This made the rounds on Twitter earlier today, and it seemed like a fun thing to do. The challenge was to name four films that define you, in celebration of "the personal nature of cinema." A worthy endeavor. It kind of evolved into people just posting four images or screencaps from their chosen movies, which is what I ended up doing too.
https://twitter.com/ncollister/status/986466192452800513
Pretty sure I've blabbed about each of these at some point on this blog, but here's a summary.
Lost in Translation (2003)
The mood and music of Lost in Translation is basically my entire aesthetic. I love how Sofia Coppola captured the feeling of being anonymous in a big city, and the uncertainty of relationships caught in limbo, and the bittersweetness of not quite knowing what to do with your life. Also, Bill Murray is a national treasure.
Annie Hall (1977)
Liking Woody Allen movies is problematic these days, but that won't stop me from considering Annie Hall one of the best films ever made. This movie assured me that being neurotic and awkward was ok, as long as I could find someone else equally neurotic and awkward to talk about it with (Annie Hall was one of the first things Alex and I bonded over when we met). Plus, it's so packed with memorable scenes that I regularly forget that Paul Simon is in it, which is quite a feat.
Easy Rider (1969)
Easy Rider is the 1960s—my spirit decade—in movie form. It's basically an extended road trip montage backed by an amazing soundtrack. And because the 60s weren't all peace and love, it also gets pretty dark, a true period piece if ever there was one. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper are great, but Jack Nicholson most definitely steals the show. I quote this film probably once a week at minimum.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
I was having a hard time choosing between this and a Chaplin/Keaton film, but went with Sunset Boulevard because it celebrates the silent era while also embodying the Hollywood of the 1950s, in all its noir splendor. And because glorifying the past is one of my favorite things to do. Me and Norma Desmond have a lot in common, as it turns out.
Putting this together made me realize that setting plays a huge role in all of my favorite movies. Tokyo, New York City, the American Southwest, Los Angeles...I have a personal connection with all of these places, and undoubtedly they are part of the reason I love each of these films so much.
For funsies, here are my runners-up:
A Hard Day's Night (1964) - This movie changed my life (or more accurately, the people in it changed my life). It was a tough one to leave out of the top 4.
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) - Sigh. Mr. Holland's Opus will always hold a special place in my heart for starting me on my journey to band geekdom.
Amadeus (1984) - I loooove the set design, and I looooove Mozart.
Sherlock Jr. (1924) - Ahhh, so many good visual tricks in this one. This one doesn't really define me in any way; I wanted to include a silent film as a reminder that movies were on a completely different (and in many ways, more creative) level in the 1910s and 1920s.
Anyone else? Share your 4 films with meeeeee.