Movies

Well, since it has been almost a month since I last posted, I have decided to start off with something rather simple. Here are my ten favorite movies and my reasons why. They aren't the most dramatic, the most daring, the most exciting, the funniest, or the best; they just happen to be my favorite movies which I will spend a great deal of effort to get you to watch and enjoy. Also, I will not be underlining titles because...that'll just take too much time.

But first, honorable mentions which came extremely close:
Casablanca, The Dark Knight, Gladiator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Prestige, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Howl's Moving Castle.


10) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) This movie is screamingly funny. I love the characters and how they help, hate, embrace, betray, and befriend each other throughout this film. The music is incredibly beautiful (I occasionally catch myself singing "Down in the River to Pray" or whatever it is called). The lighting is gorgeous, the scenes are remarkable, the acting is delightful, the characters are vast and varied, and I love how classy of a retelling it does of The Odyssey.

9) Fight Club (1999) It's delightful. I loved the tones set by lighting and the beautiful portrayals of all the characters. I saw the twist coming a mile away, but was still fascinated and very impressed by how it was implemented throughout the film. The confusion on people's faces as the protagonist beats or berates them and then Tyler Durden coming around and helping them up or beating them further down. It made me laugh, but in that way which I have to laugh otherwise it would bother me. The themes and lessons were delectable. The fights were impressive too.

8) Newsies (1992) Come on, I had to have a musical on here. Also, it stars Christian Bale (and since I already cut The Prestige from the top ten, I was kinda wounded already). The music is lively and heart felt and performed very well. Open the gates and seize the day! come on, who doesn't want to start a riot and save the world. With a cast that you've all seen in other movies, but never known it, and choreography that simply kicks butt it is one of my fondest childhood memories and one of my favorite movies. I would watch this at any time with anyone and could probably recite every line and song.

7) Battle Royale (2001) This movie will mess you the freak up. I have never seen so much emotional and physical violence in a film and feel every moment was justified. It made me question and solidify my morals and beliefs. The ending is a little awkward, but the rest of the movie is so startlingly poignant I love it completely. To what extent will people go to protect themselves or their friends. To what extent will a government go to be self-sustaining. What can someone endure before they crack, what justifies a person, and how do our choices and friendships protect or betray us? I love this movie and I hope we see it together someday so I can rant and explain all my emotions during it. It is an excellent example of relationships and their worth in the end.

6) Inherit the Wind (1960) Ahhh, we finally get to a classic. First off, this is my favorite play. It is so powerful and helped me come to terms with some of my own dilemmas. Reading it opposite Claire is one of my favorite memories. Also, it has Spencer Tracey in it. Do you really want to question that? I thought not. This movie is a delightful showing of two friends who combat over religion as if it were game in a courtroom, but it is game to neither of them. This is their life, their explanation, their purpose on the line and they are being forced to either accept the truth they've been telling themselves or get lost in the fray. They both come out standing, but only one is satisfied by his work. They both win, but only one is able to celebrate his victory. They accomplished their Earthly purpose, but only one lives. This movie helped define what a movie should be in my eyes.

5) Seven Samurai (1954) No one has seen this movie. No one. Except Emily, but she is abnormal. Seriously, I think this is one of the greatest movies of all time, but no one has seen it. Also, it was remade as a western film titled The Magnificent Seven, which was later spoofed by The Three Amigos. It is also the oldest film on this list. It tells the tale of Japan as they started to abandon their old traditions and honor in order to embrace the rest of the world, but ignore the problems that still exist amongst their proletariat. A village is being ravaged by a group of bandits each season after their harvest. The village is kind of sick of this and sends someone into town in order to hire mercenaries or whomever they can find to protect the village and kill the bandits. The problem is the village has no money (so they lie about it), the samurai are scarce (but have no money so must do whatever jobs pay), and the bandits are coming soon (which doesn't need parentheses, but I want to continue the parallelism). Six samurai are hired, but a young punk, eager to prove himself, sneaks along and there are seven. They come to a spat with the villagers as the villagers have been killing rogue samurai off over the years (which is kind of justified as the samurai used to almost be worse than the bandits, but had honor and rules instead of chaos and murder), don't have the promised money, and expect the samurai to do all the work and die so they don't have to be paid. The samurai's honor overcomes them and they promise to finish the job they said they would do. The fights are tragic and lovely. The growth in all the samurai is startling and real. This is a another film everyone must see if nothing but to experience what we've been missing over the years.

4) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) I like how all three old flicks are right next to each other. What can't I say about this film? It's classic. It's beautiful. It's tragic. It's exciting. It's emotional. The romance is even acceptable I feel. From start to finish I was never bored, wanted something else to happen or be explained, and I never knew what was going to happen next. It's beautiful. Honestly, I can't say enough about it, so just go watch it yourself.

3) To Be of Not to Be (1983) It is a remake of a 1942 film abut WWII (which is impressive if you think we were still in WWII when the original was made). It was one of the first films to address the treatment of gays during the holocaust. It is Mel Brooks, so I think it is screamingly funny. But also one of the most captivating movies I've ever seen. There are so many one liners that I can't tell you them all right now. It is very multi-faceted as it makes you laugh, cry, anticipate, and laugh again, because it wouldn't work for Mel Brooks if it didn't.

2) La Faute à Fidel (2006) The English title is Blame it on Fidel, but I saw it in French first, so that's the title I remember. OH MY GOODNESS!!! I love this film. Were it not for the beauty and art work the number one film has, this would win. Honestly, the last two films are so head and shoulders above the rest I don't know why the rest of the list exists. This is also my indy-pick, because no one, I assure you no one, has seen this film. At least in the US. I saw it at a French Film Festival at NAU one weekend and can't get over it. It is the only film to make me want to cry because children are playing. The film was so powerful it overcame me completely. It's the story of a young girl whose parents are French activists in the 1970's. It is also filmed entirely from her perspective. If she can't see something, such as the tops of roofs or over most things, the audience can't. But you can still hear things or see the shuffle of feet or tear gas as it permeates the crowds of protesters. This girl is subject to the skewed views of her grandmother and nanny, but then given differing views by her parents and is just confused by the whole ordeal. If you ever find a copy of this buy/steal it for me. Please!

1) Princess Mononoke (1997) If you didn't see this coming...we need to talk and then see this, because it is the most glorious thing I have ever seen. You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep any other anime from the top ten. First off, the art work is gorgeous. Each frame is hand done. Colors and outlines combine into a glory that rivals my view of celestial ideals. The characters are my favorite from any movie. The romance is beautiful, well placed, but not overpowering. The story is sweet and filled with so many ideas I can't express them all. Honestly, I can't explain or verbalize everything I learned from this movie. It shows some of the most powerful female characters I've ever seen too, all of which are based off of wolf images. The plot is long and enjoyable. My favorite part, there is no antagonist. No one forces the story to move. No one opposes the protagonist. It plays out like real life where we are surrounded by people and forces which constantly strive with each other and with us, but no one truly antagonizes us (at least if we are living the way we should). I love the relationships between people and nature. Also, a friend just told me about this, it is a scholarly text even because it addresses something often not thought of today: the emotions and dilemmas someone experiences as they are transported from a third-world/village/simply life to a first-world/big city/upbeat and crazy lifestyle. Ashitaka is taken from his gentle home to a world which does not even believe he still exists and is forced to embrace it in order to cure himself of the wounds that other-world created in him. And I love his sister! It is so tragic that she is never seen or heard from again, but it just makes the sacrifice more real to me.

Well, there they are, my favorite movies. If you haven't seen them, do it. If you have seen them, specifically with me, I hope our relationship grew because of it.