fantastic films for my friends
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.
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.
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…
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…
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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!
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…
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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?