Movies for chilly days: I could watch this a million times...
By Mona Mattei
At this time of year when the snow is deep and we take time to relax with family, what could be better than turning up the heat, and snuggling in with a blanket and popcorn to watch your all time favourite movie.
The Lone Sheep family thought it might be nice to share the movies that we can watch – not just once, but again, and again, and… well you probably know exactly what we mean! Take a peek into our faves, and let us know in the comments what movie you can never get enough of!
Castlegar Source/Trail Champion Editor, Kyra Hoggan
When friends ask me about favourite flicks, they always expect me to name one of the many brilliantly-written, poignant and profound art films produced each year. They’re always a little startled to discover the one series which most promotes the warm-and-fuzzies in me is The Matrix, a 1999 American production sometimes hailed as the most ground-breaking science fiction series of all time.
It introduces philosophical thought without sacrificing a second of energy and/or action, and it’s thematically consistent from start to finish.
Most of all, though (and this is why it won my heart for good), it was a movie series that interested both myself and my pre-teen son at a time when we were transitioning our relationship from mom/small child to mom/young adult.
To watch his evolving mind grasp such big ideas, to share the experience with him as we sat on the edge of our seats and scarfed unreasonable amounts of popcorn … it simply can’t be paralleled by any movie, before or since.
On top of all that, it’s just fun to watch.
Editor of the Rossland Telegraph, Adrian Barnes
I’ll put in a plug for PT Anderson’s The Master, which only came out this fall but has already become one of my favourite films–I saw it three times in the theatre!
It’s a fascinating examination of what makes human beings tick, and the great thing about it is that Anderson doesn’t give the audience an ‘answer’. Rather, the director puts it out there and leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions. A real rarity in the world of the movies.
Boundary Sentinel Reporter, Erin Perkins
Nothing gets me to the coach faster than the first 10 lines of the opening song of my favorite movie – The hills are alive with the sound of music….
The 1965 classic, The Sound of Music, is a musical masterpiece that spans not only the generations but entire cultures. While studying in South Korea years ago every one of my Korean friends could recite the entire musical score from the movie. In English no less.
Even though I’ve watched it a hundred times, if I see it listed on the TV Christmas specials, I’ll make the time to watch it. It’s an enduring love story with a nail-biting finale as the family escapes the Nazis and fantastic music that I know every word to. You root for Maria, you boo the jealous Baroness Elsa Schroeder and you cheer the family on as they rediscover what life and love is all about.
What’s even better about this film is that it in fact is based on a true story. The von Trapps did exist, made their way to America were the children and grandchildren of the famous family still live.
How’s that for a fantastic story?
Editor for the Boundary Sentinel, Mona Mattei
It’s often an argument between my husband and I when it comes to which movie we should watch again, for the millionth time. While the Alien series often tops the list, we also regularly pull out the Firefly / Serenity group as we’re both suckers for a great sci-fi / action flik. In that genre, Prometheus from 2012 is quickly gaining repeat viewing status.
But if left to my own devices I have to admit that I can never get enough of The Princess Bride. One of the first “children’s” films that crossed over to an adult film by adding just the right amount of wit and dark humour, I never fail to enjoy this classic. Basically a fairy tale with great poetic dialogue, witty exchanges between key characters, bizarre yet lovable creatures that fill every good tale, a love story and some of the most memorable lines in film history. Anyone who has seen this one will remember these with a chuckle:
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Princess: “You mock my pain.”
Man in Black: “Life is pain, your highness, anyone who says differently is selling something.”
Vizzini: “He didn’t fall! Inconceivable!”
Indigo: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
It was a quarter-century ago that this film was introduced to viewers and we met Indigo Montoya, Fezzik, Buttercup, the Man in Black, Miracle Max, and an impressive pastor with a speech impediment.
But everytime I pull it out I revel in the witty dialogue, and long for the happy ending to come true.
Film columnist, Nik Green, Global Authority Media
Lone Sheep columnists were tasked with outlining why they can watch a specific film over and over again. I have had the same favorite film since 1995 when Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro shared the screen in what I consider to be the last great analog cops and robbers film. As the internet hit its stride in the mid-90’s it began to ruin films by giving easy outs to lazy screen writers. The proliferation of cell phones would also contribute to the fall of the great caper as they would provide a resolution in nearly any scenario and remove or marginalize any dramatic tension while doing so. Phone etiquette is also at a cinematic low with Pacino never using a salutation or goodbye as if he resented the devices which would change film making forever.
Perhaps Pacino was foreseeing a future in which he would never turn in a role as solid as Heat or his early classic gems that we all know and love. DeNiro hasn’t fared much better with only a couple of worthwhile films in his canon since Heat, also making the film noteworthy as the two acting titans who rose to prominence together began to fade simultaneously also.
The reason I adore Heat so much is the fact that the film can essentially adapt to my mood during any particular screening. If I want to focus solely on the gun toting cops and robbers plot I can do so and enjoy the greatest shootout in cinematic history. If I want to watch the erosion of the dysfunctional yet realistic relationship between Pacino’s Vincent Hanna and Diane Venora’s Justine, I can. I get to look at a very realistic scenario in which two people love each other while fully realizing they cannot coexist due to their very different issues.
On the other side of the fence is DeNiro’s driven yet totally believable thief Neil MacCauley who is simply looking for a means to an end and will stop at nothing to obtain it. His own blossoming relationship is halted when his vocation comes to the fore and he looks to end his chances at a future with a woman he meets at an inconvenient juncture of his criminal life.
I’m reluctant to go too much further into the little details of this genre classic in hopes that you haven’t seen it or have forgotten key parts which you may enjoy more upon a second viewing. My virginal viewing was aided by a showtime that caused the films’ dusk set climax to be set against the exact same light from my windows behind my television.
I have since seen the film over 100 times one of which included hijacking the screening room at the Vancouver Film School in order to see it on the big screen. Heat came out during what I feel to be the best two year span in cinema history which I’m sure other generations will argue and argue well.
