Three Day Weekend (Part 1)

Sometimes things inexplicably come together; like a three day weekend, an HMV DVD sale, and pay day... OK, so pay day is still four days away, and the HMV DVD sale will be present in perpetuity to the end of the universe. But you have to grab these things while you can, right? With cold Tiger in plentiful supply and some home cooked Chinese food, the lights dim low on Friday night and the first of the weekend's (hopefully many) movies plays out across the widesreen.

There is a deeply satisfying feeling upon finding a cult classic from your favourite decade that has so far managed to pass you by. Eighties movies really don't come much more culty than the Emilio Estevez starring (no, no... it's good) Repo Man. Directed by Alan Cox, this is a weird mash-up of angry young punks, car repossession men, CIA agents in mirrored shades, UFO freaks, and a glowing Chevy Malibu '64. How the hell did I miss this movie till now?

So the lowdown on the plot: Otto (Estevez) is a young punk who takes on a job as a repo man after stumbling into Harry Dean Stanton's character Bud. Enlightening him to the ways of the repo man code (something about doing speed and getting into intense situations), things hot up as a $20,000 ransom is offered on the first person to reposes a missing Chevy Malibu '64. This leads a host of parties to look for the... shit, none of this really matters. What does is the amount of detail, and memorable moments of cult cinema crammed in to the film. What are the sinister reasons for every car having a pine tree air freshener in it? Why do products come in plain white packaging with "beer" or "food" written on them? (Maybe that's where Tesco got the idea for their value range...) And just what the hell is in the trunk of that car?!?

Perhaps it all has something to do with the Universal subconscious. Whatever the logic behind it, Repo Man is an undeniably cool slice of cult eighties cinema. Anyone fancy a plate o' shrimp?

Next up is a movie featuring Penelope Cruz (and her breasts).

With shades of Philip K. Dick's novel Ubik, Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) is a delicious Spanish head-fuck of a movie. Inexplicably remade in 2001 as the Tom Cruise vehicle Vanilla Sky (why!?! why remake a brilliant Spanish movie barely 4 years old!?!), it's sad that people are unlikely to be familiar with the original article. If that's the case, do yourself the favour of catching this gripping and inventive movie.

Handsome bloke about town Cesar meets the girl of his dreams, coming in the enchanting shape of Sofia (Cruz), at his birthday party. Despite the fact she is there with his best friend, he wastes no time elbowing in. Sadly he ballses things up after accepting a lift home from his obsessive ex-girlfriend, who promptly crashes the car. Bugger.

Disfigured from the accident, Cesar's life plunges into a delirious mix of dream and reality as he tries to carry on the life he had. Excellent pacing and subtle, powerful performances (especially from Cruz) make this a compelling journey. Sadly the ending doesn't come as the surprise revelation it tries to be, due to some obvious clues left along the way. It remains a satisfying payoff, though a little more ambiguity could have elevated it to the status of a movie to be puzzled over for months to come.