can the boy tell time?
OMG, you guys. I got so behind on this meme. So this post is going to be long. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Wow, so many! I mean, there are the movies that are just so well-done, that the sheer quality of them makes me happy and gleeful, and then there are the movies that are just so bouncy and happy and optimistic that you just can't help but be happy watching them. So how do you pick just one? Well, I will tell you. You roll with one that does both at once. I give you:
The Royal Tenenbaums
By one of my favourite directors, one of my favourite movies of all time, featuring a bunch of my favourite people, and a bunch of my favourite songs. It is ridiculous and sublime, and it is everything I love about the movies. Watching it just makes me feel lighter, somehow. I love the bittersweetness of the story, the way that it's about acceptance and family and finding happiness, without ever feeling forced or saccharin. I love the visual style, from the fashions to the font. The rosy sepia grit of the palette. The lingering stillness of the shots. The way the dialog is not realistic at all, and is perfect because of it. The way it can transition from outright hilarity to deadly serious in a heartbeat. It's a movie that forms an instant bond when you find someone who loves it as much as you do. That you can quote back and forth for hours, or make you start giggling at random, solitary moments, because something reminded you of your favorite part (which is likely the entire movie). It is one of my top five movies of all time, and definitely wins accolade of bringing unadulterated happiness to all who love it.
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
The Dog Who Survives. No picture for this one, just much love. It's textbook movie cliché and I don't care. People making movies about people getting killed somehow seems like fair game to me, but killing off a dog is the surest way to sour me on a movie. Like, even the trailer for Salt bothers me, where she comes home and is petting her dog, and then a minute later, that apartment seems to explode and her creeping out on the window ledge, all I can think of is "but what about the dog??!" So when cheesy action movies pull the cheesy move of having a dog survive an explosion, or meteorite, or Tyrannasaurus Rex, or whatever, I can't help but bounce a little in my seat with delight.
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Slumdog Millionaire
How could it not be, you guys? It's such a perfect little modern fairy tale. Implausible and delightfully so. It's another movie that, while we're on the subject, just fills me with such happiness. Sure, it's a story that's been told time and time again, but rarely is it told with such beauty and grace, with such a fantastic young cast.
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
For actress, if you had to ask, you just don't know me at all: Gwyneth Paltrow.
I first really noticed Gwyneth in Se7en (hence the picture choice). I remember vividly thinking what a little ray of light she was in this brilliantly dark movie. Cute as a button, but in a natural way, and delivering such a strong and convincing performance, that brought such depth to a small, but important role. Her screen time was little, but left a huge impact, and as a result, lent huge impact to her character's role in the final moments. I was hooked from that moment on, you guys. She hasn't always been in the best movies, but she's always elevates any movie in which she appears. I think she's got tremendous range as and is just stunningly beautiful. And beyond that, I think she is just charming as all get out in interviews an appearances. Always smiling, always seeming genuine, funny, and willing to be ridiculous when the situation calls for it. A lot of ire gets thrown her way, and I'll never understand what she's done to deserve it. She's lovely on and off screen, and is one of the few actors, male or female, that I will absolutely watch in anything, no matter what. It's been fifteen years since Se7en, and I can't wait to see what the next fifteen will bring.
For the fellas, it's a little bit of a harder proposition. My top five is solid: Clooney, Crowe, diCaprio, Gyllenhaal, & McAvoy. But the position within has a tendency to jockey based on whoever I've last seen (with the exception of Gyllenhaal right now, because, you know, Prince of Persia). But they all fall into that aforementioned short list of actors I will always see, and who, like Paltrow, represent that perfect combination of being drop dead gorgeous on top of being able tot act the hell out of any role they're given, no matter the size.
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
I don't like this question, so I'm going to go with what is, perhaps, the original jaw-to-the-floor plot twist, from which all others have sprung.
Psycho
By now, everyone knows the shower scene, and who the killer is, and the unholy wow of the double meanings and the little smirks and so on and so forth. A movie is more than its surprises, and Psycho has endured as a classic throughout the years even though modern audiences know what's coming. But just imagine for a minute what it would have been like for audiences in 1960. Imagine that you go to a movie, starring a household name, which is what Janet Leigh was at the time. She was a big star, you guys. And not co-starring, but starring. Top billing for our girl. And a third of the way in, she's butchered and gone.
And then things get really weird.
Psycho is the original mindfuck. In its time, it was like nothing anyone had seen before. The entire movie is a plot twist, in the way that it blew all expectations for the genre out of the water. From that moment on, no one was safe in the movies, no matter how big their name was on the marquee. Time and time and again, that trope has returned, and it always gives people a good jolt. And this is where it started. In conclusion: Alfred Hitchcock is the man.
Day 01 - Favourite foreign language film
Day 02 - A film that is underrated
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Day 09 - The best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black-and-white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A film that disappointed you
Day 15 - Favourite film sequel
Day 16 - Favourite film character
Day 17 - Favourite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favourite film from your favourite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favourite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favourite film villain
Day 26 - Favourite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favourite film from your favourite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favourite film
Day 30 - Your favourite film of all time
Aaaaaaand I'm caught up! Finally! Now to stay caught up in the coming days...
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Wow, so many! I mean, there are the movies that are just so well-done, that the sheer quality of them makes me happy and gleeful, and then there are the movies that are just so bouncy and happy and optimistic that you just can't help but be happy watching them. So how do you pick just one? Well, I will tell you. You roll with one that does both at once. I give you:
The Royal Tenenbaums
By one of my favourite directors, one of my favourite movies of all time, featuring a bunch of my favourite people, and a bunch of my favourite songs. It is ridiculous and sublime, and it is everything I love about the movies. Watching it just makes me feel lighter, somehow. I love the bittersweetness of the story, the way that it's about acceptance and family and finding happiness, without ever feeling forced or saccharin. I love the visual style, from the fashions to the font. The rosy sepia grit of the palette. The lingering stillness of the shots. The way the dialog is not realistic at all, and is perfect because of it. The way it can transition from outright hilarity to deadly serious in a heartbeat. It's a movie that forms an instant bond when you find someone who loves it as much as you do. That you can quote back and forth for hours, or make you start giggling at random, solitary moments, because something reminded you of your favorite part (which is likely the entire movie). It is one of my top five movies of all time, and definitely wins accolade of bringing unadulterated happiness to all who love it.
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
The Dog Who Survives. No picture for this one, just much love. It's textbook movie cliché and I don't care. People making movies about people getting killed somehow seems like fair game to me, but killing off a dog is the surest way to sour me on a movie. Like, even the trailer for Salt bothers me, where she comes home and is petting her dog, and then a minute later, that apartment seems to explode and her creeping out on the window ledge, all I can think of is "but what about the dog??!" So when cheesy action movies pull the cheesy move of having a dog survive an explosion, or meteorite, or Tyrannasaurus Rex, or whatever, I can't help but bounce a little in my seat with delight.
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Slumdog Millionaire
How could it not be, you guys? It's such a perfect little modern fairy tale. Implausible and delightfully so. It's another movie that, while we're on the subject, just fills me with such happiness. Sure, it's a story that's been told time and time again, but rarely is it told with such beauty and grace, with such a fantastic young cast.
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
For actress, if you had to ask, you just don't know me at all: Gwyneth Paltrow.
I first really noticed Gwyneth in Se7en (hence the picture choice). I remember vividly thinking what a little ray of light she was in this brilliantly dark movie. Cute as a button, but in a natural way, and delivering such a strong and convincing performance, that brought such depth to a small, but important role. Her screen time was little, but left a huge impact, and as a result, lent huge impact to her character's role in the final moments. I was hooked from that moment on, you guys. She hasn't always been in the best movies, but she's always elevates any movie in which she appears. I think she's got tremendous range as and is just stunningly beautiful. And beyond that, I think she is just charming as all get out in interviews an appearances. Always smiling, always seeming genuine, funny, and willing to be ridiculous when the situation calls for it. A lot of ire gets thrown her way, and I'll never understand what she's done to deserve it. She's lovely on and off screen, and is one of the few actors, male or female, that I will absolutely watch in anything, no matter what. It's been fifteen years since Se7en, and I can't wait to see what the next fifteen will bring.
For the fellas, it's a little bit of a harder proposition. My top five is solid: Clooney, Crowe, diCaprio, Gyllenhaal, & McAvoy. But the position within has a tendency to jockey based on whoever I've last seen (with the exception of Gyllenhaal right now, because, you know, Prince of Persia). But they all fall into that aforementioned short list of actors I will always see, and who, like Paltrow, represent that perfect combination of being drop dead gorgeous on top of being able tot act the hell out of any role they're given, no matter the size.
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
I don't like this question, so I'm going to go with what is, perhaps, the original jaw-to-the-floor plot twist, from which all others have sprung.
Psycho
By now, everyone knows the shower scene, and who the killer is, and the unholy wow of the double meanings and the little smirks and so on and so forth. A movie is more than its surprises, and Psycho has endured as a classic throughout the years even though modern audiences know what's coming. But just imagine for a minute what it would have been like for audiences in 1960. Imagine that you go to a movie, starring a household name, which is what Janet Leigh was at the time. She was a big star, you guys. And not co-starring, but starring. Top billing for our girl. And a third of the way in, she's butchered and gone.
And then things get really weird.
Psycho is the original mindfuck. In its time, it was like nothing anyone had seen before. The entire movie is a plot twist, in the way that it blew all expectations for the genre out of the water. From that moment on, no one was safe in the movies, no matter how big their name was on the marquee. Time and time and again, that trope has returned, and it always gives people a good jolt. And this is where it started. In conclusion: Alfred Hitchcock is the man.
Day 01 - Favourite foreign language film
Day 02 - A film that is underrated
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Day 09 - The best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black-and-white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A film that disappointed you
Day 15 - Favourite film sequel
Day 16 - Favourite film character
Day 17 - Favourite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favourite film from your favourite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favourite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favourite film villain
Day 26 - Favourite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favourite film from your favourite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favourite film
Day 30 - Your favourite film of all time
Aaaaaaand I'm caught up! Finally! Now to stay caught up in the coming days...