BIG THRILLS IN FLYOVER COUNTRY

Facets is situated in Chicago, and we're quite proud of that. But even the third most populous city in America is part of "flyover country," a pejorative term for the vast and varied land between the coasts. In defense of all those sparsely-populated rural areas, small towns, and overlooked metropolises, here are 10 films that play with notions of Midwestern plainness, wholesomeness, and kindness. View list

OFFBEAT FATHER-DAUGHTER MOVIES

When it comes to films about fractured families trying to cope after the loss of a parent, most deal with a mother raising children alone, or a father raising a son. Less common are narratives about single fathers raising daughters, whether mom has passed away, left them, or never existed. Spanning decades and genres, here are 10 examples of untidy, unorthodox, even unlawful father-daughter relationships View list

A FLOOD OF MOVING IMAGES
(7/23/2011)

Record rainfall in July caused widespread flooding in the Midwest, with freak storms and aging sewers flooding basements and roads, and forcing some people to evacuate. The ongoing story started us thinking about floods in film. Here are 10 high-water marks for depictions of, and stories about, floods, from heavy rains to cresting rivers, bursting dams, storm surges, and the aftermath. View list

IN LIMITED COLOR

The history of color film technology is long and fascinating. We could get into tinting, toning, two-strip, three-strip, filters, flashing, pushing, desaturating, and computer manipulating, but here we're looking at the end result. Whether for realism, expressionism, or spectacle, the drive to get more and richer colors onscreen has been countered by filmmakers experimenting with limited color palettes. Here are our favorite examples of limited, sometimes monochromatic, color design. View list

RECRUITMENT VIDEOS

With the release of the new Transformers movie, we salute other cinematic enlistment tools. To an extent, even liberal "war is hell" movies glorify the military by showcasing cool machines, big guns, and combat violence. Still, there is a world of difference between films like Full Metal Jacket, M*A*S*H, and Thin Red Line and the 10 listed here, which range from gung-ho guilty pleasures to award-winning dramas. View list

FILMED IN ROMANIA

With the DVD release of Kokoro, Tony Gatlif's latest movie set in Romania, we selected our favorite productions filmed in the country. After the collapse of Communism, Romania was flooded by foreign filmmakers looking for affordable studio space and a variety of locations, from cosmopolitan Bucharest to the wilds of Transylvania. Though this led to a glut of dark exploitation movies (Bloodrayne) and some actual exploitation (Borat), the 10 diverse films here offer a more complete picture of Romania. View list

NEO-EXPLOITATION

Hobo with a Shotgun got us thinking. Grindhouses are gone, but underground exploitation is thriving in the mainstream. Modern takes on fringe subjects (action, bikers, gore, Nazis, ninjas, nuns, slashers, stoners, vigilantes, and vixens) have entered multiplexes to the delight of men and women of all ages. But homages to vintage subgenres will only get you so far. Here are our 15 favorite recent neo-exploitation films, which win for their style, excess, and originality. View list

FROM BUZZ BIN TO BIG SCREEN

Most music video directors have a firm grasp of film form. Despite the format's short length, videos can have a staggering number of edits, optical and digital special effects, film stocks, filters and developing techniques, and changes in lighting, sets and costumes. But when that knowledge of film form is called upon to serve a different function--a feature film--the results are often stylistically flashy and narratively flat. Here are 10 exceptions to that rule. View list

Boston Before Ben Affleck

The Boston we see in movies is not as bustling as New York City, not as bright as L.A., and not as brotherly as Chicago. Though as complex as any other big city, Beantown has become associated with some very specific ideas courtesy of Hollywood: the accent, the attitude, the crime, the Red Sox. Still, films are how outsiders get to know and love Boston. And in the decades before Ben Affleck and Boondock Saints, that Boston looked and felt a little less codified. Here are our top 10 favorite depictions. View list

HOW TO SERVE PEOPLE

Humans are on the menu in a variety of scary genres. Monsters, sharks, zombies, and cannibals all convert people meat into energy. But there is a specific cultural disgust and cinematic delight associated with people serving dead people to unsuspecting people. To accomplish such a feat, killer cooks are generally refined, skilled, and rational to a murderous extreme. Here's our 10-course meal of accidental-cannibal movies. View list

SADLY OVERLOOKED SAD MOVIES

After reading VH1's "Best Week Ever" online bracket of the "saddest movies of all-time," Facets' Facebook fans compelled us to come up with a list of less-obvious weepies. VH1 offered up some atypical choices (About Schmidt, Scenes from a Marriage), but Old Yeller and Steel Magnolias are a little too easy for our tastes. If you feel the same, please sob your way through Facets' heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking, soul-crushing list of 10 sadly overlooked sad movies. View list

ANTI-WINTRY MIX
(3/29)

Here in Chicago, we can't wait for warm weather to officially arrive. To help make it through these last couple of cold fronts, Facets has hand selected 10 sun-baked and swimsuited movies, ranging from tropical adventures to beach blanket nonsense to surfing action and desert island distress. Best enjoyed with an umbrella drink, a lei, and an inflatable kiddie pool in your den. View list

ON- AND OFF-SCREEN CHEMISTRY

This week, we look at films that are bolstered by actors' off-screen flings, romances, and marriages. Sometimes that extratextual information can be distracting (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) for us cinematic voyeurs, but there is a certain chemistry and complexity that comes along with actors who "have known" each other. Here are 15 interesting examples of people sharing their private spark on-screen.View list

A RECENT HISTORY OF REVOLUTIONS
(3/8/2011)

The revolutionary wave sweeping the Middle East and North Africa is unbelievable, but such widespread unrest is not unprecedented. A wave of popular uprisings - mostly bloodless - swept across Eastern Europe in 1989, leading to the fall of Communism and dissolution of the Soviet Union. Here are 10 fascinating films that capture the mood before, during, and after the revolutions. Related: Berlin Wall films. View list

RELUCTANT HEROES

Reluctant heroes are mythic figures. They're gunslingers, soldiers, cops, and even villains who eventually call it a day when the bloodshed, shell-shock, or desire to settle becomes too great. But no matter where they hide, officials will call them back to action, and enemies will threaten the people or things they love. Whether in a western, crime film, or action movie, one-man and -woman killing machines can't stay retired for long. Here are ten excellent reluctant hero movies, some old, some new, but all badass. View list

NEW FRENCH EXTREMITY
(2/15/2011)

With the Chicago premiere of Bruno Dumont's Hadewijch at Facets, we're spotlighting other films associated with "New French Extremity." The term was first used by Artforum to describe the most shocking films to come out of France's "New New Wave" in the 1990s onwards. Here are 10 exemplary, rightfully controversial examples, marked by graphic sex and violence, loose narratives, naturalistic acting, realistic settings, real social issues, and a rawness that rubbed many tastemakers the wrong way. View list

PORTRAITS OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS

Born in Paris in the late 19th-century, the movement in painting known as Impressionism would come to influence the first avant-garde filmmakers of France in the late 1920s. Ever since, fiction and nonfiction filmmakers have been returning the favor, creating films about the painters' unusual lives, their radical works, and the time and place of their origin. View list

DOCTORS WITHOUT MORALS

This week, we prescribe 10 of our favorite films about doctors who are led away from the straight and narrow by money, sex, drugs, or the need for excitement. Unlike pure-evil doctors and card-carrying mad scientists (e.g. Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Phibes, Dr. Giggles, etc.), the medical persons in these movies are dynamic characters who make bad, even insane, choices, yet still have a shot at redemption. View list

ART CINEMA GOES MEDIEVAL

The sheer number of films set in the Middle Ages--historical epics, sword and sorcery fantasies, prestige dramas, literary adaptations--is staggering. Instead of a broad survey, this Film Guide shines a light on art house films set in the Dark Ages of Europe. This includes the montage experiments of Eisenstein, modernist films of the postwar era, and beyond. Since the jidai-geki genre is equally vast, art films set in medieval Japan will have to wait. Sorry, samurai. View list

THE LENS OF OPPORTUNITY

There are many reasons why talented foreign cinematographers are drawn to Hollywood. Some were forced to flee a hostile home country, some followed a directing partner's lead, others were approached by admiring American auteurs, and the rest were probably lured by cold, hard cash. Whatever the case, here are 15 expertly shot films from directors of photography who would be appropriated by the American film industry. View list

TOP 10 DVDs OF 2010

With 2010 in the rear view, it's time to mull over our favorite DVD releases and reissues. Although cinema keeps changing in terms of production (more digital video), exhibition (3D stadiums, XD nonsense, Slap-O-Vision), and distribution (Blu-ray, streaming), there is still no obvious, dominant new model. Luckily, great films are still great films. Since we compiled a list of the year's most overlooked titles back in July, here are 10 entirely different, totally necessary DVDs from 2010. View list

MAZED AND CONFUSED

Past Facets Film Guides have compiled movies about claustrophobia, surveillance, and dystopian sci-fi. But movies that feature mazes, or are mazes in themselves, are a slightly different breed. Here are 10 films that feature literal labyrinths, sets that require characters to achieve goals to survive, or productions with confusing spatial relations that make viewers search for the fourth wall from whence they came.
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KOREAN WAR DRAMAS
(12/7/2010)

The heightened tensions between North and South Korea compelled us to look back at depictions of the Korean War on the big screen. We drew the line of demarcation at 10 exceptional films that speak not just to war in general, but to a conflict that was fueled by two superpowers and wage on a battleground that continues to be affected decades after the armistice.View list

BIOPICS WITH BITE

Many musical biographies defang their unhinged subjects with conventional storytelling. That, or the only reason the film narrative works is because viewers bring their own knowledge of the musician's life to a bunch of tenuously-related scenes that track an artist's rise, fall and, sometimes, redemption. Here are 10 music biopics in which the performances, script, and cinematic vision complement the actual music instead of making fans cringe. View list

THE CONFIDENCE FILM

Movies about confidence games share conventions with films about heists and hoaxes--fraudulent goals, partners, plans, disguises, deception. But with heists, there are usually guns and action, and with hoaxes, the goal usually isn't monetary. In the confidence film, con artists, grifters, and hustlers go after a mark's money by using psychological deception and exploiting desires. In the best cases, the audience is conned, too. Coming up with our top 15 was no small job. As Marlon Brando said, "Acting is just hustling." View list

CRASH COURSE IN POLISH CINEMA

Facets is a proud host of the 22nd Annual Polish Film Festival in America. As patrons watch the country's latest offerings on the big screen, we whittled down the past output of this vibrant national cinema to just 10 essential Polish films. This is no exhaustive survey, but it's an excellent way to sample the work of major figures from the Lodz Film School, international breakthroughs by lesser known directors, banned masterpieces, and genre films from the post-communist era. View list

TURN-ON, TUNE-IN TALES
(11/2/2010)

After the ruckus over National Public Radio, Facets dug up our 10 favorite films dealing with the "dying" communication medium. Radio is responsible for putting disembodied voices in our homes, cars, earbuds, and even outer space. These films visualize the daily lives of disc jockeys, news broadcasters, station programmers, and radio shows in ways that enrich that listening experience. View list

BAD OBJECTS

We hear about and seek out movies that are so repellent they have emptied theaters, or even ended directors' careers. This is not simply a list of "so bad they're good" movies, gore fests, or films that trigger good vs. bad object relations (sorry film theorists). Here are 15 controversial films that lock you into your seat and make you watch. Call it bad taste, nihilism, black humor, or sheer shock value, but these bad objects are not without merit. View list

CLAUSTROPHOBIC CINEMA
(10/19/2010)

The rescue of 33 Chilean miners has inspired people around the globe. The final phase of their ordeal, a lengthy ascent in a tiny capsule, inspired us to think about how some films can make you feel physically trapped. We're not just talking about recoiling from horror, or tensing up due to suspenseful editing. Here are 10 narrative films set in confined spaces, where the aural and visual stimuli trigger a bodily sense of claustrophobia. View list

MADE IN CHICAGO

Chicago's contribution to film history goes beyond The Dark Knight and Transformers 3--back to 1896. Though early producers would flock to California in the 1910s, studios like Selig and Micheaux stayed to fight the good fight. With the rebirth of hometown moviemaking in the 1980s, and the more recent boom, almost every Chicago neighborhood and landmark has been put to film. Here are 10 excellent movies that are less commonly associated with the city. View list

KICKIN' OUT THE POLITICAL JAMS
(10/5/2010)

With mid-term elections one month away, get pumped about voting the Facets way: with movies! Politics has played an important role in film, from turn-of-the-century non-fiction shorts to the most recent polemical documentary or comedy about "wacky" candidates. Our platform comprises 10 rousing political films--election dramas, documentaries, thrillers, and satires--all united by their ability to provoke thought and, maybe, some voting action.View list

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE TERRIFIED
(9/28/2010)

It's never too early to get into the Halloween spirit. Last year, we ran a list of 10 genuinely scary, generally overlooked horror films. Since Facets has more than just 10 in our crypt, here's another collection of obscure horror flicks that will please any "bad taste" -- vintage chillers, psycho thrillers, gore, splatter, art horror, and some new blood. View list

THOU SHALT NOT WATCH
(9/21/2010)

As the Pope tours Great Britain for the first time since 1982, we look back at ten films deemed "morally offensive" by an influential stateside Catholic organization. Founded in 1934, the Legion of Decency rated and condemned films up through the 1980s. Yes, the selected films feature depictions of sex and/or violence, but that's a small price to pay for being timeless. View list

MOVIES IN LIMBO

From Inferno to Inception, the concept of limbo--like purgatory, the afterlife and other liminal states--has appeared in tales about searching and redemption. Sometimes limbo is depicted as a literal place, the ambiguous time between life and death, or it works as a unifying theme for an otherwise confusing narrative. Whatever the case, here are 10 movies that deal with limbo in fascinating ways. View list

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU

Major technological advancements in cinema--sound, color, video, digital--have also been depicted as the source of (or solution for) various narrative conflicts. Surveillance, security, spying, paranoia and voyeurism are excellent storytelling devices, but these concepts also have a complex relationship with the act of moviegoing. Here are 10 effective films about surveillance that put characters and viewers in the hot seat. View list

MOTION PICTURE LIQUOR

From turn-of-the-century French films about absinthe up through the latest frat pack comedy, liquor has played an important role in movies. It can be a spur for creativity, a thematic or comic device, or the driving force behind a narrative. We suggest imbibing all of the above. Here are 15 brilliant films in which booze plays a central role, for better or worse. View list

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

With all the attention given to the meanings of the unusual character names in Inception, such as Ariadne, Mal and Eames, we're highlighting 10 films with telling character names. Some are suggestive, some prophetic, while others are lofty allusions or simply (good) bad puns. View list

F FOR FETISH

"Americans don't like sexual movies--they like sexy movies," Jack Nicholson once told Rolling Stone. If you're counting box-office returns, Jack is right. Just compare the success of a sexy movie like Easy Rider to a sexual movie like Carnal Knowledge. Maybe this is because sexual movies are meant to provoke, not just please. Here, we shine our curatorial flashlight on the most provocative examples--films about fetishism. Not actual fetish films, but 10 movies in which dangerous sexual obsessions drive the narrative. Must be this creepy to enter. View list

MOVIES IN REAL TIME

Facets has released a lot of films featuring long sequences filmed in real time. For example, the long takes of Miklos Jancso and Bela Tarr, in which the time of the story action equals the time it takes to view it. But when this concept is applied to an entire movie--by using long takes, trick cuts or split screens--the strategy can overshadow the story. Here are 10 films that are largely in real time and largely rule. View list

ESSENTIAL INDIAN CINEMA

Beyond Slumdog Millionaire and the occasional Bollywood number on an American dance show, venturing into the vast array of movies produced by the world's largest film industry can seem daunting. So feel free to sample or dive right into this survey of 10 essential Indian films. These span the 1950s to the 2000s, from Mumbai to Calcutta, from star-driven spectacles to socially-conscious art cinema, and everywhere in between. View list

SUPERMARKET SETTINGS

Grocery stores. They're great places to pig out, zone out, hold up during hard times, or shack up in during apocalyptic times. Their long checkout lanes and harshly-lit isles also make for memorable movie settings, or in some cases, they're characters unto themselves. Here are 10 excellent films that use supermarket locales for very different ends. View list

OVERLOOKED DVDs IN 2010

(7/13/2010) Now that we're past the midway point of 2010, Facets looks back at those DVD releases and reissues that were overshadowed by bigger or more buzzed-about titles. We're not touting the "best DVDs of 2010 so far," but these 10 films are simply too awesome to not suggest one more time. View list

DOCUMENTARIES ON DESIGN

When is the last time you really thought about the shell of your computer? The contours of your chair? The cut of your clothing? Here are 10 films and programs that celebrate the inspiration, execution, and legacy of designed objects, whether for practical or artistic ends. View list

PUSHED TOO FAR

Here are 10 films about characters pushed too far by the forces that be. These are similar to revenge dramas, vigilante movies, and psycho killer thrillers, only the acts of violence are more random, the merits of the "heroes" are more questionable, and their rampages are not the result of some distant trauma. Instead, sprees are outsized reactions to being bullied by a system, and the politics are usually fuzzy. Sure, this is a gray area, but it's fun to find the line. And cross it. View list

ANGLO-AMERICAN TENSIONS

(6/16/2010) After the explosion of a BP-owned oil rig and the ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico--not to mention an unflattering 1-1 tie in the World Cup--tensions between America and England have heightened somewhat. To further strain that "special relationship," Facets surveys the time-honored tradition of casting cinematic stones back and forth across the pond. View list

COPS BEHAVING BADLY

(6/9/2010) With a former Chicago police commander now on trial in federal court, Facets opens up the case files on a wide range of crooked cop movies. Some focus on antiheroes brushing up against the wrong side of the law, some feature irredeemable crooks who throw around their badge (and their weight), and others are all to close too reality. View list

BIG RIGS ON THE BIG SCREEN

Last year, we profiled ten great road movies to coincide with the warm weather. This time around, we're rolling out movies about those long hauls that aren't undertaken for leisure. Here are ten trucking tales that run the gamut from laid-back comedies to menacing horror flicks to serious dramas set in the heartland and abroad. It's time, as C.W. McCall would say, "to put the hammer down." View list

CRUDE BEHAVIOR

(5/18/2010) Like oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, let these oil prospecting movies slide into your DVD player. If they're not larger-than-life tales about lucky wildcatters or greedy tycoons, they at least use the oil industry as a backdrop or, you know, feature iconic shots of oil derricks. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of Texas tea, and let the good times spill. View list

MOVIES FROM THE THIRD DIMENSION!

(5/11/2010) Both Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott recently wrote opinion pieces on Hollywood's latest technological fixation, 3-D. They rightly point out that the golden age of 3-D already came and went. And unlike other film innovations (sound, color, widescreen, CGI), you don't have to resort to subtitles or pan & scan to appreciate a film's 2-D merits. Here are 10 classic 3-D movies that hold up without the dimensional funny business, whether for serious storytelling or some serious schlock. View list

INSPIRED HORROR REMAKES

(5/4/2010)With the release of what many critics describe as a "routine" update of A Nightmare on Elm Street, we have exhumed 10 horror remakes that don't just up the blood and violence. Or tack on an unneeded origin story to rationalize killer instincts. Or rehash a plot without tempering reverence with originality and scares. View list

PRESSING MOVIES

(4/27/2010)Despite stories about newspapers going bankrupt and pronouncements that print media is on its deathbed, here comes The Wall Street Journal expanding to take on The New York Times. This "old media" row inspired us to compile a list of 10 great journalism movies, featuring hungry reporters, loose canons, barking editors, far-flung correspondents, and photographers in the wrong places at the wrong times. View list

SOLID GOLD ROCK 'N' ROLES

In a 1976 issue of Game, Nicolas Roeg said, "I don't think of them as singers. They're performers, prepared to get up and perform. They're free of a pattern of acting I'm not happy with." More often than not, recording artists and rock stars get criticized for wooden performances in film roles, but sometimes onstage charisma does translate into onscreen gold. View list

BEYOND THE HURT LOCKER

Dramas and documentaries dealing with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not performed particularly well at the box office. Some, like Lions for Lambs and Rendition, didn't deserve much fanfare, but The Hurt Locker proved that movies about the conflicts can be potent and popular. Here are ten similarly necessary films that tell strong fictional and factual stories about two wars that are covered less and less by mass media. View list

DRESSED BY DANILO DONATI

The very best costume designers work with a director and crew to enhance a vision, relating characters to settings by way of their garments' colors, textures, and movements. We've recently been hooked on the costumes (and sets) of one such designer, the Italian wizard Danilo Donati (1926-2001). His creations lent painterly gravitas to Zeffirelli, graphic appeal to Pasolini, stylized boldness to Fellini, and even gave movies like Red Sonja a reason to exist on DVD. View list

DYSTOPIAN SCI-FI

(3/16/2010) The recent passing of actor Peter Graves led us to think back to one of his less well-regarded but still very enjoyable movies, The Clonus Horror. To honor that tale of a false utopia, Big Brother has forced us to present this survey of the "Put on your white uniform and don't question our happy society's rules!" brand of science fiction. View list

CLASSIC "MAN" MOVIES

(3/9/2010) With two similarly, generically titled films ( A Serious Man and A Single Man ) up for Oscars this past Sunday, we felt compelled to dig up 10 classics with vague "man" and "woman" titles that belie the brilliance in store. View list

SNAKES ON SCREEN

(2/23/2010) With Saint Patrick's Day approaching on March 17, we want to honor the patron saint of Ireland, but not with a guide to films about the island country, its shamrocks, or even Patrick's missionary work. No, we're representing a less discussed facet of his lore: SNAKES! Since legend has it that Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland, here are 10 examples of serpentine cinema to help you celebrate before the holiday slithers away. View list

OUTLAW BIKER FILMS

(2/16/2010) After a national snowstorm, outlaw biker movies might not seem super timely. But these bad boys can really jump-start warm weather appreciation. Here are 10 motorcycle films to get your motor running, including classics, pure exploitation, generic revisions, and even some nonfiction for good measure. View list

BEST PICTURE UPSETS and EASY WINS

When it comes to criticizing the Academy's picks for Best Picture, arguments generally fall into two camps -- that the Oscars favor bigger, not better movies, or that they've picked a marginal film that might not stand the test of time. In this year's widened field, a win for Avatar will most likely annoy the former, and Up in the Air the latter. To see which side of the movie aisle you sit on, here are five examples of each. View "upsets" list     View "easy wins" list

PIGSKIN PICTURES

Not to alarm anyone, but Facets has a lot of football fans in our ranks. Whether you just want to gear up for Super Bowl XLIV or give yourself an alternative to The Who's halftime medley, here are 10 football movies with strong drama on and off the field. View list

PRE-CODE PRURIENCE

(1/27/2010) With Valentine's Day approaching, Facets aims the love gun back at the pre-Code era, that glorious period from 1929-1934 when Hollywood had yet to adopt a uniform self-censorship policy. If you're planning to curl up alone or with someone special on Feb. 14, we recommend reaching for one of these prurient pre-Code films, with their suggestive, racy, and sometimes scary representations of love and sexuality. View list

SCENES FROM HAITI

(1/19/2010) Like most, Facets' staff is very concerned about the indescribable situation in Haiti. While donations are the best form of engagement, there is still the urge to learn more. To that end, here are 5 films that provide additional background on the Haitian people and their cultural history. Though not necessarily new or filmed in Haiti, these depictions and documentaries run deeper than grim headlines and AP images. View list

BACK IN BLACK HISTORY MONTH

(1/12/2010)To celebrate Black History Month, Facets recommends 15 remarkable films dealing with the African-American experience. These titles span the history of cinema, from early black independents to musicals, blaxploitation, documentaries, and popular entertainments--all revealing the mood of an ever-changing community at very different moments in history. View list

10 MOVIES TURN 25

(1/4/2010) For a smattering of 10 random films, we turn the clock back to January 5, 1985, when some sci-fi wonders, severe melodrama, a teen comedy, an art-house epic, and an epic fail shared an American release date. View list

TOP 10 DVDS OF 2009

(12/22/2009) Looking for a last-minute gift? Or a small indulgence after a long year? Why not choose from the Top 10 DVDs of 2009, as selected by Facets staff. The list includes some overlooked gems, long-awaited reissues, and undeniable studio hits. Don't go into 2010 without taking the best of 2009 with you. View list

FLICKS IN A BOX

For those still shopping for the movie lover in your life, we put together a list of box sets to satisfy most any taste, from tried-and-true classics to campy musicals to challenging art films to B-movie surprises. View list

CHRISTMAS ALTERNATIVES

Film lovers should get on top of the season before getting stuck watching It's a Wonderful Life for the drillionth time, shouting "I wanna live again!" So to celebrate what's best about the holidays (retreating to watch movies) here are 15 festive alternatives to the regular Christmas fare. View list

THE KIDS FILMS ARE ALRIGHT

With Where the Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr. Fox, there are a lot of adults buzzing about what are ostensibly children's films. Since nostalgia is a powerful motivator for returning to something old and finding something new, here are 10 family films that meet and exceed demands for mature entertainments. View list

OVERLOOKED AUTEURS

These filmmakers were once nearing or part of the vanguard, but now they don't generate the same interest as your Hitchcocks, Kurosawas or, for better or worse, Polanskis. Some were overshadowed by their peers, others were subsumed by studio demands, while a few went on to make bold, obscure films on their own terms. View list

NOT JUST ANOTHER FLICK ON THE WALL

On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. Now 20 years later, the political, cultural and psychological impact of the wall's dismantling can still be felt. To mark this anniversary, here are 10 great films that capture the atmosphere before and after the fall. View list

REEL BALLOON STORIES

(10/20/09) We're not made of wood. The "Balloon Boy Saga" is fascinating, comic, and tragic on a human and cultural level. The same can be said of a lot of movie narratives involving balloons. If you're like so many who can't get enough of the hoax, but also feel gross about gawking, why not lift yourself up with a story that's not totally bogus? View list

SHOCKINGLY OVERLOOKED HORROR

Around Halloween, horror fans can expect hordes of movie suggestions and viewing options to claw in from every poorly-secured window and door. And still, we at Facets would be remiss to not recommend a seasonally-appropriate list of 10 genuinely scary, quality horror films that grow more obscure every year. View list

PYTHON AT FORTY

(10/6/09) This year marks the 40th anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus, the BBC comedy series that launched the long and varied careers of the troupe's six members. Although we hate to beat a dead parrot, we compiled a list of 10 releases that represent Python's many faces, be that satirical sketch comedy, surreal feature films, or cheeky documentaries. View list

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

(9/22/09) With the upcoming release of Zombieland, in which Woody Harrelson plays a natural born killer of the living dead, we are looking back at other horror movies that feature running zombies. Although this is not a large body of films, it is a divisive, festering one among genre aficionados. View list

THE END IS NEAR...AGAIN

(9/15/09) A slew of apocalyptic movies are headed to theaters this fall, from the realistic post-civilization depicted in The Road to the animated wasteland of 9 and the epic world-ending nonsense of 2012. For those looking to bone-up on post-cataclysm cinema, Facets offers this list of 10 innovative visions of year zero. View list

TAKING THE TORONTO PRIZE

(9/8/09) The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival boasts new films by veterans and newcomers alike. With the opening of the TIFF this week, we decided to highlight 10 past winners of the prestigious People's Choice Award. Some live in infamy, others in obscurity. View list

LABOR RELATIONS

After a busy summer, we're looking forward to a long Labor Day weekend. Sure, it's a symbolic holiday, but that symbol represents the strikes, bloody clashes, and small victories that paved the way for our parades, barbecues, and beers. If you're going to take a load off, reach for one of these labor-centric movies. View list

OVERLOOKED DVDs IN 2009

(8/18/09) Of the hundreds of DVDs released in 2009 so far, the bulk of attention has gone to movies about vampires, superheroes, and talking dogs. So we combed through this year's releases to bring you 10 overlooked titles that would make great additions to any collection. View list

BEFORE THE BASTERDS

Quentin Tarantino movies pack a ton of film references, and his anarchic WWII saga, Inglourious Basterds, is no different. Here's a list of titles that will give you a crash course in freewheeling war movies. View list

THE NEXT GIANT LEAP

(7/21/09) Monday, July 20th marked the 40th anniversary of the first manned mission to land on the moon. Not to take away from that monumental achievement, but Facets is looking forward to the next big, red hurdle: Mars. Sure, a list of the top 10 Mars⁺ movies isn't going to put fuel in the rockets or anything, but it's a small step. View list

TEN FOR THE ROAD

As American auto giants right themselves and summer vacation season goes into high gear, Facets rolls out 10 great road movies, whether they end in tragedy or with John Candy held at gunpoint in front of a talking moose. View list

PATRIOTIC PICS

(7/06/09) There's nothing better after a weekend of cook-outs and fireworks than settling on the couch with a movie. Facets recommends a wide variety of flicks tied to the holiday, each guaranteed to please. View list