Since this is a totally new feature on cherwell.org, I thought it would be apt to list my personal 4 favourite films, as they are the movies I am most passionate about! In the future I’ll list 4 suggested films for themed movie nights, be it a horror night for Halloween, or romance themed for a romantic night in. Till then, though, here are my picks for the greatest four films I’ve ever seen!
Fargo, a 1996 film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen opens as a car emerges from the depths of a cold and desolate landscape with the only sound being Carter Burwell’s haunting theme. In one scene we have captured the essence of Fargo. It is bleak, it is dark, and the film permeates coldness. In this world, we see Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), an incompetent car salesman, who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife to ransom her to his father-in-law (and boss), as he needs the money for a real estate deal.
However, wanting more, he secretly tells his father-in-law that the amount demanded is actually far higher. This seemingly foolproof plan falls apart as he tries to cancel the crime, and the criminals turn out to be more inept than Jerry. As events spiral out of control, the heavily pregnant local police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) investigates the crimes.
As with the best Coen films, the dark comedy is brilliantly done, treading the line between hilarity and drama, and the characters are wonderfully written: Marge Gunderson is one of the best heroines on film. It’s difficult not to get absorbed into the spiralling series of events. If you want a dark comedy which is absurd, funny and makes you think, definitely opt for this one.
It seems a world away from 1979’s Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky had set out to make genre films that subverted the preconceptions of the genre. In this way, he considered Solaris, one of his most widely known films, the weakest. In Stalker he achieved what he had aimed at in Solaris. This is a science fiction film… or is it?
The film follows the journey of the Stalker, a guide who leads clients through “the Zone”. This is a strange and dangerous area where objects do not obey the laws of nature, and the landscape behaves like an intelligent and organic organism. The Scientist and the Writer are the two clients for this particular trip. They are here to seek out “the Room”, a structure in the centre of the Zone which is said to fulfil the wishes of anyone who steps inside.
This is an epic and vast film, touching on themes of desire and faith, and is certainly not an easy watch. However, if you are ever in a meditative mood, put this on, and sit as the haunting images and dialogue take up permanent residence in your subconscious.
Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (1977) is quite possibly the best romantic comedy ever made. However, don’t let the label of “rom-com”, now degraded by countless awful films, dissuade you from watching this. The film follows Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) after the breakdown of his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), examining why the relationship ended a year ago.
Every scene is crafted to perfection and the film still feels incredibly witty and fresh today. There are cartoon sketches, cases of breaking the fourth wall, and a brilliant scene where Alvy produces Marshall McLuhan from behind a poster to criticise a self-professed film expert standing in a movie queue. Many films have tried to emulate Annie Hall, but most have produced one-dimensional female characters.
In Annie Hall however, all the major characters are fully fleshed out, mainly through the brilliant script. Much of the film is dialogue, but what dialogue! It is funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking all at the same time, and if you are ever down and need a pick-me-up, opt for Annie Hall.
Do not opt for There Will Be Blood. Paul Thomas Anderson is probably one of the most consistently brilliant directors at the moment, and in this 2007 film he has combined all the best qualities of a movie, and it’s greater than the sum of its parts. It features an astonishing performance by Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil prospector who is searching for oil and wealth in the sparse and open California of the early 1900s.
This is an epic about the greed and determination of one man, and how he challenges the faithful town of Little Boston. There is an equally strong performance by Paul Dano as Eli, a preacher in Little Boston who claims to have miraculous healing powers, and possesses a strong hold over the townsfolk. The cinematography is beautiful, made doubly so in combination with an incredible soundtrack by Jonny Greenwood, and the ending, with the cut to black and the Brahms Violin Concerto, cements this film as one of the greatest films ever.
