I saw all 10 of the Best Picture nominees this year, just as I did last year. I’m a film buff, so I watch a lot of movies, many of them more than once. Some I never tire of — films I would want to have if marooned on an island (like Cast Away, which almost made my list).
Of course I’d need a device that allowed me to play or stream them, not to mention a way to charge the batteries of that device. But this is a thought exercise, so suspend your disbelief, as we do every time we watch a film, and we’re all pretty good at that by now. Long-ago Chicago columnist Bob Greene asked his readers to nominate the film they would want if island-stranded. The overwhelming winner was Shawshank Redemption.
On Groundhog Day, I watched … give you one guess … with a group of friends (call us the film buff-alos). I’ve seen Groundhog Day so many times I feel like I’m part of the film. Next up is Princess Bride with Dread Pirate Roberts and Princess Buttercup (“This is true love. Do you think this happens every day?”).
In L.A., after taking the tour of Warner Bros. Studios with a different group of friends, we ordered takeout from a favorite Moroccan restaurant for dinner and watched arguably Warner Brothers’ best film, Casablanca, set in Morocco (but filmed in a studio sound stage, including the famous airport scene at the end). Among the best lines in cinematic history is the greatest put-down of all time. Ugarte (Peter Lorre) says to Rick, “You despise me, don’t you?” and Bogart, without even glancing up, says, “I suppose if I gave you any thought I would.”
Here are eight more highly watchable films (plus nine honorable mentions; Shawshank Redemption didn’t make the cut).
Moonstruck – Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, who is Irish-American but created the best ethnic romance with Italian characters, plus one of longtime Oak Parker John Mahoney’s best roles and Vicki Carr’s best song (“It Must Be Him”).
Wild Mountain Thyme – Shanley again, this time for the Irish. It’s poetic, eccentric, delightfully pagan, and almost nobody else knows about this cinematic gem. Watch it with subtitles though. The brogue is thick.
La La Land – Obviously I’m a sucker for romance … and a good musical. It doesn’t even need a happy ending, though this one does … from a certain angle. With a small nod and shared smile, the lovers bless one another’s separate paths.
Field of Dreams – A great father-son film, especially for a father like me with an only son. This baseball film knows its way around a cornfield. The most important voice Kevin Costner hears is not, “If you build it, they will come.” It’s the second one: “Go the distance.” And how can he go wrong with James Earl Jones and Moonlight Graham (Burt Lancaster) to guide the way?
Christmas Story – A tossup with It’s a Wonderful Life, but Jean Shepherd’s inspired narration/voiceover tips it for me. Plus Darren McGavin as the father, standing over his “major award,” exclaiming with unabashed wonder, “There could be anything in there!” At that moment, I loved him. Ralphie no doubt felt the same.
Lincoln – One of Steven Spielberg’s most important contributions to Americans’ self-understanding (Saving Private Ryan is another), with an Irish actor, of all people, bringing our greatest president immortally alive. No impersonation, this was incarnation. And the story also highlights the moment when, in spite of our extraordinary flaws, this nation was at its best (and worst).
Roman Holiday – Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and the noblest gesture since Beau Geste, my father’s favorite film). What a treat. A script by Dalton Trumbo and a visit to post-war Rome thrown in as a bonus. On my last real trip to Rome (2010), I looked for, and found, Via Margutta 51, where important scenes were filmed. It was the highlight of my Roman holiday.
Out of Africa – Sydney Pollack’s masterpiece gets better with every viewing. Another great romance, this time with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford — I’m partial to films that take me places and provide a taste of true love. This one features one of cinema’s best verbal comebacks. The jealous ex-husband of Karen Blixen (Streep) says to Dennis Finch Hatton (Redford) after he moves in, “You might at least have asked.” Redford’s return: “I did. She said yes.”
Briefly, here are the remaining nine:
Silver Linings Playbook (Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper); Shakespeare in Love (Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, script by Tom Stoppard); Always (Holly Hunter, Richard Dreyfus, Audrey Hepburn’s final film); The Magnificent Seven (Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, et al); Sleepless in Seattle (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Brooks Robinson); Bridges of Madison County (one of four fine films set in Iowa, of all places); The Great Escape (Steve McQueen, James Garner and a host of Nazis); Robin and Marian (Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, a close call over Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland); As Good As It Gets (Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson); North by Northwest (Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, my favorite Hitchcock flick); Philadelphia Story (Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart); and Bucket List (Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, great armchair travel).
I have many favorite films, but these are the most watchable.