Deserted Island List Mania: 5 Favorite Films (if the island had a DVD player)

   I am (quite obviously) in love with movies. I enjoy watching, talking about and writing about them. Realizing that, by definition, deserted islands do not have electricity to power non-existent DVD players nor does Netflix reach everywhere, specifically tiny islands without internet access, and that my copies would be useless would not stop me. I'd bring them anyway, just because I cannot see myself without their presence.
   These are the five films that I could stand to watch over and over again. They continuously surprise me. And every time I watch I find myself bowled over by images of echoing and transcendent beauty, humor, and/or profundity. Each one has the ability to alter my mood, living inside my head for days to come. These are movies that I will never forget, be it for the story, the characters, the worlds that are created or the experiences they afford me.

In no particular order:

1. Walkabout directed by Nicholas Roeg

   "Australia has a dirty history, much like every country on this earth, but it is just as true and filthy as those. The clean and beautiful lines of the buildings and roadways that snake around the perimeter of that island continent were not always present; their history is new and built on the soil of an older culture. Move inland from these glittering cities on the cusp of the sea and one will find traces of that older culture—one of the oldest on the planet. One sees the outback, an immense stretch of landscape that has shaped that culture and will continue to shape it beyond the time that those gleaming structures of the cities possess. Director Nicholas Roeg places us in this landscape, along with its sordid history, as simply as opening a beautiful picture book." - Excerpt from my 01/27/11 review of the film.



2. The Big Lebowski directed by the Coen Brothers

   It's difficult to choose one movie from the Coen Brothers' impressive filmography, but, then again, this particular selection seems like a no-brainer. Tied to some really memorable moments in my life, this genius comedy slash mystery is just as memorable. I can't begin to explain the ins and outs of the plot and characters in a concise manner, so just watch it and enjoy.







3.  Winter's Bone directed by Debra Granik

    "A rural sheriff arrives. He explains the situation slowly and does not elaborate. A 17 year old girl listens; she already knows what she has to do. Behind her is the backwoods cabin she lives in with her two younger siblings and catatonic mother. She takes care of them, makes sure they are provided for and healthy, and the weight of that responsibility leans on her shoulders as she faces the sheriff. “I’ll find him,” she says in a quiet but certain manner." - Excerpt from my 01/28/11 review of the film. 



4. Pan's Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro

   A gorgeous and inventive fable of a film. Set during the Spanish Civil War, the fairy-tale story balances del Toro's intricately-detailed magical realism with the everyday nature of the thin line running between the political and the personal. The images within are evocative and dream-like, yet always grounded in realism. This movie makes me swoon a little bit every time.







5. Spirited Away directed by Hayao Miyazaki 

   "It is the wonder of Miyazaki's films that so many of his young protagonists find the best of themselves when thrust into unexpected and testing circumstances. It may be that Miyazaki is simmering the notion that there is often more to each of us than our current easy situations are pushing us to confront and realize." - Excerpt from my 05/11/14 review of the film.







Cheater Bonus Film: Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron  

   This is definitely one of the only times I will admit that a film adaptation surpasses the power of the book on which it is based. The impact of the scenes that Cuaron hits the viewer with are astounding in their intricate weaving of issues of class and race, character development and change, and pure, visceral emotion. It's a color-soaked portrait of humans clinging to the end of civilization. A film that posits the notion that the end of days may bring about the worst in most but can also inspire the good in a few.




Super Cheater Bonus - TV Series: The Simpsons. Duh.

   I don't believe I need to go into any explanation for this particular pick.