Favorite Movies of All Time
I’ve
decided my next post should be about my favorite movies for three main reasons:
Film is a personal passion of mine nurtured over the past ten years as my
number one hobby; movies and television series are utilized as dialogue and
plot elements throughout Check to the
Better; and it’s my blog so I can do what I want. My next few entries after
this one will be about my favorite television series and a ranking of every
single Christopher Nolan film (my favorite director). Hopefully, the latter of
these will be posted just before the release of Interstellar (which by early
reactions and comments is going to be one of the greatest movies of this
decade.)
Warning: Spoilers abound for every one of these films,
so if you haven’t seen them do yourself a favor— stop reading and start
streaming.
Without further ado:
6.
Heat, Michael Mann, 1995
Why is it one of my most favorite movies of all time?
This crime epic captured my unabated attention
at the opening credits and title sequence. There’s just a mood setting chill to
the rising theme of the music that introduces the two lead actors, Pacino and
De Niro, and then the title of the movie. Then the train station comes into
view and we follow De Niro’s Neil McCauley into the execution phase of the first
of many well thought out and incredibly exciting “jobs”.
Michael
Mann has a very unique style that distinguishes his films from everyone else’s.
It has a detached quality to it that somehow captures the indifferent beauty of
a city and landscape while still maintaining complete focus on the characters
and plot within his darkly etched cinematic world. The plot zings along from
one pivotal moment to the next, introducing each new element with seamless tact
and proper gravitas: the initial bearer bonds heist, introduction to Pacino’s Vincent
Hanna, Waingro and Van Zant, the mucked up jewelry store heist, etc., etc.
Heat has a wide array of characters,
each of which is three dimensional and engaging (I read an article on the movie
that touted it had 18 different main characters. Now that’s an epic.) My
favorite character, of course, is McCauley, but my second favorite character in
the movie is McCauley’s love interest, Eady. Their initial interaction in that
perfectly 90’s diner is exactly the right amount of awkward and suave. I could
go on about every single one of the other characters and plot points, but this
is already getting way to long. What makes the movie resonate the most with me,
in the end, is the cat and mouse game between McCauley and Hanna; each man is
incredibly intelligent, at the height of their games, and completely obsessed and
motivated solely by their jobs to the detriment (and death in some cases) of
everyone around them.
The climatic bank robbery
is one of the greatest action scenes in cinema history; with perfect
choreography, a believable but still cinematic outcome, and a distinctive element
that makes it timeless and unforgettable: the loud retort of every single gun-shot
echoing off of the massive Los Angeles skyscrapers.
Favorite Scenes:
The
opening title sequence; the climatic bank robbery (duh), McCauley and Hanna’s
coffee stop (forlorn awareness of impending doom coupled with mutual
admiration), McCauley leaving Eady (30-seconds flat with that heat around the
corner), and the closing sequence. (Hanna grasping McCauley’s hand as he slides
into death while Moby’s God Moving Over
the Face of the Water rises to its apex is in the pantheon of all-time
closing scenes for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMru9bMnKw0.
I still get chills watching it.)
Lasting Memory of the Viewing Experience:
I
played poker professionally for a brief stint in 2008. There were some nights
were I would end up grinding until the early morning hours. For many of these, Heat was my final companion to welcome
the sun back into the world. I would start the movie at around four or five
a.m. (I know it’s completely ridiculous), and sometimes I would stay in the
poker tournaments all the way through the end of the three hour long movie.
Watching that ending and then going out to see the sun rise on a new day will
be a memory that sticks with me for my lifetime— a reminder of the freedom and delight
of being in my early-to-mid-twenties experiencing a work of art from a
twentieth century master of his profession, Michael Mann.
Other Movies from the Director that I Love:
Collateral
(2004).
Unfortunately, none of Mann’s other works really resonate with me.
5.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Peter Jackson, (2003)
Why is it one of my most favorite movies of all time?
Peter
Jackson created a timeless fantasy epic with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I
have absolutely no doubt that it will age with grace and remain a gushed over
part of cinema lore a hundred years from now. I chose to only include the final
chapter of the Middle Earth saga because I believe it is just a bit better than
its two predecessors, and because I use my one Cheating by Ranking a Movie and Its
Sequel Together card later in the list.
World
creation, the greatest battle sequences of all time, and perilous stakes faced
by deeply constructed and conflicted characters are what makes the movie an
all-timer for me. The film also benefits from having almost eight hours of
riveting build-up to the final chapter (yup, I own the extended versions, deal
with it); by the opening of Return of the
King we’re already heavily invested in each and every character as well as
the overall arching plotline and theme of good versus evil. What sets LOTR apart
from other sagas with multiple movie story arcs (cough, Star Wars, cough) is that Jackson’s final chapter is a worthy
payoff that goes above and beyond expectations to create multiple crescendos of
emotional release.
My
favorite character is Gollum/Smeagol. The conflict within him is literally
visible and manifests itself clearly through his actions, but what makes the
character an all-timer is which side of him eventually wins out and how it
poetically spells doom for the One Ring (yes, I realize how incredibly nerdy
this all sounds. I’m comfortable with it.) Gandalf and Aragorn are also
favorites, for obvious reasons, and Shelob will always scare the shit out of
me.
Side story: Just before The Two Towers came out in cinemas I
read the LOTR books and for some reason loved how Tolkien wrote the spider and
the horror of her caves. I went into the second film in the trilogy eager to
see this scene played out at the very end; a perfect climax to a wonderful
film. When the film ended without Shelob I walked out of the theater as pissed
off as I’ve ever been at a movie, feeling cheated and cursing Jackson for
making such a drastic change from the source material. A year later (and after
multiple viewings of The Two Towers),
I was ready to forgive Jackson, and did so after thoroughly enjoying his
construction of Shelob’s arc in The
Return of the King. Yet, I still wonder if Two Towers— never mind, I won’t bore you anymore by tumbling
further down this rabbit-hole.
Favorite Scenes:
The
charge of the Rohirrim during the battle of the Pelennor Fields. All hope is
almost lost, Gondor will fall in only a few moments, Gandalf is powerless, and masses
upon masses of orcs wait without challenge outside the walls, ready to sack the
city and end the lives of every human within. Then, a horn blows and above the
fields appears a six thousand strong army of horselords ready to “Ride for Ruin”
into a gathered army multiple times their own size, bringing valor and courage
and pride and a smidgeon of hope with them. The charge down the hill into
almost definite death is my absolute favorite battle scene of all time, and
what makes it even grander is that they absolutely smash the opposition with
ferocity and skill—against all odds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8yOdAqBFcQ
(Bonus: My second favorite battle scene in cinema is
in Gladiator; the first battle when
the gladiators arrive in Rome and face off against the chariots. Maximus!
Maximus! Maximus! God, I love that movie.)
The aforementioned Gollum
ending scene when he tumbles down into the fires of Mount Doom with a certain
ring is also a favorite.
Lasting Memory of the Viewing Experience:
The very
first time I watched it in theaters I knew I would love it going in, and left
with all my expectations blown away. It became my favorite movie of all time
for quite a while before being dethroned by two (or three) older movies and two
movies released afterwards. I went back and watched the three hour film a
second time in theaters only one week later, and subsequently bought and
watched the DVD the day it came out. I’ve tried to have an LOTR marathon at
least once a year ever since (and sometimes twice). All three of the movies,
and especially Return of the King, remain
engaging and emotional for me even after seeing them at least a dozen times.
Other Movies from the Director that I Love:
Sadly, nothing else Peter
Jackson made resonated with me even half as much as the LOTR trilogy. I’m
pretty sure about 90% of the human population shares that sentiment.
Coming up next, #4
on the list; which involves robbing restaurants, adrenaline shots, gimps,
shooting Marvin in the face, and my favorite wallet of all time (if you don’t
know what movie this is then there is no way you’ve read this far into the post,
it’s a Catch 22. Wait, what?)
If anyone is still
reading this thanks for taking the time, and buy my book, Check to the Better, available on Kindle, Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo.
Good stuff..
ReplyDeleteThanks, Aaron
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