Back In The Saddle

I haven’t written for about two weeks, and in that time I’ve done a lot of thinking. Thinking about what I want to say, and how I want to say it. I’ve thought about what I want this blog to be, about what it is, and what it isn’t. I’ve never pretended to be Roger Ebert, nor have I fathomed myself as Harry Knowles. I’m not a go-to when it comes to industry trends, and I’m yet to win any sort of Oscar pool.

All the same, there are two things in life I love; I love to write, and I love the movies. So by starting this mad little experiment, I hoped that I could express my love for the movies through my writing. Sometimes my writing is nothing but snarky filler, but other times I’ve actually been quite proud of what I’ve written. So before I go on, let this serve as my mission statement…a declaration of principles in the spirit of Charles Foster Kane.

There will be days where I’ll write just a few sentences. There will be other days when I write one thousand words. In both instances, I write to express myself, my passion for film, and to entertain whatever tiny audience has gathered in front of my soapbox.

Now that we have that out of the way, I thought I’d run with the theme of re-introducing myself today and take this particular top five for myself. So for my comeback entry, I hope you’ll indulge me and take a peek at

My All Time Top Five Favorite Movies

#5. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)… Despite my recent notice that Indiana Jones isn’t all that much of a hero in this installment, it still remains my favorite of the series. It makes me feel like a kid at a Saturday matinee every time I watch Indy scramble away from that boulder, and who can possibly hear that music without visualizing Indy scrambling away from certain doom. If there was ever a film that insists on being watched with a bucket of popcorn, this is it. #4. TRAFFIC (2000)… Sort of a serious and sombre choice, wouldn’t you say? But that’s the way I roll. The technical craft that went into this movie amazes me every time, especially the way it’s shot and the way it’s cut. It really brings out the futility of The War on Drugs. When Stephen Soderbergh won an Academy Award for TRAFFIC as best director, instead of rambling off a bunch of names, he got up to the mic and dedicated it to “painters, dancers, writers, and anyone else who spends their day being creative”. That really made an impression on me, and raised my opinion of the movie and the man a whole lot higher.

#3. THE GODFATHER (1972)… While I have two films above it as my favorites, this has been my answer lately for “What is the greatest film of all time”. As a painter and a photographer, I’ve always loved how so much of this movie’s shots pull small splashes of light out of pitch black. And while it is incredibly violent, all of the violence has a lyrical quality to it that has seldom been matched in the 35 years since its release. For me, THE GODFATHER is all about family. Along with the story and themes that play out in the film, I have about half a dozen family memories that stem back to this film. It’s losing a bit of its lustre with its endless playings on Spike TV, and the video games based on it. Still, anytime I hear that undertaker say how he believes in America, I forget about my grumpiness with how commercial it has become and settle in.

#2. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)… I worked in a shop that required I wear a name tag when this film was released. A few days before it opened, an older gentleman saw my tag and said “There’s a movie coming out with your name in it” I smiled and replied “I know…I want to see it”. He nodded and answered “You should see it”. He planted a thought in my head that day – that some movies made are ones you should see. They’ll be upsetting, and you may never want to watch them again, but you should expose yourself to them nonetheless. As it happens, few films have rattled me as much as this one, and I credit the fact that I saw it in the theatre. Y’know, while I firmly believe that most movies deserve to be seen on a big screen to get the full effect, when it comes to RAIDERS, GODFATHER, and PRIVATE RYAN, I think that it’s essential. The battle sequences that bookend this movie really shook me up, since the video and sound is done in a way that makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the fight. While it’s true that some syrupy aspects of the story give the movie a bit less teeth than it could have had, it still hit the mark when it came to trying to depict the horrors of war.

#1. ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)… Elvis Costello once said that writing about music was about as useful as dancing about architecture. He may have a point there, but there are many writers out there who choose to scribble about another art form just to convey their passion for that art form to the masses (*Guilty Your Honour*). There are moments in this film that make me laugh every time (“Was it that difficult to make us look cool?”). There’s one of the best cuts in film history (“How do you know if the acid has kicked in? / “I am a golden God!”). There is some of the best writing (“If you ever get lonely, you can just go to the record store and visit all your friends”). And there is one amazing soundtrack, which I’d love to highlight but would likely ramble on for days. Cameron Crowe has called this movie his love letter to rock & roll. That’s a rather appropriate handle, since for me, this movie is a love story. Love of music, love of writing, love for your friends, love for your family. These are four of the things that mean the world to me, so it’s no surprise that when they’re brought together in one film, I go head-over-heels for it.

Can’t ask if I missed one this week, but feel free to comment with your own top five, and a reason or two why you love them. Also feel free to suggest a top five for next week. Thanks for reading!