13 Films To Get To Know J Virus

A baker's dozen of films from artist and musician (and former Third Uncle guitarist) Jason Viers.

Jason Viers, before and after.

It is no exaggeration when I say that I was thrilled when I got a message from my old Third Uncle bandmate J Virus, who said he wanted to take a crack at the 13 Films project. From the time that J and I met as we were just limping into our twenties, we discussed our shared love of cinema. J was one of the few people I had ever met that knew what Koyanisqaatsi was, and the only person my own age that I knew who had seen it, besides me, of course. To have his list included in the 13 Films canon seems only fitting.

Jason Viers is a friend of WAIM and a lifelong film fan. Somewhere in adolescence he became a Horror movie aficionado, but actually prefers absurdist humor more than anything. After reading the baker's dozen lists previously published here he was inspired to see what films have stuck the most and might reflect his personality 50 years on.

Here is his list in alphabetical order. Enjoy.

Baraka (1992)

The director Ron Fricke was cinematographer for Godfrey Reggio's classic Koyaanisqatsi. While that film likely has greater weight due to the message it seeks to send to the viewer (our world is out of balance and we are destroying that which we need to survive) Fricke's film is more beautiful and sustained in it's presentation.

This is a documentary without voice-over. It is a technical achievement shot in 70mm using slow motion and time lapse photography to astonishing effect. As you watch you begin to develop a visual narrative that underpins some of the most beautiful and heart wrenching imagery every captured.

This is film as art to say the least. I have been inspired by this film since its release and have found my life enriched each time I have watched it.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

I hated this movie the first 3 times I saw it but a friend insisted it was one of the greatest movies of all time. This is a friend I trust implicitly so I continued to try to understand what he saw in it. Eventually it was like the light went on for me.

Since that time I have watched this film many times over and it continues to unveil a new nugget that I missed previously. Absurdity is a theme for me. There is plenty to find in this story. Obviously there are quotable lines that have infected the zeitgeist over the past 30 years and there are set pieces galore that fans fawn over. But what draws me in most is the way this film is a perfect metaphor for the Baby Boom generation. Between The Dude, Walter, and The Big Lebowski himself you see all the warring parts of that generation on display.

Everything seems so important to these characters and in the end it all comes down to a peed-on rug that "really tied the room together". The characters run around themselves in all directions and don't really end up anywhere other than where they already were in the beginning. Tremendous performances, great soundtrack, ingenious filmmaking. There has never been another film even remotely like this.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

I am deeply versed in all things Star Wars at this point. I am up to date on all the Disney+ material be it animated or live action. I have read book tie-ins and comics. But none of that would exist without this film in particular.

I know that ultimately the success of Star Wars is the reason this sequel exists but this film expands and amplifies everything from the original film and lays the foundation for the entire cosmology of the Star Wars universe. The key is that George Lucas focused on production and special effects and allowed the great Irvin Kershner to direct. The result is a fully serious film with real consequences for the characters.

The humor is measured perfectly but never overtakes the tension and mounting sense of doom the heroes face. Darth Vader has never been more menacing than in this film and the brief introduction of Emperor Palpatine establishes the crux point around which the entire series revolves from Return of the Jedi all the way through to the newest show Ahsoka.

Exciting, frightening, and filled with tension this movie blew everyone's minds at the time with an ending where the good guys lose. That was a cliffhanger I spent the next 3 years obsessing over waiting for the next film to arrive. Forever and above my favorite of the franchise.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

I had seen a trailer for this film and my wife and I thought it looked intriguing enough to see it opening week. What I thought might be an interesting film turned into the movie I had been waiting to see my entire life. I was sitting in the theater thinking this movie had been made specifically for me.

I couldn't believe there was a big budget film with so much 80's B-movie sci-fi absurdity that machine gunned humor in equal parts with deep familial struggle and trauma. How is that combination even possible? Well between the Daniels and the cast the job got done. Michelle Yeoh is exceptional as always and I am oh so happy that Ke Huy Quan had the opportunity to shine so brightly in his role. The times have finally caught up to him and now I see him popping up in all kinds of projects. A well deserved resurgence from the child actor who brought Short Round and Data to such vivid life.

This film deserved every award it won and I am so profoundly happy that it exists in the world. Now I can watch it over and over and over again.

Fright Night (1985)

I read the novelization of this movie before I was allowed to watch it. The character Evil Ed was my model for becoming a Horror movie geek. That insecure part of myself latched on to the idea of being an expert in something that scared most people. I think I saw myself in that character. Once I saw the film I fell in love with it.

There are any number of 80's vampire movies that might be called the quintessential of the decade but this the one I choose every time. The story is well constructed and the characters are well played especially Chris Sarandon's vampiric Jerry Dandridge and Roddy McDowell's Peter Vincent.

This is so 80's in the clothes and music it feels like an open door to the vibe of the decade. It also has great special effects and enough scares to satisfy. A well written and constructed vampire story and a classic of the era. “You have to have faith, Mr. Vincent!”

La La Land (2016)

I can't quite explain why this movie goes so deep inside me. I get so emotional each time I watch this movie. It seems to have something to do with the jazz music and the excellent way Damien Chazelle makes this a love letter to classic Hollywood musicals while placing it firmly in the present day.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling may not be Gene Kelley and Debbie Reynolds as dancers but they have a clear chemistry and each provide an emotional depth that buoys the films nicely. I think I love the complicated ending and the way Chazelle uses song and dance to display a lifetime of what-could-have-been as the main characters look at each other for mere moments.

I fully agree that Moonlight was a superior film and fully deserved the Oscar over La La Land but this movie makes me cry and well up with joy. It makes me want to learn jazz piano. What more can I say?

Natural Born Killers (1994)

This film is always described as Oliver Stone's meditation on our obsession with the media and is pretty much left at that. “The media made them superstars” as the poster said. I don't see this film listed amongst his greatest works and I am confused by that. I believe this is the best film he has made.

Natural Born Killers is the single best movie that encapsulates the decade of the 90's. It is filled with a pessimistic view of American culture as it celebrates violence and narcissism. Every performance is completely gonzo and turned up to 11. Woody Harrelson completely shattered his contemporary image of being Woody from Cheers and displayed his true acting chops. Juliette Lewis sears the screen with her depiction of rage and trauma due to child sexual abuse at the hands of her father played by none other than Rodney Dangerfield. Rodney may have turned in one of the most disturbing portraits of an abusive father in cinema history. He is absolutely chilling and you cannot forget his short stint onscreen.

Robert Downey Jr, Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones all portray fatally flawed 'good guys' who are ultimately just as damaged as Mickey & Mallory. While this all sounds grim, the manner in which this film is presented is incredibly exciting and visually captivating. This is a master class in film technique and editing. You will be rooting for Micky and Mallory too even though you will wonder why as they are willfully irredeemable.

The Princess Bride (1987)

I arrived to this film fairly late. I don't believe I saw it for the first time until the early 2000's and that is almost a crime. I believe the key ingredient to this perfect film is the way the actors play their characters straight even though the characters themselves are completely absurd. The actors fully embody the eccentricities of the characters and never wink at the audience. At once hysterical and tender this is simply a wonderful film that will make you laugh every time you see it. Endlessly quotable lines and a great story carry this off into the sunset as Westley carries Buttercup off to their life together. This one is warm and cozy forever.

Renaissance, a film by Beyonce (2023)

This may come as a shock inclusion on my list. I debated it, but I simply cannot deny how incredible this film is. I saw it 3 times in the theater and it is 3 hours long. I had dismissed Beyonce as a bubblegum pop star until I heard her 2016 Lemonade album. My perspective was changed so completely I realized I had been blindly judgemental.

Each film, project, and album since then has elevated to a higher level. The Renaissance album is simply fantastic and builds off of so many classic sounds and performers who blazed the path for her. I attended the Renaissance tour and did not expect to have my perspective changed so completely. More went into that visual extravaganza than mere words can convey. It required all of her experience and everything she has ever done or learned to pull it off.

The film she crafted from this tour builds on all the filmmaking she has been doing since 2014. She is truly a Renaissance woman. She conceives and executes the music as well as all the videos, costumes, lighting, and films. Her palette is vast and she uses it all. She is a real deal artist and being a film director is now one of the arrows in her quiver. More than a concert documentary this film depicts a creative process in motion and all the stresses and strains a black woman faces being a business woman, mother, wife, and creator. The editing on this thing is ridiculous and I simply have never seen anything like it. Nuff said.

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

I developed a deep love of horror movies over the course of the late 80's and it pretty much defined how I presented myself to the world. I was the Horror aficionado of my junior high and high school. In the 8th grade I even went so far as to wear 6 horror movie pins prominently displayed on my acid washed jean jacket.

That being said this movie is decidedly not a horror movie. It is a comedy set in a zombie apocalypse well before Zombieland was a hint of an itch of an idea. There is a long history that connects the production of this movie to the original Night of the Living Dead that I won't go into. Suffice to say the original intent of this movie was to be full scale horror but what we have instead is a set piece featuring some of the best comedic turns you will see anywhere.

With veteran character actors Clu Gulager, Dan Calfa, and especially James Karen delivering wide-eyed adrenaline soaked performances the humor comes at you fast and furious. It is still amazing to see what was delivered with no budget and a mostly young and inexperienced cast. Something was obviously in the air here that created a classic of horror comedy. I simply cannot see this film enough times.

The Road Warrior (1981)

For many, many years this was likely the movie I had seen the most times. It may still be but I have a feeling that Strange Brew has taken over. The Road Warrior is simply the best post-apocalypse movie ever made. George Miller one-upped himself in this sequel to Mad Max.

The film is tightly edited and Mel Gibson gives the best performance of his career. He hardly says a word throughout the film but he expresses SO MUCH through his face and body. A tour de force of acting through minimalism, which just opens up that much more space for all the crazy action and The Humungous.

Bruce Spence shines in this movie as the comic relief. He is simply marvelous as a sketchy skittish man-about-the-wasteland. He is unforgettable. A classic of the era that spawned an entire industry of post-apocalyptic wannabes. Nothing came close until Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 and that still doesn't touch the achievement of The Road Warrior.

Strange Brew: The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie (1983)

"How's it going, eh?" I first saw this in 1985 in the 6th grade. I have no idea if it would be funny to someone now with no context for this film but I continue to find it more hilarious as the years pass.

Coming from the Canadian SCTV characters of the same name, Bob & Doug (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) were an early 80's phenomenon. The comic absurdity is in the vein of Monty Python but with a Canadian twist all its own.

My love for the absurd HAS to come from endlessly watching this film. I have memories of recalling bits with my Dad at the time and literally busting a gut crying from laughter.

Plus this film has Max Von Sydow playing the villain totally straight which becomes one of the great comedic performances of all time. He never breaks in his seriousness which only adds absurdity upon absurdity. I LOVE this movie.

At this point in my life this is my answer to the question 'What is your favorite movie of all time?' Take off you Hoser! THIS is the film, eh?

The Thing (1982)

This movie continues to age well. The special effects are still an incredible highlight and the dread and tension are well deployed throughout. It has attained the rank as a classic of the genre and stands along with all the greatest horror movies of all time.

This is an ensemble piece that contains a plethora of outstanding performances. I won't list the entire cast but you have peak Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley leading the way. Every single actor shines in this though. The desperation and anxiety the characters face as any one of them could be the monster at any time is plain to see. Each actor displays an escalating sense of claustrophobic suspicion as the cohesive unit they once were comes apart at the seams.

Right up the ambiguous ending you are left wondering who is The Thing?

Pretty great list, eh? Are any of these films near and dear to you? Would any of them make your 13 Films list? Wanna take a crack at making your own list? Leave a comment here and we can get ya started in no time.

Thanks so much to J Virus for sharing his 13 Films with us.

Cheers,
Matty C