hyksos announcement

32. Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, US, 1947)

(imdb)

I checked this out on my friend Bill’s recommendation – he called it the most influential film noir ever made. Along with Night of the Hunter, this is my favorite of the genre (though I am far from an expert). Almost every shot oozes with darkness, making the perfect pairing of Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum even more malevolent.

33. Ichi the Killer (Takashi Miike, Japan, 2001)

(imdb)

I’m as wimpy of a pacifist as you’ll ever meet, yet I love super-violent films and video games. It’s not that I use films to get out my own violent tendencies – rather, because I am not a violent person I am fascinated by what motivates people to kill and main (and also curious about cinema’s own fascination/propagation with/of aggression). This is a heavily stylized, visually awe-inspiring meditation on violence, elevating it to the level of art. It touches on body, torture, and sexual violence in a way that is uncomfortable to watch (and even more uncomfortably exhilarating). Everyone says you need to see the uncut version, and it’s true – that extra 2 seconds in the nipple-slicing scene will stay with you for a long time.

34. The Kentucky Fried Movie (John Landis, US, 1977)

(imdb)

I could have substituted any number of films for this one (see below) but I went with The Kentucky Fried Movie because it’s relatively low-profile as these films go. Of course, The Naked Gun comes close, as “Nice beaver!” is possibly the best joke ever. I have a bottomless appetite for stupid, slapstick comedies, and I’m happy to see a recent resurgence with films like Anchorman, Zoolander, etc.

Instead of tKFM, any of these could be substituted:
1. The Naked Gun
2. Airplane!
3. UHF
4. Anchorman
5. The Naked Gun 2 1/2
6. Zoolander
7. Super Troopers
8. Spaceballs
9. Hot Shots
10. The Jerk

35. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, US, 1971)

(imdb)

Sentimental value here – when I was about 14, my aunt Jayne recommended this to me. She was visiting from Florida, and watched it with my cousin and I. As a young adolescent, the goofy side of the humour appealed to me; more importantly, it reinforced my developing creative leanings. I’ve watched it a few times since, and it always fills me with a warm joy. I listen to the Cat Stevens soundtrack quite a bit too, which is pretty much a 'greatest hits' for him.

36. Capturing the Freidmans (Andrew Jarecki, US, 2003)

(imdb)

This is either the most balanced or the most manipulative documentary I have ever seen. The subject matter is nothing to laugh at, and the documenting of the Freidmans’ breakdown through the oldest brothers video diaries is truly “stranger than fiction” (as clichéd as that sounds). After watching this, I truly felt the filmmakers had not chosen a side. After seeing the (unmissable) DVD supplements and reading a bit of background, I think they definitely chose a side and structured the film as carefully as possible to make it look like they hadn’t, which in a way is even more manipulative. There’s a ton of grey area and no definite answers, but it's certainly compelling.

37. The Parallax View (Alan J. Pakula, US, 1974)

(imdb)

I went through a big 70’s conspiracy kick; I was reading novels like DeLillos’ Running Dog and McElroy’s Lookout Cartridge while watching films like this. The mind-control/assassin stuff is quite laughable, and it’s hard to think anyone could take it seriously now (or then) – but the theme of a massive, many-tentacled organization conspiring against us is one I never tire of. That theme is here, in fine form. Also in fine form is Warren Beatty’s hair.

38. Don't Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker, US, 1967)

(imdb)

I’m not a massive Dylan fan but this is incredible, not so much for the music but for peeking at the most important figure in the cultural history of music during a period of transition. You can also view this as proof of the impossibility of true documentary, for the camera’s presence is always known to Dylan; it's the catalyst for all of his attitudes and quirks. The parody in Bob Roberts is great too.

39. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, US, 1998)

(imdb)

This film seems to divide people. I love it (and have seen it numerous times through many of my own drunken hazes) though others seem to find it annoying and gratuitous. I find this to be Gilliam’s finest work because it truly captures a spirit that might be irresponsible, might be self-destructive, but might perfectly encapsulate the ‘American Dream’, whatever the fuck that might be. Whatever you may think about Johnny Depp for all his annoying cartoon roles, his performance here is absolutely brilliant.

40. Human Highway (Dean Stockwell, Neil Young, US, 1982)

(imdb)

I have a theory that I have seen Human Highway more times than anyone else in the world, including Neil Young himself. I’m not quite sure how this happened – I think I’ve just watched it with a lot of different people over the years, usually after uttering the line “oh man, you like Neil Young? Wait til you see this!” Then I made a bootleg DVD of it and did a commentary track with “Neil” himself, so that brought me even closer to the material. A British friend was recently saying how he didn’t understand why Americans enjoyed bad things – how we will get together in groups and intentionally watch bad movies. While Human Highwayis definitely a “bad” film, it’s the best kind of trainwreck. Almost everyone I've watched it with admits that it has some merits: the dream sequence is like a bus accident involving Bruce Baillie and Stan Brakhage; the 10 minute noise jam on “My My Hey Hey” with Devo entirely justifies the remaining 80 minutes. So this may be an example of a bad film that I have made good through my own obsessive viewings. I can’t say I understand it any more than the first time I saw it, but my enjoyment has increased each time.

41. Simple Men (Hal Hartley, US, 1992)

(imdb)

Hartley is a difficult one for me to wrap my head around. When I first started investigating film during my college years, his work really appealed to me – maybe it was his quirky dialogue, faux-meaningful lines, and semi-deep insights into life and relationships. Now I can’t stomach any of it except Simple Men, which has a place close to my heart. I re-watched this last week, and instead of cringing at the awkward moments, I tried to figure out Hartley’s motivations. Obviously he’s obsessed with Godard, even copping the dance routine from Bande a part here. I’m still not certain what it achieves besides a senseless illustration of cinematic artifice; unlike Greenaway’s cinema, which mocks attempts at understanding the world, Hartley is looking at human relationships, so the distance his awkward/clichéd dialogue creates doesn’t seem to help. Despite this distance, I love this film purely for its narrative, especially the way Long Island is portrayed as a mystical place – almost like an inviting American version of Tarkovsky’s Zone. (Though it was actually filmed in Texas.)

42. Ovoce stromu rajskych jime (Fruit of Paradise) (Vera Chytilová, Czechoslovakia/Belgium, 1969)

(imdb)

I don’t know if I can describe this film and do it any justice; the opening 15 minutes boast some of the most dazzling cinematic aesthetics I have ever seen, and the ensuing narrative has the bouncy delights of a Marx brothers film but a ponderous allegorical context as well. Like her equally enjoyable Semidkravsky, Chytilová uses surrealist images, an anarchic sense of narrative, and a fast-paced editing technique to create something completely wonderful.

43. Cremaster cycle (Matthew Barney, US/UK/France, 1995-2002)

(imdb)

For some reason the people in my graduate program think I’m obsessed with Cremaster because I mentioned it twice and no one knew what I was talking about. I’m sorry, I thought this was one of the major art events of the past ten years and everyone knew about it. I’m not even the biggest fan – I can’t say Barney does much more than string together some amazing surreal/occult images with a bit of creepy slapstick thrown in – but I can’t deny that I enjoyed most of the 7 hours – if only for the fact that he got millions of dollars to string together some amazing surreal/occult images with some creepy slapstick thrown in. For the record, my favorites are #4, 2 and 3 (in that order).

44. Martin (George Romero, US, 1977)

(imdb)

For a Pittsburgher, I’m not as up on Romero as I really should be – I haven’t seen all of his films, and while I will argue drunkenly that Dawn of the Dead is the greatest horror film ever made, Martin makes my list instead. This may be purely because I am a Pittsburgher – though I have never lived in Braddock, where this is filmed. Shot a few years before I was born, this uses vampirism as a metaphor for the economic conditions of Rust Belt America. The low-budget, grainy 16mm feel makes it really effective - the opening scene one of the most creepy, compelling horror scenes ever. And it documents the PatTrain, an extremely short-lived passenger service in Pittsburgh.

45. My Breakfast with Blassie (Linda Lautrec/Johnny Legend, US, 1983)

(imdb)

I find confusion to be important in things that I like; this elaborate inside joke is one of the most brilliant pieces of comedy/conceptual art I have ever seen, never coming clean to viewer or participants. I don’t know what Kaufmann was thinking of doing with this, as its commercial potential was nonexistent; I’d guess he just made it for the amusement of him and Zmuda – which is good enough for me.

46. The Laughing Policeman (Stuart Rosenberg, US, 1973)

(imdb)

My fascination with American film of the 1970’s has gone on for some time, and there’s enough stuff surfacing on DVD to keep me occupied for the next few years, if not longer. I’m continually discovering new gems from this time, which I believe is the true renaissance period of American cinema. On the surface, The Laughing Policeman is a Walter Matthau cop film/murder mystery. The mystery quickly becomes irrelevant, as the film is an examination of the relationship between Matthau and his partner (played by Bruce Dern). The portrayal of San Francisco is utterly scummy, and as moog_squirrel pointed out, this is the only Walter Matthau film I've ever seen without even a trace of humour in his character.

Runners-up: films that just barely missed the Top 50

The Last Wave (Peter Weir, Australia, 1977)
Caché (Michael Haneke, France, 2005)
Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, US, 1933)
Network (Sidney Lumet, US 1976)
Local Hero (Bill Forsyth, Scotland, 1983)
Lone Star (John Sayles, US, 1996)
La nuit des traquées (Night of the Hunted) (Jean Rollin, France, 1980)
Spoorloos (The Vanishing) (George Sluizer, France/Netherlands, 1988)
Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, US, 1962)
Playtime (Jacques Tati, France, 1967)
Medium Cool (Haskell Wexler, US, 1969)
F For Fake (Orson Welles, France/Germany, 1971)
L’Hypothèse du tableau volé (The Hypotheis of the Stolen Painting) (Raul Ruiz, France, 1979)
London / Robinson In Space (Patrick Keiller, UK, 1994/1997)

47. Festen (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 1998)

(imdb)

I think this film may have been overshadowed somewhat by the whole “Dogme 95” manifesto that went with it. Of the Dogme films I’ve seen, this is the only one worth a shit – it utilizes the forced limitations of the philosophy to actually emphasize the subject matter, rather than hold it back. Dogme, because of its self-imposed constraints, can be seen as an Oulipo film; in addressing domestic abuse, the choppy handheld camerawork succeeds in making a film that is intimate yet strangely disconnected at the same time. I suspect the manifesto was a bit of a joke, but that it produced this brilliant film is justification enough of its existence.

48. Straw Dogs (Sam Peckinpah, UK/USA, 1971)

(imdb)

Straw Dogs is not an easy film; for as much as has been written about it, there is nothing that compares to watching it. Though I am choosing it as one of my 50 favorite films, I may never watch it again. It is an attack on ideology comparable to anything Buñuel ever made, yet done without any hint of fantasy or surrealism; it is visceral, excruciating, and offers no easy answers.

addendum 21 july 2007:
I haven't seen much else by Peckinpah yet but his last film, The Osterman Weekend, is a fascinating entry in that category of "late-period trainwrecks by once-great directors", alongside things like Richard Brooks' Fever Pitch or the last Hal Ashby film. It features Rutger Hauer, Craig T. Nelson (TV's Coach!) and Dennis Hopper, and is something like a cross between a 70's film like The Parallax View and Max Headroom or something.

49. Miller's Crossing (Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, US, 1990)

(imdb)

In many ways, the Coen brothers were a ‘gateway’ drug for film. In high school they opened up the possibilities of cinema for me, by being both entertaining and thought provoking. I devoured their films passionately. Looking back, there is a special place in my heart for Miller’s Crossing, their take on the 30’s gangster film. They don’t overstep any boundaries with their quirkiness here, instead concentrating on rhythm and color.

50. Breaking Away (Peter Yates, US, 1979)

(imdb)

If you know me (and if you’re reading this, chances are that you do) then you know I love sports; however I’m not crazy about sports movies. Yet I love this low-budget coming-of-age film; centering on a bicycle race in Bloomington, IN, it completely captures the feeling of growing up in the Midwest. I’m from Pittsburgh, which isn’t really the Midwest, but it's close enough. I discovered this through my friend Lloyd, who started an all-sports intramural squad called Cutters in honor of this film (all participants wear a jersey with #34 on the back). Just a few weeks ago at the Lexington Independence Day celebration, I saw someone with a homemade Cutters shirt (which brought a smile to my face).

Fifty favorite films

Last summer while in the middle of writing my dissertation, I let myself be distracted by a friend who had to make a list of his 50 favorite films for work. It wasn't just any list - it was mandated that each film be accompanied by a paragraph, a photo, and an imdb link. I decided to make my own list; while I usually hate ranking art quantitatively, this was sorta fun. In a way it became my shadow dissertation; I would look forward to working on the list whenever I had time.

I've decided to post it here; maybe 50 different posts, 1 per day until it's done, or maybe four or five at a time. I'm not sure. I haven't really watched many films this year as I've been busy with other pursuits, but now I'm feeling a wave coming on and I suspect - I sincerely hope - that I will find many new films to be excited about which will upset my previous Top 50. So posting the Top 50 as of September 2006 is probably a good thing, if this is a turning point.

Your comments are welcome. I'll finish this with the introduction I wrote to my Top 50 list last year:

I have said before and I will repeatedly say: I don’t know much about film. I am very enthusiastic about what I have seen; Lenin once said that cinema is “the most important of all arts,” and I completely agree. I’ve taken a few film classes but mostly just watched things on my own; thus, I have this passion for weird, obscure surrealist films and American films from the 70s, yet I’ve never seen A Clockwork Orange or many other critically important works. Maybe my priorities are screwed up and idiosyncratic; I don’t claim to be an expert, just an enthusiast who is frequently seized with awe by the combination of image, sound, motion and time.

The list that follows is my attempt to cobble my favorite films into some sort of quantitative value system, and then briefly articulate why each is listed. I’m sure there are contradictions and omissions, but that’s the way it goes. I tried to focus on films that are important to me on a personal level, rather than just re-iterating the greatness of, say, The Third Man (as a million other people have already written about it). This also explains why undisputable masterpieces of the cinematic form, like The Godfather or 8 1/2 are absent from this list -- unless it’s something that really spoke to me, changed my view on things, or inspired me in some meaningful way toward my own projects of creation. I tend to subscribe to the auteur ‘theory’ (though I don’t like the fact that I do); generally I stick to one film per director here, although there are a few exceptions. That’s not to say that Zerkalo and Solaris aren’t among my fifty favorite films ever, but I am trying to make this more broad than accurate. And deciding what to select is half the fun.