Evin’s Top 25 (thought provoking)

Posted on February 18th, 2007.
Genre: Action

25. THE LOST WEEKEND (1945)

My all-time favorite director, Billy Wilder, wrote and composed this harsh drama starring Ray Milland in his Oscar-winning role (the film, incidently, also won Best Picture) as a struggling alcoholic. The topic was certainly taboo for 1945 and the film still packs an emotional wallop. Milland’s performance is extraordinary and really makes you start to understand the drunk’s motivations - why he drinks and why he believes he must continue drinking. This one is pretty hard to digest, especially when you consider how old the film is.

24. THE FRONT (1976)

Probably the finest motion picture ever made dealing with the McCarthy era and the effects the Communist “witch hunts” had on mass media (perhaps with the exception of George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck). Woody Allen stars (but doesn’t direct) as a cashier who decides to “front” for a writer friend - and he becomes a huge success on TV! Funny, poignant film doesn’t pull any punches and allows you to view the situation and HUAC from a unique perspective. The director, writer, producer and actor Zero Mostel (in his most devastating performance) were all blacklisted themselves, back in the 50’s.

23. THE FOG OF WAR (2003)

Astounding documentary focusing on former Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (under Presidents Johnson and Nixon) and what his role was during the Cuban Missile Crisis (under Kennedy) and the Vietnam War. The old man discusses what he contributed to both situations and what responsibilities still rest on his shoulders. This is as thought-provoking as film can get. Watch this one at least twice.

22. TARGETS (1967)

A devastating film and, a complicated one. Director Bogdanovich shows the audience two different stories that seemingly have nothing to do with each other…until the climax. One involves an aging horror film star who declares to his young director and even younger assistant that he will no longer make movies because the youth of today are no longer scared by monsters and the like. The actor is played by the real aging horror film star of the 30’s and 40’s, Boris Karloff (the original Frankenstein monster) and this was, incidentally, his final big screen performance. The other story is of a young Vietnam vet who has a strange fascination with guns and, who eventually goes on an unprovoked shooting spree. This is a very realistic film; one that could easily have come from some small independent production company today. Its hard to take.

21. THE WONDERFUL, HORRIBLE LIFE OF LENI RIEFENSTAHL (1993)

No matter how many searing documentaries you may have seen, nothing can prepare you for this powerful film. As you may or may not know, Leni Riefenstahl was the very first female film director. Born in 1903, Riefenstahl was ninety when they made this, but still as alert as ever (there are several moments in the film where she will be telling the director how to direct!). She started out as a silent film beauty, then went on to make highly influential and stylized documentaries. The problem was her employer: Hitler. She is responsible for creating the most infamous propaganda film of all time, Triumph of the Will, which follows Hitler on one of his campaigns through Germany. This 1993 film is difficult to watch and to fully understand because there is next to no credibility on the side of Riefenstahl. You be the judge. Its long, but certainly worth it.

20. THE SEVENTH SEAL (1948)

Director Ingmar Bergman’s vivid masterpiece about life and death, this Swedish film is beautiful in every way and probably the most intellectual cinematic experience one can have. The story involves a knight returning from the Crusades (played by Max Von Sydow) to discover that Death has come to take him. The knight makes a deal with Death: to live long enough to find out the meaning of his life, the knight will play an ongoing game of chess with Death. Moody and extremely heavy-handed, The Seventh Seal will leave you asking numerous questions about mortality and humanity.

19. RAGING BULL (1980)

You’ll see many character studies on this list because, I believe it to be the hardest movie genre to do right. This one, by director Martin Scorscese, is certainly one of the greats. It follows the career of middleweight boxing champ Jake LaMotta (Robert DeNiro, in his second and most-deserving Oscar winning performance) and how his power in the ring translates into self-destructive behavior against his wife and family, outside the ring. Shot in gritty black & white, this masterpiece depresses and teaches its audience, simultaneously.

18. RAISE THE RED LANTERN (1991)

Perhaps my favorite foreign language film of all time, this Chinese masterpiece is beautiful, erotic and haunting. The sensuous Chinese starlett, Li Gong, stars in this film about a young girl in 1920’s China who must be the fourth wife of a wealthy man and live with he and the other three wives in his palace. Dissention within the walls of the palace begins between the wives; they must fight for their master’s attention because this brings them each special privileges. This one is truly devastating.

17. NETWORK (1976)

Simply the best film about television ever created, Network is one of those films that was a lot funnier when it came out, but now, the film is more realistic and relevant (considering where TV has gone in the last thirty years) to you the viewer. It all starts when a news anchor goes mad on live TV and the network decides to give him his own apocalyptic talk show. When you see how the film starts to relate back to today’s TV programming, you too will want to yell, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this anymore!”

16. TOPSY-TURVY (1999)

To my tastes, this is the greatest behind-the-scenes film about theater ever made. Its another striking character study, this time showing the lives of composer and writer team Gilbert & Sullivan and their creation of one of their most beloved operettas, The Mikado. Filled with vivid characters and colorful stagings of their music, Topsy-Turvy is “thought-provoking” because it lets us delve deep inside the creative process; not just of composer and writer, but of actors and producers as well. The film is a sheer delight! Even if you aren’t a fan of the music of Gilbert & Sullivan, this one will make you want to sing their praises.

15. THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)

One of the most exemplary films of the 70’s, this one is more “thought-provoking” than most. It involves a news reporter and her cameraman (played by Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas), while doing a story in a nuclear power plant, witness (and secretly record) a near-meltdown. One of the plants employees (brilliantly played by Jack Lemmon) believes he must uncover the truth of what happened. The title refers to what would theoretically occur if there were ever a full-on meltdown. Ironically, this was released just weeks before the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. This is essentially a suspense/thriller, but its much more than that.

14. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)

The most intelligent script in recent memory, this is perhaps the best film about difficult relationships I’ve ever seen. Jim Carrey plays a man desperate to erase all memories of his ex-girlfriend (played wonderfully by Kate Winslet) so, he decides to endure a new procedure which will do away with those images from his mind, once and for all. Except, once it starts, Carrey starts to remember the good times and doesn’t want to lose those precious memories as well. Visually unlike anything you’ve seen before, actually capturing on film the feeling of what its like to be in a dream. This one is fun and poignant, for anyone who’s ever loved and lost…

13. THE CONVERSATION (1974)

Widely considered to be one of the best films of the 1970’s, this subtle little thriller from director Francis Ford Coppola is filled with scenes of high tension and terror, all wrapped up in the understated performance by Gene Hackman. Hackman plays a quiet, sax-playing surveillance expert who doesn’t follow his own advice and gets too involved with his most recent case. This causes his world to spiral out of control and end in a dangerous confrontation. An affecting film dealing with the issue of privacy; more prevalent today than ever!

12. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

A movie so f**ked-up it’ll make your head spin! Still as effective today as it was when it was released, The Manchurian Candidate was one of those rare films for which it took decades for people to realize how great it is. Upon its initial release, the film was soon pulled from theaters after J.F.K.’s assassination and wasn’t seen again until 1982. Why was it suddenly banned? Because the story of brain-washing American soldiers, during the Korean War, in an effort to allow Communist nations to obtain power over the U.S., was a bit more than just taboo in ‘62 - it was downright offensive! Now, indeed, its fairly tame for modern audiences, but still a harrowing, stylish tale of politics and power.

11. BONNIE & CLYDE (1967)

Yet another character study but, this one is cleverly disguised as a fun-loving gangster/romance movie. One of the biggest box-office successes of its day (mostly due to the chemistry between Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway) this is a Depression era slice of Americana that has never been topped in sheer adrenaline. Its incredibly deep, however, because of its brutal examination of crime and punishment. The ending is particularly devastating to watch, especially when the two main characters are so easy to relate to.

10. THE INCIDENT (1966)

Brutal little film that will make you turn away from the screen, in shame, at least once or twice. Its a very simple story: two drunken punks harass several individuals and couples, on a subway train, in the middle of the night. They tease and taunt (not allowing the passengers to get off) until the situation becomes unbearable. A film with a negative point: apathy will get you nowhere.

9. THE LAST DETAIL (1973)

One of the only films on this list that isn’t completely depressing and contains one of Jack Nicholson’s most energized performances. Nicholson plays a navy sailor who, with fellow sailor Otis Davis, must transport prisoner Randy Quaid, to the brig. Quaid’s character is only 18 and stole a mere $40. Nicholson and Davis feel sorry for the young prisoner and decide to show the kid a good time, before he reaches the cell block. The trio stops in D.C., New York and Boston. This is the finest example of a “male-bonding” film in American cinema’s history.

8. GLORY (1989)

This incredible anti-war film was pretty much overlooked when it was originally released; now, its practically legendary. The story follows the trials and tribulations of the nation’s first all-black regiment of Union soldiers, during the Civil War. Matthew Broderick is given the duty of training the former slaves. Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington play two of the soldiers. The film is written with honor and dignity in mind; the dramatic scenes are relentlessly daunting. Everything works here. Prepare to shed a tear.

7. THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE (1948)

Nothing here is done poorly. John Houston’s direction is amazing, the camera work - outstanding. This American classic involves three men who head into the rich mountains of Mexico, in search of gold. One of the men (played by the great Humphrey Bogart) becomes obsessed with the idea of great wealth and, ultimately, is crippled by his own greed. No other film draws such a clear picture of how ordinary people can so easily be corrupted by the promise of riches. After watching this, you’ll have trouble looking at your most loyal friends the same way again!

6. THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)

Beautiful black & white film that cannot be topped. Stirring tale about the real-life John Merrick (played to a tee by John Hurt), a terribly disfigured man with supreme intelligence and a heart of gold. He lived most of his childhood as a circus freak before being rescued by a London doctor (Anthony Hopkins). Nothing can prepare you for the wide range of emotions you will feel while viewing this troubling expose of ugliness and inner beauty.

5. PLATOON (1986)

Oliver Stone’s most personal piece of filmmaking, Platoon is a fiery examination of young soldiers in the thick of the Vietnam War. Yet, more than that, this film shows how deep the cuts of battle can go. Charlie Sheen’s soldier represents the naivety of all Americans, during that time, to what the realities of war could do to a person’s psyche…and the human spirit. Some scenes in this one will haunt you for days after seeing them.

4. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

Another oldie, but what an experience it is! Bette Davis plays an aging theater star who’s popularity seems to be waning. Her new assistant Eve (played by the magnificent Ann Baxter), meanwhile, has some ideas for stardom of her own. Watch, in awe, all the back-stabbing bitchiness that is - theater! Also, All About Eve makes use of, in my opinion, the greatest screenplay ever written, filled with lines of poetic seductiveness throughout. As an added pleasure, you get to watch the incomparable George Sanders play a slimy, wry theater critic. In the words of Margo Channing, “fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night!”

3. AMADEUS (1984)

The grand-daddy of all “period pieces”, this biopic about the life of legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, allows us to view authentic genius, through the eyes of a mediocrity, played by F. Murray Abraham (in the most-deserving Oscar win in the awards’ history). He plays Antonio Salieri, the man who really did claim to have killed Mozart, though this has never been proven to be truth. Ultimately, what we are left with is a sumptuous glance at a world long gone, but also, a bitter look at what its like to be mediocre; always standing in the shadows of those who are greater and more talented…The music’s awesome too!

2. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)

Jack Nicholson’s most-celebrated performance as a sane man stuck, for better or worse, in an institution. Is he crazy or is he simply an explosively free spirit? And can he survive the constant berating by the conniving, sadistic Nurse Ratched (played by Louise Fletcher)? Its based on the novel by Ken Kesey and is arguably the best movie adaptation of them all. A film about friendship, loyalty, bravery, but most of all, individuality. An emotional powerhouse, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest doesn’t hold back; it goes right for the throat, pulling a few heart-strings along the way.

1. PATHS OF GLORY (1957)

I happened to catch this vintage, anti-war film late one night, on cable. It grabbed my attention instantly. Kirk Douglas stars as a sergeant in the French Army who reluctantly leads an impossible attack on a German stronghold, named, “the Anthill.” His battalion fails to take the objective, half of the platoons never even leaving the trenches. An angry and embarrassed general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, to be court-martialed and tried before a military court, charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy. Director Kubrick has examined this topic in other works, yet, this one is still his finest achievement. The story rings true today and will for many years to come. The battle scenes are some of the most unsentimental and real ever put to celluloid (only All Quiet on the Western Front and Saving Private Ryan come close in this respect). You’ll be deeply effected by this film, I guarantee it!

Noteables:

SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
REPULSION (1966)
CHOPPER (2001)
SECONDS (1966)
APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988)
EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
MENACE TO SOCIETY (1993)
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000)
FIVE EASY PIECES (1971)
BASQUIAT (1995)
DELIVERANCE (1972)

©2008 BOZAR MEDIA