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A Kinder, Gentler Top 10 (well...16)Feb 27 '02 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line If your taste centers on car chases or blood and guts, don't read this. If you like good scripts, great acting and a decent message, read on... This is not a well-rounded top 10. I am not a well-rounded movie watcher. The reason I chose to contribute to this cause it that when I like a movie, and I mean really like a movie, it becomes as much a part of me as an arm or a leg. My list leaves out many of the arguably "best" movies of all time; there are many things I find too difficult to watch, so I don't. In general my top picks have the following in common: --very little violence, blood, guts or horror. A little bit of violence is tolerable if it is essential to the plot, but I probably closed my eyes. --sex scenes only as germane to the story; innuendo is OK. --a worthwhile message, even if it is an overdone one. --intelligent dialogue and something to make it different from other films in the genre. --humor is essential (even in a drama), but intelligent humor is preferred over slapstick. My final caveat: When attempting to narrow the list to 10, I came up with 16, so please indulge me, as it didn't seem too much over the top. I present my list in descending order (more or less). 16. An Affair to Remember (1957) Sappy, sentimental drivel with Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr--my two absolute favorite actors from a golden age in cinema. I cry every time I watch and nearly have it memorized. Great for a rainy day. If you took the singing kids out, it would move up on my list. 15. Back to the Future (1985) Just pure fun--I went to the theater by myself twice to see this when it first came out. Imagine the horror of going back in time to see how your parents were at your age—and have your own mother develop a crush on you! Christopher Lloyd is at his wacky best, and Michael J. Fox is just too cute! 14. My Dog Skip (1999) I brought it home in hopes of pleasing the whole family. My husband first cringed, then went out and bought it. The Jack Russell Terrier steals the show, but wonderful acting by Kevin Bacon (in a role that truly shows his versatility) as the angry, war-injured father coupled with the moving story spanning the childhood of a young boy and his faithful companion is something for the entire family to treasure. 13. As Good as it Gets (1997) Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt have got to be the oddest couple in the world. But they somehow complement each other in this daring movie that deals with such controversial issues as gay-bashing, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and severe childhood asthma--as well as the predictable unlucky-at-love theme. Somehow, it does both well. A lot of fun with an undertone of sadness. Definitely for adults only, but I can watch it again and again. 12. The Sixth Sense (1999) This is the greatest deviation from my initial movie-rating criteria. I do not normally watch anything remotely suggestive of “horror”, but my husband brought this one home one night and, having heard all the wonderful reviews, I decided to give it a try. Although there were some scenes that topped my scare factor, for the most part I was riveted (plaudits to Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment for wonderful performances). I admit, I am one of those who was totally blown away by the ending, then kicked myself for not figuring it out along the way. 11. Babe (1995) Another animal story, but so far off the beaten track of other animal stories, I find it difficult to categorize. A movie that transcends “kiddie” or “adult,” Babe manages to combine fantasy with messages about tolerance for differences and what “success” really means. The acting is flawless and the scenery and detail are perfect. And the pig is really cute. 10. Moonstruck (1987) “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, That’s Amore”. Another marvel of both scripting and acting. Although I think Cher is a melting pot of every nationality except Italian, she plays the young Italian widow flawlessly. Considering herself unlucky in love, she accepts a marriage proposal from a nice, steady man whom she does not love. Enter his brother, played by Nicholas Cage. As usual, he is wonderful, although there is one overacted scene. Enter love. The message? Even though Love is always risky, human beings need it and crave it and are willing to risk everything to get it. What could be more fundamental? By the way, this movie falls into the category of “sex is OK as long as it is germane to the story.” 9. The Wonderboys (2000) This one is an oddity, but one I have decided I really like. In fact, I like it more each time I watch it. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that I work in higher education and feel that I have met all of these characters before! Michael Douglas is the pot-smoking professor and one-time novelist who is in love with his boss’s wife, the Chancellor of the University. When he takes a young, brilliant and clearly odd writing student under his wing, the plot winds itself through the most alluring twists and turns. The dead dog is one of the most amusing parts of this film, believe it or not. A truly unique script and another example of acting extraordinaire. 8. The King and I (1956) A spectacular musical extravaganza that artfully touches on such serious issues as slavery and prejudice. This is one of Rogers and Hammerstein’s best musical scores, in my humble opinion. The voice dubbing of Marnie Nixon for Deborah Kerr has always annoyed me. Ms. Nixon is given dubbing rights for many actresses, and I don’t think she sings very well. I could never figure out why, if they’re going to dub, they don’t use someone with a beautiful voice? But I digress. Yul Brynner steals the show as the consummate King, and Deborah Kerr is my favorite (old time) actress. They play off of each other perfectly, and their growing feelings toward each other provide a palpable tension. My favorite scene is the “Shall We Dance” number. If you don’t want to get up and polka at this point, there’s something seriously wrong! 7. The Color Purple (1986) I saw this movie only once, when it was first released in theaters. I was riveted every last minute, and at the end I was sobbing—not crying, SOBBING. I have never before or since been so out of control of my emotions after a movie (Titanic was close). That alone forces this movie into the top 10. I have also read the novel that this film was based on, and it held very true to the story and painted a picture of intolerance in the rural south that was so out of my own experience, I could do nothing but be simultaneously angry and uplifted by people’s ability to survive the seemingly unsurvivable. Plaudits to Oprah Winfrey and Whoopie Goldberg for superb performances. 6. The Sound of Music (1965) Please forgive me, Mr. Truitt. My film appreciation teacher in high school tried to convince us that this movie was nothing but mindless drivel. I even tried to see it his way, but I just can’t. Another Rogers and Hammerstein masterpiece that I’m sure everyone has seen at least once. The views of the Alps take your breath away, as does the polished and clear singing voice of Julie Andrews (who perhaps should have done the dubbing in all those other musicals. Ironically, Marnie Nixon, the "voice of many" mentioned earlier, plays the part of one of the singing nuns). This musical manages to provide sheer joy to the watcher, while painting a picture of the “end of some worlds” that people were facing in 1939 Austria. It speaks about searching for one’s place in the world, and putting faith in God to take you there. My favorite piece of cinematography in this film is during the “Climb Every Mountain” scene, in which the Reverend Mother, looming large in the foreground, is singing to the shadow of Maria, tiny in comparison. Maria is but a small, inexperienced babe at this point, receiving wisdom from one who is large in experience. Oh, and I fell in love with Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), too! 5. Amadeus (1984) I am a musician and I love Mozart. I know this movie is not precisely historically correct, but the 18th century aura is so real you can smell it. Tom Hulce as the brilliantly insane Mozart is great, and F. Murray Abraham as the not-quite-as-brilliant and vengeful Salieri is perfection. Just enough suspense to keep you completely absorbed for three hours. 4. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) This one Mr. Truitt liked. This time, I agree. This movie uses old familiar tunes to highlight the advent of “talkies” in the late 1920’s, and all of the accompanying pitfalls. I laugh until I cry during the scene in which the producers are trying to successfully hide a large microphone (in the actress’s bust is my personal favorite). Gene Kelly is at his best, and Debbie Reynolds is absolutely adorable in this flick. Donald O’Connor dances as if he is made out of rubber. My only complaint in this otherwise joyful romp is the overlong “Broadway Melody” piece. It’s all about having your head in the clouds while keeping your feet on the ground. 3. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) The fact that I am a musician as well as an educator may account for my fondness of this one, but Richard Dreyfuss is tremendous, as is Olympia Dukakis in her small but moving part. Spanning the years of an aspiring composer’s life, it talks about dreams and how focusing too much on the future may keep one from appreciating what he has in the present. In this case, the man has a supportive wife, a wonderful son who is rejected much of his life, and a successful teaching career. It is not until retirement is forced upon him that he realizes that his symphony has been his life all along, and that he has touched many lives in the process. Although it would have been wise to appreciate his talents while he was using them, knowing that he has been successful in retrospect is some consolation. He definitely did not find his talent in teaching driver’s ed., though! 2. The African Queen (1951) Another example of how opposites attract, this time set in the African jungle in the early part of the last century. After the death of her minister brother, a stoic and prim missionary (Katharine Hepburn) ends up on a rickety old mail boat with its captain, a belching, boozing free spirit (Humphrey Bogart) with a good heart. As she gets less prim (weeks on a boat and the African heat can do that to a person) and he gets more civil (aided by her horrific act of pouring his entire stash of booze overboard), the sparks begin to fly. They play off of each other as flawlessly as two tennis champions. Every time I think of this movie, I can hear Hepburn’s voice, “Mr. Allnut, what is your first name? Chaaaaaalie…I like it.” And Bogart’s , “Awwwww, Miss, have pity!” It always puts a smile on my face. 1. Forrest Gump (1994) I think I like all of Tom Hanks’ movies. This one is my particular favorite, but several could easily have made the list. Hanks flawlessly portrays the character of Gump, a sweet, simple-minded guy for whom everything seems to go right. It follows the young man from his rocky childhood with single mother Sally Field, to an unexpected role as a college football star, through a heroic stint in Viet Nam and, finally, as the successful owner of a shrimping business (inherited from his good buddy Bubba, who died in the war). Ultimately, he finds happiness with his dying childhood sweetheart, and passes on his own brand of wisdom to his highly intelligent son (a young Haley Joel Osment of Sixth Sense fame). Gump is fortunate to have learned the inevitable truth of human existence from his mother: “life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get.” How dumb is that??  |
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