This list isn't inclusive, by any means, but it's a pretty good indication of what I find to be worthwhile. These movies will not be ordered, because (unlike TV shows) I'm not in as picky of a mood whenever I sit down to watch a movie. There isn't as much of a time investment involved, so I generally don't worry about what's my "favorite"
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is one of those movies that practically defined the year I watched it. And it wasn't just because I found myself liking the silly Batman voice that Christian Bale uses. Honestly, Heath Ledger's performance practically defined what I wanted out a villain: despairing to the point of insanity. The Dark Knight was the refutation of despair by whatever means were available, moral or not, and I found the ride quite gripping and enjoyable. I usually watch it when I'm in a more thoughtful and dark mood, and just want to watch Joker get defeated again.
Avengers
To quote myself for the vast majority of this movie: "HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS AWESOME!" I'm not gonna lie, this is probably the lightest movie on the whole list, but that's because every frame screams of win. Ever. Single. Solitary. Frame. This is a movie I'm buying when it comes out on DVD for sure.
House of Flying Daggers
I consider myself a martial arts film fan, although I probably don't know as much about someone who's truly obsessed with the subject. Mostly this is because the martial film industry, with its high flying wires and bad stories, has a habit of defeating itself by trying to have a story that it just can't have.
Not this movie.
This movie is one of the few films I've seen that is a true and heartfelt take on this genre, and soars about almost all other martial arts films by being a story, first and foremost, with some of the most kick-ass fighting and choreography you'll ever see. And the ending scene is possibly one of the most visually pleasing things in all cinema.
Hero
This is the most beautiful movie I've ever seen, as far as aesthetic visuals go. Just... period. Wow. The plot, while not as good as House of Flying Daggers, is still excellent, and the fight scenes fit with the movie in a way that's very difficult to describe. There's a refinement and grace to this film that's so beautiful and breath-taking I can't help but love it.
Brothers Bloom
Call me a sucker for Mark Ruffalo, but... damn... I like him in this movie a lot. Combine that with all the neat visual tricks this movie has, and I can guarantee that you'll find something new going on every time you watch it.
Inception
This is a movie that I'll watch time and time again for... well... I'm never quite sure, really. There's something captivating about it that makes me very very glad I've watched it. Maybe it's because of my years as a GM, but I find the concept of people being able to invade and mold other people's dreams to be too good of an exploration to pass up.
The Original Star Wars Trilogy
Dude, I can't think of a person who hasn't watched Star Wars. These movies were easily the most watched of my childhood, and instilled a love fantasy that I have never been able to shake (nor do I wish to, thank you). The trilogy of Luke Skywalker becoming a man can always be popped in at my house without a complaint.
Lucky Number Slevin
This is a movie I watch whenever I'm in the mood for something funny and dark, because well... just watch the movie. The ending is awesomely dark, but the rest of the movie is sweet and hilarious.
Ostrov
Ostrov is a Russian film about a monk living in the North Sea. He's a holy fool who is trying to repent for murdering a man. The film is... I don't know if I can quite explain this film. It's mood and message are very difficult to just communicate in any amount of writing, and I honestly don't know if anyone could catch it upon first watching. This movie is truly beautiful, however. I'd heartily recommend finding it and watching it.
Okay... I debated with myself for a while whether this is the sort of thing I'd have known what you meant if I'd not been rather behind on seeing movies (currently I'm trying to finish catching up on all the Joss Whedon out there, actually), but figured eventually I'd just ask... "The Dark Knight was the refutation of despair by whatever means were available, moral or not..." I thought despair and giving up on finding moral means (or on sticking to morality even if it jeopardizes secondary successes) were in essence the same? Does it perhaps depend what's being despaired of? Or does the last part refer not so much to deciding to use an immoral means as being more concerned with finding some means than with avoiding or resolving moral doubt/ambiguity? Or am I totally misunderstanding (that's a real question, not a rhetorical point)? I'm genuinely curious, because I do have a thing for stories that face the darkest evils precisely so they can be defeated, and I've heard differing opinions (although I avoided the details since, let's face it, I might see the movie sometime and I'm of mixed minds on spoilers) as to how anything like that plays out in this case.
ReplyDeleteDo have to say that I can concur on the awesomeness of the entries in this list I've seen (okay, so that's classic Star Wars and Inception... they were awesome; and yes, I'm behind on the prerequisites to The Avengers), and that I'll have to see more of these sometime. I'm also a little surprised Serenity isn't in here, given how much you like Firefly (or at least did back when we met in college -- I think I first heard of it from you).
The list wasn't inclusive, I just wrote down what popped into my head at the time. I'd probably edit the list again, and add Serenity, Tangled, and Rango, with no problems whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteAnd what I meant was to use whatever means you had. People are limited creatures, and if you're genuinely facing something that dark and terrible I wouldn't begrudge you doing something wrong in an attempt to do something right, as long as it was your last resort. I guess I'm saying it's better to move than to not, and that eventually whatever you did decide to do will reveal itself as right or wrong, and you'll have to deal with the consequences of that decision (welcome to The Dark Knight Rises, by the way...)