My Movie Alphabet: Pt. II
Here it is, folks! Part 2 of My Movie Alphabet. As a reminder, this is part of the wonderful blogathon started by Mettel Ray. Hope you like my choices from I to Q. To be honest, I wish this one was my last entry because it includes all the best letters! If you need a little refresher, here is Part I. Let’s get down to business, shall we?
I: It’s a Wonderful Life
With the holiday season upon us, it was impossible for me not to include a movie that celebrated the season. So here it is, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, the quintessential Christmas movie. Funny, sad, uplifting, inspiring: this one puts you through an emotional rollercoaster. The acting’s pretty great, too. That part with the talking stars has not aged well, though.
Other favorites: Inception
J: James Stewart
My favorite actor. A talented, versatile thespian on screen, a really nice, modest guy off it. Jimmy was just so damn likeable, even when he played creeps. My favorite performance by him is the one he gave in Harvey. Such a sweet, innocent portrayal. Stewart was and is a true star who got ahead based on talent and not sex appeal.
Other favorites: Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Jessica Chastain, James Bond, Jodaeiye Nader az Simin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judd Apatow, Jennifer Lawrence, Jack Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, John C. Reilly, James McAvoy, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Julianne Moore (so many, I’m sorry, but there are a lot of people whose name starts with a “J”)
K: Kill Bill
This and another, very different film (my choice for “V”) are in a constant struggle to be called my favorite movie. I watched Kill Bill when I was 13; it was love at first sight. Beautiful, bloody and batshit-crazy, this is Quentin Tarantino at his best. As always, he shows a great knack for cool dialogue and music. Uma Thurman is all kinds of awesome as “The Bride” and she’s backed by a very talented cast that includes Daryl Hannah and Lucy Liu. Incredibly fun.
Other favorites: Kate Winslet, Kevin Spacey, Keira Knightley, Killer Joe, Kodi Smit-McPhee
L: Lisbeth Salander
One of my favorite literary and filmic characters. On the big screen, the punk Swedish hacker has been brought to life by two exceptionally gifted actresses. Noomi Rapace did it first in the Millennium trilogy. Rooney Mara was Lisbeth in the American version by David Fincher. Two different portrayals, both magnificent.
Other favorites: Leonardo DiCaprio, Laura Linney, Love Actually, El Laberinto del Fauno, Little Miss Sunshine, Léon, L.A. Confidential, Lars Von Trier, Lee Pace, The Lion King
M: Meryl Streep
I’m aware that many people say the same thing, but Meryl’s my favorite actress. Owner of timeless beauty and talent, Streep disappears into every role. Wise, down-to-earth and not-at-all a diva, this three-time Oscar winner is an acting goddess.
Other favorites: Marion Cotillard, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Scorsese, Midnight in Paris, Michael Fassbender, Memento, Moulin Rouge!, Michael Caine, Magnolia
N: North by Northwest
Maybe not his best, but my personal Hitchcock favorite. A great thriller, sprinkled with humor, and a fun central performance by the suave Cary Grant. Amazing chase scenes including, of course, the iconic crop duster sequence and the most memorable ‘Hitch’ cameo ever.
Other favorites: Natalie Portman, Noomi Rapace, Nancy Meyers, Nora Ephron, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, Nicole Kidman, Network
O: Oscars
A couple years ago, I said that Oscar night was the resulting baby from Christmas and my birthday having sex. I stand behind my words. It’s highly likely that by the end of the night I’ll be throwing some kind of tantrum over a major snub, but the day Hollywood gives out its biggest award is mostly bliss. Just a couple days ago, a friend shared something she found on Tumblr and that exemplifies perfectly my relationship with Oscar:
caring about the Oscars is like caring about someone who always disagrees with you and you can’t fucking stand but you just can’t stop loving them and it’s the absolute worst relationship of your fucking life.
Other favorites: The Omen, Ocean’s Eleven, Oprah Winfrey, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
P: Pedro Almodóvar
I love this man. Pedro’s a genius. Even if I’m not crazy about his earlier work, there’s always something interesting about his films that make them worth your time. The Spanish filmmaker just gets better with age and I look forward to each of his releases. Probably the director with most titles among my list of favorite movies. Additionally, I want to thank him for introducing the world to Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Marvelous director, even better writer, an innate storyteller.
Other favorites: Pulp Fiction, Penélope Cruz, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pleasantville, The Philadelphia Story, The Prestige, Pixar, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Psycho
Q: Quentin Tarantino
This man was responsible for my transformation from casual movie watcher to hardcore film buff with Kill Bill. So thanks, Quentin. A director with a very distinct style, Tarantino is an encyclopedia of music and film. His fanatics can be very annoying, but the man deserves all the praise he gets. Undeniably influential, QT is the filmmaker of my generation.
More great choices here Fernando. I expected no less in your inclusion of Almodovar. I couldn’t squeeze him in. Nice one!
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Thanks, Mark. Being one of his biggest fans, I couldn’t not include him!! hehe Glad you liked my choices.
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Loving part 2 man! Particularly like your inclusion of Lisbeth Salander. I’ve only seen Rapace’s incarnation but I thought she was brilliant.
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Thanks, man! Glad you liked this. Rapace was brilliant and so was Rooney Mara. You should check out the American version, if only to compare.
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Good picks, especially with Jimmy Stewart.
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Thanks. He’s awesome, isn’t he?
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Love the inclusion of Lisbeth Salander, she almost made my list – one of my favorite movie characters too. Rooney Mara was sensational playing her, I wish she had won that Oscar last year 😦 I really hope we will get to see sequels with her as Lisbeth.
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It seems many people are happy I included Lisbeth Salander. She’s a fantastic character. I too loved Rooney Mara in the role but I’m happy the Oscar went to my choice for “M” 😉 Looking forward to the sequels too!
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Great picks once again, Fernando. LOVE It’s A Wonderful Life though I still need to see more Jimmy Stewart films. I like North by Northwest too. I just saw Hitchcock last night and that one got a mention a few times, naturally. Now Meryl is not exactly my fave actress but she is an amazing talent, I like her in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Julie & Julia.’
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Thanks, Ruth. Glad you enjoyed my picks. I couldn’t leave Jimmy out. He was amazing.
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I need to see more of his films, esp. the one with Cary Grant in it, The Philadelphia Story. I also want to see Vertigo as I just saw the new Hitchcock movie.
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Yes! The Philadelphia Story is pretty fun. Vertigo is cool, too. Check them out. What did you think of Hitchcock?
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Check out my review tomorrow 😉
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Will do 😉
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Great continuation to your list, Fernando. I love the inclusion of Jimmy Stewart and North by Northwest.
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Thanks, Morgan. Those have proven quite popular 🙂
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This is an awesome list that you’ve got here, so many good picks! I’m particularly glad to see It’s a Wonderful Life, James Stewart, Kill Bill, Meryl Streep and Tarantino making it on here! I’m sorry to say that, although I wanted to include Meryl in my own list, I just had far too many possible entries for that letter and had to leave her out. 😦
I’m looking forward to what you’ve come up for letters such as U, X and Z!
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Thanks, man! It was difficult narrowing down to just one example for each letter, but I couldn’t leave Meryl out. Final entry is coming in a few days 🙂
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Love the inclusion of Kill Bill….Meryl Streep on the other hand…I’m not a fan of her. I will admit she’s an amazing actress, but there’s something about her which I find unsettling.
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Thanks Nostra! Sorry to hear you’re creeped out by Meryl Streep!
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“caring about the Oscars is like caring about someone who always disagrees with you and you can’t fucking stand but you just can’t stop loving them and it’s the absolute worst relationship of your fucking life.”
THAT’S SO TRUE!!! I probably screamed last year every time the Oscars made a questionable choice (Jean Dujardin over George Clooney? I don’t think so), but there’s no question why I kept watching.
I have my own input going up on the 3rd.
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Thanks. I wasn’t so mad at that. I wanted Clooney to win but Dujardin was pretty good too.
And cool, looking forward to seeing your alphabet 🙂
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Definitely good choices on Kill Bill and Meryl Streep! Two of my favourite things to come from cinema.
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Things? Probably shouldn’t call Meryl a ‘thing’, but then her talent does transcend human talent…
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Haha, I get what you mean 😉 She is something special, that it’s true.
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Thanks! Two of my favorite things in the whole wide world.
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