My 150 Favorite Movies - #123

The Constant Gardener (2005)
 
Based on the novel by John le Carre,  The Constant Gardener has it all: murder, political corruption and a cover-up. Rightfully called "haunting," and "mesmerizing," by viewers, Rachel Weisz won an Oscar for playing the woman at the center of the mystery. Ralph Fiennes plays her husband, trying to unravel the clues.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #124

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

This was the little British Indie that could - it went on to make millions, well above what was expected initially, financially. Although I really could not abide Andie MacDowell's character in this, the other actors more than made up for her deficits. And it really wasn't MacDowell's fault, the character as written was pretty awful. The one-liners here are fast and furious. Said at one character's eulogy, "the recipe for Duck a la Banana fortunately goes with him to his grave." Here's a clip of the funniest wedding ever, with a novice Priest, played by Rowan Atkinson.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #125

Funny Girl (1968)
 
Barbra Streisand made a rather splashy film debut, after her star turn as Miss Fanny Brice on Broadway, winning an Oscar for her efforts. As it turned out, the song I'm the Greatest Star proved to be somewhat prophetic. Here's the Mad Magazine parody of her career during that time period.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #126

A History of Violence (2005)

Although not normally a fan of David Cronenberg (see my forthcoming list, 100 Movies I really didn't care for), this story about a man who is forced to confront his violent past and the impact that it has on his family, blew me away. Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris all shine, and William Hurt received an Oscar nomination, in this adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #127

Guys and Dolls (1955)

Well, they never really opened this one up beyond the confines of the Broadway play, but it doesn't matter, because it's blessed with the best score ever (IMHO), by Frank Loesser. It also doesn't hurt that it stars the gorgeously sublime Marlon Brando, the sublimely gorgeous Jean Simmons, Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, and Broadway's original Miss Adelaide, Vivian Blaine. Based on
Damon Runyon's short stories concerning gangsters, gamblers, and assorted denizens of New York's underworld, this story is about as New York as it gets. Here's a clip of the incomparable Stubby Kaye and cast members singing, Fugue for Tinhorns.

My 150 Favorite Movies - # 128

Bull Durham (1988)

Susan Sarandon may have met her baby daddy, Tim Robbins on the set of Bull Durham, but she sizzles onscreen with Kevin Costner, neither of whom, in my opinion, have ever been better. Well, Sarandon is terrific in just about everything, actually. Ostensibly a baseball movie, where it really hits is as a romantic comedy, par excellence.  Costner's famous speech about what he believes in, can be seen here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #129

The Lady Eve (1941)

Shakespeare may not have been thinking about Barbara Stanwyck when he wrote, "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety," but he may as well have been. This most versatile of 20th-century actresses could play anything, from a sloe-eyed vamp, to a hard-driving cattle baron, to, as here, a glamorous card sharp who falls for her mark. Henry Fonda more than holds his own as her hapless prey. Preston Sturges's usual gang of suspects bring up the rear. This movie also contains one of the all-time sexiest scenes in cinema here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #130

The Daytrippers (1996)

 
Indie stalwarts Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, Campbell Scott and Parker Posey shine in this black comedy of a woman  who suspects her husband of philandering and enlists her entire family for help. Legendary comedienne Anne Meara also stars as the family matriarch.The National Board of Review awarded The Daytrippers Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #131

Lost in Translation (2003)

A moving story of love and friendship in unexpected places, director Sofia Coppola manages to evoke a suitably moody atmosphere, using very little in the way of dialogue or even plot. Ostensibly starring and beautifully acted by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, the real star of Lost in Translation is Tokyo, which has never been shot so enticingly in any movie.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #132

Orlando (1992)

Based loosely on the novel of the same name by Virginia Woolf, Orlando stars the enigmatic Tilda Swinton as the title character, an androgynous young nobleman. The film travels across centuries (and Orlando changes persona, from man to woman), and ends in the present day. Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times, "This ravishing and witty spectacle invades the mind through eyes that are dazzled without ever being anesthetized." Orlando is a sumptuous visual feast.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #133

Bob le Flambeur (1956)

In some quarters considered the "grandaddy" of the heist film (my favorite genre), that is not an entirely accurate characterization, as The Asphalt Jungle, among others, predates this film. Still, it's an outstanding example of the genre. Bob is a down-on-his-luck gambler preparing for a casino heist. What happens next, the characters, and more importantly, the audience, does not see coming. Moody, but not bloated with self-importance (unlike some other, similar films of that time period), Bob le Flambeur, seen today, does not appear dated at all, and retains interest for the plot machinations, the cinematography, and the acting. Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (legendary not merely for his filmmaking, but also for his work with the French resistance), here is an example of film noir at its finest, and also a precursor to the French new wave.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #134

Love and Death (1975)

There is a line in Stardust Memories in which a group of aliens tells Woody Allen's character that they like his movies, especially, "the early, funny ones." Well, Love and Death is the last of those early, funny ones, and arguably the funniest movie that Allen has ever made. The story takes place in Russia during the Napoleonic era, and concerns a plot to assassinate the Emperor. The plot is a secondary device, as the film lavishly parodies both the classic Russian literature of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, as well as the cinema of Ingmar Bergman and Sergei Eisenstein. My favorite visual joke in a movie is here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #135

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Another romantic drama set against the backdrop of political conflict, Daniel Day-Lewis channels his latent smoldering sex appeal in this tale of a philandering doctor whose love life is disrupted by the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Two of the sexiest actresses in cinema, Lena Olin and Juliette Binoche, play the women in his life. Based on the acclaimed novel by Milan Kundera.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #136

The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno, the title comes from the famous Italian phrase "vivere pericolosamente," which Sukarno borrowed during his Independence Day speech of 1964. Actress Linda Hunt was the first woman to win an Academy Award for playing a man. I recall her Oscar speech as being quite touching, here is an excerpt: There was an Indonesian phrase in the film which translates into English as "water from the moon." And it means that which is unattainable, the impossible, that which one can never have or know. Making "The Year of Living Dangerously" for me was "water from the moon."

My 150 Favorite Movies - #137

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Elliott Gould, at first glance, may seem like nobody's choice to play Philip Marlowe, however, he is so uncool as to be cool, albeit in a very unmachismo fashion. Robert Altman reinvents Marlowe for the seventies, and the time and place seem to suit. It's film noir, but in a somewhat disheveled Altman-like fashion. It's a movie that can be watched over and over again, and still find something new therein.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #138

Sherman's March (1985)

The subtitle of this film is A Meditation on the Possibility of Romantic Love in the South During an Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation. Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee originally intended to make a film documenting General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through the south during the Civil War. Somewhere along the way, attention got diverted and he ended up making a movie about himself and all of the women in his life. This is the movie that turned me on to documentaries, and the possibilities of all they could accomplish. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Sherman's March has clearly been an influence on Michael Moore, among others. In 2000, it was selected for preservation into the U.S. National Film Registry.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #139

High Fidelity (2000)

High Fidelity is a terrific movie, based on a terrific book, by Nick Hornby. It takes place mainly in a record store, and stars John Cusack as Rob, who is fond of making music lists, and is thus a character after my own heart. And it includes one of my all-time favorite exchanges of dialogue in a movie (Jack Black plays Barry):

Customer: Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love     You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
Barry: Yea we have it.
Customer: Great great... Well, can I have it?
Barry: No, you can't.
Customer: Why not?!
Barry: Because it's sentimental tacky crap that's why. Do we look like a store that sells "I Just Called to Say I Love You"? Go to the mall!
Customer: What's your problem?!
Barry: Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song! Oh oh oh wait! Is she in a coma?

I have written previously about this movie here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #140

Something Wild (1986)

Something Wild starts off with a bang - a spirited rendition of Loco de Amor by David Byrne and Celia Cruz ("like a pizza in the rain/loco de amor/no one wants to take you home..."), while the Manhattan skyline seems to float majestically by. Melanie Griffith as the wild thing of the title has never been or looked better. One of the best films of the 1980's, Jonathan Demme directed, and did his best feature work with this film, IMHO. This movie has been written widely about on the internet, particularly well here and here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #141

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Or, Quentin Tarantino does World War II. Serving up an alternate reality, in which revenge is served (cold) to the heirarchy of the Third Reich, this is yet another of Tarantino's  fascinating mixtures of humor and violence, with the added bonus of actual historical significance. The whole cast is uniformly excellent, with Christoph Waltz (he won an Oscar), Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, and Melanie Laurent being particular standouts.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #142

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

If you think you do not like foreign films, then you obviously haven't seen The Motorcycle Diaries, starring the gorgeous Gael Garcia Bernal as the young Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The movie works whether you agree with Guevara's politics or not, as it is mainly a filmed travelogue of a journey he took, via (you guessed it) motorcycle throughout South America, as a young man. Politics are mainly left aside for lush scenery, and plenty of it.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #143

Oliver! (1968)
Oliver! is on this list for the following reasons: "Consider Yourself," "Who Will Buy?," "Food! Glorious Food!," "Reviewing the Situation," ("can a fellow be a villain all his life?"), "I'd Do Anything," "Oom-Pah-Pah," and "As Long As He Needs Me." Need I say more?

My 150 Favorite Movies - #144

The World According to Garp (1982)
Garp holds a special place in my heart, mainly for being the stunning film debut of that awesome actress, Glenn Close. Many years later, I was lucky enough to get her autograph after seeing her on Broadway in Sunset Boulevard. When I told her how impressive I thought she was in her first movie, she actually looked like it was something she'd been longing to hear. That's actresses for you. Also, kudos to Robin Williams for his amazing performance as Garp, and to George Roy Hill for managing to direct a successful adaptation of a generally well-regarded novel. And the opening credits sequence of the "floating" baby to the tune of The Beatles, "When I'm 64," is very possibly my favorite opening credits of all time.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #145

Office Space (1999)

Office Space stars Ron Livingston (he of the "broke up with me on a Post-it" fame) as office drone Peter Gibbons, and never in the annals of office-related comedies has workplace angst been rendered so hilariously. Jennifer Aniston also stars as an employee of a suspiciously TGIF-like chain. There's a hilarious bit near the beginning of possibly the funniest traffic jam ever committed to film. Also featuring Gary Cole as the boss from Hell, and Stephen Root as a stapler-obsessed psycho.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #146

The Music Man (1962)

(F.Y.I.: If you don't care for musicals, it may be time to stop reading this blog now, as there promises to be a fair number on this list).
The Music Man was the first movie I ever saw. Or so I've been told. I really don't recall, seeing as how I was three at the time. In any case, between Seventy-Six Trombones, Goodnight My Someone, and Marian the Librarian, what's not to love? Also, the fact that Marian, as played by Shirley Jones, was a beautiful librarian, who not only won the heart of Harold Hill, as played by Robert Preston, but also the townspeople of River City, may very well have played more than a small part in my later chosen profession!

My 150 Favorite Movies - #147

Dr. Strangelove: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director Stanley Kubrick may have made his bones with Paths of Glory, Spartacus, and Lolita, but Dr. Strangelove assured his ascension into the pantheon of Great Directors of the 20th Century. Considered in many quarters to be the greatest political satire ever made (and certainly among the best films ever made), the plot involves possible nuclear annihilation. A German scientist with previous allegiance to the Nazi party is called in to save the day, and various political figures are seen in varying degrees of crisis (or lack of) management. Released not very long after the Cold War (the original release date was pushed back due to Kennedy's assassination), this is a film once seen, never to be forgotten. Featuring Peter Sellers as a triple threat: as a British captain, the aforementioned German scientist (presumably based on Wernher Von Braun), and the President of the United States.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #148

The Parent Trap (1961)
Has there ever been a cuter child star than Hayley Mills? In this one, she plays twins (double the cuteness), separated at birth, or thereabouts, due to a parental divorce. The parents in question are played by Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith (quadruple the cuteness). Sorry to all  you Lindsay Lohan fans out there, but this one's the one that's got it going on.

My 150 Favorite Movies - #149

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)

This very fine film made a significant impression on me as a youngster, and was probably a seminal influence on my lifelong love of movies. It wasn't until many years later that I realized that the genius of Dr. Seuss was behind it. Simultaneously delightful and terrifying, involving a young boy's fear of his piano lessons and instructor. The plot isn't as important as the visual fantasy at play here.

My 150 Favorite Movies - Counting down from 150!

Indiscreet (1958)

One of my life philosophies is, the worst movie with Cary Grant is better than the best movie with anybody else. And this is hardly the worst Cary Grant movie.  In fact, according to IMDB, Indiscreet is his personal favorite among his own movies. It's a frothy romantic comedy (and isn't frothy the best kind of romantic?) starring Ingrid Bergman, alongside Grant, in a mature adult relationship, which involves a lot of honesty about Grant's lack of availability. Or is it a lack of
honesty about Grant's availability? Great fun!