10 Movies that Affected Me (2/3)

I'm happy with the first list of 10 movies I came up with, but I kept thinking of so many more great movies that I had to post another list.

So here's the first of round two:

1) The Princess Bride (1987)

In my mind, this movie is one of the most quotable in the universe. From "Anybody want a peanut?" to "You killed my father, prepare to die!" to "Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist," to "He's only mostly dead; mostly dead is partly alive!" this movie kills it every time. It always makes me laugh. One of the interesting things is that I haven't seen any of the cast in much, but they play all the characters so well. Even the smallest of roles leave a significant impression, and it's that kind of character development that I aspire to create in what I write.

And of course, this movie is also based on a book I never read (maybe I need to step up my pre-viewing game?).

2) The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Now for something COMPLETELY different... a horror movie, but one with an actually interesting story. I don't watch horror movies much, but I went through a phase with my friends in middle school where we watched The Ring, The Grudge, this movie, and the next one in this list.

Don't get me wrong, this movie scared me just as much as any horror movie might (I can still vividly recall the final scene of her possession, and the one where everyone's eyes go black in her classroom and she freaks out), but the related real-life court case made it 10 times more interesting (this was also the beginning of the brief period of my life where I was considering law as a career). That and the religious aspect and the really humanizing scenes with Emily just added to the complexity of the film. 

I couldn't tell you any of the actors in it off the top of my head, and I only watched it once, but this was a fantastic movie.

Oh, and it also had some beautiful sets and cinematography.

3) The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Some people talk a lot of smack about this one, but I think it kind of pioneered the whole homemade horror film technique (setting the stage for movies like Paranormal Activity, which I hated for multiple reasons but made $193.4 million at the box office in 2007).  Plus it had everyone going for a while about whether or not it was "real." 

What impressed me about this movie (and any good horror movie I guess) was its ability to make the little things super scary -- without music. Granted, the characters still exhibit some Class A stupidity that's unfortunately typical of this genre (which I realize more and more each time I watch it), but the creepiness of it all was at least able to mask that aspect on first watch, which is a big part of why it affected me.

4) Million Dollar Baby (2004)

So I've actually enjoyed several boxing films (such as this, The Fighter and Cinderella Man), which always kind of surprises me since I definitely don't like to watch those kinds of events in real life. With big names like Clint Eastwood (can you believe I've never seen any of the Dirty Harry movies?), Morgan Freeman (whatever you think of him now, he's still a great actor), and Hilary Swank (yay femal protagonists!), you'd probably think it would be a good movie, but the emotion in this movie is what drives home its greatness. This is the only movie that has ever made my dad have to leave the room for fear of crying (in my presence), so that also speaks to the power of this movie.

I only saw it the one time, but I may have to watch it again.

Also based on a book I've never read!

5) The Bourne Identity (2002)

I can't believe this movie is already SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. This movie probably should've made the first list, because it was an instant favorite of mine. Amnesia as a plot device had been done before and continues to be used today (for better or worse), but in this film (and actually the whole series), it really worked for me. I'm kind of a sucker for romances, sure, but I especially like it in the thick of an action movie like this where it's not totally useless -- it's not just the director or whoever saying, 'oh we need to throw in a sex scene or something to make it watchable for the women' (which is totally sexist I know).

But honestly, it was Bourne's own journey in finding himself that intrigued me the most. Who cares if his skills are a little bit impossible?

6) Gattaca (1997)

I don't read a lot of Sci-Fi but I apparently love to watch it. This one was an instant favorite, as much for the premise as for performances by Ethan Hawke and Jude Law. I would say they're definitely two of my favorite actors, and at least for Hawke, that probably started with this movie. I thought the set and the colors worked really well with the filming, and I loved the meticulousness with which Vincent and Jerome kept up their facade. The whole "unfairness" of it all was also an interesting layer to the plot, and made me think about the reality and potential reality of that kind of discrimination.

In my mind, this movie is really a lot about second chances -- what we do with them, how we handle them -- and I love that.

7) Arrival (2016)

Alien movies are another genre (sub-genre?) that I don't typically like (I guess I'm particularly impressionable when it comes to scary/creepy movies and it affects me for a long time), but this one was different. Honestly I'm not super impressed by Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker is hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed Amy Adams performance and the unique portrayal of extraterrestrial life. This movie also had a sort of time twist (a la Inception or Interstellar) at the end that I wasn't expecting.

In short, this was simply a good film.

8) Her (2013)

Apparently I'm into AI movies, although I'm still not sure if I *like* this movie, per se. I haven't seen a ton of Joaquin Phoenix movies, but I have liked the ones I've seen (this, Signs, Walk the Line, I guess he was in Gladiator??). I was definitely weirded out by the whole guy-in-love-with-an-operating-system thing (which is basically the deal in Blade Runner 2049 too), but he (and Scarlett Johansson) played it really well, so that I was actually sad for them when it didn't work out (much less creepy than Ex Machina, for example).

And, the color and simplicity of the poster speaks to that quality in the film, too, which I enjoyed.

9) The Matrix (1999)

I wish I would've seen this when it came out, or shortly thereafter, because I think it would've been even more impactful around Y2K, but I didn't see this classic until... I think I was in high school, maybe even college.

I'm not even sure what there is to say about this movie, because, like Inception, it has a great cast and a unique storyline and interesting visuals and action and romance... I mean, pretty much everything.

Plus, it's even generated a meme or two :)

10) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Like Christopher Nolan, I have to ask... does Wes Anderson make "bad" movies? The cinematography is so beautiful and strange and simple and unique that I just love the spectacle of movies like this, but I also happened to enjoy the story and the acting. I loved seeing Ralph Fiennes as a real person, kind of a good guy even (rather than Voldemort), and of course Jude Law again. I was also moved by the romance between Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) and Zero, but the humor in this movie is perfect, too. Plus, all those cameos!! And of course the villains, like the ones played by Willem Dafoe and Adrien Brody.

Really, there's nothing wrong with this movie. It's comical, sad, romantic, thrilling -- flawless.



Stay tuned for the third installment of Movies that Affected Me!