10! .. And then some
And so, after many years of higgling and
piggling, with some kicking and screaming and a certain amount of rebelliousness
thrown in, I have done it.
Don’t get excited now, I haven’t learnt how to
drive yet.
Remember that Top 10 movie list? I did one
about the films
that I haven’t seen sometime last
year but here… HERE is the list that is close to my heart. These are films that
sparked off my imagination and set me on a lifelong interest in the Ok, in no
order whatsoever…
 |
| Try not to keel over yet again, ok? LOL |
- The Untouchables To me, this was one of Brian De Palma’s best, with quotes that have resonated with me until today. It’s a life lesson on doing what you believe is right, at any cost.
- Dangerous Liaisons So these are the games that high society people play to entertain themselves? Who gets hurt in the process doesn’t matter as long as you trump your rival. I equally loved and hated this movie which exposed the manipulative minds of people and that sometimes, your closest ‘friends’ are not your friends at all.
- Star Wars Ep V: The Empire Strikes Back The entire trilogy was amazing but this was the one I remembered the most. Above the storyline, this movie sparked my imagination and inner geek. The battle of Hoth with those Imperial AT-AT Walkers? Mind blowing. I really, really wanted to work in a VFX studio where I wanted to breathe life into the most fantastical monsters, robots and creatures. Woot!
- Raiders of the Lost Ark Who knew that archeologists could be cool? There was crazy adventure, you learned some history and of course, the best theme park ride I have ever seen. It introduced the concept of the battle worn hero what could think on his feet and wasn’t easily defeated no matter what was thrown at him.
- Farewell My Concubine When I first watched this film, I was weeping in the cinema. I learned that relationships are a messy thing and what people will do when circumstances forbid them. I loved the music, its characters and the colors. Its director; Chen Kaige is a film maker who is unafraid of telling stories. And then there was Chinese cinema’s pretty boy, Leslie Cheung, in the role of a lifetime.
- Amelie from forbidden romance to one that is quirky and inventive. It showed me that while you can make people around you happy, you also need to take care of yourself. Life and love doesn’t have to conform to the dictates of society. Love can be beautiful if you can let people or that special someone in. For once, a French auteur wasn’t depressing and that was refreshing to me.
- Infernal Affairs I love Asian cinema not just because I grew up with them but it introduced me to a genre of film-makers and characters that were larger than life, where heroism was not black and white but most importantly, they had storylines that gave cinemagoers the leeway to discuss and ponder what happened, not just giving them a simple ending. This was to me, the far superior film that not even Martin Scorsese could top. It was taut and exciting with a keen sense of danger at all times.
- Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow To me, Jackie Chan was my Kung-fu hero growing up. Always the underdog, always being bullied and always very funny. There is just something so down-to-earth about him that sets him apart from other kung-fu heroes. I cannot tell you how many times my sister and I watched this growing up… or how much we wanted to have a crazy kung-fu teacher. LOL
- Pete’s Dragon I love dragons in all its incarnations. What I love even more? Silly, hand-drawn cartoons with a lot of heart, songs and being happy. And roasted apples. It wasn’t slick, it was cheesey but it was also one of the first animated films I saw and it has stuck in my mind ever since. Goes to show that the medium may have evolved but you remember the things that you grew up with, the most.
- Se7en So according to the traditional blockbuster formula, movies must have, action, hunky heroes, a feel-good factor and of course a happy ending. This movie, turned everything on its head and worse of all? The heroes here DON’T WIN. Whhhahaatttt??!! And the villain was uncredited. Who the hell was that? And what the hell happened? Just that fact alone made me and many viewers watch this movie more than once.
And there you go my Top 10 list. It is one that is highly personal, where most of the films mean a lot me. They inspired the way I write, what I love and how I see things. Just as in life, I don’t really give a fig about what’s popular, as long as it means something to me.
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