Brodie Fanns!
And a-now, the end is near. And so I face, the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
Had throw a little Sinatra in there. It's the last of the list. I'm done after this. It's over. Game over, man. Game over. Not totally. Just for this mini-series of lists. I'll still have reviews and lists and essays coming at you on a regular basis.
BUT THIS IS IT MAN! The Top 10! My Brett Favre list. Last week was Aaron Rodgers. Now it's the big cheese.
I'm not gonna get all flowery with the intro. I'm cuttin' to the damn chase. So drum roll please...
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada
It would be cool if I had video of Letterman doing this.
dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada!
10) The Shawshank Redemption
What a powerhouse this was. Both Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins were hitting their stride. Frank Darabont took a Stephen King novella of not particular grandeur and made it an epic character piece. This is the Morgan Freeman that I like, and remember. It was him narrating before it was a cliche for him to narrate. And Robbins, well I like him because he is a consummate professional. There's really two movies here. One about Robbins' Andy, and one about Freeman's Red. Both are exceptional, and both work together to make one of the finest damn movies this world has ever seen. It's too bad that it lost the '94 Best Picture Oscar to... Forrest Gump? Don't get me wrong, Forrest Gump, good movie. But over Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption AND Quiz Show? That was 1976 all over again when All The President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver all lost to... Rocky?! This film has stood the test of time, despite being given basically free reign over TNT's airwaves for the past 14 years. I can sit down and watch it and be just as moved as I was the first time. Standing Ovation!a (there's gonna be 9 more.)
9) Jaws
Hands down one of the scariest films ever made. Spielberg exploded onto the scene, combining new school film-making with old school story telling. It's the first of the $100 million blockbusters, and launched a new era in film making, but it pays a wonderful homage to Hitchcockian suspense building. We never see the shark till, well, the clip that I show (thank fucking christ I found that precise clip). The cast, Spielberg, John Williams, hell even the shark, all cemented their places in pop culture history with this film. It's terrifying, it's beautiful, it's mesmerizing- it's an original. Standing Ovation!
8) Rear Window
And this is what I was talking about. Hitchcockian suspense. At it's finest. Not known for cutting corners, Hitchcock was meticulous. So meticulous, in fact, that that entire city block those apartments sit on was built on a sound stage. So precise, that to add to the suspense, we only got to see that what Jimmy Stewart's L.B. Jefferies sees. Especially the beautiful Grace Kelly. Way to go Jimmy. It's very niiice. It's a taught thriller that builds tension through seclusion, isolation and imagination- yours and his. Rear Window is one of the most fascinating films ever made, I could literally watch it over and over. But I don't. I don't have that kind of free time. Standing Ovation!
7) Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Graunes
The scariest film ever made. F.W. Murnau is a visual master who set the stage for future greats like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero and John Carpenter. Looking at it from today's perspective, you can watch this film, and see the future of horror, indeed the future of cinema in this film. It's a beautiful piece of work. that can't be denied. Max Schreck's characterization of the frighteningly daft vampire Nosferatu is the stuff nightmares are made of. Standing Ovation!
6) The Godfather: Part II
Al Pacino. Robert De Niro. Robert Duvall. Diane Keaton. Lee Strasberg. Cameos by Marlon Brando and James Caan. The talent alone is enough to make any cine-phile cream their jeans, but Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's adaptation of Puzo's novel is really where it's at. The novel was so hugely massive that they had to split it up into two films. A bulk of the story is in the first one, but the rest and more was put into The Godfather II. We get a compelling look into the parallels and the stark differences between Michael and Vito's respective rises to power. It's an amazing film that everyone needs to view at least once in their life. Standing Ovation!
5) Donnie Darko
It's completely twisted, completely complicated, but ultimately the one of the most beautiful stories ever told. Richard Kelly rules all with his debut feature film that put Jake Gyllenhaal on the map. It delves into the interesting psychosis of a young man facing the ultimate decision of sacrifice and redemption. Not to mention the added bonus of a completely intricate time travel sub-plot. It'll take a few viewings for it to fully sink in... but once it does, it'll blow your mind. Standing Ovation!
SPOILER ALERT! So... it is the end scene, but I don't think you really can get spoiled because you need to see the whole film... plus it doesn't really give anything away.
4) Sin City
Robert Rodriguez essentially created a beautiful new era of film making when he shot his all digital opus Sin City. Taking everything Lucas had been doing for the past 10 years, and then actually doing it with style and talent, Rodriguez is able to elicit some stand-out performances from actors who are performing in front of mostly green screen sets, and without the actors they're in the scene with. That's right. There's a scene between Marv (Mickey Rourke) and Nancy (Jessica Alba), and the two characters do appear on screen together, but it was originally shot with just Alba, then shot again with just Rourke. It's seamless, you can't tell. It was modern-noir at it's best, and gloriously gory. Standing Ovation!
3) It's A Wonderful Life
And it's a wonderful film, too. Every great filmmaker has that one film which defines their career, and this is Frank Capra's. He's done a multitude of great films, but this is HIS. My biggest interest in films in general comes from the development of characters. And George Baily is one of the most fascinating, relatable characters ever put to film. High ideals mixed with personal obligations, everybody has at some point felt like George. They sacrifice and sacrifice and ask "where's mine?" when they're tired of the sacrifice. It's an inspirational film, that isn't so much a holiday film, just a film that takes place during the holidays. Jimmy Stewart was at the top of his game, and the film is only enhanced by the supporting cast also at the top of their game. From Donna Reed to Lionel Barrymore to Henry Travers, all were never better. Standing Ovation!
2) Pulp Fiction
Ever since I saw Pulp Fiction when I was, maybe 14, I knew that this was the film to like. There is something about it. The retro 70's feel of the film, the hip dialog, the plentiful but just this side of gratuitous violence, the unconventional story telling. It's all perfectly put together with fantastic performances from Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel and Eric Stoltz. Tarantino made his statement with Reservoir Dogs, but it's Pulp Fiction that's his landmark. His peak. Not to say everything since has been shit. It's all been great. But it will be hard for him to top Pulp Fiction.
1) The Godfather
It's number one. With a bullet. It, to me, is the perfect film. It doesn't suffer the trappings of many longer films, and that is pacing problems. Francis Ford Coppola perfectly laid out the most epic of crime sagas with the most fantastic of casts. There's multiple stories being told, but Coppola never overextends the bounds of the film. It's about the family, and that's what we're told. Only towards the end does it shift focus to the main thrust of the franchise- Al Pacino's Michael Corleone. Powerful, gut-wrenching, emotional, violent and moody, it's the perfect film. Everybody needs to see it. Now. Right now. Go. Now. Rent it. Standing Ovation!
So that's it. That's my top 10. Of all time. EVAR!
Sorry it's late, I've had an interesting weekend. This week I'll have a post-game wrap up of the list, and a few reviews (FINALLY Sweeny Todd and also Cloverfield. Little forecast on that, it's the best film of '08, not saying much at this point, but I predict it staying near the top all year)
Have a good Sunday! Go Pack Go. Tom Brady's a douche bag.
-Brodie Mann
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