Enter the mind of Fabien Ricard: His Favorite Movies
Jul 29 '01
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“Top 10 Best Movies Ever.” Best movies ever!! During my short and uneventful 18 years of existence on this planet, I have bypassed tons of movies deemed as “classics”. How can I possibly and justly write a list of the “Best Movies Ever”? So, because of my lack of movie knowledge, I decided to avoid this category at all cost. Yet, this category continues to haunt me since I first joined Epinions. During the past year, it has been gently and subtly calling my name. “Fabien” “Faaabbieen”. Even though some days the temptation was too great for any human beings to bear, I continued ignoring the calling. Until now…
As I began writing a list of movies I didn’t know where to begin. There were so many movies that I admire for multiple reasons – entertainment (Indiana Jones Series, John Woo films), acting (Forest Gump), story (Vertigo), special effects (Star Wars trilogy, both Terminators), and so on. My initial list easily surpassed 10 movies. But, I continued in this forbidden territory to forge my list.
Finally, I decided to write my list base on one main criteria: “Which movies do I enjoy watching 10, 20, 100 times and never get bored?” Hence, I have grown intimate with all the movies on my list. Sounds cheesy, but these movies have affected me in a special, memorable way and still affect me after watching it countless of times. Basically, a lot of movies that I watched, I went through the “one night stand” experience where it was awesome for just one night. But, on the other hand, these movies on my list, I went through the “long term relationship” experience where I have a deep connection with the movies. These movies made me cry, think, love, laugh and still, to this day, continues to evoke countless of other emotions.
People may criticize my list for being too 90s. Well, I spent more than half of my life in the 90s, so it’s quite inevitable that my list contains a lot of 90s movies. For better or for worst, I was born and raised on 90s Hollywood. But, I do watch, as often as I can, movies from the past decades. As I continue to broaden my horizon on world cinema, my list is bound to change considerably 10, 20, 30 years from now. But, I am very proud of my list as of right now and I am looking forward in reading your comments on my review. Enjoy!!
10. Reservoir Dogs
“Reservoir Dogs” is still my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie even after the release of “Pulp Fiction”. When the movie first came out onto the public scene, the storytelling, dialogue, acting was so fresh. From the ultra-violence to the humor, “Reservoir Dogs” contained a great blend of various genres in creating an entertaining yet realistic and intelligent movie. Tim Roth and the other actors were amazing and Tarantino’s direction was brilliant. “Reservoir Dogs” was a truly dazzling start for Tarantino.
9. Red Balloon
Ok…I cheated. “Red Balloon” is not a full-length movie. This movie was a French short film made in the 1950s. But, regardless of its length, “Red Balloon” deserves to be on this list. For just lasting a little over 30 minutes, “Red Balloon” takes you on a poetic ride of childhood dreams. The red balloon symbolizes all the goals, potentials, and dreams a child possess. As society tries to take away his red balloon (dreams), the child still manages to hold on to it. It is a beautiful movie that had me in tears the first time I saw it. To this day, I still can’t watch this movie without having teary eyes. “Red Balloon” reveals the innocence and potential of every child on this earth. C’est Magnifique!!
8. Roman Holiday
“Roman Holiday” is my favorite romantic comedy of all time. Even though this movie will still be best known as the movie that propelled Audrey Hepburn into super stardom, “Roman Holiday” is still a sweet romantic movie. The movie in all its simplicity has this magical aura around it. Audrey Hepburn glows with beauty and talent and the story is fun. The fight at the restaurant on the pier, Hepburn’s character driving the moped the first time, the reporter and the princess first meeting, and so on. There are so many memorable scenes that I always look forward in watching it again. “Roman Holiday” always leaves me with a smile on my face after watching it.
7. American History X
If “Roman Holiday” represents love, “American History X” represents the complete opposite, hate. This movie brings the issue of race and hate right smack in your face. As the movie unfolds, it screams: “Hate is real. Hate is alive. There are no victors in the world of hate.” Still, the movie is much more powerful than that and “American History X” just gets more powerful as I continue to watch it. Also, Ed Norton’s performance is as important as the powerful story. It was sheer brilliance watching his character go from a heartless neo-nazi to a sympathetic older brother. Because of this movie, Ed Norton is now my favorite actor. “American History X” is one of the most underrated movies and I strongly believe that everyone must see it. I had plenty of great discussions with my friends after seeing this movie.
6. Braveheart
I am a sucker for patriotic epics and “Braveheart” still stands as my favorite epic for personal reasons. When I first saw this movie, I was dreaming of going to a military academy and fighting for my country. I was in awe of these larger-than-life characters who sacrificed everything for a belief, for a dream. Also, I had a fascination with Scotland at the time. With all of these outside factors influencing my state of mind, it made watching “Braveheart” so much more intense that for several years, it was my favorite movie. After watching the amazing acting, the intense war scenes, the ending brought me over the emotional edge. When I first saw it, I have never cried so much during this movie. As Mel Gibson screamed “FREEEDOOMM”, I was crying my heart out. It does sound pathetic as I look back at it, but “Braveheart” is nonetheless a beautiful movie and it easily blows away “Gladiator”.
5. Dancer in the Dark
“My favorite director was going to make a movie with my favorite singer of all time.” That’s all I was telling myself as I waited for “Dancer in the Dark”. I was looking forward for this movie for years when it was first announced as “Tap”. I didn’t know what to expect from the two most stubborn geniuses Europe has produced in the past decade. But, with Bjork’s track record (Sugarcubes, her solo CDs, music videos) and Lars Von Trier’s track record (Europa, The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves, ect.), I was expecting a perfect movie. I over-hyped the movie so much that the first time I saw it, I was somewhat disappointed with “Dancer in the Dark”. I loved the music, Bjork’s performance but I thought Lars’ direction and storytelling was very uneven. But, regardless of my initial reaction, I saw it again. After the second viewing, I began to appreciate this movie more deeply. It was not till I saw it for the third time that I completely fell in love with this movie. Every time I see “Dancer in the Dark”, I see the movie differently. Some see the ending as a tragedy, but after viewing the movie many times, the ending is beautiful and very inspirational. The movie can also be seen as a satire on American society and the American Dream. During my last couple months in High School, I was on a crusade to make everyone see this movie. Many people loved it, others hated it, but at least they saw it. “Dancer in the Dark” will always hold a special place in my heart.
4. Nurse Betty
“Nurse Betty” is a magical movie that kept me in its grip till the end. Even after seeing it for the 20th time, this movie continues to impress me. The story is sweet, yet dark, the acting is perfect, and the direction brought Nurse Betty’s world to life. But, it was Renee Zellweger who deserves a lot of the credit for making "Nurse Betty” a complex tale of a delusional wife searching for her dream. It is impossible to pinpoint why Zellweger captured the spirit of her character, but every time she was in a scene, she blew me away. As the movie opens with her big blue eyes watching the soap till the end when she runs with the birds, I was enthralled by her performance. Because of “Nurse Betty”, Renee Zellweger is now my favorite actress. Also, the story is a perfect satire on our media obsessed society without making the message too obvious (The Truman Show, EdTV). While watching “Nurse Betty”, I felt helpless as I watched Zellweger’s delusional journey to Hollywood, but by the end of the movie, I had the biggest smile on my face and tears in my eyes as she says “THE Italy”.
3. Fight Club
Controversy, violence, politicians preaching about morality in Hollywood shrouded the release of this movie. Obviously, people just watched this movie superficially, because the movie’s message is very intelligent and very deep and philosophical. “Fight Club” is the creation of the twisted mind of David Fincher based on the novel by my favorite author, Chuck Palahniuk. “Fight Club” is Palahniuk’s first novel and it propelled him as a cult writer. Along with Ed Norton and Brad Pitt, Fincher’s interpretation of his novel was perfect. He didn’t lose anything from the novel and “Fight Club” was definitely over-rated as a controversial, violent movie and completely ignored as a thought-provoking movie about modern society. And, even though “Fight Club” contains a surprise ending, the surprise ending is used to further expand on the themes of the movies. But, as I look back at this movie, Ed Norton was again incredible as the “narrator” and living his dull life in a cubicle and buying everything he sees. Brad Pitt was surprisingly equally amazing as the soap sales man. Everything in the movie beautifully comes together at the end when the Pixie song kicks in. That last scene is one of my favorite scenes of all time. Even though the American public ignored “Fight Club”, with time it will become a cult classic. “Fight Club” is the best representation of modern society and everyone must see it.
2. Clockwork Orange
Every movie by Stanley Kubrick holds a special place in cinema history. I loved some of his movies, but I also hated others. After seeing the majority of his movies, “Clockwork Orange” made the largest impact on me with its social message about freedom, acting, and the entire look of mankind’s future society. Stanley Kubrick made a perfect film adaptation for the novel in which it is base on. I don’t even know where to begin in describing this movie. Right from the beginning, we are introduced to the gang that are simply human trash. They rape, steal, and destroy the moral foundation of their society. Kubrick filmed all of these violent scenes using music such as Beethoven and “Singin’ in the Rain”. It made the scenes even more creepy and disturbing. When the leader of the gang was arrested, he went under an experiment to purge him with all his evilness. This is where Kubrick began to explore the idea of free choice, human will, and freedom. The leader of the gang was being forced to be moral and an upright citizen. Is it right to force morals on someone? The movie also explores the idea of government, prisons, and religion. But, after seeing the movie, Kubrick leaves the viewers with an interesting question to discuss: “Can you truly change the human spirit?” “Clockwork Orange” will shock you, make you laugh, but most importantly, make you think.
1. North by Northwest
In ending my list, I decided to put “North by Northwest” as number 1 for many reasons. First of all, Alfred Hitchcock was the director who captured my love of cinema. After seeing “Vertigo” for the first time, I was hooked in watching movies in general. Hitchcock became my favorite director and I was watching his movies every chance I got. They are all wonderful and I have respect for all of them, but the one movie that I enjoyed the most was “North by Northwest”. Right from the start, the story was intriguing and as the movie unfolded, it had enough twist and turns to keep me at the edge of my seat all the time. Add in an attractive costar, some romance, and a climax ending, “North by Northwest” is one of the most entertaining Hitchcock movies and ultimately my favorite movie.
Honorable Mention
- Forest Gump
- Election
- Spartacus
- Stand By Me
- The Graduate
- Apocalypse Now
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Epinions.com ID:
systemdwn
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Member: Fabien Ricard
Location: Westlake Village, CA
Reviews written: 49
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
In honor of the man, ARNOLD, ILL BE BACK!!!
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