A couple of weeks ago I listed five of my favorite films of all time. Here’s three more that I feel make life worth living.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) dir. Irvin Kershner
What else to say? It’s by far the best Star Wars movie, the best thing George Lucas will come up with, and one of the best science fiction/adventure/fantasy awesomeness ever. Even if you’re not a fan of Star Wars at all – shut up, you know it’s pretty great. I saw Empire for the first time on Betamax at my friend’s house when I was about four. It gave me nightmares. It also made me feel like the coolest kid ever, jumping around my living room and re-enacting every scene. Star Wars was the first thing I was “in to,” and I still am today. I own this, for fuck’s sake – and it’s awesome.
The Bicycle Thief (1948) dir. Vittorio De Sica
Made for next to nothing with non-actors, and shot on location in post war Italy, The Bicycle Thief is the type of film that Hollywood could have never made because it’s simply too real. It’s funny and sad but never melodramatic, and the little boy is heartbreaking. Do yourself a favor and put down that cat movie or whatever you’re thinking about watching and watch this instead.
Raging Bull (1980) dir. Martin Scorsese
Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Casino – when I was first getting into Scorsese I would think, “Ok, that’s my new favorite one.” I even thought this when I saw Hugo just a few weeks ago. But to be totally honest, Raging Bull didn’t make that strong of an impression on me when I first saw it. I was too nerded out by long steady-cam shots and quotable dialogue that everyone else knew. Now I know better. Raging Bull is an incredibly good movie on all levels. It’s poetic and beautiful and beats out the others for Scorsese’s best film.
Agree or disagree? What am I missing here? Let me know in the comments.
Anyone who claims that this movie is racist has a) never been to Japan or b) so far up Japan’s ass that they forgot what it was like when they first came here. To the first time tourist in Japan, all the food does look the same on the menu, it is weird that you have to cook it yourself, and being taller than everyone else in the elevator is unnerving. Everything about this movie has a total tone of authenticity, and feels in no way mean-spirited. The story is simple but honest, and could have worked in any international city in the world. I saw Lost In Translation in the theater while I was back in the States for the summer, and it instantly made me miss Japan.
Worst
The Last Samurai (2003) dir. Edward Zwick
It took everything I had not to burn down the theater in total disgust after watching this piece of garbage. The Last Samurai is more than just a poorly made adventure movie, it’s offensive and dangerous. Tom Cruise plays a military advisor who is taken captive by Ken Watanabe and his rebel group of samurai, only to go native and adopt the Japanese culture as he fights along side them. In the final battle against the new Meiji army, the samurai all die, except for one. Fucking Tom Cruise. A white guy. He then goes to the Emperor to tell him the story of how the samurai lived. Great. An entire part of Japanese history died so a white man could live, discover Japanese beauty, sleep with Koyuki, and tell the Emperor how cool they all were. Fuck off.
There have been a lot of racist portrayals of Japanese people and language throughout the years in Hollywood (here’s probably the worst) that are cringe inducing to watch now. But The Last Samurai was released in 2003, and wins top spot when it comes to fucking around with an entire country’s identity.
Know a movie that’s better or worse? Let me know in the comments.
It’s safe to say that anyone who has an interest in movies has some sort of “Top Ten” list buried in their head somewhere. Whether its someone like my friend Dirk, whose favorite films are usually a list of Jerry Bruckheimer’s recent shitfests (Armageddon always safe at number one, however) or my friend Warren who has a constant rotating top five depending on the time of year and how many drinks were consumed the night before – most of the people I know can answer the question, “What are your favorite movies?” In fact, making a list is usually a lot easier than simply stating your favorite movie of all time, for fear it will pin you against the wall and brand you a dipshit forever. I actually don’t give a flying fuck what movies, music, or books people find to be their favorite. Although, I was at a bar once and some guy said that his favorite movie of all time was The Godfather Part III. A fight almost broke out after someone asked the guy if he was learning disabled.
Yes, his favorite was this one.
Anyway, here is a list in no particular order of some of my favorite movies. Hopefully you’ll check out a few and then we can have a healthy debate in the comments about how I’m a dipshit.
Tokyo Story (1953) dir. Yasujiro Ozu
Tender dialogue, great acting, tatami mat POV camera blah blah blah….check this film out to see real Tokyo in all of its 1950 glory. It’s also sad without being overly depressing (despite the DVD box front cover, which makes it look like it’s about a Hiroshima atomic bomb nightmare), but has some hilarious moments in it as well. Drunk salarymen were exactly the same as they are now.
Magnolia (1999) dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Everyone digs Boogie Nights the most, but I’m not so sure. I saw this in the theater by myself to kill some time when it first came out, which was a mistake because right as it ended I wanted turn to the person next to me and start dissecting it with them. Trying to explain this movie to someone who hasn’t seen it always makes it sound like a retarded student film. “Ok, so there’s these eight or so people living in L.A., and all this crazy shit happens to all of them, and then you find out that they are all connected in some way at the end.” Lame! But it works.
Manhattan (1979) dir. Woody Allen
If you’re checking out Woody Allen for the first time, I would recommend Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters. But this is his best movie. Some people even think it is the best film of the 70s. College kids should take down that poster of Taxi Driver and put this one up.
Singing in the Rain (1952) dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Musicals are bullshit. But the first time I saw Singing in the Rain I had to admit that there might be something to this genre. The songs and characters are charming and the dancing is insanely good. The story, about Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound pictures, actually calls for sequences of singing and dancing, so the movie isn’t just random scenes of some shithead jumping around in a forest, or whatever Brigadoon is about. There are too many good moments in the film, but here is one of them:
Notorious (1946) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s best film can be debated all night. This might not be it but it’s definitely one of the most tense movies I have ever seen. Ingrid Bergman is recruited by the government to spy on her ex-lover, who is suspected of being a Nazi. She eventually is forced to marry him to remain undercover, much to gov. agent Cary Grant’s chagrin. There are some cool camera shots to be seen all throughout the movie, as well as Ingrid Bergman’s face. She’s hotter here than in Casablanca. So you can see it just for that, if you’d like.
That’s five for now. There’s more favorites where that came from, so check back here periodically. And let me know what you think in the comments.
filmbop 
