Desert Island Disks

1 Withnail and I

A magnificent performance by Richard E. Grant makes this look at the death of the '60s both hilarious and poignent. Grant's had his say about the movie and the ordeal of making it but when he's old, and lauded for this performance, he will either accept the compliments graciously or be a crank. Grant's delivery of a soliloquy from Hamlet in the final scene, while his Withnail is drunk and defeated and a seeming failure, is one of the most moving in my experience of film.

2 City of Lost Children

An incredibly beautiful, visually stunning movie, and a story with heart. Slightly sentimental with an underlying Dickensian theme of social injustice and the oppression of children. The cast is perfect, especially Ron Perlman as the dim but big-hearted hero, and Judith Vittet as the young waif, wise beyond her years and a natural leader. A dense, Terry Gilliam meets HR Giger visual style, and truly magnificent special effects from the French team of Jeunet & Caro (Delicatessan and Alien IV) make this movie both uniquely classic and ultra modern.

3 The Thin Man

(any in the Thin Man Series, but especially the first few William Powell and Myrna Loy were born to act together, as evidenced in this series. The first -- "The Thin Man" -- is the best but there are others as strong. The weakest is "The Thin Man Goes Home," but even it has its moments.

4 La Dolce Vita

A movie that follows the empty flippant schedule of a gossip columnist (Marcello Mastroianni in his best role) through swinging post-war Rome, where the ultra wealthy are coming face to face with the consequences of inconsequence. What continues to amaze me about Fellini's late-'50s-early-'60s films, "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2" is how observant Fellini was regarding the focus on celebrity, the obsessive interest in artists and entertainers in general, and how these obsessions have become the norm of modern society. It strikes me that films like these may not have the impact they once had, because they are so true and "normal" -- the reality they put forth is our reality, not a farcical or allegorical or satirical one -- as they might have been viewed when the films were released (though my guess is that Federico himself would argue that they were "real" in their day too).

There is something special, though, that brings La Dolce Vita to a level above social commentary.... The ending: Marcello Mastroianni arrives, at the end of this film, at a beach, re-encountering a young girl he had met earlier and with whom he'd flirted a bit (even though she was much too young). Now on the beach, they are separated by a barrier (a fence?). Marcello waves and smiles, accepting the separation as a fact of life. He turns to follow the meandering, decadent path of his society pals up the beach. At least this once, regardless of physical barriers, the choice made was made in deference to the innocent; and that, to me, is a very positive sign.

5 Seven Samurai

I don't have a real handle on this film, except on it's most basic level as one of the most exciting action adventure stories ever filmed. If you've never seen it and you count yourself a movie buff, you are lacking here.

6 2001: A Space Odyssey

I loved it as a young teenager for its beauty and music and technical achievement. I loved it through my twenties for the same reasons plus for the fact that it was so cool to watch, such an incredible visual experience. In my thirties I have begun to "understand" it as much as anybody can. And while it is still beautiful as ever, it has taken on a note of ominious dread I never sensed before. Kubrick was less worried about technology than he was about our trusting the social mechanism to look after our souls while we build the future.

7 The Third Man

Another must-see for any movie buff. The story is classic Graham Greene. The acting of Orson Welles is excellent. But my favorite aspect of this movie is Joseph Cotton's Hollie Martins. He's everyman so naturally, so much more believable than Jimmy Stewart. I have the DVD, which is really beautiful.

8 Cat People (the original)

Finally got ahold of a new video after loaning my tape-from-cable copy to a friend years ago and never getting it back. Melissa where are you? This is so basic a story it doesn't need an explanation. Suffice to say it's one of the best thrillers of any era. All the newer version did was make it more hip (yawn).

9 Buckaroo Bonzai

Introduced to me by the same teacher than introduced me to Cat People, CSUS English Professor and my favorite modern poet, Dennis Schmitz, now one of Sacramento's two poet laureates. A fun, smart comic book movie about a super-hero/surgeon/racecar driver/rock star. Early roles for many of today's top stars.

10 The Seventh Seal

Max Von Sydow, before he became the first-call villain for every Hollywood action potboiler, was a superb member of Ingmar Bergman's ensemble. His role as a disillusioned knight returning to his plague-stricken homeland after years away at the Crusades is well-tempered, quiet, and intense. His game of chess with Death is legendary. A movie you can watch over and over again and feel joy, horror, anger and every other emotion. In glorious black and white.

11 Magnolia

I'd not been warned about the infamous rain of frogs when I first saw this magnificent film. The frog sequence tends to help those who would be on the fence about this movie to make their final decision that the movie is either a waste of time or a great masterpiece. While I wasn't in danger of disliking the movie at any point before the frogs,I was firmly in the latter's camp once they did appear. To me, PT Anderson created an incredibly compassionate movie with characters we can all feel something for (even if it's loathing or anger) for even as they are grappling with a variety of little and big crimes against those they are closest to. Before the frogs arrive, we have a collection of characters, some of whom know each other, muddling through a day in the life of a neighborhood. Some of them are famous, some of them are losers, some of them are winners, some of them are dying. ALL of them are in need of redemption, as we all are. When the frogs make their startling entrance, redemption arrives to each character in a way that fits that character's flaws and strengths, without consideration for their expectations - for who among us expects what is best for us. The film has been deemed too long by some respectable people, a couple of my best friends among them; but I wouldn't cut a single frame from this movie: I think each and every moment contributes to Magnolia's magnificent compassion, its giant heart. The Aimee Mann/Jon Brion soundtrack is a masterpiece as well.

Also:
The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari,
Bladerunner; Persona, Cries and Whispers; Dr Strangelove;
Wild at Heart; Eraserhead; Once Upon a Time in the West;
Once Upon a Time in America; The Godfather; Blow Up, Harold & Maude...

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