Sight and Sound Movie List - La Rahman

Not favorites, but movies I have happily watched multiple times...

1)      Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996): It’s best if you watch this alone the first time around, or maybe with a friend or two who know not to talk a whole lot during movies, because the jokes are quiet and disguised as throwaway lines. If you root for the underdog you will love this movie. Also has one of the cutest love scenes ever.

2)      Bhaji on the Beach (Gurinder Chadha, 1993): A movie about a bunch of multigenerational South Asian women going on a day trip to a Blackpool beach resort. The fight, they laugh, they cry, they flirt, they lament. This movie is smart, funny, touching, and on point. I relate to every character in this movie.

3)      Devdas (1955 and 2002 remake): The 1955 version is dark and devastating. So much pain, so little joy.  The 2002 remake is absolutely gorgeous—the music, the costuming, the colors, the scenery. I want to live inside of it forever. But the glitzy Bollywood treatment takes away from the story a little, I think.  Also, I find Sharukh Khan to be SO irritating and hate his trembly scrunched-up crying face. Ugh, annoying. Really, though, both versions are classics.

4)      Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair, 1991): South Asia in the Deep South. This one is about a woman working in her family’s crappy motel in South Mississippi, the political circumstances that brought her family there, and her romance with a Black man. Sarita Choudhury and Denzel Washington are SUPER HOT together. I love the juxtaposition of two cultures that are fiercely loyal to their roots and their ways of being.

5)      Hype! (Doug Pray, 1996): I wasn’t even that into grunge music and don’t even necessarily like all the music in this film (although it did introduce me to “Second Skin” by The Gits, which is one of my favorite songs ever), but it’s a really well-made documentary and I’ve seen it way more times that I can count.  Good examination of how artistic communities grow, get talked up, get exploited, and then become “forgotten”.

6)      The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, 1993): I seem to gravitate towards movies involving cultural norms and the ways children and parents negotiate their way around them, I guess? Great movie about a gay man who not only feels that he cannot be honest about his sexuality with his Taiwanese parents, but who also goes through a traditional wedding ceremony to avoid hurting them with the truth.  Ultimately it’s about the lies families tell to protect one another. Warning: the trailer is TERRIBLE, so misleading and super corny, if I hadn’t already seen the movie it would have made me want to pass on it.

Sight and Sound Movie List - Eta Boris's Contribution

Well, the usual disclaimer that the list is not especially ordered. 

1. Pulp Fiction (1994, dir. Quentin Tarantino)
I consider this movie one of the perfect expressions of American Cool. For this reason, everyone loves to love this movie. But I don't care. This movie change the way I look at storytelling, dialog, and cinematography. It did with negative spaces and silences what many movies can't do with pages of words and action. During the diner scene at Jack Rabbit Slim's, there is a moment when both John Travolta and Uma Thurman are silent. They just smoke, and look off into the distance. It's not awkward, or strange, or forced. It's just one of the coolest shots in American movie history.

2. Amelie (2001, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Right? This is the perfect romantic comedy. I assume that upon finishing this movie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet dropped the mic and walked off the stage. On top of that, it's gorgeously shot, meticulously written, and superbly acted. 

3. Animal House (1978, dir. John Landis)
This movie is such a legend, every college comedy since then has tried to be it (and failed utterly). It is juvenile a thousand times over, which is why it's so brilliant. It is always immensely gratifying to watch a group of extraordinarily talented people do their best and just not give a fuck. Best of all, instead of insightfully addressing the subtleties of human condition, or whatever, they do this.

4. Predator  (1987, dir. John McTiernan)
The first one - accept no imitations. It's Arnold doing what he does best - wearing makeup and punching things with bullets - and so much more. It is also a surprisingly (*) intelligent examination of militant masculinity and the hunter / prey duality. Both the soldiers and the Predator go through the hunter-to-prey transformation. What's more, they actually have clear and interesting psychological responses. All of this - in an 80s Arnold movie.

(*) I'm pretty sure it was surprising even to the writers, as they are the brains behind such incredible follow ups as Wild Wild West and AVP.

5. Requiem for a Dream (2000, dir. Darren Aronofsky)
It is such a brutally beautiful examination of life's downward spiral, it left me in a deep depression for several days. Then someone told me that Trainspotting was even heavier, and today, ten years later, I still can't bring myself to watch Trainspotting. This movie is simply flawless.

6. Ink (2009, dir. Jamin Winans)
This is an obscure indie that seems to have started out when someone wanted to make a mediocre martial arts demo tape. Then this somehow snowballed into an amazing concept and a final reveal that - even though you can probably see it coming - leaves you sobbing like a goddamned child.

7. The Dead Poets Society (1989, dir. Peter Weir)
Maybe my love of stories about alienation and self-discovery are a commentary on who I am. The first time I saw this movie was in English class, just a couple months after moving to the States. I'm sure I didn't actually understand much of it, but it hooked me. There's a measure of great acting and directing. 

8. Funny People (2009, dir. Judd Apatow)
Maybe this movie doesn't mean as much if you've never done live comedy. It's a good, honest, true portrayal of what it's like. 

9. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990, dir. Tom Stoppard)
Alright, Tim Roth and Gary Oldman are two of the best, easy. Tom Stoppard's intelligence, however, is frightening in its reach and depth. This is surely one of the smartest plays there is. It simultaneously filled me with wonder and made me feel like the least dullard.

10. Ghost in the Shell (1995, dir. Mamoru Oshii)
The first time I saw it, I was going through some particularly low and difficult times. It was a bizarre and exhilarating experience to see my mood so perfectly expressed on the screen. I think to this day the effect hasn't really lessened on me.

Sight and Sound Movie List - Die Steggy

Here you go. I just picked some films at random from my collection and gushed some thoughts.

Jurassic Park (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg)

My love for this movie is no secret. It is the only good film made about dinosaurs. It's also just great from beginning to end, not a scene wasted. The special effects, largely not CG, still hold up even after a decade has passed. I still find it hard to believe that the raptors are actually people in suits (also where do I get one of those suits). That first scene where Dr. Alan Grant sees the dinosaur just perfectly captures the magic of the park before it all goes to hell. 

Brazil (1985, dir. Terry Gilliam)

Oh what Terry Gilliam film to include? Brazil is my personal favorite, it's also my first so maybe I'm biased. Jonathan Pryce is the perfect protagonist for the film and Michael Palin is wonderfully cast as the mild manner torturer. Brazil doesn't take you to new worlds like its informal trilogy (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Time Bandits) but makes a bizarre world out of the reality we live in.

Spirited Away (2002, dir. Hideo Miyazaki)

I admit I'm torn about which Miyazaki film to include here. I enjoy Howl's Moving Castle more (I chose dubbed which I know is controversial but Christian Bale and Billy Crystal do a great job) but I think Spirited Away is a better movie. Miyazaki creates these entire worlds that are just fantastical. Spirited Away is the most robust and fascinating of those worlds and the animation is astounding. It is a little darker than most of his movies (not Princess Mononoke dark, but no cute and fluffy Totoro either) at times scary without losing that warmth that is so characteristic of Studio Ghibli films. 

The King and I (1956, dir. Walter Lang)

When I was a kid, I thought the scene where the King swirls Anna around the ballroom in "Shall Me Dance" was the pinnacle of romance. Scratch that, I still think that to this day. Oh yes, it is grossly stereotypical, but my sheer delight every time I watch that can almost make me forget that, if only for a few hours. This is the crown jewel of my emergency kit of VHSs I reach for when I've reached my all time low. Joining it (and thus receiving an honorable mention to this list) are Singing in the Rain and The Pirate which is this obscure Cole Porter musical with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland that one of my contains my favorite songs "Be a Clown." I'm not sure you can find the latter of films but if you love old time musicals it is worth hunting around for. 

The Lord of the Rings (2001-3, dir. Peter Jackson)

Lord of the Rings will never reach a higher pinnacle than Peter Jackson's trilogy. Thanks to the magic of New Zealand and the folks at WETA workshop it is stunning and about as entertaining as you can ever wrought out of Tolkien. If you want an example of the epic crap those movies could have been in the wrong hands just watch The Hobbit movies. Lord of the Rings was a labor of love and it shines. I'm not sure how the fates aligned to allow PJ to create such a spectacle but his films but I thank him for introducing a whole new generation, including myself, to Middle Earth. 

Big Fish (2003, dir. Tim Burton)

Some people have a movie they love for the sheer fact it is able to encapsulate a spirit so remarkably akin to their own family. Big Fish is that movie for me. The tall tales are right out of my own childhood growing up with the Stegmans, a family heralding from a circus town and forever emulating that big top spirit. It's also the last decent movie Tim Burton ever did, before he kept making the same movie over and over again with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter *shudder*. 

O Brother Where Out Thou  (1999, dir. Joel Coen)

Hands down my favorite Coen Brothers film. A) I've been a fan of the Odyssey since I was in elementary school thanks to Wishbone B) It is responsible for many modern American's affinity for bluegrass C) It's just a great movie, an amazing adventure, a visual thrill ride. 

Om Shanti Om  (2007, dir. Farah Khan)

This should be everyone's introduction to Bollywood. Then they should spend the next year of their life devouring other great films of the Indian cinema and then they should watch it again so they can get all the jokes the missed and love it all the more. It is so much fun that it worms its way even into the most skeptical of hearts. 

Life and Death of Peter Sellers  (2004, dir. Stephen Hopkins)

Geoffrey Rush is an incredible actor and it is nowhere more apparent than this movie. The movie is as zany as the man himself while dealing with some hard truths of the man's life. Peter Sellers considered himself a vessel for his characters, empty except for the fictional beings he embodied. In the same vein Geoffrey Rush becomes a vessel not just for Sellers but for everyone around him. It's a fantastic film. 

Hotel Rwanda (2004, dir. Terry George)

I have to put this on the list because it inspired me to want to join the United Nations. It was a misguided path I know but it someways you have to admire a movie with such an inspirational ability. It is heartbreaking but it is effective. 

Cashback (2006, dir. Sean Ellis)

I first saw Cashback when it was a Academy-Award nominated short because I had a crush on Sean Biggerstaff (most will know him as Oliver Wood from Harry Potter), who plays the lead. However I ended up like the short for its own merits. Basically about a art student working at a grocery store who has the ability to stop time. What follows is beautiful and the love story that dominates full length film is pretty good. Oh and lots of naked women...if you're into that sort of thing. 

The Matador (2005, dir. Richard Sheperd)

This is is an odd and final pick for my random list of movies that strike my fancy. I always say people have two favorite Bonds: their first Bond, the first actor they ever saw in a Bond movie who makes an imprint on you like a little chick to its mother and their favorite Bond, the one that after seeing far more Bond movies becomes their favorite through merit. Pierce Brosnan was my first Bond and so perhaps I have that strange chicky imprint to blame for why I like this film that if I were honest to myself, is not that great. However I find Brosnan as an aging assassin just perfect and a trainwreck I want to watch over and over. 

Sight and Sound Movie List - The Decker

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to list the ten best movies of all time, but I can list my ten personal favorites.  Even that's hard, I narrowed it down to thirty or so and had a tough time crossing anything off.  These ten, though, I can watch at anytime and have repeatedly:

1. Logan's Run (1976, dir. Michael Anderson) - My first favorite movie, I made my mom rent the vhs multiple times back in the day.  Great 70's analog synthesizer sound effects and silly miniature future-scapes, and the acting is actually not bad...well, with the exception of Farrah Fawcett. Renew!!!

2. Dune (1984, dir. David Lynch) - My other favorite movie, tied with Logan's Run, and also my favorite book.  More great actors in a cheesy sci-fi setting, and I love every bit of it.  Not very true to the book, but fun anyway.

3. Singles (1992, dir. Cameron Crowe) -  Set in early 90's Seattle, lots of cameos by grunge icons.  Probably my favorite soundtrack of all time and a good story.  Sometimes it feels like I'm living in this movie, which is pretty cool :)

4. Amelie (2001, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) - Just simply beautiful and warms my heart.

5. The Shawshank Redemption (1995, dir. Frank Darabont) - Kind of brutal but uplifting at the same time. 

6. The Princess Bride (1987, dir. Rob Reiner) - I don't see how anyone could not love this movie, awesome cast including Andre the Giant!  Yes, Fred Savage is annoying as hell, but at least you can focus on the awesomeness of Peter Falk in those scenes. A great one for an all ages crowd.

7.  Poltergeist (1983, dir. Tobe Hooper) - I saw this movie when I was way too young, so it made a big impression! It's holds up really well for an 80's film, still freaks me out.

8. The Empire Strikes Back (1980, dir. Irvin Kershner) - My favorite of the original trilogy, although I absolutely love all three.

9. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir. Peter Jackson) - Again, I love all three but have watched this one many more times.

10. That's the Way of the World (1975, dir. Sig Shore) Starring Harvey Keitel as a music producer and Earth, Wind, and Fire as "The Group."  A cool drama set in the ugly recording industry of the 70's, great soundtrack and a satisfying ending.  There's a scene with Earth, Wind, and Fire playing at a roller disco, worth watching for that reason alone!

It pained me to cross some movies off the list, so here's a list of runners-up which I love just as much:  Idiocracy, Festival Express, The Thing(1982), The Big Lebowski, The Joy Luck Club, Napoleon Dynamite, The Evil Dead I&II, The Never Ending Story, Bloodsport, Amadeus, Jurassic Park, Clash of the Titans(1981), Akira, The Color Purple, and Spaceballs.

Sight and Sound Movie List - The Goodell

 I’m not saying best because I’m just a guy who’s seen a couple of films; I don’t qualify as a cinephile or cineaste or whatever.

Favorite Science Fiction Movie: Blade Runner. (1982, dir. Ridley Scott) The problem with sci-fi is the ones that I’ve seen tend to be either/or: either they have good special effects story or they have an interesting concept. This is one of the few that had both and more impressively, it’s pre-CGI.

Runners-Up: 2001, The Terminator. The former is obvious I suppose but the latter may be a surprise. That being said, think about it. The story is simple but it works. The concept isn’t that crazy. The only things that the film suffers from are very dated special effects and bad 80s haircuts. I’m willing to overlook both of that.

Favorite Western Movie: Unforgiven. (1992, dir. Clint Eastwood) Good story, good acting and also, I’ve never seen Shane, The Searchers, How The West Was Won, or High Noon.

Favorite Action Movie: Road Warrior. (1981, dir. George Miller) All three of the Mad Max films are good. I actually like Thunderdome a little bit better but I don’t really think of that as an action film. I may not want Mel Gibson as a neighbor or as an explainer of Scottish or American Revolutionary history but he’s great as a post-apocalyptic anti-hero. Also, as long as there’d be a designated driver, I bet he’d be fun to grab a drink with.

Favorite Historical Movie: The Baader-Meinhof Complex. (2008, dir. Uli Edel) At best, a historical film is often only good at showing historic atmosphere in Technicolor. Usually the history is totally off or it doesn’t even bother trying to be anything than a costume drama to serve as a vehicle for some actor to get an Academy award. This one is different, and it wasn’t made by Ken Burns.

Favorite Ahistorical Movie: Amadeus. (1984, dir. Milos Forman) Nope. Mozart wasn’t indirectly killed by Salieri or buried in a mass grave (the last one makes no sense; he was the most famous musician in Europe!). Nonetheless, this film is very entertaining and has a great soundtrack. I like that one of the guys from Animal House got to play possibly the greatest musical talent in history.

Favorite Gangster Movie: Casino. (1995, dir. Martin Scorsese) No, this is not as good as The Godfather, Goodfellas, Godfather II, or whatever, but I like it better, because a) it moves faster than The Godfather, and b) the story is much more tightly told than Goodfellas. Also, I’m always interested in the intersection between legitimate and illegitimate business (“Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.” Honore de Balzac), which Casino has much more of than the other films.

Favorite Romance: Amélie. (2001, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) I like the main character. I like the story. I like how she turns to water. I like a happy ending. Maybe Jonathan Richman was right when he asserted Paris was made for love.

Favorite Film About Teenagers: Dazed & Confused. (1993, dir. Richard Linklater) Most teenage films are vapid wastes of time. This one I like because all of the characters were to some extent believable. Also, it’s set in the South but there’s very little caricature. And it looks it was shot in the town I was a teenager in.

Honorable Mention: Wargames. (1983, dir. John Badham) my all-time nerdiest moment? I don't know if this qualifies but it's up there. Remember Wargames? I loved that movie as a child. Matthew Broderick's greatest role. Still relevant seeing as nukes are still being pointed at each other. Anyway, one day I watched it and I was totally fascinated by the different strategies listed in this scene: http://youtu.be/NHWjlCaIrQo

I wrote down as many of them as I could read for purposes of further research (which didn't happen, so I guess I never reached my apotheosis of nerdery.) I watched it again and decided some of them wouldn't be bad as a down-tempo or lounge fusion band or something like a cheap Thievery Corporation knock-off.

Possible candidates include:

Far East Strategy

Iceland Maximum

Atlantic Heavy

Arctic Minimal

Denmark Massive

Pacific Defense

Spain Counter

English Thrust (also a possible swash-buckling themed porn title)

Venezuela Sudden

Sight and Sound Movie List - Der Huber

I want to preface this with a note about my own confusion at being asked to contribute. I've never thought of myself as a particular fan of film. I take them in every once in a while, but without condition for actors, directors or cinematographers. I don't know the shibboleths of describing film. This will be a list of films that I've enjoyed, and the best explanation I can muster for why they're fantastic.

Alright, let's do this by category, since that's the best way I can think to go over this. I will spoil things about most of these movies. Consider yourself advised.

Horror:

I hate horror movies. I really do hate them, which is why I feel compelled to find a good one to put here. 

Last House on the Left (1972, dir. Wes Craven) - This is the best horror film I've ever seen. Shying away from the startling style of horror, this is more depraved. It's much darker, in a way that only the 70s could have captured. Apparently it's also Wes Craven's first film. Don't let that dissuade you. It's actually a good horror film. Be forewarned that it is dramatically more graphic than most horror films. It relies much more on the horror of meeting a random psychopath, and less on the supernatural.

Romantic Adventure Fantasy:

Stardust (2007, dir. Matthew Vaughan) - It's hard to beat this for Fantasy Romantic Adventure. A young boy sets out on a quest to prove his love. A basic story that's well portrayed, and really well executed. It's cheesy, in a way that only a good fantasy movie can be. Claire Danes is great. Robert De Niro has some incredible scenes. And the whole fairy-tale storyline plays out to a T.

Comedy:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988, dir. Frank Oz) - How can you go wrong watching a competition between a high-class European con man vs. a low-class American grifter? Michael Caine and Steve Martin play off of each other so well. For such a mindlessly silly movie at times, it's probably the apex of bad 80s comedies.

Best Extreme Movie:

Requiem for a Dream (2000, dir. Darren Aronofsky) - This movie is incredible. It's awful, and wonderful, and depressing and horrible. It terrifies me how well this movie links up the different forms of substance abuse and destructive behavior, alongside the underlying narrative that all any of these characters ever wanted was some attention and love. If we were really serious about scaring kids off of drugs, the D.A.R.E. program would show this movie to 5th graders. 

Film Noir:

Night has a Thousand Eyes (1948, dir. John Farrow) - I like my Noir a bit on the cheesy side, and this one has that in Spades. From Wikipedia:

"""

The film opens in San Francisco, where John Triton (Robinson) is "The Mental Wizard", a nightclub fortune teller. During a show one evening, Triton suddenly urges an audience member to rush home, cautioning that her son is in danger. As the story unfolds, Triton struggles with his newfound psychic ability, as all of his relentlessly bleak predictions prove accurate. Jerome Cowan (of Maltese Falcon fame) plays Whitney Courtland, Triton's best friend, who becomes wealthy using tips from the now-psychic Triton.

"""

Young, innocent and wealthy Jean Courtland is the subject of intrigue when John Triton has a vision of her untimely demise, accurate down to the hour and the location. The intrigue abounds. This movie hits the campiness factor so well given how it has aged. It contains all the critical noir elements, the pretty girl, the old cynical man, the ill-gotten fortune, and a cosmic sense of justice. 

It also has such lovely gems as asking a Geologist "You're a man of Science, is such a [psychic] phenomenon possible?"

Science Fiction:

Gattaca (1997, dir. Andrew Niccol) - I always thought this movie best described the kind of dystopian future that's possible. It's not perfect, and the story is about an intensely motivated exception to the rule. It's also a friendship story, albeit a rather 1-dimensional one. Like all great science fiction, the main character and premise carry the entire story. The rest of the environment is set up to play out the internal conflict of the protagonist against the dystopian future.

Made-up Categories:

Best Movie I thought was an inch shy of being perfect:

Se7en (1995, dir. David Fincher) - This move came so close to being everything I could want in a thriller. Senseless murders with a shocking mystery element. A plot with a reasonable amount of twists that doesn't lose sight of the destination, and a fantastic ending. There's only one problem with it, one little criticism that keeps me from fully enjoying it.

The center of the plot is that the killer arranges for the deaths of those seen as committing each of the seven deadly sins. The progression goes quite believably well except that he convolves envy and wrath together. It would make much more sense, both from a narrative perspective, and from a plot consistency, if Brad Pitt's character were to kill the killer, then commit suicide. Then you're balanced, envy and wrath have both paid the price. Without that balance, it doesn't make any sense. As it stands, the killer is just a monster, rather than a psychopathic genius. In a movie about the villain succeeding, the villain doesn't succeed in his intention.

Lastly the narrative feels imbalanced with Both of the detectives alive at the end. It would have felt more balanced for Morgan Freeman's character to end the movie in the same place it began, with him isolated and alone in a city that's killed everything he ever believed in.

Modern Noir:

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, dir. Chan-Wook Park)

I call this Modern Noir because it follows the classic noir formula, but is made recently. Similar to Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, this a tale of committing a horrible crime for extenuating circumstances. The main character is especially sympathetic as a deaf, impoverished worker in Seoul. He kidnaps the daughter of the owner of the electronics factory he works at. With the ransom, he intends to pay some organ smugglers enough to get a replacement kidney for his dying sister, in exchange for one of his own. 

It gets very extreme when his handicap causes the tragic death of the young girl, setting off a series of events which can only end with vengeance. This movie can be held in contrast with Se7en (above), in that the ending has balance. All the characters have closure.

Best pair of movies that are the same movie:

Fistfull of Dollars (1964, dir. Sergio Leone) & Yojimbo (1961, dir. Akira Kurosawa) - I always have to look up which of these movies was made first (it's yojimbo). I oscillate between which one is my favorite, but the reality is that they're exactly the same movie. They have the same set of characters, with the same motivations and outcomes. The entire movie is almost shot-for-shot the same movie. 

In terms of the actual movie, and why it's fantastic, that's a bit harder to tease out. It is a classic, archetype of the "a stranger comes to town" story. An unnamed wanderer comes in and rights wrongs on no one's side but his own. For a Fistfull of Dollars, it's unburdened by the standard 'how the west was won' nationalism I rather despise. Yojimbo also avoided feeling caught up as an example of a larger societal shift, as 7 samurai was. They're both movies with what seems like an intentionally isolated scope, telling a tale where the good guys aren't that good. It's brutal and honest and fantastic. 

Best Sexy Movie:

Secretary (2002, dir. Steven Shainberg) - There's something about the transformation of Maggie Gyllenhaal throughout this movie that works. I love that it takes the premise seriously, runs with it, but does so in a lighthearted, romantic way. James Spader is his usual creepy self. They set each other off so well, and it just works.

Best Movie About Friendship:

The Shawshank Redemption (1994, dir. Frank Darabont) - I really enjoy this movie. It's well paced, and evolves the relationship between Red and Andy over 20 years. Over the countless trials inside of the prison, they build a deep friendship. I always found it fascinating that this movie never cast named female character. The movie is strictly about male friendship. 

Honorable Mentions (twitter style):

Old Boy (2003, dir. Chan-wook Park) - Extreme and Intense. 

Pan's Labyrinth (2006, dir. Guillermo del Toro) - For Whom the Bell Tolls meets Alice in Wonderland

Waitress (2007, dir. Adrienne Shelly) - Saccharine Sweet

Up (2009, dir. Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson) - I'll admit it, I cried the first time I watched the opening

In Bruges (2008, dir. Martin McDonough)  - Of Mice and Men for European Hitmen 

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Sight and Sound Movie List: La Winters

Asterix and Cleopatra (1968, Rene Goscinny, Lee Payant, Albert Uderzo dirs.)

When I was a kid, my mom painstakingly taped movies off of the Disney Channel, then cut out the relevant movie info from Disney magazine and taped that to the cassette envelope, so I could always know what I was watching. When I was in middle school, I decided to tape every episode of X-Files possible and when I ran out of blank tapes, I started using the tapes she made me. I feel terrible about this even now. However, Asterix and Cleopatra was my favorite and it escaped the fate of the other tapes. It's so odd, part musical, part bizarre fake history, plus the most awesome sound effects.

Idiocracy (2006, Mike Judge)

One of my favorite comedies (along with Super Troopers), Idiocracy has stuck itself in the back of my mind. I suspect the world it shows may actually be the future (Extra big ass fries! Costco Law School….) so why not laugh at it before it's our reality?

Perfect Blue (1997, dir. Satoshi Kon)

Can I call this a horror movie? I guess so, as it's insanely creepy. Being unable to escape someone, plus having your life stolen, is a great combination.

Spirited Away (2001, dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

This is my favorite Miyazaki movie, with Ponyo as a close second. I love the way the movie treats the fantasy world as a living, breathing place with room for a human child as a servant. The crazy events seem commonplace to the characters.

The Fifth Element (1997, dir. Luc Besson)

So what if the plot makes no sense? I will be disappointed if the future does not include flying ramen stands.

The Rock/Face Off/Con Air (1996/1997/1997 dir. Michael Bay, John Woo, Simon West)

In middle school, my mom joined Columbia House for a month, got the five free movies, and then quit. The Rock was one of the ones I picked off the list, along with Con Air and Face/Off (plus Forrest Gump and that Sally Field movie where Kiefer Sutherland kills her daughter). Those three together (minus Forrest Gump and Sally Field, though I rewatched Eye for an Eye on Netflix and it's not half bad) are my personal action movie favorites, and I know them word for word. All of them also feature Nicolas Cage, who is at his grumpiest in Con Air. The Rock is the best of them, with completely overblown stunts, Sean Connery as old James Bond, and Ed Harris as the excellent, sympathetic antagonist (can't stand calling him a villain).

The Weather Man (2005, dir. Gore Verbinski)

Speaking of Nicolas Cage, this movie pairs him with Michael Caine as his father. Cage plays a disrespected, disheartened weather man trying to make it onto a big news show, while his much cooler father suffers from cancer. The movie documents Cage's mid-life crisis, which he attempts to fix with archery lessons.

The 10th Kingdom (2000, David Carson & Herbert Wise dirs.)

This TV mini-series was clearly meant to be some kind of trilogy, but I guess there isn't a market for long live-action modern day fairy tales. If you enjoy a cheesy fantasy movie, give it a shot. A girl named Virginia goes through a portal in Central Park into the 9 Kingdoms, where the evil queen commences to hunt her. Oh, and her father the plumber is there, and a cute werewolf, plus trolls and a beanstalk and Ann Margret as Cinderella.

The Omen (1976, dir. Richard Donner) 

I love a good horror movie, preferably non-torture porn. While Japanese horror creeps me out to an extent that I have trouble sleeping, supernatural horror just feels like a treat. The creepy child trope, also done well in Pet Sematary, is perfect here. Plus, the bombastic Satanic music is so overdone and excellent.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011, dir. Sean Durkin)

This last one is not a comfort movie, but is one of my recent favorites. Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the Olsen twins, is great as a girl who leaves a commune/cult and attempts to fit in with her rich older sister and her husband. The swimming scene early in the movie shows just how hard it is for her remember social norms. When she becomes paranoid that the cult has followed her, the movie goes from awkward to creepy. Olsen is wonderful to watch, as is John Hawkes (from Winter's Bone and Deadwood) as the charismatic, unsettling cult leader.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994, dir. Frank Darabont)

Probably my actual favorite movie, and I'll watch it whenever it's on TNT. Also one of many Stephen King movies that I love, including Pet Sematary, The Shining, Storm of the Century, and Cujo.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006, dir. Guillermo del Toro)

In one of the best films I've gotten to see in theaters, Ivana Baquero as Ofelia is just haunting and great. And of course, parts are terrifying and definitely show up in my nightmares.


Good luck bugging Der Huber...




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Friday Playlist #16: Random Vaguely Bluegrass Themed Edition

Will The Circle Be Unbroken  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h0dpiM9c0k

Man of Constant Sorrow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08e9k-c91E8

I'll Fly Away http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRdqp4N3Jw

Midnight Moonlight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrqGnA7xgCg

Thank God I'm a Country Boy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqb0em452CM

Bird on a Wire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rb1rse0fKs

God's Gonna Cut You Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IStlBOX9F4o

I Shall Be Released http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqJJdiG61jo

After the Gold Rush http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tii--VSDCrc

Advanced Playlist:

Appalachian Spring: http://www.youtube.com/user/eleninamyers/videos?query=appalachian+spring

Sight and Sound Movie List: The Manning

Having read all the wonderful contributions thus far, I've decided to throw my hat in the ring. It also may have something to do with being informed by Evan that "the list is life".

My current thesis is that everyone actually has two movies lists. The first being their actual favorite movies, and the second being the movies they claim are their favorites in order to seem more interesting. I'll start with the second.

(Editor's Note: Guilty as charged. He's probably right.)

"The Wine List" (in no particular order)

1. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962).

I’m glad I waited to see this on the (very) big screen at the AFI in Silver Spring. This is the quintessential “epic” film: panoramic, lengthy, and breathtakingly beautiful. David Lean was a ridiculously talented director, also responsible for Dr. Zhivago (1965) and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). I almost put the latter on this list simply for the amazing performance by Alec Guinness.

2. High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)

John Wayne said this was the most Un-American film he’d ever seen. It’s a Western that forgoes nearly all of that genre’s tropes about heroism, action and adventure in favor of a sober examination of duty, community and cowardice. Fun fact: Gary Cooper (the star) later sold out Zinnemann to the Joseph McCarthy and the HUAC.

3. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)

The brutality of the early Franco regime serves as the backdrop for this riveting tale of dark fantasy. At turns beautiful and gruesome, this film grabbed me by the brain in a very primal way.

4. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

Mickey Rourke gives an amazing performance as a lonely, battered and broken hero. I cried a lot whilst sitting next to Der Schreiber.

5. Hable con Ella (Pedro Almodovar, 2002)

Okay, so this movie is really weird. And I probably enjoyed it more than I would have otherwise because I first saw it while living in Madrid in 2003. That being said, it’s an amazing example of a director crafting some extremely sympathetic characters.

6. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2002)

Just go watch it.

7. Nueve Reinas (Fabian Bielinsky, 2000)

This Argentine movie about two con-men straddles the line between wine and beer. I’ll defer to Roger Ebert on why it’s great: “Nine Queens is a con within a con within a con. There comes a time when we think we’ve come to the bottom, and then the floor gets pulled out again.”

"The Beer List" (in a particular order)

1. The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers, 1998)

I can recite the whole thing from memory. I’ve won a costume contest by dressing as Walter Sobchak. There’s no way I can put anything else at the top of the beer list.

2. Star Wars (Lucas, 1977-1983)

La Menichelli being legitimately interested in watching these 3 movies with me was a significant moment in our relationship.

3. Field of Dreams (Robinson, 1989)

Ray. People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn into your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door, as innocent as children, longing for the past. “Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say, “It’s only twenty dollars per person.”


And they’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it, for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk off to the bleachers and sit in their short sleeves on a perfect afternoon. And find they have reserved seats somewhere along the baselines where they sat when they were children. And cheer their heroes.


And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick; they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Ray.


The one constant through all the years Ray, has been baseball. America is ruled by it like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

4. Blade Runner (Scott, 1982)

Ridley Scott is amazing. Over 20 years later and this film still holds up as one of the greatest works of science fiction in film.

5. Groundhog Day (Ramis, 1993)

When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.

6. The Hunt for Red October (McTiernan, 1990)

Let them sing.

7. Ronin (Frankenheimer, 1998)

One of my favorite DeNiro movies, and hands down the best car chases from any film ever.

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Sight and Sound Movie List: The Treff/Liang

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999, Michael Patrick Jann)

This mockumentary on the beauty pageant world is so full of satire that it is hard to believe Christopher Guest was not involved.  An unfortunate victim of bad marketing (selling itself as a teen thriller, which it is not in any way), it never gained a huge following.  Nonetheless, this movie will make you laugh so hard you will fall over. I promise.

Gaslight (1944, George Cukor)

I've been told that as a younger woman, my Grandmom looked a lot like Ingrid Bergman, and I've loved her movies as long as I can remember.  This movie is thrilling in a wonderfully understated way, and the casting of romantic hero Charles Boyer as the potentially sinister Gregory Anton was a stroke of genius.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-3, Peter Jackson)

I'm cheating and including the trilogy as one entry on this list.  The expansive story receives loving and respectful treatment from Peter Jackson, and is accessible to hardcore fans and the uninitiated alike.  Besides, it's impossible not to cheer at the screen when Eowyn throws the Witch King of Agmar's prophesy back in his face.

Laura (1944, Otto Preminger)

I’m a sucker for film noir, and this one tops the list. The movie both relies on and plays with the genre’s most famous tropes in a refreshing way.  Dana A ndrews’ Mark McPherson also feels more accessible and human than the more aloof Philip Marlowe.

MirrorMask (2005, Dave McKean)

I know this will be a controversial choice, but I promise my love for this movie goes beyond the big names in the credits.  The visuals are stunning and unique, with Dave McKean's hand clear in every scene.  The story may be a bit abstract and philosophical for some, but fans of Neil Gaiman's more retrospective writing will appreciate it.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Guillermo del Toro)

It was a tough choice between this and Hellboy, but Pan’s Labyrinth’s depth, combined with its beautiful visuals, overcome my natural preference for lighter fare.  It is also the perfect vehicle for Doug Jones to show off his amazing ability to defy both physics and biology.

Pride and Prejudice (BBC Version) (1995, Sue Birtwistle, Julie Scott, & Michael Wearing Producers)

This is my one chick flick concession.  The story is timeless, and the intentionally long play time allows the director to cover plot points that are omitted in other versions.  Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet is deliciously sassy, while Colin Firth in period dress is the perfect eye candy.

The Princess Bride (1987, Rob Reiner)

Yes, I realize this is a cop-out.  But there are very few movies I can watch on loop, and this is one of them. Besides, I know I’m not the only one who can recite the “to the pain” speech from memory.

Some Like it Hot (1959, Billy Wilder)

I think this is probably the funniest movie of all time.  The dialogue absolutely sparkles, and Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis play their roles with just enough camp to be funny without going over the top. 

Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)

I knew from the start that a Miyazaki film would be on this list; the challenge was figuring out which one to go with.  I chose Spirited Away because it strikes the best balance between the beautiful worlds of Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle, and the wide-eyed innocence of Ponyo. 

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