Archive clip from 2004 - Brittany Murph]y in Blockbuster

The MTV Youtube channel recently uploaded this cool short film they created almost 20 years ago with the late Brittany Murphy in Blockbuster picking her favorite movies. I never saw this but found it to be a gem and shows how cool a person she was. My favorite movie with her in it is Uptown Girls, a modern classic in my opinion.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

This movie has grown to become a favorite of mine. I first saw it when it was released to art house theaters in early 2002, and loved it because I saw it as a movie that spoke to me personally, as it is very frank and realistic depiction of young male relationships and sex drives. I loved the performances of the two male leads, Gael García Bernal (Julio) and Diego Luna (Tenoch), who went on to do more movies, and the female lead, Maribel Verdu (Luisa), who hasn't been in much lately to my knowledge. I thought her performances should have received more acclaim and awards.

I love the road trip theme of this movie, and the sense of adventure they all set out on. The movie also features a narrator who talks about each of their lives in detail, as a book or novel would about a character, and over the years I have found myself watching it multiple times to catch things I have missed previously.

On my latest viewing, I paid closer attention to find hints of bisexuality in the beginning, but could not find them. I paid attention to the fighting between Tenoch and Julio after Julio sees him in bed with Luisa; after that, everything changed. I suspect that they both might have been lying to each other, but Tenoch seemed genuinely remorseful. Also by the end of the movie, everything was fine between them again until the night, when everything falls apart. I'm not surprised that they never spoke again after meeting in the diner; sometimes you just want to put the past behind.

The Devil's Backbone (2001) and The Boy (2016)

I first saw The Devil's Backbone in 2012. It was the first Guillermo del Toro movie I had seen, and I really liked it. I liked how the film's supernatural element blends with the political story. It's not just a ghost story, but a ghost does lurks in an all-boy's orphanage/school during the Spanish Civil War. At the center of the story is a young boy who befriends other classmates. The adults in the film have differing political loyalties, which adds further tension. Pan's Labyrinth was similar in some ways but I like this film better. 

I watched The Boy in January of 2016, and I was reminded of The Devil's Backbone. There were some similarities that really stood out to me. In this movie, a woman is hired to be a nanny to a porcelain doll. The elderly owners of the house treat it like a real doll. It's a very creepy situation. Sometimes the doll moves on its own - or does it? Sometimes we hear strange noises. Sometimes other things move on its own - or do they? Is it a ghost? Is the doll possessed? It's pretty creepy. Directed by William Brent Bell. There's been some talk of a sequel but it hasn't happened yet.

Jesus (2000, Made for Television)

I remember watching this in 2000. It seemed to be an honest effort to produce a new dramatization of the life of Christ for a new generation. I remember the 1970s TV version very well.

This version features a number of award winning actors such as Debra Messing, Jacqueline Bisset, and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Jeremy Sisto portrays Jesus. Gary Oldman portrays Pontius Pilate.

While I didn't enjoy it as much as the 1970s version, I did like it. My favorite part was the temptation scene with Satan, played by Jeroen Krabbé.

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