This is a list that I will be adding on to little by little, I don’t think it will ever be absolute, nor do I think it will be a list that ends. Hope you find these interesting, and if you’ve seen any of them, please let me know!!! I’d love to talk about them with anyone!
I chose not to give this list any sort of numerical limit mainly because of how difficult I found it to rank one movie I like as being better compared to another because I like them in different ways. Writing this list made me realise a theme when it comes to movies I like best, which are:
- Made or set in the 20th century
- Visually crazy/beautiful and over-the-top
- Ensemble pieces; there are a bunch of different characters that I really love that interact well together
- Movies that lie (they make up their own mythology in their adaptations of more normal things)
and - Comedies, or if not, are generally fun watches
Contrary to what I just wrote, the first 3 ARE my all time favs and I really wanted to emphasise that by making them first.
The Twentieth Century (2019)
This is my all time favourite movie, like ever. Much like the ‘canon event’ in Spiderman, this movie substantially impacted who I have become as a person.
Set in 1899, The Twentieth Century is the story of William Lyon Mackenzie King (nicknamed Rex, the prime minister of Canada from the 1920s-1940s) and his attempts to become prime minister.
It should be said that none of the information in the movie is accurate. None. It is all one big lie. That’s what I love so much about it. It takes the very real and very boring life of WLMK and completely turns it on its head, through the insane visuals, the set design (my favourite places are Vancouver, a very weird deforested mountain landscape, and Winnipeg, made to be a literal hell-hole) and its themes of sexuality and repression (such as the adoption later in the movie by WLMK of Victorian-era anti-masturbation gadgets).
When I first watched The Twentieth Century, it made me realise how film can be used and manipulated and transformed into a piece of art with meaning, and because of that, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Go watch it, you will not regret it.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969, was the first ever X-rated film to win an Oscar.
The story is about Joe Buck, a Texan who dons a cowboy persona and goes to New York to become a male prostitute and make it big, which doesn't happen and he instead becomes homeless with his new found friend, Enrico Salvatore Rizzo (who Joe calls ‘Ratso’).
I am always a sucker on commentaries on masculinity and 1960s culture and omg does this movie deliver on it. There is so much in this movie that I discover every time I watch this and therefore I grow to love it more. I also cannot overstate how much I love the relationship between Joe and Ratso.
I know I referred to them as just ‘friends’ in my little synopsis, but please know that their relationship is way more moving than any other one I’ve seen in a movie. I cry literally every time I watch it, it’s just so good.
Also, I own Midnight Cowboy on DVD!! It’s the only Criterion collection movie I could justify spending 65+ dollars on.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apocalypse Now, vaguely adapted from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is the story of Captain Willard, and his journey into Cambodia by boat during the Vietnam War to kill (“Terminate, with extreme prejudice”) a Colonel whos gone mad and commands a group of local Cambodians deep in the jungle. It is such a cool movie, where after every viewing, you realise other small details that changes how you view the movie.
Though it’s a little strange for me to say this given the fact that he only appears in the last 30 minutes of a 2 and a half hour (or 3 and a half for the Redux cut) long movie, Apocalypse Now is also my favourite Marlon Brando movie.
If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know why. You send so much time watching and waiting for the encounter of such an important person, you learn bits and pieces about who he is and you go through what the calamity of war alongside the main characters, and you are presented at the very end–almost as a reward– of such an imposing and magnetic character. The end of the movie in general has got to be one of my all time favourite moments in cinema too, pure art honestly.
If you are wondering which version to watch (either the original, the redux or the final cut), my favourite is the original cut, though I would also recommend afterward watching the redux for extra stuff that, though isn’t necessary to the plot, does better humanise the characters and their personalities. I haven’t seen the final cut because quite frankly, I think 3 different cuts of the same movie is a little much, especially since they didn’t even add anything new.
If you’re as interested in Apocalypse Now and the behind the scenes components of movie making as well, I’d also really recommend watching Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. All of the stuff that happened for Apocalypse Now to be created are insane and crazy interesting to look into.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Sorry to Bother You is the very surreal story of a man who is newly hired at a call center and excels at it due to his ability to perfect his ‘white-voice’.
This movie was written and directed by Boots Riley, who is also a part of The Coup (a hip-hop group I really like). A lot of the work Riley creates revolves around anti-capitalist and socialist themes and Sorry to Bother You is no exception. It is so weird and funny and weird and crazy and strange and entertaining and… did I mention weird? There is a twist half-way through the movie that made my jaw drop, and it’s a movie I can always go back to because of how silly and fun it is.
Tommy (1975)
Tommy is the film adaptation of a rock opera made by the band The Who.
It not only stars Roger Daltry as Tommy, a boy who becomes ‘blind, deaf and dumb’ by unfortunate circumstance, but also tons of other iconic 70s celebrities like Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon and Jack Nicholson. It is such an insane (both visually and plot-wise) movie that I love to bits. I literally cannot begin to explain how great this movie is, you just need to watch it.
Lisztomania (1975)
Very similar to Tommy, Lisztomania is also a Ken Russell (one of my fav directors) movie that stars Roger Daltrey.
This movie loudly and proudly lies to your face about who Franz Liszt is, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. The crazy, over-the-top visuals are another reason. This movie, just like Tommy, is so crazy I cannot explain it and it is something you just need to watch for yourself.
Exepect more to be added in the future!
