The meme: off the top of your head, name 15 movies that stand out/are memorable/which will stick to you forever. Here's my list.
1. Chungking Express (1994)
The only Wang-Kar Wai film I've watched before this was Happy Together, starting from somewhere in the middle to somewhere before the ending, in the midst of a possibly PanPil19 class at the CAL AVR when I was supposed to be watching a film for our SocSci2 class (honest mistake - our sked said venue's at CAL AVR at that same time, so how was I to know? I did realize, after only seeing these lovers dancing around each other's emotions and bad days, that the subject matter was totally far out from what I was supposed to be watching). Years later, I became curious about him, and luckily my friend Joyce had vcds of his films. So there, I got a copy.
I am a sucker for romance and happy endings. While a very young Takeshi Kaneshiro was pining away after his ex- girlfriend who left him, counting over the days until he can no longer eat tinned pineapple with expiry dates of May 31, in the first story of Chungking Express, I can't say I was totally engrossed by him (even if he is such a looker). I knew not about lovesickness, and the subtle emotions manifested as police detective Kaneshiro and the blonde-haired eyeglasses-clad businesswoman dealing in illegal paraphernalia chanced upon each other when they were both feeling like failures and in need of cheering up, and bound their fates to each other (or so I hope it would happen). I was more excited about the second arc, involving Tony Leung doing regular police patrol duty, and Faye Wong, a seemingly unfeminine attendant at a sidewalk store selling coffee, salad and whatnots. The moment I saw them together, there was no doubt they'd make a great couple, even if Faye Wong was an unconventional woman and store attendant. There's nothing flattering about what she wears at work, very long flowy skirt up to her ankles when she's out on errands with circular shades (ala Vash the Stampede), her boss makes her mop the floor in front of the store (the other male Indian employees only stay at the back of the shop seemingly to cook), and plays California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas at deafening volumes when she's alone at the shop. Tony Leung either buys black coffee or chef's salad to bring home to his stewardess girlfriend. Eventually, she leaves him, and the owner suggests he take out a variety of girls, including Faye Wong. Nothing happens though, but eventually, Tony is able to have conversations with Faye. Things take off when his ex-girlfriend leaves a letter for him with his house key at the store. Faye is attracted to him first, talking to him when she passed him by the street eating while she was hauling something very heavy. Tony, the gentleman that he is, offers to carry it for her. Faye was just so cute, making up excuses so that she could stay in Tony's place, cleaning and fixing his stuff and replacing his supplies.
Tony's really oblivious character is naive to all the changes happening but he also offers insights in the clever way that Wong-Kar Wai's mind works in realizing the internal debates and monologues of a love-torn person, suggesting metaphors in the appearance of the soap and the rags. I'm now giving you a spoiler-rich synopsis but I just can't get enough of how cute the two are (yes, cute - I'm sorry I can't find any other mature words for them because I usually see things shallowly like that). Those two are absolutely the only reason you need to watch Chungking Express.
2. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Okay, I'll not go overboard this time. If anything, a really interesting beginning - a spectacled chubby girl imitating how Miss USA(?) reacts to the news of her winning the crown, a man talking about the 9 or is it 12(?) steps to something, similar to many self-help paradigms, seemingly to a big and enthusiastic crowd, a bearded man in white with bandages in his wrist getting ready for something, a teenage boy with an appearance that would fit right in at stereotypical teenage geek America doing push ups, a worried simply-dressed woman driving to somewhere (I forget what the granddad was doing).They are a father who's been trying for years to gain success with his steps to success, a depressed gay Marcel Proust scholar who tried to kill himself, a grandfather who smokes weed and still craves for a sex-filled life, a son who's got a world of his own and has resolved to not speak following Nietzsche (for about 9 months running already), a wife who has to contend with running a household and now, taking care of her depressed brother, and the young girl who only dreams of conquering America's beauty pageants but is a far cry from the media's image of beautiful, let alone pretty or cute. Seemingly a movie about a dysfunctional family, but really, these are just the quirks of this particular family, manifesting themselves as they make the journey so that the girl's dream of joining a beauty pageant come to fruition, a trip that changes everyone's views on each of their family members and about life, getting over these quirks and annoying/depressing events to make them more bonded to each other. Full of laughs and insights into an average family just making their way about life, this is memorable storytelling.
3. Almost Famous (2000)
Music. The 70s rock and roll culture. A writer/rock journalist. Three of the things I am almost crazy about. I believe I should've lived during the 70s high of rock and roll, indulged in the music and written about it. Offering an insight into the era, as well as the experiences of a young, barely-into-his-teens aspiring rock music writer touring with a band on the brink of fame and falling for the groupie who has eyes for someone else, experiencing betrayals, strained friendships, capturing the essence of a writer's life in the road during that rock-crazy period.
4. Kill Bill (2003 & 2004)
I'm more partial to the first part but it won't be complete without Vol. 2 for reasons you may see later. This was a revolutionary film for me. Combining a non-linear narrative with material that shifted from colored film to animation to black-and-white film and back, unafraid to show the unconventional such as violent fight scenes and their outcomes - blood spurting forth from punctured or severed body parts, ultra-cool, never-seen-before ways of dying as delivered by Uma Thurman's character out for revenge, and the intriguing premise of The Bride searching out the members of the deadly team she belonged to. Something we'll only come to expect from such a one as Quentin Tarantino.
5. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Okay, THIS is the ultimate feel-good teen movie for me. Shakespeare-inspired or not, Julia Stiles' highly strung, opinionated, feisty Katarina Stratford and Heath Ledger's sensible, seemingly bad-boy, rebellious type coming together after the most undesirable of circumstances - what can I say? I absolutely love how people's actions change other people. Cameron's pining for the younger Bianca Stratford, probably the only well-known of Larisa Oleynik's foray into movies (she's better remembered as Alex Mack), sets things in motion, in a story graced by the typical annoying jock in looks and personality, the geeky romance between Michael and Mandella, an Afro-American teacher who expresses the Old Bard in a unique way and tells his students to do so, spawning that famous poem, a seemingly innocuous guidance counselor on the outside but a closet avid erotic fiction writer, and an overprotective Dad who eventually comes to terms to the fact that he can't keep his daughters by his side forever. Love is simply amazing, even in the very simple way that this movie tackles it.
6. Ice Age (2002)
Watched more than 10 times. I can tell you in advance what line will be the response to a dialog. A mammoth with commitment problems, a sloth who just hangs on to the next big creature who can and will tolerate as well as protect him, a sleuth saber who learns about loyalty, and their journey to return the humans' offspring as they dodge avalanches, glacier-melting lava flows, blizzards, fossils and hieroglyphs, what passes for architecture, primitive sports and a pack of hungry, revengeful sabers - one helluva adventure filled with laughs and funny comments about that epoch in the earth's existence.
7. Fight Club (1999)
The Fight Club itself and how Edward Norton patiently bears all his troubles to reinvent himself as the maniacal carefree leader of Project Mayhem, the surprise Norton/Pitt personality split, and the hard edge and pulsing pace of the film's execution make for one explosive film.
8. Kamikaze Girls (2004)
The title was enough to make me curious. The seemingly delicate Lolita-clad character of Youko Fukuda and Anna Tsuchiya's wild but sensitive biker girl overcome odds to forge a strong friendship that puts all the other violent bikergirls in their places.
9. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Spirited Away (2001)
Felt a lot like a Disney film, I thought, when I first saw it, but with a distinctly oriental feel. Eventually, I didn't think Disney can create films such as these without Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki's insight and Japanese nature. Wonderful colors, a setting that can only be conceived in the imagination (the train ride underwater notwithstanding), a colorful cast of characters (including the witch's oversized baby and its three cohorts), a story basic to human nature. Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki are all about masterpieces of animation.
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Watched this after one Noche Buena when I was around 8, this is the first animated movie that amazed me because of its distinct style, unusual story and the musical element which was already unusual as it was the gothic characters who were giving life to the show as they take over and return the celebration of Christmas to the bearded red man.
11. The Breakfast Club (1985)
If it wasn't for the celebration of its 20th anniversary on MTV, I wouldn't have discovered this. Naturally I was curious, because of its teen-centric story. Repressed angst towards school, parents, peers and society bring together this motley crew of students who almost had nothing to do with each other until that Saturday detention. As they day wears on, they discover that they all just want the same thing. It doesn't change their lives immediately, but that day makes an impact on them all as they welcome others who are not part of their circle or comfort zones before.
12. My Sassy Girl - original Korean version (2001)
The turn that their partnership follows, their subsequent unconventional relationship - even if the girl would be the stuff of boyfriends' nightmares everywhere what with her violent streak and very assertive nature - absolutely endearing. If there were two people fated to be together, it would be them.
13. Chicago (2002)
The theater does provide a lot of great material. I didn't think I'd be engrossed by this film, but at the outset, it plunged me into the world of entertaining and the dirty side of it, complete with cabaret and jazz numbers detailing the lives of entertainers aspiring for fame and fortune, only to fall on the wrong side of it, and have to defend themselves and their careers before gossip-crazy reporters. Catherine Zeta-Jones is amazing, introducing as to her crime-blitzy world as she performs All That Jazz and the characters in prison render a very visual number about their exploits that landed them in jail in the first place. Intelligently executed and superbly entertaining.
14. Memento (2000)
Christopher Nolan is an absolute genius. Long before Inception and The Dark Knight, Nolan showcased his depth at weaving stories with Memento, telling a story from the point of view of a one who only retains his long-term memories, so that everyday is like a new day to him, as he deciphers what happened and what crimes were perpetrated to protect himself. I have not the skill to justify just how much every single person should watch this, if only to marvel at Nolan's talent.
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
This is memorable because this exposed me to the loveliness (c'mon! the hair, the smooth and fair skin - sorry fangirl mode) and bundle of effective elven techniques that is Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, deliciously portrayed by Orlando Bloom. It also showed me the richness not just in scenery but in culture and history of Tolkien's Middle Earth since I slept through The Fellowship of the Ring when I watched it.
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Honorable Mentions:
- Hero (2002)
Colors! Vivid motifs with a narrative that deceives you and unfurls itself at the very last minute.
- Cruel Intentions (1999)
Rich arrogance meets innocent, sensitive humbleness and turns his world the other way around. Romance, yes, but the tragic kind.
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
Brangelina was scorching hot here. I say these two personalities are a perfect match, and their characters and their world in the movie are grand and befitting of their stature. Okay, so I'm amazed by explosive sequences, fight scenes and against all odds stories. Plus, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt? There's nothing more to ask for.
And because of that last one, I need to add...
-Transformers (2007)
Besides the effects and the transformers themselves, the energy of this film and the fact that all the females except for Sam's mom are hot and kickass are the reasons which make this film amazing.
P.S. Now, I don't think I'll be able to write those more serious posts since I spent almost three hours on this meme. I wish I would write faster. Or else make my thoughts more concise onscreen. (I was going to write about the current state of the PFF and one other thing... Maybe later).
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