This is the second part of my blog post about watching all of the films on the "Entertainment Weekly Guide to the 100 Greatest Movies" list in 2016.
In Part 1 of this blog post, I promised to reveal my No. 1 personal favorite. And that movie is (drum roll): 1984's "Choose Me." This small indie flick may seem like an odd choice (pun intended), considering it's relatively little known compared to beloved epics like "Citizen Kane."
But the small scope is exactly what I like so much about "Choose Me," which was written and directed by Alan Rudolph. It's a classic character-driven movie in that there's not really a plot, per se. The story revolves around a drifter played by Keith Carradine who gets entangled in a love triangle with a commitment-phobic bartender (Lesley Ann Warren) and her roommate, a radio personality who gives advice on love (Genevieve Bujold).
The slow-paced yet engaging "Choose Me" is the polar opposite of a melodrama like 1956's "Written on the Wind," which is also on the 100 Greatest Movies list. Starring Lauren Bacall and Rock Hudson, "Written on the Wind" is a big-screen soap opera with over-the-top plot twists that strain credulity.
While it's not "plotty-plotty" like "Written on the Wind," "Choose Me" does resemble other old-fashioned movies from the golden era of Hollywood. Like a classic thriller, "Choose Me" is sexy, but the sex is implied rather than explicit.
One of the things I like the most about "Choose Me" is that it has diversity. Many '80s movies don't have people of color as the lead performers, but they at least made an effort, showcasing black and Latino actors in supporting roles.
In "Choose Me," multiracial actress Rae Dawn Chong plays a young woman who befriends Carradine's character. I also love the R&B music score, including Teddy Pendergrass' soulful title track and additional songs by Luther Vandross.
While it's not "plotty-plotty" like "Written on the Wind," "Choose Me" does resemble other old-fashioned movies from the golden era of Hollywood. Like a classic thriller, "Choose Me" is sexy, but the sex is implied rather than explicit.
One of the things I like the most about "Choose Me" is that it has diversity. Many '80s movies don't have people of color as the lead performers, but they at least made an effort, showcasing black and Latino actors in supporting roles.
In "Choose Me," multiracial actress Rae Dawn Chong plays a young woman who befriends Carradine's character. I also love the R&B music score, including Teddy Pendergrass' soulful title track and additional songs by Luther Vandross.
When I watched another Glenn Close movie, 1990's real-life crime drama "Reversal of Fortune," I made a mental note that the voice-over by Close's character - who happens to be dead - reminded me of "Desperate Housewives." That hit TV show is another story in which a dead woman narrates the action. Shortly after I made this observation, "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman came onscreen. In "Reversal of Fortune," Huffman plays one of the law students who assists attorney Alan Dershowitz in defending accused murderer Claus von Bulow.
Another interesting coincidence: a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, I saw the sci-fi movie "Arrival" with friends. Since the movie jumps around in time and makes it hard to determine what is past, present and future, I commented that it's like "Memento" meets "Contact." Exactly one week later, while working my way through the 100 Greatest Movies list, I watched the Albert Finney/Audrey Hepburn 1967 romantic comedy "Two for the Road," which also jumps around in time.
Another observation about the 100 Greatest Movies is that some of the special effects are laughable, as viewed through the eyes of a modern moviegoer. It's so obvious that the car scenes were filmed in front of a projection screen, with a light randomly flashing in the background to simulate passing headlights.
Another observation about the 100 Greatest Movies is that some of the special effects are laughable, as viewed through the eyes of a modern moviegoer. It's so obvious that the car scenes were filmed in front of a projection screen, with a light randomly flashing in the background to simulate passing headlights.
As a filmmaker and lifelong movie buff, watching the 100 Greatest Movies was a "film school" assignment I gave myself. I certainly wouldn't have discovered many of these movies on my own - in fact, I'd never heard of some of them.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to make my own "100 Greatest Movies" list to watch. My tailor-made list will include more diversity, with mainstream Hollywood classics I haven't yet seen, but also films by African Americans and other filmmakers of color as well as foreign cinema.
See you at the movies!
(Chris Bournea is the writer-director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")
(Chris Bournea is the writer-director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")
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