A couple of things to get out of the way before I begin. I am madly passionate about film. It’s pretty much my life (without sounding like too much of a socially deprived weirdo). When I was young, even younger than I am now, I decided that all I would want to do for the rest of my life is watch movies, and doesn't every kid after a truly mind-blowing cinematic experience, but my passion persevered through my alienated adolescence and here I am sixteen years of age with a lifetime of movie-going ahead of me.
Right now I have a list of top titles (not necessarily recognised top titles) that I think every film buff or any other human being for that matter should definitely give a go.
I'd like to start with my favourite film of all time, Good Will Hunting (1997) a film I only had the pleasure of seeing a couple of years ago on a long Tuesday night of homeworking, nestled on one of those BBC 12 sort of channels, when on came this masterpiece. It could have been the relevance to youth and trying to find purpose in life that drew me in or simply the outstanding performance of Robin Williams, an actor who I wouldn't normally rate that highly, but something made me put down my pen and toss aside the stack of homework sheets. Now there are inevitable problems with the film in that it feels very clichéd. The whole idea that a boy genius from a troubled background is given the ticket to 'the good life' by a lonely MIT professor, but it is so much more than that. It is a very intelligent narrative coming from two young stars worthy of their Oscar (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, 1998). What astounds me is they clearly have such an understanding of life and hardship that they can depict this tale plucked from their imaginations with sincerity and it feels painfully real. The director, Gus Van Sant (and yes I am aware he is the psycho that attempted the remake of Psycho) does an extraordinary job of using the camera and the light to show personality and dramatic tension. It’s probably one of the first films I’ve seen where I’ve noticed the camera almost as part of the narrative.
Now I’ve gone on far longer than I intended so I will round the others up fairly quickly. Disturbia (2007) with Shea LaBeouf which, I think is superb and one of the best thrillers of the modern age. I should say I have a general rule which I’m sure I share with many others, YOU CAN'T REMAKE HITCHCOCK, and yes arguably Disturbia is a Hitchcock remake, except it’s not. I would say it uses the premise of Rear Window (1954) but in doing so becomes a complete story in its own right. All I can say is watch it and I hope you agree.
Airplane (1980) is one of the best comedies of all time, and also has the best movie quote of all time "Excuse me stewardess, I speak Jive" which is just brilliant. Just don't watch the sequel.
Sherlock Jr. (1924) is one of those rarities that most people haven’t heard of let alone seen. It is a black and white film, its silent and it’s so old it’s become an antique. I know my generation has a prejudice against B+W movies which I really don't understand, but this is really worth the 'struggle' guys. It is genuinely funny with a timeless dream-like quality, and has ignited an admiration for Buster Keaton, one of the greatest film-makers of all time. If you can only bare one silent feature in your sad sorry life then make Sherlock Jr. it! By the way it is hard to track down but you can watch the whole thing on YouTube in one part by visiting this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRwl8OpUbWU.
Finally I’m going to be boring and say Citizen Kane (1941) which is considered by many (including the American Film Institute, who I do normally problems with) to be the best film of all time. I don’t think it is but it’s certainly close. It is a Rite of Passage and you are not a man or a woman for that matter until you know the true meaning of 'Rosebud'.
Remember this isn’t a list my favourite films but they are a few that I would class as must-sees. So that's it guys my first post, keep checking the site out for new ones and in the words of Austria’s greatest contribution to the cinema…
"Hasta la vista baby!"
Hey there from the Falklands, what do you make of John Carter? Disney estimate to lose £200 million on this film. I reckon it's the name, doesn't sound like a sci-fi, more a western...
ReplyDeletePaul Wisdom
BFBS
I confess I've been really put off by other critics, and I agree I don't like the name but I heard on Mark Kermode's show that Disney actually carried out some research and generally people weren't bothered about the name, but it does look pretty awful. I don't think there has been a good sci-fi for years its a real shame. Have you seen it yet?
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