American Beauty

Well, I’m just doing what most bloggers do when they hit a block – write about favorite movies, books, etc. No harm doing it too since these movies are simply a must-watch in my collection.

This is one movie which has totally captivated me. And this is also a movie which surprised me because people who I respect to have similar tastes as myself don’t  quite appreciate this little gem. For one, the movie has awesome dialogues. Quite a few of my favorite quotes are from this movie. I’ll just state one – “It’s a great thing when you realise you still have the ability to surprise yourself.“

If you unravel the movie of its sexual themes, dysfunctional family, drugs, job, social eccentricities, etc., it might just reveal something quite beautiful. Just dwell on these lines – “I am a freak and I’ll always be a freak… And you’ll never be a freak coz you’re just too.. perfect“. Well, in my opinion, the movie actually defines crazyness as  normal. Guess that statement wouldn’t make sense to many. And of course, that’s just one bit of the movie.  Add to that the sexual themes and the entire package. It sort of explains why I don’t have much company in liking this movie. And which actually makes me quite proud.

Life is Beautiful (La Vita è bella)

This is a movie which I’m yet to hear any people dislike (except for my roommate who slept within 10 mins of the movie..exception cases). Now, if you haven’t seen this one, you can’t call yourself a movie lover. I couldn’t imagine of any better character to symbolise optimism and moral strength. It’s a war movie with a difference. Unlike Schindler’s List and Hotel Rwanda (2 other movies which I admire, but will not be discussing here), this movie looks at war in a totally different angle.

I was in fact searching for quotes which would describe the movie in totality.  In fact, the title is the only quote which could describe the movie. It’s actually delightful that all the quotes made by the hero are extremely light-hearted and  would not convey the gravity which the situations in the movie carry.  A movie that would truly make you think at the end of it – “Life is beautiful“.

City of God (Cidade de Deus)

It’s getting weird that one more foreign language film makes it into my favorite film list. But “City of God” is a definitive mafia movie. Unlike Godfather (not really my favorite since I like the book more), this one doesn’t even slightly try to glorify gangsters. Sure, it shows that gangsters are human. Just that they live by a different set of rules – you may call it ethics if you may. The right way to put this film in words is – it will shake your frame of reference. For example, you would even see kids killing without the slightest hesitation and the disturbing aspect is – it doesn’t seem out of place. The movie has a very relaxed feel to it. It’s almost as if the movie doesn’t take itself seriously even while conveying a very strong message. And the movie in Tamil which was ’supposedly’ inspired by this (Pudupettai) is also worth watching in my opinion.

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka)

Anime is my personal favorite. And if I remember right, this was the first anime movie I took the trouble of downloading. The animation quality is not that great considering the movie’s made in 1988. The movie is pretty slow. And it’s the most depressing movie I’ve ever seen. And despite all that, I love the movie !!

It’s again about war without actually showing any violence. And you’d really have to be heartless if a tear or two doesn’t trickle from your eyes. It’s not a movie you’d enjoy watching countless times. But it’s the sort of movie you can’t erase from your memories after one watch. The characters really behave like real children. And the story seems straight out of a Dickens novel. The ending of the movie is known right away. But you’d find yourself rooting for the siblings as they plod on with determination and have their moments of joy even when their very next day seems hopeless. The movie is actually summed up by a comment from IMDb – “The best movie you’ll never want to see again “. Beleive me, it’s a painful movie to sit through. But it’s something that is a work of art. Nothing less.

Requiem for a Dream

I must really apologise to the light-hearted folks. All my selections have been getting progressively darker. And Requiem’s a perfect example of a dark movie. Unlike many other movies on drug addiction, you don’t see a ray of hope at the end. This movie is more powerful than any anti-drug documentary could ever hope to be in its dreams. It holds back no punches and accurately shows the descent into drugs, the highs and of course, the rockbottom.

And like the other movies in my list, the common thread is – it’s so real it’s scary. The funny thing is I’ve already disclosed the basic premise of the story and even if you know the ending and what to expect from the movie, the journey is an absolute roller-coaster without any seatbealts.

When Harry Met Sally

For a change, a romance movie fits into my list. Now, the above movies might give the impression that I just love the twisted movies. On contarry, I also enjoy the simple love stories. There are a lot of really good ones like “My Sassy Girl“, “As Good as it Gets“, “Titanic“, “Amelie“, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind“. But somehow, Harry met Sally has something special. Maybe it’s because of Harry’s cynical nature or Sally’s high maintenance, somehow the 2 of them seem to have real chemistry. Harry and Sally are in no way ideal people. If you met a person like either of them outside the movie, you’re very likely to just ignore them. Maybe that’s what makes it special. And not to mention some very powerful dialogue. I’m a guy who loves good dialogues and this movie has plenty of it. But other than the dialogue and the 2 characters, the rest of the cast and the story might very well be out of a Bollywood movie. But still, I love it and that’s what matters. Not to mention, it did inspire “Hum Tum“. But that was not even close to the original.

There are so many more movies that I want to write about. I’ve been seeing on TV about 50 movies that you have to watch before you die. Amazingly, I can now think of as many movies that have captivated me. So many good movies and so many more that I’ve not yet seen. At the end of writing this, I almost get the feeling of having seen these movies over again. Incomparable.