I've really been spending too much time on either coast for this series, so I thought I get right to the heart of it all. Colorado. Home of the Rockies (the mountains and baseball team) and my second cousins. I'm more than certain that I'm missing a ton of Westerns that at least dabble in the state, but I'll have to rely on you to fill in those blanks. So let's get on with this!
About Schmidt
It's kind of a road movie, but everything is building to Warren Schmidt arrives in Denver (plus, the Denver section features perhaps the films most memorable scene). Jack Nicholson at his least Jack Nicholson. A run down man trying to figure out what to do with himself now that he's retired. Much like Alexander Payne's other films (Election, Sideways, the postal woman's segment of Paris je t'aime), the comedy is very low key (Nicholson won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama) and there is a considerable amount of pathos.
Dumb and Dumber
While we're dealing with road trip movies, I may as well get Dumb and Dumber out of the way. One of the great dumb comedies of all time (and if you like this, check out The Brothers Solomon!). A particular sense of humor is required, sure, but the enthusiasm of Harry and Lloyd (Jeff Bridges and Jim Carrey, respectively) is so infectious that it's near impossible not to at least smile with this film. And Mike Starr makes an appearance (now I'm sad the TV show Ed isn't on DVD). I don't think there is a male of my generation who can't quote Dumb and Dumber ad nauseum. In fact, I'm just going to leave you with this: "That John Denver was full of shit."
Harvey
I don't think Jimmy Steward has ever been as likable as he is in Harvey. Of course, with a giant invisible rabbit for a friend, who wouldn't be? Perhaps it's because I've been watching The X-Files lately (almost done with season 3!), but Harvey (the movie) feels like it could've been an episode of the aforementioned show. Most of the time Mulder has to fight for his theories and can occasionally get some tread on the non-believers (is that a stretch? I'm going with it anyway). I really like the fact that the audience identifies with a man who may be an alcoholic or insane just because he's sweet.
The Shining
Sure, it was filmed (partially) in Oregon, but Stephen King wrote the book inspired by his stay at the Stanley Hotel near Estes Park, Colorado. Really, The Shining is one of my favorite films ever. Depending on how you approach it, it's a terrifying exploration of a disturbed man's psyche or a hilarious comedy about a crazy guy. You don't believe the latter? Just watch the "Give me the bat, Wendy" scene. Or pretty much any scene with Shelley Duval (who is really the scariest thing about the film). The Shining is hypnotic and bizarre. The imagery does more to scare than anything that actually happens in the film.
Misery
Man! Stephen King, Kathy Bates, and road trips. That's what Colorado is all about. From now on, the only people who should be adapting Stephen King's works are Rob Reiner and Frank Darabont. They just seem to get him better than anyone else (Reiner's other King adaptation is Stand By Me). Also in it's favor, Misery was written by William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride). In a world where fans have been known to attack those stars they love, Misery is a reminder that fame has a price. Finally, it references the events of The Shining mentioning "a guy who went mad in a hotel nearby." Using that as a leaping point, I'm going to go on thinking that all of the films above exist in the same world and that Harry and Lloyd went to the Overlook Hotel at the end of Dumb and Dumber to rescue Mary.
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