Anything Goes : What is the Desert Island Movies by Lori Sivage

Thank you

Thanks Patrick - Indeed, these can serve as great ice breakers too.

Yes most of the movies I picked Peter Dinklage is in and also, I love disaster movies, fantasy and the Fast and Furious Franchise. I like so many movies it was hard to choose. I am not that big on romance movies but I like anything else, I used to be afraid to watch horror movies now I think they are cool.

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite film is, I must clarify. I have about twenty favorite films, or more. I call them desert island films. I love the concept. Some of my favorites, and I always love sharing: - When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Naruse) - Yearning (Naruse) - Late Autumn (Ozu) - Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-Wai) - 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai) - Woman in the Dunes (Teshigahara) - Twenty-four Eyes (Kinoshita) And recently: - Ex Machina (Garland) - Kumiko the Treasure Hunter (Zellner Bros)

Bryan, I added mine on my profile.

Nice Bryan - I haven't seen any of these other than Ex Machina. Definitely loved that one. I don't want to do any spoilers, but as a computer scientist and aspiring screenwriter, I think it's extremely well thought out and produced.

@Lori - I think that Angriest man in Brooklyn is way too sad to exist. If someone watches that movie and they don't cry they're probably not human.

Tomasz, I'm a big fan of critically acclaimed Asian cinema drama, which is what most of my list reflects. I could easily name many many more. And yes, as a computer guy myself, Ex Machina was well done!

I haven't seen Angriest Man in Brooklyn, but on my list above, you'll find a film called Twenty-four Eyes. It generally turns men into a sobbing mess.

Lori, I checked them out. I haven't seen most of them. I also added some to my profile.

@Tomaz If we were able to add tv series too. I would change it to Game Of Thrones. It was hard for me to choose movies as I like so many.

@Bryan My man is an emotional wreck on any movie. But, I don't want to talk about my man. I am a huge Peter Dinklage fan and always have been. I haven't seen all of his movies yet obviously. But, I like other actors and actresses.

Lori, I'm a huge Zhang Ziyi fan and a Hideko Takamine fan. Both give devastating performances!

Thanks for suggestion Bryan, I'll definitely check it out. I grew up on old Japanese films, I might have seen some of these already, but won't know unless I watch them again. @Lori - I watch a lot of TV as well, and would love that too, maybe someday soon we could expand this section. By the way, sorry for confusing people with putting @ in front of their name (I see it caught on) - just what I tend to do. We will be adding that feature to Stage 32 in upcoming months. :)

@Thomaz That would be great.

Tomasz, a lot of people confine their exploration of mid twentieth century Japanese cinema to the works of Kurosawa. Others of equal importance are Ozu, Mizoguchi, Naruse, Teshigahara, Shinoda, Oshima and others.

I'm of course familiar with the works of Kurosawa, but all other names simply breeze over my head. I will definitely check some of these films out - any suggestion for where I can get my hands on some of these?

Most are Criterion films, and Barnes and Noble has a 50% off all Criterion films this month. I own about 120 of them. However, here's a little secret: Criterion makes most of their films available online on Hulu Plus. It'll cost you $8 a month. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is an excellent film to start with.

I have never seen any of those type of movies.

Thanks for the tip Bryan - yes, I'm already on Hulu, so that helps a bunch. I'll start with your recommendation and I'll come back to let you know my thoughts. Cheers.

Tomasz, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts! The star of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is Hideko Takamine, and I think you'll really like her. There are two other films that I highly recommend which also star her. Actually, there are many more. But after When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, I recommend the following two, which are both on Hulu Plus: - Yearning - Twenty-four Eyes

Lori, no better time than the present to introduce yourself to this treasure trove of cinema! Japan was a powerhouse in cinema in the 50s and 60s, and some of the best films ever made came out of that era and region. One was voted the greatest film ever made by directors worldwide. Another was voted the fifteenth greatest ever made by critics worldwide. And among the top 100 films, as voted by critics and directors worldwide, many are in the top 100. And we're talking about perhaps more than 100,000 films to choose from over the history of cinema. The two Japanese movements of interest are the Golden Era and the Japanese New Wave. Don't for one minute think that these older films don't apply when it comes to learning and honing your craft. You have no idea how many insights you can glean from these films. Yasujiro Ozu's films alone can make you rethink many aspects of making films.

Hi Lori and Tomasz! Another desert island film is Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love. One of its many trailers is linked to below. And critics worldwide voted it the greatest film of the 21st century in 2012, in Sight and Sound's prestigious once a decade poll. The same poll ranked it the 24th greatest film ever made. This is not some fanboy poll. It is THE poll. And it's quite an extraordinary film. Here's one of the trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kRQqksluZk

So what was the answer to this question? Is "desert island films" the same as favorite films then?