|
All
the President's Men (1976)
The romance of investigative journalism, the determination of
two unknown reporters, and how it eventually brought down the
President of the United States of America. My favorite moment
is the long shot of them as they go through book request slips
in the Library of Congress. Somehow it's hard to picture modern
cable news reporters doing the same thing.
Amadeus
(1984)
Tom Hulce portrays Mozart as a gleeful genius whose creativity
is so irrepressible that it's almost obnoxious. Mozart's music
drives the movie like an action thriller, and the scene where
he composes the Requiem
in bed is almost as inspired as the work itself.
American
Dream (1990)
An Academy Award-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple (No
Nukes) about the bitter 1985-86 strike at the Hormel meat
packing plant in Austin, Minnesota. The film captures the crushing
change that the Reagan era brought to middle America more vividly
(and less amusingly) than Roger
& Me. Bruce Springsteen rescued this project when
he mailed Kopple a $25,000 check just before her original backers
pulled out.
American
Movie (1999)
A guy named Mark living among Packer fans in the bleakness of
Wisconsin who dreams of bigger things? Somehow this documentary
– one of the funniest films I've ever seen – rings a
bell. In fact, I showed this movie to one of my nephews, and he
has since spotted both Mark and Mike making their rounds in Milwaukee
where he's going to school. You might as well buy it right now,
because once you see it, you're going to want to own it and share
it. Jesus told me so.
Antonia's
Line (1996)
This Academy Award-winning portrait of a more sophisticated woman
returning to the simple life of her small Dutch village is painted
with the subtle magic of a good folktale. Peculiar characters,
sly humor, strong women, and patient goodness combine to make
a home-cooked rustic dinner of a movie.
Apocalypse
Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola took Joseph Conrad's Heart
of Darkness to 1968 Vietnam, and to operatic extremes.
Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest ,
Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, Scott Glenn – this movie
is busting with stunning characters, performances, scenes, and
dialog. It's amazing that Coppola was able to make it at all –
and that story is told in his wife Eleanor's documentary
Hearts
of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.
The
Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Three World War II vets return home and try to readjust to civilian
life. William Wyler's drama is my favorite slice of that amazing
American period. I really like Teresa Wright in this, and there's
even a role (and a piano) played by Hoagy Carmichael.
Billy
Jack (1971)
This is such a really bad movie from so many standpoints that
I absolutely love it. Tom Laughlin is worse than Clint Eastwood,
worse than Arnold Schwarzenegger – worse even than Sylvester
Stallone. My favorite scene, of course, is "Bernard, I want
you to know that I try. When Jean and the kids at the school tell
me that I'm supposed to control my violent temper, and be passive
and nonviolent like they are, I try. I really try ..."
Breakfast
at Tiffany's (1961)
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most spellbinding women ever, and
this movie captures her magic best. Never mind how she and George
Peppard are occupied, never mind the intrusion of Buddy Ebsen,
pay no attention to the revolting Mickey Rooney. This is a really
not a very good movie at all – but you never even notice
because you're busy watching Audrey Hepburn walking, and talking,
and singing "Moon
River".
Broadcast
News (1987)
Out with the romance of journalism, in with shallow emotional
trickery. Before the term 'dramedy' was coined, James L. Brooks
made this really great one. Albert Brooks is terrific, especially
when he's singing "Edition
Speciale" with Francis Cabrel, and the bloodbath scene
that unfolds around Jack Nicholson feels as real as a punch in
the stomach. Holly Hunter is great as well.
Broadway
Danny Rose (1984)
Woody Allen plays a lovable loser of a showbiz agent. He has the
most pathetic stable of talent you can imagine, and a mother's
faith in them all. Mia Farrow is fantastic as the mob-connected
girlfriend. This black-and-white character comedy is hilarious
and touching at the same time, with a slew of memorable lines,
such as "The bullets go right through" and "He's
a poet! He's sensitive!"
The
Candidate (1972)
The romance of shallow slogans, weak coffee, banners, balloons
and buttons. Director Michael Ritchie (Downhill
Racer) teams back up with Robert Redford for another patient
study of one man's day-to-day life. This film perfectly captures
the tacky gauntlet a politician must run over and over again if
he hopes to win his seat. Considered a classic by your more idealistic
campaign junkies.
Casablanca
(1942)
Considered a classic by nearly everyone. Casablanca combines
a stunning cast, a plot balancing cynicism against sappiness,
deft dialog delivered at an intelligent clip, and a haunting melody.
This is not just a love story, but a story about living with the
lingering pain of love. The shots follow one another like they
were lined up by a pool champion. It's an expert example of the
craft of storytelling in film.
Cinema
Paradiso (1988)
A movie about a boy in Sicily who is raised on movies. This is
one of those beautiful European films which lovingly considers
the home town and its various characters, examines the deepest
feelings of the human heart, and respects the role of the humanities
in communicating these experiences among us all. The original
version was first shortened, then later restored, and viewers
disagree about which is best. This DVD allows you to watch both.
The
City of Lost Children (1995)
This is a dark, dank, fitful dream of a movie, incorporating missing
children, a circus strongman, an evil scientist, a midget, conjoined
twins, a floating brain, and some of the most amazing imagery
ever fixed to film. It is grotesque and magical at the same time
– as peculiar and touching as those people who inscribe the
Bible on a grain of rice. One of the things I love about co-director
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen,
Amelie,
A Very Long Engagement)
is his fascination with intricate, antiquated gadgets.
Comfort
and Joy (1984)
A quiet, quirky Bill Forsyth (Local
Hero) film concerning a Scottish radio personality, his
broken heart, and a turf war between rival ice cream vendors.
It features Forsyth's gentle absurdity and ironic humor –
as well as a moving scene where "Dickey" Byrd wanders
the city with a tape recorder, trying to come up with a serious
perspective piece that makes sense of life.
Creator
(1985)
Perhaps the most overlooked film since It's
a Wonderful Life was discovered on TV in the the late
1970s. A fantastic performance by Peter O'Toole, another by Mariel
Hemingway, some classic David Ogden Stiers, the beautiful Virginia
Madsen, a peculiar science project, plenty of wry humor, dozens
of great lines, and a tears-streaming-down-your-face love story.
I've seen this movie over a dozen times. It is absolutely outstanding.
Crimes
and Misdemeanors (1989)
A really solid movie by Woody Allen employing a terrific cast
(Martin Landau, Anjelica Huston, Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach)
in a serious and thrilling examination of morality and murder
which is sweetened by Woody Allen's humor in the subplot.
Crooklyn
(1994)
This is my favorite picture by Spike Lee. It's a warm, loosely
structured visit with a Brooklyn family in the 1970s that does
a fantastic job of capturing a time and a place. The soundtrack
(Volume
1 and Volume
2) is absolutely perfect, and the gradual impression that
develops – of a little girl growing up in a tough world –
is pretty moving.
Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Director Ang Lee takes the standard martial arts movie and, with
a wink, folds in heroic mythology, melodramatic romance, jaw-dropping
cinematography and a sublime score. These ingredients swirl and
rise to dreamlike heights. Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi are as
breathtaking as the action, and the total effect is the kind of
transcendent aesthetic arrest that is the purpose of art.
Dead
Again (1991)
Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh, but not Shakespeare. Instead,
here's a brisk, twisting, noir-ish thriller set in the Los Angeles
of both the 1940s and 1980s. This isn't a perfect film,
but it's a very enjoyable rental with enough special touches to
make it memorable long after viewing – not least among them
a scene in which Andy Garcia's character smokes a cigarette.
The
Devil's Backbone (2001)
A ghost story set in an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War,
this movie (in Spanish) is a little-known masterpiece. It's beautifully
scripted and shot, meticulously detailed and expertly executed.
Scary, but also touching, thrilling, and funny, it is a vivid
dream, captured on flim. When it's finished, make sure to go back
and listen to the commentary by director Guillermo del Toro —
nearly as good as the movie itself.
Diary
of a Mad Housewife (1970)
Carrie Snodgress stars as Tina Balser, a Central Park West apartment-wife.
She's married to Jonathan, a pretentious wimp desperate to elevate
his insignificant self with whatever style and sophistication
he can bribe his way into. She has a couple of bratty kids, a
cumbersome dog, and nothing at all worthwhile in her life. Then
she meets a writer, played by Frank Langella. This is a powerful
character study and a great New York City film. You even get some
early Alice
Cooper Band footage — and you get to ask your spouse
for lemonade forever after with "plenty of cracked ice, not
cubes."
Downhill
Racer (1969)
Before The
Candidate, Robert Redford starred in this other Michael
Ritchie film as a cocky competitive skier chasing Olympic gold.
Ritchie's unhurried, documentary-style technique allows us to
really absorb the late 1960s black turtlenecks and Porsches atmosphere
surrounding winter athletes in Colorado and Austria. I also love
the editing of the racing scenes and the sound at the starting
gate.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb (1963)
Dracula (1931)
The Exorcist (1973)
Fargo (1996)
Field of Dreams (1989)
Fly Away Home (1996)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
God Said, 'Ha!' (1998)
Goodfellas (1990)
Hamlet (1996)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam (1995) (TV)
High Noon (1952)
In the Name of the Father (1993)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The King of Comedy (1983)
The Last Seduction (1994)
Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
Local Hero (1983)
Lost in America (1985)
Manhattan (1979)
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
Les Misérables (1995)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Mountains of the Moon (1990)
The Music of Chance (1993)
No Nukes (1980)
Parenthood (1989)
The Piano (1993)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Psycho (1960)
The Razor's Edge (1984)
Real Life (1979)
Roger & Me (1989)
Rushmore (1998)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
Sherman's March (1986)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
The Song Remains the Same (1976)
Stardust Memories (1980)
The Stone Boy (1984)
The Straight Story (1999)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Swimming to Cambodia (1987)
Sybil (1973)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Time Indefinite (1993)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)
You Can Count on Me (2000)
|
