Seven Samurai
I first saw this film when studying Japanese history at school. I was too much of a mush head then to really see it as anything more than a straight ahead action film. Boy, what a dope I was! This film operates on countless levels and all of them are satisfying to watch. Besides the obvious plotline of a team of samurai helping to defend a farming village against bandits, there are about twenty other plotlines that are never directly mentioned, only shown. This film is exciting, funny, heartbreaking and visually gorgeous to behold.
Star Wars
Do I really need to justify this choice? It’s Star Wars!
I guess the only thing I can say about this is that I don’t think anyone who wasn’t twelve years old in 1977 (like yours truly) will ever really understand the cultural earthquake that was Star Wars. It changed everything. And while all Star Wars fans generally acknowledge that The Empire Strikes Back is a better film, I can still watch the original with twelve year old eyes and be as excited and stunned as I was that summer long ago.
The Incredibles
With this movie, Pixar moved from movies about toys, monsters, and ants and actually tackled real human emotions and human characters. Wow, did they ever succeed. Of course, the film can be seen as a straightforward superhero adventure, but it’s real subject is midlife crisis and how to be the best person you can be at any age. It also makes so many wonderful allusions to the pressures of family life in today’s world. And it also succeeds for sheer thrills. The scene pictured here of the aircraft being pursued by missles can stand up to any action scene in any other movie. It was a real nail biter!
To Kill A Mockingbird
Possibly the greatest film ever made. No justification needed.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
This film is so unbelievably perfect, it is hard to believe that George Lucas had anything to do with it. It has some of the most extraordinary editing I’ve ever seen, with every single shot having a purpose in driving the story forward. I cannot think of a single shot in this film that could be removed without seriously damaging the storytelling. The film is also pure, uncompromised romantic adventure story and stands on its own as a wonderful experience. Every sequel to this film was a waste of time and effort. Nothing was added to the characters and none of the stories were memorable.
Aliens
This film has more memorable one liners per square inch than any other film ever made and I’m amazed at the repeated entertainment value. It is over twenty-four years old and it still stands up to any sci-fi movie made since. I would still rather watch this movie tonight for the thirtieth time over watching Avatar twice.
The Right Stuff
The historical recreations in this film seriously kicked my butt. I really believed I had travelled through time and was watching history unfold before my eyes. I thought Sam Shepard was Chuck Yeager. I thought Ed Harris was John Glenn. The story, music, editing, acting and directing were all truly epic. You will come away knowing that Chuck Yeager was a man without fear. What a F’ing stud. And it closes with such an awesome line. “Look, sir, is that a man?” “You damn right it is.”
Dersu Uzala
I’m willing to bet that this is the film that most readers will not know about. That is a shame. It was made in the mid seventies by Akira Kurasawa, who also brought us the Seven Samuarai mentioned above. This film tells the tale of a Russian expedition of soldiers sent out to survey the most remote parts of the country. While in the wilderness, the soldiers meet a kind of mountain man named Dersu Uzala who has lived in the forest for most of his life and helps the soldiers to know it. Though judged to be a simple man at first, the Captain comes to discover that Dersu is one of the wisest men he has ever met and a beautiful friendship develops. This film is magnificantly shot. And the scene of the two men trying to cut enough grass to build a shelter before the sun sets (bringing certain death if they are exposed to the siberian night) will have you chewing your fingernails down to the nub. This film is a wonder. And you can find the whole thing on YouTube. Cancel your plans tonight and watch it.
Breaking Away
What Dirty Dancing is to middle aged Jewish women, this film is to middle aged guys from the midwest. It is a great way to remember what it was like to be nineteen. But whereas Dirty Dancing makes a half hearted attempt to recreate a lost age, this film arrives as an authentic time capsule that was actually filmed on location in 1978. The storyline is simple, the characters are charming and many scenes go back and forth between being heartwarming and very funny. I still laugh every time Paul Dooley’s used car saleman character wakes up in bed shouting “Refund? Refund?”
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Even after watching this film over twenty times, I can’t actually say it is a good movie. But I sure have an affection for it, and every time I catch it on television, I’m a captive prisoner until it is over. The storyline seems to be a typical cowboy revenge one, but a couple of things keep it from becoming a stereotype. One is Clint Eastwoods character actually goes from being an angry man with a vengeance to one who comes to accept the changes in the world and makes peace with it. He doesn’t just get his revenge. He grows. But often scenes do seem like they are set up just to show that Clint is a badass with a gun. Nevertheless, I find the historical recreations here, especially the scenes of the civil war soldiers to be superbly done. It really feels like you are in the time period hanging with confederate soldiers in the woods. You can also give this film credit for being the first to cast actual native americans as native americans.
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