Saturday, November 26, 2011

Movies Everyone Should See...


When I decided I wanted to make a post about movies I thought everyone should see, I had two criteria for myself: One, that they be more recent movies, made within the last two decades. That leaves out a lot of movies, yes, but those are movies that have already been talked about so much that I don't know that I would have anything new to say about them. Two, that I should have five movies in my list.


Well, I managed the first item. The second, well, it seems oddly coincidental that I've only been able to come up with two movies for this list. I think they are two exceptional movies, however, so I'm okay with not having five. There is no order of preference for these two movies. And I reserve the right to add to the list if I think of more movies that should be included.


The first is Amèlie. It's a French film, but I don't think that should exclude it from the list. Oh, the wonderful things of this movie. Audrey Tautou's performance of the title character is amazing. She's just so much fun to watch. The other characters are full of life and nuances. The colors pop and add to the emotion. There are surreal moments that are divine. There are tender moments that break your heart. And it all culminates in a finale that makes you feel good about yourself and the world. Amazing movie.


The second is Juno. This movie also features an amazing performance by a lead actress, in this case Ellen Page. She portrays a quirky, unique girl who you just want to hug and protect. The other actors do well, but J.K. Simmons should be mentioned in particular. He plays Juno's father. He's at once wise and loving, but he has a funny, sarcastic side that adds a lot of punch. The film is full of witty lines and clever phrases. It's a mental workout that is so much fun you don't realize you're thinking that hard.


So watch these, if you haven't already.  Good stuff.





6 comments:

Unknown said...

"Breathless," the original, I think, should be added to this list. Jon-Luc Godard, Director, and the recognized as the first Avant-Garde film, with Jon Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg; and, of course, my personal favorite, "A Thousand Clowns."

Natasha said...

I haven't seen either of these, but will add them to my queue now. My recommendation? Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Definite must see for everyone. Hows that for simple?

PeacefulPagoda said...

I adore Juno, but I wasn't that fond of Amèlie. It just didn't seem to do much for me, but I was a pretentious little bastard when I first watched it. Perhaps I should give it another look.

Unknown said...

I'm not crazy about "Beauty and the Beast," however, I did make the mistake of taking my kids to "Fantasia" when they were too young -- scared 'em.

There are too many fine movies out there over the years list, I think. I'll watch almost anything with William Powell, Myrna Loy and Cary Grant -- and, just for the record, I did so when I was in my 30s as well -- just like old movies.

Adam said...

If I had included older movies, I could have gone on forever. Possibly. I know for sure that "Singin' in the Rain" would have been on there.

I do love watching Cary Grant movies, though. And I haven't seen "Beauty and the Beast" in a while, though I love the soundtrack.

And I have a special place in my heart for Jean Cocteau's "Le Belle et la Bete." Beautiful film.

Unknown said...

Jeez, you give me hope! I can't believe you know the Cocteau film (one of the few "movies" I call "films"). Nonetheless, my all time favorite is "A Thousand Clowns," which has apparently now available after years from Amazon on DVD, http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Clowns-MGM-Limited-Collection/dp/B004ULEEQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322457152&sr=8-1. It has rather a strange qualification: "This disc is expected to play back in DVD Video \"play only\" devices, and may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives." I just ordered it with some trepidation. I still own the original VHS Tape (alas, I keep my recorder hooked up just to watch it). I highly recommend it, as I mentioned (sort of) earlier. While out of context, one of my favorite quotes: "I just want him to stay with me until I can be sure he won't turn into Norman Nothing. I want to be sure he'll know when he's chickening out on himself. I want him to get to know exactly the special thing he is or else he won't notice it when it starts to go. I want him to stay awake and know who the phonies are, I want him to know how to holler and put up an argument, I want a little guts to show before I can let him go. I want to be sure he sees all the wild possibilities. I want him to know it's worth all the trouble just to give the world a little goosing when you get the chance. And I want him to know the subtle, sneaky, important reason why he was born a human being and not a chair.?