I love lists. These movies have been keeping my brain occupied. Some are flicks; they have reduced my IQ points. Some are films; they are, shall we say, awesome. This is my private life.
All the President’s Men 1976 – How this lost to Rocky for Best Picture I will never know.
Annie Hall 1977 – Woody Allen. Interior monologue. The kind of comedy I love.
Adaptation 2002 – This starts out with great promise, especially in terms of my English-major mind, then, toward the end, a character is devoured by an alligator. Shit that fuck.
Road to Perdition 2002 – Meh. Mediocre at best.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004 – Jim Carrey is every awkwardly charming character I have ever invented.
The Apartment 1960 – Old school comedy at its best.
Sunset Blvd. 1950 – The entertainment industry is accurate in listing this at the top of lists labeled “Best Films of All Time,” “Must Watch Films Before You Die,” and the sort.
Straw Dogs 1971 – Flick. Can’t say I enjoyed it. Afterward, I felt like I lost two hours of my life. I guess it was shocking for 1971.
Hotel Rwanda 2004 – I really loved this. Depressing as fuck though. Watch this to feel ashamed.
Rashomon 1950 – Perspective. Subjectivity. Truth. Murder?
Ran 1985 – King Lear Japanese style.
Ben-Hur 1959 - Probably the best Biblical fiction epic ever. It deserved the 11 Academy Awards. Besides, who doesn’t love the two classic scenes from this movie? Rowing boats and racing chariots. Judah Ben-Hur can be my Jesus any day.
To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 – Never mind. I want Atticus Finch as my Jesus.
Moby Dick 1962 – Pretty decent special effects for the early 60s.
Zodiac 2007 – All right, I guess.
The Living Daylights 1987 – My Favorite James Bond: Timothy Dalton.
License to Kill – James Bond vendettas are the best.
Diamonds Are Forever 1971 – Old school and classic James Bond.
The Cider House Rules 1999 – “Good night, you Princes of Maine, you Kings of New England.” Returning to your duty, your destiny.
Babel 2006 – This is what movies should be like: less talk, more art. Love.
Rope 1948 – Underrated Hitchcock — and quickly becoming my favorite.
The Trouble With Harry 1955 – Dark humor Hitchcock.
The Lion in Winter 1968 – As close to a Shakespearean drama we get now. Henry II.
Becket 1964 – Counterpart to above — and even better. I love homoerotic subtext.
Ed Wood 1994 – All right. I’m not a fan of Johnny Depp, but he’s all right here as the worst director ever, Edward D. Woods, Jr.
Amores Perros 2000 – Written by the same man who wrote Babel and 21 Grams. Amazing. Watch this movie because this is cinematic storytelling at its best. Gael Garcia Bernal. That is all.
Blow-Up 1966 – This reminded me of Muholland Drive. I understand this film far more though, thank God. Slow, but pretty good.
The Pianist 2002 – Damn, Adrien Brody can fucking act.
Lost in Translation 2003 – Like every movie I love, it is, first and foremost, subtle.
More to come, I expect.
