A friend of mine is watching a Top 100 Movies list, well, working her way through it. She has watched a few movies that she didn't really get, including a few of my favourites, but when asked for my opinion on WHY I liked them I found I couldn't really explain myself.
So anyway, it got me thinking of my favourite movies. Its a working list, obviously I haven't seen the movies that are yet to come out that will probably be up there for me (here's looking at you Looper- time travel AND Joseph Gordon-Levitt grows up to be Bruce Willis- hellooo000OOOOO). A lot of them will probably be very standard, but so what? I'm 25, I can't be expected to have watched everything... YET.
All this without spoilers.
Romantic Comedies: Shut up, everyone watches them.
Crazy, Stupid, Love: Clever, realistic (to a point) and no happy ending. I like me a romantic comedy that doesn't end the way the formula suggests. Two stand out scenes are the one where Ryan Gosling is seducing Emma Stone in his swanky bachelor pad and the OTHER one where Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell are beating the shit out of each other when Kevin Bacon rocks up, and even though Ryan is getting the raw end of the deal from Steve, he still attacks Kevin Bacon. Love the solidarity, is what I'm saying. I enjoy a good bromance.
It Happened One Night: Every girl has one oldie timey (wibbly wobbly) movie that they love. Deal with it. Mine is It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, filmed five years before Gone with the Wind and frankly the better of the two. Peter and Ellie (respectively) play absolute arseholes who band together to get across America so Peter can get his story and Ellie can get away from her father. Stand out scene where Peter tries to hitch hike. Wildly hilarious.
When Harry Met Sally: Nora Ephron is a genius. Also, whether you've got one now or are waiting for the next one to come along, everyone has had that *really* close friend which has danced dangerously close to boyfriend/girlfriend line. I could live for some of those beautifully tense moments some days (read: I miss Jack). Plus, everyone knows Billy Crystal's speech at the end. If you don't cry you probably don't have a soul and/or are a Ginger. I still do the White Man Over Bite whenever I go out. So what I'm saying is the movie is mostly nostalgia.
Friends with Benefits: This is a really good romantic comedy, considering the formulaic bullshit that's been coming out of Hollywood lately. It's quick and witty without being contrived. Also, it's nice to see a movie that doesn't portray sex as being some kind of mystery and that women can have sex too (What's Your Number? Omgods, really? A woman spends the movie defining herself by her sexual partners and Chris Evans ploughs his way through half of New York. No Hollywood, NO). Plus, Justin Timberlake singing Criss Cross is pretty awesome.
Think-y Movies: I'm not bright, I don't pretend to be.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: First of all, when I'm actually down to think, in a proper 'I can concentrate and don't need to think about things people are Pinning' mood, I love something that makes my brain run marathons. If you've got a complicated non linear plot I AM YOUR GIRL. Provided I'm not hung over/tired/agitated. Enter the Spotless Mind. The main story is sweet and sad, the sub story is just sad and you think of the moral implications of the whole thing for days afterwards. I also have a major soft spot of Jim Carrey. He is underrated as an Actor. I don't have a favourite scene, I love the sheer mechanics of putting that story together, and then the ethics it involves. Charlie Kaufman is my idea of genius.
Party Monsters: Made in 2003 but set in the post Warhol New York club scene, it's the true (true-ish) story of Michael Alig who killed his dealer Angel*. Like the above I was thinking about this movie for weeks. I loved the cadence of the language, I loved the colour and the costumes, I loved the humour of these two men who constantly and dangerously have to out do each other. Of course, the film is also meta, as its told by both Michael Alig and James St. James, and then there is the level of horror at what these kids do to each other and themselves. Stand out scene is a rather touching moment between James St. James and Michael dancing in Michael's living room.
*Not a spoiler as it has been documented on talk shows, this movie, a mockumentary and a book.
Womb: This movie is an ethical mind fuck. If you aren't really into it it can be slow, but sit down and watch the whole thing without distractions, because I can't think of a single scene that doesn't build towards the finale. I can't describe it any further, but the very last scene will shock you and have you looking back on all the other scenes in a new light. A new disturbing light.
Musicals: Its not really fun unless you can dance to it.
Interstella 5555: I have no other way of really describing it, so musical it is. I'm also a little bit biased as Daft Punk's Discovery is one of my favourite albums and I've already got so many memories associated with it. What I loved was that there was no talking, at all, through out the entire movie, yet so much meaning and emotion was conveyed CLEARLY. Guys, if you're more or less making a silent movie this is how. I even cried when *redacted because spoiler*. Basically, a really kick arse alien band are kidnapped by an evil human and a fellow alien follows them to earth where the exact opposite of hilarity/Unrequited love ensues.
It's also nice to have a memory for Digital Love that doesn't involve this guy I used go to Uni with.
Action: I'm sorry in advance for the eventual Bruce Willis-ness.
Men in Black: So I was fairly young when it came out, but Will Smith was a bit of a champion growing up. Plus, this movie has some great one liners, buddy romance and visual gags. I love how Will Smith's initial test to join the MIB was a common sense test, I love Will Smith's opening line "N.Y.P.D. means KNOCK YO PUNKASS DOWN".
That's all I've got for now, because I'm tired and hung over, and thinking about things only made that worse, but I will continue to add to this.
