Fifteen Films

I decided to revisit a question posed to me awhile back about 15 films that have resonated with me in my life. They would not classify necessarily as my favorites, but each in its way marked some insights reached.

1. Wuthering Heights (1970) - the version with Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff and and Anna Calder-Marshall as Catherine. From the swelling theme music, to the moody moors, I was so enraptured by this timeless love story at 17 . . . my God, the scene at her grave! My God, those Brontë women!

2. Cabaret (1972) - Berlin at the rise of the Weimar Republic; LIZA! Joel Gray as the comically lascivious MC of the KitKat Club. Sexy spectacle against the backdrop of troubled times in pre-war Germany. I was horrified at the violent anti-Semitism and drawn in by the sexual ambiguity.

3. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Coppola is to blame for me falling in love with Laurence Fishburne, I'm just sayin'. A journey into the true "heart of darkness" with a loose basis in Conrad's novel, Apocalypse Now was perhaps the first movie that put the atrocities of war and its insanity into a "big picture" perspective for me. Humanity and savagery are not always opposites.

4. Some Like It Hot (1959) - Lest you think I am all about the serious drama, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in bad drag can still get me convulsed with laughs. How do you escape from the mob when you were witnesses to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre AND get to spend time on tour with Marilyn Monroe and an all female orchestra?? (Tony was actually pretty cute as "Josephine"!)

5. Peter Pan (1953) - Although my first Disney movie was an afternoon matinee of "Bambi" at the old Paramount Theatre in Kentville with a babysitter, Peter Pan remains so memorable for me for two reasons: 1. Sometimes little girls don't want to grow up either, and 2. I wanted to then, and still want to fly!!! "Second star to the right and straight on till morning . . ."

6. Sophie's Choice (1982) - The novel damn near killed me, yet it remains my favorite, or one of them. The luminous Meryl Streep has so many accolades and honours, but never was she more deserving than for her role as Sophie who must do the unthinkable -- choose.

7. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) - John Cleese and Michael Palin are as funny as in the Monty Python films in this little number. Jamie Lee Curtis looks hot and Kevin Kline is conniving. Diamonds are stolen, double crossings abound and (egads!) fish are eaten alive!!! Will always picture Ken with French fries up his nose.

8. Halloween (1978) - I don't go to or rent or download scary movies. Everyone who knows me knows that. This movie is why. I saw it with my (then) husband and another couple at the Oxford Theatre on Quinpool Road. All of us came out into the daylight (yes! it was a matinee) terrified and looking for Michael Myers over our shoulders.

9. Forrest Gump (1994) - The soundtrack alone would be reason enough for me to love this movie. I was not so much taken with the little truisms and gems that his mama taught him, as with Forrest's life moments, and the fact that there is no moralizing speech about cognitively-impaired people. I could suspend disbelief for almost 2 hours and go to Viet Nam or shrimping with Forrest.

10. Belle de Jour (1967) - Catherine Deneuve is stunning as a prostitute who entertains clients only between 2 and 5 p.m. There is a surrealism peculiar to Luis Buñuel's films . . . some sado-masochistic scenes . . .

11. The Blues Brothers (1980) - The team that was Belushi and Aykroyd brought Jake and Elwood to a permanent home in my heart. Their "mission from God" antics coupled with stellar soul, blues and R&B soundtrack keep it on my list. Those horns, too. Damn.

12. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - I wanted the UFO to land near me. I still do. Richard Dreyfus was childlike in his obsession to build the mountain out of shaving foam and mashed potatoes. I can hear the 5 tones even now . . .

13. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) - Jessica Tandy, Mary-Louise Parker, Mary Stuart Masterson and Kathy Bates pulled me right into the shifting narrative between Idgie Threadgoode's life and loves in Whistle Stop, Alabama, and the present day struggles of Evelyn, the unhappy in her 40s housewife. The electricity between Ruth and Idgie as young women is palpable, and I cheered at the rescue from the abusive husband.

14. Stand By Me (1986) - I've seen this movie more times than any other on this list because I used to show it to my Grade 9 English classes every year to help illustrate that we are all different in our backgrounds and upbringing, yet we share bonds in our comings of age that are undeniable. Stellar performances by River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherland. "Chopper! Sic balls!"

15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Yes, The Acadia Cinema used to have midnight showings for years for university students and fans! Words like "cult classic" seem too limiting for this brilliant parody of the science fiction/horror genre. No one and I mean, NO ONE, can rock fishnets like Tim Curry . . . Sure, sure . . . I know when to put the newspaper on my head, throw toast, and how to dance The Time Warp. Doesn't everybody?

Could I add more? Without a doubt, yes I could. I was told not to think too long or hard, so I didn’t. This list is the result of that brief consideration.