From: Eric Stormoen
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 3:47 PM
Subject: Top Ten Favorite Films
Film writer Joseph McBride likens the making of movie lists to Rorschach blots. In his opinion, "probably the quickest way to get to know someone is to ask for a list of his or her ten favorite movies. It's such a direct window into someone's psyche..." I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that everyone with whom I am personally tight sees movies as more than mere entertainment.
Please make a list of your ten favorite films (in any order you like), write a few sentences to tell us why they're on your list, and send it to everyone in this mailing group. Please feel free to include anyone I may have missed.
Important distinction: these films may or may not be those you consider to be the ten best films ever made. Tell us about the movies that grab you by the throat, tickle you 'til it hurts, or make your blood rush to any number of body parts, and why they have that effect on you -- your favorites, plain and simple. (If you feel that the making of such a list is objectionable -- too restrictive, masturbatory, etc., I'd be interested to know that, too.)
By the way: feel free to list any honorable mentions that come close to cracking your top ten. This softens the hardship of cutting your list down to ten if you have a lot of favorites.
Allow me to get the ball rolling:
My very favorite:
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
- The moment I first watched Indiana Jones look up at the giant boulder rolling down on him in the Hovitos' temple, my destiny was made: I was going to be a filmmaker, and this was the movie I was going to make. I was absolutely over the moon when I first saw this at age eleven; its enduring popularity eighteen years later proves that it's a modern classic. Lawrence Kasdan's screenplay takes such care in laying a believable foundation (Indy's lecture about the ark's lore is a perfect piece of exposition and preparation) that we go along with this most amazing action-adventure-fantasy with disbelief thoroughly suspended. And no one could have possibly directed it like my hero, Mr. Spielberg.And my other favorites, in alphabetical order:
CINEMA PARADISO (1988, Italy; 1990, U.S.)
- Watching this film for the first time was an emotionally overwhelming experience. I doubt I'll ever see another movie as unabashed in its worship of movies. The early image of Salvatore Cascio's young Toto performing the stations of the cross upon entering his village's theatre is not a subtle one, but it indelibly defines the character. Aside from portraying the effect of cinema on Toto and his small, post-World War II Italian community, Giuseppe Tornatore's film also treats us to many funny, sad and romantic episodes from Toto's coming of age. Philippe Noriet is wonderful as the projectionist/mentor. At the risk of sounding maudlin, the glorious finale is as much a gift to us as it is to Toto.THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
- It's somewhat difficult for me to think of the first STAR WARS trilogy in terms of individual films, especially since the 1997 reissue of the Special Editions so reinforced the fact that this is a true saga, a tale too big to be told in the span of one film. But although EMPIRE doesn't stand alone, it does stand out; the dialogue is stronger, the characters and relationships are more complex, and the entire milieu is more sophisticated than that of STAR WARS or RETURN OF THE JEDI. It's a darker film than those other two, but it still has the adventure, heart, myth-making, and joy of storytelling that makes the saga great, and it's those qualities that I respond to most. God bless Uncle George.LA FEMME NIKITA (1990, France; 1991, U.S.)
- My senior project in film school, although a comedy, was based on this movie. I was excited by the conceit of an underground apparatus that removes people from the world and returns them as lethal secret agents. The film still works on me at that wish-fulfillment level (except that I'd never want to be a straight assassin). But the real keys to this movie are the stylish European cool of writer/director Luc Besson and the performance of Anne Parillaud, who portrays her character's evolution from drug-addled freak to sexy, cool badass with total conviction. Both Besson and Parillaud make the action thrilling but never lose sight of the fact that their hero is, ultimately, a tragic figure.THE GODFATHER (1972)
- Aside from being one of my favorites, this is the film that I consider to be the best I've ever seen. A few sentences from my keyboard obviously can't do justice to this masterpiece. Its career-making performances and classic scenes are the stuff of legend. Francis Ford Coppola, who was nowhere near Paramount's first choice for bringing Mario Puzo's novel to the screen, took a broad tale of organized crime and made it into an epic tragedy of family ties and the American dream sullied by violence -- a means to a capitalist end, a commonplace business practice. Yet Coppola's romantic approach to filmmaking draws us into this world so intimately that we feel we're part of the family.GOLDFINGER (1964)
- My favorite James Bond 007 movie, reason enough for it to make my list. This is the one that best executes the series' formula for stylish success: a formidable villain with a grand scheme and a seemingly-invincible henchman; gorgeous, wily women; awesome spy-tech gadgetry; globe-trotting, jet-setting and wining-and-dining in the highest style; top-notch action sequences, with a perfect balance of violence and humor; glittering production values; and, of course, the coolest of all possible protagonists -- played by Sean Connery, the coolest of all possible actors. For those of us who eat up this kind of high-glamour pulp, the whole of GOLDFINGER is greater than the sum of its parts.LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
- David Lean's greatest storytelling gift was his ability to create an intimate character study on the widest imaginable canvas. That this film ends with a close-up on a thoroughly downtrodden Lawrence riding shotgun in a Jeep (with no musical accompaniment) is proof positive that Lean's heart was most devoted to closing the odyssey of his main character, rather than the wrapping-up of an adventure yarn. But, wow, what an adventure! With newcomer Peter O'Toole's piercing blue eyes and relentless energy blazing the trail, we are treated to grand battles, incredible desert landscapes, exotic characters and fascinating intrigue. Somehow, this film doesn't feel the least bit dated to me.NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
- While REAR WINDOW may be Hitchcock's best-crafted film, and PSYCHO his most iconic, I have more fun revisiting this gem than any of his other films (and I pay many visits). Ernest Lehman's original script is one of the most enviable ever produced, especially in its sparkling dialogue and humor -- and especially in the hands of actors like Cary Grant, James Mason, Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau. The crop-dusting sequence and the climax on Mount Rushmore deserve their status as classic scenes. It's hard to believe that this one is two hours and sixteen minutes long, because it breezes right by, mixing laughs, action and suspense as deftly as any film ever made.SAY ANYTHING... (1989)
- If James Bond is the fantasy hero into whose shoes I'd most like to step, then John Cusack's Lloyd Dobler is the down-to-earth character I'd like most like to be: a hip, cool guy; a loyal friend; a romantic lover; a quirky, kind soul; and a kickboxer to boot. Ione Skye's Diane Cort is truly a dream girl -- sweet, beautiful and brilliant. Their story's classic boy-meets-girl arc seems so fresh thanks to Cameron Crowe's humor and affection for his characters, and their love scenes are, as Premiere's Chris Connelly put it, "achingly tender." Add to the mix a great soundtrack, an affecting father-daughter subplot, and hilarious supporting characters, and you have the romantic comedy for the class of '88.THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)
- It's hard for me say why I responded to this film so strongly when I first saw it. Though "suggested by the television series," of which I was a fan, this film barely resembles it. Maybe it's due to the impeccable recreation of 1930's period detail. Maybe it's the great Ennio Morricone score. Maybe it's the terrific cast that infuses the archetypal characters with such soul and exhibits such chemistry. Maybe it's the flair with which Brian DePalma directs his genre films. But it's probably because of one scene: the POTEMKIN-inspired train-station sequence, an astonishingly suspenseful shootout. Upon my second viewing, my heart was racing ten minutes ahead of it in anticipation.Honorable Mentions:
CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989)
DUCK SOUP (1933)
GOODFELLAS (1990)
LETHAL WEAPON (1987)
MIDNIGHT RUN (1988)
RAISING ARIZONA (1987)
THE SEARCHERS (1956)
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
THE THIRD MAN (1949)
Now it's your turn. Please take your time -- a day, a week, a month. You should never rush anything this important!
--E.S.--