Movie Zone
Here I will post movie reviews and recommendations, opinions and updates on the world of film, lists/rankings, and the occasional film essay/analysis if I am feeling brave enough
Just as a way to give a little introduction to myself, I thought I’d share my absolute favorite movies of all time that have shaped my love of film and storytelling. These eleven movies had a tremendous effect on either my childhood or recent adult life (or both) and will continue to stay with me until the end of my days. And yes, there are eleven because I'm always awful at choosing just ten of anything. 1) Return of the jediThis is far from the first Star Wars film I ever saw in my life, but I remember it was the one I was most excited about. I caught it on TV when I was very young and was instantly captivated as I watched the characters of Han, Leia, and my personal favorite, Luke Skywalker, going through the final battle to finally win the war against the Empire. I am a sucker for finales, and this is by far my absolute favorite. From the entertaining opening at Jabba’s Palace, the revelation of Luke’s new abilities as a Jedi Knight (including the revelation of the green lightsaber, my favorite lightsaber in all of Star Wars), all our main characters getting to be together on a mission again, and of course, the heart-wrenching redemption of Anakin Skywalker... there's nothing here for me not to love with all my heart. And the Ewoks are awesome. One of my favorite battle scenes. I can’t apologize. To this day, this film gives me that spine-tingling surge of excitement and power, watching the finale to this grand trilogy and the (temporary) conclusion to the Skywalker saga. 2) The Man who killed don quixoteIt was about a month or so after seeing The Last Jedi when Adam Driver quickly became my favorite actor. And that is to make a very convoluted story short. I remember watching the trailer for this before it came out and expecting it to be mediocre at best. But what I found was a movie that affected me in a way no film had in a long time before that. This is a grand tale of old-fashioned adventure and romance, mixed in with modern filmmaking, comedy, and action. There was a certain childlike excitement it awoke in me that I really hadn’t felt with a movie in years. Everything from the gorgeous music, to the surreal set design and camera angles makes it an exhilarating dream-like experience. I could go on for pages and pages about why this movie is so special to me. Unfortunately, I believe it might be a very specific experience. I can understand, seeing as this is a very strange and out-there film that is tailored to a very specific kind of audience. As I said, I usually am not able to connect with movies like this myself. In my opinion, it’s a movie made for fans of those old-style adventure tales, but fans of modern fairytales as well, since the film combines the two into one story. And yes, Adam, as always, is great in it. 3) sleepaway campFor the first half of my life, I promised myself on multiple occasions that I would never arrive at a point where I would punish my sanity by viewing a horror film. But it only took until I was thirteen for me to begin to want to quench my curiosity. Sleepaway Camp is a wonderful little film that utilizes a very low budget to create an unforgettable atmosphere, memorable characters, and particularly brutal kills. This film in particular (given its standout ending) is one where I think you can take the intellectual/analytical route and find some really interesting things to theorize if you read into some of the subtext and deeper workings of the story. On the other hand, it’s also just a fun, hilarious, so-bad-it's-brilliant movie that you can enjoy anytime. The camp atmosphere and setting is utilized perfectly and the characters are an absolute blast to spend an hour and a half with. There are a handful of lines (most from the character of Ricky) that I quote pretty much daily. It is also interesting that despite this movie being pretty tame in what you actually see on screen, the deaths in this are some of the most uncomfortable to imagine. This movie gives the perfect amount of on screen terror to show some fun practical effects, but also its budget restrictions really add to what the horror genre is best at in the first place: the suspense of imagining something horrifying rather than seeing it. Sleepaway Camp helped introduce me to these little independent movies that can somehow be a million times better than the most prestigious Hollywood films. I can’t say why it affected me so much more than any other 80s slasher movie, but it somehow did, and is easily my favorite horror film of all time. 4) Sleeping beautyI grew up watching all of the Disney princess movies, all that I adored. But this was always my absolute favorite. Maybe it was because I loved Aurora’s pink dress, or or that I was absolutely in love with Prince Phillip. I had such an imagination with this movie, which would continue all throughout my life and eventually lead me to want to become a writer and create my own world of magical stories. I think the particular drawings in this Disney film stand out to me amidst all the others, the way the castles look, and the woods, and the stunning shade of Aurora’s pink and blue dresses. There’s just something so stunning about the way the hand drawn animation makes everything look on the screen. "Once Upon a Dream" I think is one of the most beautiful and romantic songs from any Disney movie. Maleficent is one of the scariest Disney villains ever, and the fact that she doesn’t have a villain song somehow makes her even more sinister. I always thought the fairies were great characters as well, with them being the catalysts that move the story along, all the way to them helping Phillip defeat Maleficent at the end. This also has one of the more epic and action-packed finales of the earlier Disney films. I’m so glad movies like this were such a big part of my life very early on, because this movie especially was a big influence on me wanting to create, and always keeping that wonderful princess magic in my heart. 5) Revenge of the sithThis was the first Star Wars film I ever watched all the way through at the ripe age of six, and it terrified me for years to come. I can’t tell you how many nights I spent lying awake in terror, remembering the oh-so lovely scene where Anakin Skywalker is burned alive beside a river of lava. For years to come, I refused to come near another Star Wars film. But after finally watching A New Hope and Attack of the Clones, the only two Star Wars films I watched repeatedly for a good chunk of time, I began my journey of growing into the franchise that would soon become one of the most important things in my life. After I had watched and loved every other film, when I finally sat down to give this one another try, I was left in shock at just how gut-wrenching this chapter of the story is (beyond the visual terror). Perhaps it was all of the years I spent watching Attack of the Clones over and over again to the point where I knew every line and felt as if I knew Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé like they were friends I’d had for years. So to see their lives all fall apart and eventually lead into what is set up in the original trilogy is an awful, yet magnificent experience I can’t quite put into words. And yes, the memes in this one are the best too. I know that the prequels are a controversial topic, but I am overjoyed to see them getting the love they have always deserved over these past few years. And I grew up with them, so Star Wars has always been the original six films for me, rather than just the three. As I said before, I am a sucker for epic finales, and this film is definitely that. A tragic, yet thrilling conclusion to a trilogy I think is every bit as fantastic as the originals. (Is that safe to say out loud yet?) 6) Sorority RowSleepaway Camp was not the first slasher I ever watched. That prestigious title goes to this movie, which might seem like an odd choice for a favorite film. It’s a remake with a pretty typical premise and somewhat predictable twist and plot points. However, being the first slasher I viewed over the summer of seventh grade, my thirteen year old mind found the movie to be cinematically epic and exhilarating. The characters were fun to watch, and the kills were absolutely shocking, at least they certainly were to me back then. I remember watching it on my phone and holding the screen far away from me anytime I was afraid a jump scare would be coming, and I’d squint my eyes closed whenever the graduation-cloaked-killer appeared on screen to slaughter another sorority sister. When the three final girls walk triumphantly in slow motion away from the burning sorority house, I felt like a survivor as well, having successfully lived through my first slasher film. I think it has a neat, sharp style, good atmospheric music, and the modified tire iron makes for a very unique slasher weapon. I also absolutely adore Briana Evigan and Rumer Willis especially in this film as two of our badass survivors. It’s certainly not for everyone, but an incredibly important film to me. I actually think it is a damn good remake, and I did soon find the original film after and gave it a watch. It's a standout film as well. Oh and also… Princess Leia is in this movie. So, automatic ten out of ten. 7) CarrieI will never forget seeing the gorgeous, classic original poster for this film for the first time. My eyes jumped between the two pictures showcasing the before and after of the pig's blood drop, my mind aching to know what in the hell happened to this girl! This film has a wondrous style, an atmosphere that feels beautiful and yet tragic at the same time, and a chilling story. Everything from the smoky cinematography, the haunting soundtrack, and the unforgettable performances makes my heart just flutter with joy for this masterpiece of a film. It inspired me even further to want to write stories like this that can affect people the way this story and character affected me. I constantly rewatch this film and am entranced by it every time, getting goosebumps at almost every scene. It gives me a very special feeling, despite the depressing subject matter. It is a tragedy that is done so perfectly, I can’t even feel hopelessly depressed by it. Also, any movie with the main character in a gorgeous pink gown at the end will always be a movie for me. 8) PsychoDuring my journey through horror, the time was soon upon me to watch one of the greatest movies of all time. So, my sister, my mother, and I were all huddled up on a rainy evening and settled in to watch this movie for the first time, and I was quick to be captivated by the clever, entertaining, and unsettling story. I love how the black and white adds so much atmosphere to this film, making it more sinister and unnerving with all of the crisp shadows. There really isn’t much I can say about this movie that hasn’t already been praised a thousand times over. The classic score, the brilliant and famous shower scene, and of course the terrifying twist at the end. Janet Leigh is outstanding as our would-be lead for the first half of the film, becoming an iconic honorary Scream Queen. And I have always been absolutely entranced by the flawless performance from Anthony Perkins, who would soon become one of my favorite actors after I sought out more of his films. This is another movie that I’ve watched many times and will watch many more times because it holds such a special place in my heart. An absolute classic that I think deserves every bit of continued praise it gets. I even like the three sequels that came after. 9) The hunchback of notre dameI always loved this movie and watched it all the time as a child, but I think because I could not really comprehend the subject matter, it made it all the more frightening to watch. I knew extremely dark and unsettling things were happening, I just didn’t really know what they were. Obviously, getting older and understanding the depth of this story made the film even better, and I still am so pleasantly surprised at Disney actually making a movie about this story in the first place, let alone keeping in a lot of the dark topics from the original story, like genocide, Catholic guilt, lust vs. love, religious violence, persecution, and so on. There is also some serious death and peril in this film that even rivals some R-rated films as far as tone. I think the only other Disney movie that can compare to this amount of violence would be Mulan. Esmeralda and Quasimodo are two of my favorite Disney characters, and Frollo is by far one of the most terrifying villains. This film also has some of the best songs and scores of any movie, let alone Disney movies. Full body chills every single time for “Hellfire”, “God Help the Outcasts”, “The Bells of Notre Dame”, and “Paris Burning”. Chills for the whole soundtrack, if I’m being honest. (Yes, even the gargoyles' song. It’s nostalgia, ok?) This film led me to seek out the other movie versions of this story, and most importantly, led to my discovery of the gorgeous, haunting, breath-taking French musical, Notre Dame de Paris, a musical that has been tremendously important to me in far too many ways than I have time to describe. Ultimately, this film has been a monumental point in my life as far as immersing myself in such stunning and entertaining storytelling, and remains in my opinion, the best film adaptation of Notre Dame. 10) pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearlThis movie can pretty much sum up my entire personality from kindergarten through third grade. This is one of the absolute best adventure movies out there. Nothing can compare to the legendary characters, the epic sword fights, the adrenaline-pumping music, and the stunning sets. This film, even at such a young age, made me feel like I could do anything. Nothing in the world could be bad as long as Jack Sparrow exists. With these characters in my head, I never felt alone. It eventually led into how passionate I became about Star Wars, but this was truly the movie that began my fascination with escaping into another world, finding solace with fictional stories and characters that could comfort me in a way nothing in the real world really could. I try to remain in touch with this childhood version of myself, not only to remind myself that there is always a version of home that I can take with me wherever I go in life, but also to keep that flow of confidence in knowing that everything is going to somehow turn out ok. So long as Jack Sparrow exists, that is. Everyone at school and in my family knew me as the crazy girl obsessed with pirates and Jack Sparrow. And I don’t regret a thing. 11) A Nightmare on elm streetWell, finally, I had to include at least one choice from the Core 3 of slasher films. And while Halloween and Friday the 13th will forever be special to me in their own unique ways, this is probably the most important simply because it was the one I saw first.
Something about the sheer creativity of this movie is just endlessly wonderful. In horror, we can watch characters go down a dark alley or go check the generator alone or decide to sneak around the site of an old massacre and easily say “Yup. I’d survive. I’d never do that.” There is comfort in that. It’s why I love horror movies, to be honest. I can experience the thrill of the most terrifying things imaginable, and know that I am safely beyond the screen, far out of reach from any real danger. But the thought that something intent on making you suffer and die can come after you in your dreams? One of the most horrifying and creative ideas in horror history. Even more nauseating when you find out it is based on a true story (highly recommend looking that up). The characters in this are some of my favorites in horror, especially Nancy Thompson, who is one of the most resourceful final girls of all time. And of course, there is Freddy Kruger himself. Legendary look, and legendary performance from Robert Englund. Interesting that this first movie was before they started deepening Freddy’s voice, so it is much more raspy and completely unsettling. Such an iconic, badass, wild slasher movie that was yet another important staple in my discovery for my love of horror. And I had to cheat and include this extra one on the list because of that.
0 Comments
|
AuthorCertified non-professional who just enjoys giving her random thoughts on movies and books. Archives
June 2024
Categories |