The Silver Screen

Mia Sorella will tell you that I am a bit too forgiving of movies. I might say she's too harsh. The bottom line is that I enjoy most movies. However, there are a few that really stand out in my life for one reason or another, most of which I can -- and do -- watch over and over and over.

Each one has the year it was released, the actors I knew/remembered, a description of why I like it, and a "viewing group rating." In other words, here are twelve brief reviews of some great movies.

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My Twelve Favorite Movies
(in no particular order)

The Philadelphia Story
1940. Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. This one's just great. Really. You don't get more classic. The dialogue is what gets me during most of it.
(Adults. Safe for kids' viewing -- no sex, drugs, violence, or swearing -- but they probably won't "get" a lot of it and they'll get bored.)

Garden State
2004. Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard. This movie is just plain different. It's quietly funny, outright sad, and generally very quirky. Braff [whose name implies that he should be a 12-year-old star on the Disney Channel] wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, and I must say, he did a fantastic job. The fact that you're getting a glimpse into his brain only makes the movie more fun to watch. It took three attempts before I saw the whole thing, but after that third time I was completely hooked.
(Adults. Lots of drug use and swearing, with some sexual content. Again, this would bore most kids anyway.)

The Phantom of the Opera
2004. Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver, Ciaran Hinds. Even if you've seen the show on Broadway, the movie won't let you down. The music is incredibly well done; Driver was the only one who didn't perform her own music. She is a great performer, though (the first song in the credits is her), so I suspect it has more to do with the fact that bad opera is hard on a person. Best of all, they stick very, very close to the stage show throughout. The main difference is simply the vantage point; instead of sitting in the audience, you're on stage with the performers.
(12+. There are some scary moments -- because, well, the Phantom is a Bad Guy.)

Casper
1995. Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Eric Idle, Devon Sawa (briefly). Okay, this is one of those "I can't believe I still like that one!" movies. It's true. I still love it. It's a cute kids' movie without bashing you over the head with an implied moral. And it ends happily -- even though all of the characters don't get to keep what they want.
(Anyone! It's a kids' movie.)

Twister
1996. Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman. This is another one I can't quite explain. The tornado scenes are spectacular. If you're in a destructive mood, they're fantastic. It might fall into the kitschy disaster movie genre, but I always enjoy watching.
(Almost anyone. The tornados can be a little scary, but the only "adult" moment is when one guy gets a gash in his forehead from some flying debris. No sex, drugs, or violence, and minimal swearing.)

Brokeback Mountain
2005. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway. Aside from the massive controversy surrounding its release, this is a spectacularly well-done film. The amazing scenery while they're in the mountains of Wyoming, the fantastic acting, the story, the undercurrent throughout, and, alarmingly enough, the sadness of it make it a great movie. It will make you uncomfortable, but it will also make you think.
(Adults. Mature ones, for that matter, if you want to avoid hearing stupid jokes for the next week. Sex, violence, and human nature at its most hateful.)

Pride & Prejudice
1995. Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth. There are a lot of different movie versions of this book out there. This one is the best. An A&E/BBC mini-series, it actually follows the book incredibly well and gives you a hint of the true politics of the "upper-middle class" in 18th/19th century England. That description makes it sound much more boring than it is, however. If you like people dynamics, this is a veritable treasure chest. It's great fun to watch the exchanges (which use much of Jane Austen's brilliant dialogue) and, well, what woman couldn’t love Mr. Darcy?
(Beyond safe for anyone, but again, kids will be bored by this one. And a lot of men.)

Independence Day
1996. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Adam Baldwin, and a few others I can't remember. Okay. When this came out, it was top-of-the-line as far as CGI goes -- and it's still pretty darn good. I love this movie. It's fun to watch. It's goofy when it can be because, well, it has to be serious when it comes to the annihilation of the human race. It also inspired a weird crush on Jeff Goldblum when I first saw it. (I guess I've always had a thing for the nerdy guys.)
(12+. Some removed violence -- exploding spaceships and planes -- with one gross/scary moment in the labs. No drugs, minimal swearing, and about two scenes hinting at sex.)

Chocolat
2000. Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Carrie-Anne Moss, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina. This movie contains the most normal role that Johnny Depp has ever played, and I love him for it. (My favorite moment? When Anouk, the daughter of Binoche's character, asks him if he's a pirate.) Aside from that, it's a great story of overcoming the limits of the world in which you find yourself. Oh, and it's filled with chocolate from beginning to end. A woman's dream come true.
(Adults, again for the bore factor. Some suggestive scenes, and about five mild swear words. No visible violence ... just the results.)

August Rush
2007. Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Freddie Highmore, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams. As my regular readers know, I have already raved over this movie. I love it. It's one of those that helps restore some faith in humanity. And the music is amazing. And Mr. Meyers. (Yum.) It's a great Oliver Twist-type story following three different people as they find each other. Throw in Williams as a demented not-quite-bad-not-quite-good-guy (which, if ever there was a perfect actor for a role, it's him as any goofily demented character) and you have a great movie.
(Anyone -- but adult women will like it the most. No sex, drugs, violence, or swearing.)

Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
1989. Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, John Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix. In all honesty, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" could be in here as well. I love the first and third Indiana Jones movies. The second one? Not so much. The fourth? Fun, but a bit on the really odd side. But "Raiders" and "Last Crusade"? Golden. I picked the last one for the simple fact that Sean Connery is one of my favorite actors of all time. It's fun, it's epic, it's historic, and it's one of those movies that everyone should see at some point in their lives.
(Anyone, kids and adults alike. Gets a little scary, though, so maybe not the youngest kids. No sex, drugs, or swearing.)

The Dark Knight
2008. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart. I just -- JUST -- saw this movie and that's what inspired this list. Ledger's performance was all everyone said it would be and more. The movie itself is darker than almost anything I've ever seen and admittedly rough on a person, but it's so incredibly well done that I can't not include it. The fact that it has seven actors of incredible note and it worked out beautifully is another fantastic feat. (Let's face it -- star-laden movies often collapse under their own weight.) Go see this one.
(Adults. This is not a movie intended for kids.)

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Well, there you have it. There are a lot of other movies that didn't quite make my list ... The new "Ocean's Eleven," "Boondock Saints," "Equilibrium," "Toy Story," and "The Patriot" (two Ledger movies were enough) are all right up there too, closely followed by about thirty others.

Okay. Your turn. Name your favorite. Or your favorite ten, if you have the same difficulties I do in making up your mind. For that matter, lambast me on my taste. Ready ... set ... go!