Motion media is our topic this week. We'll start with movies. Your assignment: Name you're favorite film of all time, and briefly explain why. I'll start.
The Godfather. The descent of Michael Corleone from war hero and Golden Child of the Corleone family to the tragic, fallen man and ultimate villain of the Godfather trilogy, is epic. Corleone, as played by the brilliant Al Pacino, is much more than a one-dimensional caricature of evil. Corleone seems as much a victim of his own obsession with revenge as he does the rival mobsters he battles throughout this and the following two sequels.
Also, my family is Sicilian, on my mother's side. There's something about those scenes filmed on the island that speaks to me, even though I've never been there.
Then there's this. See No. 2 and No. 58. They forgot, "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
No. 2 on this list.
Your turn.
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I would say my favorite movie of all time is Lethal Weapon. The way Murtaugh and Riggs are similar is that they are both cops. Murtaugh is getting older and is ready to retire. Riggs is coping with the death of his wife and is a loose cannon. Murtaugh is trying to find the murderer(s) of an old war buddy's daughter. Then out of the blue, Riggs is assigned to be Murtaugh's partner. They come together after Riggs saves Murtaugh from being shot by a drug dealer. Not to mention after the people they are looking for kidnap Murtaugh's eldest daughter. This is the first time that Murtaugh truly trusts Riggs. They attempt to get his daughter back by meeting with her kidnappers. Murtaugh gets caught after their leader finds Riggs sniping position. A little while later, Riggs has a show down with Mr. Jacob (the baddest of the bad guys) on Murtaugh's front lawn which eventually leads to Mr. Jacob getting shot by both Murtaugh and Riggs. Great movie. It's 25 years old and I still watch it. Action and comedy combos are the best.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie would have to be ‘A River Runs Through It’ directed by Robert Redford in 1992. This movie is very evocative of the way I feel about being in nature and my love for Montana. I also feel like it is very relatable because I grew up around the area that it was filmed and the MacLean’s reminded me of my family.
ReplyDeleteThis story begins with the two brothers idyllic childhood set against the back drop of nature’s streams and mountains and the beauty of the big sky state. This is the foundation of the story that progresses to have more complexity as they grow up. In my own childhood this movie reminded me of my parents. My Dad had a similar temperament to their father; he was professor like, always reading. My Mom, in some ways, reminded me of the mom in the movie, loving and nurturing. Similarly I was also raised with Christian morals and guidelines so I could see a parallel with the central role that religion played in the MacLean’s life. I was taught lessons by my parents as well as being set free to explore nature with my brothers in my free time. So in that sense this movie is very reminiscent of my childhood. This has always been a movie that we watch together as a family.
This movie explores the relationship between place and person and how certain surroundings can, in a sense, shape what we become. It uses place as a foundation for developing characters. It showed how the youngest brother Paul played by Brad Pitt had less of a desire to leave and make something of his life. His personality was more carefree and outgoing. His older brother Norman had lofty aspirations to go away to school and become a professor. From a young age he was more somber and focused on his studies. Norman goes away to school and returns home and tries to help his rowdy younger brother. As the relationship between Paul and Norman becomes more complicated Norman realizes that he is not capable of helping his brother or knowing what part of himself he could offer that would save his brother. This shows the intricacy of relationships and the fact the sometimes we don’t know how to help those we love deeply.
My appreciation of this movie continued when I watched it again for my freshmen English class in Bozeman, at this time I read the book By Norman Maclean. In this class we also had several writing assignments that helped me better understand in more depth some of the symbolism in the book and the movie. I feel like the cinematography was great. It really did capture the unprecedented beauty of western Montana. It made you feel like you were in the places depicted in the book. I felt like this movie was like life, interwoven with a variety of emotions that we feel and that are all part of the human experience. I thought it was like a poem filled with a variety of emotions. It was a wonderful reflection of the depth of the lives we lead in joyful celebration and also heartbreaking at times.
I absolutely love this movie.
DeleteThat's funn you mention The Godfather- my friend was just telling me not too long ago how crazy I was for not having seen it before.
ReplyDeleteHm. Unfortunately, for me, answering this question ended up trickier than I thought (and was hoping) it would be. Movies have never necessarily played a significant role in my life, and I have always found myself out of the loop on actor names and renowned movie titles... Consider my opinion some from one who is unexperienced and uneducated in the realm of movies.
After a bit of thinking, I determined that I don't have one ultimate favorite movie- I simply have a select handful I enjoy to a great degree (most being documentaries). I generally find myself watching comedies or something informative that I can learn from. If it's action, it better have a damn good plot to keep me entertained.
First two that came to mind: Planet Earth and Inception. When I was a young teen, I loved the original film Hairspray. Althought it's not a movie, I would like to mention my love for the Dexter series as well- I have never found myself so encaptured by a drama tv series before in my life.
Planet Earth is amazing to me, simply because it can show me more about this world that I feel I may have the chance to see. The perspective on life I shape after watching this full documentary is great and reflective. Inception is one of my favorites because of concepts they build with the idea of time and the mind. I am very into psychology, so the process of inception facinated me (not that I believe it's real or anything). The plot kept me so entranced that by "the kick," I had forgotten how "deep" the characters had all gone into the mind of their subject.
As I said before, I have always found myself out of the loop when it comes to actors- meaning I can match very few names to faces. Because of this, I rarely care who the actors in the film are (unless they do something to stand out to me). When it comes to a film, I look for wit, comic relief, and creation of the unexpected.
My favorite movie would have to be 'Valkyrie'. The most amazing part off this movie is the teamwork, integrity, courage, and selflessness the men had who risked their lives for the better good. In the end they all gave their lives, in an attempt to stop one of the evilest men of all time, Adolph Hitler. Unfortunately they would have succeeded, but one man, trying to protect himself, failed to perform his duties, and cost the group everything. The reason this is my favorite film is because it showed the importance of teamwork and integrity. It also showed how a few men, who stand up for what is right, can make a difference. Probably the most amazing fact about this movie is that it is a true story. It always makes me wonder, if this were the situation today, would anybody be willing to die to protect the lives of others?
ReplyDelete"A River Runs Through It."
ReplyDeleteBest fly fishing literature ever.
I can never seem to settle on any one movie as my favorite right now. I think District 9 really got to me. I love the fresh cinematic approach, I love the clever movie making, the subtle yet impacting special effects, and the feeling of satisfaction I got when it was over.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of good titles on that list. I always have trouble choosing one favorite movie, but today I'll have to go with "The Graduate" (#17). Its thoroughly postmodern story arc and protagonist mix with a stellar soundtrack to create a marvelous production while the underlying message strikes very close to home.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say the "Pursuit of Happyness" is my favorite movie, though it's not my clear number 1. For starters, Will Smith is the lead actor in that movie. I've always been a big fan of his, and he did an excellent job playing his role. I really enjoyed the story line, as it was about the main character, Will Smith, of course, struggling to reach his dream goal of becoming a stock broker as he was convicted by the IRS and he and his son were homeless after his wife left him. To make a long story short, Smith worked his tail off to reach his goal after going through many hurdles and struggles along the way. The lesson of the movie is to chase your dreams and don't listen to the doubters along the way.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say my favorite movie is "Into the wild" directed by Sean Penn in 1996. For those of you who haven't seen the movie or read the book, it's based on the life of a young man by the name of Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) who graduates from college and decides he want's to break free from the clutches of society and live freely in the Alaskan wilderness. To make a long story short, after graduating from college Christopher donates his lifes savings to charity, destroys all his Identification, and sets out towards Alaska without telling his family where he is going. The movie jumps between the different events that take place on his adventure to alaska, and his time spent on the alaskan frontier. The main theme of this move is how society can manipulate your life in directions you don't necessarily want to take part in. He got fed up with the modern day lifestyle of the way people live and act and decided to throw everything away live off the grid with resources available to you. I highly recommend watching this movie for those of you who have yet to see it.
ReplyDeleteI am someone with a huge appreciation for film and theater. I was raised in plays and love seeing any good movies. Picking just one as my favorite is always a difficult task. I love older films due to my mother always having TCM playing during my sick day home from school. Katharine Hepburn is by far one of my favorite actresses and there are a few film she stars in that I could watch over and over again. However, my favorite would have to be "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn. It's a movie about the problems and interracial couple face when telling their parents about their engagement. This story line has been used time and time again, but never has any other film held a candle to the original treasure. The chemistry between all the characters is so intense and true it's hard to believe that it is all an act. It is truly a great film, both the story and the talented actors should not be missed.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie, hmmm.. I like a ton of them so this is harder than it looks! I'll have to pick the Titanic. I love this because it incorporates history with the story. The music of course is classic, and making the set was a challenge in and of itself. To make it look so similar to the original is amazing. The acting was brilliant and believable. It is a movie that people always will remember. While watching it you get to see a glimpse of what the whole tradgedy was like. It's no longer just a story in a history book, it becomes a real story and you feel the pain of it all.
ReplyDelete