Movie of the Month/LAMBcast #97: Dead Man

To steal a line from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which will come up on the LAMBcast devoted to this MOTM, it's quite possible that Jim Jarmusch, and this film in particular, are " Too weird to live, and too rare to die." Dead Man is some kind of neo-Western, a postmodern breed of film that's too strange and slow perhaps for most audiences, but is music to the heart of so many others. Filled with striking images and insane characters, it definitely keeps you (and its protagonist) on your toes. The IMDb summary, for those unfamiliar:

"Dead Man is the story of a young man's journey, both physically and spiritually, into very unfamiliar terrain. William Blake travels to the extreme western frontiers of America sometime in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Lost and badly wounded, he encounters a very odd, outcast Native American, named "Nobody," who believes Blake is actually the dead English poet of the same name. The story, with Nobody's help, leads William Blake through situations that are in turn comical and violent. Contrary to his nature, circumstances transform Blake into a hunted outlaw, a killer, and a man whose physical existence is slowly slipping away. Thrown into a world that is cruel and chaotic, his eyes are opened to the fragility that defines the realm of the living. It is as though he passes through the surface of a mirror, and emerges into a previously-unknown world that exists on the other side. "

First up, the links! Thanks to all of the LAMBs that sent in their posts for this edition of the MOTM (great turnout this month!).

* 1001 Plus
* Andy Buckle's Film Emporium
* Bonjour Tristesse
* Brian vs. Movies
* Cinema Funk
* Defiant Success
* Film Yarn
* gmanReviews
* Is It Better Than Avatar?
* The Motley View
* The Stop Button

It's also time to vote on next month's movie. I've included many of the choices from last month, but swapped a few out to keep it interesting. You have one week to vote.

Online Surveys & Market Research

As we do every month, the LAMBcast is tied in with the MOTM. Dylan, Nick, Fredo, Dan Heaton and Courtney tried to make sense of the film and took a gander here and there at the rest of Jarmusch's career.

Also on tap:

* Rants and Raves of the Week
* Last LAMB Standing



If you're interested, you too can be a LAMBcaster - we love new blood! For more information on the LAMBcast, check out the topic at the LAMB Forums. Music provided royalty-free by Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech website. Big thanks to Kevin for providing this service. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too. Either here in the comments section or to dylan@manilovefilms.com or to our Facebook page. Also, we're on iTunes, and would still love a review, even if it's a bad one.

Thanks for listening!