By Mark Pukalo
I will not share popcorn. Don’t
bother me. I sit on my own, spread the napkins over my waist, sit back and
enjoy the big screen experience.
Once in a while, that
wonderful feeling of walking out of the theater after seeing a terrific movie just
washes over me. Everyone knows when that happens. The only thing that’s better than
watching a great film is recommending one, and seeing others entertained by it.
Laugh. Cry. Think. That combination
was what coach Jim Valvano used to say made up a full day. I call it a great
movie. The best have all three or plenty of smart humor, interesting or cheeky dialogue,
characters you care about and a unique quality or two.
Your favorite films often come
out of nowhere.
I had a break between the
morning skate and the game during the NHL playoffs in New Jersey one day in the
late 90s and killed some time at the theater after lunch. I decided on a film
without knowing anything but the lead actor – John Cusack. It is now one of my
favorite 10 of all time.
There was another day I went
to a small second-run theater in Manchester, Conn. with a few friends to see a
film that I knew little about. The cheaply-constructed top on my soda came off
as I fumbled the cup, spilling the beverage all the way down the row in front
of me during the previews. I was. … well, aggravated. My friends laughed at me.
That movie is one of my five favorites of all time.
I rented an independent-type
science fiction movie from Red Box one day in the middle of 2015 – not
expecting much from the oddly-named movie. I ended up rating it the second best
of a very good year.
There are many memories like
that and lines from films you love that are used every day. You probably don’t
even realize it. If you disagree, “You can’t handle the truth!”
After finishing with the fun
I had putting together my top 350 songs in 50 years of music, I began another
project that is much more difficult. Through the next year, I will reveal the
top 150 movies in my lifetime on facebook and twitter - with a somewhat different
criteria than the one I used to rank songs.
My movie survey will be even
more personal. It will be based 75 percent on films you want to watch numerous
times and 25 percent on significance, script, plot and acting. There are some
movies that I thought were fantastic – such as “The Imitation Game” in 2014 - which
gained a lot of points with how polished and interesting it is, but may not be
on this list because watching it a couple times is sufficient. It means, of
course, comedies and more uplifting movies get the upper hand. Those are the films
that stick with you forever.
The list will not include
any older classic films. I appreciate and honor the great movies of the past such
as Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, From Here to Eternity, The Wizard of Oz, It’s
A Wonderful Life, Casablanca and others, but they won’t be on the survey. Some
other films that make many of these types of lists either didn’t grab me or I
didn’t see for one reason or another – such as The Big Lebowski, Cousin Vinny, Road House, Annie Hall, The Matrix, Napoleon Dynamite, Rudy, Fight Club, The Princess Bride, Old
School, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, etc.
There will be some surprises
and films you think I have rated way too high or too low, along with
no-brainers. Movies catch everyone differently, even more so than music in my
opinion.
Hopefully, as I said with
the music list, the posts don’t annoy anyone and it will intoduce you to a film you may not have seen before. Some of the videos might be a
little R-rated. But, heck, we’re all adults. Right?
Here is a list of 50 movies
that easily could have made the list, but fall into the honorable mention
category instead.
All
the President’s Men – Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who uncover the Watergate scandal. Love the
newsroom scenes.
American
History X -- Ed Norton puts forth an amazing
performance in this examination of racism in America. It’s ugly at times, but
it’s real, powerful and fascinating. It also fits for the current situation in
this country.
Anchorman
– The sequel was not good, but Will Ferrell’s performance
in the original is priceless.
Apocalypse
Now – Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War saga with Marlon
Brando’s chilling performance.
Beyond
the Lighted Stage – The best documentary of a rock band every
made, in my opinion, on the fantastic Canadian trio Rush.
Boyhood –
Director Richard Linklater’s ambitious project, following the life of Mason
from child to young adult, keeps you interested through almost three hours.
Contact
– The 1997 film is based on a book by Carl Sagan about
trying to make contact with extraterrestrials. Jodie Foster is the lead and
Matthew McConaughey adds a religious edge to the story.
Crash –
This movie, with its intertwining stories about racial tension, won Best
Picture at the 2004 Academy Awards and could fill an entire semester of a film
class.
Divergent –
The first of the action, science fiction series introduces a futuristic world
where people are urged to conform - and the amazing Shailene Woodley’s
versatile talents causes intrigue.
Do
the Right Thing – The Spike Lee joint studies racism and
hate in the city like few films have ever done.
Edward
Scissorhands – Johnny Depp stars as a unique young man
with a special talent, who emerges from isolation.
The
Fault in Our Stars – Tear jerker about two young people
dealing with cancer the only way they can.
The
Fighter – David O. Russell’s film about the rise of boxer
Irish Mickey Ward to prominence with outstanding supporting performances from
both Amy Adams and Christian Bale.
Flight –
Denzel Washington puts forth a standout performance as an airline pilot who
deals with the drama after remarkably landing a damaged plane while
intoxicated.
Fried
Green Tomatoes – The 1991 film about unique relationships
between women in different eras included outstanding performances from Mary
Stuart Masterson and Kathy Bates.
Frost/Nixon –
Impeccably acted - especially by Frank Langella as Tricky Dick - and crafted
film by Ron Howard about the famous interviews. One of the best of 2010.
The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – The talented and
beautiful Rooney Mara makes this film work with her powerful performance as the
unique Lisbeth Salander.
Ghostbusters –
Crime fighters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis get slimed while
vacuuming up ghouls and ghosts.
Gone
Baby Gone – Ben Affleck’s powerful film about a young
girl, who is abducted from a poor home in Boston. It includes a strong
performance by Casey Affleck.
Grosse
Pointe Blank – John
Cusack plays a high-priced hit man who returns to his high school reunion and
re-unites with his old flame (Minnie Driver) in the 1997 movie.
The
Imitation Game – Benedict Cumberbatch hits it out of the
park with his turn on the enigmatic Alan Turing, a mathematician who tries to
break the German code during World War II.
The
Infiltrator – One
of the best films of 2016 stars Bryan Cranston as Robert Mazur, who goes deep
undercover to try and take down Pablo Escobar’s network.
Iron
Man – The first of a trilogy always seems to be the best and
this follows the pattern with Robert Downey Jr. killing it. Two words: Pepper
Potts.
Jaws –
Stephen Spielberg’s masterpiece should probably be high on the list but, for
some reason, it never moved me as much as others.
JFK –
Kevin Costner portrays Jim Garrison, who made the only case for a conspiracy in
the assassination of President Kennedy. It is overdone at times and extremely
powerful at others.
The
Last Days of Disco – First
fell in love with Kate Beckinsale here as she paired with Chloe Sevigny in this
odd little movie about young people hanging out at the disco in the early 90s.
The
Lookout – Joseph
Gordon-Levitt plays a young man dealing with the aftermath of a horrific
accident that he caused and a head injury that allows people to take advantage
of him. “I wake up. I get dressed. I take my meds.”
The
Martian – Matt
Damon is stranded on Mars and makes the best of it to give us a fun ride. Yep,
the ending probably couldn’t happen, but it’s still entertaining. David Bowie’s
“Starman” is well used.
Midnight
Express – American
student Billy Hayes is arrested for smuggling drugs in Turkey. When he tries to
get through the airport, it is one of the most spine-tingling scenes of all
time.
Mo
Better Blues – Spike Lee’s film about a talented young
trumpet player named Bleek Gilliam, portrayed by Denzel Washington, who makes a
series of poor decisions on the way to and out of stardom.
Mulholland
Drive – Our first introduction to the amazing Naomi
Watts was this strange, but fascinating David Lynch movie.
One
Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Perhaps Jack Nicholson’s
finest performance as a criminal, who pleads insanity and becomes a leader at a
mental institution.
Pirate
Radio – A
band of rogue DJs bring rock and roll to the masses and fight the conservative government in
Great Britain from a ship off the shore. Tremendous ending.
Primary
Colors – John Travolta and Emma Thompson play Bill
and Hillary in this humorous, interesting film that captures the dilemma for a
campaign with a very flawed, but brilliant candidate.
The
Razor’s Edge – This was Bill Murray’s first dramatic
role, playing a man trying to find the path to enlightenment. Reviews were not
good as I remember, but I liked it anyway.
Room
– An emotional film about a young woman (Brie Larson) who
is abducted and raises her son in a small shed. Jacob Tremblay’s performance as
the young boy is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Scarface
– Oliver Stone wrote it and Brian DePalma directed this
crime drama with Al Pacino as the lead.
Secretariat
– While a lot of the facts are fudged, it is still an
entertaining look at the greatest race horse ever and the people around him.
Diane Lane is awesome as Penny Tweedy.
The
Silence of the Lambs – Jonathan Demme’s chilling story of a
young FBI officer (Jodie Foster) who must work with a serial killer to catch
another horrible criminal. Clarice!
Smokey
and the Bandit – Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in this fun
chase movie that I first saw with my eighth grade class at Radio City Music
Hall. Then, we witnessed the Rockettes!
The Spectacular Now - Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley play
absolutely rich characters in a unique story about a young man who goes on a
journey of self-awareness after he spends most of high school living for the
Now.
Star
Trek – The 2009 edition is my favorite in the series with Chris
Pine and Zachary Quinto, along with the gorgeous Zoe Saldana, playing the
iconic characters during the Enterprise crew’s first voyage together.
Star
Wars: The Force Awakens – Flawed in some ways, but still a
thrilling long-awaited renewal of the great series. It’s always great to see
Chewy again!
Star
Wars: The Revenge of the Sith – The making of Darth Vader
is fascinating, entertaining and emotional as Luke and Leia are born.
Straight
Outta Compton - Interesting
look at the ground-breaking rap group N.W.A for those like me who did not know
much about them, and for those who did.
United
93 – The
minute-by-minute account of the hijacked flight, which crashed in Shanksville,
Pa. on 9/11, and what it was like for the passengers – many of them who become heroic.
There are no stars. It’s understated, sad and gripping.
V
for Vendetta – It’s not about terrorism as many dopey
conservatives said when it hit the screen in 2005. It’s about revolution
against Real tyranny.
We
Bought a Zoo – Matt Damon needs to get away after his wife
dies, so why not buy a zoo and fall in love with Scarlett Johansson? It’s not
cinematic genius. It’s just a likeable film.
Whiplash
– J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor for his depiction
of a brutal music teacher who pushes a young drum student (Miles Teller) to the
brink.
Zero
Dark Thirty – Pulsating drama about the attack on Bin
Laden, with Jessica Chastain’s powerful performance as the driving force. Don’t
care about some of the arguments about the facts. It was a good watch.
