Although I often get asked by random people if I have a top five, for many years I've had more of a top three (Raging Bull, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Unforgiven), with the last two being rotating. Well, today on my drive to work, I finally figured out what I think the last two should be. Granted, these are most *best* movies than necessarily my favorites (favorites are harder to pin down), but I still really like them. They are No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood, those two classics from 2007. What a great year for movies, and what a seminal year in my life, that was. As I went through library school and started to define my life as a librarian, those two films, each with very deep social implications, served as touchstones for me. So, the list is:
1. Raging Bull
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Unforgiven
4. No Country For Old Men
5. There Will Be Blood
Raging Bull, I think deep down, will always be my favorite movie. Never will there be a better movie about human isolation and suffering. With 2001, the same goes for it being a statement about isolation, and it also has great themes about human nature (and great visuals). Unforgiven is sort of the ultimate postmodern film, a deconstruction of the typical movie western that compares that film to gritty, prejudicial reality, and it sports two great performances from Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. No Country For Old Men is, I would say, the world of film's best statement about the nature of evil, with a plot that really sucks you in. And as for There Will Be Blood, go back and check out the crying scene in the middle of the film (where Daniel Plainview is camping out). Very, very powerful stuff. I think that about says it all, one moment of breakdown for an otherwise bitter and soulless man.
So, though Prometheus holds a special place in my heart, these will be the top five that I give people for the foreseeable future. Until next time!
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