A Trip to the Art House

When people hear the phrase art house theater they automatically come up with an idea in their head and it's usually not a good one. Artsy, pretentious, slow moving, special effect-less, foreign or dead languages; not exactly words that conjure up the image of high quality entertainment.

But here's a trade secret: art house movies don't really differ that much from mainstream entertainment. Halloween (1978) was an art house title of sorts. So was Reservoir Dogs (1992). More recently Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Drive (2011), and Raid: Redemption (2011) made significant splashes in recent years and they're considered “art house.”

Sometimes they can actually be pretty dumb

An art house movie can have a small budgets with big names. Conversely they can have mid-to-large budgets with no name actors. They can have unconventional plots or run of the mill plots; good cinematography, crappy cinematography. Some people may feel superior in some way because they've seen these movies but the truth is they're no better or worse, nor smarter or dumber than any big blockbusters.

The only difference is the marketing. If advertising were free I have a hunch that just as many people would come out to see Moonrise Kingdom (2012) as they did The Amazing Spider-Man (2012); maybe even more! Stack the acting chops and notoriety of Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray up against Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone any day and see who comes out on top.

Stop! Or Wes Anderson will get melancholy all over you!

You have chosen poorly

But I'm a purest and just as Pulp Fiction proved in 1994 and The Social Network proved in 2011, I believe the majority of people go to the movies for the stories they tell; not for the actors, directors or special effects they utilize. You want proof of my hypothesis? Here's a thought experiment: I'm going to give you the basic plots of five movies I've seen recently which you have likely never seen. If one or more peaks your interest take a mental note of it. At the end of this exercise you may be surprised how many art house movies you'd likely dig.

Movie #1

Looking to shake up the world of wine, a surly Englishman makes his way to California to sample and bring back the best that Napa Valley has to offer for a blind taste test in Paris. Once there he meets a stubborn winemaker and his screw-up son who's winery is on the ropes. Based on true events.

No? Not your particular cup of chardonnay? How about this:

Movie #2

Can't guess the titles? Looks like you're being Kareemed!

Hilarity ensues when an inept but well meaning talent agent is tasked with bringing a washed up lounge singer's mistress to an important concert. The talent agent is then mistaken as her new Bo by an ex who happens to be a member of the mob.

Sounds like fun right? Read on:

Movie #3

Taking place in a war ravaged nation, two young boys are tasked with delivering black market goods and get caught in a web of intrigue. Once they are caught by the police, their friendship is challenged when they're sent to an overcrowded boy' penitentiary.

Not too keen on that one? How about this one:

1.21 Gigawatts!

Movie #4

Attracted by an amusing classified ad, three magazine journalists travel to track down and interview a man who claims to be able to go back in time.

Maybe that one was a bit too obvious.

Movie #5

After the strong-armed handling of a bloody prison riot, the colonel of an elite group of policemen is promoted to a high level security position. From there he declares war on the drug cartels to clean up the city. He does so however at the expense of his personal life and the growing threat of corrupt cops and politicians who have benefited from the old order.

If any of these movie plots have peaked your interest you might want to check out your local art house theater and see what else is playing. Seriously. While the trailers might not be playing on TV every five minutes, a little bit of research can go a long way. 

Oh, and by the way, Movie #1 was a 2008 film called Bottle Shock starring Snape himself Alan Rickman. Chris Pine of Star Trek (2009) fame also makes an appearance as does the President of these United States (in 1996's Independence Day anyway) Bill Pullman. Movie #2 was Broadway Danny Rose (1984) a Woody Allen film starring the neurotic nudnik himself and Mia Farrow. Woody Allen by the way has been nominated for 22 Academy Awards, won 3 of them, and has gotten awards in nearly every major film festival known to man. In addition he has written and directed at least a film a year since 1977. If you haven't given his films a chance already what the hell are you waiting for? Movie #3 was a Vittorio De Sica film called Shoeshine (1946) which takes place in Italy, has subtitles, and was shot black and white God forbid. Movie #4, Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) is actually still in theaters. Check it out if you have the chance, it doesn't disappoint. The last movie is a Brazilian film called Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010). A movie right up there with Scarface (1983) and The Departed (2006) as far as crime sagas go.