This is a list of movies I really like with mini descriptions.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) – Cary Grant in a hilarious black comedy. Two little old ladies with an unusual hobby.
The Band’s Visit (2007) (Foreign. Subtitles)— An Egyptian band (marching, not rock) visits Israel to perform. Miscommunications lead them to end up overnight in the wrong town. Hilarious and moving.
Benny and Joon (1993)— Johnny Depp. An indie, slice of life film about two extremely oddball characters who fall in love. Touching.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)— Robert Redford and Paul Newman. (Need I say more?) Classic Western.
Breaker Morant (1980)— My favorite war movie. Set in the Boer war.
Chitty Bang Bang (1968)— It’s possible you had to grow up on this to like it. A couple of kids, their inventor father, and a flying car named Chitty Bang Bang. Fun songs, silly plot, a good time. Dick Van Dyke.
Doubt (2008) — A power struggle at a Catholic school between a nun and priest. Based on a play. Good discussion piece for doubt, religion, motivation, truth.
Everything is Illuminated (2005)— Elijah Wood is a young, serious Jewish man with an obsessive personality. He visits Ukraine in an attempt to learn more about his roots. Most of this film is a comedy, but it has heavy undertones.
The Fall (must watch on big screen) (2006)— Beautifully shot with minimal CG. A recovering stuntman tells a story to a little girl he meets at the hospital. Story comes to life onscreen and plays on reality. Visually arresting.
The Fountain (2006)— Gorgeous shots. Fascinating story. Watch it twice.
It Happened One Night (1934)— Wonderful old movie won several academy awards. Cute story about an heiress and newspaper reporter. Bagged five Oscars.
Libeled Lady (1936) — Another heiress/reporter love story. A newspaper is getting sued for libeling an heiress. They send in a man to seduce her so that they can win the suit. Naturally, he falls for her.
An Unfinished Life (2005)— Jennifer Lopez tries to escape several pasts. Lovely story, great themes of redemption and purpose.
Quiz Show (1994) — Have gotten into pretty strong arguments over this one. Ethics, justice, sense of identity, entertainment, willful ignorance…About a quiz show contestant. Based on a true story.
Mumford (1999)— Our copy was censored. SUCH a good movie. A new shrink comes to the town of Mumford and changes lives. Funny, sweet, definitely thought provoking on the subject of therapy.
Wives and Daughters (1999)— Long, BBC, period piece. Absolutely brilliant. Not sure how guys feel about it. Follows the story of a girl and her father. Really, really good.
Northfork (2003)— Unusual film, piecy story, watch the trailer. I want to watch it again.
Waking Ned Divine (1998)— Really wonderful. An old Irishman wins a giant lottery and dies of a heart attack. Fabulous events ensue. Charming, with lovely accents throughout.
Monsoon Wedding (2001)(big screen is better for this one)— Directed and set in India (but spoken in English). Entertaining but philosophical. Culturally gripping. It’s the story of an arranged marriage.
The Namesake (2006)— I LOVE this movie. It’s quite long, and can be slow paced, but is really honest and a touching exploration of cultural difficulties between Indian and American cultures.
Singing in the Rain (1952) — Charming musical with great songs. Fun plot with quirky characters, clever moments. Hollywood studio struggling to keep up with movies with sound.
