1) the empire strikes back
I simply cannot watch this film any more without wanting to act it out on the spot. So many times have I heard those lines - heard every intonation and listened to every sound, that I almost feel inside this movie when I watch it. It’s a part of me and my childhood. Almost like a part of my soul. And yet, almost every time I do watch this film (which is still a lot, although not all the way through, these days), I notice something new.
Although in so many ways a timeless classic, my primary fascination with the film is as the epitome of everything that is truly “Dark Side Darth”. This movie really is Vader’s moment – his true apotheosis where he shows us just how great a cinematic villain he really can be. Far more shocking than his slaying of Kenobi or his supposed murder of Anakin, we discover, is Vader’s dealing with failure in his own organisation - that he has the power to destroy people even over the vastness of space, by concentrating pure evil. Following on from such classic lines in A New Hope as “I find your lack of faith disturbing…”, Vader follows through with some true gems: “Apology accepted, Captain Needa”and “You have failed me for the last time, Admiral” being just a couple of timeless examples. Ultimately, Vader steals the show almost entirely, despite the stiff competition in the form of Yoda, and of course the superb acting from Mark Hamill who seems at times to truly be fighting an interior battle between fear and anger and the desire to feel and listen to the power of goodness. That final scene where Vader is revealed as Luke’s father is surely an all time classic moment in cinematic history. May it live eternal, alongside Shakespear as a wonderful journey into what it means to be human and to feel as one - love and hate made one, in a single, terrifying moment. Its the stuff of legends.
However, to suggest that Vader is the main thread of this film though, would be ridiculous. His powerful presence is just one in a series of significant components that go into making this film an all time classic, not the least of which are the inspired love scenes (from bitching at each other to snogging in literally seconds), the superb dialogue of the droids ("I'm terribly sorry about all this, after all, he's only a wookie!)", the creation of Yoda and of course the impressive special effects which still looking just fine and sexy even today. All through this film are brilliant examples of the use of colour, from the contrasting whiteness of Hoth to the deep and rich greens of Dagobah, and the films musical score is just spot on.
I would have to agree, though, that my consideration of this as my favourite film is in part due to nostalgic purposes. Its almost the embodiment of everything it meant to be a kid when I was one, being a kid who grew up during the 80s.
But that is not the only good movie that I have watched…..
2) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
I don’t even want to begin on why I adore this film. (And I say film, because it is just one film in three acts.) There’s no point. If you have seen it, you KNOW WHY I DO. You also know why its my number 2, and that its quite possibility number one. I mean that, I really do. Title fight, round one with “Empire”. And as these movies mature with age, they may even indeed come to be even better. This movie is everything that cinema SHOULD BE. Its proof that, even today with all these computer generated crap in everything, we can still make good movies; we can still make timeless ones. Its proof that we (today's western society) haven't lost our spirit at all. We are just rediscovering it. And that's fine.
3) highlander
“One dream. One Soul. One Prize. One Goal. In the end, there can be only one.”
From very first minute of wonderful movie staring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, we know we are in for something special. A classic tale of love, companionship, struggle and vengeance spanning hundreds of years, Highlander is a film that I defy you to find fault in (unless that's any one of the rather sad sequels). Whether it’s the medieval Scottish Battles – lovingly recreated in a truly authentic style – the powerful acting or the wonderfully created soundtrack by Queen, there is something for everyone in this film. An absolute must see.
4) Interview with the vampire
A superb and passionately created vision of Anne Rice’s classic vampire novel, Interview is replete with superb moments, not just from the beautiful performance of a very young Kirsten Dunst, but also from Tom, who was just not going to be happy until he made the part of Lestat his.
Like so many other people, I cringed in the face of the announcement that Cruise was to take the part of such a wonderful character as Lestat De LionCourt, but Cruise gives it his all and ultimately does steal the show. And you know why. Because Tom is loving every last minute of it – embracing the character of Lestat and making it his. One only needs to recall his crashing through the window of the burning mansion to immediately burst into moaning “perfect! Perfect!” to realise that Cruise BECOMES Lestat in this movie. I take back everything I said about him. He was great.
But its not just Cruise that’s good in this movie. Everyone in it is. I don’t think that there is one actor or actress in this movie that should not have been there. And they all did exactly what they were supposed to do – make this film a worthy adaptation of what is a very sensitive, and difficult story to make into a film. Many times over the years numerous producers tackled this timeless novel by Rice and failed. Finally, someone pulled it off. I am so glad.
5) excalibur
“No one shall have the sword. Nobody shall wield Excalibur, but me!”
Oh man, don’t mess with this movie. Not unless you want to pick a fight with only the most gripping interpretation of the legend of King Arthur I have ever seen. Its just so…. GRAPHIC! From the armour clad sex scenes to the superb and bloody battles, the blood and the gore and the lust and the mystery of the enigmatic English forests, this film is a journey back to a time where Good and Evil were embodied in the King and his country, and the stuff of legends therein.
“You’re not a man at all. I shall find a man. And give birth to a God!”
Need I say any more?
Honourable mentions
flash gordon
blade runner
indiana jones films - ALL
hellraiser
Dune
Pulp Fiction
shawshank redemption
silence of the lambs
The Matrix
2001 A Space Odyssey
The Godfather
Pi
Blackadder's Xmas Carol
…and so many others I could not count.
