My Favorite Films (Part 6)

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

26. Magnolia 

Year: 1999

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my Favorite Directors and Magnolia is my favorite film of his. It starts out with a truly wonderful scene that ranks among my Favorite Opening Scenes and doesn't loose much steam from there out, despite it's three hour running time. Magnolia is comprised of several different, and at times overlapping, stories taking place in Los Angeles over the course of one 24 hour period. The themes of these stories are similar - chance, causality, and "the sins of the father" - and help to tie everything together in a marvelous way. All of Anderson's films have great casts and Magnolia is no different. No one is really the star, but almost everyone shines brightly. Tom Cruise (in one of his best roles), Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, and young Jeremy Blackman are all very impressive, but I think Jason Robards gives the best performance of the group as an old man, filled with regrets, on his deathbed. The only weak link in the whole ensemble is the usually excellent Julianne Moore, who goes too far over the top too often for my liking. Everything else about the film is fantastic, especially the cinematography and soundtrack. The ending, which I won't spoil for anyone, is somewhat controversial, but I thought it was a perfectly surreal and fitting ending to this wonderful film. I know Magnolia is a film that is very decisive - it seems like a real "love it or hate it" type of film. I definitely fall into the "love it" camp.

27. Maverick 

Year: 1994

Director: Richard Donner

There are very few films that are simply as fun and entertaining as Maverick, the western comedy starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner. I first saw it on VHS shortly after its release, so I would have been about 12 or 13, and I've loved it ever since. Not only is Maverick funny, but it's thrilling and has a nice amount of suspense, too. The main cast is great together, working perfectly with one another to create such a fantastic atmosphere. Gibson is handsome, charming, and funny. Garner matches him beat for beat, in spite of being nearly thirty years his senior. Foster plays opposite them both with grace, intelligence, and an unusual attractiveness. The supporting cast - including Graham Greene, James Coburn, and Alfred Molina - is nearly as good. The screenplay, from the legendary William Goldman, is packed with great moments and quotable dialogue. All these years later, I still think of (and try to incorporate) Coburn's line "I've got two small pair, 8's and 8's" every time I play poker. For a comedy, there are some solid twists and turns in the story, and I'm never bored, whether I'm watching it from start to finish or if I just catch a segment while it's on TV. I think that's a great indicator of a favorite film. 

 

28. Million Dollar Baby

Year: 2004

Director: Clint Eastwood

Million Dollar Baby is one of the best acted and most emotional films I have had the pleasure of seeing. At different points, it's funny, heartwarming, suspenseful, empowering, inspirational, and downright depressing. Any film that can accomplish all that in a little over two hours is something special, in my book. Clint Eastwood pulls quadruple duty as director, star, producer, and music composer and succeeds at all the jobs. I really think he should have won the Best Actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby - he lost to Jamie Foxx for Ray, but did win Best Director - as I absolutely love his portrayal of Frankie Dunn, a hardened boxing trainer with a tough as nails exterior. Frankie is a complex character and Eastwood hits all the right notes, from gruff and sour to tender and caring. Hilary Swank did win the Best Actress Oscar, and rightfully so, and her Maggie Fitzgerald is an equally interesting character. She's dirt poor and from an insensitive hillbilly family, but has a great attitude about life and doesn't let anything hold her back from pursuing her dreams of becoming a professional boxer. When the final act rolls around and the movie takes a drastic and unexpected turn, the payoff is so great because you've learned to love these two characters. It seems unfair to go on for this long without mentioning Morgan Freeman (another Oscar winner - the film also won Best Picture) and his wonderful contribution. His character is somewhere in between both Frankie and Maggie, when it comes to personality traits, and Freeman is perfect in the role. The supporting cast, especially Margo Martindale as Maggie's mother, is very good, too, as is the music and dark cinematography. I know some people who have no interest in seeing Million Dollar Baby because they're not into "boxing" films, but this is so much more. The sport of boxing is only the frame work for a much more in depth film about loss, regrets, passion, and relationships.   

29. Notes on a Scandal 

Year: 2006

Director: Richard Eyre

Notes on a Scandal is a marvelously executed drama, with an underlying current of suspense. It works for many reasons, but the main draws, for me, are the wonderful performances and writing. Judi Dench has given some truly great performances in the last decade, but her work in Notes on a Scandal is the highlight of this late career revival. She is simply phenomenal and earned the #2 spot on my Favorite Lead Actress Performances list. Cate Blanchett may be the best actress of her generation and nearly matches Dench's performance as Sheba Hart, a new teacher who Barbara takes a liking to. She's young and somewhat naive and makes more bad decisions than you'd think possible, but Blanchett is so good and so effortless that you can't help but like Sheba, despite her faults. To have two performances of this caliber in a single film is a rare treat. Bill Nighy turns in a powerful supporting performance as Sheba's husband, a man who goes from happy and carefree to shattered and broken. Much like The Insider, where Michael Mann took a seemingly ordinary story and crafted something akin to a thriller out of it, Notes on a Scandal is superbly executed, elevating the plot with beautiful camera work, an interesting score, and smooth editing.

30. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Year: 2000

Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

I've talked about O Brother, Where Art Thou? several times now on this blog, including during my pieces on my Favorite Lead Actor Performances, my Favorite Directors, and just last week during my Favorite Comedy Films. Because of this, I won't add anything further, besides urging anyone who hasn't seen it to check it out soon!

Well, there's part six of this ten part series. I hope to have inspired at least one person to check out a film or two 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 Documentary Films.