good old stuff

Talking about movies you must see before you die… I guess I could go on and on and on that subject for hours. Yet, I totally freeze when people ask me what my favorite movie is. I guess I never knew the answer to that one: it is almost like asking parents to pick their favorite child. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what my favorite movie is. I could never, ever choose among the ones I really love which, by the way, would be too many to list. And I don't think I could even remember all of them at once, not to mention try and sort them in order of preference (God forbid!). Here are two good old ones I genuinely love:

COOL HAND LUKE (1967) «««««
The very best example of how an unbelievably simple plot can turn into a great movie. Luke is a former war hero; he is bold, impulsive, inquisitive. He is not very fond of rules and he doesn't really appreciate being told what to do. He ends up in prison for damaging public property while being drunk. It actually seems he has chosen to be there, though: just to prove a point or something like a personal challenge. He keeps confronting authority just for the fun of it.
Luke escapes and gets caught, escapes and gets caught. Maybe he runs only to see how far he can get. Maybe he doesn't even want to be out to begin with. With his captivating personality, everybody loves him and he quickly becomes an idol in prison. Some people have talked about the biblical symbolism of the movie, as for Luke representing Christ: a good man, hated by the authorities but loved and followed by his prison disciples like a savior. Note the scene when he kneels down and prays to God.
I personally recommend special attention to the fight scene and also to the one other prisoners eat off his plate. They are truly amazing. And if you have company, why don't you bet if he can eat the fifty eggs? I would have won. :P 

What we got here is a failure to communicate!

BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) «««««
A photo slide show leading to a great motion picture. Bonnie works as a waitress in a small town when she meets Clyde, a small-time thief who had already been in jail before for robbing a gas station. She feels deeply bored and sees in him the opportunity of having some kind of adventure.
Bonnie and Clyde is filled with violence (it is no Pulp Fiction, though) and I absolutely loved the way they handled sex and impotence (it was 1967!). People say the movie is way too simplistic to portray Bonnie and Clyde’s real lives but, hey, I loved the story the way it was told and I assume the most important things are there (and, frankly, there is no need for further details). The movie is great the way it is.
Their dreams alternate from becoming crime stars and having lots of money to forming a family and being completely anonymous, but they soon realize that the life they chose to live will make it impossible for them to have it all.

"You ain't gonna have a minute's peace," Clyde warns Bonnie. "You promise?" she replies.

I chose those movies by chance, and it was a coincidence they were both released in 1967 – and that they never get old. How cool is that? And both movies end pretty much the same as well: people try to break them but they just won't break.

Watching a movie is always something special for me. It is something like a ritual: lights off, silence and a glass of wine. The thing is I haven’t come across many good ones lately. Any suggestions?