Listology # 21: Top 5 Best Opening Credits Sequences

Opening credits are often the most overlooked portion of a film especially at this day and age when many films have their main credits at the END of the movie. But lots of films have very creative opening credit sequences that are an art form in and of itself. You can have a list made up entirely of James Bond movies, for instance (though this is not one of them). Opening credits not only lets you know the stars and the crew of the film but also whets your appetite as to what's to come. Here are my five personal favorites in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

Anatomy of a Murder (1960)

With a fantastic jazz score by Duke Ellington, Saul Bass' already iconic credit designs kicks off Otto Preminger's fantastic courtroom thriller like no other film could.

Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned the Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

The film's satirical anti-war tone is ingeniously incorporated into the opening credits by Pablo Ferro with weird printed writing and setting a romantic ballad over phallic-looking planes. Yes, it's basically a sex scene with jet planes.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

This is one of the longest opening credits in mainstream cinema. Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti begins with a long quiet sequence where you can cut the tension with a knife.

Psycho (1960)

Another classic Saul Bass designed-opening credits which kicks off Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller. Man, the 1960's seems to be my favorite decade for opening credits! LOL.

Superman (1978)

Lots of superhero/sci-fi/fantasy movies have showy, spectacular opening (or closing credits) but I think the best would still be the original 1978 Superman opening. It's so great, Bryan Singer copied its style for Superman Returns.

Weekly Round-Up (8/26/12 - 9/1/12)

I have no excuse. I just forgot. LOL.

Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson) **** - I just flew three hours in a plane and went to a whole different country. What's the first thing I do? Watch a movie, of course (that's the way I roll). It turns out to be my favorite film of the year so far. The plot is simple: Two 12 year olds fall in love and run away throwing their parents and their town into a tizzy. The film is pure Wes Anderson: From the framing, the bright, colorful production design, the music, etc. It's also undeniably quirky, twee, hipsterish, whatever-you-wanna-call-it. In the hands of a less competent director, these types of things often irritate the hell out of me but in the hands of Wes Anderson, he uses it to enhance and complement the story he wants to tell, never sacrificing character and depth. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are great as the lead kids and supported very well by the veteran adult supporting cast. Fantastic score, cinematography and design, as well.

The Campaign (Jay Roach) *** - This seems like a winning combo: Funny men Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in a broad political satire. They're great and there are some genuine laughs to be had but I'll have to agree that this could have been a lot more biting and aggressive than it is. It flirted with it, it hinted at it and the actors are all game but it never did go to that next level. But as it is, it's a funny romp.

The Fugitive Kind (Sidney Lumet) *** - This is one of Sidney Lumet's early works. I will say that it's not as great as any of the three films of his I consider great (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon and Network). But still this picture is well worth watching for the great performances bv Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani and Joanne Woodward. There are some great powerful moments but it overall falls short of what it's trying to accomplish. A solid effort but far from a masterpiece.

The Great Scenes # 38: Blue Velvet (1986)

Directed by David Lynch

...and I'm back from my Singapore trip! It was fun. I won't bore you with the details but one detail I will share is that I did pick up a Blu-ray while I was there. It was a title unavailable on Blu-ray over here. It's one of David Lynch's sickest, darkest masterpieces,  Blue Velvet. In this scene, we are first introduced to the main antagonist of the film, Frank Booth, played by the late great Dennis Hopper and he instantly becomes one of cinema's most unforgettable, darkest and sickest on-screen villains of all time. CAUTION: This scene is NOT work-safe or for kids. Viewer discretion is advised.

Weekly Round-Up (8/19/12 - 8/25/12)

NOTE: This will probably be my last blogpost in at least five or six days. I'm going on vacation out of the country and I probably won't have time to write some entries until then. 

L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni) **** - It's one of the major classics in world cinema. I've seen this quite sometime ago and I revisited it this week. A young woman mysteriously disappears from a yacht trip and her best friend and her boyfriend slowly but surely fall in love as they search for her. The film is definitely not for everybody. It's leisurely paced and the resolution may anger some but the beauty and artistry of the film is a must-see for any serious film lover.

The Red Shoes (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger) **** - Yet another classic of world cinema revisited this week. There are some movies that are so perfect that for an aspiring filmmaker and screenwriter like yours truly, it can become so frustrating since you go, "THAT RIGHT THERE. PERFECTION! HOW CAN I COMPETE WITH THAT? WHAT'S THE POINT?" This compelling, beautiful tale of a ballerina torn between her art and her man is a stunningly perfect film to behold.

The Expendables 2 (Simon West) ** - I didn't see the first one. But I saw this one out of a combination of boredom and the fact that it got somewhat decent reviews. I didn't expect this to be any other than big, dumb, over-the-top violent action and that's what it was but still, I was kind of meh about all the proceedings. Although this one has some cheeky moments, the action wasn't enough to wow me even though they obviously tried hard. It's entertaining enough but disposable and not quite the movie it wanted to be.

Hope Springs (David Frankel) *** - On paper, this sounds like a terrible idea: A middle-aged couple go into an intensive couples' therapy to remedy their stagnant, passionless marriage. But, surprise, surprise, thanks to the acting talents and good chemistry between Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, the potentially dull, trite, been-there-done-that premise flies and becomes a very nice delightful dramedy. It's really a refreshing remedy to all the high-octane adolescent franchise action pictures of the summer.

Listology # 20: Top 10 Films of 2007

No, I did not forget about this. Just been busy plus the laptop that I had my list is in the shop. I had to recreate this list from memory.

10. Into the Wild (Sean Penn)

A truly unique biographical film about the life of Christopher McCandless, a youth who decides to retreat from civilization and live in the wilderness in solitude. Based on the book by Jon Krakauer, it features Emile Hirsch who gives a truly remarkable performance and sealed his place as one of the best actors of his generation. Sean Penn should really direct more movies because he has a unique eye as a director.

9. We Own The Night (James Gray)

This is quite an overlooked gem. Many people have dismissed or ignored this crime drama about a police family with a criminal son (played by Joaquin Phoenix). But it's thrilling and moving, really rather old-fashioned film which, I could safely describe as a feature length version of "The Prodigal Son". James Gray is one of those unsung American directors. Bonus points: It features one of the most thrilling car chase scenes ever filmed.

8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik)

I never thought of Casey Affleck highly as an actor until this year with his performances in Gone Baby Gone and this film, where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, which is the wrong category. He is a LEAD character in this film about well, a legendary criminal of the Old West Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and his ill-advised friendship to Robert Ford. The film's slow pace may bore some but will mesmerize and enthrall others. It features some of the finest, finest work by the great cinematography Roger Deakins. Some shots in this film just plain gave me goosebumps.

7. Zodiac (David Fincher)

I love true crime dramas and unsolved mysteries, mostly as a guilty pleasure. However, this film raises those two elements to cinematic art thanks to director David Fincher's auteurist talents. The film draws you in and wraps you in the mystery yet--SPOILER ALERT--even if it didn't solve it, you don't leave dissatisfied. This is a worthy American counterpart to Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder.

6. Ratatouille (Brad Bird)

PIXAR's winning streak continues on with Ratatouille. This time, it's about a rat (voiced wonderfully by Patton Oswalt) who wants to become a chef. Like all the other PIXAR films before it, it mixes great animation with laughs, thrills and even a lot of heart. It's the kind of film you wanna watch again and again and again.

5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mingiu)

Unlike Ratatouille, this is one film you wouldn't wanna watch again and again and again. But it's still a great film nonetheless. It's from Romania. It's set in the 1980's Romania and it's about young woman who procures an illegal abortion for her none-too-bright friend. I'm not going to lie when I say if a pro-life person sees this movie, he or she will think it's pro-life and a pro-choice person will think it's pro-choice. I will say it's both and neither. That's one of the things that makes this film very compelling and a real must-see.

4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton)

I love musical theater. I'm a huge fan of Stephen Sondheim and Sweeney Todd is probably my favorite all-time musical so I was super-excited to find out Tim Burton, one of my favorite directors is adapting this on-screen and personally, it didn't disappoint. Sure, purists may scoff at the fact that the songs were cut and that Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were not singing them in the traditional way. The power of the stage play still remains and it's one of the best films of the year.

3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel)

This film tells the true story of Jean Dominique Bauby, a French magazine editor who suffered a massive stroke which rendered him paralyzed throughout most of his body except his left eye in a condition known as locked-in syndrome. But despite that, he managed to compose and write an entire book which this movie is based on. At the hands of a less competent director, this probably would have been sappy trifle of a film but director Julian Schnabel created something that rises above that level while still retaining its life affirming message.

2. No Country for Old Men (Joel Coen/Ethan Coen)

This is this year's Oscar for Best Picture and I sort of kind of agree. It certainly is one of my favorite Coen brothers films (second only to Fargo). An adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel, this tells the story of a man who unwisely keeps a bag full of money belonging to a mysteriously methodical killer. The film contains almost no music and features a scary Oscar-winning performance by Javier Bardem, as Anton Chigurh, one of the most memorable screen villains of all time, IMO.

1. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)

In films like Magnolia and Boogie Nights, writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has signs of being a great filmmaker but those films for me have flaws which prevent me from saying that their GREAT films. This film, on the other hand, is where I think Paul Thomas Anderson finally comes of age as a great filmmaker and one of the most exciting American filmmakers of today. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a larger-than-life performance as Daniel Plainview, a rutless oil man. This is the best film of 2007, a stunning, remarkable achievement. 

Runners-Up: Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck), Away from Her (Sarah Polley), Juno (Jason Reitman), Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg), Bug (William Friedkin).

RIP Tony Scott

Director Tony Scott, brother of Ridley, died in an apparent suicide by jumping off a bridge. He was reportedly diagnosed with inoperable, terminal brain cancer. Now, though I may sympathize with his family, friends and colleagues and death of anyone is always sad and tragic, I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of his filmography overall, though I do know of cinephiles, critics and film academics who defend and revere his work as a cinematic stylist and genre filmmaker. I do, however, love two of his films, namely The Hunger and the Quentin Tarantino scripted True Romance (featured here). Hey, if you got two films I consider great, you're fine by me. RIP Tony.

Weekly Round-Up (8/12/12 - 8/18/12)

La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini) **** - I decided to revisit this film since it's one of my favorite films of all time. It's funny, sexy, sharp and sad all at once. Beautiful and haunting.

The Raid: Redemption (Gareth Evans) ***1/2 - The plot relatively simple: An elite team of police raids an apartment building ruled by a notorious crime lord with most of its tenants hardened criminals and druggies. Bloody gun play and brutal fights ensue. I've seen A LOT of violence in my years of watching films but in this film, there are several moments of graphic brutality that made me flinch. Despite that, I'm still a dude who really got a real kick out of seeing the kick-ass (literally) fight scenes and the action. It's not as good as John Woo at his best but it's still an extremely well-made action picture.

Viridiana (Luis Bunuel) **** - This is another revisit. It's yet another brilliant film and one of my all-time favorites. The Vatican branded this "blasphemous". In a way, yes, it is. But it's reverentially blasphemous if that makes any sense.