Requiem for Nachos #48

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Requiem for Nachos #47

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Discuss: The Movies That Haunt You

After heaps of buzz and praise, and our own Eric Snider saying: "it's compelling and artistic, punctuated with warm humor and masterful performances, and ultimately triumphant and hopeful," Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is finally hitting theaters today. It's a harrowing look at one girl's traumatic young life of being pregnant with her second baby (by her father), abused by her mother, and struggling with illiteracy and obesity. In other words, a movie that demands you to think and feel -- to be touched beyond the 110 minute span of the film.

Naturally, that made me think about movies that haunt us. It can be for any number of reasons -- because of a film's thought-provoking power, how it's filmed and presented, the way it latches on to pain in our own experience, unsettles our own belief systems, angers us, or challenges us. Whether it ends sadly, or with hope. Whatever the reason, certain films seep into us and refuse to leave, whether it be for a few fleeting post-credits moments, or a week, month, year, or lifetime.

Upon leaving Requiem for a Dream the first time, my friend and I couldn't get the music out of our heads. We couldn't stop repeating the same thoughts as our brains tried to process them. Even if I don't see the film before my eyes, the music brings back every feeling, every moment of tenseness. As the credits started moving in Dogville, I couldn't shake the last powerful moments out of my head. It took a while to shake the gooseflesh from my arms, and every time I let my mind slip back, there's a brief jolt of shocked memory.

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Requiem for Nachos #46

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Requiem for Nachos #45

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Requiem for Nachos #44

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Requiem for Nachos #43

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Marlon Wayans is Richard Pryor

This may be old news to some, but Eddie Murphy has fallen off his dream project of playing Richard Pryor in a biopic based on the comedian. Who took his place? Well, none other than... Marlon Wayans?

Marlon Wayans for Richard Pryor: Is it Something I Said
Though Marlon Wayans is best known for goofy (aka lame) roles from Wayans Brothers films and In Living Color, the actor does have Requiem for a Dream on his filmography and that was a damn impressive dramatic performance by him. Looking back, I'm somewhat surprised that he didn't try to further develop his career in more demanding roles.

Marlon Wayans Has a Pryor Commitment

Less than eight months ago, it was confirmed that Eddie Murphy would play the lead role in Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, a biopic about the legendary comedian. Bill Condon, who directed Murphy to an Oscar nomination in Dreamgirls, wrote the screenplay and was set to direct. The film was going to be made at Paramount, the studio behind Dreamgirls. Murphy used to do a killer impression of Pryor in his stand-up act. It seemed like the perfect plan.

But then -- record scratch! -- everything fell apart. Entertainment Weekly reported late Tuesday night that Murphy had left the project "over conflicts with Paramount," and that now Paramount is gone, too. Condon is still directing, but the film will now be produced by Sony Pictures and Happy Madison Productions (Adam Sandler's company). And the new Richard Pryor? Marlon Wayans.

The Wayans family name has been sullied in recent years by such travesties as White Chicks, Little Man, and Dance Flick, all of which Marlon Wayans co-wrote and appeared in. But don't forget: He can do legitimate acting, too. His performance in the harrowing Requiem for a Dream in 2000 was widely praised, and his acting muscles apparently haven't atrophied since then. Producers on the Richard Pryor flick were reportedly blown away by his 13-minute audition tape, in which EW says he "transformed into Pryor." So while at first blush this might sound like a poor choice in casting, the filmmakers have seen Wayans' screen test and we haven't, and it's apparently pretty amazing.

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Requiem for Nachos #42

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