My Favorite Movies

Yes, this is one of THOSE films which I love just putting on and it can immediately put a smile on my face. It's just such a warm, personal journey and it feels so REAL. Every bit of dialogue feels honest and this is truly one of the best screenplays ever written with some of my favorite dialogue ever. I can probably quote the majority of this film with an initial cue. I just can't emphasize the perfection of every single element in this film from production design to the pitch-perfect soundtrack (and Nancy Wilson's beautiful little compositions) to the INCREDIBLE performance that Kate Hudson puts in (that she has sadly never came within a kilometer of again) to the richness of the characters, this film has it all. The dramatic elements are as extraordinarily poignant as the comedic scenes are funny. My favorite Cameron Crowe quote comes from Vanilla Sky, where Cruise's character remarks, "Little things. There's nothing bigger, is there?" This, to me, is the epitome of all of Crowe's filmmaking. He makes such warm and inviting films that may not deal ingenious structures in writing, etc, but rather, accumulate their power through the little moments. The personal moments that most films neglect in favor of the broad archetypes and situations. The moments that are the most authentic and may seem tiny and insignificant but in the long run and as a whole, have an impact far more lasting and far more powerful than any film has a right to be. This is why Almost Famous is, alongside Shawshank and Usual Suspects, one of my three favorite films. Every moment of this film matters, every single moment has a quality to it that just builds on the overall film. You may not *get it* the first time you watch it (I liked it but it was certainly nowhere near my favorite film at the time) but it'll grow on you, and when you see it again, you'll realize how beautiful the film truly is. I'd recommend starting with the theatrical cut incidentally and then on the second viewing, watching the superior director's cut (named Untitled). I advocate this because the director's cut is a little long perhaps for an introduction to the film but is perfect for those who want to get to know the characters more. As I guarantee you will.

I love this movie more every time I see it...first saw it at the Bytowne Cinemas and it had an immediate impact on me - can't describe it exactly, but it just felt...meditative - in a great way. This movie makes me feel at peace and it's haunting, moving, yet funny when it wants to be. I added Virgin Suicides on the "More Like This" option because it reminds me of that film in that they're both very much about creating a mood. It's very close behind Eternal Sunshine for my favorite of that year.

This is one of my three favorite films, alongside The Usual Suspects and Almost Famous. While both of those two movies have their own beautiful moments, Shawshank is easily the one that has the most powerful and immediate impact on first viewing. Even after having seen it over ten times now, this movie still manages to hold up as THE most rewarding and always mesmerizing film ever made. From beginning to end, this is cinematic perfection and every time I watch this, I forget all about attempting to critique the film or to analyze it - I just get swept away by the whole thing. Is it manipulative and stereotypical? Yes, I can see that point of view. But this is the rare motion picture that is crafted so beautifully that it doesn't even matter. I think this is the most uplifting film ever made.

My favorite movie...this is the film that got me into films...I never get bored of it...people focus so much on the ending but it's really the witty dialogue and crisp characterizations that come before it that really make this an amazing film.

One of my favorite movies - and yes, I saw Abre Los Ojos/Open Your Eyes BEFORE I saw this - and I still think this is the better film. Abre Los Ojos was more like a psychological thriller - this is more like a drama. When I first saw this, I thought of it as being about on par with the original, but the more I've seen both films, the more I believe that Vanilla Sky is far superior. There are so many beautiful moments in this film and Crowe manages to infuse his characteristics into Amenabar's story - bringing to life the characters that Amenabar created. And it has my favorite Crowe quote - "The little things. There's nothing bigger, is there?" - that quote sums up EVERYTHING that's great about Crowe films - he is the master of the small, personal moments. In my opinion, this is at the TOP of the list for the most misunderstood movies of the past decade.

Great flick that rings true to life and totally brings back memories of high school despite this being set in the 70s...probably one of the most realistic high school movies I've seen.

The only 2006 movie to blow me away while entertaining me so completely (United 93 blew me away but in a different manner and Children of Men was fantastic but didn't have a single moment when it blow me away). The ending makes or breaks this movie for people...and it is over-the-top and I can see why people might laugh but...all those things considered, I still think it's one of the most powerful cinematic moments I've ever seen. On the production level, this film is top-notch in every way, from the eerie score to the notable performance by Ben Whishaw in the main role, to the fantastic production design. My favorite movie of 2006 by far.

This movie is just so damn beautiful in every way. I don't even know where to begin about it. Every one of the stories is strong and the way they interlink with each other works extremely well and gives the film dozens of extra layers of complexity in themes. PT Anderson once said that he thinks Magnolia will be the best film he ever makes...and I find it hard to disagree with him on that - I just can't see him being able to top this magnificent film (though I certainly anticipate each one of his films a great deal). This has a make-or-break ending that will turn a lot of people off of it but just keep an open mind and you might just find yourself blown away by this masterpiece. About the only critique I can possibly give the film is perhaps an overuse of swearing (to the point that it sounds a little unrealistic) but then, if you ever hear PTA talk, you'll probably understand why there's just so much swearing in the film. One of my favorite films ever.

One of my favorite movies and one of the most mindblowingly powerful cinematic experiences ever. This movie demonstrates the incredible and persuasive power that film can have - whether you believe in a conspiracy or not, by the time you finish the film, you'll be convinced that there was one.

I love this film...Saw it as I had heard Truffaut was an influence on Cameron Crowe's work and was definitely glad I did...beautiful film and a great intro to Truffaut for me.

I'll admit that I have somewhat of a bias against a lot of Canadian films (being Canadian myself) because so many of them tend to be about the same dark subjects (ie: sexual abuse) and there seem to be a lack of films for the sake of entertainment. Well, C.R.A.Z.Y. has proven me wrong, as here's a Canadian film which has some interesting things to say about family and remains vastly entertaining from beginning to end. It's a rich, engrossing experience with great performances from the lead and also the actor who plays his father. If you ever get a chance, check this out. Oh and the soundtrack's wicked. That was what drew me to this in the first place (heard comparisons of this to Almost Famous, musically)

The first masterpiece of 2007.

I absolutely love this film. One of the three or four most entertaining Spielberg movies for me and that's saying something. It just has the perfect mix of drama and comedy that I find so rare - but it really nails it.

Stunning film...really gripping and utterly believable vision of the future complete with some of the most incredible single shots ever. It's essentially a chase film but done in such a way that we feel like we've been through this entire journey actually there with the characters...there's a moment in the film where everyone sort of pauses as they realize, for the first time in a long time, there's hope for the world...this moment is unexpectedly extraordinarily moving.

My favorite film of 2005. Very little dialogue but a beautiful film.

It takes a little while to get going (and I found some of the stylistic techniques in the first third of the movie distracting and I also found it a little confusing at first) but when it does, it has a breathtaking power to it and each new piece of the movie strengthens the first third which shows us just flashes of what's to come...WKW loves his repetition...Yes, it's a huge mess of a movie but that's because it has so many ideas and thematic ruminations on love, memory, and loss in it...it also goes back in on itself, switching back and forth between timelines and jumping around a lot to the point where I'd say this definitely has a very experimental feel to it. I think reviewers are right in saying it still feels unfinished in a way, but that's part of its power, I think...considering the movie does deal with memory and loss, I think it's fitting. The performances are excellent all around and Zhang Ziyi is especially noteworthy. As few scenes as there were that actually take place in the year 2046, each one of them had a haunting quality to them and the entire android story was one of my favorite parts of the film. Someone needs to get WKW a full-length sci-fi movie NOW. This is also really the complete opposite of In the Mood for Love in structure as that was a straightforward, simple (if powerfully moving) story. I still think In the Mood for Love is the better movie, but 2046 is brilliant in its own right (if slightly flawed by its messiness) and is a worthy sequel...and yes, I think it's a true sequel as everything in this movie, in a way, is about Su Li Zhen/Mrs. Chan from In the Mood for Love...the whole movie is about Chow's quest to find those feelings again that he had with her and Maggie Cheung even makes a brief cameo...

Fucking amazing. The performances are stunning (especially Faye Dunaway) and the film has a sly witty humor to it. I thought at first that the film was a more straightforward film about a news network but as it went on it became clearer and clearer that it is more of a satire and one that builds some ridiculous moments against a more realistic backdrop. What I found incredible about it was how it inched its way into satire so smoothly and yet it was still incredibly subtle and realistic at other times with closer, more emotional scenes. As each slightly ridiculous incident piled on I didn't think it would go further but it did and the ending was just the perfect way to finish out this story. A brilliant satire with one of the best screenplays ever.

Maybe my favorite teen comedy ever. It's sweet, funny, and vastly entertaining. And it features a wicked soundtrack. My fourth favorite movie of 2004 behind Eternal Sunshine, Motorcycle Diaries, and I Heart Huckabees.

Incredible. Best Coen Bros movie that I've seen probably. Javier Bardem is the flat-out scariest killer to ever be in a film.

One of the best scripts ever. Great performances and great dialogue make for one of the best movie experiences you'll ever have. The only thing keeping this from a masterpiece designation is the below mediocre camerawork.

Without a doubt, the best film in the Alien series. James Cameron makes the series more mainstream and more easily watchable, but Ridley Scott really nails a creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere in this film.

Creepy and disturbing, this is easily one of the more intense thrillers I've seen. The paranoia level in the movie is insanely high, as you never can tell exactly who is the thing and who isn't...it has its share of problems including a lack of common sense on the part of some of the characters, but the claustrophic feel of the film more than makes up for this. Oh, and this is easily in the top three nastiest, grossest films I've ever seen, mainly due to the (still today) incredible special effects work. Don't eat while you watch this.

Takes a little bit of time to get going but when it does, it's great. And that's not to say the first part of the movie is not entertaining - cause it manages to build tension slowly and steadily...not as scary as some people might say but it's still one of the scariest films in the last several years. And the horror/thrills don't feel cheap unlike most horror movies these days. Try to avoid the US ending (I saw it in theatres so that's the first ending I saw) as it ends things way too abruptly and randomly whereas the UK/original ending tacks on another minute or so which makes all the difference to the finishing the movie right.

This is a flawed but fantastic Spielberg film. I really think it's one of the more underappreciated films of modern cinema cause when it's great, it's incredible. While I think it would have been better to end where everyone else agrees it should've (around 20 minutes before it actually ended), I still found the last twenty minutes to work. Osment gives the real Oscar-worthy performance in this movie (not his performnace in Sixth Sense) and it's a shame he didn't get recognition. But this film isn't for everyone - it's pretty weird and definitely not a mainstream film. There is definitely a heavy Kubrick feel to parts of A.I.. In any case, i think this is one of Spielberg's masterpieces, and the better of his three recent sci-fi films (the other two being Minority Report and War of the Worlds)

An unbelievably depressing film that reminded me a little of Grave of the Fireflies. It's all the more tragic as played out with a voyeuristic camera, and the way the kids in this film seem so isolated from the rest of the world...inspired by a true story and a masterpiece of Asian cinema.