I really am not any type of film expert, and until recent years I generally only went to the cinema once or twice a year and maybe watched a couple of films on television or DVD during the Christmas break. Hence I know that I have a substantial amount of catching up to do now that I’ve come to realise that I want to fill in the holes in my movie knowledge. There will always be a few kinds of films that genuinely are of no interest to me, but I have learned over the last few years to take a chance and view some films that I haven’t wanted to watch in the past.
My change of mind is partly due to a friend whose views I truly trust. Too many people in days gone by have said to me that I’ll totally love a film just because they do, and in reality that kind of recommendation doesn’t really cut the mustard with me. It’s also because I made the decision to attempt to collect all of the films which have in the cast my favourite actor, Johnny Depp, and by seeing some of his films within genres which I don’t usually enjoy, I’ve been encouraged to explore similar films and have surprisingly enjoyed most of them. My film viewing has also been improved by a recent Laser eye surgery operation which has sorted out a eyesight problem so that I can now see the screen properly without any blurred areas.
Nevertheless, there are a number of films that I love, having viewed them many times. The Monty Python films absolutely qualify for that accolade, and although I’d have to say that my favourite is probably Life Of Brian, they are all equally entertaining and are totally the right thing to watch to cheer yourself up on a bad day.
Another of my favourites, and maybe the only one of my favourite films that could be referred to as a ‘chick flick’ is Four Weddings And A Funeral, one of Hugh Grant’s better roles where he actually just plays himself, though I always wonder why someone who was obviously quite rich in the film kept on fumbling with his glasses all the time instead of just investing in Laser eye surgery. I do maintain though that the film is superbly cast which is largely what made it so enjoyable, but I also like it because I’ve been invited to far too many weddings in my life and have witnessed so many of the things that occur at the various nuptials.
When it comes to a series of films, I actually don’t think there’s anything better than Pirates Of The Caribbean, but then I may be slightly biased as my favourite actor features in them. Captain Jack Sparrow really is the most loveable rogue and I for one can’t wait to see the latest instalment of his pirate capers when it is showing at the local cinema. So odd to think that the whole idea of the films stemmed from a theme park ride which has been around for decades and from memory, even though it was great fun, it wasn’t particularly sophisticated. I am sure I recall travelling in a boat through an unfolding pirate story. I suppose that the activities of the moving parts of the ride were triggered by the boats breaking a Laser eye beam or the like so that each boatload viewed exactly the same activity and the story made sense. Though I have heard that after the success of the films they have updated the ride, so I could be thinking of something that doesn’t really exist any more!
Despite the fact that I’m not a huge a fan of Tom Hanks, one film that would definitely get into my Top Three is Apollo 13. I have seen this with a friend who is a lot younger than me, and she didn’t really enjoy it, so I have to guess that the most likely reason why I love it so much is because I really do recall the events that it portrays, can very much remember news updates about what had gone wrong and remember seeing film of the astronauts after they had proved everyone wrong and landed safely back on earth. I’m not an emotional person and it’s very rare for a film to have much impact on me, but the scene when they are all waiting for radio contact from the craft after re-entry often brings a tear to my eye (though nowadays I can blame it on my eyes being more sensitive after the Laser eye treatment!).
But I think, in all probability, my very favourite movie ever would surely be Local Hero. Shot with some fantastic Scottish scenery as the location, the script about the Texas oil negotiator sent abroad to secure land for a refinery who ends up falling in love with the place could really be described as a modern day fairy tale. The thing I approve of most about the film is that it’s not easy to describe as a specific genre. There are moments when it’s funny, quirky, thought provoking and socially aware. And then there are the questions that you never really get an answer to and have to allow your imagination to come up with a suitable explanation. Who is Marina, the woman with the webbed feet? Is Mr Knox of Knox Oil & Gas actually a distant relation of Ben’s? Or, as Mac himself asks in the film ‘Whose baby is it?’. With a soundtrack by Mark Knopfler which beautifully compliments what is happening, this is without doubt my Number One film choice.