My Favorite Comedy Films

This was a very difficult list for me to make as I love so many different comedies. I decided to only include one film per director and that made it possible to have a more diverse list. My preliminary list had four from the Coen brothers, two from Wes Anderson, and two from Jason Reitman.

The first seven entries all rank among my Top 100 favorite films and the last three are pretty close to making that list, too.

Don't forget to check out Kyle's blog at www.enterthemovies.blogspot.com for his list, too!

1. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

A main component behind the success of O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the hilarious lead performance from George Clooney. I wrote about this in depth during my Favorite Lead Actor Performances segment (http://goo.gl/xndPm2) so I won't go over it again here. Besides Clooney, the rest of the cast is also great - especially John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson as his dim witted co-conspirators. Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Charles Durning, and Wayne Duvall take turns stealing scenes and help to create one of the best acted comedies I've had the pleasure of watching. The magnificent script, wonderful direction, and seamless editing (all thanks to Joel and Ethan Coen, who are featured in my Favorite Directors entry: http://goo.gl/O0NKPq) combines with a great soundtrack (from T Bone Burnett) and glorious cinematography (by Roger Deakins) to make my #2 favorite film of all-time, a position it has held for several years now. My favorite aspect of the film is how insanely quotable the dialogue is. I bet I could rattle off 15 or 20 lines with ease. This is partially due to the fact that I've watched O Brother countless times, but it's also because the script is so fantastic and everything flows so well. There is not a character or scene or line of dialogue in the entire film that I don't like. Not a moment anywhere in the 106 minute running time that falls flat. For me, it is a "perfect" film.

2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I to Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

I have written about Dr. Strangelove several times now (in my Favorite Lead Actor Performances piece: http://goo.gl/xndPm2, in Part 4 of my Favorite Films segment: http://goo.gl/UXLJ2z, and briefly in the piece on my Favorite Directors:http://goo.gl/O0NKPq) and don't think there's much to add here. Dr. Strangelove is an infinitely rewatchable film, a masterpiece that gets better with each viewing.

3. Thank You for Smoking

Thank You for Smoking is a rare example of a film being better than the source material, here a novel by Christopher Buckley. Buckley is an author I really enjoy, but Jason Reitman's film improves on most aspects and even changes some characters and plot points for the better. Thank You for Smoking is a dark comedy and biting satire and every aspect of the film is first rate, from the performances and writing to the soundtrack and direction. Aaron Eckhart is an actor who seems to do more bad films than good ones, but he's perfect here as Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Naylor is a despicable character, but one you can't help but love and root for. Eckhart is surrounded by a talented cast which includes JK Simmons, Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, Robert Duvall, Sam Eliot, David Koechner, William H. Macy, and Cameron Bright, who manages to hold his own despite being a youngster surrounded by veteran actors. The script gives each character and actor their moment (or several moments) to shine and none of the actors waste any opportunities. There are a lot of great lines of dialogue, but one of my favorites is delivered by Macy, as a Senator from Vermont: "The great state of Vermont will not apologize for it's cheese!" Out of context, that line might sound absurd, so if you haven't seen the film, I urge you to check it out and I'm sure you'll love the scene when it pops up. Reitman has written and directed some of my favorite films - in addition to Thank You for Smoking, he also made Juno and Up in the Air - but this one is his best, and comfortably sits in my Top 20.

4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

I just wrote about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in depth last week in Part 5 of my Favorite Films (http://goo.gl/bW0XvS) so please follow the link for my thoughts.

5. The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors (http://goo.gl/O0NKPq) and his best film, in my opinion, is The Royal Tenenbaums - a story about a highly dysfunctional family in New York City. Gene Hackman leads the all-star cast as the patriarch of the Tenenbaums, Royal, and gives the best performance of his career and one of the best comedic performances I have ever seen. The fact that Hackman so stands out among this talented cast shows how extraordinary his work is. Angelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow (before she became mostly unwatchable), Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Danny Glover, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson are all very good, as well. Each has a distinct and memorable character and, no matter how unusual or zany they are, each seems like a real person, not just a movie character. Some people criticize Anderson for being too stylized or quirky, but those aspects have never bothered me. I love his style and it's never been put to greater use than it was in The Royal Tenenbaums. The production, set, and costume designs all work together and help to create this whole universe that the Tenenbaums inhabit.  

6. Bad Santa

I covered my thoughts on Bad Santa in Part 2 of my Favorite Films list (http://goo.gl/DhAQDG) so feel free to check out that page.

7. Dogma

Another film I've already written in depth about, in Part 3 of my Favorite Films series (http://goo.gl/pSzY15), Dogma is not only hilarious, but also insightful and thought provoking.

8. Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is a film I've seen probably ten times in my life, but it wasn't until a recent reevaluation that it cemented itself as one of my favorite comedies. I was surprised to find that it's even better now than when I first saw it as a young kid. A lot of that is due to the impressive screenplay - it's loaded with so many jokes and great character moments that I just couldn't keep up as a kid. Bill Murray is one of the funniest actors around and it's no coincidence that he appears in three of these ten films. His work in Ghostbusters is probably my favorite. He nails every punchline, his screen presence is second to none, and he has great chemistry with the entire cast, which is fabulous. Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton are all very funny and inhabit their characters well. The special effects, while obviously outdated now, are still effective and don't distract from the overall film in the least - if anything, they add a little something. My most recent viewing was with my son (http://goo.gl/W1n2MX), who fell in love with Ghostbusters right away. It's now on of his favorite movies and he's rewatched it several times in the past few months. Like father, like son.

9. The World's End

The newest film on my list is also one of the most surprising. I didn't really have high hopes for The World's End, despite thinking the previews looked funny and liking most of director Edgar Wright's other films. I was completely taken aback by how hilarious and expertly made this film was. As the last of the "trilogy" of films including Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, it's easily the best. It's not only the funniest, but also the most endearing and touching. The characters all seem like real, fully developed people - which is a rarity in most comedies. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who have such a great working relationship together, switch roles here, with Pegg playing the alcoholic and sophomoric character and Frost playing the straight laced and mature one. It works fantastically. Both actors turn in their best performances and they're aided by quality work from Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan, and Bill Nighy who supplies only his wonderful voice. The World's End is a smart and witty action comedy, and the action set pieces manage to be intense and funny at the same time, which is no small feat. I give Wright a lot of credit, as he's proven himself a very talented director. His visual flair is second to none in the comedy genre.

 

10. Kingpin

Generally, I don't really care for "dumb" comedy films, but there are, of course, exceptions. Kingpin is a masterful combination of gross out humor, dumb sight gags, witty dialogue, and memorable characters. Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid are great as a washed up ex-professional bowler and his Amish prodigy, respectively, but Bill Murray is the MVP of the film. His character, Ernie "Big Ern" McCracken, is one of the very best comedic roles and features Murray at the top of his game - charismatic, hilarious, and completely over the top. Murray's hair is reason enough to watch this film, as it feels like it has a life of it's own. Kingpin comes from the same writer/director team that made Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, and Stuck on You, Peter and Bobby Farrelly, so if you know any of their work, you can probably guess what type of film this is. I think Kingpin works on every level, though, and is much better than any of their other films. 



There's my list. Do you love or hate any of them? What are some of your favorite comedies?

Next week's list: Part 6 of My Favorite Films.

My Favorite Films (Part 5)

Please refer to http://goo.gl/Oe7tO5, which explains the criteria for this series and don't forget to check out Kyle's blog at www.enterthemovies.blogspot.com for his lists, too!

21. House of Sand and Fog 

Year: 2003
Director: Vadim Perelman

House of Sand and Fog is not fun nor is it easy to watch. The subject matter is dark and depressing, but it is a film filled with passion and intensity and is easily one of my very favorites. Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly turn in their best performances as two very different people locked in a dispute over the same house. If the premise sounds a little weak, believe me, it's not. Kingsley plays a retired Iranian colonel and it's just another example of how versatile an actor the man is. It seems like he can play any number of different nationalities and be convincing as them all. His role here is of a proud, determined, and reserved man, a man who will do anything to protect his family and Kingsley shines. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but inexplicably lost to Sean Penn for Mystic River. Connelly is just as good as a completely different character - a passionate and flighty woman with so many problems that she can't seem to function anymore. To match Kingsley is a spectacular feat, but Connelly does just that. The great supporting cast includes Shohreh Aghdashloo (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), Ron Eldard, Kim Dickens, and Frances Fisher and they all add complexity and depth to the film. House of Sand and Fog was Perelman's first film and he also adapted the screenplay from Andre Dubus III's great novel, accomplishing the rare feat of making a movie better than the novel. I haven't seen anything else from Perelman (who doesn't have much of a filmography), but he truly succeeded the first time around, making a film that left such an impression on me.

22. The Insider

Year: 1999
Director: Michael Mann

After several viewings, The Insider has become one of my favorite films. I first saw it in the theater in 1999 and liked it quite a bit, but with each new viewing, I find more and more to love. I've written about The Insider once before, in my piece about my favorite lead actor performances (if you missed it: http://goo.gl/mdwiWd), so I won't get into Russell Crowe's masterful performance again. Al Pacino, one of my favorite actors, gives one of the very best performances of his storied career as the 60 Minutes producer who oversees the story on big tobacco and their cover up. Pacino sometimes gets carried away and can go too far over the top, but here he balances his fiery emotions with a subtle side that is simply marvelous to behold. Christopher Plummer has a fantastic, if small, role as Mike Wallace and is in one of my favorite scenes of the film, when Wallace goes off on the corporate lackeys who tamper with his program. Bruce McGill also shines brightly in a memorable scene as a lawyer representing Crowe's character. Rounding out the cast is Philip Baker Hall, Stephen Tobolowsky, Gina Gershon, Michael Gambon, Rip Torn, Lynne Thigpen, and Colm Feore. All of them deliver such impressive performances that The Insider might be the best acted film I've ever seen, considering the collective force of performances from all these individuals. That's not to take away from Michael Mann's impressive work as director. He creates an intense atmosphere and takes a story that could have been just a character study and makes it into a suspenseful and beautiful film. The cinematography, editing, and score are all first rate. It all adds up to a breathtaking film, something I recommend to people all the time and rarely hear any negative comments in return.

23. In the Valley of Elah 

Year: 2007
Director: Paul Haggis

In the Valley of Elah was a complete failure at the domestic box office (it earned less than $7 million) and didn't do much better worldwide, so it's not a film a lot of people know or talk about all that often, but I've loved it since my first viewing. Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron both deliver powerful performances, with this being my favorite of Jones' long and distinguished career. As the father of an AWOL soldier who goes looking for answers, Jones carries this film with a mix of gruff outward appearance and soulful emotional outpouring, and was awarded with a Best Actor nomination. Theron is a local police detective who joins him on his search and the two work extremely well together. The supporting cast is nearly as good, especially with Susan Sarandon as Jones' wife and Jason Patric, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Barry Corbin, and Wayne Duvall all adding depth along the way. Paul Haggis is a filmmaker often maligned (on internet message boards, at least) for his much more popular film, Crash, but I love that one, too. He's also written some fantastic scripts for some excellent Clint Eastwood films - Million Dollar Baby (soon to appear in this series), Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. His script for In the Valley of Elah is emotional, suspenseful, insightful, and brings up some good questions on matters relating to the military. His skills as a director aren't anything special, but he is more than capable. I hope to entice a few people to give In the Valley of Elah a chance, as I believe it's a criminally overlooked and under-known film.   
 

24. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Year: 2005
Director: Shane Black

This is another film that mostly failed at the box office, but in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang's case, it found a home on DVD and Blu-Ray and has a bit of a cult following now. I couldn't be happier for the film or the cast and crew involved, since this is one of the funniest, most well written, and well acted films that I've had the pleasure to see. The jokes come fast and often and if you've only seen it once, you've probably missed a fair number of them due to laughing too hard at the proceeding lines. Shane Black, the writer of the first two Lethal Weapon films, knows a thing or two about creating interesting and detailed characters. His writing is what elevated that series and it does the same for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer get the roles of their careers and turn in exceptional performances. The two have amazing chemistry together, whether it's a dialogue heavy scene or an action interlude. The film is a complex murder mystery, but I could watch their two characters simply sit in a room and eat a meal together - I'm sure it would be immensely entertaining. In addition to Downey and Kilmer, the film also benefits from the work of Michelle Monaghan (who is not only beautiful, but also funny and charismatic), Corbin Bernsen, and Larry Miller. My one (admittedly very small) nitpick with the film is that Downey's and Monaghan's characters are supposed to be two years apart in age, but the actors are eleven years apart - and it's obvious that Downey is significantly older. It doesn't really hurt the film in any real way, but I do think of it every time I watch it.

25. L.A. Confidential 

Year: 1997
Director: Curtis Hanson

Since L.A. Confidential is one of my Top 10 favorite films, it's going to get mentioned on this blog quite a bit. This is already its second appearance, following its inclusion in my Favorite Opening Sequences list (if you missed it: http://goo.gl/HM046e) and I doubt I will ever tire of talking about this entertaining, intriguing, and beautiful film. L.A. Confidential has a lot going for it - a great script, an amazing cast, fantastic direction, and a jazzy soundtrack and score. The script is densely packed with details and subplots, but never feels overcrowded or rushed. Everything moves at the perfect pace. The cast (headlined by Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey with supporting turns by Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, and David Strathairn) is practically flawless. Curtis Hanson is an interesting director and he's made such varied films as Losin' It, The River Wild, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Wonder Boys (soon to be featured in this series of lists), and 8 Mile, so he's nearly impossible to pigeonhole into any one style or genre. He really hit it out of the park with L.A. Confidential, though, and I'm sure this will go down as his masterpiece, and rightfully so. If it hadn't come out in such a competitive year - 1997 had Titanic, As Good As It Gets, and Good Will Hunting capture most of the big awards - I'm sure L.A. Confidential would have been a front runner for many Oscars. Instead, it was nominated in nine different categories and won for Best Supporting Actress (Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Brian Helgeland and Hanson), so still not a bad showing.

Well, there's part five of this ten part series. I hope to have inspired at least one person to check out one of these films and I hope to read some comments down below. Do you like any of these films? Hate any of them? Let me know, please!

Coming up next Friday: My Favorite Comedy Films.

Stagecoach

Stagecoach

Directed by John Ford

Continuing my efforts to see more westerns, especially those considered to be classics of the genre, next up in my viewing queue was the seminal John Ford film from 1939, Stagecoach. 

Going into it, I didn't really know what to expect from Stagecoach. Other than the very basic facts - a Ford western starring John Wayne - I didn't know much about the film. Sometimes that is the best way to watch something - go in "blind" and absorb everything as it comes at you. 

Stagecoach is a relatively simple film, from a plot perspective, at least. Nine individuals are on a stagecoach trip from Tonto, in the Arizona territory, to Lordsburg, in the New Mexico territory. Along the way, they have to deal with personal prejudices, weather conditions, a baby being born, and the dangers of traveling through Apache country while Geronimo is on the warpath. 

Claire Trevor, a fairly successful and "name brand" actress at the time, had top billing and one of the largest roles as Dallas, a prostitute who is being forced to leave Tonto on the coach. The ladies of "The Law and Order League" are trying to clean up their town and also send the drunk, amiable Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) on his way. He joins Dallas on the coach, along with a whiskey salesman (Samuel Peacock, played by Donald Meek), the pregnant Mrs. Mallory (Louise Platt), a Southern gentleman and card shark (Hatfield, slyly played by John Carradine), and Ellsworth Gatewood (Berton Churchill), the town's banker who's recently embezzled $50,000 and is fleeing the scene of the crime. Driving the coach is Buck (played by the wonderful Andy Devine) and Marshal Wilcox (George Bancroft) is riding shotgun.

Along the way, they come across the Ringo Kid, an escaped fugitive played by John Wayne. Ringo seems to be a nice guy who simply got himself into some trouble, but he also broke out of prison with the lone goal of killing Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler) and his brothers as retribution for killing his own father and brother. There's a long history between the families, but the audience is only given the slightest information - just enough to keep us wondering just what kind of men Ringo and the Plummers are.

Wayne is rather good in Stagecoach and impressed me with his relaxed manner in some scenes and quiet intensity in others. Ringo is a complex character and Wayne is able to play all the angles really well. Wayne had been toiling away in "B" pictures - as everything from a crew member, stuntman, and actor - for over a decade, but Stagecoach was his big break. Ford insisted on casting Wayne, even refusing to change his mind after numerous studios passed on the film because of Wayne's attachment. Luckily, Ford eventually got to make his film the way he wanted, and cinema history was changed forever. Wayne, of course, became one of the biggest stars of all-time and spent the next three decades entertaining millions of people, eventually becoming a true Hollywood icon.

I was surprised to find that Wayne wasn't the lead in Stagecoach, though. That honor goes to Trevor's Dallas - the prostitute with more integrity than nearly everyone else on the coach. I've never seen Trevor in anything else, so I didn't know what to expect from her, but she was excellent. There are a lot of little moments where she makes a subtle point with just a look or just her body language, but when she has to speak up and defend herself, Trevor is more than capable.

Wayne's character isn't introduced until about the twenty minute mark, but it's a fantastic introduction. Some terrific editing and a quick zoom add up to a shot that I'll remember for ages. Ford seemed to be saying, "Here's John Wayne. You don't know him, but you'll never forget him now."

The rest of the cast is in fine form, too, especially Mitchell, who has probably the showiest role as the habitually intoxicated Doc Boone. There are definite comedic moments at the expense of Boone's alcoholism, but Mitchell never plays it too far over the top, so there's always a human side in sight. Mitchell gets to shine in both funny and serious scenes and went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for the role. It was a well-earned award, no doubt.

I'd also like to highlight the work of Andy Devine as Buck. I've only recently discovered Devine (after watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance), but after seeing him in these two films, I'm excited to see more of his work. Devine has a very unusual voice, but it instantly lends pathos to his performances and helps him create interesting, uncommon characters. In Stagecoach, Buck is a bit of a coward, ready to turn and retreat at the first signs of trouble, but once the trouble arrives, he doesn't shrink away. Devine's folksy performance immediately pulled me in and I rooted for Buck during the entire film.

The lone performance that I think fell flat was Churchill as the scheming banker, Gatewood. He just comes across as a little too one dimensional and I didn't really care about him one way or the other, unlike the rest of the characters, who I were emotionally invested in. Gatewood seems like a stock character and nothing more. I think the blame for this can be spread in three different directions: To Churchill, Ford, and the screenwriter Dudley Nichols. Churchill gives a mostly lifeless performance, but he wasn't aided by his director or writer. There are a couple of moments near the beginning of the film where Ford lingers on closeups of Gatewood, hitting the audience over the head with the message "This guy's no good and can't be trusted!" Both shots really struck me as odd and hurt the film's flow and made Gatewood seem like a silly character. And Nichols just didn't seem to put much work into the character, unlike how he handled the other eight main roles and even most of the supporting roles. 

That's a small blemish on an otherwise terrific film, which was Ford's first western with sound (he had made dozens of silent westerns previously) and his first filmed at the majestic Monument Valley, on the border between Arizona and Utah. The scenery is wonderful and has that perfect "Old West" feel to it - large expanses of desert with beautiful mountain peaks in the distance - and I understand why Ford would return again and again to this same spot to film many of his classic films.

My favorite part of the film has to be the attack scene when the Apache warriors descend upon the coach, trying to murder (or do worse to) everyone on board. There's a moment during the attack that contains one the most breathtaking stunts I've ever seen: an Apache man leaps from his horse onto the coach's lead horses. He's shot and falls to the ground, as all six horses and the coach itself drive over him. It was an insanely dangerous stunt to attempt - there were no CGI tricks to use or even hidden safety measures in place - but Ford and the stuntman (veteran Yakima Canutt, who would also double for Wayne is parts) decided to go for it and succeeded marvelously. It's an intense couple of moments.

All the technical components of the film were absolutely fantastic. Everything from the cinematography and editing to the art direction and costumes were first rate. The totality of all these aspects is what makes Stagecoach such an enduring classic, I think. It doesn't just do one or two things well; it does everything at a high level. The editing was so impressive that Orson Welles watched Stagecoach more than 40 times in preparation for the making of his own classic, Citizen Kane, because he wanted to replicate its successful editing technique. The score was especially well done and added nicely to the film, rather than distracting from it like some scores do. The music was used expertly to underscore intense or romantic or comedic moments, but never was overbearing. In fact, the score was so good that it won an Academy Award.

My only real problem while watching Stagecoach - due in no fault to the film or the filmmakers - is the picture quality in the version I saw. I recorded it off of TCM and they must only have access to an old print, since much of the picture was marred in one or more ways. There were noticeable scratch marks throughout and I feel the picture was far too dark at the corners in several scenes. Criterion Collection did a complete remaster of Stagecoach in 2010 and I will eventually buy that version and see the film in the way it should be seen, under the best possible conditions.

After doing some research online, I learned how Stagecoach revitalized the western genre, bringing it back from its "B" picture dredges and placing it firmly in the "A" list again. In addition to winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and Best Score, Stagecoach was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Editing and probably would have won several more if it hadn't been released in 1939 - the year of Gone With the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wuthering Heights, and The Wizard of Oz. 

Stagecoach is certainly one of the best westerns I've seen and the American Film Institute agrees, ranking it as the #9 western film of all-time, a distinct honor considering all the films in contention.
  

High Noon

High Noon

Directed by Fred Zinnemann

Westerns have been around since the very beginnings of film, but I have never had very much experience with the genre. Until recently, I'd seen less than thirty true westerns, but I'm making a point to watch more of them, as I rather quite enjoy most of what I've seen. 

One of the first westerns I decided to watch in my quest to broaden my knowledge of the genre was High Noon, the 1952 classic from director Fred Zinnemann and writer Carl Foreman. This is a unique film in many ways, from the themes depicted to the film-making style used. 

Gary Cooper plays Hadleyville Marshal Will Kane, who we meet on his wedding day, as the ceremony is taking place. He's just wed the beautiful, Quaker pacifist Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly) and is turning in his badge, so they can leave town and start a new, peaceful life together. Kane learns that Frank Miller - a man Kane captured and sent to be hanged - has been released from prison on a technicality and is on his way, along with his gang of cohorts, back to Hadleyville to seek revenge on the marshal. Miller will arrive on the noon train.

Kane has two options - stay and fight Miller and his gang or leave town as planned. Of course, since Kane is an honorable and proud man, he chooses to stay and stand up against the outlaws. Fowler is upset, with good cause, and threatens to leave with or without him, but Kane doesn't change his mind. He can't bear the thought of Miller running amok through Hadleyville. For most of the film, Kane proceeds to look for help from the townspeople, hoping to deputize as many as possible in order to fight off Miller when the time comes. He runs into problems, though, as most of the people aren't interested in helping him, for various reasons.

High Noon plays out almost in real time. Kane learns of Miller's impending arrival at 10:40am, so he has an hour and twenty minutes to prepare and the film runs about 65 minutes before the train arrives and Miller is revealed. This film-making choice is interesting and effective as it results in the tension and suspense being ratcheted up each time Kane glances at a clock or at his pocket watch. The audience knows that something terrible is going to happen when the train comes in and we get to experience the lapse of time right alongside Kane. 

There's not a lot of traditional action in High Noon, or at least certainly nowhere near as much as most westerns. When it comes, though, the action is handled extremely well. There's one fist fight and then the climatic shootout. Both scenes are photographed and choreographed in an excellent fashion - they pull you in and keep you engaged. What really intrigued me, though, was the psychological action that fills most of the film. As I said before, Kane spends most of the time speaking with people, trying to get them to join him. Each conversation is like a mental brawl, with Kane fighting for his life. It's excellent stuff, thanks to the writing and performances. 

Cooper, who won the Best Actor Academy Award for the role, is simply magnificent. His tired and weathered face shows a lifetime of hard work and worry - you can tell just by looking at him that he's paid his dues and deserves some comfort in life, even if he's reticent to actually retire. Cooper perfectly nails not only the rough and tumble nature of a lawman in the Old West, but also the sweet and civilized side of Kane - the side that wants to make and keep his new bride happy. Also, Cooper just looks so cool in the role. Kane has to be one of the coolest movie characters I've ever seen and the shot of Cooper walking down the deserted street in that glorious black and white photography is one of the most iconic images in the entire western genre.

While Cooper dominates nearly the entire film, he's surrounded by a stellar supporting cast. Grace Kelly may be the most beautiful woman to ever grace the silver screen, but she was also a talented actress. High Noon was one of her very first film roles and she plays the part with elegance and just the right mixture of emotion and iron will. Fowler isn't one to mess around - she knows what she wants and won't settle for any less - and yet Kelly allows you to see the scared, young woman hiding just under the surface. 

Lloyd Bridges adds a charm and macho attitude to the film as Deputy Marshal Harvey Pell. Bridges was always a charismatic actor and his scenes with Cooper are excellent. The pace of the film is tremendous, so I wouldn't want to mess with that at all, but I could have watched much more of Bridges' work, he was so good. 

The last major supporting player is Katy Jurado, who plays Helen Ramirez, a woman who used to be romantically linked to Miller and then Kane, but is now involved with Pell. She's a very interesting character and I can't imagine there were many like her in the early 1950's. Jurado's performance is full of smoldering passion and barely hidden subtext - she's promiscuous, but not ashamed of her past, and is even able to help the slightly repressed Fowler in her time of need.

The rest of the cast is filled out with some notable names in some very small parts. Thomas Mitchell, Lon Chaney Jr., Harry Morgan, Otto Kruger, and Lee Van Cleef (in his film debut) all significantly add to the film's appeal, even though they don't have a lot of screen time. 

The one member of the cast who just didn't do much for me, personally, was Ian MacDonald as Frank Miller. Miller's character is so talked about and built up during the first hour or so of the film that I was really expecting a more menacing figure to step off that train. MacDonald didn't seem to bring much to the role - he was just there. If I had the power to recast that role, I would have gone with someone like Jack Palance or Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson. Someone with a little edge and swagger to make the villain more memorable. 

The script by Foreman is tight and well written. There doesn't seem to be a wasted bit of dialogue, as each line either moves the story forward or reveals something important about the characters. It's Screenwriting 101 type stuff, but it's amazing how much time most scripts waste. I fully believe that High Noon should be held up as one of the best scripts for young writers to learn from. Right up there with Chinatown, Casablanca, Rocky, and Tootsie - scripts that are all taught at colleges and workshops around the country. 

High Noon encountered a lot of controversy when it was first released, mostly due to the fact Foreman had once been a member of the Communist party and had refused to name names during the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings. Many people see High Noon as allegory, with the townspeople standing in for citizens of the United States - people who were too scared to stand up and fight against the HUAC. John Wayne, the most popular actor of the time, was offered the lead role, but turned it down, saying he thought High Noon was "the most un-American thing I've seen in my whole life." He later regretted passing on the role, though, when Cooper took home the Best Actor trophy. 

It's interesting to note that, over time, both sides of the political spectrum grew to appreciate High Noon, and several United States presidents (Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton) considered it one of their favorite films of all-time. 

I have very few problems with the film, but one major component really rubs me the wrong way. High Noon's score and soundtrack (featuring the same song repeated throughout) was just awful. I thought the score was heavy handed and obvious - underscoring moments that didn't need to be highlighted - and the song ("High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" performed by Tex Ritter) was silly, corny, and way too overused. It played in its entirety during the opening credits, but then snippets of it played repeatedly and it even closed out the film, slightly marring one of my favorite film endings (which I don't want to spoil here). My reaction to the song went from mild annoyance to disgust by the time the film concluded. Of course, this could just be a personal preference situation since the score and song both won Academy Awards, so quite a few people must have loved it. I can't understand why, but it happened.

Luckily, the music is the only sizable blemish on an otherwise stellar film and I agree with many of the accolades that High Noon has received since its debut. In addition to winning Best Actor, Score, and Song at the Academy Awards, High Noon was also deservedly awarded Best Editing and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Throughout the years, it has ranked high on several different American Film Institute lists, including Top Movies (#27), Top Thrills (#20), Top Heroes (Kane at #5), and Top Westerns (#2, only trailing The Searchers). All this adds up to a film that has been lovingly adored for more than 50 years and I'm sure it will continue to be loved far into the future. 

Favorite Animated Films

While animation may not be an actual genre of films, Kyle and I decided to treat it like one for the purposes of our series of lists. Future entries will include our favorite Comedies, Documentaries, Science Fiction/Fantasies, and Westerns.

I run into a fair number of people online who insist that animated films are "only for kids" and that by the very nature of being animated, these films are somehow of a lesser quality. I wholeheartedly disagree and think that animated films are among the best films, period. The first four entries on this list are also in my Top 100 favorite films of all-time and I'm definitely well past the age of being a kid.

For this list, I decided to only include one film from any particular franchise. Otherwise, this list would have consisted of three Toy Story films and both Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University. I wanted to have a bit more diversity. 

Don't forget to check out Kyle's blog at www.enterthemovies.blogspot.com for his list, too!

1. Toy Story 3 

 

The only animated film that I've rated 10/10, Toy Story 3 is one of the best films I have ever seen and it perfectly capped off the my favorite film trilogy. The characters I grew to love in the first two Toy Story films - Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Hamm, and Rex are my favorites - join up with some new toys, both friends and foes alike, and have their biggest, most exciting, and most emotional adventure yet. The film starts off with such an extraordinary scene (involving a train robbery orchestrated by One-Eyed Bart and Mr. Evil Dr. Porkchop, naturally) that I wasn't sure if the rest of the film could live up to it. I was wrong. There are so many wonderful scenes and smaller moments that I would have a hard time listing them all. In addition to the spectacular writing and beautiful animation, the voice acting is top notch. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have great chemistry as Woody and Buzz, but everyone absolutely nails their roles. New cast members Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin, and Bonnie Hunt all fit into the group perfectly. I am somewhat easy to get to, on an emotional level, but very few films have the ability to bring me to tears every time I see them. Toy Story 3 is one of those films. When my son first got into the Toy Story franchise, I saw bits and pieces of this film nearly everyday. Whenever I happened to catch the final scene, I would break into tears. And that reaction hasn't changed, years later. 

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox 

 

Fantastic Mr. Fox is an unusual film. From an animation standpoint, it definitely hearkens back to an earlier time - the stop motion technique first became popular in the 1960's - when you consider how slick most CGI animated films look these days. That's part of the film's charm, though, a it appears a bit old fashioned and resembles the illustrations from the book written by Roald Dahl.  It's also unusual because of its writing. The magnificently talented and quirky Wes Anderson wrote the adaptation and directed this wonderful film and, because of this, the humor is geared more towards adults. I've never watched it with a child, but I imagine most of the jokes would go over the heads of most younger kids, but they'd still get a lot of enjoyment from watching it. Anderson set out to make a great family film and I think he succeeded on every level. The writing, direction, set design, and soundtrack are all fantastic - as per usual with Wes Anderson films - and the voice acting is sublime. George Clooney and Meryl Streep headline a star studded cast that includes Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon, Adrien Brody, and Brian Cox. Each character is interesting, funny, and they all really add a peculiar charm to the film, which is endlessly re-watchable. Back in my video store days, I used to play Fantastic Mr. Fox on repeat all day long and I never tired of it.

3. Monsters, Inc. 

 

Like most of Pixar's films, Monsters, Inc. combines so many great elements to create a simply marvelous film. It's laugh out loud funny, touching, and utilizes beautiful animation. The stellar voice cast - headlined by Billy Crystal and John Goodman, but also featuring Steve Buscemi, James Coburn (in one of his last films), Jennifer Tilly, and the ever present John Ratzenberger - imbues every line with pathos. Something I really love about Monsters, Inc. is how the monster world is so cleverly created. The characters live and work in a universe that is parallel to our own, but yet they are dependent on humans to sustain their way of life. Goodman's Sully is a huge, horned monster covered in blue and purple fur and each hair seems to have been rendered individually. The end result of such meticulous work is that Sully seems so lifelike and real, despite being so unusual. I have seen the film so many times that I can quote a large portion of the brilliant screenplay by heart, but I never seem to tire of watching it. The characters are so endearing that I was ecstatic to learn they were making another installment in the series back in 2013. Pixar made the right choice and went with a prequel - I'm not sure what kind of story could be made as a sequel, plus the ending here is just perfect - and it didn't disappoint. Monsters University isn't quite as excellent as Monsters, Inc. but it's still a fantastic film. 

4. Finding Nemo

 

Finding Nemo, like all the films on this list and like any great film in general, does a fantastic job of melding all the different parts of filmmaking into one superb and coherent package. There's humor, action, suspense, emotion, excellent writing (the plot, characters, and dialogue are top notch), and an excellent score. Of course, there's also the beautiful animation. Both the above and below water scenes are remarkably designed and draw you immediately into the story. The voice cast, anchored by the brilliant Albert Brooks and featuring Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould (of the Showtime series Weeds), Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, and Brad Garrett, is just amazing. There's not a wrong note to be found among the cast and they all seem to mesh well together.  Being a father, I can relate more now to this story than I ever could before, and now I get even more emotional in certain parts. In addition to everything I've said up to this point, Finding Nemo is simply a fun movie to watch and again, like the best of films, it never seems to get old, no matter how many times I watch it.

5. Aladdin 

 

Aladdin came out at a perfect time for me. In 1992, I was ten years old and absolutely loved watching the film in the theater and at home on VHS countless times. I wanted to join Aladdin and Abu on their adventures with the flying carpet and even had a little crush on Jasmine. The film had a little something for everyone - music, romance, action, suspense, even some magic! Back then, my favorite parts were the Genie and the evil Jafar. These days, that's still the case. The Genie, as voiced by the legendary Robin Williams, was one of the most amazing and memorable characters I had ever seen. I've watched a couple thousand more films since then, but that hasn't diminished Williams' performance here one bit. His manic energy is perfectly suited to the role and you can just tell he had a blast while making the film. Jafar is easily one of my favorite Disney villains - he's calculating and devious, and his design is really cool. I will admit to being scared by him, especially during a sequence near the end when he turns himself into a giant cobra and nearly squeezes the life out of the hero, when I was younger. Aladdin was part of the Disney Renaissance along with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, which were all good films, but I think Aladdin is the strongest of them all. 

6. Ratatouille 

 

Ratatouille is the story of a rat who wants to be a chef and goes to extreme lengths to make his dream come true. Remy, voiced perfectly by the great stand up comic, Patton Oswalt, is a terrific character who fully resonated with me. He's smart, resourceful, and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. I love to cook and the scenes in the kitchen were exhilarating to watch, as Remy and his human friend Linguini scurry around, creating tasty and inspiring concoctions.  The Paris setting provides some breathtaking scenery and the animation doesn't disappoint in its rendering. Some of the landscapes look better than they would if they were photographed in person. Anton Ego, a hateful and egocentric food critic, is one of the best "villains" Pixar has created. The iconic voice of Peter O'Toole fits Ego wonderfully and his transformation at the end is one of the most satisfying moments in recent film history. Like the best of films, Ratatouille is funny, heartwarming, wonderfully acted, and tells a beautiful story. The fact that it's about a notoriously dirty creature working in a kitchen must have seemed like a tough sell to the marketing folks, but the film is so damned entertaining that I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.

7. The Simpsons Movie 

 

The Simpsons used to be one of my very favorite shows. It's gone on way too long at this point, but the first dozen or so seasons (and especially seasons 2-11) contained some of the funniest episodes to ever grace a television set. The Simpsons Movie came out in between seasons 18 and 19, long after I had stopped watching every week, and I was worried about it being as pedestrian as the newer seasons had become. I had no reason to fret, as the movie turned out to be insanely quotable and full of laughs and heart, just like the best episodes had been. Homer is just as stupid as always, Marge is just as naggy as usual, Lisa is the same brainy nerd, and Bart is just as much as a trouble maker and smart alec as he ever was, but the characters don't feel stale or tired. The feature length run-time was the length of  four episodes, but it never dragged or felt padded. The original voice cast is sublime and Albert Brooks is great as the villain of the story. Tom Hanks even has a cameo and is terrific, as always. The extra budget and production time really added to the overall look of the characters and settings, too. The Simpsons Movie shows everyone and everything in such a more crisp and clear light than I was used to seeing - the colors absolutely pop. One tiny thing that I really love is when movies alter the studio logo at the beginning of a film. The Simpsons Movie does this wonderfully, when they have Ralph Wiggum, everyone's favorite nose picking and glue eating 2nd grader, perform the 20th Century Fox theme when the logo plays. Since 2007, I can't help but think of this little throwaway joke every time I watch a Fox film and hear their standard trumpets.

8. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

 

I don't hear many people talk about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs very often, which is a shame as I think it's one of the most purely entertaining films I've seen in the last half decade. When I first watched it, after its DVD release, I think I had a smile on my face for the majority of the film. It's a action comedy that hits both notes perfectly, something that isn't easy to do. Like the rest of the films on this list, Cloudy had a good voice cast and a great protagonist. Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors) is a young man who wants nothing more than to be a successful inventor. Most of his inventions don't work properly - though several, like his spray on shoes and animal translator, are magnificently funny - but his food generator does! Of course, things don't go as planned and soon his little town is being bombarded by gigantic meatballs, ice cream cones, and other messy and dangerous foodstuffs. The animation here isn't in the same league as the rest of my favorites, but the film still looks good and the real draw is the script, which is packed with funny lines, great sight gags, and nice mix of action and romance. The writer-directors (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) of Cloudy went on to make the unwatchable sequel (I shut it off after about thirty minutes) and the fantastic The Lego Movie, which nearly ended up on this list, too. I'm excited to see what they come up with next.

9. Up

 

Okay, so I love Pixar movies. The fifth and final film on this list from the ultra successful creative geniuses at Pixar is Up, the story of a lonely old man, his young acquaintance, and an adventure of a lifetime. Up packs more emotion into its first 15 minutes than most films do in their entire running time, but the film is consistently great. There are moments of genuine, heartfelt emotion sprinkled throughout and these are counterbalanced with laugh out loud funny jokes, intense action and suspense, and lots of quotable dialogue. Ed Asner voices the crotchety old man wonderfully and Jordan Nagai (only 8 when this film was made) delivers a great performance as Russell, a lonely little boy who knows more about life than you would think. The funniest character, by far, is Dug - a talking, slow minded, Golden Retriever. Dug is so full of life and so well voiced by Bob Peterson (the writer and co-director of Up) that he commands your attention whenever he's on screen. This film has some of the best animation that I've had the pleasure of seeing and the score fits perfectly alongside everything else. Pixar has been in sequel heavy mode lately (in the next two years, we're getting another entry in the Toy Story series, plus a sequel to Finding Nemo) but I really hope they never try to make another Up, this original film is exactly that - original. It doesn't need anything else to be added. 

10. Bolt

 

This is a film that really took me by surprise when I first saw it. I didn't expect much, but was blown away by the slick animation, the funny writing, the amazing action sequences, the music, and the voice acting. John Travolta plays Bolt, the titular canine who believes he really is a super-powered dog who fights crime along side his human, Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus, before she went out of her mind). In reality, Bolt is a regular dog who unknowingly is acting in a sophisticated television series. The supporting cast includes Malcolm McDowell (playing the villain, naturally), Susie Essman, Diedrich Bader, and James Lipton, but it's Mark Walton (an animator, writer, and storyboard artist who occasionally does voice acting) who steals the movie as Rhino, an intense hamster who joins up with Bolt on his adventure. Rhino gets some of the funniest lines and moments in the entire film and Walton doesn't miss a beat. Surprisingly, Travolta and Cyrus team up to record a really great song that plays during the end credits and it may be one of my favorite aspects of the film. I have a feeling that most people missed out on Bolt, so I hope I'm able to sway a few people to check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


There's my list. I know I'll probably get some comments about not having any classic era Disney films included, but to tell you the truth, I didn't care for most of them as a kid and have never felt any desire to revisit them as an adult. The only one that was even in consideration was Disney's Robin Hood from 1973, but I haven't seen it in so long that I didn't feel comfortable writing about it.

Do you love any of these? Or hate some? Which ones do you think I missed?

Next Friday's list: Part 5 of my 50 Favorite Films.

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight 

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers and I always look forward to seeing his newest offering every two or three years. Since his breakthrough in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs, he has delivered some of the best and most entertaining films coming out of Hollywood. He's developed a very unique and easy to recognize style - crackling dialogue, interesting characters, over the top violence, and inspired casting choices are among the most obvious clues you're watching a Tarantino film - and because of this, if you're not a fan of his style, his films might not be for you. 

Thankfully, I am a fan and I was treated to yet another excellent film last night when I sat down to watch The Hateful Eight, a traditional western with the Tarantino twist. 

The plot of The Hateful Eight is very straightforward and simple: a bounty hunter named John Ruth (Kurt Russell, in all his grizzled and mustachioed glory) is transporting a wanted fugitive (Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) through the mountains of Wyoming to town so she can be tried, found guilty, and hanged for her crimes. Before they can complete their journey, a blizzard forces them to stop at a halfway point and wait out the storm with a cast of interesting and potentially treacherous characters. 

Among those characters is Major Marquis Warren, a former slave and retired Civil War Calvary hero, embodied with aplomb by the magnificent Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is one of Tarantino's favorite actors - he has appeared, however briefly and sometimes in uncredited roles, in all but three of the director's films -  and he has another great role in The Hateful Eight. Warren is funny, charming, and devious. He's a bounty hunter himself and is on somewhat friendly terms with Ruth, so they make a pact to help each other out until the storm clears and they can be on their way again. Jackson is able to portray Warren as both likable and despicable, sometimes in the same scene, and this makes for a very intriguing character to follow. 

The rest of the cast are a mix a different archetypes - the gentlemanly foreigner (Tim Roth, using his native UK accent for a change), the Confederate general (Bruce Dern), the cowboy (Michael Madsen, in his first big film in a decade), the Mexican (Damian Bichir), and the Rebel outlaw (Walton Goggins) - but all are perfectly realized and unique characters played by talented actors. There's not a wasted character or performance among them and they all interconnect wonderfully. 

My two favorite aspects of movies are the writing and the acting, two things Tarantino films always delivers, and The Hateful Eight is no different. Sometimes it's hard to separate the two: are the performances great because the characters are so well written or do the characters seem fantastic because the actors are elevating the material? I think it's a combination of both in this case. 

Kurt Russell is generally good in most films, but he delivers an excellent performance here. John Ruth is a cold, calculating, untrusting son of a bitch. He routinely beats on his prisoner, who admittedly deserves what she gets, and uses the threat of violence as his icebreaker for conversations with new acquaintances. Russell hits all the right notes and makes Ruth a truly memorable character, someone who is as quick with a gun as he is with a joke. 

Jennifer Jason Leigh really shines as the malicious and disgusting Daisy. She's obviously a dangerous psychopath and rampant bigot, but she's also really funny. I wouldn't say she's a likable character, but she's a fun one to watch. I've been a fan of Leigh's for years and it's great to see her get such an interesting role in a big film for a change. I hope it manages to reignite her career - something Tarantino seems to have a knack for doing. 

Walton Goggins, though, does the nearly impossible and virtually steals the film from his more famous costars. I've thoroughly enjoyed Goggins in what I've seen (mostly the television series Sons of Anarchy and Tarantino's own Django Unchained), so his performance wasn't really a shock to me, but I didn't expect him to be the highlight of the film. His Chris Mannix is something of an enigma and you're never quite sure if he's immensely stupid, slyly intelligent, or some weird combination of both. He's fiery patriotic and shows almost childlike reverence to Dern's retired general, but also pays a decent amount of respect to Major Warren, displaying his ability to play both sides. Throughout the film, I was never sure if I could trust him, but I loved watching his story and character unfold. Goggins has an infectious smile and I found myself smiling most of the time he was onscreen. 

The Hateful Eight is full of extreme violence and over the top blood and gore. Those are a staple of Tarantino's style and if you're into that kind of thing, like I am, you won't be disappointed. Even though I expected it, I was still shocked by several different moments. 

The film is a little less than three hours long, but I never felt bored and it certainly didn't feel like I was sitting in the theater for anywhere near that amount of time. The mix of humor, action, and suspense really kept the film moving. 

Considering the majority of the film takes place in one large room, Tarantino did an excellent job at making a beautiful film. The landscapes (mountains and woods covered in snow) add a lot to the beginning portion, but even the inside of the cabin itself is nice to look at. The set design is intriguing (the cabin really feels authentic and lived in) and the walls and doors let in just the perfect amount of light and snow from the outside. 

The Hateful Eight isn't perfect, of course, and a couple small things did bother me. 

For one, the soundtrack was a bit uninspired for a Tarantino film. I can't really remember any of the songs used, which is unusual. The score - composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone - was excellent, though. 

Another oddity that bothered me was a weird decision to use voice over narration in just one scene towards the middle of the film. It was a jarring change of style and I don't think it added anything to the film. Of course, Tarantino provided the narration and I feel he might have used the technique as a way to get himself into the film. If that's the case, I guess I'm happy he went with that approach rather than casting himself in a small onscreen role. Tarantino is a wonderful writer and director, but an absolutely terrible actor. His work in Django Unchained is easily the worst part of that film and I was happy not to see him in The Hateful Eight. 

Compared to Tarantino's other films, I think The Hateful Eight lands somewhere in the middle, but again I'm a huge fan and really like or love all but one of his features. It's not quite as good as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, or Jackie Brown, but is on par with Django Unchained, and I liked it more than either of the Kill Bill films, Inglourious Basterds, and certainly more than Death Proof.

If you're a fan of Tarantino's, I'd highly recommend seeing The Hateful Eight. If you're just a fan of westerns or action comedies, and don't mind excessive violence, gore, and language, I'd also recommend checking it out. 

We're coming up on award season and if the Academy Awards reflect my opinions at all, The Hateful Eight will receive numerous nominations - including Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Goggins), and Supporting Actress (Leigh). Tarantino has a long history with the Academy and has won two awards for his screenplays, but has yet to win either Best Picture or Best Director. I have a feeling that won't change this year, The Hateful Eight doesn't seem to have much awards traction, but if it did, I'd be a happy fan.