3 Movies

I just posted this on the Best/Worst/Favorites section of the forum, which can be found here http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3116427#post3116427 but I also thought it'd be good as a blog post.

I recently joined TCM's Classic Film Union (think our beloved Movie Fan Central but geared more toward the TCM nerds - love it) and one of my buddies posted a blog that posed an interesting survey. She's currently a film student, and her professor is considered to be well-respected within the film community (apparently he's written a lot of books or something). One day he confessed to his students that one of his all-time favorite films was Space Jam. Yeah, THAT Space Jam. So here's a well-respected guy who's dedicated his life to the art, history, theory and process of film and filmmaking and he professes to his students how SPACE JAM holds a dear and special place in his heart.

Moving along, my blogging friend suggests that we all have three favorite films, and here they are (From her blog):

1. The Repeat - This is a movie you watch over and over again. If you watch it one day and see it is on TV the next, you will sit through it again. Once it's over, you feel a little lost. For me, 'The Repeat', stands for comfort. I have noticed that when friends of mine are having a bad day, they want me to play 'The Repeat' to kind of take their minds off something and they immediatly become engaged in something familar. You know every line and every character like they are a close personal friend.

For me, this movie is The Philadelphia Story (1940). I first saw this film on TCM about four years ago. Since then, I think I have watched it about 400 times. Sometimes, I just have it on the background while I am doing other things because it is just so comforting to me. No matter how many times I watch Cary Grant win over the spoiled but intoxicating Katherine Hepburn, I will never get tired of it.

2. The Cinematic Achievement - This film you admire for it's technical qualities. You love it's directing, the talent of the actor, the writing etc. When you watch it, you are impressed how the film was composed and the story taking place within the film is stronger because of these aspects.

Hands down, for me this film is The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). I think this film could have been written today and still be so significant. I love how the story is told through flashbacks. How it captures the film industry in such a corruptive light represents the fantastical depiction of the film industry everyone secretly loves. Kirk Douglas and Lana Turner give incredible performances and I love how Vincente Minnelli takes a Citizen Kane approach to Hollywood.

3. The Guilty Pleasure - This pretty much speaks for itself. Just like my professor could not explain his love for Space Jam, this film connects with you on an unknown level. You hate to admit you like it, but it's a part of you. I don't want to go into detail about this category because it really is unknown territory and wonderfully individual.

For me, this is Gidget (1959). I love the over-the-top innocence of Sandra Dee, the tacky surfing backgrounds and the horrible performances delivered by Gidgets parents. This film is just fun and even though I find myself criticizing it whenever I'm watching, I still watch and I am still entertained.

So I thought I'd put this out there for my fellow Schmoes (and I hope I'm posting it in the right place...) because I'd be interested in both your opinion and what your three favorite films by this guideline will be. I'll start us off.

1. The Repeat - Shawshank Redemption is definitely the film I can watch over and over and over and over again and I will never tire of it. It still hits all the right emotional chords with me. I can't help but to indulge in the journey we take with Andy in Shawshank. I used to play this a lot when I was in college, especially when I had to study. It was muted of course, but having it play nearby while I worked brought a certain level of comfort.

2. The Cinematic Achievement - Chinatown. My all-time favorite film. There is nothing about this film that doesn't have me gushing over it. The beautiful cinematography, the brilliant acting, the intriguing and mystifying story and the lovely score by Jerry Goldsmith - how can anyone watch this movie and not be in awe of it's beauty and then stunned by it's haunting last act? You had Polanski at the helm, guiding the masterful Jack Nicholson and mysteriously enchanting Faye Dunaway. Not to mention John Huston's Noah Cross, the obvious inspiration behind Daniel Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview. I could go on and on about how wonderful this film is, and how Robert Towne wrote one of the most important scripts of an era. This film is the embodiment of a Cinematic Achievement.

3. The Guilty Pleasure - The Mummy. No, not Karloff's Mummy. Fraser's Mummy. As in Brendan Fraser. I'm not going to try and defend this movie; it's a losing battle. But I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I love Brendan Fraser's tongue-in-cheek performance as dual-pistol-toting, shotgun-wielding, ex-legionnaire Rick O'Connell (that's just fucking cool). I love the bumbling yet charming Evy Carnahan played by the gorgeous and versatile Rachel Weisz. Hell, I even like the annoying John Hannah as Evy's brother John. The action is just all kinds of fun, and I thought Arnold Vosloo made a GREAT B-Movie villain. It's as if they combined two great films - Raiders of the Lost Ark and the original 1932's The Mummy. I don't really think there would be a better way to pull it off (by the way I hate the other mummy movies).

So there ya have it. Would love to hear everyone else's choices.

Mood: Chillin'

LordSimen at 10:05 PM Sep 20

The entirety of my top ten are repeats. In terms of cinematic achievement, Halloween would be the top of that. I don't believe in the concept of guilty pleasures, I have no reason to feel guilty for any of my loved films and no, just because a lot of people find it crap doesn't mean I do too.