Wednesday, March 5, 2008

100 Favorite Movies, Part 1


I had actually assigned myself this project long before this blog eve
r came into existence. I was reading through some critic's webpage and found a Top 100 list. The idea of actually cataloging and ranking a list of 100 movies intrigued me and I had a rough draft done way back in November. However, it required much editing, and honestly, it's really hard to decide what your 100 favorite films are. The first 30-40 were easy. I know which films I really love. But trying to decide if I like Terminator 2 better that West Side Story, well that's just hard. How do I know? I'd say I like them about the same, depending on my mood. But that sort of thinking is not conducive to list-making, so after several weeks of reorganizing little slips of paper in ever changing orders, I finally have a relative Favorite 100 Movies List.

You should know that I take watchability into account here. This is not a list of the 100 Best Films of All Time - some of these honestly aren't that great. But these are the films I come back to repeatedly or have somehow earned my undying love and devotion. That's just gonna have to be good enough for you. I'm going to break the list up into 10 installments of 10 so that this blog entry doesn't last until eternity. And to be fair, after about #80, there are probably 50 movies that I like about the same, but I only had room for 20 more, so here's what made the cut....

  • 100. BRICK (2006) - My affection for this film has only grown each time I watch it. I love listening to the quirky, if unrealistic, dialogue. I enjoy the murky plot with elements of film noir, but amusing winks as the filmmakers fill their canvas with unexpected scenes and plot points. And most of all, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a revelation as the fully realized and sympathetic anti-hero.
  • 99. FREAKY FRIDAY (2003) - It's the watchability factor, I'm telling you. This is a film that never fails to make me laugh, plus it's one I can always watch with my mom - and she is hard to please. Lindsey Lohan used to have so much promise, and Jaime Lee Curtis is a riot, fully committing to the role of teenager with a glee few actresses could match. And, God help me, I even love the music.
  • 98. YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) - Ultimately, I think it's watching the seasons pass that gets me. A perfectly chosen soundtrack takes us from the orange, school-supply buying hopefulness of fall, to the bleak, sentimental winter, and into a bright romantic spring. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are charming and perfectly suited for each other. I love the idea that you can say things with words in emails that you can't ever say in person. And have I mentioned that the scene of Kathleen remembering her and her mother "twirling" always makes me cry?

  • 97. STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006) - Will Ferrell can play straight and still be funny. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson lend support as the literary minded intellectuals with an infinitely clever knowledge of writing and all it's facets. The visuals are creative in representing the interior landscape of Ferrell's mind. And Maggie Gyllenhaal is the perfect blend of sweetness and spice as the revolutionary baker.
  • 96. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998) - I'm a sucker for Shakespeare, it must be said. And to watch this mish-mash of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Twelfth Night" thrown into the dingy world of Elizabethan theater is to revel in Shakespeare. It's funny, tragic, romantic, bawdy, complex, intelligent, and passionate. Complete with excellent score, a realistically imagined England, a stellar cast and a hopelessly flawed Shakespeare, played to inspired effect by Joseph Fiennes.
  • 95. SCREAM (1996) - I'm not a big fan of horror movies, so this is saying a lot. I think it's mainly the nostalgia that gets me, as every time I watch this I am reminded of my youth and how much Em and Heather worshiped this movie. Finally, a horror film in which the characters know they are in horror film! And I have never heard such giddly crass dialogue as the poetic filth that frequently spews forth from the mouths of these film savvy characters.
  • 94. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) - This will not be the last Jane Austen adaptation to hit my list. I love repressed tales of love thwarted by social conventions, and Ang Lee's English-language debut about two very different sisters - passionate and open Marianne (a radiant Kate Winslet) and reserved and kind Elinor (Emma Thompson) - is a lovely study in romantic differences. Elinor has the steadfast heart to love Edward (Hugh Grant) even when he appears lost to her forever, while Marianne falls heedlessly in love with the roguish Willoughby, only to be taught a lesson in heartbreak and make a happier match with the gentle Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman). A little suffering, and then all is well!
  • 93. RUDY (1993) - Uplifting sports stories about determined underdogs almost never fail to please me, but Rudy is a real charmer. Sean Astin is completely winning as he doggedly follows his dream of playing Notre Dame football. He reminds us of the power of heart and conviction and ultimately wins over everyone in the film. And it is a rare sports story where the big game climax has nothing to do with the score, and everything to do with Rudy just getting to play for 10 seconds and sack the quarterback. The end of this movie, with Rudy being carried off the field by his team, always gets me bawling.
  • 92. LORDS OF DOGTOWN (2005) - I've heard the documentary Dogtown and the Z-Boys is better than this, but I've yet to see it. As it is, Lords of Dogtown is just fun as we watch three ordinary boys from poor Venice neighborhoods develop and revolutionize the sport of skateboarding as the summer drought leads them to skate empty swimming pools. The direction by Catherine Hardwicke is colorfully creative in looks and tone and it features a great supporting performance by Heath Ledger. And it must be said, this film's '70's era soundtrack kicks ass!
  • 91. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999) - Sofia Coppola's directorial debut is eerily evocative of a specific time, place and mood. In telling the story of five sisters who all committed suicide, the film wisely sees the girls from the point of view of the neighborhood boys who were fascinated by them. It is a chillingly erotic, yet hypnotic look at the mystery of loss and the unknown. It also features amazing sequences perfectly scored with Heart's "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You," and a wonderful film score by Air.

100 Favorite Movies Part 2

1 comment:

Heather said...

LOVE the inclusion of Scream. This movie reminds me of MY youth too! I can't wait for the next installment!!! You've inspired me to draft my own top 100....we'll see how far I get. I have 22 so far.