My Best Films List (Part 1)

I was seven years old when i watched my first movie. Vividly, i still remember my father putting the book like Betamax tape inside our then technologically advanced Betamax Player. I still remember how butterflies seemed to flock around, flying inside my stomach. I was excited, yes; and probably nervously anticipating what’s in store in the following minutes. Perhaps i have known in my gut that something magical and extraordinary will start to happen; so magical and so beyond my small, confined thinking, that the event would leave a lingering imprint in my memory.

The movie was Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.

No words would ever be enough to describe how wondrous the effect of such magic happening before a seven-year old kid’s eyes. My heart was so full, my mind racing with thoughts and possibilities. The experience changed me; it awakened something absolutely positive and inspiring, it opened my mind to a different world, so beautifully different to our small country town where amazing things happen, where the streets seem to have a life of its own, where men lived to find their dreams. That such a world existed, that such a world is achievable became the guiding light on which my life’s path began to unravel.

At seven years old, i became a dreamer.

I became a dreamer and a movie addict.

Twenty one years later, that kid who lived in that small country town is still a movie addict. I am no longer just a dreamer though as i have learned throughout the years that dreams are merely the starting point of even greater things; now, i am actualizing those dreams and taking the right path.

Hopefully.

Because at 28, i still am weak. I falter a lot. And i still depend on movies to awaken something magical; i still watch a good movie to pump up my creative juice; i still go back to watching a movie everytime solitude beckons.

And this is where my list starts.

1. Schindler’s List - I wasn’t able to watch Schindler’s List when it was first shown and won the awards it so richly deserved back in 1993. So when i got the chance to watch it the first time two years ago, i know that i will be swept away. And i was. The depth of the story and the value placed on life, on human life, is extraordinary. The movie is not about war or the Jews or the Nazis. It is about hope and about the triumph of the human spirit. Whoever saves one life, saves the whole world.

2. Malena - The first thing that drew me towards the movie was of course the beautiful Monica Belluci. Ms. Belluci is one of the greatest beauty i have ever seen on the screen (forgive me, i just have to say that). I could write a hundred poems just describing her beauty. So casting her to play that mysterious and seemingly perfect Malena Scordia who captivates every man who lay eyes upon her, young and old alike, was perfect. It is a movie about sensual awakenings, yes. But to me, Malena is more about the evolution of a young man’s perception of the world; how he has come to realize that the world can be cruel and irrational and unjust and that one must do his best to be positively different, to start something that is good.

3. La Mala Educacion (Bad Education)- I have been a long-time fan of Pedro Almodovar’s film making. His movies are dark, comedic, and yet deep, thought provoking, and moving. Such is La Mala Educacion where Gael Carcia Bernal plays the sensitive and sexy transvestite Zahara (his performance of Besame Mucho while in a very tight dress, full make-up and wig was amazingly believable). Almodovar dwells on what is cruel and unfortunate and builds on it a beautiful and moving drama about the inconsistencies and painful realities inside the Catholic Church; the movie is about how our childhood experiences greatly affect and define who we are in the future.

4. Cinema Paradiso - It was only recently that i get to watch this movie eventhough i have heard of it when it was released in the US. I have to say that this is one of the greatest films that i have watched in my 28 years of existence. The movie is all things at the same time. It makes you feel and think about so many things, essential things. The experience of watching it and dwelling in its story is magnificent. It is about life and how one must live it with an insatiable thirst for ones dream, for that one single, most powerful dream that commands who you are; it is about undying love and how it can consume you and define how you shall live your life.The movie reaches something deep and profound and lonely in ones heart.

5. Basic Instinct - The first sexually explicit film that i watched. I remember my mom getting so angry when she found out that i watched the film and gave my father the look when she found out that he allowed me to watch it. Sharon Stone was deliciously amazing as the she-devil cum writer/novelist in the movie. And the sex scenes are, well, simply put, stimulating (an understatement).

6. 300 - I think what made this movie beautiful was not exactly the theme about glory and honor and courage, which is kind of staple in this type of films, but the graphic quality of its colors and its tones.

7. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - I was able to watch this film last year and i was enthralled. It is about one’s quest for love and acceptance. The cinematography is captivating, you can almost smell the elements on the screen.

8. Shortbus - I am not sure if this is an American Indie film (because man, if it was mainstream, you’ll screech on your seat while watching, whatever that means!) but when i got the chance to watch it, boy was i amazed. The movie may well be categorized as a sex flick, it may be said further that it is a gay film but it is more than that. One finds a little of one’s self in every character of the movie, hetero or homo. The characters are so fully developed that all of them contributed to making the film so rich and meaningful. It shows the varied levels of relationships and how we are defined by the partners or lovers we choose. The movie is smart, funny, and endearing. Further, it shows sex as a symbol of freedom and ownership of ones self. You are so far behind you think you are first.

9. Gattaca - Gattaca is about the power of dreams and how far one can go by just following and pursuing it. It is about perseverance and the power of the human will to overcome even the most seemingly insurmountable limitations of one’s self. Uma Thurman is a goddess. Etha Hawke is a god. I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body – you lent me your dream.

10. All about Eve - If there would be one reason, just one, to watch this movie, it would be because of Bette Davis. Miss Davis delivered a superb performance that is usual for an actress her caliber. Without her, the movie would have been dull and boring. Another wonderful element of the movie is the script; the script has wit scattered all over it. This is one of the classics one should never fail to watch. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!

11. The Piano - Holly Hunter deserved her Oscar for this movie. Jane Campion wonderfully crafted this film; if there would be a category for lyrical filmmaking, as to lyrical poetry, this movie would be in that category. The movie is haunting as if the melody of the piano possesses Holly Hunter everytime she plays it.

12. Legends of the Fall - An epic story about family, courage, honor, love, and integrity. Anthony Hopkins is amazing in this film. It was those who loved him the most that died young. He was a rock they broke themselves against however much he tried to protect them.

13. Moulin Rouge - Rockin songs, costumes design, and cinematography. Although i generally classify Moulin Rouge as a pop film, that is aimed to be mainly entertaining, it has a few gems up on its sleeve like the outstanding performances from Nicole Kidman and Ewan Macgregor. Mushy but surprisingly entertaining. The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

14. Antonia’s Line - This movie is about women; about their families; about their strength, their dreams and the challenges that they go through. It is about acceptance and about celebrating life. But moreso, i think the movie is about how women can be full and complete and self-actualized without men.

15. Volver- Penelope Cruz showed great depth in this movie. Volver is a dark, a bit comedic but dark. The movie is about going back, going back to one’s family, to one’s roots, to the past in order to resolve the future.

16. 12 Monkeys - What made an impact to me in this movie, was how the complicated plot and story line was flawlessly intertwined. I also remember how Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt gave such amazing performances in this futuristic sci-fi movie which i really have to watch again.

17. Notes On A Scandal - I consider Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench as two of the finest actresses of today and having them both in one film is a treat to watch. Both of them gave a superlative performance in the movie. A story about manipulation and the conscious errors/mistakes that we make by not pursuing/declaring the things that we love and we live for. It’s a movie that tells us that no matter how good people can seemingly be, there is still a part of them that dwells in evil, even if its just a small part.

18. Monster’s Ball - A moving and solid movie. A masterpiece simply because all is well crafted and perfectly thought-out. Although the movie may be prevalently about racism, what lies beneath is a touching story of renewal and love. of acceptance and forgiveness, and of hope.

19. To Die For - Well, i got interested to watch this because of the Oscar nominaton of Nicole Kidman. The story is about ambition and determination and how one can get so devious in attaining them.

20. Magnolia - One of the most bizarre and layered dramas i have ever watched. It is a movie about people looking for happiness and meaning. The irony and metaphor are scattered all over the movie. This is not a movie for those who loves simple plots as the film needs thinking and rethinking. The characters are so complex and yet fully developed. Philipp Seymour Hoffman showed brilliance preceding his Oscar win.