But I am here to rectify that immediately with a listing of my 14 favorite movies of all time along with a few notes that may help you enjoy the film a little more. So without further adieu (in no particular order):
- American History X - this is probably one of the most underrated movies of all time and definitely the best performance from Ed Norton in my opinion. It's such a disturbing look at how easy it is to get sucked into horrifying ideologies (especially when they're spawned in your childhood home). One of the neat things is to watch the progression of the black and white memory sequences. They begin by treating Derek as the proto-typical nazi wunderkind: strong, intelligent, charismatic and able to rally those around him to his cause with an almost supernatural ease (culminating in the basketball scene where Derek is hoisted up on his "brothers" shoulders as the triumphant winner - truly the ubermensch). But as the movie progresses we start to see these cutaways devolve into the darker side of these evil ways until the prison shower scene which marks the nadir of Derek's life. The dichotomy is striking and really drives home the point that nothing is quite so complex as the relationships within a family and how they affect and mold children.
- American Psycho - those of you who read my Bret Easton Ellis treatise will find it no surprise to see one of his works on this list. As much as Less Than Zero turned a razor sharp satirical eye on Los Angeles in the 1980s, the same can be said for American Psycho and New York at the same time period. It is entirely too cursory an analysis to say that this movie is only about Patrick Bateman's insatiable bloodlust. If you look deeper into the dialogue it becomes clearer what brilliant satire this movie is. Notice how each of the investment bankers and lawyers appear completely interchangeable as the main characters struggle to recognize one from the other. How many times was Patrick Bateman mistaken for someone else in the movie? Also, tying back to my previous discussion of Ellis' novels, notice how Bateman only focuses on his appearance (both physical and social). This is central to Ellis' view of the nihilism so prevalent in the 80s when wealthy people could have everything and didn't believe in anything. What to fill the void in your psyche with then? Clothes, houses, business cards, the right reservations?
- Shawshank Redemption - not much analysis needed here. Just a wonderful study in the power of hope and the indestructibility of the human spirit.
- Godfather Part 1&2 - If you haven't done it already, do yourself a favor and take a rainy Saturday afternoon and watch these two back to back. Unbelievable! There are volumes written on the symbolism present throughout both movies but the most important aspect as far as I am concerned is, similar to American History X, the power of family and its ability to induce bad decisions but also bind you more tightly than anything else.
- Grandma's Boy - I wish I could say something insightful here but sometimes you just need to see a movie where a stoned monkey drives a jeep to help the protagonist get to his office so he can watch his grandmother beat the antagonist at a video game that's set in a meth lab.
- Kill Bill Volumes 1&2 - I'm a fan of all of Quentin Tarantino's films but this is by far his most ambitious work and I think he pulls it off remarkably. I would love to see this movie released how he had originally intended it, as one continuous production lasting nearly 5 hours. The movie is a mash-up of several of Quentin's most influential genres including the spaghetti western, kung-fu films and the revenge flick and that diversity is what ultimately led the short-sighted movie executives in charge to release it in two parts. Nevertheless, both movies are a lot of fun with all the gore, one-liners, and unexpected emotion we've come to expect from a Tarantino movie. Quick side note, Quentin plotted to release rats during the premiere screening to simulate the effect of watching a movie in a seedy theatre just like he remembered growing up. I guess it really is a fine line between lunacy and genius!
- Rushmore - the only reason I chose Rushmore out of all of Wes Anderson's oeuvre is because this is the most well known and most likely to be in stock at your local Blockbuster. Anderson is definitely an acquired comedic taste (I watched this particular movie over 30 times when I was living in Geneva in college because we only had about 5 American movies - I also watched a lot of Ghostbusters and Strange Brew) and besides now being able to quote the movie from memory, I realized how brilliant Anderson's minor turns of phrase could be. Watch that movie closely one day and tell me the scene where Bill Murray confides in Jason Schwartzman that, after stashing a mini-bottle of Jim Beam in a pile of hospital bed linens and lighting up a cigarette in a hospital elevator, he's, "a little lonely these days," doesn't leave you rolling on the floor.
- Braveheart - no real science to this one either. One of only two or three movies where, no matter what the location I'm watching it in, the room always seems a little dusty...
- The Incredibles - I like the increasing popularity of these Pixar and Disney Animation movies not just because it's a bit of mindless entertainment that has content for every generation watching, but because they constantly seem to one-up each other with every new film. I wonder what the technology will develop into in the next ten years?
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - In one of my previous posts I talked about my feelings for Guy Ritchie so I won't expound any further except to say that, as this was the movie that really put him on the map, its definitely worth a view.
- Gladiator - "Are you not entertained?!?!"
- Dumb and Dumber - "I got worms"
- The Devil's Rejects - I never understood why people derided Rob Zombie for trying to direct a horror movie. I'm no horror-phile but that dude is one of the scariest people alive (he makes damn good music - but still scary) so why wouldn't it stand to reason that he'd make good scary movies? That was certainly the case with the gratuitously violent House of 1000 Corpses, but what was unexpected was the anti-hero undertones that came out in The Devils Rejects. You begin to realize that, despite the terrifying depths of their insanity and depravity, the Fireflys are still a family that face a lot of the same struggles we all do. Watch the scene where Baby and Captain Spaulding make fun of Otis and tell me it doesn't remind you of any quintessential American family roadtrip.
- Sin City - I have become a huge fan of Frank Miller since movie versions of all the popular graphic novels became fashionable (Watchmen, Dark Knight, etc.). The term "gritty reboot" is thrown about a lot today but Sin City was gritty from the very start and, the satirical view of the whole genre seen through the stilted and often cheesy dialogue is pretty cool. Plus I like that the entire thing was filmed in front of green screens. I also like Jennifer Alba in riding chaps.
