Movies worth revisiting
When it comes to movies often we can get a bit too carried away with ‘the new’
– the movie market is so driven by the latest big blockbuster, seeing films
‘first’, the brand new film on the block… But as any movie lover worth their
salt knows it’s also just as much fun – sometimes more so – to revisit old
favourite movies from the past, sometimes over and over again.
Most of us have a special list of films that we’ve watched more than once. Not
only is it fun but over time it’s possible to discover many more things about a
favourite film. And also to change our relationship to a film as our age, life
experiences and personal values and perceptions evolve. It’s like finding out
new information about an old friend, and often rekindles our love affair with
film as an art form and as an entertainment.
One of my favourites repeat offenders has to be
Cabaret (1972). I watched it again recently marvelling at its
precision, sexiness, choreography, performances, politics, art design – you
name it.
Cabaret is an amazing achievement on every level and a master musical
to boot.
For that matter so is anything by Cabaret’s director, late
choreographer-turned-filmmaker
Bob Fosse, most of whose films bear up to multiple viewings over time:
Lenny, his searing 1974 biopic about the late great and highly controversial
American comedian Lenny Bruce, with
Dustin Hoffman in the lead role;
Star 80 (1983) Fosse’s tough, stylised biopic about murdered Playboy
Bunny Dorothy Stretton, and
All That Jazz (1979), the film where Fosse turned the biographical
spotlight on his own life.
All That Jazz is an inspired, ingenious contemporary musical about a
musical genius where Fosse characterises himself as a hard-drinking,
pill-popping womanising choreographer with only months to live. Art imitates
life.
All That Jazz is a film that becomes even more relevant as one ages in
years, making it a perfect film to watch repeatedly.
Quite possibly
Tootsie (1982) is the film I have seen the most;
Sydney Pollack flexes his comedy muscles as a director in one of the
best films of the 80s, starring – surprise surprise –
Dustin Hoffman again in another career-defining role. This time he
plays an out-of-work actor who decides to cross dress to gain a role on a high
profile soap opera, playing a woman. Only problem is he falls for his co-star
(the amazing
Jessica Lange), the lead actor falls for him and the only way he can
remain in the job is to stay in his female persona 24/7. On paper it might
sound naff but it’s a testament to Pollack’s direction – and Hoffman’s awesome
acting skills – to make this baby work. No surprises it was a huge hit, and
having
Bill Murray in a small but scene-stealing support role only helped.
A John Cusack film also appear high on my most-watched list:
High Fidelity (2000) and
Say Anything(1989). The former is a great partnership between actor
Cusack and Brit director Stephen Frears, and one of the great contemporary
literary adaptations. As adaptations go, author Nick Hornby has been pretty
lucky so far with three of his books transformed into highly successful movies.
While
About A Boy (2002) and
Fever Pitch (1996) might be the one of the most oft-repeated films
screened on TV, High Fidelity is the film which will remain etched into the
hearts and minds of Gen X romantics and pop culture junkies everywhere, bearing
up to repeated viewings whatever state of romantic play one happens to be in.
- Megan
Megan Spencer has spent way too much of her life in the dark, all for a good
cause though - watching movies as a professional film critic. For the last six
and a half years she has been serving the ever-increasing hunger for film and
DVD reviews as radio triple j's resident film critic, and a year ago joined the
new line up of long-running SBS-TV film review program, The Movie Show.
Every now and then she pops up into the light to make her own films,
documentaries (her latest is 'Fantastic Brutality', a documentary about an
obsessed wrestling fan, to be released next year). She has also written about
film for many publications including J-Mag, Limelight, Inside Film Magazine and
the Age Green Guide.
And the impossible question to ask a film critic: what's her favourite film?
"Blue Velvet would be at the top of the list, so would Fight Club... But then
again American In Paris makes me cry every time."
Megan has also been part of the Foxtel's Project Greenlight Australia as an
on-air panelist and judge.
