Quick Recs: Favorite Films
I’ve had a lifelong love affair with movies, and I’m always trying to push my favorites onto others. From tear-jerking dramas to science fiction epics, my love for film knows no bounds. The below are just some quick picks, to which I’m certain I’ll continue to add titles.
Amadeus – The life of Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart as seen through the eyes of his contemporary Antonio Salieri. F. Murray Abraham is unbelievable as Salieri, and his performance alone is enough for me to recommend this movie. You can’t help but sympathize with him no matter how devious he becomes. Besides fantastic performances, Amadeus boasts some truly beautiful cinematography along with a stellar (it’s Mozart — how could you going to go wrong?) score.
Amelie / Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, Le – This is one of those films that will inevitably leave you feeling ten times lighter. The storyline is charming and original, as is Audrey Tatou as the title character. Far more than just a standard love story, Jean-Pierre Jeunet takes his audience on a fantastic journey that includes fantasy, adventure, drama, and comedy as well as love. Beautiful and vibrant, the cinematography is actually a part of the story.
The Apartment – This is one of my all time favorite movies. The dialogue is snappy, the actors are all fantastic and the two leads (Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine) have great chemistry. Not quite a comedy, and not quite a drama, it’s one of those films that makes you think about your own life and who you relate to the people you’re seeing on screen.
Blade Runner – Sci-fi CLASSIC. If you haven’t seen this before, go to your local video store RIGHT NOW and rent it. Also, make sure you pick up the director’s cut. It’s a fabulous mix of futuristic-noir-ness that I’ve loved since I was kid. It’s very dark and pretty much a total mind f*ck. Who do you trust? What is real? Amazing.
Brotherhood of the Wolf / Le Pacte des Loups – Very cool and very odd mystery/adventure movie that takes place about 50 years before the French Revolution. Two strangers come to a small French town to rid the villagers of a wild and mysterious beast that seems almost invincible. Despite being a period film, it has this great integration of futuristic elements which turns the setting into a sort of an alternate universe France. I love it!
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – I don’t think I really need to explain what makes this movie worth watching. Five words: Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon / Wo hu cang long – I’ve always found this movie exceptionally beautiful – in practically every way. In fact, I’m always a little bit surprised when I hear that people don’t feel the same. It’s definitely in the realm of fantasy, but if you’re interested in that or in movies about legends, you should definitely pick it up. It involves love stories, myths and some fantastic fighting sequences that I never get tired of watching. It’s a suspension of reality, and I love that about it.
Fifth Element, The – Say what you will about Bruce Willis always playing the same character, I adore this movie. I’m a huge fan of Luc Besson who both wrote and directed. While a large part of the movie’s appeal is as a visual playground, I think the characters we are introducted to are all memorable and well performed. From Milla Jovovich’s vulnerable warrior Leeloo to Chris Tucker’s wonderfully ridiculous Ruby Rhod, they all seem to work well in the ensemble. And then, of course, there’s Gary Oldman’s Zorg who is the fabulously smarmy villain. If you’re still not convinced, you should at least check it out for the OH-SO-COOL futuristic aria that “the Diva” performs. It’s unforgettable.
Finding Nemo – Albert Brooks is my hero, as is the entire crew of artists and technicians who make up Pixar. This fish tale is charming and sweet, but also has some really great darker moments. Some of Ellen’s delivery as Dory is really heartbreaking, which I think is very difficult considering her character is, in large part, major comic relief. So besides being a terrific family movie, it’s got some wonderful emotional highs and lows for the grown ups.
Gosford Park – This is an amazing mix of period setting, crime story, drama and comedy. I know that sounds rather odd, but Altman manages to make it work. A murder is committed, and we’re taken along for the ride in this world of masters and servants. Besides really stellar performances by Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith and Kelly Macdonald, the plot is really fascinating. It’s much less about “whodunit” and much more about who these people are and why they are. Finally, if for no other reason, watch it for Clive Owen and his smoldering, brooding looks.
Grave of the Fireflies / Hotaru no haka – To call Studio Ghibli the Disney of the East is a vast understatement. My first recommendation is that you watch this one with a close friend and on a night when you’ll have time to sit and talk about what you’ve just seen. At it’s heart, Grave of the Fireflies is a powerful antiwar film. It operates on many different levels, but I think regardless of how you align yourself politically, it’s impossible not to be moved by the two children who are the film’s main characters. Watch it with a box of kleenex.
The King of Masks / Bian Lian – I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Yet another foreign film on my list of must sees, this movie follows an aging, childless street performer on a quest to leave behind his legacy. The movie includes some wonderful footage of Chinese opera and acrobatics, but at the heart of it is the relationship between the street performer and his young student. Beautifully filmed, it’s moving without being cloying or too cliche.
March of the Penguins – I think all I have to say is this: PENGUINS! Seriously, though, this is probably the most engaging documentary I’ve watching in a very long time. It’s moving and incredibly filmed – the perfect film for a hot day, too. Whether you want something to watch with kids or just feel like watching a quirky and infinitely “cool” movie about some funky birds, I promise that you’ll love it.
My First Mister – Slightly twisted May/December romance starring Leelee Sobieski and Albert Brooks (my hero). I found this to be incredibly sweet without being saccharin. Sobieski plays angsty and quirky incredibly well, and I found myself relating to her throughout the movie. It’s not your average love story, but it’s well worth a viewing. Carol Kane is hilarious in a bit roll as Sobieski’s “too-perky-to-be-true” mother who has a thing for brisket.
The Nightmare Before Christmas – If you haven’t watched this before, GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW. Possibly my favorite film of all time, TNBC is beautiful and brilliant. With a story by Tim Burton and score composed by Danny Elfman, I was enraptured before the end of the opening voice over (by Patrick Stewart of all people). Visually it’s amazing. Stop animation has always fascinated me and Selnick’s direction combined with Burton’s vision bring it to a whole new level. The music is phenomenal, as well, and you’ll be sure to have strains of one of the songs in your head long after the movie is done. MAGNIFICENT!!!
Nowhere In Africa / Nirgendwo in Afrika – I’m not really sure how I stumbled upon this movie, but I’m so glad I did. Beautifully filmed and well acted, Nowhere In Africa follows the lives of a young German, Jewish attorney and his wife and daughter, who are forced to leave their homeland for the wilds of Kenya in order to find safety away from the Nazi Third Reicht. I’m not really sure what it is about this film that I fell in love with, but I know that the first time I saw it I was totally floored. Incredibly moving, and the African landscape is stunning.
Princess Mononoke / Mononoke-hime – Miyazaki and composer Hisaishi create an absolutely mesmerizing world. This is EPIC. There are moments when the score just takes over – in a good way – and you’re really there in this beautifully animated world. If you’ve never watched anime, watch this.
Secretary – Not for the faint of heart, this is probably my favorite “romanitic comedy” from the last decade. It’s a little dark — the heroine suffers from a severe form of depression at the beginning of the film and has only just been released from a mental institution — but she fast manages to find herself, which I find almost more heartening than the love story aspect of Secretary. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the romance. The chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Spader is so intense that it’s almost disturbing, but I love that Lee (Gyllenhaal’s character) finally finds out who she really is, and I think that’s an incredibly important aspect of the movie. Be warned that this moving does deal with some adult themes like sadomasochism, but you should stick with it if only to see the penultimate scene. So sexy and so beautiful.
Trading Places – This is comedy gold, my friends. Long before the PC revolution, this hysterical gem was made. In it you’ll find amazing scenes involving Eddie Murphy posing as a blind, legless veteran, Dan Akroyd in a thoroughly politically incorrect makeup, and a number of Jamie-Lee-Curtis!boobs sightings. Trading Places is “laugh so hard you’ll pee in your pants” funny.
Turning Point, The – This is the quintessential dance film. Think Center Stage only with a good storyline, brilliant actors, and epically talented dancers. The story revolves around two former rival ballerinas nearing middle age, played by Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft. The former is a dancer who left the stage to have a family, and the latter a prima ballerina resisting retirement. Tying these two women together is MacLaine’s daughter, played by the phenomenal Leslie Browne, a young woman destined to live out her mother’s dreams of being a star. Throw a disgustingly fabulous Mikhail Baryishnikov (who was even nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar) into the mix, and you have an instant classic.
A Walk on the Moon – I love this movie. It’s neither brilliant nor terribly unique, but Liev Schrieber is wonderful in a way that is hard to believe. You need to see it in order to really understand. He takes a perfectly ordinary character and makes him the one you root for. This is not supposed to be his movie, but it definitely is. Anytime he’s on screen, he is absolutely gripping, even if he’s not saying a word. Beautifully performed.
Working Girl – The last movie that Melanie Griffith did that I actually enjoyed. This isn’t a world changing movie, but I still love to watch it when I’m frustrated with the working world. It’s funny, and the characters are lovable. Watch it when you’re in a “down with the man” mood. It’ll lift your spirits.
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