Weekly Theme

Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

Nowadays, the American Dream is tough. Finding a decent paying job. Looking for love. Buying a house. Mowing your lawn. And just when you think you've got it, some jerk has to move into your perfect little neighborhood and ruin it all. You know who I'm talking about. The pyscho mass murderers, the pedophiles, or worse, one of those weird French guys with their creepy accent and stupid looking berets.

Whether you're looking out for the safety of your kids (like Sarah Pierce and Brad Adamson in Little Children), suffering from OCD (like Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets), or just plain racist and homophobic (like Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino and Col. Frank Fitts in American Beauty), there is always some reason to take an overactive interest in your neighbors and plot to drive them out of their homes (or kill them).

So with that said, what are your favorite Neighborhood Watch films?

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

The 'Burbs - Tom Hanks as his goofy best. And Corey Feldman!

Towelhead - Just saw it and really got into all the drama. Great sexual discovery flick set in the early 1990's.

Edward Scissorhands - No explanation needed. 

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

mercurial:

Nowadays, the American Dream is tough. Finding a decent paying job. Looking for love. Buying a house. Mowing your lawn. And just when you think you've got it, some jerk has to move into your perfect little neighborhood and ruin it all. You know who I'm talking about. The pyscho mass murderers, the pedophiles, or worse, one of those weird French guys with their creepy accent and stupid looking berets.

Whether you're looking out for the safety of your kids (like Sarah Pierce and Brad Adamson in Little Children), suffering from OCD (like Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets), or just plain racist and homophobic (like Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino and Col. Frank Fitts in American Beauty), there is always some reason to take an overactive interest in your neighbors and plot to drive them out of their homes (or kill them).

So with that said, what are your favorite Neighborhood Watch films?

Now this is a kick-ass theme.How could anyone forget Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window.

I just bought Brian DePalma's Sisters to add to my Criterion Collection umm collection. Anyways it too is about a reporter who witness a murder in a window across the street. Than it just gets more twisted from there.

And for some reason, I'm reminded of the neighborhood community feel of Stir of Echos. Kind of a guilty pleasure of mine.

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

When I think of paranoia, my mind immediately shoots to government-induced paranoia (which, when you think about it, is sort of like neighborhood watch gone mad). We're talking V for Vendetta (not my favorite of movies, but captures the vibe pretty well), 1984 and (my favorite movie EVER) Brazil. I think Ian Holm's character perfectly encapsulates the paranoid bureaucrat.

Of course, a funnier, more localized version of this is the NWA from Hot Fuzz ("The Greater Good")

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

mercurial:

Nowadays, the American Dream is tough. Finding a decent paying job. Looking for love. Buying a house. Mowing your lawn. And just when you think you've got it, some jerk has to move into your perfect little neighborhood and ruin it all. You know who I'm talking about. The pyscho mass murderers, the pedophiles, or worse, one of those weird French guys with their creepy accent and stupid looking berets.

Whether you're looking out for the safety of your kids (like Sarah Pierce and Brad Adamson in Little Children), suffering from OCD (like Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets), or just plain racist and homophobic (like Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino and Col. Frank Fitts in American Beauty), there is always some reason to take an overactive interest in your neighbors and plot to drive them out of their homes (or kill them).

So with that said, what are your favorite Neighborhood Watch films?

    Just because you are paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get you!   Try watching  The Marathon Man  one more time and you might get it...   The Neighbors is a good example of this kind of movie...

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

Lakeview Terrace (2008) looked like one of these amusing types of films. Not that I'd ever watch that one.

And then there's Arlington Road (1999), which just freaked me out.

I recently watched Gone Baby Gone (2007), and that guy's neighbors are all kinds of messed up.

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

What if it's drug-induced?  Raoul Duke seems to think everyone's out to get to get him--not just people he knows, but stuff that he can't even comprehend.

Costa-Gavras' Missing (can't find the link) has some of the emerging-regime-in-South America spooky stuff, with people getting taken to a giant stadium and interrogated/killed.  I guess neighbors could turn people in here.

If I remember correctly, The Conversation is pretty focused on the paranoia of the surveillance trade--the ending instantly comes to mind.  I guess Truman Show might be thrown in here as well, because his whole life is watched...especially by the actors that play his neighbors...

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

indieabby88:

and (my favorite movie EVER) Brazil. I think Ian Holm's character perfectly encapsulates the paranoid bureaucrat.

 

Don't suspect your friend - report him.

I just got my 3 disc Criterion Collection copy of Brazil in the mail yesterday so I'm kinda super happy about it. I got a smokin' deal on it too. $20.50 on ebay and it's in immaculate condition................... yea me.

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

Ragtime

Great period peice dealing with racial injustice in the 1930's set against a backdrop of some very infamous historical characters of the times.

Bicentennial Man

A little bit of a futuristic way of dealing with racism and ignorant fear mongering.

Footloose

Kevin Bacon threatens a sleepy town set in its ways with his fast footwork.  Parents and other "squares" try to curb Bacon's enthusiasm.

Re:Weekly Theme for January 19: Neighborhood Watch

I just watched The Shop on Main Street. It's a Czech movie from 1965 about the "Aryanization" of a neighboorhood. Very excellent. Watch it.