Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Overlooked Movies


Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus and 2012 


This was my second road movie in the last week and a very odd one too. Michael Cera and Gabby Hoffman star in it along with three Chilean brothers (the director's brothers, in fact). It was written and directed by Sebastian Silva and concerns the trip these five take to hunt down a San Pedro Cactus, which one can make mescaline from.  They encounter significant problem in getting the cactus. They want to distill the drug and sit on the beach and enjoy the hallucinations. Simple pleasures. 

Hoffman, a hippy and rather a bossy one, is the thorne in Sera's side during the trip. The brothers, only understanding some of what she says, are more laid back about her coming along. 

What is your favorite movie about a road trip? 

14 comments:

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Not a favourite movie about a road trip, but I enjoyed ROAD HOGS. John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy and, to some extent, Martin Lawrence, were a riot. Good comedy where Macy stands out.

Anonymous said...

First a little trivia. Gaby (one "B") Hoffmann is the daughter of former Andy Warhol "Superstar" Viva (rn Janet Hoffmann) and soap star Anthony Herrera.

I wouldn't call it my favorite (I'd have to think about that) but the (fairly) recent road movie that I liked a lot was The Lucky Ones. Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams and Michael Pena star. The latter two are soldiers on 30 day leave and Robbins just left the service and is on his way home when he discovers his wife wants a divorce. They can't get a flight out of JFK so team up on a road trip and bonding journey. For those (like me) who think McAdams has been cruelly misused in a lot of crappy roles, you need to see this one. (And Robbins has none of the smugness that can make him unbearable at times.) It's a small, quiet but very good movie.

Jeff M.

Anonymous said...

That was supposed to be rn as in "real name" up there.


Jeff

Anonymous said...

Patti - I haven't seen this one, but one road trip film that occurred to me is Easy Rider...

pattinase (abbott) said...

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT has to rank high on my list. I saw it recently again and was amazed at how fresh it still was.

Anonymous said...

My post with the list of titles seems to have vanished.


Jeff M.

J F Norris said...

My faves:

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Thelma & Louise
The Straight Story
The Motorcycle Diaries

and one oldie:
Sullivan's Travels

All those Hope/Crosby "Road to..." movies seem the same to me.

Anonymous said...

Yess, I missed Priscilla on my (now vanished) list. It should have been there.


Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thelma & Louise
Easy Rider
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Boys on the Side
The Last Detail
About Schmidt
Little Miss Sunshine
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Rain Man
Smoke Signals

And of course three classics:
It Happened One Night
The Grapes of Wrath
Sullivan's Travels


Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Shocking how those road movies don't hold up. Loved them as a kid. So full of sexism, racism, agism, etc.

George said...

THELMA & LOUISE and EASY RIDER are tied in my mind.

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

MAD MAX

Brian Lindenmuth said...

I don't know if it is my favorite but Fandango (with a young Kevin Costner) is a long time favorite.

Cullen Gallagher said...

VANISHING POINT and TWO-LANE BLACKTOP are great road movies.