I love films. At best they shine a light into the human condition and the realities of life. I have been watching them since primary school, and can still remember several defining moments in my formative years of cinematic oogling:
1. Two films of the 1980s stand out. I saw them repeatedly. These were “Neverending Story” and “The Karate Kid”. Since then I’ve revisited both (mainly for the nostalgia) and sadly only the latter has stood the test of time. Others that made a deep impression on me: “Superman 2″, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Star Wars”.
2. When I was eight I saw Top Gun at the cinema. I remember coming out feeling like I had missed something. It was only years later I discovered something important – I had missed nothing; it was just a really crap movie.
3. Watching Hitchcock films on Saturday nights during the late 80s, early 90s. They often weren’t in colour but they proved to be amazing. I was yet to discover, however, that even films without sound could be an earth-shatteringly good experience as well. Some of the Hitchcock classics that I caught on commercial television were, “Psycho”, “Rear Window”, “The 39 Steps” and ”Vertigo”.
4. Seeing “Taxi Driver” in year 12. I realized films could do something other mediums couldn’t – they could say something difficult or controversial while pushing the viewer to reflect on emotionally complicated things. It also showed me that a heck of a lot of films only left the viewer with a few cheap laughs and a flimsy pop song dancing around in one’s head – the film as an extended commercial.
This page doubles not just as a chance for me to narrate some recent (and ancient) history, but also as a guide to my favourite films of the last one hundred years. The menu to the right should take you to the decade you would like to peruse. Enjoy my unrepentant subjectivity.
This page has the following sub pages.
