Friday, January 13, 2006

Cinemaphiles of the world, unite and takeover

Settle in your seats and splash butter on the popcorn this week as Route 1 seeks answers to the following FRIDAY QUESTION:
What is your favorite movie and why?
Inger H. -- "The Best Years of Our Lives" is a stunningly realistic portrayal of WW2 vets returning from combat. As they attempt to resume their lives, each one discovers that not only is he not the same person that left, but that his loved ones changed just as much in the years they were gone. In turns poignant, funny and melancholic, I am always amazed by the fact that a movie that looks this unflinchingly at its subject was made in 1946. Of special note, the acting by real-life amputee (and unprofessional actor) Harold Russell is astounding.
Dave B. -- "Breakfast Club." What other movie can you see someone throwing a piece of olive loaf on a statue in a library?
Annika H. -- "The Rescuers." Because it is about animals that save a little girl.
Rick T. -- "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne. It's a good clean movie with action.
Jill H. -- I love "American President!" I just love the lead actors and the story is excellent and it is one I can watch with my girls.
Mike D. -- If I limit my choices to musicals (since this IS a music blog, after all), I'd have to go with "The Sound of Music." I guess I'm partial to the story of the Family Von Trapp because I also come from a large family of singers who were taught music by a young nun (who just last month, I referred to as "our Maria" when we Christmas caroled to her at Mount St. Francis). The movie is fun and filled with great, singable songs like "Edelweiss" and "Do-Re-Mi." And it has a happy ending. (OK, maybe fleeing your homeland to avoid a Nazi regime is a bit of a downer, but they DID escape, no thanks to Rolf).
Kerstin H. -- "The Rescuers." I like the story of the mice heroes and the little girl.
Diane H. -- I love "Swingers." It spawned some good catchphrases -- "Vegas, baby, Vegas!" and has a fun soundtrack. "Bull Durham" probably runs a close second, though...
Rob K. -- I have long enjoyed black and white films, especially Bogart's "Maltese Falcon" and the Fred Astaire flicks with Ginger Rogers. Totally will stop in my tracks for a Marx Bros. or W.C. Fields movie, anytime. War flicks pull my chain, especially "Midway," "Patton" and "We Were Soldiers." My DVDs of the Lord of the Ring trilogy will have to be pried from my cold, dead hand, along with my copies of Star Wars and Matrix. I have gotten into subtitled flicks recently. I really enjoyed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and just saw an amazing Chinese movie, which I believe is called "King of Masks."

Erik H. -- I love "Tirez Sur Le Pianiste," also known as "Shoot the Piano Player," by Francois Truffaut. As threatened, I watched the film again last night accompanied by the audio commentary of two film scholars. It only confirmed what I love about this film. It is funny, sad, violent, romantic, whimsical and serious -- sometimes all within five minutes. It reminds me of "Reservoir Dogs" in its approach: A young, creative cinema freak gets to make a movie and pulls all of the film-making tricks out of his bag. Some of it works, some of it doesn't, but the director is having so much gleeful fun that the viewer just gets swept up in the joy of movies.

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