Movies that move.
As you may or may not already know (see sidebar) I just watched American History X. This isn't the first time I've watched it, nor is it even the first time I've watched it recently. W have Encore, HBO, and the indie movie channel (which has some odd requirements for what they consider "indie"), among others, about 20 movie channels in all, at our house here in Eugene, and when nothing else is on, there's always a movie worth watching. Lately, this particular movie has been circulating around said movie channels.
For those that haven't seen it or don't remember, this movie is essentially a movie about the politics of the modern white supremacist movement. Edward Norton stars in it, and does the best acting I've seen of him ever, which is saying a lot. He was nominated for Best Actor in this film, so I think I am safe saying that. He put on 30 pounds of muscle for this movie, as well as a huge swastika tat on his chest. He was pretty intimidating.
Anyways, back to the point I will eventually make, I've watched this movie probably 3 or 4 times in the last month, and am just awestruck every time I do. It is such a powerful movie, and it is so well acted and well directed, and it's just an awesome piece of film. The point I want to make here is that this movie gets under my skin, sparks emotions, envelops me, whatever you want to say, it moves me. Now, a lot of movies can move people, move people to tears, move people to smile, move people to the exits even, but there is a special kind of movie that does what American History X does.
This got me thinking about other movies that have had this capability to just get to me, just the really powerful movies that, everytime you see them, you are left thinking, "holy shit that was good". They're pretty much all dramas, but they don't have to be American History X-like in the sense that they tackle a really touchy subject and get you all worked up and pissed off, but just the kind of movie that leaves you speechless as the credits roll, paralysed almost, just reveling in the afterglow of greatness. So, I did some thinking, and I came up with a very short list of movies that have done that to me. Here they are, in no particular order:
American History X
Schindler's List
Crash
To Kill A Mockingbird
Gladiator
Honorable Mention:
American Beauty
Mystic River
Brokeback Mountain
Rocky
Star Wars
I've pretty much only got 5, so I know I'm probably missing some. If you have any that you can think of, let me know.
3 comments:
I like your list alot. I'd add the following:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
In the Heat of the Night
Midnight Cowboy
Platoon
Mississipi Burning
In Cold Blood
On the Waterfront
Saving Private Ryan
The Godfather
Chinatown
Now, the bottom 2 probably don't fit exactly, but because they are 2 of my favorite movies, I am moved by them everytime I watch them. Funny how so many of the themes have to do with war or some form of injustice.
D
Yeah, I haven't seen most of those movies, so I can't speak to them, although I'm sure I would agree if I saw them. Maybe other people who read this can, but I can't yet.
There are a lot of movies out there that leave you with the same sort of feeling I wrote about in my post, but the difference is, you're not really sure why. Hopefully you know what I mean when I say that, but that's the kind of vibe I got from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest especially. It was a great movie, but I wasn't exactly sure why. By that I guess I mean I couldn't pinpoint it. I mean, sure, the acting was great, and that's probably just it, but it wasn't that obvious.
American History X: powerful topic and great acting, with some appropriate directing. Crash: powerful topic with an even more powerful plot line, which means great writing. Also great acting and awesome emotional attatchement (combo of writing and directing). I mean, I can pinpoint pretty accurately what I love about all of these movies. American Beauty: Just flat out the directing (Sam Mendes is great, and is actually doing a Rufus Wainwright movie next). But movies like Cuckoo's Nest aren't as easily pinned for me.
That, of course, is just me. I could name a lot of movies that I think are great, but I just don't really know why. But I guess that's the beauty of movies. It's never just one thing really, it's a bunch of things that, when they work, are just awesome. I think that's why I love them so much.
Thanks for the post.
I agree. For me, that amorphous quality you just can't pinpoint is different for everyone, but some movies hit the mark perfectly. Each of these movies you list, and my list too, at some point or at several points during the film, caused a chill to run through me, and linger for a time -- an emotional connection which makes you forget you are witnessing a third person's work, but rather finds the director inside your head. After all, this is what makes it art.
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