I’ll hold my hands up…. I am a huge movie buff. It’s seriously unhealthy the amount of films I watch in a week. I may need some sort of help. But anyways, I thought I’d just do this My Life In Film thing because it’s a great way of not revising for my A-Levels. Also, due to the sheer number of Superhero films that I would include on this list, I’m excluding them otherwise this article would never end.
Pulp Fiction
dir. Quentin Tarantino
Slow West
dir. John Maclean
Not many people know of this film, but trust me, it’s spectacular. One of the many reasons I love this film is how simplistic it is. It’s not overly reliant on special effects or action sequences; it’s one of those films that is carried by the actors. Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smit-McPhee are both incredible. The story has huge meaning for me; boy travels from Scotland to America in order to find the girl he loves, just on the off-chance that they can be together. I’m in exactly the same situation as McPhee’s character, but that’s a story for a different time. I would recommend Slow West to everyone (especially Western fans), given that the acting, the story, the showdown at the end and some pretty powerful scenes make for one hell of a viewing experience.
Up in the Air
dir. Jason Reitman
Up next is the existentialist masterpiece by Jason Reitman (the guy who directed Juno) that completely won me over. The story follows Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) who work for a company that is hired to fire people. Clooney’s character is a man who can’t be tied down by anything, be it women, family or anything else for that matter and Kendrick’s character is the polar opposite. On the way, Kendrick shows Clooney that the things he thinks hold him down are actually the things that keep him going, which sparks romantic feelings towards Clooney’s…erm…’squeeze’ Alex (played by the wonderful Vera Farmiga). For me, this film is a wonderful example of how someone can just come into your life that makes you rethink every think that you ever thought or did. Led by its charismatic three lead actors, especially Clooney and Kendrick, Up in the Air is definitely a very underrated modern classic.
Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother)
dir. Pedro Almodóvar
Moving onto Spanish cinema now with the eternal masterpiece of Pedro Almodóvar that is All About My Mother. This film is nothing short of astounding. The story follows Manuela (played by Cecilia Roth) who loses her son, Esteban, on his birthday in a car accident while he was chasing after an autograph from his favourite actress. After his death, she tries to track down his father, a transvestite now named Lola, whom she left before Esteban was born. During her journey, she meets her old friend Agrado, a transsexual prostitute, Rosa, a nun (played by a very young Penélope Cruz) who is pregnant by Lola and has contracted HIV from her, Huma Rojo, her son’s favourite actress and her partner, Nina. The film pays homage to the writings of Tennessee Williams, including All About Eve and A Streetcar Named Desire. This film is full of emotional, humorous and existentialist scenes and is bound to leave anyone who watches it awe-struck. Oh, and it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2000, so you know, no biggie.
Silver Linings Playbook
dir. David O’Russell
Finally, we come to this gem of a film. For me, this film was perfect; perfect performances, directing, writing, and it dealt with the stigma surrounding mental illness and depression in a sensitive and sometimes humorous way. The chemistry between Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper is spot-on, and the supporting cast such as Robert DeNiro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker and Shea Wiggam, is also superb. I still can’t believe that this film lost out on the Best Picture Oscar to Argo. But anyway, the reason I love this film is that it has such a positive message; Cooper’s character is always holding out for a Silver Lining, even when the going gets tough, and anyone who is doing A-Levels will know just how effective a little optimism can be just to get you through an hour of revision. So yeah, great film. A must-see.
Honourable Mentions
- American Hustle
- Elizabeth
- Scott Pilgrim vs The World
- The Double
- El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
- Les Intouchables (Untouchable)
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Airplane!
- The Lego Movie
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Rush
So there you have it, my life in movies. I know I have a tendency to go off on one a little bit vis-a-vis movies but I made this as short as I could guys. Believe me, when I say it could have been longer. Gracias 😀
Words by Anthony Cody