I've never seen "Ridicule", but it sounds neat.

I seem to remember watching "Gothic" years ago when Lisa had an apartment with my old girlfriend, Diane Struthers. It's a Ken Russell film, so it's as advertised: like watching a David Lynch movie with a morphine drip with strange bits of erotica thrown in. Not a bad film, just a little hard to follow as the characters get more and more laudanumed up.

Come to think of it, Ken Russell is like Paul Verhoeven, just less violent and more weird and sex-crazed.

[The best/cheesiest Ken Russell films are:
The Lair of the White Worm (worth it to watch Hugh Grant play the bagpipes)
The Devils of Loudon (a sound performance by Oliver Reed as a priest during the Plague with only two vices: whoring and drinking, lots of great religious allegory and a surprise guest shot of the Sun King himself)
Avoid "Salome" at all costs.]

I can recommend Restoration, with Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neil, Ian McKellen, Hugh Grant, and Meg Ryan(?). Worth seeing for the costumes, if nothing else.

I can also recommend "Wilde" with the incomporable Stephen Fry, Jude Law and Vanessa Redgrave. The thing I like most about this movie is the relationship Wilde has with his children, and in the end that's what gets my sympathy. He's imprisoned for his indiscretions and separated from his loved ones. It's a brilliant performance by Stephen Fry. The stuff with Jude Law [the homosexuality] is for a different audience than myself, but he plays his part well.

I haven't seen Vatel but I've been meaning to. I like Tim Roth most of the time (I haven't quite forgiven him for "The Musketeer" yet, but soon).

I think I saw it the same night as Darren. That was around 12-13 years ago, maybe longer.

I have seen Vatel - it was great and I highly recommend it!! Or at least to other history geeks. I don't believe it would be popular for general consumption.

Cool; but I wonder if Blockbuster has Vatel? More importantly, do I have a Blockbuster membership?

You know someone who has a Blockbuster card though.

I cannot believe that you have known me for this long and do not know that "Gothic" is one of my favorite films of all time!!! So much so I am not allowed to own a copy. Gabriel Byrne AS Byron- my Gawd, I am rendered absolutely incapacitaed every time! Thank goodness there is no scale mail! BTW, the funky soundtrack is by either Thomas Dolby or the guy from Oingo Boingo. Just because of this film, a group of us were shameless libertines, in staunchly period dress, for Halloween one year. I believe that Bill F. still has the lounging robe ala Byron that I made for him. Seems that Sue dug it a lot.

A terrific combo for wierd movie night is "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover" followed by "Resovoir Dogs" and closed out by "Lair of the White Worm". This goes best with Asian food and German wine.

Hey Darren- funky films, Buffy, C'uthulu, and pre-raphealite art- we really have to spend some time together. You may be my other psychic twin! Don't tell Dr. Lobinske though, he might get jealous.

It's funny, there is a movie called "Haunted Summer", which was like a watered-down PG version of the story in "Gothic". It starred Eric Stoltz as Shelley, Phillip Anglim as Byron, and Alice (Borg Queen) Krige as Mary Godwin.

I liked "Gothic" better. I gotta give props to Byrne as Byron too. The only thing he's done that I wasn't crazy about was "Cool World".

Happy to meet you, Sid. I'm sorta Sinister by association (kinda sounds like the name of a rapper, doesn't it?)

So now all we need to do is plan a night for this cinematic adventure. I volunteer to rent one of the movies, whichever one anyone wants to see.

Hmmm... "Sinister by Association" just went into my list of potential band names...