You are approached by your local art museum because they read your highly-successful movie blog and liked your style. They give you a room in the museum and one calendar year. They tell you that you have to pick 12 movies by 12 different filmmakers. Each month, one of your movies will be projected perpetually on the wall. You quickly brainstorm a list, just like I did, and then without a lot of thought, my usual style, you create your list. What are you showing?
Here's mine. It's in no particular order, and the months don't really matter. Like, I didn't put any thought into whether or not such-and-such is a good November movie or not. It's all pretty random. But here's my list, and I'd be thrilled if you shared your own or let me know what I might have left off. There are links to my reviews of these if they're available just in case you're interested in reading more poor writing.
Oh, and I'm leaving Playtime off, just because I wanted to open up another spot. It would probably be in there.
January: Last Year at Marienbad
This puzzling movie is one of the first I thought about, so I'll put it in January. I limited myself to one movie per director, but that doesn't rule out using the same cinematographer more than once. This won't be the last Sacha Vierny movie in the list.
February: Barbarella
This might not be a good movie, but who wouldn't want to see this Jane Fonda projected on a wall for an entire month? I wanted to include a bad movie because I love bad movies, and this one is probably the most museum-worthy bad movie I can think of.
March: Eraserhead
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If you know me at all, the inclusion of this David Lynch first feature is no surprise. Such a great demonstration of how you can do so much with nothing more than a vivid imagination. This movie's the closest to a dream that you'll ever see on screen.
April: The Cook, His Wife, The Thief, and Her Lover
Sacha Vierny again, with this Peter Greenaway movie. I almost went with Drowning by Numbers or A Zed and Two Noughts, but I figured I would go with something I actually have a link to. I guess projecting this bad boy on the wall would force the museum to make an age requirement. No kids allowed anymore because no child should see that much cannibalism. Or penis.
May: Man with a Movie Camera
Again, if you know me at all, you probably would guess that I'm going to include at least one silent movie. I'm picking this one over any of my beloved silent comedies, Metropolis, or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari because it's so visually adventurous, one of those things I just figure opened doors for so many other filmmakers. Of course, I could just project Melies shorts, too.
June: Enter the Void
I'm still not even sure I like this challenging Gaspar Noe trippy epic, but one thing's clear--there's nothing else like it. Again, with its trips into genitalia and druggy ways, you'll probably want to make sure you keep the kids away. Just let them stay in the Gertrude Stein exhibit maybe while the adults venture in to have their minds blown by this one.
July: Koyaanisqatsi
Probably too obvious. The Enter the Void/Koyaanisqatsi juxtaposition isn't the best, but I initially had something else here and realized that I just couldn't leave this out. An artistic triumph! If any movie was made to be projected on a museum wall, it's this one.
August: The Holy Mountain
It had to be either this masterpiece of Alejandro Jodorowsky's or El Topo, equally a masterpiece. They're both visual gems which is important for my museum movie collection, but this one's imagery might be a little more exhilarating. Like a lot of these picks, you could pause this at numerous times and have a still that's worthy of being displayed in a museum. Moving, it's all even better.
September: The Triplets of Belleville
I had to include an animated movie and had trouble deciding between newfangled computer animated favorites, old and probably obvious Disney choices, something by Hayao Miyazaki, or one of those stop-animated things I love so much. For a variety of reasons, this Chomet classic sticks with me, so it goes up on the wall for September.
October: A Clockwork Orange
October's my birth month, so it gets what might be my favorite movie. 2001 could be the more obvious choice, but the visual style of this Kubrick movie blows me away just as much. Besides, museums dig phalluses.
November: The Color of Pomegranates
How many movies on this list are movies that I'm not really smart enough to understand? This Sergei Parajanov movie has bewildering imagery and symbolism and is still unlike anything else I've ever seen. And that's reason enough to include it.
December: You, the Living
And I'll end the year with probably the only movie I've listed here that I would never take out of the list. Anything else, I could substitute with something else and be fine. You're not convincing me that this Roy Andersson movie isn't going on my wall. I love this movie and, like Tati, there's so many frames of this that are showcasing the artistic potential of the cinema. And it's hilarious.
Here's stuff I didn't mention up there that I'll include when the museum, after liking what I've done so much, decides to give me more months:
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Russian Ark
I Am Cuba
Lots of Wes Anderson or Tarkovsky stuff
Apocalypse Now
Tree of Life (or maybe Days of Heaven)
Spirit of the Beehive
Vertigo
Amelie
8 1/2 or Amarcord (one of these I actually had in there but took out because Philip Glass wouldn't stop bugging me)
The American Astronaut
Night of the Hunter
The Wizard of Oz
Raise the Red Lantern
Taxidermia
The Third Man
Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace
Once Upon a Time in the West (or other Leone flicks)
La Jetee
Anything else? What would you show?
8 comments:
Star Wars: Episode 1...I caught that. You think people never read these things??
Where's your top-ten list?
And you caught me. Insert 'A New Hope' there instead. That's the Star Wars flick that I would throw on the wall even though it's not my favorite one or the one I think is the best.
I'm going to try and put some thought into the months/seasons. I know that there are movies that "feel" like a summer movie or fall movie. I don't know why, but I think of music that way too.
JANUARY "Goodfellas" - This is first because there's none to top it. Scorsese takes every genre and makes the best out of them (drama, melodrama, comedy, action, classic, period, crime). Maybe romance doesn't really belong, but there is a few notes of Henry Hill's love/family life and balancing that with work. Mainly, it's everything we love about movies. It was a classic in the making. It's a classic for evermore. Everyone should see this movie before they die; even if they just see pieces of it. There are so many memorable scenes, that I could trust people to walk into a room, and wherever the movie is, it will captivate them.
FEBRUARY "Fargo" - The Cohen Brothers are modern-day genius. They have an ability to formulate a convoluted story and then lay it out on the screen so simply. This obviously fits in the winter. You want to wear a big, heavy sweater while watching the chilling setting/story. I think the Cohens get everything right in this movie: the script, the characters, the direction, the cinematography. They even take real life, and strangely make it more real than we wish it to be.
MARCH "Ravenous" - I can't exactly express what made this movie click with me. I know that it was unpredictable, and that is something I value with movies. Plus, it was independent with a low budget. I have a lot of respect for directors and writes who can churn out a memorable movie with little means. I'll never forget the first time I watched this movie. It was unexpected. And when I went to excitedly describe it to people, I couldn't articulate a god damn thing. I also think it's interesting that a woman (Antonia Bird) directed this dark, bloody, and twisted film. Maybe it's not interesting; maybe I'm just sexist. Still, I wish more independent films could give "blockbusters" a run for their money.
APRIL "Noises Off" - I couldn't do "Clue" because I'm using Jonathan Lynn later in the list. There needs to be an ensemble movie on any film list. I like when a movie takes theatre and puts it on the silver screen. It automatically makes it more intelligent and connects it to the media that came before movies. Peter Bogdanovich directed this masterful work, and there's a throng of top-notch actors giving great performances. Again, "Clue" is probably the more popular "ensemble" choice, but this little-known movie fits neatly in this category and Spring...for some reason.
MAY "My Cousin Vinny" - I know most people think this movie is a stupid choice for a "Top 12" or whatever. But, I'm trying to reach for a breadth of genre/influence/formula. Quite frankly, the accuracy in the subject matter is unbelievably spot-on. Seems like a small thing, but all of the war movies or "based on a true story" movies you've ever seen had exaggerations or misrepresentations or hyperbole or other Hollywoodized-governing decisions. Not only was the script great, but I think the acting was well above par for a comedy (Marisa Tomei got an Oscar for her role). Ok, so maybe it's not a "work of art." But, it's off the top of my head, and I'll stand by it as a product of the industry.
JUNE "Pulp Fiction" - Groundbreaker Quentin Tarantino definitely needs to be on this list. He broke a mold in Hollywood and filmmaking. He revolutionized what narrative could be. Great summer movie.
JULY "The Room"/"Road to Revenge"/"Miami Connection" - Ok, I don't know what exactly to put here, but there needs to be something said to the brilliant failures. Just like the artist who thinks he/she is reinventing art by shitting on a canvas, there's these masterminds: Tommy Wiseau, John De Hart, Y.K. Kim. People who think they're making the next great American classic (writing it, directing it, starring in it, singing in it...because no one else will...hint hint hint). I can't choose just one right now, but this genre needs a room in a museum.
AUGUST "Closer" - We need a date movie. Mike Nichols was the consummate filmmaker. Nichols could take actors and words on a page and marry them so perfectly; you could feel the complete control he had over his movies. He gave this sexy-movie-with-no-sex, "Double Indemnity"-inspired script such a fresh, up-to-date feel. This movie always got me laid (seriously...three different dates). What can I say, Jude Law gets me hard.
SEPTEMBER "Best In Show"/"A Mighty Wind" - I know there are people who don't appreciate the "mocumentary" genre, but it has become an art. Christopher Guest does it better than most. Again, ensemble casting is key when making a movie like this. You really have to depend on each actor to carry his/her weight. It takes improv to a classy level.
OCOTBER "The Shawshank Redemption" - Frank Darabont is so smart and selective with his movie choices. He hit a bullseye with this one. It was brought to life through its artistically drawn period piece genre, but it breaths like an epic. It lives on through its characters and story. I'm not as infatuated with the acting as I was with the movie itself. Like Goodfellas, it does so much in just this one movie. When people saw "Titanic," they raved about how the past was brought back to life and how the characters were so grand. I think "Titanic" should kiss "Shawshank's" dick. Live in this movie one time, and you'll see and hear the sweetest narrative ever told.
NOVEMBER "American Beauty" - Sam Mendes and Kevin Spacey made this movie unforgettable. It nailed so many authentic thoughts and notes of people and behaviors:
JIM #1: Well, are you just looking to lose weight, or do you want increased strength and flexibility as well?
LESTER: I just wanna look good naked.
DECEMBER "Grand Budapest"/"Royal Tenenbaums" - I'm running out of time here, but Wes Anderson needs to be in a museum. He will certainly be recognized by history for what he has done to putting a personal touch on a film.
Could you see the movies with the months? I tried to make them work...
I appreciate that you did your best in having the time of year matter with your picks, and the picks themselves are interesting. With mine, I tried to focus on things where the story didn't matter as much. You know, the sort of movie you could catch in the middle, be enchanted by for a while, and then leave without knowing how it ended. It's interesting that you kind of went in a different--but nonetheless, appropriate--direction.
I thought about the Coens. Did I have them in my "others" list? I don't remember. I think I would have gone with 'Barton Fink' if I included one of theirs although I love Fargo. 'Goodfellas' (or other Scorsese) crossed my mind, too. I think I would have gone with Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, just because I think there's more of an emphasis on the visuals. But you're right that 'Goodfellas' would manage to captivate no matter where somebody started watching it.
Ravenous is on my blog. Really interesting selection. That's a real dark horse, one of those that I can't imagine would appeal to everybody.
I've not seen 'Noises Off' but I'll check it out sometime.
'American Beauty,' I think, is a good one along with interesting choices 'My Cousin Vinny' and 'Closer,' but I haven't seen any of those in a really long time. 'Closer,' I don't recall even liking, but I don't remember it at all. Like, nothing about it.
Can't argue with Tarantino. I might have gone with Kill Bill, but I'd struggle between picking 1 or 2. I don't think the Kill Bills are as good as 'Pulp Fiction,' of course, but I think they're visually stunning. 'Pulp Fiction' is narratively stunning.
'Road to Revenge' might cause the museum to have to close down.
You know, if I had to pick one scene to loop endlessly on a museum wall, it's going to be that guy on the pummel horse in Gymkata. Of course, people would walk into the room and never leave.
Shawshank, Wes (I'd go with the less-popular 'Life Aquatic,' but you probably knew that), the Guest movies...again, interesting choices.
Thanks for playing along!
Narrowing this down would make my head hurt, so I am just going to list. My museum is allowing 26 movies, each playing for two weeks in no particular order.
The Passion of Joan of Arc
North by Norhtwest
Freaks
Lawrence of Arabia
Eternal Sunshine...Spotless Mind
2001: A Space Odyssey
Inception
The Exorcist
Willy Wonka & the Choc. Factory
Schindler's List
Farenheit 9/11
Pleasantville
The Shining
Toy Story
Star Wars
The Night of the Hunter
Rear Window
Fargo
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Sunrise
The Wicker Man
A Clockwork Orange
The Right Stuff
Safety Last
To Kill a Mockingbird
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring
That's a great list, Cory, and there are a few of these that were on my radar as well. In fact, Jean/Manon was one of the first movies I thought of. I didn't think about Willy Wonka or Freaks, but those are excellent choices. So is Sunrise. That might be a better silent choice than whatever I picked. Oh, and so is Joan of Arc. Great choices though!
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