This is not an answerable question, but it's not hard to wonder from time to time, when you're appreciating a movie, what's the best movie ever made.
Obviously, the answer, if there were one, would depend on the tastes of the viewer.
And there are thousands of movies from which to choose.
There are old classics, and new classics. (I hope we have agreed that no remake comes close to making the list.) There are great movies that might not be classics yet.
There are genres, within which some movies are better than others. And there's no way to compare the "best" movie in one genre with the "best" movie in another genre.
I have a lot of movies. I have more than do some people, and fewer than do other people. I've acquired more movies than I have now, because I get rid of the ones I don't want to be bothered to keep. I particularly like the ones I do keep, and I watch them repeatedly, although some more often than others.
Tonight I watched a movie I've seen several times, but not often. And I would ask you to consider that it is well in the running for the best movie ever made. Have you ever seen "Big Fish?"
"Big Fish" is unique in that it's structured like a fantasy in the way all Tim Burton movies are structured. And like all or most Tim Burton movies, it includes Helena Bonham Carter. The biggest star is Albert Finney, and the other big stars are Jessica Lange, Ewan McGregor, and Billy Crudup. There are smaller roles given to people who would otherwise be bigger stars, like Danny Devito and Steve Buscemi. And Robert Guillaume, who might already have had a stroke by the time this movie was made, is a featured actor.
Another interesting feature of "Big Fish" is that Albert Finney and Helena Bonham Carter, who are both English, and Ewan McGregor, who is Scottish, all have American southern accents.
As I said, what's the best movie ever made is not an answerable question. But I'm curious if you know this one, what you think of it, and what movie most appeals to you.
I remember waiting for the release of BIG FISH with great anticipation ... then feeling left a bit "eh" over it. Liked it but wanted to love it. I think it felt a bit hokey by the end, if I recall, perhaps because that kind of story is best left in one's imagination in book form rather than trying to bring it to life on the screen.
ReplyDeleteMy list is easy. The best book and best movie ever made are the same: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. We watch the movie once a year, and I pick up the book every few years. Aside from that, I highly recommend IN AMERICA. The writer/director cast his two young daughters in the key roles of the immigrant children ... and there's a scene with them and their father towards the end on a fire escape that is the sweetest thing on film. I've seen the movie several times, and each time I wonder if that scene will impact me the same way when I know it's coming. Every time, without fail. The message is just so lovely. The acting in the film is superb, particularly the English actress Samantha Morton.
OK, I've seen "In America." The sound was mostly awful, and I could barely make out what was most of the dialogue. The cast was great. This movie -- "In America" -- made me want to leave America.
DeleteI am a huge fan of obscure Irish movies, love "In America" love Samantha Morton in everything she does. Mac, have you ever seen "Into The West" with Gabriel Byrne, "the Secret of Roan Inish", or "Breakfast on Pluto" with (one of my top crushes ever, Cillian Murphy)? If not, get watching.
ReplyDelete"To Kill a Mockingbird:" Both the book and the movie were magnificent.
ReplyDeleteApparently, I should be ashamed to say I don't know "In America." Will correct deficiency.
Feel free to borrow "Breakfast on Pluto." My copy is DVD.
Mac, for me, "Big Fish" is always even better than I remember from the last viewing. The ending is sort of arresting. Also on DVD, if anyone wants to borrow. My favorite Benedict Cumberbatch "Sherlock" movie is "The Empty Hearse," and I love it most for Martin Freeman's reaction to seeing Sherlock alive in the restaurant. Billy Crudup's reaction to the sight of the people at Albert Finney's funeral (outside the church) is just like that.
BrambleWitch, I have heard of "The Secret of Roan Inish," but I've never seen it. I gather you consider that, too, a deficiency which needs to be corrected.
Note that "borrow" means I get it back.
Has anyone seen big trouble, story by Dave Barry. Set in Miami and filmed here, very funny.
ReplyDeleteNo! Will look for it.
DeleteThanks.