My Movies

Since I'm heavy into filmmaking and love the Scorsese school of being acknowledgable of every film in the world (...I'm only 3.7 jillion flicks away), people have asked me in past table conversations what my favorite films are. Therefore, I figure I drop a little insight to the viewing audience and list my top 10 favorite films in two categories (General and Documentaries - since "That Asian Thing" is a documentary). A mix of comments here and there after each film. Please feel free to list your top favorite films in the comments....

10 FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES (as of March, 2007):

10. Fahrenheit 9/11 - even besides this movie, everytime I watch the 2 Towers get hit, I always shake my head. However, the best cinematic part isn't even in vision - it's when Moore uses the sounds of people running w/no visual. Now that's smart cinema.
9. Rock Fresh - ah! Done by Director Danny Lee - I'm a sucker for the b-boy/hip hop generation and believe that grafitti is a beautiful artform that doesn't get it's fair say.
8. Jesus Camp - Wow - you'd never think a world like this existed if you didn't know about it. This is where the Republican votes come from...
7. Supersize Me - talk about sacrificing yourself for art!
6. My Architect, A Son's Journey - such an insightful look at a man learning about what his Dad did for the world.
5. Street Fight - gotta love Jersey!
4. An Inconvenient Truth - I've never seen a better slide show. This was the first documentary that comletely influenced me to change my living lifestyle (to help the Earth).
3. Born Into Brothels - colors, lighting, and camera work make it better than it already is. That photography skill is pretty clutch for filmmaking.
2. 9/11 - this wasn't even in the theaters, it was only on television. It's just a closer look at what happen in the towers during the incident and shows the bravery that New York had to show the world. As far as the filmmakers are concerned, in retrospect, they were brave and in terms of great documentaries, they were at the right place at the right time (or actually, a time that should've never happened).
1. Bowling for Columbine - the first time I saw the footage of what happen inside the cafeteria that sad day made me scared of what kids are learning today.


10 FAVORITE MOVIES (GENERAL) (as of March, 2007):

10. Christmas Story
9. Eve & the Firehorse - "That Asian Thing" interviewed director, Julia Kwan, during her visit to Chicago at last year's Asian American Showcase. The writing of this film is impeccable and the characters are beautifully written.
8. Citizen Kane - it's like a big deal or something. ha!
7. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
6. Pulp Fiction
5. American Beauty - it's totally more than just a dysfunctional family...
4. 8 1/2 - Frederico Fellini's greatness (and therapy) all in one.
3. Godfather II
2. Royal Tennanbaums
1. Goodfellas - Can't help it, I'm a Scorsese freak! He's inspired me without even knowing it. Me and every filmmaker in the world probably.

Yes - I must admit that my picks are more new school than old school, so here are my honorable mentions of classics that inspire me more than you think: the Birds, Rope, the Shining, Meet John Doe, It's a Wonderful Life, Wizard of Oz, Clockwork Orange, Rebecca, Notorious, Chan is Missing (awesome!).

You know - I actually watch movies on the daily. It truly is part of our culture and breathes through many people. In terms of documentaries, I had a little stint where I was 2 or 3 a day for about a month. No joke. I figure that in order for me to make a good documentary, I need to see what's out there. What works, what doesn't work, what I like, what I don't like, and what formats have been done. However, I must admit that after 3 weeks of that month, I had a small depression. I had watch Capturing the Friedman's and the Weather Underground. I only felt wierd and had an uncomfortable feeling watching these films, like when I would watch Unsolved Mysteries as a child. It freaked me out and felt like I was unsafe. Documentaries can be depressing because they open your eyes to how our world is and the bad things inside it. So this is something that I hope "That Asian Thing" can sort of convey, but in general, would like it to be more envigorating and installing a sense of pride. We shall soon see.