Donna: Movies that Changed How I Think
The VERY best thing about movies is when they make you think AND feel at the same time. Here are a few movies that changed how I think and feel about life:
RAISING ARIZONA not only delighted me, but it changed HOW I view films and the people who make them. I began to really realize what filmmakers could do. Basically, The Coen Brothers created their own genre of movies - sweet and quirky; full of characters I've never met, but knew intimately; a cartoonish quality that is both obvious and not obvious at the same time — how do they do it? Who knows and who cares? I just know that I always look forward to their movies.
LOCAL HERO is the first movie I thought about for days, weeks, months, years after. There are many movies that part of the fun of the movie was being able to talk about it afterwards (Jaws, Star Wars, Friday the 13th, etc) with your friends. The badge of "I saw that" was very important (and still is!). But LOCAL HERO is the first movie that truly lingered with me (and started my crush on Burt Lancaster, causing me to see his earlier films), and when it came out on VHS I could watch it over and over and see something new each time. Director/writer (Bill Forsyth) has such an affection for and humor about his charactors, from the main charactors to the single-shot/no-spoken-lines ones, they all come across as true and believable and honest. This movie, more than just about any other, makes me happy, it delights me, it brings a tear to my eye . . . it fills me up.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. This is on my list because I was talking about this topic with customer Trish and SHE mentioned a scary movie (that I can't remember now) that made her realize people can be really, really mean and scary. THAT is what this movie did for me: made me realize not everything scary is possessed or haunted or swimming in the ocean or lurking in space — scary can be right here, in everyday life, in actual people. Other movies have confirmed this over the years — BUGSY, SEXY BEAST, GOODFELLAS, CASINO, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, MYSTIC RIVER (Laura Linney's character totally creeped me out) — but I think the first movie that startled me was this Stanley Kubrick classic.
After hearing that, thank goodness for movies like Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Unlike everyone else on the planet, I first remember seeing the Marlo Thomas remake of WONDERFUL LIFE (Titled IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS and it is not available on DVD) and simply adored it. Then I saw the James Stewart original and fell head over heels in love. This movie taught me to appreciate my family and my friends; it made me look at people's kindness' in a different, more appreciative light (of course, I also look at people's pettiness differently too). Corny, yes, but true (and yes, I like POLLYANNA as well).
Wayne Wang's JOY LUCK CLUB made me realize that when I am feeling bad, I don't want a happy, cheerful, mindless movie . . . I want a heavy, depressing movie because watching people in desperate circumstances puts my troubles in perspective. JOY LUCK CLUB, PLACES IN THE HEART, SOPHIE'S CHOICE, UMBERTO D . . . these movies force me to realize what exactly is important.
A movie that make me realize the extent to which filmmakers can manipulate you is the French film IRREVERSIBLE. It is movie I recommend with reservations as there is a horribly brutal scene in it (worse than CLOCKWORK ORANGE), but it is very powerful and very compelling. The filmmaker shot the key scene in one long shot from one camera position. You were placed in the position of the victim of the crime in a way you don't expect . . . and you don't realize right away and it is eery and disturbing. The power of film is not just with the story or the characters, but in how it is presented, and while I knew that intellectually, this movie proved it viscerally and made me feel it in my gut.
And lastly, I have to mention Paul Thomas Anderson's PUNCH DRUNK LOVE. Adam Sandler is not normally a huge favorite of mine (in fact, both he and Jim Carrey annoy me by making a few simply wonderful, brilliant movies then sprinkling them lightly among some movies I consider . . . well horrendous is too strong of a word, so I'll just say not my cup of tea), but Mr. Sandler made THIS great movie (as well as the charming THE WEDDING SINGER and the wonderful SPANGLISH) and I am grateful for it, so I will tolerate waiting and wading thru the muck in order to enjoy the gems. Anyway, in PUNCH DRUNK LOVE, he plays a man with half a dozen sisters. His sisters embarrass him relentlessly about childhood incidences and, well, it seems very mean of them and you feel very sorry for him in one scene in particular. Unfortunately, it reminded me a little too much of myself and how I treated my younger brother, so I try really hard NOT to tease him too much (of course, he was a pretty kooky kid and I have a lot of ammunition at hand, but I try to restrain myself). Not something hugely life-altering, but I hope my brother appreciates my reaction to this.
As I once heard Tom Hanks say about movies, "they are powerful things and they stay with you." Thank goodness for that! I hope all of you have had a movie that has changed you and made you a better person. If you had and you're in the store while I am there, tell me about it!