With that I stumbled.
For starters I'm the most indecisive person of all time. I'm extremely incapable of making a decision and I love a lot of movies, so the combination isn't a good one. So, for me to pick a favorite would be like congress agreeing on something.
I think my final response was something like "uhhhhhhh, I mean, uhhhhhh, I don't really have one."
A look of confusion over came my friend. She had her favorite movie, everyone at the table had their favorite movie. And there I sat, perplexed about how someone could just pick one movie. I love the art of cinema, the art of acting, and being a writer I adore flawless script writing: hoping one day to be able to do the same. Nothing makes a good movie great like the perfect fitting musical score, or the right lighting for the mood of a scene. Or the right actor for a role, or the proper director to lead the film.
Maybe it is these things that caused another good friend of mine to call me a "movie snob" (she also called me a music snob, maybe she is just jelly? You jelly AF? I know you is!). I'm not a snob. Just because I hate the movie Step Brothers and everything that Will Farrell does. The guy isn't even funny in the slightest I just wish I could go to his house and punch him in the face. He even almost ruined Wedding Crashers with his horrible cameo. Thankfully the rest of the cast and film was funny enough to save it.
Sorry, tangent over.
To this I didn't really have an answer because, once again, there was so many. So, I did what any other human being incapable of decision making would do. I just started naming movies until the table got tired of hearing me list names and we moved on from the conversation, or they made fun of me. I don't know which it was. I'm sure it was some sort of combination of the two things.
Which brings me, finally, to the topic of today's blog. "Movies That You Should All Sit Down and Watch Because I Said So: Part One."
Maybe I should shorten the title? We will see what I put in the title bar before I post this. Anyway here we go, the first ten in which may or may not being a monthly post. It depends how I feel. These are in order of year of release and not in order of my favorite or top ten or nonsense like that, because as you know that would not be possible for me.
M (1931)- Fritz Lang; Nero-Film AG
This is, in my mind, is Fritz Lang's masterpiece. Peter Lorre plays a child murderer in modern Berlin being hunted by both police and the criminal underworld. Lorre's performance is still one of my favorite performances by an actor in motion picture history. The lighting used in this film, credit to cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner, set the mood perfectly in each scene and was far more advanced than any american films of the time. All around a brilliant film.
Casablanca (1941)- Michael Curtiz; Warner Brothers
Humphery Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, and the always creepy Peter Lorre: what else would you need? I don't even think I have to say anything else, but I will. The film depicts a love triangle in French Morocco, which though unoccupied was part of the Nazi puppet French government. Bogart must decide his future, and the fate of most are in his hands.
The Third Man (1949)- Carol Reed; Carol Reed's Production, London Film Productions
The greatest Film-Noir I have ever seen.
Cinematographer Robert Krasker (who won an Academy Award for his work) sets the mood as Carol Reed shows us a man (Joseph Cotten) arriving in Vienna following WWII on an invite from his friend (Orson Welles), who he finds was killed in an accident shortly before his arrival. He investigates his "third man" theory. Writing to much will give away the film and I'm not about to do that. Just go watch it. Also, if any of you find the non blu-ray DVD for sale please let me know, it is out of print and virtually impossible to find. Other wise I will have to go buy a blu-ray player just for this film it is that good.
Diabolique (1955)- Henri-Georges Clouzot; Filmsonor
A spectacular suspense film about a woman and her husband's mistress plotting and executing the mans murder with enough twists and turns that would have made Hitchcock jealous. The lovely Vera Clouzot (husband of Director Henri-Georges) puts in an award worthy performance as the timid, scared wife with a weak heart (something parallel to her real life). A film for all who love a good twist, superb acting, or who appreciate the art of lighting.
The Seventh Seal (1957)- Ingmar Bergman; Svensk Filmindustri
The third Foreign Language and fourth non-american film so far (The Third Man coming to us from the UK). European directors had more freedoms artistically then in Hollywood whose directors were limited by the brilliant (sarcastic) Motion Picture Code.
Coming from Sweden, Bergman's The Seventh Seal a knight during the black plague searches for answers regarding human existence as he plays Death in a game of chess to buy himself more time to find the answers he seeks. A plot that his been copied in TV and movies since the films release. Powered by Max von Sydow as the knight and Bengt Ekerot as the chilling and iconic Grim Reaper this film will keep you thinking and watching as it moves along as it tries to delve into our existence.
The first and only comedy on today's edition (there will be plenty of comedies on forthcoming editions). Led by the always zany Peter Sellers this film takes a satirical look at the cold war and the threat of nuclear war. A general (Sterling Hayden) perceives a false threat from the USSR and sets planes carrying nuclear bombs to attack soviet targets while politicians as well as high ranking military men try to stop it from escalating. With a supporting cast coming from a lot of fantastic actors, most memorably from George C. Scott, this film will keep you laughing from beginning to end while looking at the absurdity of those who are in charge of the worlds fate. There may not be fighting in the war room, but there are laughs aplenty.
The Godfather (1972)- Francis Ford Coppola; Paramount, Alfran Productions
I don't think The Godfather needs any words written about it because it is a film that most people have already seen, or are aware of. Brando's Oscar winning performance along with Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall (whom were all nominated for best supporting actor, losing to Joel Grey in Cabaret) navigating their way through the Mario Puzo and Coppola's Academy Award Winning screenplay (based off of Puzo's acclaimed novel). A story about family, loyalty, and respect set to the background of the Italian-American mafia.
Taxi Driver (1976)- Martin Scorsese; Columbia Pictures, Bill/Phillips, Italo/Judeo Productions
Robert DeNiro plays Travis Bickle, a Vietnam vet trying to return to normalcy in New York City. He suffers from insomnia and gets work as a late night cabby. These are the hours when the city is showing its worse. Bickle takes it upon himself to do something about the scum ridden city. DeNiro brings the brilliant script of Paul Schader to life, guided by the genius of Scorsese's camera and the fantastic supporting cast comprised of Cybill Shepard, Peter Boyle, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, and a young Jodie Foster. Scorsese does a wonderful job, but the script is so powerful and the acting superb that he could have just turned on and pointed the camera in the right direction and let the story unfold.
Road To Perdition (2002)- Sam Mendes; Dreamworks
Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, in his final on screen role, fuel this beautifully directed film by Mendes. Hanks plays Michael Sullivan a hit-man for an Irish-American mafia that is headed by John Rooney (Newman). When Michael Sullivan's son witnesses his father and the younger Rooney (Daniel Craig) killing a man a chain reaction begins as Sullivan and his son must flee and make their way to Perdition, while avoiding a hit-man (Jude Law) sent after them. The film is well done and provides one of my favorite scenes of all time, telling you which one will give away some of the film so I will refrain. After you watch it then we can discuss it. Though I will tell you that the Thomas Newman's musical score is beyond brilliant and makes the film that much better.
There Will Be Blood (2007); Paul Thomas Anderson; Paramount Vantage, Miramax, Ghoulardi Film Company
Paul Thomas Anderson took the first few pages from Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! and ran with them taking creative freedom to bring us this modern day classic. Oil! (though I'm not quite done reading it just yet) is more focused on the political and socioeconomically side of the oil boom that occurred in California during the early 1900's and the class warfare that was being waged, whereas Anderson's screenplay is focused on a story of a man, his son, and their relationship. Which makes for better cinema than the original source material. Daniel Day-Lewis gives the best performance of his career (obviously in my humble opinion) as Daniel Plainview a wealthy independent oil man, who battles with the big oil conglomerates along with a vengeful Evangelical Eli Sunday (played fantastically by Paul Dano) all the while trying to do right for himself and his son. Anderson delivers a cinematic masterpiece in every sense of the word and it should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it was beat out by No Country for Old Men. Though No Country is a great film it is no where near the level of There Will Be Blood.
*All production credits came from IMDB.com
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