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NUMBERS 2 THROUGH 25 IN NO PARTICULAR
ORDER
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“12
Monkeys.” 1995,
Terry
Gilliam, Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer. In
late 1997 and early 1997, 5 billion people were wiped out by a mysterious
virus. The few survivors have gone underground. So begins this bizarre but
powerful post-apocalyptic film. Terry Gilliam somehow manages to combine
science fiction, theology, and mystery into a cohesive plot that begs many
questions: Where is science taking us?
Who is “crazy” and who is “sane?” If someone came to us
from the future, would we call him a prophet or a lunatic? This film is
even more relevant now than when it was first released; the nightmare
scenario is now possible, and we still ignore the warnings presented to
us, be they from science or from the Book of Revelations. |
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“Oliver
Stone’s JFK.”
1991, Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary
Oldman, Beata Pozniak, Michael Rooker, Sissy Spacek, Ed Asner, Jack
Lemmon, Joe Pesci, Walter Matthau. This amazing film combines old and
new footage and utilizes MTV-like editing to virtually hypnotize the
audience into believing New Orleans’s District Attorney Jim Garrison’s
Rube Goldberg-like conspiracy theory about the assassination of John F.
Kennedy. Somehow three hours goes by like 60 minutes, when the material
could have filled six hours. The film is still engaging after multiple
viewings because it’s literally impossible to catch everything on one or
two viewings. I have no idea what really happened on November 22, 1963,
but if only 10% of the information in this film is correct (and maybe
that’s all that is correct), we owe Lee Harvey Oswald a big
apology. |
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“Boogie
Nights.”
1997, Mark
Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham.
(Written, produced & directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.) Ostensibly
a film about the “adult entertainment industry,” Paul Thomas
Anderson’s epic is about much more – power and victimization, love and
loss, joy and grief. Essentially a Biblical parable not unlike the story
of the Prodigal Son, Anderson’s story tells about a makeshift
“family” of porn stars living
the hedonistic lifestyle of pre-HIV 1970s. One by one, they suffer the
emotional consequences of their life choices. Because of amazing acting
and direction, we somehow manage to identify with the characters,
ultimately realizing and respecting their humanity – despite what they
do for a living, are they really that different from the rest of us? The
film also features some fascinating and unusual camera work, including a
three-minute, single shot sequence at the beginning during which we are
introduced to all the main characters. |
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“Cinema
Paradiso.”
1988, Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perron, Marco Leonardi, Anitelle Attili.
Subtitled. This movie was made for me, because so much of it takes
place in the projection booth. The story of a misunderstood little boy in
World War II-era Sicily and who would grow up to make movies, and the
gruff projectionist who shaped his life, was recently re-released with
footage added (I haven’t seen it yet). This film actually made me cry
– something very few have managed to do. |
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“Memento.”
2001,
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano.
This story told
backward, requires a second viewing, but it’s so good you won’t mind.
Because the main character has a disability that has affected his
short-term memory, he has no continuity of what goes on around him as he
tries to solve the mystery of the death of his wife – and because the
story is backward, neither do we. |
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“Minority
Report.” 2002,
Tom
Cruise, Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell.
What
if crime could be stopped before it occurs? You’d have a crime-free
society – but at what cost? This film takes a terrifying look at the
very near future (several devices shown in the film have since gone on the
market, and others are expected to be available soon). What seems to be a
futuristic cops-and-robbers movie is really a statement on Free Will. If
you know your future, are you doomed to live it? |
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“Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” 1971,
Gene
Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum.
I’ve
always believed this is an adult film cleverly disguised as a children’s
movie. With what is certainly Gene Wilder’s signature performance, and a
deep and very dark sense of humor, “Willy Wonka” presents a world in
which the good do well, and the bad go to…the chocolate river. Ignorant
parents have ignorant kids, often in real life and definitely in this
movie, and Wonka (who is no Dr. Spock) is as hard on the parents as on the
kids (“Who
do you blame when your kid is a brat/Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese
cat/ Blaming the kids is a lie and a shame/You know exactly who is to
blame/the mother and the father!”
sing the Ooompa Loompas). But the chocolate factory is more than a place
for judgment; it’s a place for grace, where the kindhearted are
recognized and where good deeds are rewarded. A
wonderful moment – Wilder’s delightful non-sequitor to Veruca Salt: “We
are the makers of music, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” |
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“Traffic.”
2000, Michael
Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Luis Guzman, Dennis Quaid,
Catherine Zeta-Jones.
This epic about the so-called “Drug War” shows both the futility of
treating drug abuse as a moral issue and the promise of the medical model
of recovery. That the film
has a particular political vantage point is no big surprise; it sets out
to make a point, and it makes that point splendidly. (It makes a second
point, too, much more quietly – about America’s legal drug of choice,
alcohol.) “Traffic”
covers all those involved in the drug trade, from the violent cartels to
the upper class teenagers doing crystal meth when daddy’s not home. For
young people who might not be too worried about health effects of drugs,
seeing the murder and torture that occurs at the beginning of the illegal
drug chain may cause some to think twice before they buy. (On the other
hand, to provoke worry about the psychological and physical health effects
of drugs, make your kid watch Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a
Dream,” possibly the most powerful film ever made about the nature of
addiction. See “p
“ below.) |
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“pi”
1997,
Sean
Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman.
By Darren Aronofsky. You’ll never look at a cup of coffee with
cream in the same way again after seeing this bizarre film about a
migraine-suffering neurotic who seeks the identity of G-d through
Kabballah. High-contrast black and white film, bizarre editing, and
cameras attached to people and moving objects make this film both fun and
confusing to watch. While it helps to have a basic knowledge of theology,
higher mathematics and Jewish mysticism, the film is fascinating enough to
be enjoyed even as it flabbergasts. |
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“Spaceman.”
1996, David Ghilardi, Debra King, Michael Stack, Anthony Marquez, Julie
Cohen, Jay Rath. (Written and produced by Scott Dikkers and Michael Hirsch
of “The Onion” newspaper.)
This obscure film about a man once kidnapped by aliens and now
trying to make his way on earth, was written, acted and produced by some
friends of mine in Madison. It’s never hit the big-time, but it’s
gotten a lot of attention for a film made for $60,000. Although a
purposefully “B” movie, it actually had some Hallmarks of quality,
including an original score performed by the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra.
See http://www.spacemanmovie.com/spacemanflash2.html
(the site includes a critic’s quote from yours truly).
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“Back
to the Future (I).” 1985,
Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson.
I absolutely love the time-travel genre. It’s so fun to try to wrap your
mind around it – if it were possible to travel back through time, what
would happen if you made changes? Should you even try, or would it
guarantee disaster? This film is a comedy, but it’s no lightweight.
It’s solidly written so that every detail is necessary. It’s also
hysterically funny. It should have been left alone, though – BTTF II and
III weren’t worth the price of admission. |
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“The
Sweet Hereafter.”
1997, Ian
Holm, Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, Tom McCamus, Gabrielle Rose, Arsinee
Khanjian, Alberta Watson, Maury Chaykin.
This film about the tragic aftermath of a fatal bus accident in a small
town packs an emotional wallop like few films I’ve ever seen. We
discover the hopes, fears, and secrets of the inhabitants of this British
Columbian town. In the tradition of “The Ice Storm” and “Ordinary
People,” “The Sweet Hereafter” rips through the facades people put
up when as they try to look perfect when the are really just trying to
survive. |
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“Magnolia.”
1999, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Melora Walters, John C.
Reilley, Jason Robards, Jeremy Blackman, Michael Bowen, Philip Seymore
Hoffman, Phillip Baker Hall. (Written,
produced & directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. This
is the kind of film people either love or hate – there is no in-between.
Named after an upper-class subdivision in Los Angeles, “Magnolia”
follows 24 hours in the lives of a handful of different people who seem
only tangentially connected, but who ultimately affect each others’
fates. Despite liberal use of “the F-word” which may turn off some
people, this film is deeply spiritual at its core, and many Christian film
critics have lauded it (just a few: (http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/magnolia.html
http://www.thefilmforum.addr.com/columns/000121.html
http://www.tollbooth.org/movies/magnolia.html)
With much religious symbolism, and
(like PT Anderson’s “Boogie Nights”) a parable-like format,
this film explores how the “sins of the father are visited upon the
sons” as well as the subject of forgiveness and grace. Amy Mann’s
moody and magnificent melodies (the film was actually written around her
music) make for an amazing soundtrack that never gets old. |
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“Fargo.”
1996, Francis
McDormand, William H. Macy, and Steve Bucimi.
‘Nuff
said. |
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“The
Crying Game.”
1992, Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker, Miranda Richardson.
By now everyone knows about the “ah-ha” moment in this film, rivaled
perhaps only by the one in “The Sixth Sense,” but there are 107 other
minutes in this film and they are all worth watching. Neil Jordan has
created a film that explores unconditional love in a way no movie has
before or since, and Davidson, who was an unknown, gives an amazing
performance. |
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“Big.”
1998,
Tom
Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard, Jared Rushton, David
Moscow, Jon Lovitz. Youth,
they say, is wasted on the young. Tom Hanks is utterly believable as a
12-year-old boy who wishes to be grown up so badly that it actually
happens. Even though I was already an adult when I first saw the film, it
means more to me each time I see it, as I get further and further away
from “youth” and all the things youth takes for granted. This is a
film that is funny for the kids on one level, and funny for their parents
on the next. |
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“A
Beautiful Mind.” 2002,
Russell
Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Adam Goldberg, Paul Bettany This
film employs a brilliant plot device to help the audience realize what it
must be like to have paranoid schizophrenia. When it was released it was
lauded by mental health professionals for its realistic and respectful
portrayal of one of the most mysterious – and feared - mental illnesses.
Although the film was guilty of sanitizing the life of mathematics genius
John Nash, in the end, the details don’t matter so much as the overall
experience. |
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“Apollo
13.” 1995,Tom
Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ron Howard.
Of
course, we all know how this story turns out – these astronauts survive
their ill-fated mission and return to earth safe and sound. We also know
that in 1986 and 2003, other astronauts won’t be so lucky. This film
captures the frenzied excitement of space flight of the era as well as the
infectious optimism of the 1960s, when it seemed that with the right
equipment, man could accomplish anything. |
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“Schindler’s
List.” 1993,
Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall.
This
film about businessman Oskar Schindler’s rescue of 1,100 Jews during the
Holocaust should be required viewing for all people. Shown with
non-gratuitous but brutal realism, the film is at once horrifying and
beautiful. The film realistically portrays not only life in the camps but
also Schindler’s own personality (although a hero, he was a flawed man).
Steven Spielberg has created a gift for humanity that stands as a
testament to those who suffered. |
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“American
Beauty.”
1999, Sam
Mendes, Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening,
Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Peter Gallagher. This
dark comedy about midlife crisis and redemption was described by a friend
of mine as “the nearest thing to a perfect movie I’ve ever seen,”
and I’m inclined to agree. Kevin Spacey is magnificent as the pathetic
middle-aged man who seeks deeper meaning in his life and finds redemption
when he least expects it. |
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“Pulp
Fiction.” 1994,
John
Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda
Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette,
Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis, Quentin Tarantino.
Yes,
this film is full of gratuitous violence – and yet it’s one of the
most original and hilarious screenplays ever written. The story of
lowlifes flows like a Mobius strip, with the beginning, middle, and end
overlapping (since then, a number of movies have come out with this plot
device, but none do it as well as “Pulp Fiction.”) John Travolta’s
career was resurrected with this movie, and the all-star cast and
brilliant dialogue make it well worth watching. |
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“The
Sound of Music”
1965, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker.
How many times have I see this movie? More than I have fingers and
toes to count. Although some extreme creative liberties were taken in the
telling of the Von Trapp family’s story, the film’s mythology reflects
a larger truth – that despite the horrors of World War II, evil did not
ultimately win. My favorite scene: Father Von Trapp disarms Rolf the Nazi
mailman in the cemetery, saying, “You’ll never be one of them!” |
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“The
Iron Giant.”
1999, voices: Jennifer
Aniston, Eli Marienthal, Van Diesel, Christopher McDonald, Harry Connick
Jr.
This animated film
is absolutely beautiful (both the animation and the story). Set at the
height of the Cold War, its anti-violence message is obvious without being
overblown. Leaders of all countries with nuclear weapons should be tied
into a chair and forced to watch this movie. |
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“Three
Kings.”
1999, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Nora Dunn.
The only war movie on my list, it’s not your dad’s war movie.
This film about the Gulf War is darkly hilarious, terrifying and enraging.
Clooney does a great job as the soldier-almost-gone-wrong, who sets out
with his war buddies to find stolen gold and steal it back and learns more
about war in the process. This movie should be re-released as the prospect
of war with Iraq is being debated. |
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