Don't mention the poor... Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
We're half way through the list of 1,000 films to see before you die. Andrew Pulver said he "took the broadest view possible of the idea of an individual film's value". But, for me, the notion of favourite films all revolve around dating and honesty.
So here's the dilemma: as the starters finish and the first flush of frantic conversation subsides, someone always brings up the subject of favourite movies - at worst to fill the difficult silence between courses, at best to establish enough common ground for a second date. I have never subscribed to the notion that "you are what you eat" but I am assuredly what I watch.
That raises the question of which favourite films you mention: ones that paint you as a lover of fine film-making, or ones that actually occupy space in your DVD collection? Obviously there are risks with both strategies. A professed love of Zhang Yimou may make you seem smarter than you are, but you might end up having to discuss Chinese communism for the next hour. On the other hand, citing Showgirls as your favourite musical just marks you out as a moron.
It's all in the context, often you have mere seconds to decide and sometimes your partner choosing first seriously compromises your plans. Once sacred names like Visconti or Bergman have been mentioned, you'd need balls the size of asteroids to bring up Rocky 3 or Legally Blonde (only kidding - the sequel was miles better).
So naturally, my two lists of "favourite films" are very different and in a state of constant revision. The first I would honestly rate as exceptional films but it's the second I truly love, and the fact that I'm still single after multiple first dates shows neither is currently working for me. Then again, booking the all-you-can-eat salad bar at Garfunkels may have had something to do with it. Either way, something definitely needs changing and I'm seriously open to suggestion.
So, here's my dating list and my honest list.
Schindler's List --------------------------- Schindler's List RAN ---------------------------------------- Pee Wee's Big Adventure Monsoon Wedding ----------------------- The Big Blue Death in Venice ------------------------- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Fanny and Alexander -------------------- This is Spinal Tap Raging Bull -------------------------------- Die Hard Blade Runner (the director's cut) ---- The Exorcist Metropolis -------------------------------- Napoleon Dynamite La Dolce Vita ----------------------------- Sexy Beast The Tin Drum ---------------------------- Moulin Rouge
What do you reckon, am I a hopeless case?
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