"Being a critic is easy. But if the critic tries to run the operation, he soon understands that nothing is as easy as his criticisms."
As a much wiser man alluded to in the above quote, the easiest thing to be in this world is to be a critic. A life in the arts is one of the hardest professions to 'make it' in, and filmmaking is no exception. I've probably got a better chance of winning the lottery than I do an Oscar. But that's ok with me - I was never too concerned with popularity contests.
My thirtieth birthday was last year, so I felt compelled to stroke my ego in a way that showcases my impeccable taste in cinema. Now, I love my Scorseses, Kubricks and Nolans as much as the next guy, but I am always looking to further expand my taste in cinema - so if you're reading this, please send a recommendation my way. I will promptly add it to the bottom of my watchlist, where it will sit for the next several weeks/months/years as I finish watching The Shawshank Redemption on TV for the eight thousandth time.
In the spirit of modern Hollywood, my next project will entail ripping off the great ideas of others before me. Instead of making my own film or writing my own script, I'm just waxing poetic about the films that affected me deeply, and in many cases, shaped my worldview. (It's too bad life turned out to be more like Office Space than Goodfellas, but that is a story for another day.)
It isn't so much a list of what I think are the 30 best films of all time, but rather, 30 films that have impacted my life the most. You know - life lessons, that sort of thing. It may be cliché, but I am actually quite grateful that a great deal of the characters in these films helped to develop my moral compass.
For example, thanks to watching my hero Indiana Jones at work, I learned at a very young age that if you see a Nazi, you punch a Nazi. (It is my hope that we start punching more of them and electing less of them. But you know what, that is also a story for another day. In the meantime, tolerate these fists, transphobes and xenophobes.)
Ok, back to the movies. One more thought before we take off: thank you filmmakers, thank you actors, a big thank you to the crews, and a big big BIG thank you to the unions that make it all possible. Oh, and one more thing: the biggest of fuck yous to AI - you ain't shit. The people make the magic. The people make the art. They always have, and always will.
ESPO'S 30 FOR 30-ISH: A CINEMATIC EDUCATION
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1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
2. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Jaws (1975)
5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
6. Network (1976)
7. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
8. Blade Runner (1982)
9. Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
10. Field of Dreams (1989)
11. Dead Poets Society (1989)
12. GoodFellas (1990)
13. Malcolm X (1992)
14. A Bronx Tale (1993)
15. Forrest Gump (1994)
16. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
17. La Haine (1995)
18. Good Will Hunting (1997)
19. Office Space (1999)
20. The Matrix (1999)
21. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
22. Click (2006)
23. Casino Royale (2006)
24. Children of Men (2006)
25. The Dark Knight (2008)
26. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
27. Inception (2010)
28. Cloud Atlas (2012)
29. Interstellar (2014)
30. Parasite (2019)
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FIN