A to Z of My Few Favorite Movies

Lallopallo tagged me to write A-Z of my favorite movies. I could not come up with worthwhile movies for these letters: Q, X, Y and Z. I might update them later.

I had several favorites, but I have wrote what came to my mind first. That is determined by 2 things:

a) Irrespective of the time I watched the movie, it left an indelible impression on my mind due to story/character/actor

b) I have watched this wonder recently 🙂  So, forgive me, guys for being partial for I have many, many favorites 🙂

A: Abhimaan

Love, talent, music, jealousy, egos and a marital discord. I guess, on periphery, it sums up Abhimaan very well. Fantastic movie by Hrishikesh Mukherjee

B: Bucket List, The

This  movie starring Jack Nicholsan and Morgan Freeman inspired Vinay Pathak-starrer Dosvidaniya. This could have been very, very sad movie, yet it came out very vivacious.

C: Casablanca

This was predictable, wasn’t it? Hard to put this movie out of mind.

Though few people remember that this movie too was based on a play called, Everyone Comes to Rick‘s. It was later sold to Warner Brothers who did not lap this fact up after success of the movie. And do I need to tell you why I love timeless lovestories like Casablanca?

D: Dark Knight, The

This recent movie was, pardon me, I have to use cliché, mindblowing. It picks up pace where usually Hindi movies end. I have to record Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, that thing called ‘twists’ from here. It features hard-to-forget Grace Kelly.

E: E.T.

How can I be different when it comes to E.T.? I also hold Erin Brockovich in my special memory.

F: Few Good Men, A

I watched it again recently as I had nothing better to do. It is memorable to see a lanky Tom Cruise who gradually emerges as a white knight. Also, Forrest Gump and Finding Nemo

G: Garam Hawa ahead of Guide and Godfather

A Balraj Sahni-starrer film by M.S. Sathyu about plight of a muslim family in India post-partition

Guide is what opened my eyes to cinematography and direction in Indian movies and story-telling in Hindi movies. Though I must tell you R. K. Narayan (on whose book movie was based) wasn’t too happy with the movie’s projection; he lamented as much in his autobiography. Godfather is what introduced Al Pacino in my life. Since then, Al Pacino is rarely missed by me. 🙂

H: Heat

Another Al Pacino and Robert De Niro

Never have anything in your life that you can’t walk out on in thirty seconds flat, if you spot the heat coming around the corner. Rings bell?

I: In the Line of Fire

Finally, a Clint Eastwood This movie had a backdrop of JFK assassination and portrays a triumph over human frailties. Pervez Musharaf definitely stole this title for his book.

And also, I Know What You Did Last Summer

J: Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron

I watch it quite late in my life. Most of the actors from this movie have now aged and are big names. Jaws is another notable mention.

K: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Guilty as charged. It made lot of impact on me in my teens. It gave me one of my life’s maxims: Pyar Dosti Hai. (Love is friendship.)

L: Lamhe

A Bollywood movie that was ahead of it times in India. It boldly challenged few stereotypes that led the public to reject it. For this reason, it finds a place on this list ahead of even Lawrence of Arabia.

M: Maqbool

Our home-grown adaptation of MacBeth and also Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, one movie that introduced wonderful Konkana Sen Sharma to my life

N: Notting Hill

Don’t ask me to take this candyfloss off my list. This love story set in UK was one of the few first romantic movies I watched. I was take with this one line that Anna Scott says: “After all… I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. ” Julia Roberts became my all time favourite.

O: One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest

Another Jack Nicholsan movie on the list. One movie that was too realistic to make me sad.

P: Pyasa

Its a classic story of unrequited love and posthumus praises people heap on. The most memorable scene for me is the one people rever the statue of teh author thinking he is dead, when the man himself is alive in most pathetic state

Q:

I don’t remember any other than Qayamat Se Qayamat, and it did not make much impact on me when I watched it later in my life.

R: Rainman

A sensitive, memorable movie with wayward Charlie (Tom Cruise) and his autistic brother (Dustin Hoffman) This movie was first of a kind, when it comes to portrayal of a brain development disorder.  Subhash Ghai stole this basic thread to weave this in his weak Bollywood plot for a recent movie Yuvraaj.

My Bolly entry would be Rang De Basanti

S: Satya

Mumbai Ka Raja Kaun? Bhiku Matre? One movie that made me sit up and admire the direction. This is also the movie what made RGV and Manoj Vajpayee.

I don’t want to put Schindler’s List away from my list, its story of an unlikely hero in torrential Nazi era.

T: Taxi Driver

Remember Robert De Niro as lonesome, insomniac taxi driver Travis Bickle driving on streets of New York City?

Uh, Taare Zameen Pe, it is though not a match for Rainman, it did make me feel proud that it was from Bollywood stable.

U: Unfaithful But I can’t remember anything other movie starting with U. 😦

V: Vertigo Another Hitchcock on my list. Critics may now respect my taste. 😛 but this movie did not work when it first  came out.

W: When Harry Met Sally

I didn’t even bother to think or remember others.

X: I can’t think of any except other than X-men, which I did not watch.

Y: I can’t think of any

Z: I can’t think of any

I tag Amit, Ishmeet, Vimal and Sid for they love movies. If I missed any other movie lover, let me know. I would have tagged Ruhi but she has already been tagged. 🙂