Favourite Films

"Because, uh, most of us... need the eggs."

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that."

You can watch this film and appreciate it as a work of comedic genius, that it is very entertaining and fun to watch. And then you can go further and see just how layered a movie it is. This is partly down to the performances and partly down to the Coen Brothers being the greatest screenwriters of their generation (and perhaps of any generation?). I'm not going to pick apart the politics and give a detailed analysis, but I am going to say that the amount of academics who have written about it surely indicates that this is not a simple film for brain-dead watching - but a fantastic portrayal of life made in a way that is not abrasive, but hugely enjoyable. The complex portraits of The Dude from Jeff Bridges and Walter from John Goodman (as well as enigmatic supporting actress, The Always Wonderful Julianne Moore, and excellent performances from Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro and Sam Elliott) will surely go down as some of the finest in cinematic history.
Why I chose this still: It's from one of my all-time favourite scenes and I think it captures the film's wonderful anarchic brilliance.

"Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing each other again?"

Where do I begin with Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus? The performances? The cinematography? The screenplay? The frogs? Whilst all of these are major parts of why I love this movie so much - I think it all comes down to direction. Paul Thomas Anderson created an ensemble piece that managed to feel completely fluid, despite the almost Pynchon-esque range of characters and 3 hour running time which easily could have killed it. But it didn't kill it; somehow it all worked. So, when the bizarre ending arrives, it doesn't feel bizarre at all. It feels necessary and unbelievably satisfying. An utter masterpiece.
Why I chose this still: The showing of the title works so well because it makes so much sense. This complex world of 90s L.A. is explained through the simple opening of a flower.

"There's no such thing as love. It's a fantasy."

I will always defend this movie to the day I die. I adore it. Possibly because of how deceptive it is. You watch it once and you feel total sympathy towards Tom and a slight distaste although understanding towards Summer, but then you examine it and see that Tom is an unreliable narrator. Summer is completely upfront that she doesn't love him and yet he wants to believe that she does so much that he skews everything towards the idea that they are perfect for each other. But the signs are clear. So I like Summer. And I like Tom. And yet their flaws are so clear. Which is why I'm slightly put out when people describe the film as shallow, because I firmly believe that it is brilliantly nuanced and intelligent whilst still having a big heart and still being very funny. Wonderful film.
Why I chose this still: This scene is so important as it goes to a place previously put in an ultra-romantic light, and instead the female romantic lead tells the male romantic lead that she never romantically loved him, but that their platonic love is very important. And that's it. It's the anti-rom com and the anti-'chick flick'. And it feels weirdly cathartic to have dispelled the romantic notions and replace it with, albeit a rather melancholy, contentment.

"Mrs. Robinson - you are trying to seduce me .... Aren't you?"

The Graduate is a tragedy under the disguise of a comedy. Not in the way of a dark subject matter like Dr. Strangelove - it's because no-one is happy. Benjamin Braddock goes through an existential-crisis and in doing so has an affair with Mrs. Robinson. He then falls in love with her daughter; but does he really? He's unhappy. Mrs. Robinson is an alcoholic who constantly screws hers, and others lives up; but can she be fully blamed? She's unhappy. Elaine just does what she is told; but does anyone really have her interests at heart? She's unhappy. For such a funny comedy, it sure is sad.
Just how I like it.
Why I chose this still: This is one of the best endings in cinematic history that perfectly encapsulates what is so fantastic about the film. This image shows the disillusionment of two people who are victims of circumstance and their own rash, childish choices.

"So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it."

It takes a lot for me to actually be horrified by violence in cinema. Even as a pacifist, I'm never really that shocked. But Fargo really did get my heart pounding and my mind filled with utter horror and amazement. And yet on the way it really gripped and excited me through its humour and its intelligence. Also Frances McDormand is a genius and the other stars (particularly Macy and Buscemi) give memorable performances in their own right. However it really is the Coens (Joel, Ethan, and indeed McDormand) that really make this movie a pinnacle of film-making.
Why I chose this still: Because Marge's speech in this scene is one of the finest moments in cinematic history. Pure brilliance in acting, writing, and direction.

"I had a dream. In fact, it was on the night I met you. In the dream, there was our world, and the world was dark because there weren't any robins and the robins represented love. And for the longest time, there was this darkness. And all of a sudden, thousands of robins were set free and they flew down and brought this blinding light of love. And it seemed that love would make any difference, and it did. So, I guess it means that there is trouble until the robins come."

"Oldsen, I could grow to love this place."

"You wear black 'cause you can't find anything else to wear? You found your sound 'cause you can't play no better? You tried to kiss me because "it just happened"? You should try to take credit for something every once in a while, John."

Two of my favourite people played by another two of my favourite people. I think this is one of the nicest, sweetest, beautiful movies about love that I have seen. I'm not claiming it's the best movie ever but I absolutely adore it. I love it to the point where I can't even watch it critically. I know there are flaws but I can't even tell you what they are because I just get swept up by how much I love it. Joaquin Phoenix gives a fantastic performance as one of my heroes and I believe it is a very nuanced character portrayal, but it's Reese Witherspoon's enchanting and heart-breaking portrayal of June that is the main star here. The music's great and their chemistry is beautiful. Love, love, love this movie!
Why I chose this still: I think that's obvious.

"How wild it was, to let it be."

"If you have something to say, then say it to me now."

"For relaxing times, make it Suntory time."

"Here's looking at you, kid."

"What came first, the music or the misery?"

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

"Chapter one: he adored New York City."

"I really have nothing to say, but I want to say it all the same."

"I like crying. It helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life's problems."

"Nothing is what it seems."

"I must stop my ship!"

"I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of fallin'."

"How much does your life weigh?"

"What I'm not sure about is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time."

"I will be true to You. Whatever comes."

"I am a big bright shining star."

"When it comes to punk: New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!"

"Please let me keep this memory. Just this one."

"Silencio..."

[on losing her virginity] "It's funny though, isn't it? All that poetry and all those songs, about something that lasts no time at all."

"Wheat... lots of wheat... fields of wheat... a tremendous amount of wheat..."

"The power of Christ compels you."

"You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man."

"When your nightlife interferes with your daylife..."

"What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss?"

"My mother is worried I have mental problems. I found a book about teenage paranoid delusions during a routine search of my parents' bedroom."

"Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it."

"Here I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you; you took no notice."

"'Climb the mountain of conflict'? You sounded like a Nazi Julie Andrews."

"I'm the motherfucker that found this place. Sir."

"Come back, come back to me."

Two thumbs up!

"Blue Moon. I used to know the words. I knew the words. Now they're all a jumble."

"Good morning, Mister M. Looks like you could use a cupcake!"

"Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn't last 22 minutes. It lasts forever."

"But you know happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light."

"This is a snakeskin jacket! And for me it's a symbol of my individuality, and my belief... in personal freedom. "

"Homesickness is like most sicknesses. It will pass."

"If you start out depressed, everything's kind of a pleasant surprise."

"I'm not ashamed. Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, weren't they? When they sinned, they put on clothes."

"This house is ours, this house is ours."