Some of my favorite films with short run times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/strong> – 83 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n An arthouse, horrific masterpiece. The film is relentless with its depravity without extending outside our reality. Tobe Hooper exhausted our fears of the unknown, opening the public to the possible underbelly of the American south. Beautifully framed in sun-bleached yellow, excellently performed with terror from Marilyn Burns, and edited with acceleration, efficiently bombarding you with fear over its short runtime. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, slowly eases you into the characters shoes, and not before long, you are completely immersed. The creaks in the floorboards, Leatherface’s breath, the roaring clank of the chainsaw. The film is not only one of the scariest movie-watching experiences but one that would shape the landscape of film from then on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Sunset<\/strong> – 80 mins <\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Linklater’s masterpiece. Before Sunrise, while left open-ended, didn’t necessarily need a sequel. The film deliberately leaves it that way, and while that is a testament to its power, I’m glad we ended up getting one. Before Sunset is as elegant as films can get. Whether it’s the natural, quiet but fierce chemistry between Hawke and Delpy, where in every scene you notice their little movements, both of them slowly getting closer to one another; to the yellow, nostalgic hue of the cinematography, painting Paris as an almost faint memory; or the muted tension, catapulting the film to its ending that is both satisfying and mystical like its predecessor. Each scene is meticulous and heart-grabbing, while Linklater allows the two actors to make it their own. It’s not the most conventional love story brought to film; however, it’s one that has stuck with me ever since my first watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Hard Day’s Night<\/strong> – 88 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n The joyous musical comedy from the greatest band in human history. The Beatles will always have a soft spot in my heart. My earliest memories growing up listening to all of their albums, diving into their chaotic personal lives, and connecting with their dynamics as artists, will forever keep me company. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen A Hard Day’s Night until this past year. The foursome in their earlier years are having fun running through the streets of London. The gags are funny and the moments where the band performs are show-stopping. The inclusion of Paul’s fictionalized Grandfather is tons of fun as well, blending the real world adoration in Beatlemania with fictionalized hijinks. The film is a joy-filled experience, and one that we are lucky to have. Somehow in the midst of worldwide obsession, The Beatles were able to make one of history’s greatest music films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fantastic Mr. Fox<\/strong> – 87 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lightning in a bottle. Not much needs to be said that hasn’t already. To reiterate my own argument from a previous article, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a generational film, able to connect with anyone, anywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Office Space<\/strong> – 89 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n The essential white-collar workplace satire. Mike Judge has become a fixture of American pop culture with Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, Idiocracy, to name a few, though his 1999 comedy Office Space, is my favorite. The film tackles the uncomfortable, infuriating relationships between boss and employee, the benign dynamics of work friends, and the film’s central thematic topic: burnout. Ron Livingston’s ascent into letting go is one of my favorite character arcs in cinema. Destroying the printer, or even hatching a plan to embezzle money from your employer read as true American, working class fantasies. Escaping the workforce and finding ourselves in our own free will may not be realistic for many. However, at least there’s a film to lose ourselves in. It’s pretty damn funny too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eraserhead<\/strong> – 89 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n Landmark journey through surrealism. David Lynch is a director that I haven’t completely<\/em> enveloped myself in. Eraserhead was my first foray into his filmography, and to this day, it still is his most resonant effort for me. Every shot, every sequence, pushes you further and further into its nightmarish atmosphere. It’s uncomfortable on a first watch, but also endearing. Losing yourself in the visual metaphors becomes a film experience you’re not likely to reenact with any other filmmaker. If you can sink into the mood, there’s plenty to chew on here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Killing<\/strong> – 85 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n A straight, to the point heist film. Just a quick, entertaining hour and a half. Barely any character work (though it almost gets there with the couple), which might be a peeve of mine, but I think it’s ok here. No need for any fluff, and the tragedy that lives in the ending is still captivating. Kubrick intentionally plays with the structure and timeline, differentiating this from any average thriller. You can see where filmmakers like Soderbergh and Nolan get their inspiration from. The film is almost like looking back at an old photo album, where Kubrick was starting to come into his own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n My Neighbor Totoro<\/strong> – 86 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n A true children’s film in every way. Miyazaki is animation’s greatest auteur. With so many classics under his belt, it’s almost an impossible task ranking them. Totoro is one of his films that not only stuck with me, but guided my growing up. The film is full of true wonder and whimsy, where children can explore and embrace the beauties of the world, even if everything doesn’t seem well. With the looming presence of their mother’s ailment, we join these two girls on a wonderfully animated journey with spirits. The Japanese countryside paints the background and every time we see Totoro, or the Cat Bus, I am floored. The plot for the first half comes secondary and for that might be the film’s greatest strength. The short runtime is used to remind us of the guideless adventures of our youth and that fire is still inside of us. It’s slow and takes its time, while still being efficient. I’ve seen the film enough times to recite it, and hope to show my children someday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Creep 2<\/strong> – 80 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proof that Mark Duplass can charisma his way through any film. A few years ago this film and its predecessor were my absolute favorites. They ignited my love for slow-burn horror, minimalist production, and Mark Duplass. A fairly simple thriller, Creep 2 is an example of how to do a sequel right. Give us what works and enhance it in every way. The scares are more earned, the humor more effective, and Duplass is able to fully package himself as this character. His range is on full display here, going between likable dork, silent killer, and unhinged sociopath. His performance is rarely discussed in the all-time greats of the horror genre and that is a serious discredit to his ability. Creep 2 is disturbing, anxiety-inducing, and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Toy Story<\/strong> – 81 mins<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s Toy Story. Need I say more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some of my favorite films with short run times. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – 83 mins An arthouse, horrific masterpiece. The film is relentless with its depravity without extending outside our reality. Tobe Hooper exhausted our fears of the unknown, opening the public to the possible underbelly of the American south. Beautifully framed in sun-bleached […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-essays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions\/162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evanehrenberg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}