Hello Movie-Watchers,
I have a confession to make: I've developed a fear of public restrooms. It's not because of the germs or because of the strangers... it's because of Witness. The story of a young Amish boy witnessing a murder in a public restroom and the cop that tries to protect him, Witness is the perfect mix between suspense and drama. I admit, though, that the beginning is a bit misleading. From the onset (when the murder takes place), I thought that the film would be much more suspense-ridden. The film definitely has its suspenseful, even violent, moments, but it is still largely focused on character development. This is the sort of film I'd recommend for a rainy day -- it is not confusing or dramatic so it won't be depressing, but it's not mindless so it will keep your attention.
And now on to a less-than-positive review: Dazed and Confused. I am not sure that I have ever wasted so much of my time in one sitting. Let me break it down for you: This was literally a movie about people getting drunk and high in a field and then getting in trouble for getting home late. Oh, they also hazed some new freshmen along the way, which was a great use of 15 minutes of screen time. While I understand that the movie is supposed to catch the essence of a generation's upbringing, I just could not connect to it. Perhaps the movie itself is limited to a specific audience. While I am in favor of movies that have a bigger focus on characters than on plot, Dazed and Confused had no focus whatsoever. It was a movie about nothing.
After watching these two vastly different movies in close succession, a question I'd never before considered popped into my head: What makes something a film versus a movie? I think a good amount of people would claim that they are the same thing. However, some would say that a film carries more prestige. I do not think it is possible to refer to Dazed and Confused as a film -- it would bring shame to all other films to be grouped with such mindless junk. Moreover, I think calling Witness a movie is degrading. What do you think? Who is the authority on this mystery?
I would like to thank all of you for such an overwhelming response to my first blog post. I have taken a look at your suggestions and have added several of them to my list. I have already seen a good number of the movies that were mentioned in the comments (including all of the other Brat Pack movies -- I am not sure why I never saw Saint Elmo's Fire), so naturally some of those suggested will not be added. New movies added to the list will be bolded. If I didn't add a movie that you feel adamant about, comment it again as I may have missed it among the masses.
Does anyone have any recommendations based off of my positive review for Witness? How do you define film vs. movie? What's on your movie bucket list? Let me know in the comments below. For live updates on my blog's progress, follow me on Twitter @RDeChiara.
Adaptation
Almost Famous
American Beauty
American Graffiti
American Psycho
An Education
As Good as It Gets
Blood Diamond
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Bringing Up Baby
Burn After Reading
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Cast Away
Crash
Crimes and Misdemeanor
Deer Hunter
District 9
Driving Miss Daisy
Fargo
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Fight Club
Forrest Gump
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Frost/Nixon
Gangs of New York
Garden State
Gone with the Wind
Good Will Hunting
Goodfellas
Hotel Rwanda
Into the Wild
Kramer vs. Kramer
LA Confidential
Leaving Las Vegas
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lost in Translation
Man on Wire
Memento
Michael Clayton
Million Dollar Baby
Mystic River
No Country for Old Men
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Panic Room
Philadelphia
Pulp Fiction
Rain Man
Ransom
Ray
Rebel Without a Cause
Rocky
Saint Elmo's Fire
Scarface
Schindler's List
Shakespeare in Love
Sideways
Star Wars
Terms of Endearment
The Birdcage
The Departed
The Fighter
The Godfather Trilogy
The Hours
The Hurt Locker
The Lincoln Lawyer
The Outsiders
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
The Sting
The Usual Suspects
The Wrestler
True Grit
Up in the Air
Winter's Bone
Working Girl