My 6th to 8th Favorite Motion Pictures

8. Rear Window (1954)
The best motion picture of the 1950s (argued by some as the decade to produce the greatest films), Rear Window is a deep and entertaining classic with many strengths. A fine suspense story is combined with romantic tension. There are numerous sub-plots, some funny; some moving, all with many psychological overtones. The characterizations are flawless and three-dimensional. Jimmy Stewart (though perhaps a tad too old) is completely believable and Grace Kelly does what she does best…looks and acts perfect. The simple setting of a Greenwich Village apartment complex is developed into a world filled with intriguing and sometimes unsettling possibilities. This confined world comes to life with a wealth of lavish visual detail and interesting minor characters. Unlike far too many movies these days, the director assumes his audience will pay close enough attention to appreciate the many subtleties with which he has filled the movie. It rewards both careful attention and repeated viewings, since there is much more here than merely a suspenseful plot (as good as that story is in itself).

The dialogue is filled with clever, subtle, humorous meanings. And what the main characters see in the lives of others is an interesting reflection of the tensions and possibilities in their own present and future.

But this is also a film about films. We are sucked into this story much as Jimmy Stewart (who may as well be sitting next to us as we watch the events) acts out our voyeuristic predilections. When, finally, Mr. Thorwald looks up and discovers he is being watched, it is chilling not just because our hero is now in danger, but because he actually looks at us – and we feel guilty for having peeped in on his life too.

7. Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998)
This post-modern film presents the same story three times at rapid-fire pace. From the opening titles, we are swept into the life of Lola – a young woman who has a very important task to accomplish very very quickly. There is so much happening every split-second, it’s impossible to catch it all during the first one or two viewings.
Every trick of film-making employed here: jump-cuts, fast-motion, slow-motion, animation, overlapping dialogue, oblique angles, non-linear story-telling and split-screen, among others.

The plot itself is based upon a simple concept: how do tiny actions affect eventual outcomes. As we see the story unfold repeated times, we become aware of the minute changes in the outsets that result in big finales. It is, essentially, a study in chaos theory - the Butterfly effect. But unlike so many other movies that explore this effect, Lola Rennt doesn’t just extrapolate on how tiny changes alter the course of the main plot; it continually takes us off on fast-paced tangents that show how Lola’s course changes in turn alter the entire life courses of those with whom she comes into contact.

Try not to blink if you watch this flick, especially those scenes that show three things happening at once. If you do, rewind it to catch what you missed.

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking” (a line from the film, and one of the truest statements ever captured on celluloid).

Here, by a small margin, is the oldest motion picture on my list. Like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and Babe, I realize it’s not a “guy movie”. But I hate to use gender-bias in ranking a movie. Like those other three, I have to rank The Wizard of Oz in my top fifty because, well, there’s nothing wrong with it.

For one thing, it’s the best musical ever, hands down. The story is actually enhanced by the often silly, but always clever, songs. That's a rarity in itself. But add to that a believable performance by all & you've got a very good movie. The story is compelling, and the “bookends” at the outset and conclusion of the film only serve to enhance the story, characterizations and emotions of the main story (quite the opposite of The Princess Bride, in which the “bookends” bog down and detract from the main story). And on the subject of cinematography, hardly any movie has ever made such good use of color. And that’s saying something for a movie that is so old.

The Wizard of Oz is enjoyable on many levels. As a kid, my family and I watched it during its traditional yearly televised showing. Later, I watched it after being told about its gay undertones (“Of course, some people do go both ways”). Then I read about the numerous gaffes and continuity errors (e.g., Dorothy’s ever-changing hair lengths) and watched it in an attempt to spot the flaws. Like the storm trooper that hits his head on the doorway in Star Wars, and the blind guy wearing a wristwatch in The Ten Commandments, the many tiny mistakes in Oz just make the flick that much more enduring, and fun. And then there’s the Pink Floyd connection. My wife and I went to a friend’s home one evening with the sole purpose of queuing up Dark Side of the Moon with Oz. And, for like the tenth time, I rediscovered the wonder of that movie (and the album). There are certainly movies that I’ve seen more often, but there are none that I’ve viewed from so many different perspectives.

I suppose I enjoy this fairy tale as much as I enjoy The Princess Bride. Only this movie doesn’t have Fred Savage, so I have to rank it higher.

My 9th to 11th Favorite Motion Pictures

11. Balance (1989)
So here’s not only the best animated film I’ve ever seen, but also the shortest film on this list. It’s only a quarter of the length of the second-shortest film on this list (see la Riviére du Hibou, #28, below). In fact, it’s so short, you can watch it during your lunch break by visiting here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWT3p7uM6Y
This short film immediately captures attention by virtue of its unusual setting and obscure circumstances. As we try to figure out how things will end for the “fishermen”, we are strung along with mystery, suspense and one of the best endings to any film I’ve ever seen, regardless of length.

10. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelié Poulain (Amelié) (2001)
Le Fablah bla bla bla, otherwise known as Amelié, was an unexpected find for me. My wife and I went to the theaters to see this film at the insistence of some friends. And we were not disappointed. The many simple stories, woven together, form an intriguing look at Paris, romance, and one shy girl’s search for happiness. The cinematography is wonderful – the sets look cartoonish and perfectly enhance the mood and storylines of the film. There are unexpected twists, unique special effects and great asides that momentarily take the viewer from the story briefly and show them a larger world. This film makes us wish that our little actions could have so great an impact on the world around us, and at the same time, it reminds us to just sit back and enjoy the little things.
Oh – and it also makes a great jab at the media coverage of Princess Di’s death, which, in my opinion, was one of the most overblown, over-rated news stories of the 20th Century. Good call.

9. The Princess Bride (1987)
“Heroes. Giants. Villains. Wizards. True Love. - Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fairy tale." (tag line)
This romantic tale of adventure, revenge and redemption succeeds by adding just the right amount of humor, and just the right amount of pathos. There are many characters to care about here, and the movie plays with the audience by keeping the true heroes of the film secret for as long as possible. This is one of those movies, like Mary Poppins, that has entire scenes that are memorable: Pirate vs. swordsman, Pirate vs. giant, Pirate vs. Vizzini comes to mind as the most fun series of challenges a hero has ever faced to win what he wants. My favorite subplot is Inigo Montoya’s – he gets the most memorable line of the whole film (which takes place in a very exciting and satisfying scene of revenging family honor).
The theme of The Princess Bride is that true love can conquer all. Throughout the movie, there are hardships and trials that true love must endure. The movie keeps the viewer guessing until the very end whether or not there will be the classic fairy tale ending.
It is both a classic fairy tale style and a modern comedy with well choreographed action sequences, and intense instances of suspense.
When I first saw this movie, I went right home and placed it at #3 on my all-time favorites list. But then I watched it again, and I realized just how annoying Fred Savage’s character is. I can’t stand the whole modern-day portion of the movie. I mean, the Peter Falk narration is okay, but everything else about it seems to interrupt to story rather than help it along. And what’s with the Rodents of Unusual Size? Really cheesy stuff. It’s like the Jar-jar Binks of The Princess Bride. I cringe whenever that scene comes up.

My 12th to 14th Favorite Motion Pictures

14. Serenity (2005)
From start to finish there are no wasted moments. The first ten minutes present such a wealth of information and excitement that, if you blink, you’ll have to rewatch what you just missed. All your emotions will be engaged. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll gasp in shock. What you won't be is bored. There's plenty here for everybody: Good writing, witty dialogue, memorable lines, excellent acting, plot, action (not just gratuitous – I’m talking about action that actually makes sense in terms of the plot) and excellent effects.
Note to future sci-fi film-makers: Hero kicking ass while rescuing a heroine from disaster = cute. Having that heroine kick ass right along side the hero = awesome.
Why not rate this one higher? Like the Star Trek series, this motion picture is no where near as exciting if you haven’t first seen the television series on which it was based (Firefly).

13. Amadeus (1984)
Here is a stunning, captivating tale of a competent, talented, first-class musician who had the misfortune of being a contemporary of the greatest musician who ever lived. Loved the story, loved the acting, loved the set decoration and costume design. It’s an emotionally charged story of jealousy with quite possibly the greatest soundtrack of any motion picture ever. And anyone who declares war on the heavens is okay in my book.
Why not rate this one higher? Okay, here’s the deal – from here on out, these movies have no serious flaws. I can’t think of one thing I disliked about Amadeus. Sure it’s a long movie, but since it’s so engaging, it’s not toooo long. I think Tim Hulce is a bit over the top at times, but that’s how Mozart was (I guess), so his acting is appropriate for the part. From here on out, the only reason why I’m not rating a movie any higher is because the movies higher on the list were ever so slightly more thrilling for me. (One exception = the Princess Bride. I can tell you in a heartbeat why I don’t rank it higher. But I’ll get to that one soon.)

12. Airplane! (1980)
If the idea of a comedy is to laugh, than surely (shirley) this is one has the right idea. In fact, it has the best idea: dead-panned dialogue delivered in humourous situations with clever antics happening rapid-fire in the back ground. So many jokes (both visual & in dialogue) are packed into Airplane! that it takes several viewing to catch them all. Unlike so many comedies since then, the actors here don’t need to act over-the-top or divulge in gross-out humor to get easy laughs. I have watched this movie at least twenty times, and everytime I find myself laughing until I am crying. This movie has consistently been on my “All time favorites” list for twenty years now. Of movies that are purely comedic, there is none finer than Airplane!

My 15th to 17th Favorite Motion Pictures

17. Star Wars (Trilogy) (1977-1983)
Okay, so these are probably the most written-about movies in the history of cinema. But they do deserve the bulk of the attention they get. They are just plain fun film-making. From start to finish, there’s always something new, some new world or species waiting to grab your attention. Absolutely everything is original – think about it: there are very few movies out there that do not take place on Earth or involve people from Earth.
Why not rate this one higher? Mark Hamill = lousy, whiny actor (at least in Episode IV). And Return of the Jedi? Too much Ewok.

16. Shine (1996)
Flashbacks were never so artistically put to celluloid. The story of pianist David Helfgott is at times touching, suspenseful, humorous; but at all times intriguing. Follow closely, the story fabulously uses mostly visuals to tell itself. The scene of Helfgott (almost) performing the Rach 3 is one of the best ever! And Mr. Rush does a top-notch job of portraying the pianist.
Why not rate this one higher? Some scenes are just plain awkward. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh or feel pity. Weird stuff.

15. Super Size Me! (2004)
Here’s the highest-ranked documentary on my list. Director Morgan Spurlock takes his cues from Michael Moore by placing himself in the action and spicing up an important topic with loads of humor. Spurlock one-ups Moore, though, by not allowing his own agenda to overshadow the big issues. This film was informative, funny, moving and relevant. I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s since then.
Why not rate this one higher? The beginning of Spurlock’s 30-day experiment gets off to a slooow start. And though the segment about public school lunches was captivating, I didn’t see how it supported the main theme.