Let's face it kids, this ain't all Cannes Palm d'Or stuff here, but there's a LOT of material to choose from, so let's go:
1. The Shining - this is a NO-BRAINER. I do. not. care. that it strays significantly from the book, because it's BETTER than the book. That's right, you heard me - I said it aloud. Stanley Kubrick takes a pretty good book and makes it into a freaking horrorshow of Jack Nicholson/Overlook Hotel awesomeness. If you're wondering if something is intentional in this movie, it is... for sure. Kub is the man, and those twins will make the hair on my arms stand up for the rest of my freaking life.
2. Shawshank. Clearly, one of the best buddy movies of all time. Also, Frank Darabont's finest moment. You could make the argument that the improbability of some of the plot elements detour into schmaltz, but c'MON, tell me you don't get misty when Red and Andy hug on the beach! Plus, if this movie's playing on tv, you basically have to stop and watch it, because it's so awesome. (I have a friend of mine who gave this phenomenon a name - it's called being "Shawshanked", when you unexpectedly get hijacked by a movie.) Bonus: put the movie Gilda on my radar, a not-to-be-missed Rita Hayworth classic.
3. Misery - Two words: Annie Wilkes. I rest my case. Note to Paul Sheldon - that penguin ALWAYS FACES DUE FUCKING SOUTH! You better remember that next time if'n you don't wanna end up walking funny for the rest of your life.
4. Carrie - Not only an awesome vehicle for Sissy Spacek in the area of creepy looking women who aren't technically creepy (see also: Shelley Duvall). Piper Laurie shines as the crazy fundamentalist mom, and supporting asshole characters as executed by John Travolta, The Greatest American Hero and Nancy Allen, who is pretty much the best "Mean Girl" of all time.
7. The Dead Zone - again, the not technically-creepy-but-creepy-anyway Christopher Walken knocks it out of the park w/ those creepy flash-forward spectator scenes. The coma doctor is a excellent supporting character, and that raincoat/scissors scene is vividly, classically, David Cronenberg.
6. Dolores Claiborne - love this movie. It's not the most uplifting, but has a great eerie mood, and Kathy Bates nails it again. Supporting asshole characters executed by Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and that woman who plays the EPICALLY bitchy Vera Donovan. The eclipse scene is awesomely surreal.
7. The Running Man - THANK YOU Richard Dawson for being in this movie. "IT'S TIME TO STAAAART RUNNING!"
8. Stand By Me - It all starts with the question: "Hey, do you wanna see a dead body?". Then it becomes a visionquest for vintage tweeners. I still remember hearing about Lardass and the blueberry pie eating contest when I was still a kid, and it was super satisfying to see it come to life on the big screen.
9. I'm dedicating the number 9 spot to made-for-tv: The Stand and Salem's Lot. The fact that anyone EVEN TRIED to make The Stand into a mini-series is just awesome, and whenever it's on tv, I always loiter there for a while, because it's such a great story. Superflu: one of my top 10 teenage fears, after reading The Stand.
10. Dreamcatcher - I love horror movies where the number one downside to anyone surviving is seclusion. When you see all the animals of the forest running the hell outta Dodge en masse, you KNOW something bad is about to happen.
The Shining is most excellent, but it is nowhere near as scary as the book, and they should not have killed Dick Halloran. There was no need, other than to up the body count.
ReplyDeleteI agree there wasn't a need, but I do love those shots that build up to that scene, with the naked afro girls and closing up on his face.
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