Everyone on the internet has a list of their top ten films. I figured I’d throw mine on top of the pile. The only thing that will differentiate between those and mine will be that I am freely saying that you will probably disagree with me. Every top ten list I’ve read treats itself as the holy grail of film lists. Its like if you haven’t seen the films on Bubba from Texas’ top ten list, you don’t know jack about film. I won’t be saying that at all. This is strictly a list of films that have influenced me as a filmmaker and hopefully will make you interested as well.
Before I dive straight into the list, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on how the list is compiled. I like to treat films like wine. This means that there probably won’t be many films on this list from the past 5 to 10 years. The reason for this is that my general feeling towards a film could change as I get older. It has happened many times. Had I made this list five years ago, it would have looked strikingly different. I also like to give credence to the entertainment value of a film. This isn’t going to be a list consisting of mostly foreign experimental films, although there may be one in there. I am a believer in the idea that art has to be entertaining as well as thought provoking. Leave one of those elements out and it isn’t quite cinema any longer.
So, without further hesitation, let the list begin!!!
Number 10: Almost Famous (2000) dir. Cameron Crowe
There are very few films that address the awkward periods of adolescence without treating them like the worst years of our lives. Yes we’re naive and still discovering who we are. However, most films like to treat this as hell on earth. Almost Famous treats this simply as a time of discovery, physically and emotionally. The film is loosely auto-biographical. The director, Cameron Crowe, has interviewed and traveled with legendary bands of the 70’s such as Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and King Crimson. This was mainly due to the fact that many rock journalists of that era saw these bands as inferior. The main character of the film, William Miller, who in the same vein as Crowe is hired to interview the fictional 70’s band Still Water.
The movie deals heavily with hero worship and humanization. As we grow older we realize that those we thought were perfect are just as feeble as we are. William’s journey takes him deep into the under belly of the rock & roll lifestyle. Sex, drugs and the illusion of double identities test young William’s developing characteristics. Unlike many films, we watch a teenager with enough blind confidence and naivety to pass through the belly of the beast and come back unharmed. Surprisingly, he’s better off after the fact.
From a technical standpoint, the subtleties in the cinematography helps to keep you involved in the story. There is nothing overly beautiful, and thus not distracting, about the way its shot. A softness in the lighting helps to keep the material from entering a more “adult” realm. We are constantly kept in the mindset of a young teenager. The writing and acting also delivers. Very rare is it possible to get a believable performance from a young actor. Many times, they are avoided for that very reason. However, Patrick Fugit is guided masterfully by both Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup. Not one performance over shadows the other, helping us to stay locked in to the imaginary world created for us.
Almost Famous pulls up the rear of the list primarily because of its sincerity. Sometimes its the little things you do on screen that makes the experience the most enjoyable.
Number 9: Lost in Translation (2003) dir. Sofia Coppola
In the preface to this list I said that there probably weren’t going to be many films from the last 10 years. This will be the last of them. To say that Sofia Coppola comes from cinematic royalty would be an understatement. Her father is arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. At first, it seemed that she was destined for a mediocre career in acting. She never seemed to flourish as a performer. It wasn’t until 1999 that her talent as a director appeared. Four years later she made what may be her best film, Lost in Translation.
Lost in Translation is not your typical film. The story is experimental, loose, uneventful, and lacking in pure drama. “Why would this movie make my list,” you say? It makes the bottom half of the list for its cinematography and over all experience. I’ve been to Japan, Tokyo in particular, several times. Watching this movie is the closest I’ve ever seen to capturing that experience. At first, Tokyo is shown as dizzying, frustrating and robotic. It lacks any sense of romanticism. The flashing lights of Shinjuku in the opening sequence is more overwhelming than stimulating. It takes the perspective of a first time foreigner in a land he doesn’t care to understand.
It isn’t until that foreigner meets a young woman sharing the same mindset as his own that the movie truly shows the type of experience Tokyo can be. I’m not trying to say that traveling alone is a horrible experience. One of the interpretations of the film can be that we never truly travel alone. Our worries and doubts travel with us. Bill Murray’s character, Bob Harris, is at the same point in his life as the much younger Charlotte, played by Scarlet Johansson. Say what you will about Scarlet’s acting career, this is one of the few times where her deadpan delivery actually worked well. She appeared lost and hopeless, looking towards an older man for the answers to the unknown questions of the future. Unfortunately, his years have not helped to provide any answers.
Together, and through the brilliant photography of Lance Acord, they succeed in not attempting to explore for answers. Instead, they enjoy the company of someone equally as lost and unsure as the other. The characters don’t come off as wimpy or emo. They seem more unfulfilled than anything else.
It could be said that this is a look at the formative years of Sofia Coppola’s directorial career. The characters are a physical representation of the turmoil in transition. The feelings that they express mirror a universal fear of transition and thus a fear of the unknown. This is something that Coppola herself has probably had a lot of time to think about and why it is definitely her best and most relatable film.
One of the common complaints about the film is its treatment of Japanese people as clownish. The moments of beauty and understanding seem to be lost in these complaints. It can be argued that the foreign characters, especially Bob Harris, come off as more clownish. These moments of comedy sprinkled into an otherwise brooding film help to break the potential monotony.
In the end, we are left with an experimental film that balances entertainment with an unorthodox storytelling style. It makes the list more so for its cinematography and location than anything else.
To be continued… (tomorrow: #’s 8 & 7)
(Please leave a comment with your thoughts)