As I seem to have become the de facto movie guy at The Student Printz, I was asked by our editors to compile a list of my five favorite films.
This is an incredibly daunting task for me because I know how many great movies I have yet to see. Despite that, here is a list of the films that have managed to stick in my brain for longer than any others. Sure, this list will probably change, but as of right now these films are the ones that have impacted me the most.
1. “Moonrise Kingdom” – This movie is without a doubt my favorite from director Wes Anderson. The 1960s setting fits Anderson’s unique visual style perfectly, and the romance between the preteen main characters manages to be the most believable and charming of all of Anderson’s films. Hilarious, charming, heartwarming and touching, “Moonrise” encapsulates everything I’ve come to love about Wes Anderson.
2. “Her” – Spike Jonze’s “Her” is one of the most intimate examinations of the human condition that I have ever encountered across any artistic medium. The relationship between Theodore Twombly and the operating system named Samantha felt more realistic than any relationship I have ever seen in film. The film is a beautiful exploration of love, loss, loneliness and acceptance that completely floored me on every front.
3. “Black Swan” & “Perfect Blue” – I feel that to separate these two films on this list would have been to a disservice to both. Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and Satoshi Kon’s animated “Perfect Blue” deal with women struggling to attain perfection and stardom and suffering from serious psychological ramifications as a result. Aronofsky actually owns the film rights to “Perfect Blue” (having used shots from it in previous works to pay homage to Kon). The two are remarkably similar and both
are excellent films.
4. “The End of Evangelion” – This film serves as the capstone to director Hideaki Anno’s anime masterpiece “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” The “Evangelion” series was a way for Anno to work through the severe depression he suffered from, and as a result, the series was incredibly dark and psychological. This is the same in “The End of Evangelion” where the film devolves into an abstracted cerebral examination of protagonist Shinji Ikari’s psyche. Ikari realizes that being hurt is an inevitable part of being human, and he chooses to live on his own terms.
5. “Wayne’s World” 1 & 2 – These are the first movies I ever bought. No other movies have ever shaped my life in such a way as this one has. My entire relationship with my best friend was forged over our love for these movies. Though not nearly as artistic and well crafted as any of the other films on this list, these two arguably have the most meaning to me. They are still two of my favorite comedies of all time and movies that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Party on, Wayne.
