Modern Movies

10. Paris Texas, Wim Wenders. A cult-classic _and_ a great movie (two attributes which don't always go together), this movie set a standard of sorts. Its ethereal, other-worldly feel will haunt you long after the movie's over. Though the original soundtrack from Ry Cooder isn't great on its own, it fits the movie perfectly and enhances it well. Others to look for from Wenders: Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World, Buena Vista Social Club (!).

9. Limbo, John Sayles. Director of countless excellent movies, Sayles really hit his stride with this moving picture. As with all Sayles' movies, this one takes on a place as one of its central characters. Set in Alaska, this movie shows you sides to this state in our nation you've never seen, and poses questions about it you've likely never thought of. Gripping from beginning to end, featuring a stellar performance from Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (there's one scene when she has a 5-second shot of just her face, and the number and clarity of emotions she expresses is stunning), the movie ends in an oh-so-Sayles way: leaving you in limbo. Other ones to look for: City of Hope, Matewan, The Brother from Another Planet, Sunshine State, Lonestar, Passionfish, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, Men with Guns. What a list! And they're all good. (Sayles also directed The Clan of the Cave Bear.)

8. Simple Men, Hal Hartley. This is a classic postmodern movie, all disparate threads woven together, hints and implications about deep themes, with an "earthiness" which helps make it universal. Not one of those movies about which you can easily say "here's what it's about;" a very Hartley film. Other movies to look for from Hartley: Trust, The Unbelievable Truth, Henry Fool, No Such Thing. One of my favorite little things about Hartley: he took to heart something the great director Ingmar Bergman said, that his "favorite landscape is the human face." So, one of Hartley's signature approaches is to have a close-up shot of character's face, with other characters all around talking to that person, and you get to see just the facial expressions change and nothing else. Cool.

7. Fireworks, Beat Takeshi. Wow! This movie is so gripping and so deeply moving it's amazing. It's dark and somewhat morbid, so it's not everyone's cup of tea. Unpredictable, great story telling of mortal import.

6. Mood for Love and 2046, Wong Kar Wai. Stupendous works; the way Wong weaves the movies together is nothing short of historic. Every moment in both movies is breathtakingly beautiful, and you'll find yourself choked up every few seconds with the poetic interactions between characters. These movies are indeed a pair, but you'll be stunned when you start to see the unexpected ways Wong connects the humble period-piece love story of the first one with the epic and transcendent themes of the second one. Also look for Happy Together and Chung King Express.

5. Betty Blue, Jean-Jaques Beineix. An intense French movie about the short-lived love affair between a writer and a bipolar woman. Touching, moving, beautiful, haunting. Just see it.

4. Niagara, Niagara, Bob Gosse An intense movie about a short-lived love affair between an anyman and a young woman with Tourette's. Beautiful, poetic, life-changing. Just see it.

3. Secrets and Lies and Life is Sweet, Mike Leigh. I think I like Secrets slightly more. Very hard to say. Mike Leigh is an English director who creates scripts by having his favorite actors improvise for months on a given topic. They end up creating their own characters, conflicts, dialogue, etc. All his movies are extremely powerful because of this approach, coming off quite like dramatic documentaries, but even more touching because of the artfulness. Others to look for: Vera Drake (a MUST see), Naked, Topsy Turvy (not my favorite and not very Leigh-like), Career Girls.

2. Jesus of Montreal, Denys Arcand. This movie is so good it's almost frightening. It's set in Montreal, so it's in Canadian French with subtitles. The basic idea: a small-time acting troupe puts on their own version of The Passion at a local church; they decide, however, much to the chagrin of the priests, to deconstruct the Jesus myth and present it in everyday, real-world terms rather than mythical Biblical ones. Expect the unexpected.

1. Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby. The combination of the great cinematography and the all-time classic soundtrack from Cat Stevens, against the backdrop of a death-obsessed youngster, is sublime.