I have added a bit of my own opinion/narration and it's okay to skip a few movies if you've already seen them but a read over what you haven't won't go amiss. Then again if you have seeneed the flick and not likeed it well, maybe you've just not watcheed it right! Anyhow...they're probably not all the most 'typical' films to cry over but you can't force that throat lump back down when he's adamant. So, (apart from the top 2) here's what I will/have bubbled to.... in no certain order of boo-hoo merit.
*this will appear in the narration at the part that makes me cry.
1. The Luzhin Defence....A Nabokov book I didn't read but just caught the film one night. A film my father banged on about but couldn't convince me to ever watch. A high society film, based in the 30's about chess..! Me? Watch that? Never! But I did. Love, passion, obsession, childhood, metal torture are all included. It's not just prawn take pastor or whatever. *when Natalia sees the love of her life splattered on the deck it's bad enough, but when she says 'checkmate' I'm in floods again*. I seriously urge you to see this film. It was the best night's sleep I never had! You don't have to be a maestro to appreciate it......
2. The Prophecy.....when Archangel Gabriel - who is a right cnut in this film - loses his fight for Heaven to Lucifer, and old Luce draggs him up some stairs eating the heart he just ripped from him is bad enough but *seeing Gabriel's eyes are hollow and black means death of an angel* - I just lose it. He was the meanest (but funniest) angel to ever avemge man, too!
3. Greyfriar's Bobby....*oh, who couldn't well up at this little Scottish doggie who defended his owner's grave for weeks on end and had the decency never to piss on it? This film is an asterisk all the way through!
4. Mask....I'll be honest. I can't bloody stand Cher. Yuk! Yuk! Yuk! But she played the part of mum with an articulate and severely disfigured young man brilliantly. A few teary bits - specially when he meets a blind beauty who loves him for his heart. Bad enough for having Cher for a mum but *as she holds him dying of course* Top points to Eric Stoltz who'd played Rocky.
5. The Legend Of The Holy Drinker......I love this film. Set in 1930's Paris. A homeless drunk man is lent 200 francs by a kind tee-totaller on the promise that he pays the money back to the church. Gobsmacked by the generosity he promises to do just that and as he tries to keep to his word he is met with all kind of problems. It gives him an insight into his past and some of his 'imaginary' visions are very touching. Specially when his dead parents appear before him. But the biggest bawler bit *when he actually meets up with his daughter again by chance as she's waiting for her her mum and 'new' dad. In a cafe he approaches and asks her name and he realises who she is when she says 'Derese'. ' I had a daughter named that ' he replies!* She, sadly never knew the kind-and- broken-hearted smelly, filthy man accosting her was her dad.
6. Edward Scissorhands.....well, what's not to feel bad about a great looking freak with blades for hands? We women who raised kids in the 90's MUST know this film. Saddest bit * when she asks him to hold her and he holds up those blades and says "I can't" Personally, I'd have had the bandages at the ready and took my chances......
7. Fatherland...okay - hands up who liked Hitler? Well, in this fiction based WW2 win to the Germans the story takes on a divorced father's (Berlin detective) struggle with an American journalist to let The President REALLY know what Hitler covered up, while trying to wane his child's admiration of The Fuhrer. But when the Gestapo discover that he's looking into a series of mystery German deaths via the pretty journalist they want a quiet word - via a bullet to the chest! It's a bit far fetched but touching nonetheless but.... *when he's dying in a phone box , calling to let his son know he's not to blame for the bullet (the little shit let the cat out of the bag!) he pegs it and flops to the floor. That's pretty sad!
8. The Colour Purple...what poor Celie endured. Eventually the man did the nice deed of reuniting her with her kids and sister. I'm welling up even at the thought but...* obviously at the reunion. She couldn't touch them for a short while as she was in huge disbelief but those hugs and kisses* I've gobbed in a man's drink before (several times) and it felt goooood!
9. The Elephant Man....I watched this film to retching point in the 80's. I played it so many times as I couldn't believe how society (even for Victorian England) treated him. I've only watched it a few times since. I think this must be an asterisk most of the way through, too.
10. Ladyhawke.....mythical medieval nonsense about a demon Bishop's jealous curse that separates two lovers into creatures, the man a wolf, the girl a hawk. They no longer literally 'see' each other as by night he turns into the wolf and by dawn she turns into the hawk. They still partner each other nonetheless (but nothing animal right's need worry about). Anyhow the curse eventually gets lifted by an eclipse or something and human 'wolfie' spears the Bishop turns around and voila - there's his lady no longer a hawke! * the gushing reunion and joy of being wingless and two legged again!
11. The Yearling.....*.wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! *sniff sniff* wahhhhhhhhhhhhh*bigger sniff*.....*
12. Lolita (1997).....I'm not a strict Nabokov bookie but I read this at high school and it was very controversial back then, but this film gets to my emotions. I actually quite feel it for the young girl and her mother's older lodger-who-rodgered her. A manipulating, scheming nymphet who's sexual advances he's addicted to and I feel it when Humbert realises he's lost his Lolita for good. *when she hears that her mother is dead and curls on the bed to cry.......still a kid*. It is probably seen by many as a bit dodgy but Juliet was no wee angel either!
13. The Exorcist.......wtf? Yes you read correctly! I still love it. Utter tripe and spooky and probably one of the most ridiculously iconic films for life. But seeing Father Karras jump out that window, taking the little girl's demon with him to his death is bad enough but* watching him splattered on the pavement, making his peace with God via his fingers and best friend just chokes me.
14. Bram Stoker's Dracula......'Love Never Dies'.....ah, that line. There is something so romantic in vampire stories (proper ones - none of this Twilight mince). Cold blooded killers but they know how to fall in love and resist the taste at the same time. And just because it's another horror film doesn't mean a dry face. Well, maybe I'm just a (blood) sucker for all romancers. *When old Vlad beg her to chop off his head to give him 'peace'. She kisses his centuries-old face then wallop - it's all over. The painted ceiling of him and Elizabetha above them*
15 . Bladerunner.....The famous android with feelings film. Loved Rutger Hauer in this film (and those final scene shorts he was wearing!) He may have popped the eyes with his thumbs from the professor who couldn't give him life, now he'd discover emotions, but *those final words when he knew he was about to snuff it "Time To Die" and the dove flies as his head flops has me reaching for the tissues/sleeve of what I'm wearing.
16. Tokyo Sonata......one of the nicer things about insomnia is I watch films that I usually wouldn't - namely subtitled ones. Only because as I was growing up they were referred to as 'shite'. You wouldn't believe the world cinema films I've watched and loved now. And reading the words helps get you through till dawn. This one was brilliant about a Japanese father down on his luck, up in his pride trying his best to hide he'd been sacked. His older son wants to join the 'army' as his younger son is hiding his school dinner money to pay for secret piano lessons after finding an old organ in a bin. Ultimately he goes nuts at this and takes out all his life's frustrations on the little boy until he turns into his teacher's protege, eventually making enough money to support his family. *His dad watching him play to a room full of class musicians with a standing ovation to boot.* Lovely stuff!
17. Schindler's List....I don't think I need to state when for this film.
18. Some Kind Of Wonderful......right. High school high class bit of skirt is fancied by a drummer in a band. His best friend, a pretty tomboy he known for year is in same band and now fancies him. Yuk! he thinks, as this other bit of totty is hot! Not! Yes she turns out to be a snobby blah, blah, blah, and the bandmates ultimately, well, mate for good. *THAT KISS* My girlie ultimate chicky flicky with my utmost favourite movie lines...Girl: This is 1987. D'you know a girl can be what she wants to be?!" Boy: "I know. My mum's a plumber."
19. Aye Fond Kiss.....world religion standing in the way of true love again. A Glaswegian lad of Pakistani origin and an Irish music teacher working in a local Catholic school fall in love. He's been 'promised' to his first cousin - which wasn't a problem at first but his devout parents and her damned boss ( a priest) put their tuppence worth's in. Of course, loyalties and pressure split them up. What I love about this film is that Casim has a strong Scottish accent - slang and all. Colour and voices - they don't always go together as nature intended but to me, that encapsulates a strong accepting world of wonderful mixes when you come across it. *She sits crying at the piano when he walks back in the door*. ps.......yes, the title was taken from that Rabbie Burns song!
20. Moolade.....one of the most profound films I've watched. An African woman from a small village is opposed to female genital circumcision, which generations have called 'purification'. Colle does her utmost to save the little girls (aged from 6-9) there from going through the same. She's beaten senseless as she does her best to protect those little angels from the knife but she wins in the end. * Watching crying mothers holding their daughters, bleeding to death, when it goes wrong* Powerful stuff!
Well, that's all folks. I'm not touting for HMV or Amazon or anything but if you haven't seen any of these movies and come across them you might want to give them a go. You'll probably be braver than me.....! Sadly, I haven't once cried myself to sleep......................night night. I'll be back to edit tomorrow!
3 comments:
I loved Ae Fond Kiss and I'm glad you included Greyfriars Bobby, you know our much loved friend who's stopped blogging had a part in a remake of that?
I do miss his blogs, Edge if you resd this get started again
Love Edward scissor hands and Dracula. And I agree they are the most beautiful and romantic films. Saw bladeruuner for the first time only a short while ago and loved it. When of my recent blubby and moving films I have seen recently was In The Wild. I just found that film so moving and tragic.
We sometimes go film hunting on all the channels, recording some really great forgotten movies on at mad times in the morning. A few weeks ago we had an 80's flick night. Fatal attraction and The Lost Boys. Love both of them. And great sound track in The Lost Boys.I Love a Movie with a great sound track.
Some great choices there. Will have to give a go to some of the other ones you have chosen.
Gwen - I KNEW I'd seen that delightful little scruff somewhere before...! Well, he not going to read it - is he?
Mummy B - Fatal Attraction was a fantastic film for it's time - despite Glen reminding me of my first mum-in-law....! Similarities, eh?
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