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here are my write-ups for a few of the movies on my list.
Pretty in Pink
i think this is listed in the number one slot on my Favorite Movies tab, too. i decided to list it here because it's literally the only movie i'll watch again, and again, and again, and again and never get tired of it or notice something funny or cute about it to love. John Hughes always had the best characters in his movies, and i love the campy quality of all colorful characters in this movie. i was only 2-years-old when this came out, but i can imagine that lots of teenage girls back then looked up to Molly Ringwald's character, Andie. she's probably my favorite female role model in a movie - she's mature beyond her years, compassionate, caring, optimistic, eager to discover what she wants and what she likes even if it's different from everyone else around her, crafty, stylish, and ridiculously cute. i'm 27 and i still wish i could be her sometimes!
The Big Chill
this is one of those movies that is almost borderline "too" good; almost like it's self-aware, from the all-star cast to the Best of the 60's soundtrack. its nostalgia, for me, stems from the feelings of nostalgia portrayed through the characters themselves and not so much an awakening of my own memories, but this is one of the warmest movies i've ever seen (despite the title) and the chemistry between the characters is phenomenal, particularly the scenes with Jeff Goldblum.
Educating Rita
this is probably one of my favorite character studies of all time, and it does such a perfect job of awakening the deep down fear that i'll become all pretension with minimal insight, like Rita. maybe that's why i like to watch this movie to begin with; to remind myself not to follow down the same footsteps. there's also a powerful and brutally honest message here about how much sacrifice is usually required if you want to change your life for the better - often times it means becoming detached from things or even people you love because maybe they don't have your best interest at heart.
Fanny and Alexander
none of Bergman's films are about love, or relationships, or a certain part. it's greed, love, lust, good and evil, insanity, supernatural, family relations all wrapped into one. Fanny and Alexander is not just one of those you see because it's good for you and it broadens your understanding of cinematic techniques, but that it accomplishes what all great art at least sets out to do: reveal something pivotal about the world around us while making the most of its medium. it's personal without being impenetrable and mysterious without being pretentious. the visual metaphors in this film are indeed beautiful, but also easy to understand within the contexts of a touching story. like for instance, the people who are important to Alexander persistently appear in the film even after they die; whose past doesn't materialize in front of a person who is forever indebted to it?
Raging Bull
She's Having a Baby
pretty surreal for a John Hughes film, but the title alone kept me from watching this for years because i just assumed it was some dumb 80's comedy pre Baby's Day Out or something (stupid, i know), but then i watched the Kate Bush - This Woman's Work sequence which made me break down in sniffles. i always appreciated how much realism was mixed in with the abstract, and the eerie effect it has on its viewer - though as i can't very well relate to the main characters who are going through typical married/children/suburban lifestyle acceptance, i think everyone can relate to the fear of being completely ordinary or giving up some kind of freedom of self to protect the things and the people you choose to take care of and love.
This is Spinal Tap
My Neighbor Totoru
simply the most joyous movie ever to adorn the screen. nothing further to add here.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
The Fly
pretty much wanted to badly have rough sex with Jeff Goldblum after i watched this haha *freak* but honestly, this is probably my favorite remake of a movie, ever. whenever i watch 80's Cronenberg it makes me miss how over-the-top and icky the special effects and gore that defined this decade in movies are. the performances here are less than perfect, but there's plenty of convincing character developments that when the slow yet effective groundwork opens up for the jolting shocks, it's a gut-wrenchingly tough, lyrical drama with infused visual impact.