OK, I looked through about a dozen pages of posts and can't seem to find Alex's post about the movie "300." Finally found a copy at at price I was willing to pay (there are a few benefits to black friday...), and I have watched it twice now since my purchase. There is a quality about the film that engrosses me. I appreciate the storyline (honor, courage, never surrender...), and I suppose for the more faint of heart it could be considered quite gory (I have seen far worse...still I wouldn't let a small child watch). Some elements seemed even cartoonish, yet still captivating. I think it has made the lower end of my favorites list.
Speaking of which, had some family visiting for a day, and I learned of her interest in Native American movies and stories. I was pleased to learn she also had some of the same movies in her own collection like: "Fish Hawk" (with Will Sampson, better known for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and the Outlaw Josey Wales) and "The Education of Little Tree" (written, coincidentally by the grandson of the real Josey Wales, with James Cromwell better known as a character actor from a wide range of films). Both of these are pretty obscure films, so it was quite a surprise to me.
So, upon learning she had not seen "Smoke Signals," that is the film we watched. Mine is a bootleg made for me years ago by a friend, but I tend to watch it once or twice a year anyway, so this made for a great opportunity to share what I feel is a truly artistic film that speaks profoundly on many levels. It came out in 1998 or 99, I don't recall, but it won at the Sundance festival that year. I cannot recommend this particular film more highly, it has ranked among my favorites ever since I first watched.
Enjoy!