Let's remedy the situation.

Does anyone ever play this game? where you mention a book or a movie or whatever--a flavor of Doritos--to a friend, and the friend shakes her/his head and says, "I've never read/seen/eaten that." And you're all, Whaaaaaa? And they're all, I know.

Sometimes the game develops a defense/offense flavor, as in:

Me: You've never seen Rushmore??????

Friend: Yeeeeeaaah, but you've never seen [X].

and then you're all, Well-played, Friend. Check, and mate.  

But seriously, there are plenty of movies I should have seen and haven't. Books I would enjoy but haven't read. What are they? You know, probably, but I may not.

Here are a few that are on my mind:

1. my son feels strongly I should see The Weather Man, starring Nicolas Cage. He has been saying this for literally years. (He has also been asking me to read Ender's Game, which I have now accomplished.)
2. My friend (see above) feels I should have seen Closer and also The Door in the Floor. The first, I think we didn't see because it looked depressing and upsetting. My son basically pshawed this reasoning away this morning (we were driving around, getting stuff taken care of so he could send off his visa application so he can jet off to China in a month).

"You guys are weird," he said. "You see sad and upsetting movies all the time."

True enough, I had to concede. "But you have to gear up for them," I said (in our defense).

"That movie was probably in theaters for a month. You couldn't gear up for it in a month?"

He wasn't even trying to say that he thought it was that great, just that it was up our alley. True enough, again. Well-played, Friend. Check, and mate.

So that's three movies that go on the list.

In a related matter: I cannot reconstruct the logic by which we did not watch West Wing. Another friend is watching this now on Netflix and is admiring its writing and acting and pretty much everything about it, which I recall was what people admired about it--everything, that is--when it was on television in the first place. But nope, we didn't watch it. Why? I don't know. What else might we have been watching instead? Who can say.

Anyway, the point is this: what books, television shows, and/or movies should I watch that you think I may not have seen? I'm making a list. I'm gonna check stuff off of it. I need your help!

As a favor to you, I'm going to tell you that you should see The Kings of Summer, The Way, Way Back, and Twenty Feet From Stardom. All are currently at the Salt Lake Film Society (some of them are elsewhere), and you won't regret them. Plus: movie A/C, which is the best A/C, because there is a movie to go with it, and possible popcorn.

Don't forget: help me rectify my terrible, unforgivable oversights! In the comments!

My cinematic education.

After a small hiatus, I have re-upped with Netflix, the better to carry out my self-guided education of the French New Wave and to fill other gaps in my movie knowledge. At the moment, my queue includes:

• Cleo from 5 to 7
• That Obscure Object of Desire
• The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
• Breathless
• Love in the Afternoon
• Claire's Knee
• Small Change
• The Bicycle Thief
• Grand Illusion
• The Rules of the Game

Also, after finding The Duchess of Langeais interesting and yet tedious, I read Manohla Dargis's review in the New York Times and felt properly scolded for not appreciating the formalism and discipline of the film (still: long! tedious!). So maybe I have a lot to learn?

So, all you cinephiles: what movies shall I queue up? Any advice on particular short films or filmmakers I would appreciate in addition to films that will in a more general way improve my taste, etc.

Filmgoers: Alert! We just saw Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog's newest documentary. It was amazing! Gorgeous and poetic. Do not wait! to see this on Netflix, as the beautiful images beg you to see them on a big screen. It is wonderful. Worth a trip to the theater.