BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) CRY-BABY
What is “underrated”? To me, it’s merely something not being as valued as it should be. Some under the radar Depp projects are underrated, but the critical acclaim almost makes up for it. This is mainly why you won’t see a movie like “Fear and Loathing” or “Ed Wood” or others listed. I like em, you like em, and really they’re valued about right. At least that’s my assessment. So… While it’s true John Waters is an acquired taste, I think Cry-Baby is easily one of his most accessible films. Waters is known for his outrageousness and explicit content. He is a master of low budget productions and has many great movies under his belt. Cry-Baby is one of those. Johnny Depp IS “Cry-Baby”. It’s a teen-musical comedy. It’s set in the 50’s so it’s all “greasers and squares”. It’s a weird movie, but a fun one. I guarantee you that you’ve never seen Johnny Depp like this and most likely won’t again.
(THREE) BENNY & JOON
Johnny Depp plays a silent figure. It’s like he’s channeling Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. His physical comedy is pretty awesome here. It’s a run of the mill love story about two awkward people. It’s just like Juno… but without the pregnancy… or witty pop culture banter… BUT… with silent comedy routines… and uh… whatever. It’s nothing like Juno. All the more reason to watch it!
(TWO) THE NINTH GATE
If you enjoy the idea of “National Treasure” and “The DaVinci Code” having a baby movie then you’ll probably like The Ninth Gate. It’s another one of those mystery thrillers about antiques. In this case, it’s about old books. Depp comes across some drama as he begins to uncover the truths about a book written by the devil himself. There are nine engravings that when spoken out loud will summon the under lord. It’s weird, but damn good. Roman Polanski nails the direction in the movie harder than a teenage… er… it’s a really good movie!
(ONE) DEAD MAN
I don’t think most “diehard Johnny Depp fans” have even heard of this great movie that alone seen it. It’s a black and white indie movie from 1995. The creative mad man Jim Jarmusch directs this “Acid Western”. The movie stars Johnny Depp as “William Blake”. The movie tracks his adventure of traveling to a new job. It’s a quaint little movie with some great character work from the likes of Crispen Glover, Robert Mitchum, Billy Bob Thorton, Iggy Pop, and others. It’s just a great movie. It’s completely “out there” and is a weird movie, but I love it because it’s the perfect Depp. He’s weird and eccentric like he rests his laurels on lately and he’s sincere and dramatic as his past best works have shown. With modern technology you should not have too much trouble tracking this movie down. If you’re a fan of Johnny Depp then it’s worth the effort.
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