I enjoy movies. Even in single life, I don’t hesitate to hit the theatre on my own. I can sit where I want, no one is in whispering (too loudly) in my ear asking, “what happened,” and there’s no sharing of popcorn.
There are two movies I plan to see this weekend, in fact: Michael Clayton and Gone Baby Gone.
So while I’m thinking about movies and the few DVDs I have actually bought, it became apparent that I have a list of favorites. These are the movies I enjoyed from the onset – and the ones I’ll watch when I find myself scanning the cable channels on a Sunday afternoon. They’re worthy of sitting through even if it means TV edits and commercial interruptions (and even though I have several in my DVD library).
1. Unforgiven. Clint Eastwood directed and starred in this throwback western with Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. I’m a huge fan of Clint and he nailed this role of good guy gone bad ass (again) even against his better judgment.
2. Memento. This is a must own movie because it’s one you have to watch at least 10 times to get. I’m still watching it and figuring out the nuances of a killer script and so many twists it numbs the mind.
3. Meet Joe Black. Claire Forlani, Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in a story about love, life, death and taxes. Actually, it’s really about life and making the most of it.
4. Serendipity. The title says it all. John Cusak always portrays the every day guy in a way that seems so…every day. Kate Beckinsdale plays the superstitious, but amazingly likable love interest.
5. Platoon. Oliver Stone has several productions that could make my Top 10 list, but this one stands out due to a great cast and the human trauma about Vietnam that is captured so well.
6. Rear Window. Not sure when I first saw Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but I never get tired of watching the movie. Maybe it’s the innuendo that exists between Stewart and Grace Kelly. Maybe it’s the way Raymond Burr stares eerily into the camera.
7. Finding Neverland. If you haven’t seen Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet in this remarkable movie about playwright J.M. Barrie (who would go on to write Peter Pan), you’ve missed one of Depp’s best films. I could have placed Pirate’s of the Caribbean on this list, but that’s too obvious.
8. Once Upon a Time in Mexico. This is simply a fun and well directed movie with some action, a plot and cool filmography.
9. The Departed. I’ve only seen this recent movie once, but there are parts of it that are still fresh in my mind (like the elevator descent when Damon has finally caught de Caprio only to get totally smoked when the doors open). Martin Sheen is also in this movie and I’ve liked Martin Sheen for a variety of reasons.
10. Million Dollar Baby. The 10th movie is always the hardest to list. I could go on listing another 10 or 20 movies (like Dances with Wolves, Mulholland Drive, A Bridge Too Far, Seven, China Syndrome and others), but I’ll end with Million Dollar Baby because it’s Eastwood and Freeman (again!) in a story that has so much heartache and realness. No wonder it won an Oscar.
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Land of 10,000 Perspectives 