01 апреля 2001

                       Independent Films
                            By Matt

This article is about 'Independent Films' those films which  are
not normally  shown at  your local  MGM, UCI  or ODEAN.  I'm not
talking about  weird surrealist  films from  Hungary or  dodgy 3
minute animations from Mongolia though, what I want to tell  you
about is the more 'cool' side of Independent Film Making.

Independent Films have become much more popular lately, this  is
probably because they  don't seem to  be so restricted  in their
artistic freedom such as a lot of mainstream big-business films.
Perhaps in a similar way demo makers can write what they want in
their  scroll  texts, but  commercial  games makers  have  to be
conservative and restrictive in what they produce.

These films  are not  made for  mainstream audiences,  but for a
more  broad-minded audience  who aren't  afraid to  watch films
which might  be considered  shocking or  'off-beat'. Tarentino's
'Resevoir Dogs' is one example  of a very popular film  produced
without  the  interference  of  the  influences  of  large  film
companies.

If you live in a largeish  city then there is probably a  cinema
which screens these sort of  films. In Southampton near where  I
live there is a great independent cinema which has just recently
opened near the MGM. So here's  a few of the best films  to look
out for:

'Clerks'

This film has to be the  funniest film I have seen this  year if
not ever.  It is  set in  a One-Stop  style shop  in America and
focuses on a day in the life of the people who work there. It is
shot in black  and white and  the actors are  all the director's
friends, some of whom  still work at the  shop in the film.  The
entire  film  is  basically based  around  the  conversations of
clerks.  You  have to  see  this film!  It's  an 18  though  and
contains a  lot of  swearing but  without the  swearing it would
definitely lose a lot.

'Hoop Dreams'

This is a THREE  HOUR film which shows  7 years of the  lives of
two young basketball players who  are trying to escape the  slum
areas where they live to turn Pro. I fell asleep during the film
and  missed  20  minutes  but  it's  worth  seeing  if  you like
Basketball.

'Beyond Sunrise'

This film  has won  loads of  awards and  if you  watch it  then
you'll  find out  why. It  begins on  a train  speeding through

central Europe when  Ethan Hawke meets  Julie Delpy and  after a
long chat he convinces  her to spend a  day with him in  Vienna.
It's a sort  of romantic comedy  but it's very  intelligent. But
it's probably best watched  with your girl/boy friend  than with
your massive rowdy posse.

'Kiss of Death'

OK, this isn't exactly an  Independent Film but it wasn't  shown
at  the  MGM,  only at  the  'Harbour  Lights' (the  independent
cinema). It's got  half the cast  of 'Pulp Fiction'  in it along
with  Nicolas  Cage  and   the  Ginger  from  NYPD   Blue.  It's
sickeningly violent at times and Nic Cage (who I'd only seen  in
comedies before)  is one  of the  most scary  villains in cinema
history. Worth watching.

'Fun'

It's about  two girls  who are  'in care'  (in America) who have
gone on the rampage in Suburban America (YES!!!). They knock  on
doors and take the piss out  of the strangers who open them  and
end up killing an old woman who they decide randomly to kill.  I
doubt  it will  go on  general release  properly because  it is
pretty disturbing.  The murder  scene is  a bit  gruesome so  if
you've spent a few weeks in your car stuck behind some  dodering
old woman doing 35  in a 40 limit  (this REALLY pisses me  off!)
then go and see this film, it will release some of the stress!

'Arizona Dream'

This  film is  weird. Jonny  Depp stars  as a  disillusioned 20
something who  gets conned  into going  to Arizona  to go to his
Uncle's wedding.  There, he  falls in  love with  Faye Dunnaway,
dreams of flying fish and eskimos and tries to kill himself. Its
pretty surreal, but if you like 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging  Bull'
there are some great de Niro-esque scenes. Go and see it if  you
like 'off-beat'.

Well I hope you  get to see some  of these films and  I hope you
enjoy them as much as I have.