Films That Got Me Into Cinema: Part One

By: Keaton Marcus

Since there are so many films that reeled me into my current love of cinema, I’m actually going to have to split this into two parts, similar to my The Last Jedi analysis.

1. Her (2013), directed by: spike Jonze

   These movies aren’t put in any particular order, so I guess we can start off with Spike Jonze’s Her, a blend of romance, science fiction, comedy and drama set in the future of LA. This film gives me all the emotions I want while watching something. It made me laugh, cry and think all at the same time. It tackles the boundaries and limitations of human-to-human love while questioning whether artificial intelligence and a man could actually have a romantic relationship together. From the gorgeous cinematography and production design, the superb performances from Joaquin Phoenix, and especially Scarlett Johansson (who quite literally portrays a robot voice), and the wholly original and consistently hilarious script, this is a flawless film in every single respect. One thing that I also cherish about this is its watchability factor. I’ve seen it three times now, and each time it has become more enjoyable, and ultimately better.

2. moonlight (2016), Directed By: Barry Jenkins

   Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is definitely a remarkable achievement. It chronicles three vital chapters of a man’s life as he grapples with his sexuality while he experiences the ecstasy, pain and beauty of falling in love before ultimately finding himself. Yeah, I know, it sounds pretentious as all hell, but the truth is it really isn’t. This movie is absolutely heartbreaking and impressive to witness, and it truly did touch me in a way that no other movie did. The cinematography may be gorgeous to behold, the direction calculated and sharp, but what I was honestly blown away by was probably the performances all around. They all convey a certain loneliness and hardship without going too far on an acting standpoint. It plays to the movie’s themes all to well, and this was one of the more recent films that I watched that solidified my love for cinema.

3. Ran (1985), Directed By: Akira Kurosawa

   Next would have to be Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, which I had the pleasure of finally seeing only a few days ago. Holy shit this movie has aged absolutely beautifully. For a film released 35 years ago, it looked and sounded better than most big-budget movies I’ve seen in the last couple years. Every battle cry, every kill, every single line impacts you like a bullet, and that’s only enhanced by the stark colors and camera work, riddled down to absolute and total perfection. Seriously, the attention-to-detail here is incredible. Remember, I have lately become quite the sucker for movies with visual storytelling, and this movie was tailored to my liking, which is principally why it’s on this list. Ran will always be remembered as quite the achievement, and I will certainly remember my experience with it even without re-watching it, which I most definitely will.

4. I’m thinking of ending things (2020), directed by: charlie kaufman

   I know…A 2020 film on here? An actual movie released in quite possibly the worst year for cinema that I’ve lived through? It can’t be true, right? Wrong. Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a piece of art in my opinion, and words cannot describe my utmost passion for it. This movie was 1) my favorite film of last year, 2) the movie that intrigued me to see more Kaufman films, and 3) a movie that continued to build the walls of my passion for cinema and writing about it. Of course there’s more that I could get into detail with, but the gist of this is basically that the film is really important to me, and I’ve already watched it multiple times. Elaborating on the second thing, I’m dead serious. This one Netflix movie reeled me in to the world of Charlie Kaufman, and I have now seen five of films, with more to come along with an in-depth review of the talented director. For real, how the hell was I not supposed to put this on the list.

5. portrait of a lady on fire (2019), Directed By: celine sciamma

   Now, the last film for part one of this would have to be Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which I watched the Summer of 2020. I didn’t think that I would find much to love in a French, lesbian romance about painting, but oh my was I completely wrong. This film fueled, in my opinion, the best analysis on a movie that I’ve ever written to-date. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a poetic, powerfully acted and magnificently filmed romance with actual earned tension and purpose to its every shot and character decision. Although the rest of the film is still pitch perfect, it was really the ending that helped it onto this list. It gives the movie such a beautiful sense of finality and closure to audiences while giving a bittersweet conclusion to its two lovely leads. Although it takes its time, this is also a remarkably well-paced movie. I never felt a moment drag on to long, and there was always something to bite your nails about. The tension in the film has to be the standout above all the great things about it.