100 Favorite Movies, Part 3

In compiling this list, I made a discovery about how I fall in love with film. There are plenty of times where a film becomes a favorite at first sight - something like Moulin Rouge or You've Got Mail, films I saw multiple times in the theater and have yet to disappoint. But many films are a slow burn - I appreciate them on first viewing, and find more and more to admire every time I come back. That happened to me with Brick for sure, but also The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I preferred Wedding Crashers for a long time, but slowly Virgin crept up the list and became the movie I consistently came back to.

With that in mind, there were several films that didn't make the cut for one of two reasons: 1) I love them right now, but I'm not sure if it will last long enough to condone a spot in the Top 100, and 2) there are several films I'm really feeling, but I think it will take a few more viewings before I can justifiably say I love them. In other words, we'll see if Atonement, Once, Superbad, or Across the Universe will endure the test of time, or if they're just of-the-moment, James McAvoy-induced flings. And in that same vein, I feel I need more time to explore and really fall in love with movies like Zodiac, All About Eve, Letters From Iwo Jima, and the recently discovered gems Junebug and Thumbsucker.

Anyway, this is really just my round-about way of getting a few more movies I love mentioned, and rationalizing my final cut and elimination process. Back to the countdown!

• 80. 25TH HOUR (2002) - This story directed by Spike Lee, has such an elegiac tone. Edward Norton spends his last night as a free man doing nothing particularly special with his old childhood friends and his girl, before reporting to jail in the morning. He contemplates his options in jail (mainly, how to survive) and laments his poor choices. I love that the film doesn't make excuses for his behavior and shows a man honestly regretting and taking responsibility for his wrongs. And the final sequence, imagining what life could be like if he went on the lam, is poetic and heartbreaking.

• 79. WEST SIDE STORY (1961) - Has ever a musical been more inspired in it's music and dance? Even if other elements of the story (mainly, the somewhat-bland central love story) are less than convincing, there is such enthusiasm and spirit in every song. "Tonight," "Maria," "Be Cool," "Somewhere," and "Officer Krupke" are all imbued with life and wit and passion, and the rooftop "America" sequence blows me away every time with it's energy and humor.

• 78. LITTLE WOMEN (1994) - This is definitely a sentimental choice. But somehow, watching the story of these four sisters makes me feel nostalgic for a time I never lived and people I never met. In watching them grow up and change, I feel a peculiar sense of loss. Kirsten Dunst is the ideal brat, Trini Alverado skillfully balances Meg's rigidness and affection, and Claire Danes does a death scene right. I still can't forgive Jo for turning down Laurie (a charming pre-fame Christian Bale), but Winona Ryder imbues her with a jolly wisdom that is above reproach. It's a total chick flick and I chalk it up to the superb casting and sentimental score.

• 77. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) - I appreciate action movies, but there are precious few I want to watch more than once. This is a rare exception. And though the first Terminator is also an excellent film, I prefer Arnie as the stoic comic relief, Linda Hamilton is most impressive in tough bitch mode, and the T-1000 is one of the best movie villains ever. Robert Patrick's every expression and move of body language, full of taunting terror, just tickles me to no end. And it must be said, that chase scene in the trenches with the semi-truck is a stunning display of rip-roaring action.

• 76. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) - This movie makes being a Sioux Indian seem so dignified, and their tight-knit community lives in such peace with nature. I always feel enlightened and like I should realign my priorities after watching this simple lesson in respect for other cultures and for our Earth. There is such nobility in Kicking Bird and Ten Bears, and Wind in His Hair's final cry to Kevin Costner breaks my heart every time. Again, I blame the score for being so effectively moving, and never have I cheered harder in a comeuppance scene than when the soldiers are all killed, and that bastard Spivey is drowned while being choked by Dunbar's prison chains. (I promise, I'm generally not a vengeful person, but they really had it coming!)

• 75. LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY (2001-2003) - One of the most epic stories of all time is such a decisively clear fight between good and evil you always know what side you're on and who to root for. The visuals are breathtakingly detailed and, again, the score is so wonderful and layered. Howard Shore wrote a theme for every character and every location, creating a sumptuous tapestry of sound. I have such a hard time choosing my favorite character because these films are filled with such joyous and unique individuals. (One day it's Aragorn, then Sam, then Merry and Pippin, and then Gimli. Can't choose!) Gollum is one of the greatest of CGI achievements, an animated character that looks completely realistic, and provides perhaps the greatest performance in The Two Towers. That dual screen argument with himself is a remarkable marriage of writing, performance and technical skill.

• 74. AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) - A perfect blend of drama and humor, this black comedy is a master of the genre. Featuring pitch-perfect performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, the story of Lester Burnham reclaiming his life still means something to me. The writing contains a biting sardonic wit, and the theme of self-love is always relevant. The visual of Mena Suvari glued to a rose-covered ceiling may have become a punchline, but it is such a lovely and surreal image in a film filled with original scenes, characters and images.
• 73. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (1992) - Robert Redford directs films that just get me, and this is the best. He tells stories that feel so natural and simple, where there is no obvious bad guy and it is our own natures we must overcome. Set a story like that in the beautiful Montana wilderness, give it (another) achingly graceful score, and star Brad Pitt as the captivating and flawed younger brother to Craig Sheffer's solid and knowing elder, and we have a film of quietly moving power. The final words of their father's wise sermon say, "It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us...but we can love completely without complete understanding." A beautifully sad truth. Can you hear me crying over here?

• 72. THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (1998) - Okay, I admit it: I like disco music. Sue me. But in addition to the soundtrack, this movie features great performances from Chloe Sevigny as the cooly intelligent Alice, and Kate Beckinsale as the shallowly bitchy Charlotte, two young women navigating the club scene in 1979 New York. It also perfectly captures that just-graduated-from-college earnestness that leads to intense intellectual debate about Lady and the Tramp and it's influence on prepubescent girls. (Seriously, watch it. They have a debate about Lady and the Tramp and it is gloriously pretentious!)

• 71. DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989) - It may sound trite, but this movie just inspires me. It made me want to be part of a secret society that met in dark caves to celebrate poetry, and I don't even really like poetry most of the time. A celebration of education, that also embraces free will, individual expression and tender first love. The great cast of then-unknown young actors flesh out these wildly different and recognizable characters, Robin Williams is the kind of teacher we all want, and the power of the film's final "O Captain, my Captain!" moment is a testament to a truly great tearjerker. (I really have a weakness for the tearjerkers, huh?)

100 Favorite Movies Part 4