Rocks that Move

25. MAGNOLIA (1999)
directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
starring Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards

I can't quite figure out why I liked this movie so much. It tells several separate, but intertwining stories about realistic people suffering from estrangement, guilt, pain, loneliness, and feelings of abandonment.... then it brings all the stories together with one of the most bizarre twist endings I've ever seen. It is a difficult film to watch, but somehow it works, and somehow I connect to it. It is real-life drama at its best; and a fantasy at the same time.

I think without the plot twists, I still would have been impressed by this film. It is gripping, and somehow has that little something that keeps it out of "Ordinary People" territory. The movie is interesting. The characters are interesting. What is happening to them is interesting. You are caught up in their lives, waiting to see how they will intersect again and again. Many of us are feeling the same emotions that these people are. We are all connected. Something "out there" is binding us together. That is the message, and it is a message that I relate to. Perhaps that was my attraction to this film.

My other attraction is likely the acting. It is definitely an actor's movie. There are nine main parts, and a handful of minor parts. All of them are keepers; the kind of parts that even a superstar like Tom Cruise cannot resist, despite the fact that there was little chance the movie would be a big hit. Cruise's part is not even THAT big. He is ONE of the stars, and I like him so much better this way. I also think it is easily the best performances of Julianne Moore and John C. Reilly, as well.

One last thing about this movie that might influence my strong feelings in favor of "Magnolia:" The numbers "8" and "2" play a big role in the plot and symbolism of the film. If you watch it, keep an eye out for the appearances of these numbers. By some coincidence, "82" is my favorite number. Ooooooh... it must mean something! Or not. Probably not.

24. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
directed by Charlie Chaplin
starring Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill

As of 1927, most everyone believed that silent films were as good as dead. Charlie Chaplin set out to prove them wrong, spending three years putting it together. The result was a silent masterpiece that is the only silent film on my top 100, let alone being #24. I like silent films ok, but they just are not my thing. "City Lights" touched me, however, in a way that no other film could. It is a movie that is certainly BETTER because it was silent. Perhaps it helps me that unlike most silent films, "City Lights" has a full soundtrack and sound effects. There is even a little bit of voice, in the form of nonsense gibberish at the beginning, which was Chaplin's way of making fun of the talking pictures that were threatening to take over his territory. In any case, silent films are great in that they have to express so many emotions and plots, and it takes a special kind of creativity to accomplish this without words.

It has been said that Chaplin's Tramp was the most recognized symbol in the entire world in his day, like the MacDonald's arches or Mickey Mouse today. The Tramp is so easy to relate to. He symbolizes all the people who feel they are on the fringes of society; the outcasts, the homeless, or simply the lonely. That he is comedic makes him even better. You laugh with the tramp. He is fun. I love the slapstick of his boxing match in this film, and he doesn't even win. I love when he is a street cleaner, trying to avoid the horses and elephants in the street. I especially love the opening scene with the dedication of the statue in the town square. It is classic comedy; what the Bugs Bunny cartoons try to do... only live action.

Yet you also feel sad for the Tramp. You feel for him as he tries to make his way in a world that rejects him. You root for him as he tries to help the blind girl get the surgery that will correct her eyesight. In addition to being a comedy, "City Lights" has the additional joy of being melodramatic, but in a good way. It is often criticized for being too sentimental, but this is what I love about the film. Here is the outcast. Here is the lonely wanderer. Here is a tramp... but he is pure and good; the kind of person on the inside that every person should strive to be. Things do not quite work out for the Tramp most of the time, but the ending of this film makes it all worthwhile. It is the most sentimental ending to a film in history, perhaps, and yet it didn't feel corny to me at all. All it did was make me feel good. The first time I saw it I cried. I never cry at a movie. Ever. Well, almost never.

23. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)
directed by Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam
starring Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland

I've watched this movie so many times that I don't even laugh at it anymore, but I still love it. Part way it is because despite the fact it has been over played, it is still the most unique and hilarious comedy ever... in my humble opinion. I refuse to let the movie be ruined for me. Oh, I wish I could have it back, though... the time I saw it for the very first time. It is this memory, and others, that have replaced my original reasons for loving this film. Watching the movie with my sisters. Watching the movie with my friends in high school. Watching the movie with my friends in college. Watching the movie with my friends in Glasgow. Watching the movie with my wife. The movie is a part of my life, and this fact makes up for this sad reality:

Some random person: "NI!"

All other people within a hundred and fifty flights of a unladen swallow: "Oh! I love that movie! Then there was the part with the rabbit! Then there was that part with Tim the Enchanter! There are those who call me... Tim? Ha ha ha! Then there was the part with the bridge of death! He who wishes to cross... ha ha ha!! Then there was that part with the Castle Anthrax! And that animated monster! And that castle with the singing prince! And that part with the coconuts! HA HA HA! And... and... and I love that Sir Robin song! Ha ha ha! Brave sir Robin ran away... and stuff! HA HA HA HA HA HA!! MY GOD! GIVE ME THE SCRIPT! I'LL DO THE ENTIRE FRICKIN' MOVIE FOR YOU!!!!"

Nooooo!!!!!!

Ah, but some day you'll be sitting around with someone you just met and someone will say "Ni." And the new person will say, "What are you talking about?" After you brain the "Ni" person with an iron pipe, you'll take your new friend home and then you'll say.... "Oh, but have I got a treat for you!"

I'm talking about the MOVIE, you sicko!

22. SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
starring Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune

"Seven Samurai" is most famous for being redone as "The Magnificent Seven" in 1960. That said, amongst the movie snobs (like myself) it is a film giant. It was nominated for 2 Oscars, and won a number of other awards. Many critics list it in their top 10 or 20 favorite movies. It is currently number 10 on IMDB. It influenced numerous directors, including George Lucas, who borrowed some of the movie's innovations for "Star Wars." Blah, blah, blah.

To me, this movie is great for two reasons. First is the fact that Kurosawa is able to create more than a dozen, distinctive personalities and characters in a setting that is foreign to a Western audience, if not a Japanese one. In other words, how do you really make distinct and interesting samurai and peasants that will sustain a 3-hour long film? Well, this film is how. Just getting to know the characters is enough to keep you busy for the length of the film, and each one is unique and interesting in his/her own way:

Kambei (played by the amazing Takashi Shimura) is almost "Obi-Wan Kenobi" like in his wisdom and experience.

Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba) is Kambei's right-hand man. Laid back and skilled, he obviously has worked with Kambei before, though you never find out their true relationship.

Kikochiyo (Kurosawa film mainstain, Toshiro Mifune) is the wild "samurai" with a secret to reveal. He often plays the comic foil in the film, but turns out to be quite useful.

Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi) is the quiet and mysterious sword-master that is driven by some inner-ethic that no one can quite understand.

Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki) is the smart-alleck and cheerleader of the group. He is so skilled, he claims, that his main policy is to run away, in order to spare the lives of his enemies. Yeah. Right. He is many viewers' favorite character.

Katsushiro (Isao Kimura) is the young apprentice that admires Kyuzo and Kambei and grows throughout the film. He also manages to fall in love.

Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato) is the samurai you forget about. I guess 6 out of 7 is not bad, but the movie makes up for him with a number of really interesting peasants and bandits as well. Maybe Shichiroji just needed more screen time.

The second thing that makes this movie so great is its handling of epic battle scenes. It would be easy to just ride a bunch of horses into the scene and make creative cuts to give the impression of chaos and battle. It would be even easier to just use computer graphics. Akira Kurosawa, instead, creates a teleological set of events that make the battles actually make sense. You know what is going on. The chaos is still there. The death is still there. But it it follows a logical progression. This makes it intriguing and less arduous. You become part of the battle. You are in the middle. You know what is going to happen, and you cannot get out of the way.

21. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
directed by Jonathan Demme
starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine, Scott Glenn

For most movie fans, this movie is about the super-intelligent and vicious Hannibal Lecter. You'll never eat a fava bean again after listening to him talk. (Has anyone out there actually had a fava bean before?) Anthony Hopkins won a best actor Oscar, and he is not even in the film that long. Now THAT'S an impression! For some, though, it is Ted Levine's fantastic turn as "Buffalo Bill" that will forever stick in their brain. Being a cross-dresser and MAYBE a homosexual (film really does not say), the gay community was furious about this character. This is not fair. Every character that is evil cannot be a straight, white, rich male. The character's sexual orientation is really irrelevant, but director Jonathan Demme made up for it with his next film, Philadelphia," just in case. In any case, "Buffalo Bill" makes an impression, and now we are forever cursed by "put the lotion in the basket" references, but I guess that is the price of movie greatness.

I think both of these criminal characters are classic, but honestly, they are not what gets this film a #21 rating here. Jodie Foster does. Clarice Starling has to be one of the best parts for an actress in film history. She is brave, intelligent, strong, brilliant... and still sexy and feminine. Yet she never has to kiss anyone or wear skimpy clothes or practice the art of seduction or anything of the sort. She is a woman, but that is irrelevant here. She is an agent of the F-B-I. She is a superhero. There is a horrific crime to be solved, and despite all of the FBI's resources, only one of them can solve it: Clarice Starling. Her relationship with Hannibal Lecter is unique in film; or possibly even reality. It is almost romantic... but it isn't. It is almost paternal... but it isn't. It is a doctor-patient relationship... but different.

Amazingly, the movie only has a small handful of scary moments, but they are effective. The last one is the best. Clarice is in the dark, and the bad guy has night goggles. I have NEVER seen such realistic fear on the face of an actress in any movie I can think of. I do not think I am ruining the film if I say that she escapes. Of course she does, and that is not the surprise of the ending. But it is easy to forget... she was very, very lucky to be alive.