50 Movies
I continue in my attempt to complete this crazy homework assignment before the summer is over. Movies are great, but fifty of them brings movie-watching to a whole new level. At least, thanks to Chaon, they’re all interesting ones, albeit a couple disturbing films here and there.
My top three so far:
1) Memento
I had no idea who Christopher Nolan was when I watched this. All I knew was he was pretty much a genius, him and his screenwriting brothers. Fast-paced, intricately woven into three different timelines, mysterious, challenging, engaging, Memento was a dream come true for a thriller. Of course, there was also Guy Pearce as the cool, collected, troubled Lenny who had his shirt off for a decent amount throughout the movie and was covered in tattoos… I never watch a movie more than once intentionally but give a few years I might seek Memento out again.
P.s. - And then there was Inception, and they all saw that it was good.
P.p.s. - Nolan is now my number one hero, radiating glorious light and all. Sorry Joe Wright.
2) Inglorious Basterds
I actually didn’t care much for Brad Pitt in this. So just when I start feeling from the bottom of my heart that Hugo Stiglitz is kind of the coolest badass to ever appear on screen, to the point where he started looking really, really hot, he like, dies. Boo. At least he got to shoot the guy’s balls…
Very bloody, kind of pseudo-violent? There is definitely gore and mass killings, but it’s not meant to be taken to heart too severely I don’t think. Works for me. And might I add, there are some very memorable lines, props to Tarantino.
3) The Hurt Locker / City of God
Here I am confronted by a dilemma: hardcore army versus hardcore streetgang, what to choose?
The Hurt Locker isn’t your typical military film where men fight for their country in slow motion while gunfire erupts around them in tear-inducing splatters; it’s about these guys who are seriously badass and good at what they do. Bombs, tanks, guy drama, go figure. I was not bored one bit through the entire movie. Lots of eye candy too, hustlers in military gear, all muscular and shit… yeah. And more Guy Pearce!
City of God takes you on a tour through the poverty-stricken streets of Rio de Janeiro where young kids halt their soccer balls, pull out their pistols and spill blood any given summer day without batting an eye. It’s about survival, wanting that good life, brotherhood, drug-dealing and climbing up that ladder towards to top. The plot just keeps going and never gives the viewer much time to breathe.
The thing I absolutely love about these two is the lack of romance - granted, City of God touches on it a bit with Rocket, Angelica and Benny’s little triangle going on, but it’s not what your mind stays on throughout the movie. I can’t watch movies the revolve around romance to the point where it becomes the sole source of plot (*coughtwilight*), they’re just plain dumb. Sorry.
Other good watches:
Babel (very dark but stimulating, it will make you cry so prepare tissues. Three plotlines and how they interconnect -three different cultures, different families, but shit happens as it always does and as humans, how do they face their problems? Rather graphic / violent but worth it.)
A Serious Man (lighthearted content, very, very dark undertones. Get a peep into the life of a Jewish man who means well but can slowly spiral out of hand if the burdens keep piling up…)
Rear Window (oldie! I rather enjoyed this because of the originality of how the movies makes one seem involved, almost, due to the amount of information we share with the main characters - we know what they know, we are curious about the same things as they are, etc. I love thrillers.)
Frozen River (two mothers and what they are willing to do for their children. This is probably the most down-to-earth movie I’ve actually enjoyed. You start to actually care for the characters and their well-being, influenced by their desperation. Tissues, remember.)
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (old western wooo! I love men with guns! Cowboy boots and hats are not detrimental either. Listen to the epic score and stroll through the deserts with these bad boys. Clint Eastwood back in the day, holy cow!)
The Station Agent (my most recent watch. This movie also has that strange, intentional way of making you feel for the characters. Of course I fell in love with Joe. And there were several points in the movie that were not predictable, which is very satisfying in such a chilled-out everyday kind of plot. Makes me thankful for my friends!)
Ones to stay away from:
Ghost World (hated all the characters so fucking bad it wasn’t funny. Especially the main character, Enid. I wanted to shut her up forever. I had to stop this movie when I realized that the ugly old guy was going to have sex with the annoying ugly young girl. It was wrong, gross, and they were ugly. Yeahh no.)
Mulholand Dr. (for what it’s worth, it’s an interesting movie. But I wasn’t signed up for naked woman-on-woman and such dark twists. If it’s your cup of tea I’d say go ahead.)
Requiem For A Dream (all about drugs. Depressing, graphic, doesn’t make life better. Great score though, go look for its music?)
The Royal Tenenbaums (waste of time. At one point I thought that perhaps the point of the whole movie was that it was a play written by a young girl hence the idiotic dialogue, but it did not turn out that way. It was just standard awkwardness blown to the max in every single scene.)
The other movies were okay, some enjoyable, some slightly boring. I do appreciate how much the crews have put into making them, though, it’s admirable.
Around fifteen more to go till I’m done!
