Happy Tinseltown Tuesday! And . . . you knew it was coming. :) Starting us all off on a frenzy of All-Time Top Film lists! I had so much trouble narrowing it down that I have my top list of *favourites* and then a list of honourable mentions that really stayed with me. :) All-Time Favorite Films To Kill a Mockingbird, Alan J. Pakula – what can I say? A masterpiece. So dear to my heart. I have no idea how many times I have watched it. Three Seasons, Tony Bui – his directorial debut and the most beautiful, beautiful film. Howards End, James Ivory – spectacular story with a spectacular cast at the top of their game. A Room with a View, James Ivory – just the lightest, funniest, sweetest little macaron of a film about stepping away from social convention. And I had to include something with Daniel Day-Lewis. The Wings of the Dove, Iain Softley – this little film blew me away (AND made me absolutely desperate to take CZ to Venice one day). Such a brilliant book by Henry James about the terrible folly of ignoring the reality of human emotion. Milly is SUCH a beautiful character. Lone Star, John Sayles – I LOVE this film! Such a fabulous film showing the inescapability of the past and one’s roots. Masterful. So fascinating and interconnected. SO poignant and sad with Elizabeth Pena’s recent passing. :( L.A. Confidential, Curtis Hanson – OMG. This film blew me away! In general I can’t handle a lot of violence, but this film was absolutely so tight, so brilliant, and so unstoppable that I loved it. A masterpiece. It felt like I held my breath the whole time. The Lives of Others, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – the most amazing, fascinating film (another directorial debut). My Dad said it was essential viewing for anyone who was sentimental about life in the Eastern Bloc. Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock – hard to narrow down my favorite Hitchcock, but Vertigo is unbeLIEVable. So complex and disturbing. Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders – angels above the city of Berlin contemplating what it means to be human, so lovely. ******************************************************************************************** Honourable mentions: The Hairdresser’s Husband, Patrice LeConte – I loved this the moment I saw it because it is so unique (and sad, sorry, apparently this is true of French cinema). They like each other SOOOOOO much. Children of Men, Alfonso Cuaron – absolutely amazing. Blew me away. Completely different from the book, but such an outstanding film. Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood – the performance of Eastwood’s career, I suspect. Babette’s Feast, Gabriel Axel – so lovely and charming – the transformative power of talent and pleasure. Ran, Akira Kurosawa – hard to choose between Ran and Seven Samurai, but I picked this one, the story of King Lear set in ancient Japan in the time of the warlords. Each frame is like a moving tapestry. There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson – such a dark and disturbing film, but the thinly-veiled, searing indictment of capitalism stayed with me for a long time afterward. Daniel Day-Lewis again, attempting or managing to destroy everyone or thing who had ever cared about him in his pursuit of money and power. Greed never sleeps. Pride and Prejudice, Joe Wright – not fantastic, but I must have watched it a zillion times post-call during residency. Stagger home after a 24+ hour shift, put on Pride and Prejudice, and fall asleep watching it on the couch. Repeat. Total guilty pleasure.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 16:31:14 +0000
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