Mathias Movies

I like movies. I like watching them. I like talking about them. And, I like sharing them with friends. Recently, one of my best friends told me that I “should create a list of my favourite movies online”, since I am frequently asked for suggestions. So, here you go. In no particular order, with no rhyme or reason other than the fact that these are movies I love and think people should see (if for no other reason than having the selfish pleasure of talking to them about it afterward). I have pretty eclectic tastes, so hopefully there is something for everyone. I will keep on updating the list as I watch new movies, or remember old ones, so feel free to come back and check regularly. The only thing I ask is that if you came here and watched one of the movies from the list below, leave me a comment on what you thought about it!

Mathias Berenger

Since we are in the middle of Oscar season, I finally caught up with the latest from Lars Von Trier. You can think what you want about the man and his Cannes antics, he does make great movies, and this may be one of his finest. Hats off to both Kirsten Durst and Charlotte Gainsbourg for some fantastic acting as well.

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I was skeptical. Especially after having endured Wall Street 2. How wrong was I. Finally, a movie about the financial crisis (and trading floors) that is not a caricature, is actually pretty close to the truth, and still a good movie to watch! With a phenomenal cast, a great script (with only a couple of clunky let-me-explain-to-you-what-is-going-on dialog moments), this was a very pleasant surprise indeed.

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Speech is overrated. And sometimes, even talking too much about a movie is both unnecessary and counter-productive. Just go and see this little gem. It deserves every award coming its way. And then some.

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With The tree of life now in cinemas, there have been a lot of comparisons made with Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, so it’s time to go back to the source. Yes, it has aged somehow, but not really in what truly matters. So if you haven’t seen it already, or if you were too young when you did, try it, and let’s sit down to discuss what it all means afterwards…

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I watched it again with Christine the other day, and it is still one of the most delightful Shakespeare adaptations out there. Easy, breezy, fun, with a great cast (beautiful chemistry between Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh, of course, but let’s not forget Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton and the very young Kate Beckinsale and Robert Sean Leonard), this is a great summer movie.

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With a grand total of 5 films since 1973, you could say that Terrence Malick is not a prolific director. However, he definitely has a cult following and a unique style. Not to be mistaken for a war movie, this is much more than that. An ode to a Paradise lost, the folly of Man vs the beauty of Nature, love it or hate it (but how could you?), it will not leave you indifferent. Oh, and did I mention the insane cast?

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If you are bored of the standard Hollywood summer movie fare, here is something for you. From the young actor/director Guillaume Canet (who also directed one of my favourite films of the last few years), this is a sober look at love, friendship and selfishness, with an amazing ensemble cast. I guess you have to use a French word to describe French cinema.

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There are not many very good Science-Fiction movies out there, let alone ones that would appeal to a broader audience than the typical fans of the genre. This is one of them. From the acclaimed former Monty Python Terry Gilliam (I promise to talk about Brazil as well at a later stage), comes a visual and intellectual treat, which still remains fun and easy to watch. And now I can’t get this Astor Piazzolla tango out of my head…

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I don’t know why I like this movie so much. Granted, David Fincher is obviously one of my favourite directors, but this particular film has never generally been considered to be one of his finest. Yet somehow, I don’t seem to care, and every time I watch it, I get sucked in for the ride and thoroughly enjoy it. Am I the only one?

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I guess 2008 was the year of the nouveau western, since this movie ended up losing the Oscar race for best picture to No country for old men. Daniel Day-Lewis however, in one of his trademark intense performances, still walked out with a well deserved best actor statue, and PTA strikes again with this spectacular masterclass in epic movie-making. Unusual, possibly, but memorable, certainly.

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I am not usually a huge fan of big period pieces, costume dramas and other literary classics adaptations, but I will make an exception for this one. A perfectly melancholic translation to the screen of E.M. Forster’s novel, it simply oozes Britishness (in a good way), and will positively ravish you. Even if you are a cynical skeptic like me.

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After going through a lot of heavy films recently, it’s time for something lighter! At the time Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were still together and their wonderful chemistry makes this half-silly/half-serious reincarnation thriller an unusual yet thoroughly enjoyable ride. I’ll put this down as one of my guilty pleasures.

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I’ve already discussed David Cronenberg’s A history of violence, and in this one the director teams up again with Viggo Mortensen (with a superb Naomi Watts along for the ride) to produce yet another masterpiece. Still not for the squeamish (I’m looking at you, extraordinarily brutal Turkish bath scene), but well worth your time.

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I will confess freely that I was not a huge fan of Matthew McConaughey until now. However, after seeing this movie, I can change my mind and agree that he not only has the looks, he also has the (acting) chops necessary to pull off this adaptation of Michael Connelly‘s novel. Let’s not forget some great supporting actors (special mention to Marisa Tomei) who definitely help fleshing out the characters of the book. I can’t wait for the sequel, or to see if somebody will dare to bring Harry Bosch to the screen after this.

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An amazing movie from first time director Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko refuses to be easily categorized: Is it Science-Fiction, a glimpse inside a mentally ill teenager’s mind, or a chronicle of suburban malaise? Maybe a bit of everything. In any case, this little cult gem is truly worth watching and will be a great topic of discussion afterwards.

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If you’ve ever seen an episode of South Park, you already know Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s brand of humour, and this movie doesn’t disappoint. With more (hilariously) nasty jokes, rude caricatures, catchy tunes and puppet sex than you can shake a weapon of mass destruction at, it will make your cheeks hurt from so much laughing.

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The idea of a stylish film noir set in an American high school can seem pretty strange at first glance. Ok, even at second glance. Rian Johnson sure didn’t pick an easy choice for his first movie, but you know what? It works. And it is different. And at the end of the day, it is a bloody good movie.

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Jennifer Lynch is most definitely her father‘s daughter. I believe the words twisted and disturbing were featured on the poster and, for once, those quotes were actually very much warranted. Filmed with a small budget, the great performances by Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman elevate this movie to a much bigger level. Save it for a day where your stomach doesn’t feel too tender though…

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I’ve been watching a few documentaries lately (I really enjoyed Super size me recently, and I mean to catch Inside job soon) which reminded me of this one I saw quite a while ago, back in 2003. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend spending some time to do so. Even if the subject matter seems a little dry, it is extremely well done, funny (in a sometimes scary way) and informative, putting some of the more recent corporate disasters into perspective.

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Ang Lee certainly made some bigger and more famous movies (Brokeback mountain, The ice storm and Crouching tiger, hidden dragon) but this one is an overlooked little gem. A beautiful love, duty and espionage story set in Japanese-occupied China, this movie deserves to be on your Netflix/LoveFilm queue. Oh, and if you are wondering where you have seen Joan Chen (Mrs Yee) before, this is where…

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Since I was just talking about Steven Soderbergh yesterday, here is another one of his most recent movies, from the other side of the spectrum. A documentary following a few days in the life of a high-end Manhattan call girl, it is definitely an unusual but fascinating little film. At just over an hour length, I really recommend it.

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Steven Soderbergh makes some interesting movies. This one may be one of his most straightforward directing efforts in terms of basic plot, but both the stylish visuals and the fantastic chemistry between Jennifer Lopez and George-before-he-became-a-sex-symbol-Clooney make this a great smooth and cool film to watch if you missed it when it first came out.

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I am a sucker for a good crime caper. The perfect murder, the perfect con, and now, the perfect heist. Maybe a strange choice for Spike Lee to direct, but a great little treat as a result. Do you like Denzel Washington? Jodie Foster? Clive Owen? Then sit back, enjoy, and watch (very carefully)…

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To begin with, it wasn’t my first pick. Let’s see, a movie about a possibly psychotic ballet dancer… Not exactly made for me. I had found Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a dream way too depressing, but this time he nails it with this little gem. Not great for a popcorn movie night out, but a fantastic performance by Natalie Portman, well deserving her Oscar win.

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Talking about Chinatown in my previous post reminded me about another Film Noir favourite of mine. From a novel by James Ellroy, one of the greatest crime writers, with a superb ensemble cast, L.A. confidential is a masterpiece and sets the bar very high for any adaptation to the screen of a supposedly difficult book… It can be done, and this is how you do it.

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Whatever you think of the man himself, Roman Polanski is an amazingly talented director, and this might just be his finest movie. I know I may have to argue that statement when I finally get around to posting about Chinatown, but I stand by it. Great (and understated) performances by all the actors involved, and a taut thriller of a script like I haven’t seen in a while, make for a very enjoyable movie until the very last seconds.

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In loving memory of Sidney Lumet this is my favourite movie from him. A great huis-clos setting, and a fantastic turn by Henry Fonda. When you sometimes despair about the Justice system, about Society in general, or your fellow human beings, this comes as a breath of fresh air and an ode to Reason.

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Sometimes, you are just in the mood for something silly. And sometimes, it is good to be able to watch a movie with the whole family. Although Once upon a time in the West by the same Sergio Leone is still my favourite Western (up there with High plains drifter or The man who shot Liberty Valance, all for very different reasons) this one just makes me laugh. Every time. And sometimes, this is all that you need.

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One of last year’s very pleasant surprises and a well deserved oscar for Kathryn Bigelow. Although to be fair the last few years best picture has been more or less on the mark since the triple fiasco of 2001 (Gladiator?), 2002 (A beautiful mind??), and 2003 (Chicago???). But I digress. Jeremy Renner is superb, both tense and human at the same time, the editing is phenomenal and will grip you and won’t let go. This is not your average war movie.

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Most of the times, I find myself drawn much more to a british style of humour (I just can’t get enough of the Monty Pythons), but sometimes comes along a French comedy that is fantastic. It’s a simple plot, the actors are terrific, and the story is full of joie-de-vivre and it will put you in a great mood for the evening…

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Featuring the scariest haircut in the history of Hollywood and some otherwise less hair-related great performances by Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson, this is a modern classic. Even if you think the Coen Brothers have already filmed that same movie a few too many times, this is their masterpiece. Scary and funny in turns, well worth watching if you haven’t seen it already.

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Has anybody out there not seen this film already? Talk about a dream cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Jonathan Pryce… Another screenplay by David Mamet (yes, I know, I’ve mentioned him before) full of whip-sharp memorable dialog, this is a must see. So put that coffee down! And go add this to your Netflix queue…

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You don’t need a big budget. You don’t need big names on the poster. You don’t need a complicated story. You don’t need a happy ending. You don’t need any of that, to make one of the best and most powerful movies I have ever seen. Just trust me blindly on this one and watch it. It will stay with you for a very long time.

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One of the most iconic concert movies in a landmark performance by one of the greatest bands of all time. What more is there to say? When Pink Floyd got the permission to film a small set right in the middle of the ruins of the abandoned city of Pompeii, it was truly a match made in Heaven. The haunting music (my favourite track: “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”) is a perfect fit to the eerily deserted roman ruins. Watch, listen, and take a trip back in time, to 1971, to 79 AD, and beyond.

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Remember, remember the 5th of November… I guess I am a tad late for this, but that little nursery rhyme was playing in my head today and reminded me that I should write about this movie. You may not care about comic books but Alan Moore who wrote this one (as well as Watchmen and From Hell, amongst others) is very good. With a fantastic plot set in a parallel fascist United Kingdom, great acting from both Natalie Portman and a masked Hugo Weaving, you will be hooked until the final fireworks.

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François Truffaut’s last (and in my opinion best) movie, an hommage to his beloved Alfred Hitchcock. Fanny Ardant is in superb form and Jean-Louis Trintignant is the perfect grumpy unwilling counterpoint. A little gem of a funny film noir or comedy crime mistery, whatever you want to call it, this movie is well worth watching.

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I watched that movie again the other day. What a fun ride. A preposterous plot (nazis! treasures! ghosts! serpents!) but who cares? It is good to go back to a day before George Lucas discovered it would be more profitable to sell plastic toys than writing a crazy story with his friend Steven Spielberg, before Harrison Ford decided he would be a serious actor (while at the same time wearing a ridiculous earring… Go figure). As far as I am concerned, this is the perfect holidays movie. And when I grow up, I want to be an archeologist.

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I confess, I am not a huge fan of Apocalypse now. To me, The deer hunter is a much better movie about the Vietnam war, even if it only features about 10 minutes of the fighting itself… With masterful performances from Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage and Meryl Streep, Michael Cimino directs his masterpiece. It is well worth sitting through those sometimes uncomfortable three hours if you haven’t had the courage yet to do so.

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A great director, an impressive cast (Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and a surprisingly good Tom Cruise in one of his funniest and most nuanced performances), a beautiful and unusual story, a fantastic musical score from the talented Aimee Mann… How could you go wrong? Don’t worry, you won’t.

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As much as I like Martin Scorcese and The departed, this was yet another case of a perfectly unnecessary remake. Unless you really can’t get past the fact that it has subtitles, you should watch the original. Fast paced and even more intense, with no big names on the screen to distract from the plot, it won’t let you go until the end. And in case you are lucky enough not to know what this is about, don’t read anything about it. It will be even better!

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As I (slowly) work my way through the list of all my favourite movies, I realized that between all the 40s classics, I like Casablanca, I really enjoy The Maltese falcon, but Laura is the only one I really truly love. A perfect little gem of a film noir with Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, don’t miss it if you have never watched it before.

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How do you film the horror of the First World War trenches and still somehow make a work of art with such glorious photography? Only if you are Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who also directed Amélie) can you solve those contradictions and make a beautiful movie full of larger then life characters. A highly recommended movie based on a novel by Sébastien Japrisot (PS: my favourite book from him is la dame dans l’auto avec des lunettes et un fusil)

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Careful, this is most definitely not a movie for kids, in spite of the very cartoonish look. The medium however enables Satoshi Kon to take this highly effective thriller into places he couldn’t have gone to otherwise. Taut, intense, surreal in parts, it somehow reminds me of Blue Velvet. I also remember watching a few very interesting Japanese animated movies that summer, maybe one day I should also talk about Jin Roh…

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From one of my favourite directors David Fincher comes a beautiful and magical old-fashioned story about a man with a very peculiar problem, a woman, and life bringing them together or keeping them apart. If this sounds like the most banal storyline, the movie is anything but. Served by a great ensemble cast of talented actors, superb special effects, a fantastic short story from F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is truly a masterpiece.

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It started as a music documentary by Wim Wenders, and it ended up being something much more than that. The perfect antidote to a day when you are feeling a little blue, this movie is an ode to the important things in life: friends, family, freedom, music, and smoking cigars…

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We are literally just walking out of this movie. Wow. Maybe it is too early to talk about it, but I don’t care. This is unlike anything I have seen in a while. This is Cinema on a grand scale. This is breathtakingly intense. This is something that I am going to keep thinking about for a while. Superb story, great acting, amazing action sequences. Go and see it on the biggest screen that you can find.

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We caught that one randomly because I vaguely remembered hearing/reading something good about it somewhere (yes, a very precise feeling, as you can tell), and what a pleasant surprise! A little French/Lebanese movie about a group of girl friends working in or around a beauty salon, it is a comedy but with serious undertones about modern life in Beirut. Optimistic and charming, it will definitely leave you smiling.

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From a fantastic book by Dennis Lehane, Ben Affleck directorial debut is an instant classic. Maybe it was the story set in his native Boston, maybe it is directing his younger brother Casey (doing an amazing job even if, after reading the books, he was really not who I had in mind to play Patrick Kenzie), but whatever the reason, he seems to be much more at ease on this side of the camera. I, for one, look forward to his next movie.

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As I compile the big list of movies that I want to post here, sometimes the problem is not to pick which films to write about, but to choose which ones to leave out. As a huge Paul Thomas Anderson fan, that choice was particularly hard. This is a strange but touching and beautiful love story, and, much to my amazement, it proves that Adam Sandler can act, when he really wants to…

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I realized yesterday chatting with friends that I had forgotten to include this movie in my original list… Blasphemy! A fantastic “roaring rampage of revenge” in The Bride’s own words, it is, after careful consideration, my favourite film from Quentin Tarantino. I don’t care about the commercial reasons which resulted in splitting it in two parts, I would just watch them both in one sitting…

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Is this Alfred Hitchcock’s best movie? Quite possibly. The perfect confluence of a great story, great cast (James Stewart is superb, but Kim Novak is simply mesmerizing), and a masterpiece of film-making. Witness the first use of the Dolly zoom to great effect, long before it was famously picked up by Steven Spielberg for Jaws.

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There are not many causes I am passionate about, but Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is one of them. This movie tells the story of a few of those people, those crazy and brave and dedicated enough to give up the comfort of their First World life and go to war-torn countries (often while the conflict is still raging) and provide essential medical care when everyone else has left. This is not pretty, and it may not be your usual Sunday night movie, but we went to see it last week and can’t recommend it enough. Try and catch it before it disappears from the screens!

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I tried to watch the latest Coen brothers movie, A serious man, but it was so boring that I ended up walking out, a very rare occurrence for me. Well, Fargo is the opposite of that. Funny, quirky and creepy, with star turns from Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi, those two Oscars were more than deserved.

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Although I like George Clooney’s more stylish Good night, and good luck, I have a thing for his directorial debut. A story at the same time strange, touching and funny, filmed in a very personal style, it is definitely an oddity, but a good one!

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This is what a Woody Allen movie can (should?) be. Fun, light, breezy and a great film at the same time. Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem have fantastic on-screen chemistry, and the actors are obviously enjoying themselves immensely. This may be my wife’s favourite movie of the last couple of years, and we could watch it again any day.

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A special request from my sister with whom I can quote half of the movie from memory. Serial killers! The Cannes Film Festival! Glamour! Murder! Communism! Giant mouse traps! If you loved Airplane then this is your kind of humour.

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This may be David Cronenberg’s most “normal” movie, but I guess that would be relative… Viggo Mortensen is absolutely fantastic in the title role, and could be the next Robert De Niro. I mean that in a nice, pre- Meet the parents kind of way.

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An extraordinary and magical tale from director Guillermo del Toro set against the Spanish civil war backdrop, this is a complex story of innocence and evil, of growing up and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t come out of this movie profoundly touched. Don’t let the title and synopsis fool you, this is very much an adult movie.

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My favourite screwball comedy. Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart at their witty best. Need I say more? Forget about the Grace Kelly/Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra musical remake High society which is a lot less fun, this is the real deal.

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A touching and extraordinarily engaging story about the French lunatic who decided it would be fun to try and walk on a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center. Told like a bank heist, with the preparation phase, the infiltration, the sneaking past security guards in the night while waiting for the perfect time, it feels much more than your usual documentary, and leaves you smiling like a kid at the audacity and passion of those people.

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Sometimes, a great book from a great author (Dennis Lehane), a legendary director (Clint Eastwood), and three actors at the top of their game (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon) are not enough to make a fantastic film. But not this time. Regardless of whether you know the story or not, this movie will grip you until the last scene.

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I saw it after walking the red carpet on my first visit to the Cannes Film Festival, so maybe it has a special place in my heart, but it is an outstanding original work of genius, full of energy, bigger-than-life characters, and music.

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There can be no list of my favourite movies without Fight Club, the perfect meeting of David Fincher’s directing genius and Chuck Palahniuk‘s amazing novel (I am looking forward to Invisible Monsters next year, the adaptation of possibly his best book). Brad Pitt famously thanked him for “the best f***ing part of [his] f***ing career”, and he was right. Just watch it if you haven’t yet…

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This is the oldest con in the world. And because it is a David Mamet movie, you can expect whip-sharp dialog, and terrific writing. This one will keep you guessing until the very end!

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A great little Argentinian movie about con artists. Of course they made a remake, but watch the original. Great actors, great story, and great twists and turns. Speaking of con, it reminds me that I need to tell you about the Spanish prisoner…

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I didn’t think that sadomasochism would make a great movie subject matter, nor that you could make a beautiful love story out of it, but it turns out I was wrong. Forget your preconceptions and watch Secretary. You will not be disappointed.

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Ok, I lied. I can’t pick just one Pedro Almodovar movie. This one has to be on the list. A bit more flamboyant and crazy, it may actually be more representative of the rest of his filmography.

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It is an impossible choice to pick only one of Pedro Almodovar’s movies, but if there was a gun to my head, I would probably choose this one. Funny, touching, full of life and optimism, it’s an amazing roller coaster of emotions that you have to watch! Penélope Cruz should have won the Oscar for best actress that year (I am sorry Helen Mirren, but it’s true).

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I watched this one very recently before the Oscars and I was really surprised to see it didn’t get best foreign film (which makes me want to see the winner el secreto de sus ojos even more). Haunting, gorgeous black and white cinematography, not your usual Hollywood fare, but most definitely worth checking out.

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My favourite David Lynch movie. Not as weird as some of his other films, but plenty weird enough… In a good way, though! I have a theory about what it all means, but I can’t tell you. Silencio, silencio. No hay banda.

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From a very young French film director (he has a small part in the movie as well) who was given the rights to his favourite Harlan Coben novel on a visit to Hollywood, comes a gripping film policier and one of the best movies of 2006. I watched it again very recently, and it hadn’t lost any of its power. By the way, did you know that Kristin Scott Thomas spoke perfect french?

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This is quite possibly my favourite movie of all time. Robert De Niro and James Woods give their best career performance, alongside a very young Jennifer Connelly. Forget The Godfather. This is the real deal. Oh, and don’t even bother with the short version, grab the full-length 229 minutes epic. It is so worth it.

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Not for the faint of heart, but a masterpiece from Korean director Chan Wook Park. Trust me, you will keep thinking about this movie for weeks after watching it.

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