This is gonna be a big fucker. I don't expect anybody to actually read the reasoning behind every film.
Weve reached the end of the year once again, and my love for movies continues unabated. So I decided to once again make out a new list of my absolute favorite movies, this time taking into account all the new stuff I saw this year as well as really just adapting to my changing tastes. I dont think theres anything left thats coming out this year that jumps out at me as something I will love an obscene amount with the exception of The Coens True Grit, but, and I am making an assumption here, I dont think thats gonna crack my top 25. So for those of you who still care, here we go.
25. SPL: The first film on my list has everything that I absolutely adore about Hong Kong cinema, the inherent energy in all their films, a solid crime story, and absolutely mind numbing action sequences. It all blends very well together to create the perfect 80s Hong Kong everybody gets fucked crime flick. And yes, that is an actual genre.
24. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: My favorite Christmas movie, and my favorite performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Well written, smart dialogue and a great chemistry between the leads.
23. Scarface(1932): I love De Palma and I love Pacino, but I hate that I have to specify every time I bring this movie up. Anyway, the original has everything that works in the De Palma one, and doesnt have all the stuff that sucks. Also, its not drenched in 80s excess.
22. After Hours: Anybody that knows me know that I absolutely love Scorsese, and this flick is probably the one I can watch the most often. My friend once said, If you wanna learn how to make movies, then study this film. I have seen the flick 4 times now, and I learn something everytime. Honestly, I put this at the masterpiece level that is Raging Bull and Goodfellas.
21. The Dark Knight: I guess its become hip now to talk shit about this movie, and about Christopher Nolan in general, which seems to have only happened upon him getting popular. I avoid all that, cause I love him, and I love his movies, and you know what, I could go on a long rant defending him and this flick, but I wont, because lets face it, its not gonna change anybodies opinion. Just let me love the film in peace.
20. Vertigo: My favorite Hitchcock flick, I love how he toys with the idea of obsession, and James Stewarts performance, which makes you completely forgiving of the fact that hes a complete ass for the second half of the picture.
19. Hot Fuzz: Hilarious gag filled script, sharp comic timing, strong performances with a great cast, rapid fire editing, pitch perfect parody, balls to the walls Hong Kong style shootouts, British accents, and a swan. Yeah, its as good as it sounds.
18. Casino Royale: Weve probably hit a point where this is kind of a guilty pleasure, but I just love this flick. Its like two and a half hours long but I can watch this over and over again no problem. Martin Campbell is forgiven for every bad film he has ever made or will ever make because he made this.
17. Watchmen: Im still gonna go with the Ultimate Cut. Ill admit, the film has many problems, but this is one of those instances where the whole thing is strong enough for me to forgive some rather glaring problems. Aside from that, I think Ive made my points about the flick many times before.
16. Goodfellas: Is there any film fanatic from our generation that wasnt introduced to Scorsese through Goodfellas? Anyway, to this day it remains the film people go to when describing Scorsese. Again, theres very little for me to say about the flick, I mean, who can honestly say they despise this movie?
15. Zodiac: My favorite Fincher film. Here is a movie that isnt afraid to take its time in telling the story, and also doesnt need to dangle a carrot in front of the audience every ten minutes. Someone I know once said that he didnt like it cause it switched through main characters too many times. Yeah, thats cause the story takes place over a long damn time, and people actually did come and go from the case. And this movie illustrated that beautifully.
14. Eyes Wide Shut: The film I will never apologize for loving, even though people seem to think I should. The film creates an odyssey for Tom Cruise set off by the tiniest incident which neither partner saw coming. Throughout, he is tested like many great heroes are, all while Kubrick makes his statement about how we deal with relationships. Halfway through the film becomes a thriller, which further illustrates the fractured state of mind he has entered as he is slowly being driven to a brink of insanity. As Scorsese says, it all leads up to that wonderful final line which so succinctly sums up the themes of the entire film.
13. Taxi Driver: I think you have to have lived with a certain degree of loneliness in your life to understand Travis Bickle. To that end, I am thankful as hell that I am only barely able to understand and comprehend the man and his motives. He isnt a bad or hateful man, hes simply a product of his times and environment, and this creates a fascinating character study. On top of this, Scorseses style really started coming into its own with this film.
12. Kicking and Screaming(1995): This, like Scarface, is a film I have to specify every time I bring it up. No, its not the Will Ferrell movie, this is a small independent film by Noah Baumbach about a bunch of people hitting that perfect point in their lives when they have to transition from being a student to actually growing up and moving on into the real world. Instead they become paralyzed, unable to move on. One person says he wont be able to deal with graduate school cause its one time zone away, one descends within himself, and one actually decides to re-enroll in school, three months after graduating. Ill admit, its not a perfect film, but it was one of those things that I saw at a specific time in my life and its had a strong impact on me ever since.
11. Pulp Fiction: An interesting thing happened when I saw the film again recently. You see when I first saw this all those years ago, it became my favorite movie for a while, then it gradually started slipping back a lot. In that time I had started and abandoned several screenplays, mostly for fun, and took several classes which involved me working with actors and writing dialogue for them. Then I watched this flick one day, and it had probably been two years since I watched it last, and to my delight, I fell in love with the dialogue all over again. I guess with a new understanding and respect this time. Its funny cause I still knew all the lines, but when I saw it all together once again, I was actually amazed with the words that came out of their mouths. How it was able to flow so effortlessly, lines that were written, but you would swear were improvised. It was a thing of beauty, that I dont think you can understand unless youve experienced the frustration of destroying page after page of your work because youre unsatisfied with the quality of your dialogue. Hell, QT himself has certainly never been able to write like this again.
10. Seven Samurai: People often ask me how Im able to watch a film so many times. Its because youre opinion of a film can change so drastically from one viewing to the next. Ill be honest, I didnt like this flick at all the first time I watched it. But you know what happened? I grew the fuck up, and I realized that movies are about more than effects and good looking action sequences. Hell I realized action sequences are about more than effects. And then if youre a complete freak like me you learn that, and this is something that most people have a hard time getting over, movies are about more than the story. Yes, story is an important part, hell, its the most important single element, but a film does not fail if it has a story that is less than stellar. Theres so much more to it than that, and thats what this film taught me. Ive since seen this absurdly long movie more than ten times, and I like it more with each viewing. The way Kurosawa handled the performances, the angles and shots he used, the different cameras, the staging, the different and unique characters, and on top of all this, theres a story that actually kicks ass.
9. The Good, the Bad, and he Ugly: This was the movie that made me love Westerns although I guess I never would have seen this if I hadnt seen Once Upon a Time in America first, but whatever. So uh, theres no new insight for this film, Ive said before why I love this, and those reasons still all apply. Seriously though, if you havent seen this film, then how dare you?
8. American Beauty: For some ridiculous reason, I seem to get heat for liking this movie as well. But whatever, theres no new insight for this flick, but I will say that for those of you who study the image on screen in addition to the story, you should check out his uses for the color red. Its beautiful. Hint: Whats red? Look at the door!
7. The Shawshank Redemption: Same situation, impossible to really despise, love the flick.
6. Magnolia: This flick had a strange effect on me when I watched it, and it did the same for a couple of my friends. We became obsessed, and I really do blame that on the hypnotic nature of the movie. Consider the fact that the camera almost never stops, and because this is PT Anderson, it rarely cuts as well. So we continuously swoop around to the never ending score. Its all set in place to slowly drive one a bit mental. Your stress builds as the characters stress builds, before you know it youre so emotionally attached to the characters that theyve become an extension of yourself. That was the effect it had on me anyway. A lot of people are unable to get over the ending, and I mean, to that Ill say that if youre really looking at it so literally, then this just really isnt the movie for you.
5.The Godfather Part II: I was gonna combine this with The Godfather, but theyre both so unique in structure and tone that they each deserve individual recognition. This film takes the themes set up in the first film, and kinda drags them through the dirt. Leaving us with this dark, dirty mess of anger and betrayal, and I love all of it.
4. Once Upon a Time in America: This is a magnificently made film, regardless though, it's probably only so high on my list cause of my love of the crime and gangster genre, particularly when theyre set during the prohibition era. Anyway, it's another film with no new insights, although I will say that this is probably one of my favorite De Niro performances.
3. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: Yes! It really is this high up. Im sure Ill catch some heat for this decision, but its not like Im making a best list, Im making a favorites list, and you know what, I love this movie. With this flick, Edgar Wright got well right, what so many comic and video game adaptations failed at. And Im not even gonna take that position anymore of well, its not like a GREAT film, but its fun. No, you know what thats bullshit. Ill say it, this is a great film. Think about it for a second, this movie has comedy, which is already hard to do, but it adds on music, with original songs actually performed by the actors, some who had to learn how to sing and play for the first time, and on top of that, it has action. And not cgi action either, but intricately choreographed fight scenes created by members of Jackie Chans team. All this combined would probably usually mean a complete failure, but instead the tone of the film was set perfectly to accompany everything. You may think Im exaggerating here, but Im not, I have never had a better time in a theater than when I watched this with a packed house.
2. The Godfather: I know, its ridiculous right, this has been my favorite film since I watched it the first time several years ago. I really didnt think anything had a chance at dethroning it in the award show that is my brain. To be fair, I still really dig this film, I mean more than the 23 other films Ive listed, and more than the however many hundreds of films Ive seen. So the flick is still totally ace.
1. Chungking Express: You know, I hate to form any solid opinion of a film until it passes the two week test for me, but I think that when Ive seen the film four times in two days, I probably just watched something special. And I even tested it, I watched The Godfather again today, and I gotta say, Im still going with this. Wong Kar-Wais absolutely breathtaking visuals, his use of music, the characterization. Its all so completely fantastic. Yes, the film is a romance, but not in the way that has been glorified in Hollywood, hell its not really even comparable to quirky indie romances. Its like, the energy of Hong Kong filmmaking, the beauty of the French New Wave, the unique characterization of the best indie film, all with the distinct feel of Wong Kar-Wai. And you know what, on top of all that, this film just makes me feel good. Its as good as it gets for this guy right here.
Yeah, so that's it... I wonder if anybody made it this far and actually read everything I had to say...
Weve reached the end of the year once again, and my love for movies continues unabated. So I decided to once again make out a new list of my absolute favorite movies, this time taking into account all the new stuff I saw this year as well as really just adapting to my changing tastes. I dont think theres anything left thats coming out this year that jumps out at me as something I will love an obscene amount with the exception of The Coens True Grit, but, and I am making an assumption here, I dont think thats gonna crack my top 25. So for those of you who still care, here we go.
25. SPL: The first film on my list has everything that I absolutely adore about Hong Kong cinema, the inherent energy in all their films, a solid crime story, and absolutely mind numbing action sequences. It all blends very well together to create the perfect 80s Hong Kong everybody gets fucked crime flick. And yes, that is an actual genre.
24. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: My favorite Christmas movie, and my favorite performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Well written, smart dialogue and a great chemistry between the leads.
23. Scarface(1932): I love De Palma and I love Pacino, but I hate that I have to specify every time I bring this movie up. Anyway, the original has everything that works in the De Palma one, and doesnt have all the stuff that sucks. Also, its not drenched in 80s excess.
22. After Hours: Anybody that knows me know that I absolutely love Scorsese, and this flick is probably the one I can watch the most often. My friend once said, If you wanna learn how to make movies, then study this film. I have seen the flick 4 times now, and I learn something everytime. Honestly, I put this at the masterpiece level that is Raging Bull and Goodfellas.
21. The Dark Knight: I guess its become hip now to talk shit about this movie, and about Christopher Nolan in general, which seems to have only happened upon him getting popular. I avoid all that, cause I love him, and I love his movies, and you know what, I could go on a long rant defending him and this flick, but I wont, because lets face it, its not gonna change anybodies opinion. Just let me love the film in peace.
20. Vertigo: My favorite Hitchcock flick, I love how he toys with the idea of obsession, and James Stewarts performance, which makes you completely forgiving of the fact that hes a complete ass for the second half of the picture.
19. Hot Fuzz: Hilarious gag filled script, sharp comic timing, strong performances with a great cast, rapid fire editing, pitch perfect parody, balls to the walls Hong Kong style shootouts, British accents, and a swan. Yeah, its as good as it sounds.
18. Casino Royale: Weve probably hit a point where this is kind of a guilty pleasure, but I just love this flick. Its like two and a half hours long but I can watch this over and over again no problem. Martin Campbell is forgiven for every bad film he has ever made or will ever make because he made this.
17. Watchmen: Im still gonna go with the Ultimate Cut. Ill admit, the film has many problems, but this is one of those instances where the whole thing is strong enough for me to forgive some rather glaring problems. Aside from that, I think Ive made my points about the flick many times before.
16. Goodfellas: Is there any film fanatic from our generation that wasnt introduced to Scorsese through Goodfellas? Anyway, to this day it remains the film people go to when describing Scorsese. Again, theres very little for me to say about the flick, I mean, who can honestly say they despise this movie?
15. Zodiac: My favorite Fincher film. Here is a movie that isnt afraid to take its time in telling the story, and also doesnt need to dangle a carrot in front of the audience every ten minutes. Someone I know once said that he didnt like it cause it switched through main characters too many times. Yeah, thats cause the story takes place over a long damn time, and people actually did come and go from the case. And this movie illustrated that beautifully.
14. Eyes Wide Shut: The film I will never apologize for loving, even though people seem to think I should. The film creates an odyssey for Tom Cruise set off by the tiniest incident which neither partner saw coming. Throughout, he is tested like many great heroes are, all while Kubrick makes his statement about how we deal with relationships. Halfway through the film becomes a thriller, which further illustrates the fractured state of mind he has entered as he is slowly being driven to a brink of insanity. As Scorsese says, it all leads up to that wonderful final line which so succinctly sums up the themes of the entire film.
13. Taxi Driver: I think you have to have lived with a certain degree of loneliness in your life to understand Travis Bickle. To that end, I am thankful as hell that I am only barely able to understand and comprehend the man and his motives. He isnt a bad or hateful man, hes simply a product of his times and environment, and this creates a fascinating character study. On top of this, Scorseses style really started coming into its own with this film.
12. Kicking and Screaming(1995): This, like Scarface, is a film I have to specify every time I bring it up. No, its not the Will Ferrell movie, this is a small independent film by Noah Baumbach about a bunch of people hitting that perfect point in their lives when they have to transition from being a student to actually growing up and moving on into the real world. Instead they become paralyzed, unable to move on. One person says he wont be able to deal with graduate school cause its one time zone away, one descends within himself, and one actually decides to re-enroll in school, three months after graduating. Ill admit, its not a perfect film, but it was one of those things that I saw at a specific time in my life and its had a strong impact on me ever since.
11. Pulp Fiction: An interesting thing happened when I saw the film again recently. You see when I first saw this all those years ago, it became my favorite movie for a while, then it gradually started slipping back a lot. In that time I had started and abandoned several screenplays, mostly for fun, and took several classes which involved me working with actors and writing dialogue for them. Then I watched this flick one day, and it had probably been two years since I watched it last, and to my delight, I fell in love with the dialogue all over again. I guess with a new understanding and respect this time. Its funny cause I still knew all the lines, but when I saw it all together once again, I was actually amazed with the words that came out of their mouths. How it was able to flow so effortlessly, lines that were written, but you would swear were improvised. It was a thing of beauty, that I dont think you can understand unless youve experienced the frustration of destroying page after page of your work because youre unsatisfied with the quality of your dialogue. Hell, QT himself has certainly never been able to write like this again.
10. Seven Samurai: People often ask me how Im able to watch a film so many times. Its because youre opinion of a film can change so drastically from one viewing to the next. Ill be honest, I didnt like this flick at all the first time I watched it. But you know what happened? I grew the fuck up, and I realized that movies are about more than effects and good looking action sequences. Hell I realized action sequences are about more than effects. And then if youre a complete freak like me you learn that, and this is something that most people have a hard time getting over, movies are about more than the story. Yes, story is an important part, hell, its the most important single element, but a film does not fail if it has a story that is less than stellar. Theres so much more to it than that, and thats what this film taught me. Ive since seen this absurdly long movie more than ten times, and I like it more with each viewing. The way Kurosawa handled the performances, the angles and shots he used, the different cameras, the staging, the different and unique characters, and on top of all this, theres a story that actually kicks ass.
9. The Good, the Bad, and he Ugly: This was the movie that made me love Westerns although I guess I never would have seen this if I hadnt seen Once Upon a Time in America first, but whatever. So uh, theres no new insight for this film, Ive said before why I love this, and those reasons still all apply. Seriously though, if you havent seen this film, then how dare you?
8. American Beauty: For some ridiculous reason, I seem to get heat for liking this movie as well. But whatever, theres no new insight for this flick, but I will say that for those of you who study the image on screen in addition to the story, you should check out his uses for the color red. Its beautiful. Hint: Whats red? Look at the door!
7. The Shawshank Redemption: Same situation, impossible to really despise, love the flick.
6. Magnolia: This flick had a strange effect on me when I watched it, and it did the same for a couple of my friends. We became obsessed, and I really do blame that on the hypnotic nature of the movie. Consider the fact that the camera almost never stops, and because this is PT Anderson, it rarely cuts as well. So we continuously swoop around to the never ending score. Its all set in place to slowly drive one a bit mental. Your stress builds as the characters stress builds, before you know it youre so emotionally attached to the characters that theyve become an extension of yourself. That was the effect it had on me anyway. A lot of people are unable to get over the ending, and I mean, to that Ill say that if youre really looking at it so literally, then this just really isnt the movie for you.
5.The Godfather Part II: I was gonna combine this with The Godfather, but theyre both so unique in structure and tone that they each deserve individual recognition. This film takes the themes set up in the first film, and kinda drags them through the dirt. Leaving us with this dark, dirty mess of anger and betrayal, and I love all of it.
4. Once Upon a Time in America: This is a magnificently made film, regardless though, it's probably only so high on my list cause of my love of the crime and gangster genre, particularly when theyre set during the prohibition era. Anyway, it's another film with no new insights, although I will say that this is probably one of my favorite De Niro performances.
3. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: Yes! It really is this high up. Im sure Ill catch some heat for this decision, but its not like Im making a best list, Im making a favorites list, and you know what, I love this movie. With this flick, Edgar Wright got well right, what so many comic and video game adaptations failed at. And Im not even gonna take that position anymore of well, its not like a GREAT film, but its fun. No, you know what thats bullshit. Ill say it, this is a great film. Think about it for a second, this movie has comedy, which is already hard to do, but it adds on music, with original songs actually performed by the actors, some who had to learn how to sing and play for the first time, and on top of that, it has action. And not cgi action either, but intricately choreographed fight scenes created by members of Jackie Chans team. All this combined would probably usually mean a complete failure, but instead the tone of the film was set perfectly to accompany everything. You may think Im exaggerating here, but Im not, I have never had a better time in a theater than when I watched this with a packed house.
2. The Godfather: I know, its ridiculous right, this has been my favorite film since I watched it the first time several years ago. I really didnt think anything had a chance at dethroning it in the award show that is my brain. To be fair, I still really dig this film, I mean more than the 23 other films Ive listed, and more than the however many hundreds of films Ive seen. So the flick is still totally ace.
1. Chungking Express: You know, I hate to form any solid opinion of a film until it passes the two week test for me, but I think that when Ive seen the film four times in two days, I probably just watched something special. And I even tested it, I watched The Godfather again today, and I gotta say, Im still going with this. Wong Kar-Wais absolutely breathtaking visuals, his use of music, the characterization. Its all so completely fantastic. Yes, the film is a romance, but not in the way that has been glorified in Hollywood, hell its not really even comparable to quirky indie romances. Its like, the energy of Hong Kong filmmaking, the beauty of the French New Wave, the unique characterization of the best indie film, all with the distinct feel of Wong Kar-Wai. And you know what, on top of all that, this film just makes me feel good. Its as good as it gets for this guy right here.
Yeah, so that's it... I wonder if anybody made it this far and actually read everything I had to say...