The Best Movies I've Seen A to Z - The Alphabetical Movie W/O.
May 31 '05
The Bottom Line Now I know my cinematic ABCs.
Here's my take on romasuave's A to Z movie writeoff. Sorted by letter, these are the best movies I've seen, defined by a combination of high achievement, personal preference, and excellence within the genre. Of the thousand or so movies I have viewed, most are American, and they skew recent, but I am continually making an effort to see classic and important films. So here's the list, with runners-up when appropriate. An interesting study (at least to me), facilitated by IMDB.com's vote history function:
Amadeus. Having sung Mozart's Requiem, this movie about his somewhat tragic life struck a chord with me. It is a near perfect biopic, unashamed to show both flaws and successes, powered by the nonpareil music.
Band of Brothers. Sure it was actually television, but this ten-part miniseries is good enough to make this an easy choice. One of the best things ever. (Batman)
Casablanca. This classic romantic drama lives up to its formidable reputation. Just check out how many cliches were formed by the quick-paced and witty dialogue. (Cast Away, Charade)
Die Hard. Because it set the action standard for modern cinema. Bruce Willis is the perfect hero-in-distress, complete with cowboy attitude, memorable quotes, and coolness under pressure. (Dr. Strangelove, The Dirty Dozen)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Spielberg at his storytelling finest. A little manipulative? Sure, but this story of an alien's interaction with young children does borderline melodrama better than anything else.
A Few Good Men. One of my favorite movies ever. This court martial tale combines humor, drama, sarcasm, and moral dilemmas like few other movies. Powerhouse performances from Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are complemented by a fantastic supporting cast. (The Fugitive)
The Godfather. Best film ever. Performances, photography, music, themes. Everything is phenomenal. (The Godfather, Part II, The Great Escape)
His Girl Friday. The fastest and sharpest dialogue you may find anywhere. As newspaper reporters and ex-spouses, Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell compose an unrivaled symphony of words. A must-see for those who haven't. (Hamlet [1996], Hoosiers)
The Incredibles. A pretty weak letter in my movie repertoire, with In the Line of Fire and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade the closest competitors. About a typical family that happens to possess superpowers, Pixar's latest and most mature picture is a new step for computer-generated films.
JFK. Tough call here. But JFK is a perfect example of the power of movies. Edited brilliantly, it explores conspiracy theories with a pace and rhythm fully worthy of its Oscar. (Jaws, Jurassic Park)
King Kong (1933). Outside of Kill Bill and maybe Koyaanisqatsi, there wasn't much to choose from here. This 70+ year-old film holds up surprisingly well, and seeing how Peter Jackson's upcoming remake compares will be fascinating.
The Lord of the Rings. The whole trilogy. Not much needs to be said here.
The Matrix. This is a loaded letter (The Magnificient Seven, Memento, Men in Black, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Les Miserables [1995 French]). But this mind-bending action sci-fi film with a brain is one provided one of my this changes everything movie moments. Another modern landscape-altering movie. Overrated and underrated, in that some claim to love it but don't understand its depths.
Network. Because I work in the media, I found humor is this scathing comedy/parody about television news more easily than most will. Good performances and ripping dialogue all around. North by Northwest would be a worthy choice as well.
The Outlaw Josey Wales. The best western I've ever seen beats out a couple Steven Soderburgh flicks, Ocean's Eleven and Out of Sight. Clint Eastwood's rugged antihero persona oozes off the screen, and is captured in a quintessential picture in a remarkable door-opening.
The Princess Bride. Blending action and comedy into a fairytale parody, this childhood favorite still entertains with its memorable characters, quotes, and sequences.
Quiz Show. It's the only option, but Robert Redford's film about a game show scandal is still quite good, worthy of the Academy nominations it received.
Raiders of the Lost Ark The actual title of the first Indiana Jones movie, and the best action/adventure movie I've seen. (Rear Window)
Star Wars. The most-loaded letter of them all. Seven Samurai, The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, Superman...all among my top films, but Star Wars outshines them all. The recent prequels further prove the power of the story and the charming tactile quality of the original. As good as movies get.
Toy Story (2). Edging out another Soderburgh work, Traffic, for rewatchability, both of these films are great movies, exceeding the boundaries of animation by using storylines normally restricted to live-action pictures. Excellent voice work and state-of-the-art graphics put Pixar on the map with these stories.
The Usual Suspects. Comedy in the first half combines with twisting drama in the second to form a indie film favorite. Lots of great performances, and an underappreciated well-done job by director Bryan Singer. The crime story could easily have been too convoluted, but instead it shines. (Unforgiven)
La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful). Cheating a little here with the Italian title. Neither Vertigo (too creepy) nor Victory (too cheesy, even for a sports movie) can touch this film, a tear-jerker about Roberto Benigni's love for his child during World War II. The film juxtaposes genres a bit awkwardly, but the raw emotional power supercedes any problems. It's a shame that Benigni's over-the-top Oscar display overshadows a great film.
The Wizard of Oz. This isn't even close. An all-time classic. I watched it a couple times recently, and shamelessly smiled the whole time. Simple yet elegant themes, and a child-like attitude pervade the film, maybe the best kids movie ever.
X-Men. Not a bad movie, but hands down the worst of these 26 winners. Then again, the comic book adaptation was only up against its own sequel and XXX.
Ying Xiong (Hero). Slim pickings here, as it beat out You've Got Mail and Young Guns. I think the politics muddy the film up a little, but the martial arts scenes are stellar.
Zoolander. This Ben Stiller parody of the male modeling world is my only option, but it's better than Stiller's most recent movies (all 329 of them), and it's really, really good-looking.
And a bonus number...
12 Angry Men. A clinic in how to write and tell a story. Every moment leads perfectly into the next in this observation of a jury's simple (or not) deliberations. Black and white and gorgeous.
If there's anything I learned from making this list, it's how much I appreciate humor in movies. Not in the typical comedy sense though. Many of these pictures interlace subtle humor with dramatic or adventurous story arcs, which is how I think life should be.
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