Post movies or songs you like with titles that start with each letter of the alphabet. What the heck? Sounds easy, right?
Especially when it comes to the letter D, man. It was difficult to pick just one D movie (seriously -- I had, like, 27 candidates for my favorite movie that starts with D). Or, how about A??? I agonized for literally dozens of seconds over whether to pick A.I., or Atonement. I mean, which one should be my A movie? On the one hand, Spielberg's A.I. was viewed by yours truly a total of four times when it was in the theaters, and to this very day, I (honest to God) weep at the endingwith every screening. Hey, I'm not ashamed. A.I. moves me deep in the rotten cockles of my heart with all the sadness and beauty of the world, and you folks who might question its brilliance can go to Heck! And, despite A.I.'s obvious flaws, it remains one of my favorite motion pictures (seems as though most of the films I truly love DO have obvious flaws that, oddly, just draw me in even more).
HOWEVER, Atonement was a movie that sort of marked the beginning of my true understanding and love of the filmmaking process. I obsessed over it for over TWO YEARS, following any information about its filming that I could find. Granted, I initially only cared about the project because it was to star my old muse, Keira Knightley, but by the time all was said and done, that didn't really matter. Atonement helped evolve my appreciation for good storytelling (and on a weird level, it helped evolve me as a person) because of my interest in its general production....
Anyway, since I hate doing a bad job on anything, this task was more difficult than I thought it would be. Heck, the basic FORMATICS were a huge hassle -- I wanted to find pictures of each film that represented why it grabbed me in some way, which was a challenge....
So, this may SEEM like a blow-off entry, but I tell you folks: I gave up small portions of at least three nights that could have been spent playing video games for the sake of THIS. That MEANS something.
Without further ado, here are my choices. Watch ALL of these movies.
A:
Atonement (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783233/
B:
The Big Lebowski (1998)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/
C:
Contact (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/
D:
Doctor Strangelove (1964)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/
E:
Ed Wood (1994)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/label/edwood
F:
The Fisher King (1991)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/label/TheFisherKing
G:
Ghostbusters (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/
H:
The Hills Run Red (2009)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/label/TheHillsRunRed
I:
Into the Wild (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/
J:
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099871/
K:
Kalifornia (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107302/
L:
Let the Right One In (2008)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/labe/LetTheRightOneIn
M:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/
N:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063350/
O:
Outsourced (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425326/
P:
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/
Q:
Quiz Show (1994)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110932/
R:
Resident Evil (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/
S:
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/
T:
The Truman Show (1998)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/
U:
UHF (1989)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/label/UHF
V:
The Village (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/
W:
The Weatherman (2003)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384680/
X:
Uh....
There are seriously VERY FEW movies that start with X (unless you consider any X Men flick worthy of this list, and I certainly do not). Therefore, I'll go with...
The Room (2003)
http://southwestmichiganwsjm.blogspot.com/search/label/Room%20(the)
Y:
Young Frankenstein (1974)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072431/
Z:
Zoolander (2001)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/
And now we all know our ABCS....
That was fun, now wasn't it?
Everyone can feel safe checking out any of these films. I stand behind them. Well, most of them...
Now, have a fine day. I'll be back very soon with a review of an absolutely AWESOME horror/thriller flick that I watched last week.
b.
I've only seen 7 of the 26 movies listed. Jeez, I gotta get out more. But I concur that The Big Lebowski and Monty Python and the Holy Grail are works of friggin' genius, man.
ReplyDeleteOh man...Lebowski, Ghostbusters and Young Frankenstein...3 of my ALL TIME favorites. Zoolander is great as well.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest though, the Truman show? Didn't love it.
totally your kind of list :) which means none of the films I liked :P
ReplyDeleteDoes your wife know of the Keira obsession? :)
Debra -- Well, at the very least, you seem to know your comedies.
ReplyDeleteGoodwill -- The Truman Show always really gets me. It's one of my all-time favorites.
Of course, it's one of those movies you really shouldn't analyze TOO much. Over think it, and the whole concept falls apart.
But there's nothing the filmmakers really could have done about that. I mean, if they'd focused too much on making the movie believable, it would have turned into little more than a justification of its own premise.
Remember suspension of disbelief, grasshopper....
Dezmond -- The Keira obsession is something I'm pretty much over. I''' still check out her movies when they reach DVD, but that's about it.
Very nice list of movies! :)
ReplyDeleteThat was pretty good. You did what it's taking some bloggers a month to do. You should have just signed up for A to Z.
ReplyDeleteHow could you not have Apocalypse Now for 'A'? Well at least you got it right with Ed Wood and Night of the Living Dead. I've actually seen about 75% of your list including The Room, a genius pick for 'X'. I did a post about that movie some time back when I was talking about bad movies.
Fun, fun, fun as always.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Dude, I feel your pain. This is a momentous undertaking, and you should be happy with your entry. Even though we only share one title, I love a lot of the movies you listed. There's also a couple of movies you listed that I literally slapped my forehead over. How could I have forgotten Ghostbusters?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, nice to meet you. I look forward to reading more of your blog.
I'm in awe of you for managing this. I keep trying but I just can't, I just wind up getting upset and having to go for a lie down. You sir, are awesome.
ReplyDeleteJenny -- Why, THANK you!
ReplyDeleteLee -- Now I've got to peruse your archives for that Room post. It's a truly special movie!
Dusty -- Right back at you, on every point, my friend. Welcome!
Jinx -- No. YOU, ma'am, are the awesome one. And take it easy. You'll get through this.
Ha! Great variety! I would have a lot of trouble with this, but Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grain and Young Frankenstein would surely make my list too. You've got some great movies here.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot man...now I need chocolate cake.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I really like your offbeat choices, you have excellent taste. Seeing Into the Wild, The Village, UHF, Truman Show all on here -- well, I'm a officially a fan of yours. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how difficult it was for you to put this together. I just compiled a 100 Reasons Why We Love the Movies with my movie buddy on our site, and I thought THAT was heart-breaking!
Nice. I hadn't seen this meme before, but now I want to do a list of my own!
ReplyDeleteHart -- Thanks! Yeah, you can't argue with Young Frankenstein for Y. I've seen it pop up on a lot of lists.
ReplyDeleteWilliam -- You're welcome.
Dave -- Thanks, man. I'll check out that 100 Reasons of yours in a minute.
Jennette -- Go for it. Lemme know when you post yours.
Outstanding! Any of that cake left?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you included The Village! I just loved that movie to pieces, I must be one of the only people in the world with the soundtrack...which I listen to at least once a week. A round of applause for including The Room (it does have the passion of a Tennessee Williams play after all), The Big Lebowski, and Zoolander. All important and necessary watches for any movie fan, period.
ReplyDeleteYour list rules, Drew. I don't necessarily agree with Into the Wild because I kept hoping that stupid bastard would die sooner and it took, like, hours for him to starve or whatever. Felt like hours, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAlso, here's a secret: *whisper* I have always hated Dr. Strangelove. /*whisper*.
I know, heresey, right? But that movie has never done it for me. So I would put Dead Snow on my list instead. Or even f'king Dune. Anything to keep from having to see Dr. Strangelove again.
Ali -- No, I ated it.
ReplyDeleteHeather -- Awesome. Someone else who actually likes The Village. It is so underrated.
And you actually have the soundtrack??? That's AWESOME!
Dave -- You, sir, are an unenlightened oaf.
Nah, just kidding. I can see why you might dislike Strangelove. It's not for everybody.
OH, and DAVE -- One more thing: I sort of felt the same way about Into the Wild. It's, by far, the weakest entry on my list. I mostly just included it because of the soundtrack. It means something personal to me.
ReplyDeleteThat cat looks like a posturing snob.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew. THis is my first time visiting your blog and I already love it. I watch lots of movies, too. I was really inspired by this post. Love your list btw. I decided to write my own response to the meme as well. If you have a chance, I'd love for you to read it and leave a comment for me. Thanks. :) Your new follower, Silvia. http://silvia-chenault.blogspot.com/2011/04/inspirational-films-from-to-z.html
ReplyDelete