My Movie Alphabet: Pt. I
Hey there, readers! Hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! I sure am, what with participating in this awesome blogathon and all.
My Movie Alphabet was started by Mettel Ray and, no offense to anybody out there, it’s the coolest blogathon I’ve seen so far. I knew I had to participate so here it is, part one of My Movie Alphabet. I broke the alphabet in three parts as to not bore you with a very long post. Expect parts II and III later in the week.
*Note: there’s a The Help spoiler coming up, so if you haven’t seen that film, skip letter E.
#: (500) Days of Summer
The best movie of 2009, an inventive anti-love story with a nonlinear narrative, great visuals and even a quirky musical sequence set to Hall & Oates’s “You Make my Dreams”. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was great in this film, one that also introduced us to the talents of young actress Chloë Grace Moretz and visionary director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man).
Other favorites: 300, 12 Monkeys, 12 Angry Men, 127 Hours
A: Alejandro González Iñárritu
My favorite Mexican director. He’s a very polarizing figure but, if you ask me, he’s a national treasure. I had the honor of meeting him and I was thrilled. Alejandro is responsible for Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel. People said he wasn’t the talented one, writer Guillermo Arriaga was. But after their very public split, González made his masterpiece and the best film of 2010, Biutiful, proving the haters wrong.
Other favorites: Alfonso Cuarón, Al Pacino, Andrew Garfield, Alfred Hitchcock, Annette Bening, Alien, Amy Adams
B: The Big Lebowski
All of it is insanely quotable; probably the Coens’s best script. Hilarious lines, great music and career-best performances from Jeff Bridges and John Goodman make this one of the funniest movies ever. But that’s, like, my opinion, man.
Other favorites: Biutiful, Buried, Borat, Big Fish, Babel, Bridesmaids, Black Swan, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Ben Foster, Bill Nighy
C: Christopher Nolan
There is no one else like him. His movies are an irresistible blend of blockbuster action and art-house heady fare. His short filmography is chock-full of gems, like The Prestige, Inception, Memento and, of course, The Dark Knight. A smart director with a great sense of style.
Other favorites: Chicago, Closer, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Cary Grant, Carey Mulligan, the Coen brothers, Cillian Murphy, Children of Men, Colin Firth
D: David Fincher
Runner-up: Daniel Day-Lewis
Along with Christopher Nolan and Pedro Almodóvar, Fincher constitutes the Holy Trinity of directors (at least in my book). I wait with bated breath for each and every one of his releases and he never disappoints. Fincher started directing music videos and has since gone on to helm Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. If that’s not an impressive resumé, I don’t know what is.
Other favorites: The Dark Knight, Drag Me to Hell, Daniel Giménez Cacho, The Darjeeling Limited, Drew Barrymore, Dog Day Afternoon, Doubt, Dustin Hoffman, De Rouille et D’Os
E: Eat my shit!
One of the best scenes in the last ten years and a great moment of sweet revenge for Minnie (Octavia Spencer). Hilly’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) disgusted face is epic. You know what they say: “make a pie out of feces, win an Oscar!” They say that, right?
Other favorites: Eyes Wide Shut, Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Emma Thompson, Emma Stone, Ellen Page
F: Fight Club
Second Fincher entry in the list so far; this was a huge deal for me as a teenager. Great story and dialog from the mind of Chuck Pahlaniuk, a striking look and an even better cast make Fight Club one of the best movies I’ve seen until now and it will likely remain amongst my favorites until the end of time.
Other favorites: Festen, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fargo, Fantasia, Frances McDormand, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, Francis Ford Coppola
G: The Godfather
Absolute perfection. Moving on…
Other favorites: Gosford Park, George Clooney, Gary Oldman, Gone Baby Gone, Gangs of New York
H: Harry Potter
If I’m a dork for being head-over-heels in love with J.K. Rowling’s saga, then so be it. The books are amazing and the movies expand on that wonderful universe with excellent art direction, sets, music and a very talented and ever-growing set of actors. Thank you, Great Britain.
Finally someone stats H for Harry potter 🙂
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🙂 What can I say? I’m a huge fan.
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Some top notch choices here mate, looking forward to the nest instalments 🙂
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Thanks, man! Glad you liked my first post. Next one coming up in a couple of days.
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Very nice list so far Fernando. We share some simalities and I’m intrigued to see what you bring next.
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Thanks, Mark!
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# – I enjoyed (500) Days of Summer, but I still think it’s slightly overrated. Haven’t seen the other three you mention, but they’ve all been on my list for quite some time.
A – Didn’t know Amores Perros was by Iñárritu! Learn something new every day haha. Babel is in my Netflix queue, and I believe Biutiful is too. Of course, I’m also a fan of two of your other favorites: Al Pacino and Alfred Hitchcock.
B – Obviously you’re not a golfer. 😉 The Folger’s scene at the end STILL has me laughing. I’ve been meaning to see Borat and Black Swan, as well as Bridesmaids. Glad you’re not one of those folks who hate Big Fish. One of Tim Burton’s best IMHO.
C – Christopher Nolan is great. No question there. Shout outs to Chicago and the Coens are well deserved, indeed.
D – David Fincher (from what I’ve seen) is fantastic. I’ve been meaning to get around to Zodiac since about June, but it’s so long!! Daniel Day-Lewis is a flawless actor. I need to see more of him, especially after Lincoln. And it’s hard not to love Drag Me to Hell or TDK.
E – Yeah, it’s a great scene, but one of the best in the last decade? I beg to differ. Sorry.
F – Gotta love Fight Club. And Fargo / Frances McDormand. Wait, you put Fight Club over Fargo? The heck do ya mean? 😉 Thanks for reminding me of Fantasia, as well. I NEED to revisit it.
G – The Godfather IS absolute perfection!
H – Save for parts five and six, I do indeed love the HP saga.
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I love long comments! 😀 Thanks for reading and sharing your opinion 🙂
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No D for Drive?! Wtf Fernando, play the game man 😉
R better be for Robert De Niro thats all I’m saying…………
Great job buddy, cool choices and I look forward to the next parts 🙂
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Hahaha, of course no D for Drive. Although you would love that, wouldn’t you?
R is not for Robert De Niro, I’m sorry to say. It was pretty close but it went to somehting else.
And thanks. Hope you like my upcoming selections.
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Great list so far, although I had to skip past E. I have had the DVD sitting there on my shelf for ages and yet still haven’t got around to watching it.
I’m looking forward to reading your next posts. I still have five letters to go on my alphabet before I post, I’ve been spending far too long on this!! 😀
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Thanks, man! Glad you liked it. I really recommend you watch the help. The ating is magnificent and there’s a certain epic scene involving a pie.
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Haha, OK I’ll look out for the pie scene then 🙂
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Nice to see Nolan on here, Fernando! Btw, I don’t think I’ll be bored seeing all the alphabets in one post though, it’s interesting to see who/what people pick for each letter. Hope you check out mine 🙂
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I’ve fallen a bit behind on my reading but I will of course get to yours 😉
And thanks! I also don’t have any trouble reading the whole alphabet in one sitting but I meant that for other followers with sorter attention spans, hehe 😉
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Nice start to the list, Fernando. A few things I’m unfamiliar with, but I can certainly get behind the ones I know. Christopher Nolan’s a great choice; I have only a few of his films I haven’t seen, and so far they’ve all been A material.
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Thanks, Morgan. Glad you liked Part 1. Stay tuned for 2 and 3 😉
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Awesome to see Harry Potter on your alphabet too! I adore these movies so much, I still miss the feeling we will get new movie each year now that the series is over.
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Thanks. I’m a big fan. Yeah, it’s sad there won’t be any new HP releases but hey, we’ll always have DVD/Blu-Ray to watch them over and over again 😉
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Pingback: My Movie Alphabet: Pt. III « Committed to Celluloid
Excellent post, I’ve been trying to watch more Inarritu. I recently watched and reviewed 21 Grams.
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Thanks! You really should check out more from him. I’ll read your 21 Grams review as soon as I can.
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