100 Favorite Movies, Part 10

Okay, I am finally done with this extensive list. This section really kicked my ass and is probably way too long, but I felt I should just say everything I want to about my absolute faves, and be damned with length! I have had so much fun recounting all my favorite movies for you and I hope you have enjoyed reading about them, even if you didn't always agree. I am sad to report that I am fresh out of adjectives and will probably not be able to write originally or intelligently about anything for quite some time. So without any further ado, here are my Top 10!

• 10. HIGH FIDELITY (2000) - As someone who adores list-making (obviously) of course I was smitten with John Cusack's portrayal of Rob, a thirty-something, music afficianado who makes Top 5 lists daily. His monologues to the camera (love them!) leave nothing out; we see Rob's self-obsession, humor, hypocrisy, and horndog tendencies and Cusack sells it all the way. I love his Top 5 Breakup List and the screwed up ways he views those past relationships. I also love that he is so flawed, and that in the course of the movie he readily admits that "Yes, I am a fucking asshole," has a one-night stand with an awesome pop culture soulmate, does a "Top 5 Things I Miss About Laura," and ends by making a tape "full of stuff she'd like, stuff that would make her happy." It's a real grown-up journey, never over simplified, but enjoyable in it's honesty and complication. The movie is full of inspired musical references and cues, and contains a scene-stealing supporting performance from Jack Black at his most manic. The cast of past and current lovers is diverse, and they make memorable use of their few moments of screen time. And for anyone who loves the movie, the book by Nick Hornby is just as wonderful!

• 9. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997) - This film noir homage has all the pieces. The plot is just complicated enough to still surprise you on subsequent viewings, but comprehensible enough to all make sense. The three leads embody wildly different cops: Kevin Spacey is the fame-whore with a guilty conscience, Guy Pearce is the straight-arrow, rule-follower who discovers the world exists in shades of gray, and Russell Crowe (in my favorite role) is the hot-tempered muscle who learns he is both smarter and kinder than he thought. The art and set direction are marvelous, capturing 1950's L.A. in all of it's tainted, corrupted glory, and a set of time-specific songs and a score that recalls the mood of '40's and '50's copper flicks and television shows. The plot is peppered with original character actors, including fabulous roles for Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, and Kim Basinger, and it is an example of the film being more than just the sum of it's parts. Each scene is crucial to the development of the plot, but subtly written as atmospheric character studies in and of themselves.

• 8. MOONLIGHT MILE (2002) - A story about a family recovering from the murder of their daughter could descend into a series of overblown, emotional and predictable scenes. But Moonlight Mile manages to avoid obvious scenarios and focuses on three specific characters: Dustin Hoffman is the neurotic father, hiding his guilt in mannerisms; Susan Sarandon's mother deals with her grief in a tornado of sarcasm and humor; and then there is the quitly sad Jake Gyllenhaal, the dead girls' fiance, trying to keep her parents from imploding. Gyllenhaal walks a very fine line - he is the focus of the story, but says very little, relying on body language and facial expressions to get his point across. He also starts falling in love with Bertie (a luminous pre-"Grey's Anatomy" Ellen Pompeo), a townie post-office employee who has also lost a lover. The movie doesn't have a lively pace, but feels more realistic than other films of similar subject matter; the sadness isn't bogged down in quickly-resolved melodrama. The carefully chosen soundtrack includes lots of classic 70's rock - through it I came to know and love the Rolling Stones "Moonlight Mile," and the closing montage is beautifully filmed and edited to Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing" (which turned me onto Van Morrison in the first place - he's now my favorite musical artist, so thank you!).
• 7. BEFORE SUNSET (2004) - This sequel to 1995's Before Sunrise (at #4) is less romantic than it's predecessor, but accurately reflects the hardened edge that comes with adult experiences. It's been 9 years since Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) had a magical day together and promised to meet 6 months later. Obviously plans went awry, but here they are again, accidentally meeting, and finding they enjoy each other's company as much as ever. The movie follows them as they have another intellectually stimulating conversation about sex, politics, world affairs and music, and all along the tension builds around the questions they don't ask because they can't bear to hear the answers: Why is he wearing a wedding ring? Were they in love? Have they missed their chance? One detail I love is that this time around, Jesse has become the optimistic idealist, buoyed by warm memories of the unexpected love he found with her, whereas Celine has become mistrusting and cynical, embittered by a series of relationships that couldn't live up to that magical connection she shared with Jesse for only one night. The feelings are still there and the dialogue is so eerily specific to these characters - they have never felt more like real people. The scene where Celine plays him a devastatingly sweet song on her guitar breaks my heart and I am swept away once again.

• 6. ALMOST FAMOUS (2000) - The first time I saw this, I came back to my dorm room angry that I had missed out on the '70's, thinking it looked like fun to be a groupie, and wanting to start a vinyl collection. Somehow Cameron Crowe managed to capture a time when indiscriminate sex, hard-partying and filthy backstage antics were still tinged with innocence. What could be more rational than to jump on the bus with these idealistic, screwy, raucous, freshly funny characters and journey through a time when rock 'n roll was still young, alive, unpolluted, and only beginning to compromise it's purity of spirit? I've yet to buy any records, but part of that experience lives in me still. Patrick Fugit is pitch-perfect as the earnest, awkward William, a wannabe rock journalist on tour with the band Stillwater, and Kate Hudson shines as groupie Penny Lane, an audacious concoction of style and false bravado only William can see through. Again, the movie has a kick-ass soundtrack: the scene on the bus where they sing along to "Tiny Dancer" is perfect (coming after a petulant - "I am a golden god!" - act by lead guitarist, Russell), and I first heard Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Madhatters" here. I also love the performance of Jason Lee as the overshadowed lead singer; his fight with Russell over the teeshirt is brilliant: "You look mad." "How can you tell? I'm just one of the 'out-of-focus' guys!!!"

• 5. MAGNOLIA (1999) - Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece about the intersecting lives of nine Los Angeles residents is a continuously building examination of the relationships between fathers and their children, the damage caused, the forgiveness required, and the endless cycles perpetuated. These characters are some of the loneliest people I have ever encountered and their need for love is palpable. They put on masks to disguise their pain, but their unadulterated need permeates every scene. There are great character parts for William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore and Melora Walters, but two actors steal the show: Tom Cruise utilizes his scary intensity in a virtuoso performance as a misogynistic self-help guru who is also a victim of his childhood, and John C. Reilly is a sad cop with the kindness, discretion, and desire to save some of these lost souls; in helping them, he too may be saved from his profound loneliness. The set-up of the film is creative, with a masterful beginning that sets the stage for miracles and strange coincidence, preparing us for those magical frogs late in the film. The score is structured like an opera, retaining and building on tension, and Aimee Mann provides a wonderful song score, some fitting covers like "One is the Loneliest Number," and others atmospheric originals like "Save Me," and the deeply sad "Wise Up." For a three-hour film, this one flies by, remains completely absorbing, and makes me yearn to hug these broken people.
• 4. BEFORE SUNRISE (1995) - I am a complete romantic, so what could be better than this story of two strangers who meet on a train, spend one magical day together and fall in love? But this story is anchored by intellectual communion. Unlike those millions of romantic comedies that hinge on physical attraction and meet-cutes, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) are attracted mostly because of their conversation. They're in their early 20's, excited about the world of possibility and ideas that is opening up to them and they discuss everything with zeal. Jesse is a cynical wise-ass, but in key moments is vulnerable as he opens up about his family dysfunction, and the girlfriend who broke up with him in Madrid. Celine is a strong woman, so smart and idealistic and spirited, but rebellious and angry with the lack of passion in the world. Neither of these characters is perfect, although they are perfect for each other, and the actors make it a point to piss each other and the audience off every once in a while, keeping the characters grounded in reality. The entire night takes place in Vienna, but not the fancy tourist attractions (although the first kiss takes place on that infamous Ferris Wheel from The Third Man), but rather back alleys, grungy bars, deserted parks and well-groomed cemeteries. There is a wonderful scene in a record booth where they are longing to look at each other, and each keeps looking away just before they get caught staring; wonderful conversation aside, these two have marvelous chemistry.

• 3. TITANIC (1997) - This was the first time I ever truly fell in love. I was a 16-year-old girl with a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio, and I came out of this movie awakening to filmmaking. No other movie will ever be able to touch the nostalgia this film evokes in me every time. This movie is a technical masterpiece; it was the first time I became obsessed with the process of creating a fictional environment. I bought a book on the making of the movie and found that James Cameron and his crew paid painstakingly close attention to every detail of the ship and it's occupants, making it authentic and providing a opulent backdrop for the action. The special effects were revolutionary at the time, and the final sinking moments of Titanic are a glorious marriage of tension, editing and humanity. I fell in love with Kate Winslet's spunky, passionate heroine (another redhead) and while most of the dialogue is nothing special, she and DiCaprio have a terrific chemistry that elevates the material and catches people up in their love story. This was the first film score to knock me on my ass - James Horner created an elegiac tone through use of Celtic instruments and voices, but also wrote joyous accompaniment that captures the thrill of the ship's first outing. I can't hear a bit of this score without a sense of elation. No amount of parody, or criticism, or mockery will ever make this film anything less than the most amazing movie experience I have ever had. Even as I grow older and see it's popularity wane under scrutiny and comparison to, admittedly, more accomplished films, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

• 2. SIDEWAYS (2004) - For me, this movie is all about Paul Giamatti's wounded, pathetic performance. In his hands, Miles is clever, but not quippy, could be funny if he tried harder and wasn't beaten down with plaguing self-doubt, exhausted, exasperated, sick of trying, and content to remain the sadsack he has let himself become. I become in tune with every shift in mood and empathize with Miles' struggle throughout. His best friend Jack is played by Thomas Hayden Church, leaving all traces of Nole (from '80's sitcom "Wings") behind and becoming a big, goofy whirlwind of misplaced confidence and horniness. He balances Miles' depression with his own exuberance, although he is little more than an overgrown child at best. However, he does care for Miles, in spite of his bad advice, he has the best of intentions, and succeeds only in screwing over himself. Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh are the potential love interests. In only a few scenes, Madsen infuses Maya with the strength of a kind woman, understanding and able to care for Miles in spite of his fear and recalcitrance. And for those who only knew Sandra Oh as the prickly Cristina Yang on "Grey's Anatomy," here find she is quite natural in her earthy sensuality. A more mature take on the buddy/road movie genre, this film nevertheless has an easy flow and makes even the most awkward and difficult situations funny, heartwarming and character-building. It also contains the most hilarious use of male nudity I have ever seen!

• 1. MOULIN ROUGE (2001) - People coming into this movie had no idea what was in store for them. The movie one part sex comedy, one part musical, and one part romantic tragedy and somehow manages to blend the tones of these wildly disparate genres into a sweeping, visually stunning, and emotionally satisfying epic. It was a great idea to comprise the musical numbers of mostly '70's and '80's pop music; it is familiar to the audience, raising giggles when they here the strains of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or Madonna's "Like a Virgin", but the arrangements surprisingly lend themselves to the scope and romance of the film, and it seems completely natural to hear Elton John's "Your Song" sung to a 19th century prostitute. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman rose to the challenge as the leads; he had to embody a romantic hero while retaining the childlike innocence of his musical bohemian ideals; Kidman had to stretch from seductress, to dynamic theater performer, to dying lovestruck heroine. While I feel McGergor's was the more difficult role to pull off, I am so impressed with Kidmans's ability to reign in the kaleidescope of emotions (one second hilarious sex kitten, the next awed and vulnerable girl) into a comprehensible and sympathetic character. The visual style of the film is an assault on the senses; it's loud, and bright, and colorful, and moves so quickly from one shot to the next, the editing must have been an exhaustive process! The pace of the film, especially in the first 20 minutes, advances from shot to shot with such heedless abandon it could make you nauseous in a theater. But the pacing has a rhythm that really works, catching the wild splendor of the Moulin Rouge, but also capturing the magical romance. I am still stunned by the amazing "Roxanne" sequence, which expertly weaves three points of view, singing three different threads of the song, into an extremely emotional, dynamic, and visually thrilling experience.