Graduate 127: Favorite Films
So I've been wanting to resume blogging but a lot of what I'm been scrawling about lately has been either philosophy- or 1 Corinthians-related. And that's fine and interesting for me, but I want to get back into writing on less narrowly specific topics. General how-things-are-going-with-me blogs don't strike me as very interesting, though, perhaps, I'll drop a few comments on that here or there. I needed something to write about, so I settled on an idea: movies.
I don't see a lot of movies. And over time I've come to appreciate that I have very different movie tastes then do most (or all) of my friends. I don't claim to be well-versed where films are concerned. I'm probably completely unfamiliar with most of the "classics" and don't know that I have much use for the "great" ones either. Why post a list like this? As a kind of self-exploration, I suppose. My selections probably reveal more about me then about the films; though, perhaps, if my choices reveal something about me, they also do reveal something about the films--indirectly--but I will leave others to speculate on that point.
In no particular order, here are ten films that I like.
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Toy Story
Spirited Away
Treasure Planet
Miss Potter
Night at the Opera
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Muppets' Christmas Carol
iRobot
Finding Forester
I enjoy science fiction and have been a (mild) trekkie for many years. As far as Star Trek films go, I think the best two are The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country. Both were directed by Nicholas Meyer who, I get the impression, had an enormous impact on the way in which the stories were developed and produced. I came to appreciate The Wrath of Khan in a whole new way after reading Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and feel that the story is all-around really solid and engaging. Also, I think the computer animation that was used in the Genesis demo is some of the finest that I have ever seen. It was groundbreaking when it was created; but even with all the amazing things that film-makers are doing with computers today, I still get chills when I watch the fly-by of that terraforming planet.
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are both brilliant movies, story-wise. What both Woody and Buzz Lightyear learn in the course of those two movies about the meaning of life and purpose and fitting into a world that is larger than you is all so True. (Yes, capital 'T'.) There is incredible wisdom packed into those movies and presented in such a fun and enjoyable way.
Spirited Away is the first of Japanese-animator Hayao Miyazaki's films that I ever saw. His other films are all great, though I would recommend, in particular Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle. What I like about Miyazaki's films is a certain quality of simplicity that they all seem to share. In many cases, the plots and stories are not simple, but his movies have that quality about them, nonetheless. It's hard to describe. I like that his characters are simple. They are not extremely powerful or dominating figures. When faced with challenges and dangers, they do not respond with clever schemes or subtle strategies. Instead, they act from a genuinely good, truthful, and sincere heart and the result is that things turn out right in the end. In a world where we often feel the need to resort to manipulation and maneuvering and subtlety in order to succeed, it's good to be reminded of the Truth (again, capital 'T') that real goodness, truth, and love are enough and will ultimately win out. Miyazaki is also a master at crafting fantastical worlds. His animation is amazing. His work is all of the highest quality.
Treasure Planet is one of the most underappreciated of Disney's animated films. In a time when Disney seems to have been producing really low-quality animated features, this film should have stood out head and shoulders above the rest. But I fear it was the victim of an absolutely wretched ad campaign and so did not do well at all in the theaters. The story is adapted from Robert Louis Stevensons' book Treasure Island. The film makers did a marvelous job of adapting the concept. The animation and design are beautiful. The story is rich and funny and, I think, even succeeds in touching some very deep human chords.
I cannot recall Miss Potter ever being released in theaters. Maybe it was and I just didn't hear about it. If you didn't hear about it either then maybe this film, too, was the victim of a wretched ad campaign. Miss Potter is an absolutely delightful film. It's based on the life of Beatrix Potter who lived around the turn of the twentieth century and wrote, among many other children's books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. This is an absolutely heart-warming movie and so well-crafted. I expect that part of why I like it has to do with it being about a writer and artist. The fact that it's set in late-Victorian England also helps. It is well-acted. The dialogue and characters are wonderful. You should really see it.
A Night at the Opera was the first Marx Brothers movie that I ever saw and is my favorite of all their films. Second, on that list, is probably Animal Crackers. I really enjoy the Marx Brothers. Don't ask me why, because I can't give you a really coherent answer. They're fun. Groucho's wit and Chico's accent and Harpo's antics. They're wonderful, lovable characters that are fun to root for and laugh at. They give me the opportunity to indulge my anarchic side. They're unconventional. They're fun.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill that I don't own, but hope to some day. It is also set around the turn of the Twentieth Century and all the main characters are drawn from late nineteenth century fiction literature. Alan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, Tom Sawyer, the invisible man. It's an exciting action packed film that's built around a solid story, incorporates a lot of nice character development, with fantastic dialogue. The design of the film is superb--the costumes, the sets, the props, the Nautilus, the Nemo-mobile. It's beautiful. The film is multi-faceted and offers a great deal even after multiple viewings.
I'm pretty sure that one could mount a convincing case that The Muppets' Christmas Carol is the best film adaptation ever of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I've found that other film versions seem to fall flat, particularly when it comes to portraying the ghosts of Christmas and some of the more emotionally charged moments. I think there's supposed to be a lot of emotional feeling; and that's difficult to capture with ordinary human actors but suddenly becomes real and compelling when you fill the screen with these funny puppets. Michael Caine plays a brilliant Scrooge and the whole film is put together really well. This film is another example of visual effects that, though now outdated, still hold up really well.
iRobot was an interesting movie. I think, for the most part, I enjoy a lot of Will Smith's movies. Of course, iRobot is based on a collection of short science-fiction stories by Isaac Asimov--and doesn't try very hard to remain close to the character of those stories. Moreover, I think the writers also missed the opportunity to highlight what is really crucially distinct and valuable about human beings. But the story is still really interesting and engaging. The production was very well-executed and I really enjoyed and continue to enjoy seeing this film.
Finding Forrester--another Sean Connery film. He's another actor whose movies I tend to like; Dragon Heart and Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade are also good movies of his. Of course, part of what I like about this movie is the fact that its about writing. It's a nice story with a lot of really touching moments and I definitely appreciate how they stick it to the bad guy (I can't remember his name right now) in the end.
--
So let's see. Three of the movies are animated and four are children's movies. Three are science fiction and three are closely tied to Victorian England. Two are about writing and two are about the arts (visual and performing). At least two have to do with mentoring relationships. Two are action movies. Two are what you might refer to as human-drama. Do all these films have anything in common? Well, keep in mind that these aren't necessarily my ten most favorite films. They're the one's that came to mind as I thought about this blog. I could have listed others.
But about the films that I like in general--what do I think holds them together? Well, I do like animated movies, many of which are children's movies. If you think that's silly, that's fine. The real world is depressing enough; I don't need to wallow in more of it for "entertainment" purposes. And I've written elsewhere about my thoughts on Realism and just what is Really Real. I like movies that are uplifting and end on positive notes--that inspire and encourage and push you to strive for more and greater things. That's probably the main feature that holds this list together. Frankly, I'm pretty mystified when people talk about what's "artistic" and such. I think all these films have really good stories, although there may be more that goes into judging what is a "good" story than I realize.
Well, that's enough for now. I've written something and I'll post when I next get a chance and those who want to read it will read it and if you're looking for a movie to watch and see something on this list that you haven't seen before, I would absolutely recommend seeing it. Let me know what you think of it after seeing it.
Blessings,
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
I don't see a lot of movies. And over time I've come to appreciate that I have very different movie tastes then do most (or all) of my friends. I don't claim to be well-versed where films are concerned. I'm probably completely unfamiliar with most of the "classics" and don't know that I have much use for the "great" ones either. Why post a list like this? As a kind of self-exploration, I suppose. My selections probably reveal more about me then about the films; though, perhaps, if my choices reveal something about me, they also do reveal something about the films--indirectly--but I will leave others to speculate on that point.
In no particular order, here are ten films that I like.
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Toy Story
Spirited Away
Treasure Planet
Miss Potter
Night at the Opera
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Muppets' Christmas Carol
iRobot
Finding Forester
I enjoy science fiction and have been a (mild) trekkie for many years. As far as Star Trek films go, I think the best two are The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country. Both were directed by Nicholas Meyer who, I get the impression, had an enormous impact on the way in which the stories were developed and produced. I came to appreciate The Wrath of Khan in a whole new way after reading Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and feel that the story is all-around really solid and engaging. Also, I think the computer animation that was used in the Genesis demo is some of the finest that I have ever seen. It was groundbreaking when it was created; but even with all the amazing things that film-makers are doing with computers today, I still get chills when I watch the fly-by of that terraforming planet.
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are both brilliant movies, story-wise. What both Woody and Buzz Lightyear learn in the course of those two movies about the meaning of life and purpose and fitting into a world that is larger than you is all so True. (Yes, capital 'T'.) There is incredible wisdom packed into those movies and presented in such a fun and enjoyable way.
Spirited Away is the first of Japanese-animator Hayao Miyazaki's films that I ever saw. His other films are all great, though I would recommend, in particular Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl's Moving Castle. What I like about Miyazaki's films is a certain quality of simplicity that they all seem to share. In many cases, the plots and stories are not simple, but his movies have that quality about them, nonetheless. It's hard to describe. I like that his characters are simple. They are not extremely powerful or dominating figures. When faced with challenges and dangers, they do not respond with clever schemes or subtle strategies. Instead, they act from a genuinely good, truthful, and sincere heart and the result is that things turn out right in the end. In a world where we often feel the need to resort to manipulation and maneuvering and subtlety in order to succeed, it's good to be reminded of the Truth (again, capital 'T') that real goodness, truth, and love are enough and will ultimately win out. Miyazaki is also a master at crafting fantastical worlds. His animation is amazing. His work is all of the highest quality.
Treasure Planet is one of the most underappreciated of Disney's animated films. In a time when Disney seems to have been producing really low-quality animated features, this film should have stood out head and shoulders above the rest. But I fear it was the victim of an absolutely wretched ad campaign and so did not do well at all in the theaters. The story is adapted from Robert Louis Stevensons' book Treasure Island. The film makers did a marvelous job of adapting the concept. The animation and design are beautiful. The story is rich and funny and, I think, even succeeds in touching some very deep human chords.
I cannot recall Miss Potter ever being released in theaters. Maybe it was and I just didn't hear about it. If you didn't hear about it either then maybe this film, too, was the victim of a wretched ad campaign. Miss Potter is an absolutely delightful film. It's based on the life of Beatrix Potter who lived around the turn of the twentieth century and wrote, among many other children's books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. This is an absolutely heart-warming movie and so well-crafted. I expect that part of why I like it has to do with it being about a writer and artist. The fact that it's set in late-Victorian England also helps. It is well-acted. The dialogue and characters are wonderful. You should really see it.
A Night at the Opera was the first Marx Brothers movie that I ever saw and is my favorite of all their films. Second, on that list, is probably Animal Crackers. I really enjoy the Marx Brothers. Don't ask me why, because I can't give you a really coherent answer. They're fun. Groucho's wit and Chico's accent and Harpo's antics. They're wonderful, lovable characters that are fun to root for and laugh at. They give me the opportunity to indulge my anarchic side. They're unconventional. They're fun.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill that I don't own, but hope to some day. It is also set around the turn of the Twentieth Century and all the main characters are drawn from late nineteenth century fiction literature. Alan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, Tom Sawyer, the invisible man. It's an exciting action packed film that's built around a solid story, incorporates a lot of nice character development, with fantastic dialogue. The design of the film is superb--the costumes, the sets, the props, the Nautilus, the Nemo-mobile. It's beautiful. The film is multi-faceted and offers a great deal even after multiple viewings.
I'm pretty sure that one could mount a convincing case that The Muppets' Christmas Carol is the best film adaptation ever of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I've found that other film versions seem to fall flat, particularly when it comes to portraying the ghosts of Christmas and some of the more emotionally charged moments. I think there's supposed to be a lot of emotional feeling; and that's difficult to capture with ordinary human actors but suddenly becomes real and compelling when you fill the screen with these funny puppets. Michael Caine plays a brilliant Scrooge and the whole film is put together really well. This film is another example of visual effects that, though now outdated, still hold up really well.
iRobot was an interesting movie. I think, for the most part, I enjoy a lot of Will Smith's movies. Of course, iRobot is based on a collection of short science-fiction stories by Isaac Asimov--and doesn't try very hard to remain close to the character of those stories. Moreover, I think the writers also missed the opportunity to highlight what is really crucially distinct and valuable about human beings. But the story is still really interesting and engaging. The production was very well-executed and I really enjoyed and continue to enjoy seeing this film.
Finding Forrester--another Sean Connery film. He's another actor whose movies I tend to like; Dragon Heart and Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade are also good movies of his. Of course, part of what I like about this movie is the fact that its about writing. It's a nice story with a lot of really touching moments and I definitely appreciate how they stick it to the bad guy (I can't remember his name right now) in the end.
--
So let's see. Three of the movies are animated and four are children's movies. Three are science fiction and three are closely tied to Victorian England. Two are about writing and two are about the arts (visual and performing). At least two have to do with mentoring relationships. Two are action movies. Two are what you might refer to as human-drama. Do all these films have anything in common? Well, keep in mind that these aren't necessarily my ten most favorite films. They're the one's that came to mind as I thought about this blog. I could have listed others.
But about the films that I like in general--what do I think holds them together? Well, I do like animated movies, many of which are children's movies. If you think that's silly, that's fine. The real world is depressing enough; I don't need to wallow in more of it for "entertainment" purposes. And I've written elsewhere about my thoughts on Realism and just what is Really Real. I like movies that are uplifting and end on positive notes--that inspire and encourage and push you to strive for more and greater things. That's probably the main feature that holds this list together. Frankly, I'm pretty mystified when people talk about what's "artistic" and such. I think all these films have really good stories, although there may be more that goes into judging what is a "good" story than I realize.
Well, that's enough for now. I've written something and I'll post when I next get a chance and those who want to read it will read it and if you're looking for a movie to watch and see something on this list that you haven't seen before, I would absolutely recommend seeing it. Let me know what you think of it after seeing it.
Blessings,
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 11:33 AM
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