2021 Topic Video
Added 2020-12-31 19:15:24 +0000 UTCOkay, first topic for the new year is what is your favorite film and why? Since you're my patreon peeps, as always you get first dibs. Can't wait to see your answers.
Comments
A favourite film is impossible, but I guess if I had to highlight one of my favs it would be "Through A Glass Darkly." It's definitely among my favourites and one you haven't previously highlighted. It's absolutely beautiful visually, all the characters are so well created. The acting is brilliant from everyone, and it holds personal significance. I can completely relate to all four main characters. It's incredibly difficult to watch in some ways, but FAR more rewarding. I watch it again and again and again and get something out of it each time.
Emma & Brian
2021-01-03 06:05:02 +0000 UTCMy favorite film is a tie between “The Mirror” by Andrei Tarkovsky, “The Tree of Life” by Terrence Malick, and “Synecdoche: New York” by Charlie Kaufman. I like all three of these films for very similar reasons. Each of the films in their own way attempts to grapple with the question of what it means to exist while simultaneously possessing an unflinching commitment to articulating, visualizing and dramatizing the ideas of their respective artistic visions, whether they be hauntingly poetic, harrowingly existential, or hopefully explorative. Each of the films have eloquently brought the filmmakers’ visions to life in what they believed to be the most authentic and distinct manner possible, while simultaneously managing to explore some of the most fundamentally human of questions like- How do we process death? How does our past shape us? What are we going to be leaving behind when we die? And what is it that defines the core essence of human fulfillment and intimacy in the face of our finite amount of time on this planet?
Eugene Cumberbatch
2021-01-01 15:16:37 +0000 UTCIt is difficult to pick just one favorite film due to the huge variety of films and genres. Yet if I have to pick one it's almost certainly Andrzej Żuławski's 'Possession'. The film may seem challenging for some due to the extremes it goes to, and it is thematically denser than one might expect from a supposed "genre movie", which is a clever disguise. It treats both the personal and the political through abstract metaphors as well as the very concrete display of blood and guts. Maybe that is part of the reason why it is able to move me on both an intellectual as well as an emotional, visceral, completely intuitive level. It has some of the most intense acting performances ever committed to film and is made by people - filmmakers and actors alike - in complete command of their craft. There is not a single frame or line of dialogue I would change or omit. It's an unparalleled artistic achievement, almost in a league or category of its own.
Michael Hofmann
2021-01-01 09:14:11 +0000 UTCMy Fair Lady. Musicals are my favorite film genre and this is the most hilarious, charming, and beautiful film I've ever seen that remains unsurpassed to this day although La La Land definitely challenged it. Rex Harrison gives my favorite performance in any movie, Audrey Hepburn is my favorite movie star and she unexpectedly nails Eliza Doolittle, and the supporting cast of Wilfrid Hyde White, Stanley Holloway, and Gladys Cooper should not be overlooked. The soundtrack is nothing short of awe inspiring and the production and costume design makes you want to frame every shot and put it on your wall. Finally, in a world where gender politics is a bigger deal than it should be and has caused unnecessary hostility between men and women, this film explores the positives and negatives of both sides and shows that they can accept each other for who they are. The ending where Eliza is willing to care for Higgins, not as a lover but as a friend, and Higgins coming around to care for her after everything he thinks about women shows that there are some people *cough Tomi Lahren cough* that should accept the other side for who they are so we can be together as friends not necessarily lovers. That is why this film is still relevant to this day and one of many reasons why it is my favorite of all time.
Wolfman Brandon
2021-01-01 02:49:18 +0000 UTCAbsolutely true! Definitely in my top 5!
Wolfman Brandon
2021-01-01 01:14:07 +0000 UTCLooking for Mr Goodbar; while it has a reputation of being that forgotten, disturbing Diane Keaton movie that traumatized a generation of kids in the eighties who accidentally caught it on TV, it deeply resonated with me. I hardly think about it as a depressing movie really, I think I love it so much because I’ve never seen a female character so realistically confident, shameless and just so cool. I think she turns into the kind of woman every woman wants to be, and though the movie does switch gears into a gut wrenching horror film, it’s honestly just realistic to the real world. A reminder that we can’t have that much fun.
Trudie
2020-12-31 23:52:16 +0000 UTCYeah, it's not easy to pick one favorite film. My second favorite is Leon (1994). In some ways is better than Scarface, has more interesting script and characters. As much as I love Jean Reno as Leon, Natalie Portman's performance is the one I admire the most. That was her debut and she was perfect. Totally natural. Luc Besson direction is great which you can see in every frame. Eric Serra' s score is spot on. It's one of these films that move me to tears, two scenes in particular. Also one of the best openings in movies ever. Brilliant introduction to the main character.
Oskitello
2020-12-31 23:14:25 +0000 UTCAfter watching a certain amount of films it’s very difficult to have one definitive favorite so I kind of have a few that on the right day I would call my absolute favorite film. There Will Be Blood is one of the most brilliantly crafted and truthful depictions of the american dream I’ve ever seen and one of the most haunting character studies of one of the most truly fascinating characters I’ve ever come across. DDL also gives my absolute favorite performance ever. 2001 and Apocalypse Now are also right up there mostly bc I see them as extremely psychedelic odysseys into the darkest and weirdest parts of the mind and I love the cold and clinical but creative way they depict the human experience. Mulholland Drive is also one of the most unique films I’ve ever seen and maybe the biggest reason I started diving deeper into cinema and exploring just how deeply it can affect you when it was on the syllabus in a film course I took at community college. I watched it on my iPad late at night with headphones (so I would get the full experience) and I was extremely exhausted and high as a kite and I genuinely haven’t been the same since. Also by far the best jump scare I’ve ever seen.
Dan Tedesco
2020-12-31 22:36:14 +0000 UTCScarface (1983). In terms of the plot it's nothing special - rise and fall motif that we've seen many times. However it's a classic and very interesting movie, a remake but with its own identity. Some sort of B-movie with ambitious approach. I saw a lot of B-movies on VHS during my childhood and that's partly why I like this movie so much. Also I spent hours playing GTA: Vice City. Cinematography is just beautiful, full of color, full of life. I love Al Pacino's expressionistic performance, hilarious at times. Giorgio Moroder's score is stunning. There's some cool lines and action scenes. This movie is WILD. Almost 3h long but I never get tired of it. The best remake of all time in my opinion.
Oskitello
2020-12-31 21:32:46 +0000 UTCForgot to say, Happy New Years!!
Christian Sanaploianu
2020-12-31 19:48:39 +0000 UTCMulholland Dr. In addition to all the usual reasons one likes a film (it's gorgeous, the acting is great, etc.), I love that it's like a puzzle box with endless patterns. Every time I watch it, I see and feel something different. Some people feel like it has no valid meaning, but feel just the opposite: that there are many possible, equally valid, meanings.
Derek H.
2020-12-31 19:48:36 +0000 UTCCinema Paradiso. I remember watching it for the first time in the 8th grade and it still leaves the same impression on me as it did that first time I saw it. The film has some of the most genuine characters ever crafted. They're are all full of soul and passion, especially Alfredo. It is a coming of age film like I've never seen before. The music is nothing far from perfect, the cinematography is truly beautiful and I cannot express again how much I love the characters in the film. It would seem challenging to create and develop a friendship like the ome Salvatore and Alfredo portray but Tornatore has done it brilliantly. Also it's quite noticeable that Tornatore broadcasts a few fellini-like references throughout this film, everything from the wacky characters to the dark humor towards the catholic church. It's a wonderful film and I've seen the original cut and the directors cut, but I will always choice the original cut because I feel as though the directors cut loses its sense of innocence and motivation. It's a film that will change your perspective on your own self, by pushing you into take risks and being inspired to do the things that give your life purpose. There's a quote in the film from Alfredo which has always stuck with me "I don't want to hear you talk anymore, I want to hear others talking about you" Those words have always stuck with me.
Christian Sanaploianu
2020-12-31 19:46:08 +0000 UTCMy favorite is Empire Strikes Back! I’m not even a huge Star Wars fan, but so like some of the films and really dig Mandalorian. Empire is just a masterful film. Near flawless! The characters, the drama, the tension, the action scenes, all just blend together so well. And it’s very well paced.
Tony Moro
2020-12-31 19:41:52 +0000 UTCLa La Land While it was in theaters, I saw it eight different times. One of those times being my first date with my fiance. Outside of that, I see it as this wonderful celebration of passion and love. It captures movie magic in a way I hadn't experienced since I was a kid watching The Wizard of Oz for the first time. And it's bittersweet ending really struck a chord with me as I had recently come out of my most intense relationship at that point in my life and it helped me cope with that heartbreak. There's nothing about it I don't love and it holds a very personal significance to me and is a milestone movie in my life.
Tyler Shobe
2020-12-31 19:22:07 +0000 UTC
