Running the Race

Simply the Best February 4, 2010

Posted by Michele Martino in Uncategorized.
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So if you know me, you are aware that I’m not really a movie person.  I’m usually into a certain type of movie (disney, musicals, drama) and even within those genres, it’s not definite that I’ll enjoy the movie.  Yes, I’m picky and complicated. Ok so I figured I’d list my top 9 favorite movies (9, not 10) and explain why I love them. This is for your enjoyment or to feed your boredom- you decide. I’m also not an expert so don’t prepare to agree with me- this statement can be applied to pretty much anything actually.

#9- The Notebook (2004)

I really think that the movie does the book by Nicholas Sparks justice. The way that the plot moves is smooth and fluid and it is full of energy.  Ryan Gosling as Noah and Rachel McAdams as Allie give stellar performances as well as Joan Allen who plays Anne Hamilton (Allie’s mom).  I enjoy a good chick flick but this one schools them all.  The message that love conquers all is really powerfully portrayed in this film and I definitely cried.

#8- Get Smart (2008)

Possibly the newest movie on my list but also the funniest.  Steve Carell’s hilarity and Anne Hathaway’s charm make this unlikely pair really work.  Together they give an awesome performance- on their own, not so much. Regardless the sharp direction and witty script really make this movie pop.  Not sure why Dwayne Johnson is in the movie, but he doesn’t really take much away from the film, nor add much to it.  Alan Arkin also gives a memorable performance as The Cheif and played a great supporting part.  Overall, this movie never fails to have me laughing for the entire 110 minutes.

#7- Ratatouille (2007)

I saw this with my friend Danielle in the theaters and wasn’t impressed the first time.  I thought that it was drawn  out and annoying.  But then I watched it a second time at home and I fell in love with it.  It was the most unique and clever projects Disney had done in a long time. A rat who was interested in cooking paired up with a chef who couldn’t actually cook and who turned out to be the son of the greatest chef of France? Who thinks of these things?! The character are so lovable including Remy, your not so typical rat, his brother Emile who completely fits the mold of “rat”, Luigi, the clumsy and awkward bus boy turned chef, and even the evil, villain chef, Skinner, is comical and lovable.  The story is unique and comical, perfect for all ages.  The soundtrack is worth mentioning as well, it’s eclectic mix complimented the storyline perfectly.

#6- March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes in Toyland) (1934)

This movie is super corny and super old but it’s so classic and always makes me happy.  Originally filmed in black and white, this classic is set in Toyland with The Little Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe, Bo Peep, Barnaby, Tom Tom Piper, The Three Little Pigs, and Laurel and Hardy starring as Stanny-Dee and Ollie-Dum. The evil Barnaby wants to marry Bo Peep and owns the house, or shoe, that she lives in and will kick them all out on the street if she doesn’t comply. Enter Tom-Tom, who falls in love with Bo-Peep and vice versa and they announce that they are getting married. Barnaby frames Tom-Tom with pignapping (aka kidnapping a pig) and Tom-Tom gets sent to Boogie Land. Stanny and Ollie provide lots of comedy throughout the film and eventually help save the day. It’s a must see, especially around Christmas time. It’s generally always on the 25 days of Christmas on ABC Family and the black and white video cassette version can be found at Video Review on Battleground Ave.

5- Chicago (2002)

Probably the best musical turned movie that has been made ever, besides Hairspray. Catherine Zeta-Jones is flawless as Velma Kelly.  She grew up in the theater and has all of the background necessary for the singing and dancing this role requires.  Rene Zellweger really fit the role of Roxie.  I’m not really a fan of hers but she did well as Roxie and really caught on to the dancing requirements.  Any movie musical that requires a soulful, black woman generally casts Queen Latifah. There’s nothing to be said about her because she is just fabulous. And who can forget Richard Gere as the tap dancing, courtroom-stomping Billy Flynn. I was really skeptical about seeing Richard Gere singing and dancing in a musical but I was very impressed!  He really stole the show and gave a fantastic performance.  It is almost like he was born to play Flynn.    The director really captured the stage musical and kept those elements without making it cheesy or look like everything is happening on a stage which gives it an unrealistic presence. The musical numbers are done with a lot of flair and a lot of theatrical spice!

#4- Walk the Line (2005)

I remember seeing this movie in the theater and crying.  The story of Johnny Cash and June Carter is one that is heard around the world.  Joaquin Pheonix played a remarkable Johnny Cash (and should have won the Oscar!!!) and Reese Witherspoon was June to perfection (she’s my favorite actress and she DID win the Oscar!).  The life of Johnny Cash was an unstable and tragic one and was changed by the friendship and love of June Carter.  The two of them complete each other and any story like that is a treasure.  I loved that the director required all of the actors to play the instruments and sing themselves, it really enhanced the film and experience the audience recieved. I still cry when I watch this movie. Every time.

#3- Once (2006)

This isn’t a very popular film, before I watched it I hadn’t even heard of it even though it had won the Oscar and Critic’s Choice Award for Best Song (Falling Slowly).  It’s drama/romance more than it is a musical but music is a huge theme in this movie. It is set in Dublin where the main guy (Glen Hansard) is a street musician who also works repairing vacuums with his dad.  He meets a girl (Marketa Irglova) and they embark on a week long journey filled with music and romance.  What happens in the end is yours to find out but be sure to watch it with the subtitles, their accents are pretty hard to understand. I absolutely fell in love with this movie from the first time I saw it despite it’s bad quality and shaky camera usage.  The story is so real and so touching, the actors really make you feel what they are feeling and at one point, right in the beginning, I even got goosebumps because of how raw it is. I highly recommend this film and if you don’t have it and we’re friends, I’ll let you borrow it and possibly even watch it with you.

#2- V for Vendetta (2005)

Compared to all of the other movies on my “favorites” list, this selection seems like the odd one out and to be in the #2 spot seems even more strange but let me explain.  I don’t usually enjoy action movies or movies that involve blatant, graphic depictions of violence, war or torture, but the first time I saw this movie it really caught my attention and i was SO into it!!! The script is so clever and well-written, the casting was spot on, the direction and special effects are AMAZING, the soundtrack is awesome and the story, based on a graphic novel of the same title by David Lloyd, is reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984 and also awesome. Hugo Weaving is amazing as the main character and terrorist known as V, Natalie Portman is always awesome (another one of my favorite actresses) and plays Evey Hammond, a girl who accidentally gets involved with V’s plot, and for the better. Natalie Portman also looks beautiful bald (she is bald for the second half of the movie) and I feel like that fact needs to be mentioned. The whole movie is just full of energy and you don’t want it to slow down.  Even in the end when they take a break in the action to have a romantic moment I find myself saying “stop with the romance and blow stuff up!” which is very uncharacteristic of me.  This movie will have you wrapped up in it from start to finish. I don’t want to give away too much because every little detail gives something away so you’ll have to watch it for yourself to discover it’s fantasticness.

#1- Mary Poppins (1964)

If you know me at all, this should not be shocking or unexpected.  My favorite movie of all time is Mary Poppins.  This movie was way ahead of it’s technological time when it was released.  Disney was among the first to put people and animation together at the same time, the special effects that they used truly made the movie magical and captured the essence of Disney.  Julie Andrews is astounding in her first movie role (and won the Oscar over Audrey Hepburn who played Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”, a role Andrews perfected on Broadway but Warner Bros. didn’t think Andrews was movie material. Talk about a bad decision!) and Dick Van Dyke, despite his TERRIBLE English accent, adds such a flair and pazazz.  Van Dyke and Andrews compliment each other in a very graceful way which adds a sweet and playful charm to the film.  The children Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) were in a few Disney films of the time and fit these parts nicely.  David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) made his character lovable despite the grim demeanor it calls for and Glynis Johns (Mrs. Banks) is so sweet and feisty which makes for the family dynamic to be quite balanced yet dysfunctional.  With the great musical numbers, Spoonful of Sugar, Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Feed the Birds, and amazing choreography mixed in with special effects, advanced technology and creativity, this film is a classic and perfect for any age with it’s messages of needing to be responsible and also one of needing to spend more quality time with your family than your job. This story of a magical nanny who comes and puts a dysfunctional family back together has been made into a Broadway hit (which I’ve seen and I LOVE!), was derived from a few books by P.L. Travers, and will continue to impress and enlighten families in many different genres for many, many years.

Here are some movies that makes Honorable Mention:

A Scanner Darkly

A Walk to Remember

Hairspray

The Little Mermaid

Finding Neverland

National Treasure

Night at the Museum

Well, that’s all folks. I’m not sure that anyone will read this entire post but if you did I hope you enjoyed it and will check out some of these movies if you haven’t seen them already.  Let me know what you think of them!! You never know, they could turn out to be one of your favorite too!