fascinating, but there is something about the characters, color, and music that always strikes me as memorable no matter which movie it is. For a first movie Anderson was already showing many of his filming patterns as well, though as the movie goes on it becomes clearly more defined the style he would take on. Anderson's style has become one of the distinctive in the film world, and Bottle Rocket is a little more relaxed but still Anderson.

Summary: Dignan, Anthony and Future Man are aspiring thieves. They start with minor robberies like Anthony's mother's house. They want to take on larger crimes though. The bookstore doesn't t prove to be too lucrative of a robbery once they spend all their money up at a motel. For Anthony though this motel stay will be worth it as he meets a housekeeper that he falls for. Dignan though convinces them that they must go back into burglary, and he sets them up with con-man, Mr Henry, who will help them set up a bigger heist.

420 of 1001 Albums: Fatboy Slim's Better Living Through Chemistry

Look at that old floppy disc on the cover! Anyways, I remember being ten when I first heard Fatboy Slim. The song I heard is not on this album. It was "Praise You" and I remember it being this huge hit that transcended over all types of genre interest for people. You didn't have to be into breakbeat music to like it. Anyways, this album is a little less mainstream than that. It doesn't have any lyrics and seems like the track to a Guy Ritchie movie.

History: This is the debut album from big beat musician, Fatboy Slim. The album was released in 1996 and is a play on an advertising slogan for DuPont. If you're thinking some of the songs on the album sound familiar then you're right. There have been a couple of shows and movies that have used the songs on the album for soundtracks. The album received everything from mixed to positive reviews, showing probably only more big beat fans can enjoy it thoroughly.

419 of 1001 Albums: Wilco's Being There

Like many my first listen of Wilco was after I had watched Juno. The band had been around way before then though. Their second album is Being There. It creates some of the most interesting blend of music I've heard, with one of my favorite country elements, the guitar, and blending it with rock and folk sounds. There are some moments where the album is really quirky and other moments where the album just sounds beautiful.

History: This album seemed to have been made with some huge pressures laying on it. The stress of Jeff Tweedy's personal life was putting a lot on his second album to make it, but not only for it to at least bring financial stability, but also be a great representation of the band's musical and artistic talent. It turns out that this album would be that breakthrough. It made more sales than their previous album, and it was a hit with critics.

417 of 1001 Albums: Eels' Beautiful Freak

If you're a fan of Shrek or Scream then you might have heard the band pop in the movies with two of their hit songs, "My Beloved Monster" and "Your Lucky Day in Hell." Oddly, since these are their most popular songs and did appear in movies they seem to have also sold the rights, so the songs can't be listened to on Spotify with the rest of their album.

History: This is the debut album from the Eels released in 1996. Also, to make sense of it being used in the movies it was used in the album was the first on Dreamworks Records. Now it all makes sense as to how they dictate all that! What is also pretty cool is that this album is mainly a solo work from Mark Oliver Everett. The critical reviews for the album was generally positive.

Saturday Movies: The Frighteners (1996)

So I decided to venture out and find a movie to watch last night. That is different than what makes my usual decision which is whether it's been something I wanted to see way in advance, or if it's on the list. I was wanting something a bit light, but also a movie that matched the Halloween atmosphere I felt going on.  That is when I stumbled across one of Peter Jackson's earlier movies, The Frighteners. It's like a blend of Beetlejuice and Casper, and unlike a lot of movies dares to get creative.

Summary: Twenty years ago Frank developed the ability to communicate with the dead after a car accident that left his wife dead. Now he makes a living as a psychic, and even though he really can communicate with ghost he still finds a way to con with his powers to turn out money. He works with three other ghost to terrify locales who then are directed to call him to exorcise the evil from their home. When Frank comes across what appears to be the grim reaper in the house that Lucy shares with her husband though, he finds himself fighting to stop the reaper before he takes his next victim.

147 of 1001 Movies: Fargo (1996)

Fargo has got to be the best Coen brother movie I've seen so far. Mostly because of Marge!  Fargo though also has to be one of the darkest movies I've seen. The contrast of this beautiful landscape with the snow, and the murders happening within the story are so dark. The movie is perfectly cast though, with every actor probably giving the highlight performance of their career thus far. There are so many things that I just noticed about the movie that I hadn't noticed about others that caused it to appeal to me.

Summary: Jerry is wanting to get money from his wealthy father-in-law, and makes a plan to get it. This plan involves kidnapping his wife. When things go awry though, as the men he got involved don't mind killing whoever, and he has a police woman who is determined to investigate the crime until she has it solved. Jerry though believes his plan to get his father-in-law to believe the kidnapping, and getting his wife back can still work out. Marge though is closer than ever to finding the people responsible and revealing the whole stunt.

370 of 1001 Albums: Ash's 1977

Ash is a brit-pop bad from the 90s, and if you're wondering what brit-pop sounds like it is sort of like indie rock mixed with punk to get this lighter tone version of rock that doesn't have the darker feel either of those potentially might have. The band though is one of the few that I've seen put so much thought into their album title though. 1977 refers to three major life events for the band, The birth year of two of the band members, the year that the first punk albums were released, and the year that Star Wars made it's appearance as well. It really sets up the vibe of the band and characterizes their youth.

The album actually doesn't get off to any start that would make me think this band is groundbreaking, but as the album goes it develops a life of it's own that had me really enjoying listening to it. "Lose Control" is the opener of the album, unless you somehow acquired the hidden tracks only available on the initial release.