My Movie Bucket List: All About Meryl
Dearest Movie-Watchers,
By chance, I watched three Meryl Streep films in a row. Okay, I watched two consecutively and decided consciously to watch the third. Anyway, I like to think it was a tour through her career, displaying her evolution and breadth as an actress. For fun, let's look at the movies in chronological order.
Kramer vs. Kramer, one of Streep's earliest films, was a total winner. Never before have I seen such a realistic yet dramatic portrayal of a struggling relationship. Of course, the real star of this film is Streep's counterpart, Dustin Hoffman. His grief permeates the screen. If you're in the mood for a feel-good movie, do not watch Kramer vs. Kramer. But if you want a film that is both well-acted and emotionally captivating, add it to your Netflix instant queue.
Onto my least favorite of the three: Adaptation. Don't get me wrong; I understand how meta this film is -- and that deserves some props. But if I am being completely honest with you, this is the first film I've knocked off my list that lulled me into a deep and uninterested sleep. The excessive sexual imagery and a nude, overweight Nicolas Cage immediately turned me off. Honestly, I wouldn't waste my time trying to watch it again... It was just a disappointment.
And the best of the best: The Hours. Do not let the trailer derail you -- it is poor advertising for an incredible film. The film shows a single day in three women's lives over three different eras. Although it is slightly depressing, the performances are breathtaking and the script is inspired. The soundtrack (which I've purchased and now listen to constantly) and exquisite filmography only enhance the already stellar production. This is a film about characters and it's the type that forces you to pay attention. I urge you to watch it as soon as you can.
Looking back on these three films, I can make one definite assertion: Meryl Streep becomes her characters. She is an iguana and transforms into anything and everything. That being said, her performances still always have her notable style and stamp. Don't miss a thing she puts out, for it is sure to be great.
Almost Famous
American Beauty
American Graffiti
American Psycho
An Education
As Good as It Gets
Blood Diamond
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Bringing Up Baby
Burn After Reading
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Cast Away
Crash
Crimes and Misdemeanor
Deer Hunter
District 9
Driving Miss Daisy
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Fight Club
Forrest Gump
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Frost/Nixon
Gangs of New York
Gone with the Wind
Good Will Hunting
Goodfellas
Hotel Rwanda
Into the Wild
LA Confidential
Leaving Las Vegas
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lost in Translation
Memento
Michael Clayton
Million Dollar Baby
Mystic River
No Country for Old Men
Panic Room
Philadelphia
Pulp Fiction
Rain Man
Ransom
Ray
Rebel Without a Cause
Rocky
Saint Elmo's Fire
Scarface
Schindler's List
Shakespeare in Love
Sideways
Star Wars
Terms of Endearment
The Birdcage
The Departed
The Fighter
The Godfather Trilogy
The Hurt Locker
The Lincoln Lawyer
The Outsiders
The Shawshank Redemption
The Sting
The Usual Suspects
The Wrestler
True Grit
Up in the Air
Winter's Bone
Working Girl