Maybe I should have done this way back when I started this column. I know some of my illustrious commenters did, and I guess I'm just slow for not catching on until now. But I've always felt that you could tell a lot about a person based on their taste in movies, and lets face it, movie lovers love to rank things. It's what keeps the AFI in business.
Of course, it's really a dumb thing to do. There are objective standards by which we can separate good movies from bad ones, but once you make that broad distinction it gets pretty subjective. I've often had the experience where a movie will connect with me once, sometimes on the first viewing, sometimes the third or fourth, but will bore me ever after (this was my experience with The Truman Show, for instance).
So trying to compose a list of my ten favorite movies (not to be confused with the ten best movies; totally different set of criteria) seems kind of futile, but what the hell. Let's do it anyway. Certainly six through ten fluctuate depending on what day of the week it is, the relative cloud cover, and the current win-loss record of the Pittsburgh Steelers. One through five has been pretty constant for a while now, so we'll put that off until tomorrow. Just for the record, it's Wednesday, there are just a few puffs of cloud in the sky, and- it being the off-season- the Steelers are sitting at .500 with a record of zero and zero.
In a nod to David Letterman, we'll start with number ten.
10) Twelve Monkeys: I put Terry Gilliam in the same category as David Lynch: intensely imaginative and stunning visually, and yet, if you just give them a few million and send them off to make a movie, what they come back with is often unintelligible (much of Fear and Loathing and Brazil falls into this category). If, however, you confine those off-kilter ideas within the narrative constraints of a studio film, more often than not you get something magic, and Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys is a perfect example. Based on a short film called La Jettee, it's a lyrical and haunting tale of time travel and an apocalyptic vision of our future. It got two Oscar nominations, one richly deserved for costume design (the production design is also fantastic), and the other for a brilliantly manic supporting performance by Brad Pitt as a mental patient. His tics and spasms are now practically famous on their own, and while the rest of the cast- Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Christopher Plummer- are adequate, Pitt steals the show (although David Morse is almost his equal in a much smaller role). The film is confusing, the narrative fractured, and it is, at times, difficult to follow. But by the time you get to the end, all the pieces fit together in a way that is totally satisfying and kind of heartbreaking. Kudos to Gilliam and screenwriters David and Janet Peoples (David also wrote the script for Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven) for making maybe the only time-travel movie that doesn't piss me off with logical inconsistencies.
9) The Descent: This is a recent addition to the list. I've seen it three times now, and it gets more complex and fascinating each time. This is only accentuated by its being released in such close proximity to The Cave, which has an almost identical logline, bigger stars, twice the budget, and is inferior to Descent in every way. Writer/director Neil Marshall (his werewolf film Dog Soldiers is also worth a look) takes three long-time friends (six are in the script, but only three matter), puts them into some unimaginably difficult circumstances, and watches as they splinter and finally destroy each other. The monsters, which he patiently waits forty-five minutes to introduce, are almost incidental. What matters most to me is the way the story builds to what may be the most morally ambiguous ending in any horror film, and my feelings about it have changed every time I see it. Whenever I'm able to share the film with someone, I always ask the question: does Juno get what she deserves? They will often start out in one position, and as I point out this and that aspect of the script, their perspective changes. There aren't many films that have spawned such great conversations, and even fewer that are so genuinely entertaining on top of it. In twenty years, I believe this film will be regarded the way we do Romero's Dawn of the Dead now, and believe me, Marshall is a filmmaker to watch.
Comments (4)
Well, thanks for the movie recommendations, since I haven't seen ANY of these. And I LOVE horror and suspense, so I am seriously looking forward to these flicks. Also, Urban Cowboy would be on my top ten. Heehee
1 of 4 | Posted by sweetleaf![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on May 10, 2007 12:22 PM
I haven't yet seen The Descent, but I heard that the Brit release had a more ambiguous ending than the US one did. I expect that's the one you are talking about. I'd love to rent it but my guy won't watch horror........ and I can't watch it alone! Finding horror pals isn't too tuff, but finding the time is...
2 of 4 | Posted by Donna Martin Graduates!![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on May 10, 2007 5:45 PM
I considered going into the whole Brit/US release difference, but I figure most people who haven't see it will get it on DVD, and I think that cut's about the only one you can find in the video store. It's definitely worth your time; if you check it out, drop me a comment and let me know what you think.
3 of 4 | Posted by sutter kane![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on May 10, 2007 6:38 PM
While 12 Monkeys is great, Brazil is definitely the superior Gilliam film. Upon the first viewing or two it may seem 'unintelligible', but repeat viewings really bring it all together. All good flicks on your list though!
4 of 4 | Posted by Vic | Posted on May 15, 2007 8:06 PM