Darrin sent me this list on November 28 of 2007. It’s a great list, unfortunately, at the time I wasn’t able to post it because, well, it’s really long. I promised him that I’d post it when I got my ‘Read More’ hack working. It took 18 months, but I did, and I am. So after the jump, without further ado (or more wasted time) is Darrin’s list.
He’s given quite a lot of explanation for each choice, but it’s worth a read.
To Kill a Mockingbird
This movie captured me from the very opening sequence with the young children taking the trinkets out of the treasure chest which have significance later on in the movie. As well, the images of the bleakness from the effects of the Great Depression are completely encapsulated on screen. Never had I seen such a compelling performance from Gregory Peck who could not be more appropriately cast as the strong-silent father with an unyielding sense of integrity, a quality much lacking from the role models on and off screen today. Furthermore, the children were incredible actors in their own right, especially Mary Badham playing Scout. At the end of this movie, I was drowned in tears not because of sadness but because I was so engrossed and transported to a world so foreign and long past, I did not want it to end.
The Changeling
Of all the haunted house movies out there in the market, this is the quintessential movie to watch on the genre. When I was 8 or 9, my mother watched this when it was on TV and it happened to be the séance scene I caught a brief glimpse of…probably the scariest séance I have seen on the screen altogether. The rest of the movie was a complete blank to me until my early 20’s when I went hunting for it. All I remembered was the scene and the actor, George C Scott. So I grabbed one of those video review books, be it Leonard Malton or of the like. As the title was completely unbeknownst to me I had to look in the index by actor. The Changeling was the only horror movie which Mr. Scott had apparently starred in…until the Exorcist 3 movie came out. The description in the book was far from what I could recall but I found it and took it home. The next two hours was cinematic magic. For the first time in a long time, a smart, spooky story was being told with exceptional performances by everyone. At no time was there excess of anything, thus, giving credence to the old chestnut: Less is more. What’s truly great about this movie? It’s Canadian! This is one of the few Canadian films I have treasured and will continue to do so.
Elizabeth
The first time I saw this moving, I saw on a date with a great guy…however not so great that I am with him now. The movie, however, still lingers and haunts me to this very moment. The director, Shekhar Kapur, shows us how he loves strong women as he did so previously in The Bandit Queen. Although a lot of historians were completely put off by the lack of accuracy, they could not deny that Cate Blanchett completely embraced and conveyed how powerful she was an as actress in equal standing to the person she was portraying. This was my first movie with Cate and it was at this point, I realised we have an actress who in her own right is a force of nature, only to be compared by those icons of the golden age of film…Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Lauren Bacall, Joanne Woodward, whom the likes of do not exist in this decade, with perhaps the exception of Sigourney Weaver and Julianne Moore. When I saw this a second time with my dearest friend, we became her lovers in waiting, the one actress, no, Goddess, who could mutually convert us to her. Not very many movies I have seen possess so many wonderful, and yet my favourite, cinematic moments: the Earl of Sussex presenting her Queen Mary’s ring after her death; all the dance sequences; her confronting Sir Robin of his betrayal and allowing him to suffer his existence rather than having him executed; the transformation from queen to the Virgin Queen, in particular the hair cutting sequence; presenting herself as married to England to Lord Burley; her subjects bowing in holy reverence as she took to her throne after her transformation (while Mozart’s requiem, sung badly, played on); and, most deliciously, her ravishing smiles. Imagine my rage when it was robbed at the Oscars, especially to lose best actress to she who must not be named, except by the initials GP. I doubt very much in my lifetime, will I see another movie like this.
The Colour Purple
This movie had me emotionally exhausted, not to mention dehydrated, by the first 30 minutes. For the first time, two young girls enraptured me in their love for each other and with such an overtly convincing performance; I was bent over in tears when they were separated by the well-acted Danny Glover. For the next two hours and 30 minutes, I did not think I had more tears to shed but I found myself completely wrong. Here we see Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey at a time when they had not become household names and lacked the pretension of celebrity they possess today. This movie is an emotional train wreck waiting to happen as you go through all of the emotions: anger, pity, despair, hate…you name it, it will hit you with such a ferocity, it is best not to resist. The true shame of this movie is the treatment at Oscar time and how robbed it was, plus the scornful attacks from the NAACP accusing this movie as a bad portrayal of black men.
Rear Window
Who has not been a voyeur? This is an incredibly addictive movie with great performances by James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. I can’t think of anyone who has disliked this movie, much less take themselves away from this masterpiece when it’s on. For example, when my mother and I were watching this on a laundry, my father and sister who generally don’t watch movies with the two of us, plunked their butts on the sofa and said just a few minutes before they had to go out. With less than half an hour left to the movie, my mother chuckles at how just a few minutes easily added up. Of all the Hitchcock movies, this is by far my favourite of his works.
The Three Faces of Eve
Before Monster, this is probably one of the few movies where an actress completely transforms herself on screen, but in this case, it is done on screen. Here, you see Joanne Woodward in a tour de force performance unlike it prior to it…at least to my knowledge. Made in 1957, this movie was well before the modern art of make up effects were in place, instead, you get talent unlike any other showing the transformation of one personality to another in this Oscar winning performance, which was well deserved. The movie is both a docu-drama and a thriller, the latter being completely unintended. Joanne Woodward delivers the three personalities with such a reality that by the time the movie ends, you catch yourself breathing heavily from exhaustion and in tears for the grim end which awaits the personas all of whom, grab you by the throat and don’t let go. Although the other movies which have been listed here may not all be in my top ten favourites (completely different list), this is without a doubt among my top ten favourites.
Lord of the Rings: The Extended Edition
I don’t know what to say about this movie, so I saved this to the last as my write up…even though this list indicates otherwise. All my youth and early adult life, I have heard how people have loved this novel. But it is more than a novel. It is a pillar of fantasy. It is a virtuosic piece of literature. Not until I turned 30 did I brave myself for this imposing work. The need to read the novel came about when the first preview for the trilogy came to light on the screen…I knew then, I had to read that which so many followers were roused both in excited anticipation, and anger for someone to tackle a piece they deemed as “holy”, especially considering the dismal animated attempt which ended up as a mere cine
matic insult to the followers of this epic. Slow as I am as a reader, I did it in one summer and was so glad I had done so for now, I had a better understanding of what was to come. Of the three segments, Fellowship remains my perennial favourite. I saw this in the Varsity VIP room with my most devoted friend, for I knew of no one else who could go on about her love for these novels. But more importantly, there was no one else whom I wanted to hold hands with and share the heart palpitations and body sweats as Cate Blanchett appeared as the ethereal Galadriel. In spite of having read the novel, I was swept into the story as though I hadn’t for Peter Jackson successfully took us to a world unlike ours. The scenes with the Ringwraiths had me curling up in my chair and when Gandalf fell, I cried every time I saw it (eleven in total on the big screen). What else lead to the experience of this film, the incredible soundtrack by none other than our Canadian, Howard Shore. For me, the music was intrinsic to the success of being taken away, which he did so for all three movies, thus, leading me to purchase all three soundtracks. I can’t imagine another composer taking this venture on, even if the monotonous Phillip Glass believed he could. So why the extended editions? One reason alone, they truly enhanced the experience you took with you from the theatrical versions. Watching them, I did not think at all these additional minutes were mere whimsical fancies of the director. This was especially so in Two Towers for I knew a lot of my friends were a little let down from the theatrical cut, but felt the additional scenes made it into a new movie altogether, as was the case for the other segments. It is unfortunate Mr. Jackson’s success with Lord of the Rings, did not carry so well as with King Kong, which I did enjoy a great deal. I don’t think in my lifetime a project like this will ever hit the screen.
Children of Men
I can’t tell you how much I love the director Alfonso Cuoron for he is more than just a director as he is also a great story teller on top of this. Granted, I have only seen a few of his films, but those I have seen, I have eaten up like a bowl of Triple Chocolate Ice Cream. What I love about this movie, is that it is told in the manner of which a novel, a great novel, is told. I am not certain if the movie is on par with the novel it is based on, but in my personal exploration on writing, such novels begin after a situation has begun. Immediately you get the bleak despair to which the world has been flung into. The success of this is in part to the time frame which this story begins, the not so distant future. The emotional desperation of not only the characters, but of the general populace is hard hitting for you think to yourself: This could be a reality, and what is to prevent this from possibly happening? Moreover, sublime acting from such greats as Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and a recently added favourite, Chiwetel Ejiofor. But probably the most refreshing performance comes from the most experienced thespian of them all, Michael Caine who completely floored me with a zany, hysterical and passionate performance. Watching Michael Caine do air guitar to loud obnoxious music while smoking strawberry cigarettes is mind blowing! I personally did not expect this from him. Certainly not a pick me up movie if one is in doldrums to begin with, especially with the twists in plot and unexpected fates for all characters. My favourite part of this movie? The sequence when Clive Owen is fleeing the building under gun fire from the military with Joy Richardson under his protection and her new born baby. Time stood still for me as well as for everyone in the movie as the shelling stopped and people flocked to the woman as shepherds did to the Virgin Mary, touching, crying and loving. Personally, I was in a state of tears this entire sequence and the mere thought of this scene as I type brings me to goose-pimples. In my list of favourite movie moments, this comes second. I have only encountered one person who came to dislike this movie, thus, I have deemed him a fool.
Harvey
Of all the movies I have listed, this is the most light-spirited of the ten. As much as I am not a huge fan of James Stewart, I can’t picture any other actor doing this character. When I heard they were possibly doing a remake to star John Revolta, oops, Travolta, I was horrified and completely disgusted at the mere suggestion of it. What sacrilege! Luckily, this despicable rumour did not come to fruition. This movie, I remember watching on TV with my mother when CBC was showing late night classic movies on the weekdays during a time when I was very withdrawn and depressed. In less than 15 minutes, I was roaring with laughter but this is not one of those movies where one is expected to roar, much less break into a guffaw. While watching, you can immediately see how this was adapted from a play and where Mr. Stewart had perfected this happy-go-lucky drunken crazy man. There is no overt silliness or overdone slapstick to this movie. The best role after Mr. Stewart falls to a great character actress, Josephine Hull, the busy bodied sister to Elwood P Dowd (Stewart) who is trying to marry off her daughter before she graduates to being a young spinster. This is a flawless and immortal movie and one which gives you a smile from the beginning to the very end.
The Exorcist
I remember my mother telling me about her first experience of reading the book. It was the one of few books she read where she could not sleep while reading it. This was by no means out of terror but out of curiosity from what was to happen next. One of the few novels to grip her in such a way to get her to read the entire novel in one night. I read the book in my early stages of novel reading and although it gripped me with a vengeance, it took me three days to read it. Of course I flew to the video store to see it. This is one of the few movie adaptations to give justice to the novel, in the same right as Silence of the Lambs (which I considered for this list) and Lord of the Rings. It was ghastly for me as a novice to the horror genre of movies. Immediately my favourite of favourites thereafter for I soon had to have my own copy and watch it incessantly! Whenever it would play on the screen during Halloween I would go out of my way to see this with friends, which succeeded with certainty to put us in the sprit of the night. However, while watching it with viewers much younger than myself, it was disconcerting to hear them laugh during such a movie that chills me to the bone. Perhaps from having read of the documented accounts which inspired the story, and of others throughout the world (including the one which inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose), I have grown to have a different respect of this rite which the Roman Catholic Church keeps hush-hush. However, what truly cinched the deal on the dread this movie inspires in me is when the Version You’ve Never Seen came to the screen. The one image of the devil appearing on the hood of the stove makes me shudder and cross myself. Since then, movies of this subject spook me all the more. I haven’t watched it again since then and haven’t unwrapped the DVD of the Version You’ve Never Seen since I purchased it three years ago.
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