And instead of listing them chronologically, I am going to list them by preference, top ten list style.
10. Out of Africa (1985), watched 4/14/12
I put this at number 10 because I had to look it up on Wikipedia to remember it. Now that I do, I remember I really liked it. I learned a little. The characters are great. It's based on a memoir. The acting is superb. If this gives you any hint, I really enjoyed all 10 of the movies I watched.
9. Chariots of Fire (1981), watched 7/25/12
I probably should have put Out of Africa before this one. I didn't really like it. I was expecting to be motivated to lace up my running shoes. Instead I was like, "Oh." And I love sports movies, Olympics movies, running movies. Huh.
8. Million Dollar Baby (2004), watched 2/24/12
I had put off watching this movie. I think it's because it came out so close to Cinderella Man. Though, I didn't watch that one either. This is a little weird because I also love boxing movies, particularly The Power of One, The Fighter, and When We Were Kings. However, The Power of One and The Fighter are about so much more than boxing, When We Were Kings is about real boxing, and I assumed these 2004 and 2005 movies were just about fake boxers. Then I watched Million Dollar Baby, and... Wait, what? What just happened? I don't want to ruin it for anyone but if you think it's just about a fake boxing lady, you're wrong.
7. The English Patient (1996), watched 4/8/12
I know where my reluctance in watching this movie came from: "Seinfeld." Definitely. If Elaine hated it, I would too. Screw everyone else who loved it. In reality, I liked it but wow, holy depressing.
6. The Last Emperor (1987), watched 2/26/12
This was a lovely movie. Biopic of biopics. Just beautiful. I also learned a lot. And I loved that they did such a good job making Puyi so multi-dimensional as well as love- and hate-able. I left with the impression I am sure the creators intended: how bizarre it must have been to be in that position.
5. Terms of Endearment (1983), watched sometime in June 2012
While this movie is notoriously depressing, so much of it is really funny. Shirley Maclaine is amazing. Really, the parts that stayed with me were hilarious.
4. Gandhi (1982), watched 3/25/12
Gandhi quotes have always been some of my favorite, especially, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." However, this biographical film taught me so much about him and his actual actions that matched his words. The story is incredible. His struggles with staying pacifist during such difficult times are really intriguing. I also learned a lot about the conflict between India and Pakistan. This film inspired me to add Gandhi to the list of individuals I plan to learn A LOT more about (joining Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Harvey Milk).
3. The Artist (2011), watched 2/3/12
When I was making this list, I was thinking about how much more modern this movie is than the rest on the list. The ironic part of that is that it's a black-and-white, silent film. I remember everything about seeing this film in the theater. I was in Ann Arbor, visiting my parents as my dad had just had heart surgery (preventative, really, he's great). We were driving to the theater when I got a call from my director telling me that one of our on-campus colleagues had committed suicide. My mom suggested we do something else but sitting in a dark theater, quietly watching a silent movie seemed like exactly what I wanted to do right then. Then, the production was beautiful; the acting is spectacular; and the story moves along quickly.
2. Chicago (2002), watched 3/5/12
I thought I was going to hate this. I don't know why. I even like musicals. Kinda. Live ones, anyways. But this movie was awesome. There was so much grit. And the musical numbers were done so similar to what would be on the stage, especially "He Had It Coming," the song about killing dudes who deserved it. It was really, really good.1. Platoon (1986), watched 5/24/12
This movie is so much like recent war movies - except, those movies hadn't happened yet. This movie helped establish the genre of effed up war movies. I may have particularly enjoyed it because there were so many actors in it who are doing completely different things now, like comedy. So strange. Very intense.
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