Ethan Wolfe (he/him)
A selection of five movies, each perfect for a lazy night at home.
Human Traffic (1999) Music, Welsh
A comedy about five friends in Cardiff, Wales, set over one weekend out. It’s a great window into the music scene of the time, featuring great late 90s early 2000s fashion, and the best film depiction of MDMA I’ve ever seen. It uses each character to tell touchingly human stories. Jip and Lulu struggle with sexual hang-ups, Koop tries to sort out relationship jealousy, and Moff begins to deal with the consequences of his aimless, drug-fueled lifestyle. The real star though is the soundtrack, a showcase of the many moods of UK electronic music.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) Documentary, Independent
A documentary by photographer Nan Goldin, that covers both her personal life and career, as well as her current activist efforts against the Sackler family, the creators of OxyContin. The part covering her career delves into the pain of her personal life and the impact of it on her work, which covers queer subculture and her personal relationships. The part on her activism shows her efforts against pushing the Sackler family name out of the art world, a tactic they used to give themselves a positive image, and her staggeringly effective results.
Half Baked (1998) Comedy, Cult
A great stoner comedy co-written by and starring Dave Chappelle, with cameos including Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, John Stewart, and more. Dave Chappelle definitely carries the movie with witty writing and great comedic timing, and he also managed to work in narration in a way that doesn’t come off as obnoxious or lazy. When you want to get stoned and watch a movie, you want something that’s entertaining and simple enough that you can enjoy it without having to pay too much attention, while also including lots of little details and sequences for you to fixate on. Half Baked walks that line perfectly, and unlike a lot of stoner movies, it’s still good if you’re sober.
A Scanner Darkly (2006) Sci-Fi, Animated
A real odd-ball of a movie in a good way. Fronted by an all-star cast of Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., and Woody Harrelson, based on a novel of the same name, and covering some pretty heavy topics such as the war on drugs, rehab, and addiction. It’s set in the not-too-distant future where the U.S. has lost the war on drugs and is being plagued by a new, ultra-addictive drug called Substance D. It’s a sci-fi thriller that really keeps you guessing and builds to a fantastic pay-off, and is definitely worth a watch for the one time.
Trainspotting (1993) Drama, Scottish
A film that seeks to answer questions that hopefully most of us will never find the answers to through our own experience, such as: Why do people do heroin? Why do people continue to do heroin? What is it like to get off of it? And what is it actually like to live as an addict? The film does this while also digging into the everyday relatable issues surrounding friends, relationships, and trying to find your direction in life. It also includes some amazing comic relief and manages to come off as a comedy, gritty crime film, inter-personal drama, and heist movie all rolled into one.