Travis’ Top 100: Post #3

Yes, this quest is not over. We have a long way to go! Remember, you can see the Top 100 HERE! As always, I’m going to add 2 new movies that I absolutely love. They are…

5. Brazil

Imagination, as I’m sure you can guess, is going to be one of the keys to being one of my all time favorite movies. Another key? Mind-fuckery. Yea, I made up that term, but it fits. This movie has both. Brazil is one of the most imaginative films of all time thanks to Terry Gilliam’s completely unique point of view. No director sees things quite like he does. I adore all of his films. But what makes this movie so important for me is the combination of mind-adjusting along with classic heroics. A simple man just wants to be free and wants to be in love. I can get behind that. Tragedy too! Oh man! This movie has everything for me.

That being said, why do I only have it at 5? Well, as compared to Eternal Sunshine, they are actually quite similar stories. Our hero is a fairly average guy thrust into a situation that he put himself into, but does not want. Both heroes want to find love, but have flaws and hurdles. I guess ultimately I just associate better with Joel in ESOTSM. He realizes that he’s made a mistake and is fighting to keep what he’s losing. There’s something wonderfully tragic about these people. So real, even in the odd fantasy memory world. While I identify with Sam’s yearn for adventure, I’m not as enamored with his decisions in the long run. He is more tragic, but not as real and not as important to me.

6. Children of Men

There are so many things that I really love about this movie that it’s hard to numerate them all here. It’s gritty and real, while having a unique sci-fi fantasy story. Its wonderfully amazingly acted, by Clive Owen of course, but more so by Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. It’s underrated, which gives it a soft spot in my heart. It tells a story of hope, tenacity, courage and freedom that few movies have told. It has one of the greatest surprises I’ve ever witnessed in a film (which you’ll see I’m a sucker for). Lastly, and most importantly it has 3 of the most amazingly shot scenes I have ever witnessed in film. The filmmaking for this movie is so much ahead of any movie I have ever seen. I feel astonished by it just by thinking about it. I could go on and on about this movie.

But why is it #6? Well, to be honest, the only reason I can think that’s true is because it’s not a love story. I can’t help it, but I’m a sucker for a main character that is in love. That’s the only reason I can think of that I have to have it sit behind Brazil and Eternal Sunshine. It sits behind Adaptation and Momento due to their innovation, which this movie has, of sorts, but it’s a fairly straight forward storyline. I hate to have to have it so low, but I can’t get it past any of these other movies.

So, thats 5 and 6. Maybe some day I’ll be less wordy about these… maybe not. It should be interesting to see how i fill out the rest of my top 10 because these are the 6 that I KNOW are at the top of my list. From here… it’s a crap shoot.

Travis’ Top 100: Post #2

It’s finally time to continue this quest. Remember, you can see the Top 100 HERE! I’m going to add 2 new movies that I absolutely love. They are…

2. Adaptation

You will have a hard time debating with me that there is a smarter movie in the history of filmmaking. Adaptation is the smartest movie in the history of the world because it has more layers than you shake a fist at. At any point, you can never be sure what exactly you are watching. You can never be sure if it is satire, or biography, or auto-biography or a non-fiction adaptation or a completely fictitious work of art. I could go on and on about the acting or the directing, but the intellect of this movie is what makes it one of my favorites of all time.

Now how dare I use the intellect of Memento as its argument and then use it again here. Well, you’ll soon realize that most of the reasons I love movies are because they are smart. Then you’ll see that I also love Billy Madison. The fact is that the intellect of Adaptation is at a level so much higher than any other movie that Memento just can’t keep up. There are a lot of smart and unique things about Memento, but no where near as many as Adaptation. As compared to It’s A Wonderful Life though? There’s just no comparison. My love is #1 about how much it causes emotion in me. While intellect creates awe, admiration and respect, it does not make me cry. I cried once, maybe twice here, probably none. Cant compare to IAWL.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Beauty. That’s why this movie is here. I have never seen a movie that is as beautiful as this movie while also being this intelligent. Eternal Sunshine has some of the greatest acting of all time, some of the most imaginative cinematography and directing of all time, not to mention the writing. Charlie Kaufman is by far my favorite screenwriter and this is one of his greatest works. He does such a great job of showing his way to the way the male mind works when it is brokenhearted while doing so in one of the most imaginative ways I’ve ever seen. This movie is interesting, smart, imaginative, sad and happy all at the same time.

But why do i have it below Memento if it means so much to me. Well, I have an immediate answer… It is cliche to love Eternal Sunshine. Everyone that is hipster in any shape or form has this movie at the top of their list… and while I am not able to find it on the outside of my top ten, i can manage to keep it outside of the top 3. This movie is imaginative, but nowhere near as much so as Memento. Memento is the most interestingly structured film ever, and while Eternal Sunshine is unique, it’s not quite as much so.

So, that brings us up to 4 movies. I look forward to going further. Part of me believes that they might not even keep shape in the long run either. If movies move up or down, well, I’ll try to keep you in the loop.

Travis Top 100: Post #1

To start, I suppose I should remind you of the back story here. Check this post for the idea and concept. Then check this page to see Where these posts end up.

So, I suppose we should start at the top…

1. It’s A Wonderful Life

It should come as no surprise to my closest friends that this is my all-time favorite movie. This list will grow and movies will shift, but this movie will always live at the top. I’ve seen this movie more than any other movie and it still gets to me every time I watch it. I guarantee I WILL cry at least once, probably twice while watching it. I can quote every line; I use quotes from it daily in my life. I use the characters as reminders of what it is to be a good person, to give of oneself without regret. There is no movie that means more to me and I seriously doubt there ever will be.

2. Memento

Memento is probably the smartest movie I have ever seen. It is not only one of the most intriguing story lines in the history of film, but it is told in such an impressive manner. The idea of telling the story backwards and forwards at the same time, intertwined, one in color, the other black and white, the story heading toward the middle… There’s never been anything like it. But it is also made amazing by a tone that is rarely perfectly struck; its sad and depressing while being thrilling and mysterious. It’s both heavy and fast paced. I love every second of it still to this day.

This movie doesn’t get an above & below, just a below, because after all, it’s second. So why is it not as good as It’s A Wonderful Life? Well, it really all comes down to emotion. I care for the characters here, but not nearly as much as IaWL. That’s not a fair fight, but sometimes it simply can’t be. Some of these will be closer than this, but this isn’t one. I call this a “distant second”.

So, this is just a base. I’ll typically be adding 2 new movies per post, since it will usually take 100 words to say why i like it and 100 to say why it’s above and below the other movies. Since I do 400 words per post, ipso facto, 2 movies. Easy right? So hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll have my top 100 movies. Keep your fingers crossed.

The Quest for Travis’ Top 100

So, I’ve decided to start another project on the movie fight here. We’ve got a good project going that is going to lead to us having the beginnings of a ranking for every genre. We’ve got the horror movie tournament moving into the sweet 16, which is great. I like doing the action movie league as well. And of course, I have the normal reviews.

But all in all, there’s something missing. There needs to be 1 more thing. There has to be a reason for it all. And so… I’ve decided to start writing my personal top 100 movies. It’s not going to be an easy process. There’s going to be a lot of hemming an hawing. There’s maybe going to be some shifting up and down of movies, but that’s ok. I think that a persons top movie list should be allowed to be fluid. Sometimes you’re in a mood for a certain type of movie. Sometimes something can be hot right now for you, but lose it’s luster over time. And vice versa, something can grow on you over time.

The key is this: I don’t know what my top 100 is. I don’t even know what my top 10 is. Therefore, sometimes movies are going to go into the list somewhere in the middle. I’m going to try to get them right, but I don’t know for sure. This must be a science, not guess work.

OK, so, how shall I begin? Well, Here’s what I know. I have a few movies that are for sure going to be in that top 100. It’s a Wonderful Life, Memento, Adaptation, Children of Men, Dark Knight, etc. What I’m going to do is write a 50-100 word paragraph about what I love about that movie. Then I’m going to write a 50-100 word paragraph about why i’ve put it above the movie below it and below the movie above it. I’ll do this until i fill the 400 word quota for the post.

Then, you can go over to the Travis’ Top 100 list and see all of the paragraphs for which I talk about that movie and where they all stack up. Over time, I’ll make it to 100 and past. When a movie falls out of the top 100, I’ll remove the paragraph and just have it posted in a “next 100” list or something. This might seem a little confusing right now, but I assure you, it will all make sense in time.

I think it’s going to be a fun project. Hopefully later this week or soon, I’ll find a way to get started here and you’ll see what I mean. The one caveat I should mention… this is a little atypical for TMF. THere will be no voting. These are my personal lists. You can help me, participate, comment, let your feelings be known, but it wont effect the rankings the way it would with every other rankings list.

OK, so we’re off and running. I can’t wait!