Rocks that Move

No other news this time. Just the next five on my movie list...

45. LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992)
directed by Michael Mann
starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe

"You be strong, you survive... You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you!"

Ok, it is cheesy. But it is a Daniel Day-Lewis! Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my all-time favorite actors. He is also crazy. Preparing for his role as "Hawkeye," he lived in the woods like a tracker for over a month, fishing and hunting for his food, and camping. He carried his rifle with him at all times throughout shooting, staying in character at all times. He always does this sort of thing when doing a film. This example is nothing compared to when he was in "Gangs of New York" and caught pneumonia because he refused to wear a warmer coat in the freezing cold, because they didn't have those kind of coats back when the film took place. What a brilliant and intense actor! What a weirdo.

This movie is probably most famous for its soundtrack, and rightfully so. Generally speaking I think that music is sometimes used to a fault in films, and that the music should not tell the story. There are exceptions, though, and "Last of the Mohicans" is one of them. The music drives the film, but it does so in a way that creates a more beautiful picture than otherwise might be painted. It makes the film complete. It makes it more than just another historically-based action film. The music of composers Trever Jones and Randy Edelman does for this film what John Williams did for "Star Wars." It is interesting that Trevor Jones quit the film half way through due to creative differences with the director. Edelman finished the film, and the different styles of both composers made the score something even more unique.

Mix together Daniel Day-Lewis' performance and the amazing score, with a picture-perfect cinematography, exciting action, and a little bit of historical fiction... and you've got a nearly perfect movie. My only complaint is that they changed the main character's name from Natty Bumppo to Nathaniel Poe. Now why on earth did they do that? :-P

44. CINEMA PARADISO (1988)
directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
starring a bunch of Italian people you never heard of

This is one of the greatest movies of all time for anyone who truly loves film as an art. It is about movies, about loving movies, about being in love with movies. It is also about a young boy. Salvatore lives in a small, Italian town and loves going to the cinema, where befriends the old projectionist in the local theatre. The theatre is old and unique, especially in that the town's mayor forces the projectionist to cut out all the kissing scenes from the movies for being too scandalous. People fill the theatre, and boo when the romantic scenes heat up, only to have it cut to the next scene before the lovers' lips can meet. BOOO!!!!!

"Cinema Paradiso" goes on to tell the boy's tale as he watches the movies, plays pranks with his friends, lives with his poor mother, and eventually falls in love and grows up. We meet his family, his pals, and the townspeople. We become part of the boy's life. The old projectionist witnesses his transformation from youth to adult from behind his camera, and prepares a very special treat for the child when he returns to his home town years later. The special treat is a special treat for everyone who has ever lived their life in front of a movie screen. I will not reveal the treat here, but it is one of film's greatest scenes.

There are two versions of this film. One is a longer version that was released originally in Europe. When it was released in the United States, it was edited down. Later it was re-released in its original form. Unlike most films, where the edited version obviously pales in quality to the long version, there is heated debate over which of these films is better. Some people like the complete version. Many people, however, prefer the shortened version. It is slightly ambiguous and vague, creating a more poetic and dream-like experience. This short version is what I saw, and what I am ranking here. I have the other version on DVD. I have yet to sit down and watch it. I'm afraid to.

43. GLORY (1989)
directed by Edward Zwick
starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes

There are dozens and dozens of movies out there that tell stories that "must be told." Many of them do a decent job, but it is always the same thing. So many stories "must be told" that it gets old, and then the story gets lost in the heaps and heaps of other melodramatic movies telling similar stories. For example, I saw "Hotel Rwanda" last year, a movie about what I consider to be the most important story of the last decade. It hardly made a dent in my memory, despite being a perfectly well-done film. "Glory" is another "must-be-told" story that easily could have sank into obscurity, but it has that little extra something that makes it stick to you.

The tale of the Civil War's first black regiment, "Glory" compares well to "Last of the Mohicans." Both combine good acting performances with a great score, excellent cinematography, exciting action, and historical fiction. Both films are epic films of glorious melodrama, and I mean melodrama in a good way. "Glory" comes out on top, however, because it has more meaning. Slavery and racism give it meaning. You can never quite capture the complexity of slavery and racism in a movie, but "Glory" comes about as close as is possible, while maintaining its artistic edge, as well as remaining entertaining. Many of the battle scenes were taken from actual Civil War re-enactments, lending to their realism. Art and entertainment in a film like this are major factors in making it not just another "must-be-told" story.

The performances are another factor. Cary Elwes and Matthew Broderick are merely adequate; but the performances of Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, and especially Denzel Washington bring this film over the top. You can tell how important this film was to them. It is simply amazing... amazing that Denzel Washington's much deserved win for Best Supporting Actor in the Oscars was the first time a black actor or actress had won an acting award since 1963. It is as amazing as it is inconceivable. It was not a make-up Oscar, though. Denzel Washington's performance was fire. It burns you with pain and anger and guilt and sacrifice... but it also burns you with pride and joy. It burns you with glory.

42 THE PROFESSIONAL, aka LEON (1994)
directed by Luc Besson
starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello

Leon (played by Jean Reno) is a "cleaner." That is slang for a hitman, and he is good at it; sliding into enemy bases like a ninja and murdering drug dealers like they they are pigs in a slaughterhouse. Silent and deadly, he is in and out in a flash, and piles of dead bodies are left in his wake. His foil is a crooked and evil cop on speed, Norman Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman), who murders the families of those who gets in his way without an ounce of guilt. Even the children do not get out alive if they lay before his path.

"The Professional" is a love story.

Ah, but it is not your typical love story. One child of the family that Stansfield murders does survive, Matilda (played by a very young Natalie Portman in her first film, and one of the all-time great child performances), having not been there when the hit happened. She befriends the quiet, loner neighbor when she finds out what has happened, and it just so happens that the neighbor is Leon, the "cleaner." Somehow the two connect. It is a bizarre connection that is almost sexual... but not quite. "The Professional" could have chosen to be just another blood-thirsty action film about drugs and revenge. Instead, we have an inhuman murderer who lives a life no better than a beast. He is turned into a loving father-figure, a man who cares, a man who laughs, and man who learns to love. The inhuman is turned human, all because of a little girl. Despite all the action that occurs around it, the development of this relationship and the transformation of Leon is what this movie is really about.

Perhaps the funniest (and worst) dubbing on television I've ever seen happened to this beautiful action thriller. One of the basic cable channels showed it, and they dubbed out all the cursing. I was flipping the channels and stopped briefly on it when I saw my 42nd favorite movie playing. Gary Oldman is pissed, and he turns to the other detective on the scene and yells, "I have had enough of this Mickey Mouse sunshine!!" You cannot make this kind of thing up. I assure you that is not what he really said. If you haven't seen it already, perhaps you'd like to find out. It probably isn't worth it... but the movie sure is.

41. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997)
directed by Roberto Benigni
starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giosue Orefice

This is one of those films where if someone describes the basic plotline to you, it sounds insane. It is a love story and comedy... set in the Holocaust. It is not possible that it could work. How can you make light of such a thing? How can you be funny? How can you tell a story of love? It's... the HOLOCAUST.

That's what I thought to myself when I heard about this from a friend in graduate school who loved it, and much to my surprise, Benigni pulls it off! This movie is warm, loving, funny, goofy, romantic, and inspirational. And yet it is all there... concentration camps, Nazis, racism, discrimination, murder, and death. A more unique and inspirational film you will not find.

I love the scene where Guido's son sees a sign on a door in town that reads, "No Jews or Dogs allowed." The innocent child asks his father, "Why do all the shops say, 'No Jews Allowed'?"

"Oh, that. 'Not Allowed' signs are the latest trend! The other day, I was in a shop with my friend the kangaroo, but their sign said, 'No Kangaroos Allowed,' and I said to my friend, 'Well, what can I do? They don't allow kangaroos.'"

"Why doesn't our shop have a 'Not Allowed' sign?"

"Well, tomorrow, we'll put one up. We won't let in anything we don't like. What don't you like?"

"Spiders."

"Good. I don't like Visigoths. Tomorrow, we'll get sign: 'No Spiders or Visigoths Allowed.'"

Alas, along with fun and romance, there is heartbreak and sacrifice. Still, this is a movie that tickles your heart and warms your spirit. You laugh and laugh, and yes, you cry a little. It is what life is all about. It is further proof that life is beautiful.