10 Movies that Affected Me (1/3)

Corbin Saleken (director of Patterson's Wager, whom I met at a film festival I was covering for the local newspaper) challenged me to post 10-movies-that-affected-you-in-10-days to Facebook, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to blog about it, so here goes:

1) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) 

Matthew Broderick was probably my first Hollywood crush, and the movie has a kick-ass soundtrack. It's still one of my favorite feel-good films. My sister bought me this poster when I was in high school, and it is now on the wall of my classroom.

(I couldn't find the poster I wanted in the resolution I wanted
but hopefully you recognize these people)

2) The Breakfast Club (1985)

My love for all things 80s started with the music I heard on the radio stations my parents listened to when I was like 10, and was cultivated by two of my best friends in middle school. Halloween freshman year, I dressed up as Bender in what may have seemed like a typical 14-year-old personality-defying move for my teacher-kid self, but I also felt like he had the most depth as a character.


Anyway. Another feel-good film for the list.

3) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

I tried to pick movies that hadn't previously been books, then I realized most of my favorite movies are based on books...oh well. Anyway, this movie impacted me because A) it was Emma Watson's first Hollywood movie since Harry Potter, and I was excited to see her able to play a different (American) role, B) it has a great soundtrack (you may be sensing a pattern here), and C) (the most significant) the story dealt with issues I hadn't really been exposed to at the time; I hadn't read the book before I watched the movie, and while I know it's still a "dramatized" version of reality, I realized my high school experience was vastly different (and much more positive) than that of most people, especially outside of my home state.

4) Good Will Hunting (1997)

I was only FIVE when this movie came out, but once I got around to seeing it as a young adult (high school maybe?), I'm pretty sure I had one of those 'how did I not see this sooner' reactions. I mean, Matt Damon + Ben Affleck + CASEY Affleck (who I didn't even realize was his brother/an Affleck at the time) + Robin Williams...how can that not be enough to make you want to watch a movie? But also, that student-teacher kind of relationship that doesn't come around very often; the one where they each really care about each other, and even though they both piss each other off at some points, they both grow and learn from each other.

Plus, it has some great one-liners (and more-than-one-liners).

5) A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany = one of my favorite actor combos (Master and Commander ALMOST made this list). Bettany isn't even credited on the poster/DVD cover but his character lends such realism to Crowe's character's mental illness that he totally should be. We all know geniuses pretty much have to be "crazy" on some level, but this movie played it well enough for me to believe what Nash saw was real for so long (I didn't know the story before I watched the movie). Great film all around.

Also note that this is an ENGLISH MAJOR raving about a math movie ;)

6) Inception (2010)

I mean really, how could this not be on your list?! This movie blew the world's mind EIGHT years ago and it still blows my mind. Stellar cast, amazing soundtrack (that DIDN'T include indie/pop/80s songs), beautiful graphics and creative cinematography...I should just stop talking because nothing I say ever does this movie justice. But MAN did I love that mind-bending ending. (I also like rhyming, did you know?? 😉)

And really, is it possible for Christopher Nolan to make a bad movie? I don't think so.

7) The Prestige (2006)

I almost couldn't pick between this and The Illusionist and was going to post both, but since I'm trying not to double up on actors, I went with this one (you'll understand that comment in a moment). These magical movies came out the same year and I saw both in the same weekend I think, but The Prestige wins because... well I'm not exactly sure, but I did appreciate the Tesla reference (I did a project on him in high school or middle school) and later, the David Bowie cameo (I didn't even NOTICE at the time!). Even though this WAS technically based on a novel (that I never read), I felt like it was a really original story brought to life by two actors I didn't really expect to play rivals in such a way...

Also, though I don't think I like Christian Bale as a person, he's really good at playing rage-filled characters heading toward crazy (The Machinist comes to mind -- and so would American Psycho if I could bring myself to watch it).

Anyway. Great movie that really kept me on the edge of my seat and surprised me at the end. I need to watch it again.

8) Fight Club (1999)

I was very late to the party on this one, and looking at the poster, you might imagine my skepticism. Sure, Brad Pitt and Ed Norton (before I really knew who Norton was), but soap? What? Needless to say, this movie was not what I expected. You can't tell people much about it without spoiling it, I think, but I hope it's not too cliche to say that this movie was ahead of it's time (or maybe it was right on target and I don't know my movies). See, these are the kinds of movies that make me appreciate all the things you can do with a film, and even make me want to get into the industry somehow. Not seeing that in my future at the moment, but still. The desire is there.

In short, I guess I kind of like movies that can trick me, as long as it's not a cheap trick (ha, see what I did there?).

P.S. This was also based on a book I've never read 😅

9) Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

 Yep, I went with the sequel. And I've gushed about this movie (and Ryan Gosling, as more than a heartthrob) on this blog so I'll just link that here.

All I would add is that I watched it again recently, and that scene where he really believes he's human still crushes me every time. Also, Jared Leto is SUPER creepy in this movie, and I'm always impressed by actors who can do that (I try not to think about WHY they can do that...). Plus, the cinematography and sets and all that are AMAZING.

And though the first Blade Runner is based loosely on a book (I started reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and put it aside after like 2 pages), this one really stands all on its own.

10) Cool Hand Luke (1967)

There are not many "old" movies that I have been able to appreciate, but this was one of the few. I totally had a crush on Paul Newman (who was WAY too old for me when I first watched it), because I mean seriously, he has the most beautiful blue eyes ever, but this movie also stuck with me because of its in-your-face kind of challenge against authority. That was something that maybe resonated with me, even as a kid? I was probably in middle school then, sooo no exposure to prison/prisoners at that point, but that preteen angst, y'know? There's something to that...

Anyway. It's a great movie with some great one-liners, one of which I feel is a mantra of mine: "What we have here...is a failure...to communicate."



Check out the next 10!