Inspiration can come in all shapes, sizes and colors. It can come quickly and often unexpectedly. You will hear me mention the "chill effect" quite often from this point on. The "chill effect" is my body's reaction to inspirational moments. Moments that will always be remembered. Moments that cause goosebumps.
These next twenty films are chock-full of memorable moments and more than enough goosebumps to go around.
Enjoy.
Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly and Jay Thomas
Academy Awards: Nominated once (Best Actor/R. Dreyfuss).
Plot: "A frustrated composer finds fulfillment as a high school music teacher."
Stock: Down
"You love music and you made the kids love it with you."
When I was ten years old my entire family went to the movie theatre to watch a movie about a music teacher. Needless to say I wasn't too excited about it. Probably even pouted a bit. I walked out of that theatre convinced I had just seen one of the best movies my young-self had the privilege of viewing. It resided safely in my top-five for quite some time before it got bumped to the top ten. Now it's barely holding onto the top twenty, but it doesn't take away from how great this flick is.
Richard Dreyfuss plays Glenn Holland, a young musician who needs to make some more money. So, he takes a job as a music teacher at a local high school. He's not too thrilled about it because while he loves music he doesn't love the idea of wasting time at a high school with a bunch of kids. The movie continues from there as Holland starts to find his niche at school and realizes he's making an impact with some of his students.
It's hard not to relate to Glenn Holland. He has a passion - music - but life got in the way. All he wants to do is spend time working on his own music, but again, life gets in the way. He has school, extra-curricular activities, and a family that all demand his time. His family has plenty of struggles as well, in particular when he realizes his only son is deaf. But as the ending of this movie so beautifully suggests, Glenn Holland might consider himself a failure, but life won't allow it.
I still get goosebumps every time I watch the finale of this wonderful film. It's as an emotionally-provoking ten minutes as you can find in any movie. It's hard for me to sit through that and not get teary eyed.
Dreyfuss is amazing as Glenn Holland. The movie spans 30+ years and as you can expect, Holland goes from a young 30 year old, to an aging 60 year old. Dreyfuss is able to portray the youth and enthusiasm of a younger adult as well as the tiring of an older teacher. It certainly could not have been easy.
I can still remember my father saying how well of a job Dreyfuss did playing a younger guy (he was 50 when the movie came out). I also remember my mother losing her diamond from her wedding ring during this movie as well. We stayed long after the credits trying to find that thing and eventually we did.
Mr. Holland's Opus is an inspiring film. It teaches us that passion is contagious and that while life may well be designed to drag us down, the people around us are there to help pick us back up.
Memorable Quotes
"Playing music is supposed to be fun. It's about heart, it's about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, and it's not about notes on a page. I can teach you notes on a page, I can't teach you that other stuff." - Glenn Holland.
"I'm 60 years old, Gene. What are you going to do: write me a recommendation for the morgue?" - Glenn Holland.
"Why is everyone else's child more important than yours?" - Iris Holland.
"You work for 30 years because you think that what you do makes a difference, you think it matters to people, but then you wake up one morning and find out, well no, you've made a little error there, you're expendable. I should be laughing." - Glenn Holland.
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell
Academy Awards (2): Won Best Actor (J. Bridges) and Best Music. Nominated one more time (Best Supporting Actress/M. Gyllenhaal).
Plot: "A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him."
Stock: Holding
"Fucking bowling alley."
When I first saw the preview for Crazy Heart I remember thinking to myself, "they made a movie about Kenny Rogers ... and it looks pretty good." I was wrong with the former, and completely understated the latter.
The plot-line here has been done before. A one-time big-hit musician is now torn and battered, struggling to survive on bowling alley and run-down bar performances. Of course he has a drinking problem (don't they all?) and his love life is in ruins. What separates Crazy Heart from all those other movies that have told a similar story is the authenticity behind the characters performance. And that starts with Bad Blake.
A couple weeks ago I used the phrase "one of the best performances of my lifetime" when describing Mickey Rourke's job in The Wrestler. Well, that phrase aptly describes the job Jeff Bridges did in Crazy Heart as well. He was phenomenal. He was authentic, and it's the biggest reason why this movie is so high up on my list. Throw in outstanding acting jobs by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell and you have a film littered with terrific performances.
Besides the acting, the music is crazy good. Yes it is all country songs, but not the over-the-top twangy music that I can't stand. It's just really good music sung by Bridges and Farrell. Bridges has said many times before that he was not going to do this movie unless the music could back-up the script. The producers got their act together, brought in some top-notch music producers and the rest is history. Make no mistake, this movie deserved to win the Oscar for Best Music.
You better believe that Crazy Heart is an inspiring film. It shows us that even though we may be down on our luck, if we commit to change, get some help from our friends, and take it one day at a time, we can pick ourselves up.
Memorable Quotes
"I wanna talk about how bad you make this room look. I never knew what a dump it was until you came in here." - Bad Blake.
"Son, I've played sick, drunk, divorced, and on the run. Bad Blake hasn't missed a goddamn show in his whole fucking life." - Bad Blake.
"That's the way it is with good ones, you're sure you've heard them before." - Bad Blake.
Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Freeman
Academy Awards: Nominated once (Best Supporting Actress/A. Ryan)
Plot: "Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel."
Stock: Up
"Where I come from, you die with your secrets."
Watched this movie for the first time while I was up in Madison, Wisconsin. Before then I had never heard of Gone Baby Gone. I had no clue what it was about or who was in it. But I was instructed that it was a really good movie so I made the plunge without any prior knowledge. As you can tell, it was a great decision.
Gone Baby Gone is a story centered around a missing four-year-old girl. Casey Affleck and his girlfriend Michelle Monaghan are hired by the missing girl's aunt to assist the police in the search. What they discover is probably more than they bargained for and creates a compelling mystery full of twists and turns.
But make no mistake, this movie is not a mystery-film. It's not a "whodunit." It's not about bad guys and good guys. It's a much deeper and thought provoking film than that. It's a film that touches on what's right and what's wrong. A movie that makes you question your own personal ethics and morals.
I watched this movie with my ex-girlfriend in Madison and we had a really long discussion after it ended. We talked about what Casey should or shouldn't have done. We talked about what we would have done. We talked and we talked some more. That's the beauty of Gone Baby Gone, it's a beautiful movie in that it creates discussion.
Ben Affleck might not be a good actor, but he is an excellent director and writer. This was his directorial debut and it was a complete shame he wasn't nominated for any directorial awards. Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan were able to carry this film despite big names like Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman looming over them. To only have one Academy Award nomination is doing this movie a dis-service.
Memorable Quotes
"They told me what happened. I'm proud of you. That man killed a child. He had no right to live." - Angie Gennaro.
"I honor my child with this division. So that no parent has to go through what I've known. This child. That's all I care about. I'm gonna bring her home." - Capt. Jack Doyle.
"Look at this. Jesus. Fucking bloc party here. Four Cape Verdeans got killed here last year. No one gave a shit." - Patrick Kenzie.
"Fucking cops. This is just unbelievable. The whole force standing outside the house, guarding the sidewalk with their arms crossed. I mean, are the kidnappers coming back?" - Patrick Kenzie.
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise and Valeria Golino
Academy Awards (4): Won Best Picture, Best Director (B. Levinson), Best Actor (D. Hoffman), and Best Writing. Nominated four more times (including Best Music and Best Cinematography).
Plot: "Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country."
Stock: Down
"I'm an excellent driver."
For the first time since we started doing these lists, I'm struggling putting into words the reasoning behind my adoration for a particular film. It's hard for me to say exactly why I like Rain Man, but I do know that it's well-acted, tells a unique story, and provides a great blend of humor and drama.
Rain Man tells the story of Charlie Babbit (played by Tom Cruise) who learns that his father has recently passed away. Charlie did not have a great relationship with his dad and that poor-relationship culminates when Charlie is deprived of the $3 million left in his father's estate. Charlie does some detective work to find out someone named Raymond actually ended up with the money, and once Charlie digs a little deeper he realizes that Raymond is actually his older brother he never knew existed.
Charlie then kidnaps his older brother Raymond and holds him hostage until he receives the money he feels was owed to him. Sounds like Charlie is a pretty "bad" guy doesn't it? But as the story progresses Charlie realizes he's not doing it for the money, but doing it to get to know his brother. It's a beautiful thing to watch.
Dustin Hoffman plays Raymond and steals every scene he's in. He's an autistic savant, meaning he's high-functioning but in a world by himself. He's really good with numbers but not so much with common sense. Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for this movie and once you watch it you will understand why.
Rain Man has one memorable moment after another. From Ray counting toothpicks at the restaurant, to Charlie flipping out about K-Mart's underwear selection, there are too many to count. Perhaps the most famous sequence in this movie deals with Ray and Charlie going to Vegas and winning big in blackjack.
The heart of this movie is the relationship that forms between Charlie and Ray. They start out as strangers but end up brothers and best friends. It's a must-watch.
Memorable Quotes
"But it's not about the money anymore. You know, I just don't understand. Why didn't he tell me I had a brother? Why didn't anyone ever tell me that I had a brother? Because it'd have been nice to know him for more than just the past six days." - Charlie Babbitt.
"Course, three minutes to Wapner." - Raymond Babbitt.
"You know what I think, Ray? I think this autism is a bunch of shit! Because you can't tell me that you're not in there somewhere!" - Charlie Babbitt.
"What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes." - Charlie Babbitt.
Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin
Plot: "Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940's."
Stock: Holding
"Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian."
Christmas is my favorite time of the year. The snow, the carols, the presents, and the family all combine to form memorable moments. There's one movie out there that completely encapsulates the entire Christmas feeling, and that movie is A Christmas Story.
Ralphie is the main character in A Christmas Story. He is a young boy who wants nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. The narrator of the film is Ralphie as a grown-up as he looks back on what he calls, "the greatest Christmas ever."
But this movie isn't about a riveting plot line, and it's not about a discussion-riveted piece either. It's mainly about family. A goofy, messed-up family full of outlandish characters and moments, but a family just the same.
I always relate to this family whenever I watch A Christmas Story. It's the exact same size as mine (four) and is constructed the same way (two sons). The Old Man reminds me of my father all the time, and there's even a little bit of my mom in Ralphie's mother. The relationship that Ralphie has with his younger brother also resembles the one I had with mine.
It's a movie that always makes not just me laugh, but my entire family as well. You can better believe that we will sit down and watch it at least once during the holidays. I mean it is on for 24 straight hours on TBS every Christmas. It has a bunch of memorable moments (tongue sticking to a pole, "you'll shoot your eye out kid," and the leg lamp are just a few) and never seems to age.
#16 might be a tad high for A Christmas Story but it's a film that I watch year after year after year and continue to laugh just as loud as I did the first couple times I viewed it. That should count for something. The fact that it wouldn't feel like Christmas without it also should count for something. And once you add all those up, you get my #16 ranked movie.
Memorable Quotes
"My little brother had not eaten voluntarily in over three years." - Ralphie.
"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window." - Ralphie.
"You used up all the glue on purpose!" - The Old Man.
"In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan." - Ralphie.
That does it for this week. I'll be back next week for movies ranked #15-11. Be sure to check out Barnes' blog to see which films just cracked his top twenty.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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