(Oh, and also, just a little comment out of vanity, I always judge my posts based on the number of comments, and last post was a record high of 7! WOO! Seriously though, if a post gets zero I feel like I failed and like I have to step it up for the next post. K. Now I'm embarrassed I said that.)
So on to my....
Top Five Favorite Movies Right Now
1. Bella. 2006. I don't really know how to explain this one because every time I try to say what its about, it doesn't convey the right feeling. So. There is this cook and a waitress, they skip work and spend the day together in New York. Kinda. I mean, they do, but you just have to see it. It is VERY good. Funny, sentimental, beautiful. Everything. Plus it won Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, and if I know anything about Toronto, its that they have great taste in cinema. Plus the main guy has BEAUTIFUL eyes. Seriously, he should be a soap star. Or my husband. Just saying.
2. Synecdoche, New York. 2008. If you know me in school, you know how much I love simulation and simulacrum. If you know me outside of school, I'm telling you now. Simuacrum = my favorite thing EVER. Really, I'm salivating just talking about it. Baudrillard is my hero. So, needless to say I love this movie. There is this play director, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is so brilliant he gets a grant to write and direct a play, so he decides to write a play about New York, so he builds a life size New York inside of a warehouse as his stage. He wants everything to be exactly true to life, so he hires an actor to play him, and everyone else in his life, and in New York. The same conversations happen in each life, so the fake life begins to get realer than his real life. OOOOH. SOOOOO GOOOOOD. There is a few objectionable parts, so watch it edited or on one of those fancy pants DVD players that edits. I could talk about this movie ALL DAY. Although, I feel like you might have to be someone like me to enjoy it. But maybe not, I only know one other person who has seen it.
3. Rebel Without A Cause. 1955. James Dean. It was released a month after he died, which adds a lot of weight to the movie. Basically I love it. Its about James Dean, who is a rebel, and he doesn't have a cause. Deep analysis, I know. But really, it feels like a non-musical West Side Story. It has all the essential elements of a good movie: whiney kids, fast cars, death, planetariums, famous red jackets, and knife fights. What more could you want? Oh, Natalie Wood is in it, you know, Maria from West Side Story! Yeah, the one who one an Oscar for playing a Puerto Rican, when she is most definitely white. Ridiculous, right? Right.
4. 8 1/2. 1963. Frederico Fellini. This is about a famous director with writers block. As he is starting to direct a film with no script, we see the different influences of the women in his life, wives, lovers, friends, prostitues etc. This was Fellini's 8 1/2 film he ever directed, thus the name. The recent film 9 (2009) with Daniel Day Lewis and Nicole Kidman is based on this movie. I saw them both, and true to originals versus remakes, 8 1/2 is better.
5. Brief Encounter. 1945. Laura and Alec meet by chance one Thursday in town. Each succeeding Thursday they meet and a love interest begins (they are both married with children). They only meet a few Thursdays but the encounter changes each of their lives. Its really really moving and it raises a lot of questions, which I'm all about in film.
Enjoy!!!
Yes! I consider myself a movie buff but I've only seen two of these. The others are going in my Netflix queue.
ReplyDeleteBella was quite interesting. Unexpected but also a bit predictable. Visually beautiful.
Rebel Without a Cause-love James Dean. If you haven't already, you must watch Giant and East of Eden (read East of Eden, too. It's one of my favorite books).
Recommendation: Le Samourai. Amazing film. Alain Delon reminds me of Jude Law, but more French. Haha. Less than 3 this post!
P.S. I just checked Netflix and all 5 of these movies are stream-able. Interesting.
Oh! I have seen Le Samourai! Sooo good! I totally forgot about it until you mentioned it! You know that quote at the beginning of the movie thats supposedly a samourai code, when all you see is him smoking in bed? Well apparently the director made it up, haha.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have seen East of Eden, but never read the book, I'm not a Steinbeck fan, but I should read it...its on my list.
I feel that I am obligated to comment because of your lack-of-comment-phobia. So here I am. Haha, ok actually, I just wanted to point out that you admitted your enormous absurdity of favorites....something you have never had the gumption to admit before, as I recall. So good job. Such a big step for you. I am proud. Oh and PS, I'm sorry you were dumped...
ReplyDeletePSS does this count as my consolation? OKTHNXBYE.
You're my hero. I trust your opinion on pretty much everything. The end.
ReplyDeleteI HEART Bella. Eduardo Verastigui (I think) is an amazing person, also he's smokin' hot. I loved that movie, and it's soundtrack, it's where I fell in love with Rachel Yamagata's "meet me by the water." Bueno, Nacho.
ReplyDeleteOh Dana, your blog is so lovely! P.S., it is awesome beyond awesome that we are in the same stake. P.P.S., I'm glad you like James Dean. <3
ReplyDelete