There are some films amongst our collection with
titles that need to be celebrated. Open your mind to silent documentaries and
low budget rockumentaries and explore our list of films with really weird titles!
Nanook of the North
(Robert J. Flaherty , 1922)
The Story of the
Weeping Camel (Bayambasure Duvaa & Luigi Falorni, 2003)
A product of the hybrid genre of ‘docudrama’ this film
follows the story of a family of shepherds who are trying to save the life of a
rare white camel calf which has been rejected by its mother. In order to try
and reconnect the mother with her young a Mongolian ritual is performed whereby
a ‘violinist’ plays a lullaby to soothe the mother camel. She then cries (a
real tear) and reconciles with her baby. It sounds weird and far fetched but
its actually quite a beautiful little film. It was nominated for an Oscar for
Best Documentary in 2004 and was very well received amongst critics on its
release. Odd name, odd story but one worth investing in.
Rumble Fish (Francis
Ford Coppola, 1983)
This weird title belongs to a film about gang culture. A man
known only as Motorcycle Boy ditches his bad boy reputation for a quieter,
more law abiding life. However his younger brother, Rusty James, continues to
accepts fights with rival gangs resulting in horrific injury. Motorcycle Boy intervenes one night while
trying to save his brother from serious harm and decides to try
and change him. Rusty James resolves to change his ways and be more like his
brother. Such noble solutions come at cost though… Considered to be one of Coppola’s best
films since Apocalypse Now is a story of brothers, redemption and revenge
starring Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon, not a bad watch by any means!
Eagle Vs. Shark (Taika
Waititi,2007)
Quirky romantic comedy starring Jermaine from Flight of the Concords, this film gets
its name from a ‘dress as your favourite animal’ party hosted by Jarrod. Lily
who attends the party uninvited has a huge crush on Jarrod and just wants to
get close to him. They start an awkward relationship even though Jarrod is not
interested in her. She meets his father, 9 year old daughter (the result of
a one night stand) and learns of Jarrod’s deceased brother. Jarrod is
continually mean to Lily, often trying to push her away but will she give up
that easily? It’s a weird one, almost too quirky for its own good and too
awkward to bare in places. New Zealanders and fans of Flight of the Concords loved it though so you may too!
Duck Soup (Leo
McCarey, 1933)
This classic comedy from the 1930’s stars Groucho, Harpo,
Chico and Zeppo Marx the famed comedy quartet who delighted audiences with
their slapstick films. Duck Soup is no exception to their famous mad cap style.
The bankrupt state of Freedonia seaks to borrow money from a wealthy lady
called Mrs Teasdale. In return for her money she asks for a new president to be
appointed, the wacky Rufus T. Firefly. Chaos and nonsense ensues as he takes
over the state and neighbouring states attempt to infiltrate his office. It’s as
mad and hilarious as the title suggests it to be, guaranteed to cheer you up on
a bad day.
Filmed in five days and largely improvised, this rockumentary
follows rock roadie Le Donk as he attempts to make aspiring rapper Scor-say-zee
a success. They embark on a crazy and unpredictable journey together and with a
little help from the Arctic Monkeys Scor-say-zee is on his way to the top. An
amusing fictitious story about the music industry, a nice change from the more
depressing subject matter we are used to from Meadows.
Snow Cake (Marc Evans, 2006)
An ex-convict accidentally kills a young girl in a car
accident and decides to pay the girls mother a visit at her home. Unbeknown to
him she is a severely autistic woman who manages to convince him to stay with
her while he organises the funeral. He embarks on an emotional journey of friendship,
love and grief as he tries to come to terms with his actions. A though
provoking drama starring Sigourney Weaver. It’s an emotional one, definitely
not about icy baked goods.
