My favourite movies (I)

I've done this before but, like everyone else, my list keeps evolving as I watch more and more movies. These days I've been renting movies from way back in the 50's and 60's, classics I had either forgotten about, never seen before, or found a new appreciation for.

Last time I posted a list of my favourite movies must have been a couple of years ago. A lot of movie water has gone under the bridge, so I felt the need to update my choices. Let's see how many I come up with, because while I'm writing these lines, I'm still unsure as to how many I will refer to.

Let's start.


1.- Midnight Express. Alan Parker (1.978)  Although this list has no particular order, I have to say this one tops my list for a very personal reason. I was 17 when I watched this (not in 1978 but a few years later) on tape. I can certainly say this was the first movie ever to move me. For the first time I took notice of the elements that make up a movie like direction, acting, original score, script, cinematography, etc. But two elements really had an impact on me. For starters, the fantastic story line, with a sensational ending, which manipulated my emotions throughout the film. I was really shaken at the end, and couldn't keep the story out of my head for days or weeks. The second aspect was Brad Davis' impersonation of Billy Hayes, and his powerful monologue when the court sentences him. This movie is ranked No.1 because it opened my eyes in many ways towards film.

2. - Stand by me. Rob Reiner (1.986)  A movie about friendship, loyalty and coming of age in small town America. I loved the simplicity of the story and felt deeply identified with the main character, Gordie LaChance, a geeky kid who loved writing and telling stories and had a best friend whom he admired and respected. The relationship between the four boys reminded me of my own best school friends, who even when we're distant, are still my closest mates in the world. The phrase at the end of the movie always stayed with me, and even inspired me to write my first short story: "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?" Brilliant.



3. - The Godfather I and II. Francis Ford Coppola (1.972-1.974) The ultimate movie(s) Great storytelling, superb casting. Violence like nothing ever seen on screen before. Brilliant direction and editing. The music by Nino Rota was perfect, with a touch of nostalgia to it. To me, these are perfect movies in every sense. I consider them as one movie because that's exactly what they were. Shot almost simultaneously which made the transition from I to II very easy and smooth. The story of how an innocent patriotic soldier gets dragged into a life of crime by his mobster family is extraordinary in every sense. The scene where Michael (Al Pacino) shoots Sollozzo and the Police Chief McCluskey is one of my favourites in cinema history, those seconds when, prior to shooting, he realises what he's about to do will change his life forever. It was brilliant acting and directing. The story of how Vito Corleone migrated to America, slowly became a respected figure in the Italian community and then returns to Sicily to avenge his family, is also fantastic. Too much to say about these movies. True cinematic history.


4. - Incendies. Dennis Villenueve (2.010) This is new to my list. A French - Canadian production which became very popular at Film Festivals over the world in 2.011, this film tells the story about two young Canadian twins looking to track down their brother and father in a war torn Middle eastern country. The country is fictitious but is very similar to Lebanon. Told in two times, the first one 30 years ago when a woman is forced to let go of her young child and he's brought up by Islamic forces. We're shown the cruelty of war as she goes around the country searching for his son, only to be imprisoned and abused. The story then moves forward 30 years and we have her twins who, after their mother's death, leave their comfortable life in Montreal to embark on a search for their past. Everything unfolds in the end, with one of the most dramatic twists in film history, that left me thinking about this movie for a week. Another aspect I loved was the fact that I knew nothing about these actors, never seen them before. This truly made it more appealing as the story seemed more real to me.

I'll continue with this in a new post