movies I like to revisit ever so often

OK, usually, it has to be something special to keep in my library of dvds. Granted, most are used or some I've recorded off IFC. But they make me smile when I find them, digging around in my closet.

1. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH. For starters its a Hal Hartley film. And its either you get him or don't. And I somehow got this film. Its rather indie with a really young Adreinne Shelly who's Audrey. Shelly went on to direct WAITRESS and I feel she got much of her craft and timing with the director Hartley. She was in a few of his other films. But she plays Audrey who just knows the world might blow up any second. She lives in Long Island and has a boyfriend she can't stand, a dad who's a bit over powering, but he only wants his daughter to be rich. In comes in Josh Hutton played by a very awesome Robert John Burke who was in a lot of Hartley films too. You might know him now as somebody's Dad on Gossip Girl. Anyway, this lone dude all in black is so mysterious. He gets questions. "Are you a priest or something?" And Audrey is smitten and he's hardly said a word to her. Good, real New York shoving matches. This film catches a glimpse of what the world actually was in the neighborhood at that time.

2.NOWHERE. James Duvall is in his element in this film. If only he could have been a real teen idol. But he wasn't. Yet, most of young Hollyood from 1997 was in this flick. Christine Applegate, Ryan Phillipe, Heather Graham, Debbie Mazar, Jordan Ladd, Rachel True...to name a few. Its sexy, psychodic, demented and so much more of a trip that you just wish was more. And there is Nathan Bexton, the ultimate boyfriend that might have been. But Duvall's character can't decide. Does he stick with his girl who has a thousand boyfriends or try something amazing with this new dude who's just breath taking. And if that isn't enough, well, he thinks aliens are after his friends. Then there is a minister on the TV that has gone bonkers. Hook ups, crashes, and kick the can included. Its one of Gregg Akari's finest moments on film of the doomed generation.

3.GO. Another film with little known actor Nathan Bexton. This is of course another sort of drug induced film that came out in 1999. Its got a sweet cast presented in an almost Pulp Fiction style. Breaking the story into three parts. It starts out with Sarah Polley's Ronna who is trying to make the rent. She gets it by taking Brit co-worker's shift. Of course, she's already worked 14 hours. While she's trying to do his drug dealing as well when his locals come around, Simon is off to Vegas. Which is an entire different story. You have Tim Olyphant as the not so nice guy where Simon gets his stuff from..which leads us to a few more of Ronna's co-workers getting into the action along with gay (acting detective duo) Jay Mahr and Scott Wolf in a real sting operation. Naturally, they have a few faults of their own, cheating on each other. Its a crazy rave time with Katie Holmes along for the ride. Directed by Doug Liman who also did Swingers.

4.BRICK. So this might have been the film that made me fall totally in love with Joseph Gordon Levitts. This is truly Rian Johnson's best film. Its written in a film noir murder mystery featuring contemporary high school students who talk and behave like 1940's-style gangsters. That said, you are probably thinking, 'are you kidding me?' It works. Levitts gets so beaten up in this one. His character is trying to find out what happened to his ex-girlfriend. Sweet. Sad. Uniquely acted. I could watch this one again and again. It came out in 2005.